S03:E12: Things Fall Apart

[ams1001]

5 hours ago, bros402 said:

um Iggy you should've talked to your husband about that hat immediately holy crap. Dr. Iggy's Husband, I have no idea what a 2120 is, since in NY, 2120 is a hold for typhoid, TB, or another communicable disease - https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/PBH/2120

Going by my L&O memories, a psych hold is 5150.

 

[Artsda]

I dislike the inlaws, Max is a single parent so he doesn't deserve his kid?

And a whole lot of stupid by the doctors this episode. Chemical spill and no call to authorities to handle anything?

Edited May 21, 2021 by Artsda

[txhorns79]

32 minutes ago, Artsda said:

Chemical spill and no call to authorities to handle anything?

I think they did mention that Hazmat had been called.  It made no sense that Max was running around with a sledgehammer trying to find the source of the leak himself.  That isn't his job, and we saw that once he did find the source, he had no idea how to handle it.  Moreover, his ignorance nearly killed him. 

[JayDub1987]

Max, a man who knows nothing about construction or hazardous materials is running around a hospital with a sledge hammer busting out walls. Seems like a helluva an idea. What's the worst thing that could happen? Oh, that's right. EVERYTHING! Jesus, what a stupid moment on a show that already teeters on the edge of blatant idiocy more weeks than not.

A shower with Sharpe? Eh, sign me up. I'll take a few minutes in a chemical spill for that.

"You've obviously....got a vibe...that I dig." 
-Reynolds

Uh, 1975 called and they'd like their jargon back. 

 

"We're taking her with us"
"Ok, that sounds great. I'll pick her up tomorrow." 
"No. We're filing for custody." 

Uh, that's called kidnapping and the minute you cross state lines it's a federal offense you blabbering dipshit. You can't tell your dead daughter's husband "No" when he says he's coming to pick up his kid the next day. "We're filing for custody" doesn't mean "you can't have YOUR kid back." I can't stand Max more weeks than not, but his MIL is clearly off her rocker. Hell, maybe we're setting up for another crossover event since NBC is obsessed with those. Max will work with Olivia Benson to get his kid back from his psychotic in-laws.

Edited May 21, 2021 by JayDub1987

[gibasi]

Ugh. These doctors.  It is just common sense that you take care of yourself first so that you can take care of others. It is why the flight attendant tells you to put your oxygen mask on first in an emergency before taking care of your children. And I thought Helen was smart enough to call for help before going to help Max.

Dr. Reynolds broke it off with Bloom because he did not want to marry a white woman or even lead her on. But he is knowingly going out with a married woman? He is so rigid with his moral code and what people should do that I can't see him with her.

[Cloud9Shopper]

I saw on Reddit today (so with no verifiable source) that apparently there’s a deleted scene where Casey finds Lauren after she passes out. And my heart is sad that we didn’t get a Lauren-Leyla scene in the hospital. (Those two are one of the only reasons I’m clinging to S3.) 

[bros402]

18 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Going by my L&O memories, a psych hold is 5150.

 

I believe that is what it is in California, but I am 99% sure that Iggy's husband said "2120"

[circumvent]

On 5/20/2021 at 11:41 PM, KaveDweller said:

Yes, one-year-olds know acceptable behavior, but she probably wouldn't understand the implication of getting kicked out of daycare. Of course, I don't have kids, so maybe I am wrong. It just seems like they would have told Max it was an issue and if it kept happening she'd get kicked out. Of course maybe they did and Max didn't pay attention because he was on his own crusade to end <insert social justice cause of the week>.

I agree Luna is unhappy and acting out. She has had a lot of drama for a baby.

I don't completely disagree with this. I do have a couple of observations to add to what should be more nuanced: 

Toddlers being kicked out of daycare for being toddlers is a symptom of how terrible the whole system is. Probably low paying jobs that have little staff and poor training. There are so many people who provide daycare in - especially - poor communities, and they can manage much better with much less. It is the beginning of the type of discipline kids experience in school these days, where the presence of an officer who treats every outburst as a crime is accepted as necessary. It starts with this idea that punishment at an early age leads to better outcomes. Fallacy. 

The "acting out" part can be true, but that's another one of the blunders the writers seem to be incapable of escaping from. Luna is a secondary character, we don't see her daily events, or her development. The biting incident was not "documented" to us (as in we saw how it happened and why). The only time we saw something close to her need of attention was when she protested being away from grandma and grandpa, but not even that was really explored. So I am rejecting this premise.

Obviously, it doesn't matter because the writers will twist and invent reasons to extend the custody drama as much as they can. Creativity is in short supply over there, they probably exhausted their White Savior narrative, for now, so they need another reason to keep Max from being the doctor and medical director we were told the character was.

[needschocolate]

I am a few episodes behind, so maybe things have improved, but I keep getting the feeling that the people in charge of this show are trying to turn it into a comedy.  

[bros402]

9 hours ago, needschocolate said:

I am a few episodes behind, so maybe things have improved, but I keep getting the feeling that the people in charge of this show are trying to turn it into a comedy.  

i mean honestly that would be a good way to steer it, make it a dramedy, then they can lean into the unintentional cheese they have made

[renatae]

Finally - a redeeming episode! Plenty of actually medically related storyline, even if wonky. Of course, Max goes off on his own to save the hospital. As someone else said earlier, I always wonder how the characters wind up all by themselves in a busy hospital with no one around when they get in trouble.

Looks like they brought in the "A" team writers who at least know how to bring us escapist drama. (I don't actually pay enough attention to know who wrote what.)

Grandparents didn't let us down and turned into the obnoxious enemy. Guess what, folks, while you sue for custody, Max is still the custodial PARENT. "You could have died yesterday!" You could have, as well, dimwit. And now, I hope you get your comeuppance for kidnapping Luna.

Aaaand, Max's imminent romance will be put on hold, again.

Edited May 23, 2021 by renatae

[Sweet Tooth]

55 minutes ago, renatae said:

Looks like they brought in the "A" team writers who at least know how to bring us escapist drama. (I don't actually pay enough attention to know who wrote what.)

Seriously, the rise in quality from one week to the next is crazy.

I watched last week's and this week's episodes back to back, and the comparison is alarming.

That scene of Helen and Max in the shower was so amazing. It's really the small, intimate scenes this show gets right.

And that last group therapy scene was great. They got some fantastic actors who really did seem like people at the end of their rope. Their guest star picks this week were off the charts.

I'm willing to ignore the idiocy, like Max taking a sledgehammer, if the rest of the episode is awesome. At least he was trying to save the hospital and not the whole world. It's also within his character. Like, when he started doing that, I didn't think, "What is he, crazy?" I thought, "Yeah, that seems about right for him."

[yourmomiseasy]

22 hours ago, circumvent said:

I don't completely disagree with this. I do have a couple of observations to add to what should be more nuanced: 

Toddlers being kicked out of daycare for being toddlers is a symptom of how terrible the whole system is. Probably low paying jobs that have little staff and poor training. There are so many people who provide daycare in - especially - poor communities, and they can manage much better with much less. It is the beginning of the type of discipline kids experience in school these days, where the presence of an officer who treats every outburst as a crime is accepted as necessary. It starts with this idea that punishment at an early age leads to better outcomes. Fallacy. 

The irony is, if the daycare staff is low paid and poorly trained, that's actually a problem Max could fix since it was onsite daycare and he runs the hospital.  

[circumvent]

21 minutes ago, yourmomiseasy said:

The irony is, if the daycare staff is low paid and poorly trained, that's actually a problem Max could fix since it was onsite daycare and he runs the hospital.  

True, in the show's universe. I think that staffing for public hospitals are the responsibility of the city, not the hospital director. But since Max has been th savior of the universe for everything else, sure, he could do this one for his daughter

[renatae]

On 5/21/2021 at 12:24 AM, bros402 said:

sharpe, Reynolds knew to remove the shears because they were stuck in the patient

LOL. That took the cake as the most ridiculous dialogue just about ever.

But, apparently, the shears somehow messed with the patient's pH because why? (Again, not paying too close attention, so I missed the reason the Miracle Cure worked. Proximity to some organ or another? )

[ams1001]

5 hours ago, circumvent said:

True, in the show's universe. I think that staffing for public hospitals are the responsibility of the city, not the hospital director. But since Max has been th savior of the universe for everything else, sure, he could do this one for his daughter

Yeah, he's the Medical Director. He's not [shouldn't be] in charge of the daycare, or the cafeteria employees, or whatever else. Presumably.

I just googled "What does a medical director do?" and the first result says:

Quote

A medical director is responsible for handling the overall supervision of different medical departments, managing the coordination between medical teams to ensure smooth operations and achieve high-quality care services for the patients. Medical directors enforce strict guidelines and safety measures for everyone's adherence. They also implement medical care programs, recruit medical staff, inspect the adequacy of medical equipment, respond to patient's inquiries and concerns, and oversee the facilities' procedures. A medical director manages the budget of the department, allocating equal resources to address every need.

Just based on his job title...he's in charge of the other doctors and their departments, not the whole hospital.

[yourmomiseasy]

In real life yes, but on the show he's removing meat from meals, painting murals on the floors, and whatever other facilities shit the problem of the week requires.

[catrice2]

16 hours ago, Sweet Tooth said:

Seriously, the rise in quality from one week to the next is crazy.

I watched last week's and this week's episodes back to back, and the comparison is alarming.

That scene of Helen and Max in the shower was so amazing. It's really the small, intimate scenes this show gets right.

And that last group therapy scene was great. They got some fantastic actors who really did seem like people at the end of their rope. Their guest star picks this week were off the charts.

I'm willing to ignore the idiocy, like Max taking a sledgehammer, if the rest of the episode is awesome. At least he was trying to save the hospital and not the whole world. It's also within his character. Like, when he started doing that, I didn't think, "What is he, crazy?" I thought, "Yeah, that seems about right for him."

I think a woman directed this episode

[KittenPokerCheater]

On 5/20/2021 at 12:41 AM, NJRadioGuy said:

There's no denying that Ryan Eggold and Freema Agyeman have sizzling chemistry on screen

Damn straight.  

The whole coming custody battles feels like the obstacle that will keep Max/Helen apart until next season.  Which I suppose is the show's MO, but in that case could we have a few more shower type scenes between them please?

[bros402]

16 hours ago, renatae said:

LOL. That took the cake as the most ridiculous dialogue just about ever.

But, apparently, the shears somehow messed with the patient's pH because why? (Again, not paying too close attention, so I missed the reason the Miracle Cure worked. Proximity to some organ or another? )

Now I remember, they said it was the bicarb - googling it, it looks like bicarb should be given when the pH is <7.0, and it will raise it to 7.2

 

i don't think that is enough to be a miracle cure, unless it is a super sensitive poison, which it could be - or it could be weakened from being there since the 70s, which makes me wonder "holy crap how powerful was that stuff when it came out???"

[AheadofStraight]

We all know the grandparents have no case and they are actually kidnappers at this point, but does anyone actually think the show is going to handle this right? I fully expect them to win custody because this show is so ridiculous!

[circumvent]

54 minutes ago, AheadofStraight said:

We all know the grandparents have no case and they are actually kidnappers at this point, but does anyone actually think the show is going to handle this right? I fully expect them to win custody because this show is so ridiculous!

Of course the show is gong to handle it terribly but the grandparents will not have custody. They will likely win at first, then lose, then will beg to be able to see Luna, max will deny visitations, then he will relent and they will all be happy and friends, full of love and harmony. Just like every show ever, plus a few movies, have done. Somewhere in middle of the saga, the season will end. I am preparing the puke bag.

[catrice2]

4 hours ago, circumvent said:

Of course the show is gong to handle it terribly but the grandparents will not have custody. They will likely win at first, then lose, then will beg to be able to see Luna, max will deny visitations, then he will relent and they will all be happy and friends, full of love and harmony. Just like every show ever, plus a few movies, have done. Somewhere in middle of the saga, the season will end. I am preparing the puke bag.

I actually think they will end the season with him apart from Luna....just another reason he and Sharpe can't be together because he is "fighting for his daughter," and doesn't have time for the relationship. That will be the dramatic end because having him almost die just happened this past week and for it to happen again so soon would be too much....hence let's end the season with him losing his daughter....so we can have the "cliff hanger" of will he get his daughter back. 

[bros402]

10 hours ago, AheadofStraight said:

We all know the grandparents have no case and they are actually kidnappers at this point, but does anyone actually think the show is going to handle this right? I fully expect them to win custody because this show is so ridiculous!

I mean best case is that they would get visitation at Max's apartment, supervised. NY does have very strong grandparent's rights laws.

[LexieLily]

13 hours ago, AheadofStraight said:

We all know the grandparents have no case and they are actually kidnappers at this point, but does anyone actually think the show is going to handle this right? I fully expect them to win custody because this show is so ridiculous!

If this was written in any kind of realistic way the grandparents would have no relationship at all with Luna when this is over. I'm sorry, Max isn't perfect, but, if you sue me for custody of my child and say it to my face that I am not only unfit to parent but am indirectly the cause of my late wife's death, that would be the it of any being civil for Luna's sake or any type of relationship. 

[needschocolate]

On 5/19/2021 at 11:08 AM, catrice2 said:

I was over wanting Max and Helen together a long time ago.  The way the character of Max is written he is just exhausting and I have no idea why any sane woman would want to take that on. 

Sharpe broke up with Cassian because she couldn't handle dating this calm guy and taking care of her almost-adult niece.  It defies all logic for her to get involved with someone as manic as Max (of course, this show defies logic multiple times each episode).  

On 5/19/2021 at 12:32 PM, LittleIggy said:

Floyd said the chemical was a herbicide. Why would there be a big vat of herbicide in a hospital? 

And why would it be running through the pipes?

Almost everyone of the main characters over-reacts: Sharpe breaks up with he boyfriend because her niece will be staying with her, Bloom wants to break up with her girlfriend because she is too nice when she is happy, Floyd's mother needs to be watched over 24/7 because she couldn't fill an injection needle the very first time she tried, and Max, well Max has taken over-reacting to a whole different level.  Then there is Iggy - he under-reacts so much that when an unstable man is stalking him and his family, he just wants to make sure his stalker gets his hat back.  

 

[bros402]

20 hours ago, LexieLily said:

If this was written in any kind of realistic way the grandparents would have no relationship at all with Luna when this is over. I'm sorry, Max isn't perfect, but, if you sue me for custody of my child and say it to my face that I am not only unfit to parent but am indirectly the cause of my late wife's death, that would be the it of any being civil for Luna's sake or any type of relationship. 

I mean in NYS... they would probably be granted visitation (in state only) - I have heard that NYS's grandparents rights laws are ridiculously in favor of the grandparents, especially when the grandparent is the parent of a deceased spouse

[Leeds]

On 5/21/2021 at 10:59 AM, JayDub1987 said:

I can't stand Max more weeks than not, but his MIL is clearly off her rocker. Hell, maybe we're setting up for another crossover event since NBC is obsessed with those. Max will work with Olivia Benson to get his kid back from his psychotic in-laws.

Ironically, I just discovered "Law and Order: UK", and who should be on the "Order" side but a young Freema Agyeman/Dr. Sharpe.

[KittenPokerCheater]

Glad they put a quick end to the custody battle thing.  A long drawn out custody battle would have been boring.

Glad that they arrested the stalker.  He was a truly disturbed.  I like that there was a safe word/phrase- I guess that a lot of practices have them.

When I think of so many places/people who need them not just in this country, but globally, if broke my heart that the vaccines expired.

Might be an unpopular opinion, but I like Max and Helen together- their scene on the rooftop was sweet.

[SunnyBeBe]

Posting here since I don’t see a thread for last night’s episode.

 

So, has Max learned anything from the vaccine waste incident?

 Was this the finale?

[ams1001]

28 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Posting here since I don’t see a thread for last night’s episode.

 

So, has Max learned anything from the vaccine waste incident?

 Was this the finale?

Finale is next week. Max misplaces his wedding ring!

He seemed to be about to learn a lesson until Sharpe reminded him that he expects everyone to aim higher or whatever. So I'm guessing nothing changes.

PS - Just started a new topic for episode 13.

Edited June 2, 2021 by ams1001