S05.E02: Piece of Cake

[helenamonster]

Original airdate: 10/4/21

[greekmom]

I hate that new corporate raider. With a passion. Didn't she play the ex wife on Bob hearts Abishola?

I liked the way Shaun didn't answer her question about being on the spectrum.

The mom and the breastmilk thing. That was like a movie of the week back in the 80s. Saw it a mile away after they officer said that Abby killed her first baby that the mother is innocent.

I hope Andrews realizes the reason that Lim sided with Mateo was because of that bitch being in the room. Otherwise I think she would have sided with Andrews.

Poor Shaun with the hand dryer. 

[Annber03]

"You of all people do not want to be rated on how nice you are." LOL, Park.

2 hours ago, greekmom said:

I hate that new corporate raider. With a passion. 

I'm unnerved by the way she keeps just randomly showing up, either before or after everyone else gets there. It's kind of creepy. 

I want to say there was a story on "Forensic Files" once about a case similar to the one with Abby and her babies. Given Park's history as a cop, and how suspicious he often naturally tended to be of people in the past, it was interesting how quick he was to believe Abby here. I liked that he was sympathetic to her and was willing to investigate this further, thank goodness he did. 

I'm not surprised Glassman would want to kinda distance himself for a while, get his head on straight and everything. I'm curious what that would mean for him in general in the future. 

Not surprised Shaun would struggle at the end - he may have thought he was handling all these changes well, but yeah, it was clear that he was tense, it was bound to cause him to have a breakdown eventually. 

[Starchild]

Observation #1: Can this really be the first time Shaun has encountered an automatic hand dryer? Even after COVID?

Observation #2: As old as he is, who knew Glassman would be so emo?

Observation #3: Truth serum? How are these doctors not in jail yet, never mind still practicing.

Observation #4: Once again the doctors do this creepy voyeuristic thing where they hang around for no reason at all to listen to a private conversation. The patient was in no immediate danger, there was no reason for them not to leave when it became clear the mother and daughter were going to have an intimate and emotional discussion. We the viewers did not need them hovering there in order to appreciate the drama. There wasn't even a story reason for it, it's not like their characters learned something from it. God that drives me crazy every time it happens.

[Zoe]

I haven't finished watching yet, but I'm gonna drop this here: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0629704/

Edit: called it!

Edited October 5, 2021 by Zoe

[wonderwoman]

5 minutes ago, Zoe said:

I haven't finished watching yet, but I'm gonna drop this here: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0629704/

as soon as they mentioned the baby had been poisoned with antifreeze, i thought of this episode. couldn’t remember if it was svu or the mothership. 

 

24 minutes ago, Starchild said:

Observation #4: Once again the doctors do this creepy voyeuristic thing where they hang around for no reason at all to listen to a private conversation. The patient was in no immediate danger, there was no reason for them not to leave when it became clear the mother and daughter were going to have an intimate and emotional discussion. We the viewers did not need them hovering there in order to appreciate the drama. There wasn't even a story reason for it, it's not like their characters learned something from it. God that drives me crazy every time it happens.

i was yelling ‘you two can leave now.’

[Zoe]

41 minutes ago, Starchild said:

Observation #1: Can this really be the first time Shaun has encountered an automatic hand dryer? Even after COVID?

He most likely avoids them since they tend to be more unhygienic than paper towels. Not sure what they were thinking there...

[Madding crowd]

So doctors can just give drugs to a patient in order to question her about a possible crime? And I have seen this antifreeze story before. The doctors should be able to work in peace without the creepy CEO just barging in everywhere. Hope they find a way to get rid of Salen, she is too much. 

[The Wild Sow]

Yeah, as soon as I heard “antifreeze,” I went, “Aha, it’s that same metabolic disorder they did on SVU that time!” Yep. Methylmalonic Acidemia. Based on a real-life case, it’s been dramatized a few times.

Now wouldn’t you think cops, & medical examiners, & prosecutors, & defense attorneys, & judges...hell, even juries... would watch a little TV now & then and know about this stuff?  

Can always do a cupcake tree, Shaun!

[Leeds]

6 hours ago, greekmom said:

The mom and the breastmilk thing. That was like a movie of the week back in the 80s. Saw it a mile away after they officer said that Abby killed her first baby that the mother is innocent.

 

I'm surprised it wasn't a storyline on Chicago Med last week, and New Amsterdam the week before, and The Resident the week before that.

[sheetmoss]

7 hours ago, greekmom said:

I hate that new corporate raider. With a passion. Didn't she play the ex wife on Bob hearts Abishola?

I

No that was Nicole Sullivan

Salen  Morrison is being played by Rachel Bay  Jones

[SunnyBeBe]

I tuned in for a moment and then decided to watch something else. Maybe, I’ll catch it on demand this weekend. Is it worth it?  

[Mrs Shibbles]

Is anyone here a medical expert, or play one on TV?  I did a double take when she said the baby was brachycardic.   I thought there was tachycardia (fast heartbeat) and bradycardia (slow heartbeat).  

Edited October 5, 2021 by Mrs Shibbles

[Virtual]

I don’t dislike Salen, the new hospital owner. (It could change depending on what happens as it’s only one episode in with her running things) But I do think her expectations are a little too high and I already predict she will micromanage every detail of what goes on at the hospital (she already started when she questioned Lim and Mateo about the patients and biopsy results towards the end of the episode). Hopefully Shaun’s meltdown won’t cost him his job; in the preview for next week we see him lashing out at her.

The antifreeze storyline sounds like what this show seems to do every once in a while.

Edited October 5, 2021 by Virtual

[thuganomics85]

I admittedly can be easily amused at times:

Reznick: "We put the patient on a truth serum.  Hope it works!"

Patient:  "You're a stone cold bitch!"

Park:  "Ha!"
 

Wish I could say that I was surprised that Salen and her organization would care more about maximizing profits and imagery over actually saving lives and doctors doing their jobs, but I can't say I am.  There is just so many ways this can go wrong.  Faster recovery time alone is already a bad idea, because in this universe in particular, almost half of their patients have some kind of issues post surgery.  And the main focus on the updated technology is just screaming for the eventual episode where suddenly all of it goes down and everyone has to scramble and get ahead of everything before it all comes crashing down.  Yep, she's going to be bad news.

Definitely felt like the case with the mom and the breastmilk unknowingly harming her child/children was familiar, so I'm not surprised to see that it's been done on other shows like SVU (I think I barely remember that episode.)  Glad that Park at least believed her and her innocence is now proven, but realistically she'll probably still be tied into the system for a little while longer until she's released.  Plus, I imagine the death of her first child and the whole ordeal in general will always weigh on her.

The other case was fine, but didn't really hold any surprises.  It was clearly just background for the eventual Mateo/Andrews conflict and Lim being stuck in the middle of it (and not helped at all by Salen's presence.)

Glassman agrees to suck it up and play ball for now after the clinic gets its budget increased, but clearly seems to want out sooner rather than later if things keep going this direction.

Thanks to the big cake mission, Shaun manages to not be effected by the changes too much at first, but it's not surprising that it all eventually comes to ahead at the end. 

[chitowngirl]

When one watches this back to back with Call the Midwife, one notices the difference between a newborn and a “newborn”! 😆

 

[Pepper the Cat]

53 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

When one watches this back to back with Call the Midwife, one notices the difference between a newborn and a “newborn”! 😆

 

Yeah, that was one big baby. ESP considering the mother was in prison and receiving less than optimal health care.

 

[CarpeFelis]

7 hours ago, Pepper the Cat said:

Yeah, that was one big baby. ESP considering the mother was in prison and receiving less than optimal health care.

 

Not just big, but unrealistically clean immediately after birth!

[bros402]

Like everyone else, I called that the mother had that disorder that killed her infant.

I think if the actress playing the new owner of the hospital were sick, they could just call Nicole Sullivan and nobody would notice the difference. The two actresses need to play sisters.

Also, uhhhhh CANCER IS NOT CURED THAT QUICKLY. Sure, they got out the bit in the lung, but that doesn't cure it - they said it was in the lymph nodes, and they'd also need to get the melanoma in the other places. CAR-T also isn't that quick, and you don't look that good after getting it. It's also not an instant death sentence (AND WHY IS A SURGEON GIVING HER A PROGNOSIS? CAN THEY AT LEAST SAY "OH ANDREWS IS AN ONCOLOGICAL SURGEON TOO BECAUSE HE'S AMAZING") - 29.8% of people with stage 4 melanoma survive at least five years.

New Amsterdam managed to handle young adult cancer better than this show, damn.

Also, I totally sympathize with Shaun with that soap, that soap just sticks on the hands forever and won't get off, you just need to run your hands under water so your hands stop feeling smooth and annoying. Quite the interesting choice that they decided to install air dryers when those are less hygienic (even if they decided to put a UV light on it).... and put them in every single office, apparently?

[Zonk]

On 10/5/2021 at 5:56 AM, Zoe said:

He most likely avoids them since they tend to be more unhygienic than paper towels. Not sure what they were thinking there...

When Lia said they got rid of the paper towels for sanitary reasons, I rolled my eyes so hard. These air hand dryers blow bacteria everywhere. That's a massive hazard for a hospital to have...

[tennisgurl]

You know you might watch too much TV when you can tell how a story is going to end because you recognize it from another shows Ripped From The Headlines plots. I knew right away where the story with the mother was going when they said that she killed her baby, but it was still a pretty good story. Interesting how Park, who often tends to believe the worst in people (although less so now then when he first started the show) was quick to suspect that she was ill, although Morgan being convinced of her guilt was certainly on brand. 

Shaun has been going through a lot of quick changes really fast and has handled them admirably, but I am not surprised that he ended up having a rough moment there at the end. Have he and Leah really talked about how Leah can best help him when he gets overwhelmed? I enjoyed the running joke of him asking everyone for their opinions on cake, and I am glad that he just brushed over the corporate raider asking if he's on the spectrum. And the "did she seriously just ask that?" expressions on everyone's faces when she asked that. I am not a fan of her at all, she's rude, she's creepily always lurking around, she wasted everyone's time with her fake patient routine, and she looks so much like Nicole Sullivan that I keep thinking we're in an episode of Scrubs. 

I like Mateo in the hospital so far, it will be interested to see how he fits into the show. 

[possibilities]

I miss Claire and Melendez, still. They keep introducing characters that are 90% quirk and very little depth. It's becoming a cartoon. Try developing your characters, show! We don't need them to be shallow caricatures. It makes the show's absurd take on medicine all the more obvious when the people are also completely ridiculous.

[Daff]

On 10/4/2021 at 11:57 PM, Madding crowd said:

So doctors can just give drugs to a patient in order to question her about a possible crime? And I have seen this antifreeze story before. The doctors should be able to work in peace without the creepy CEO just barging in everywhere. Hope they find a way to get rid of Salen, she is too much. 

It was very fast dialogue, so you might have missed it. She was given the pre-op drug in preparation for her necessary hysterectomy. While they were waiting for her to go to the operating room, the doctors continued to argue over her innocence, so blondie suggested they all go confront her since she’d already received the prep drug. They didn’t prescribe it to question her, but to operate. So very like her to take advantage of the situation. 

[Madding crowd]

I didn’t miss it but doctors have no business questioning a patient about a crime, particularly while she is drugged. This is a violation of their role as a medical practitioner. People are in a vulnerable state while sedated and the only questions they can legally ask her would relate to her own medical situation such as pain level. If they were to go to court and testify to questioning her while she was drugged they would be sanctioned and she could sue them.

[possibilities]

14 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

I didn’t miss it but doctors have no business questioning a patient about a crime, particularly while she is drugged. This is a violation of their role as a medical practitioner. People are in a vulnerable state while sedated and the only questions they can legally ask her would relate to her own medical situation such as pain level. If they were to go to court and testify to questioning her while she was drugged they would be sanctioned and she could sue them.

She'd be unlikely to sue them since what they did got her exonerated on the murder charges. But I agree that, like a lot of what goes on in this show (or what happened on House), the behavior was the kind of thing that's not supposed to happen.

[Madding crowd]

She wouldn’t sue them but if doctors were allowed to question people after they are drugged they could be sued or lose their license

[Zonk]

4 hours ago, possibilities said:

She'd be unlikely to sue them since what they did got her exonerated on the murder charges.

Also because she probably wouldn't remember, given the drugs she was on.

But yeah, pretty unethical.

[KLovestoShop]

Can’t stand Salen, and if she’s going to be the focus of every freaking episode, I’m gone. To me, she’s a giant pain in the ass, and really taking over what used to be what the title says, “The Good Doctor”. 
 

Chicago Med has started going down a similar path with their chief head of the ER timing the doctors and nurses and trying to get them to spend less time with patients.  So TGD is is going to become Car Wash Medicine where you drag them in, do the minimum, and shove them out the door.  I don’t want to watch that because I just lived it after my recent broken hip.

[KaveDweller]

6 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

I didn’t miss it but doctors have no business questioning a patient about a crime, particularly while she is drugged. This is a violation of their role as a medical practitioner. People are in a vulnerable state while sedated and the only questions they can legally ask her would relate to her own medical situation such as pain level. If they were to go to court and testify to questioning her while she was drugged they would be sanctioned and she could sue them.

It was definitely unethical, but they were trying to help the baby by doing it. They wanted confirmation that she'd been poisoned to know how to treat her.  They weren't just questioning her for fun or to turn her in to the cops.

Edited October 7, 2021 by KaveDweller

[possibilities]

5 hours ago, Zonk said:

Also because she probably wouldn't remember, given the drugs she was on.

But yeah, pretty unethical.

That's a good point, actually. They might not tell anyone what they did. They just come up with a diagnosis and everybody thinks they figured it out on their own, without questioning the mom.

Again, not saying it was ethical. It wasn't. Only saying that is how they get away without being sued.

[The Wild Sow]

On 10/5/2021 at 11:47 AM, Mrs Shibbles said:

Is anyone here a medical expert, or play one on TV?  I did a double take when she said the baby was brachycardic.   I thought there was tachycardia (fast heartbeat) and bradycardia (slow heartbeat).  

Huh, I missed that, and I usually catch mispronunciations and screwy terminology!  Brachycardic would mean she has a "short heart" (no duh; she's a baby - everything about her is "short!"  Or Brachicardic would mean her heart is in her arm or shoulder 😆

Brachy = usually a long a sound.  Brachi = usually short a sound (even though "brachy" is the one that means "short!")

There used to be a cardiologist on a show I watched who constantly talked about someone having an "arrythmia."  Pronounced like arithmetic.  It's an "arryTHmia" with the TH as in these and those.  Drove me bonkers.

[possibilities]

Bradycardia is an abnormally slow heartbeat

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bradycardia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355474

[dshgr]

Forensic Files, 1998:  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1474040/

[Beezella]

Salen is intensely creepy. I bet she appears in the room because she is listening to conversations via those health watches.

I hate those loud hand dryers too. I've been known (to me) to wipe my hands on my pants. They do make a very fast hair dryer though, someone had pilfered one for us to use at a dorm type situation.

[Beezella]

On 10/8/2021 at 10:00 AM, Beezella said:

Salen is intensely creepy. I bet she appears in the room because she is listening to conversations via those health watches.

 

Actually, she only listens to the doctors who are on the TV. The rest of the hospital is beneath her.

[jabRI]

Is it just me, but this season Leah looks like a decade older than Sean?

[cinsays]

51 minutes ago, jabRI said:

Is it just me, but this season Leah looks like a decade older than Sean?

well, sean looks like he's a teenager, so anyone he's paired with will look older