S03.E11: Free Fall

[jewel21]

After being terminated from Chastain, Conrad has difficulty figuring out his next step and distracts himself by accompanying a patient on a zero-gravity adventure. In his first move as the new Chief of Surgery, Cain puts the doctors on a commission-based pay system, which causes Devon's new intern to agree to a procedure before weighing the risks. Meanwhile, Mina struggles with taking care of Adaku's baby and Bell's supplement company get its big break.

Airdate: 01/07/2020

[gonzosgirrl]

These Red Rock guys are all but twirling their moustaches. It's too much.

[izabella]

Those new interns are why I'm afraid of hospitals.

[Ohwell]

I already can't stand the new female intern.  When she froze in front of that patient, I was yelling at her "get the hell out of the hospital!"  I was disappointed that she didn't quit.

The best part of the episode was Mina bonding with the baby on the sofa at the end.

[Bulldog]

Was AJ's mortality rate a major storyline recon? I realize that even the best doctors lose patients and like he said, he gets the sickest patients and the most complex surgeries, but I thought his whole identity was that he was a superstar -- the best of the best.  Have they ever mentioned any concerns about his performance prior to tonight?

Daddy Hawkins sure did back down might quick when Red Rock lackey flexed his muscle.  There is no way Red Rock lackey doesn't have a few skeletons in his closet that could be exploited.

Didn't like either new intern and hope neither become recurring characters, although I did like Elene (sp?) offering up an inspirational story of helping a family member overcome an illness and then deciding to become a doctor only to find out she was really a fed up school teacher looking for a career change.

I was thinking that the influencer (I guess that's what you call her - the Zero Gravity woman who was always on her phone) would capture Conrad saving the guy and post it on social media making Conrad a momentary celebrity and that would force Chastain to hire him back, but I guess not.

Where was Voss? And Irving?

  

Edited January 8, 2020 by Bulldog

[Artsda]

Red Rock is getting old, they are just not fun to watch.

[Lady Calypso]

Yeah, I'm really needing the Red Rock storyline to finish, but it seems like it'll be all season before they're taken down. It's just....repetitive, at this point. We all know Red Rock will be taken down, so it's just a waiting game. 

I will forever iterate how much I LOVE AJ. And this is coming from someone who disliked him so much when he first appeared, that I didn't watch a lot of season 2 until much later. His scene with Cain was great. I'm glad to see that he stood up to him. 

I'm glad Marshall stepped in...but man, he also stepped down QUICKLY. It's not like Red Rock Rep is THAT scary. He's just a slimy little weasel. No way would Marshall be that scared off by one threat. It's not like he hasn't received threats before. 

I'm glad Devon got interns but I didn't like either intern. Sorry, older lady and other guy. You two just aren't enough. Not that Devon was being particularly nice or helpful, and I was convinced for a bit that older lady intern would have been right to send the guy up for additional tests, but I forgot what show this is. Of course everything has to go wrong.

Nice end scene with Devon/Nic at the end, but is it sad that I think I would have been intrigued to see an actual medical issue storyline with Devon? Might have made his storyline more interesting, not gonna lie.

Conrad and his patient had a nice storyline.

[Brookside]

I'd forgotten how ridiculous this progamme had got.  I remember when it started with promise, but now the soap opera quotient is such that it's gone from my watch list.   

[sempervivum]

2 hours ago, Bulldog said:

Was AJ's mortality rate a major storyline recon? I realize that even the best doctors lose patients and like he said, he gets the sickest patients and the most complex surgeries, but I thought his whole identity was that he was a superstar -- the best of the best.  Have they ever mentioned any concerns about his performance prior to tonight?

No. Total retcon.

[meatball77]

AJ has a low mortality rate because he turns everyone into a vegetable and sends them off to nursing care.  He's a superstar because he makes money.

[Mellowyellow]

49 minutes ago, meatball77 said:

AJ has a low mortality rate because he turns everyone into a vegetable and sends them off to nursing care.  He's a superstar because he makes money.

That's Cain, not AJ (Raptor)

Raptor has a big ego but he's a good guy and very competent up until the retcon.

[sadie]

Agree with all, I love this show but these evil one dimensional Red Rock guys is not good storytelling.  Even when Bell was the “bad guy” they gave him some nuance of good. It made for good tv. I just want this to end and see them get punched in the face, maybe they will make Cain turn after the speech AJ gave him but I’m not confident. 

[cathmed]

IDK - for me, this episode was somewhat all over the place and a bit disappointing after returning from the hiatus.

Mena - Where's Adaku--still recovering in he hospital?  Not even a mention of her but Mena taking care of the baby who looks a couple months old now.  Bizarre.   I prefer Mena in the OR not taking care of this child.

Devon seemed to take over the Conrad role as doctor with his new residents.   I guess they were trying to portray him as tough when warranted and accommodating when he had to be - interesting.

Raptor and Cain - Raptor won't back down and will always give his patients quality care and do what's right.  He'll defy Cain to his last breath.  But Raptor is on to something with Cain and how he became as ruthless as he has - will they delve into Cain's backstory or just let it drop?  I don't know how long the writers can continue with this pernicious and immoral storyline with Cain.  Speaking of imploding, the writers better have an end game for Cain/his obsequious minion/Red Rock as this can't continue for another season.  He's fired Conrad, demoted Bell and now tried to get in Raptors face.  Agree with other posters - there's only so much of this one-dimensional Red Rock saga I can stomach.  They need to end it this season.

Zero Gravity Fin & Conrad's friend (Moira Kelly is the actress) - these storylines came from no where (at least Fin's did for me) and I thought they were through with the woman cancer patient/other risky medical challenges (lung) with the her.   What gets me is that there's no continuity with some of these storylines.  At lease in S1 with the chemo patient that Lane basically murdered, and S2 with the little boy (shown in flashbacks this week), they didn't skip for weeks then return to it.

Conrad/Fin - bromance storyline but I'd rather have seen Conrad/his dad determine how they would one-up Red Rock/Cain, etc.   Instead we have Conrad looking puzzled as to what to do (until Fin tells him) and Marshall looking surprised that Red Rock had the temerity to throw his past in his face when Red Rock is the epitome of devious, dishonest and unprincipled actions.   Marshall is no choir boy and knew he'd probably done some unscrupulous things in his past.  However, I was just surprised that he also doesn't have some dirt on Red Rock.  But hopefully, he and Conrad have a viable plan to not only reinstate Conrad  but also destroy this anathema of Red Rock and Cain.  Guess I need to be patient😉

Edited January 8, 2020 by cathmed

[preeya]

Can't wait until Cain/Asian Asshole get their comeuppance. They (TPTB) shouldn't let this storyline go on forever. I'm hoping Conrad and Conrad, Sr. can end it quickly.

Best part of the episode: CSI, NY theme song by The Who. (Baba O'Riley)

 

[vibeology]

I was so confused with some of the turns in this episode. How much time has gone by since the last one? Because that baby was huge. And Conrad was interviewing for jobs. But I'm supposed to believe that Conrad's dad let weeks or months go by with Conrad not answering a single phone call? Or that there was such a long gap between Devon's last day as a first year and him getting his interns?

Did Cain really think Moira Kelly (who works at the hospital!!!!) wouldn't know what a DNR was if Austin didn't bring it up?

I'm ready to make strides forward in the Red Rock story. I don't care if they stick around until the end of the season, but at some point they have to lose some of these little battles. It's painful watching them one up the "good guys" at the last second week after week.

[suebee12]

7 minutes ago, preeya said:

Best part of the episode: CSI, NY theme song by The Who. (Baba O'Riley)

I can't hear this song without thinking of David Cook from American Idol!

[CoyoteBlue]

14 hours ago, gonzosgirrl said:

These Red Rock guys are all but twirling their moustaches. It's too much.

ALL of this show's villains have been moustache-twirling, unabashedly evil, cardboard characters. Bell was, Doctor Cancer Killer was, MedTech CEO was, and now Red Rock.

Edited January 8, 2020 by CoyoteBlue

[sempervivum]

Nice to see Kearran Giovanni (Sykes from Major Crimes) getting some work (the home shopping executive partnered with Bell).

[Ohwell]

I don't think Conrad's father was caught off guard or taken aback by the Red Rock weasel.  I think the father wanted to find out who he was dealing with and just how much the weasel knew about him.  The weasel thinks he "won" the battle.  Now the father and Conrad are ready for war.

[twoods]

I hate this retcon of AJ having a poor mortality rate as well. He’s the genius surgeon who seemed to have never have a patient die on him, now this? Screw you writers!

I can’t wait for Marshall to take down Red Rock. So tired of their mustache twirling.

Did anyone else want to punch that influencer in the background while Conrad was saving that guy’s life? Taking selfies while someone is dying- man I hate influencers.

Edited January 8, 2020 by twoods

[jewel21]

Have we ever seen the guy who Conrad accompanied on the zero G plane? I don't recall ever seeing him before this epiosode. 

And add me those annoyed by the AJ recon. 

[KaveDweller]

21 hours ago, Bulldog said:

I was thinking that the influencer (I guess that's what you call her - the Zero Gravity woman who was always on her phone) would capture Conrad saving the guy and post it on social media making Conrad a momentary celebrity and that would force Chastain to hire him back, but I guess not.

That's what I thought was going to happen too. I guess they want to drag things out though.

[Mellowyellow]

I didn't mind the plot they wrote for Marshall as he's clearly sussing things out and that's in character for him. I'm really happy he and Conrad have a reasonably normal father/son relationship (as normal as can be on these dramas). Looking forward to them teaming up.

Raptor however!!! Seriously!!!! I hope they're not retconning his medical prowess and Cain is just purely making crap up. He's supposed to be a genius!!!!

I remember the season Bell tried to get Raptor to join the only thing Bell could say against him was that he was too showy and difficult and didn't stay at any hospital for long because of his personality. They still established that he was a genius surgeon.

Speaking of Raptor, it was brief but I adored the snuggle speech to Mina and him being amused at her. 

I don't mind the baby story in this ep because clearly it was played for laughs and we're not supposed to question how Mina is taking care of the baby and being a surgeon at the same time. Baby looks HUGE though! They don't spew much at that age. They couldn't get a younger one 😂

[Court]

On 1/7/2020 at 9:18 PM, gonzosgirrl said:

These Red Rock guys are all but twirling their moustaches. It's too much.

Yes and I'm over it. Cain is so over the top and it's absurd. I now hate Morris Morris Chestnut and that man is or rather was on my free pass list. 

[renatae]

The Demonic Duo is ruining this series for me. Also my BP.

ETA: I didn't read the other comments before I posted this, but it's gratifying that everyone pretty much feels the same. Wish the writers had a clue.

Edited January 9, 2020 by renatae

[renatae]

Re: the time line - hard to say if the baby is huge because a couple of months is supposed to have passed, or if it's just the usual "replace the newborn with a three month old because they are cuter" syndrome. My bet is the latter. Except this baby looks closer to six months old, lol.

[hookedontv]

On 1/7/2020 at 10:16 PM, Bulldog said:

I was thinking that the influencer (I guess that's what you call her - the Zero Gravity woman who was always on her phone) would capture Conrad saving the guy and post it on social media making Conrad a momentary celebrity and that would force Chastain to hire him back, but I guess not.

I thought the exact same thing! That Conrad's heroics (and doing CPR while upside down in zero gravity) would make him an instant internet star and that Red Rock would be all over it and display him as their poster child doctor hero. Maybe that will come later? But that was my first thought because they focused on that woman and her cell a few times.

Morris Chestnut has gotten physically uglier to me with this character. See folks, it's not all about looks! Personality counts a LOT in my book. 

[KittenPokerCheater]

I liked this episode.  I want to try zero G now.

Red Rock folks are clearly all Richard Murgatroyd, so I will be happy to see them get their come-uppance, but I wonder if it will somehow destroy Conrad's relationship with his Dad.

Devon's interns are terrible.  Like, fire them right. now.

[MoreCoffeePlease]

Do you think Nic was right that Devon's symptoms were due to stress? Seemed like he caught something to me, which I don't think would be unusual in the ER.

 

[Ohwell]

9 minutes ago, MoreCoffeePlease said:

Do you think Nic was right that Devon's symptoms were due to stress? Seemed like he caught something to me, which I don't think would be unusual in the ER.

 

I thought Nic was rather cavalier in how she reacted to Devon's symptoms and his concerns.   I hope she's right but I wouldn't be surprised if it was something else.

[twoods]

I agree but those symptoms sounded like anxiety to me, and Conrad seemed to have the same issues as well. I hope he doesn’t have an illness.

[sweetandsour]

OK, here is what I would like to happen to the Twirling Mustache Bros.  For some reason, Logan Kim has some kind of dire neurological problem, either from injury or disorder, I don't care.  But he's still cognizant for now and can make his own medical decisions.  The only surgery that could save him from a horrible, debilitating decline to death is both super risky - he could die on the table instead - and so novel/emerging that Cain is the only one who could possibly succeed.  (So Kim can't just go to some other neurosurgeon.)

Kim tells Cain that he'd rather die during surgery than be sent to a vent farm to live on machines indefinitely.  Bc they're BROS and Cain should see him as a partner, not just another rando patient, right?  Even though Cain is like "But MY STATS!" Kim signs a DNR.  But bc Kim knows he can't trust Cain, he secretly gives his lawyer a sealed envelope and/or laptop of all kinds of incriminating documents to publicly release (to police, medical board, the press, etc.) if Cain defies his medical wishes.  Kim ends up coding on the operating table and Cain does in fact defy the DNR (or deleted it from hospital records in the first place).  Kim goes to the vent farm where his neighbor is the lady from the Mother of All Surgeries; Cain is exposed, his license is revoked, he is sued by tons of old patients / their families and his personal assets are drained, and he goes to prison for a lengthy prison term; Bell takes the throne again with Lady Voss by his side; and Conrad is allowed to return to Chastain as chief resident with back pay.  This might be too mean, but maybe also a scene of Marshall Winthrop standing over Kim's bed at the vent farm and saying, "I guess those bodies you know about will stay buried, huh?" and a complementary scene of the Raptor visiting Cain in prison, talking on the phones through the plexiglass screen, saying, "Still proud of the man you are?"

I could really go on and on ...

[Mellowyellow]

Love it @sweetandsour!!!!!!

Brilliant!!! 👍👍👍

[Gregg247]

I'm enjoying the Red Rock story line.  This show certainly paints their villains in broad strokes, but I find it kind of delicious that Dr. Cain and his (surprisingly tough) minion are going to get their butts handed to them in the end.  The anticipation of that makes me look forward to each episode.  All the heartwarming stories about doctors and patients are well-done on this show, but sometimes, I just want a really good "good guy vs. bad guy" fight.  (I didn't watch 14 seasons of "Dallas" purely for the family bonding, you know!)

I got the feeling that the actors who play Conrad and Finn weren't really acting during their time in zero-G.  They were both having the time of their lives! LOL

[statsgirl]

I'm tired of the mustache-twirling. Cain and Kim both seem so stupid as well as unsubtle. Did Bell develop his drug at the hospital? Did he offer it to them and they turned it down? If either of those things are true, they own it, no need for Cain to come and threaten them. And if they continue to fire and demote doctors, they're going to get a very bad reputation in the medical community and loose all those high profile patients.

As someone whose baby cried for 14 hours a day from colic, cuddling is good but dancing is better. Also get her checked out for gastric reflux if she's spitting up that much.

On 1/7/2020 at 9:26 PM, izabella said:

Those new interns are why I'm afraid of hospitals.

The way they are taught is why I'm afraid. Why would anyone get a first day intern to run a code? Or even to authorize tests without running the by someone first. Give her a chance to learn something first.

On 1/8/2020 at 11:38 AM, sempervivum said:

Nice to see Kearran Giovanni (Sykes from Major Crimes) getting some work (the home shopping executive partnered with Bell).

Malcolm Jamal Warner played her love interest on Major Crimes.

[bros402]

The AJ retcon is just silly. Maybe it is just his stats since Red Rock took over?

Also, this show should really not do season long plots - they have what, 22 episodes a season? They should do 2-4 arcs a season. They would be much better at pushing this red rock stuff into 11 episodes versus a full 22 episode season.

[SnarkySheep]

On 1/7/2020 at 9:18 PM, gonzosgirrl said:

These Red Rock guys are all but twirling their moustaches. It's too much.

Agreed. They are so over the top villains, it's getting ridiculous. Nobody is that evil, nor that unstoppable.

 

On 1/8/2020 at 9:26 AM, cathmed said:

Mena - Where's Adaku--still recovering in he hospital?  Not even a mention of her but Mena taking care of the baby who looks a couple months old now.  Bizarre.   I prefer Mena in the OR not taking care of this child.

This. Is Adaku supposedly on the road to recovery, and Mina caring for the baby just a temporary thing? Is she now in the vent farm and Mina has her for a longer undisclosed period? Who knows.

Also, what's the baby's name? Even if Adaku wasn't conscious and able to officially name her after the birth, I find it hard to believe that she wouldn't have a name ready and have shared it with Mina.

[cathmed]

16 hours ago, SnarkySheep said:

This. Is Adaku supposedly on the road to recovery, and Mina caring for the baby just a temporary thing? Is she now in the vent farm and Mina has her for a longer undisclosed period? Who knows.

Also, what's the baby's name? Even if Adaku wasn't conscious and able to officially name her after the birth, I find it hard to believe that she wouldn't have a name ready and have shared it with Mina.

👏 - couldn't find a "thumbs up" emoji but applauding this as well!

[GiandujaPie]

I don't know why any of the doctors or nurses continue to work at Chastain. We were told that Raptor was a very much in-demand surgeon and that it was a major coup that Bell was able to hire him at Chastain. So why can't Raptor just threaten to leave and get another job? Or not even threaten, just do it! Same with Nic - she's supposedly such a great nurse practitioner, certainly she could get a better job. The interns or residents, I can understand why it wouldn't be that easy to move elsewhere but there's no reason why a very good doctor/nurse wouldn't be able to go to another hospital. I don't know why anyone would want to work under Cain and Logan Kim.

Why are the families of the people who Cain put at the vent farm not complaining? Or their insurance companies? It just doesn't seem realistic that Chastain could put that many patients in the vent farm without eventually some insurance company balking at the costs and noticing a pattern.