'The Knick' Episode 3 'The Busy Flea' Recap [SPOILERS] The Doctors Deal w/ Skin Grafts, Hernias, Typhoid Fever & Pigs - There's Also A Prostitute!

"The Busy Flea" - episode 3 of Cinemax's The Knick - introduces the audience to some pretty big illnesses: Typhoid fever and syphilis. Though the illnesses don't drive the episode, they make for great educational moments. On top of the intrigue, there's plenty of dramatic turns and even a hint of a love story, albeit from the past. [SPOILERS to follow]

Check out our episode preview right here!

Abigail Alford has got to be the most interesting character of the episode, mainly because she had a relationship with Thackery and that is dumbfounding to the audience. Also because of her illness: syphilis. She contracted it from her cheating husband. A hole remains where her nose used to be, which Thackery examines in one of the oddest scenes of any show.

Still within the opening scene, we learn how skin grafts and plastic surgery worked back in 1900. As you can guess, it doesn't sound pleasant.

Meanwhile, both Barrow and Edwards are in some shady dealings - of course we know Algernon's plans aren't as devious as the superintendent's. Edwards' basement hospital expands a bit with a surgical nurse and other cohorts while Barrow manages to pay his debts by steeling a body from the morgue. Also Barrow visits a prostitute, of course, in case you didn't think he was slimy enough.

Thackery performs the skin graft procedure on Abigail, gets a pep talk from nurse Lucy, and decides to operate on his young typhoid patient. It's successful, you guys!

Edwards, however, lost a patient. It wasn't exactly his fault, but Algernon can't take it and gets drunk. He gets into another fight, ending the episode in a similar way to last week's.

Briefly: Cornelia is engaged, Cleary is putting some pressure on the abortionist nun, it took way too long for Bertie to show up in the episode, Thackery has some haggard track marks, and Barrow's still incredibly shady!

We're only three episodes in and there's just so much story already developed. Let us know what you thought of episode 3 in comments section below!