Saving Hope - General Discussion

[kalamac]

Where was Bishop in relation to the shooter? Was it possible the bullet went wild and hit him. I've read Peter Mooney isn't coming back for season 5, and as of the finale, we're supposed to think he's going back to LA with his wife, but maybe that's a decoy plot. As said by other posters, I hope the regulars are okay, especially Maggie, because she's my favourite.

[kili]

Maggie, Charlie and Dana almost died this year. I don't think they should go to those wells again so quickly..

 

I think the foreshadowing is that Alex gets shot (since she is the "cursed one"), but they seem to like making those around her suffer instead. Maybe she will be in a coma chatting with Charlie who clearly still sees dead people. Dawn seems pretty happy with the ER doctor, so it would make sense to torment one of them. Probably ER doctor because we just made a big deal about his kids. Bishop too could be a candidate so they can make the female intern feel like a jerk for blowing him off (she shouldn't, but that is how these things go).

[dargosmydaddy]

Anyone else currently watching this on ION in the US? I just discovered this show a few weeks ago, and I'm kind of obsessed.

[Bort]

I am! I only just caught up today, though (hangover day, cleared out the DVR). I somehow managed to catch season 2 originally but that's where I'd stopped and ended up waiting for season 3 to start on ION. I hadn't seen the show in a couple of years, so I was afraid I wouldn't remember anybody besides Alex, Charlie and Joel (oh, Daniel Gilles, you delicious man) yet I surprisingly did. I was liking Dawn a lot more than I used to. Her cooing to her office pet guinea pig while Ghost Alex watched/smirked cracked me up, as did her chiding Gavin for putting a lot of sugar in his coffee.

[Whimsy]

I watched the first season when it aired in the US several years ago and found it is airing on Ion now so catching up. I really enjoy this show.

[Bort]

I do have to look away during some of the surgery scenes. Wow, they get graphic!

[maraleia]

So I finally started watching this show. Caught up on seasons 1 and 2 and I'm on episode 6 of season 3 via ION's airings.

I came for Wendy Crewson and Erica Durance and I've stayed for them and the rest of the cast. I'll have more thoughts later.

[shapeshifter]

Regarding episode 4.8, "Waiting on a Friend"...

This is the only medical drama I watch, and I am not employed in health care, so I don't notice medical errors or the unbelieveable on the show — until this episode. Having just had my final chemo infusion out of 12 this year, I felt sorry for the patients of Hope Zion, having to deal with needles in the arm instead of a chest port that lets the patient go home for 2 days with a bottle of the chemo chemicals attached; nausea and fatigue don't kick in until you're home — so the marijuana cookies would have been recreational. However, I was jealous of them having medical marijuana cookies, since here in Illinois it takes months and $150 to get approved, and then costs upwards of $500 per month, although some decriminalization did just kick in.  Also, having to listened to my mother say she wants to die for the last year since my father died (they were married almost 69 years) made me annoyed at how easily the Cirque de Solei performers were happily reunited in the afterlife.

Sorry for being so whiny about the episode. I did think the idea of not wanting to go through chemo and surgery again instead of going to Paris to be more realistic, although even having adult daughters is enough to probably put the kabash on that, and the daughter on the show is still pretty young.

[dargosmydaddy]

Apparently season 5 will be the last... 

http://www.tv-eh.com/2016/10/26/saving-hope-says-goodbye-after-five-seasons/

[Lady Calypso]

So I totally fell behind on this season, so I've finally caught up after a year. I liked it enough, but I think I'm disappointed in some of the directions they took. All the romantic drama, in particular. Maybe it's always been this dramatic, or maybe because it's been a while since I've watched it, but I did not like half of the romances set up. It seems like they upped the romantic drama by a lot.

I don't hate the new characters, but their drama doesn't interest me. I like them as individual characters but not a whole lot to be invested. I liked Bishop until it was blatantly clear he was here to be Cassie's love interest. I didn't enjoy his ex wife drama in the finale. It was just so obvious. However, his past with Charlie and his friendship with Alex made his character interesting. The romantic subplot with Bishop, Cassie, and Sekara was boring, not to mention that I preferred the more interesting dynamic of Cassie/Sekara. I just find it bland that the two white blonde characters get together. But it's just that I've seen it all before while the other two were different. 

Maggie/Zach/Dawn is another love triangle that I did not enjoy, even if it only happened for the finale. I love that Maggie/Zach have a best friend relationship. Why'd they have to go ahead and almost ruin that? I get for Maggie that it wasn't necessarily about loving Zach, but still. I will say that Zach/Dawn was a pairing I was surprised to enjoy. 

I enjoyed the individual arcs immensely. Charlie, Alex, Dawn, Dana, and Maggie all had very strong moments this season. I enjoyed the complexity of Charlie's arc with the other ghost seeing woman, Kristine. I started enjoying that Charlie had someone to talk to, then it dived into suspicion about her, which developed into dislike once she almost kissed Charlie, to actually gaining sympathy once I realized that she was sick and finally just really heartbreaking when she found out the truth about her daughter far too late. 

The finale was ok, if I ignored the love triangle arcs. Who knew that killing off the Alex/Charlie/Joel triangle would sprout two worse ones in its place? Can't people learn to talk to each other earlier? I was pretty much calling out all the cliches in a checklist. Crazy ex wife of Bishop? Check. Misunderstanding of an intimate moment that lasts almost an entire episode? Check. Contrived drama that almost separates Zach and Dawn? Double check. Fake out with Dawn thinking that Zach already left, followed by him sitting in her office? Check. Threatening by one ex boyfriend to the other almost official boyfriend? Check. 

That being said, the rest of the season definitely outweighed the finale. And the last ten minutes of the finale were good. 

[dargosmydaddy]

Haven't seen the last two episodes yet since they haven't aired on ION, but Zach and Dawn reading Pride and Prejudice with the genders reversed may be the cutest moment of the entire series for me.

Any word on when the final season is airing in Canada? I noticed ION is returning to the start of season 4 after the season four finale airs next week, rather than their usual habit of rewinding two seasons… maybe when they finish with season 4 for the second time, we’ll go right to season 5 and get it around the same time as Canada? (So late February/ early March?) I think ION did that with the final season of Flashpoint.

Edited December 3, 2016 by dargosmydaddy

[Lady Calypso]

Season Five promo is up.

Be warned; there are 100% spoilers as it actually gives away who gets shot. The entire promo is basically based on that, amongst another surprise. 

[dargosmydaddy]

Premiere date for season 5 on CTV is March 12:

http://www.tv-eh.com/2017/01/26/photo-gallery-season-5-of-saving-hope/

I get the feeling that ION will air it close to then, too...

[dargosmydaddy]

And ION confirms that season 5 starts there on March 14.

[Lady Calypso]

This is a place to discuss the fifth and final season, which premieres on March 12th on CTV and March 15th (at midnight) on ION. To note, it airs in Canada first so there will be spoilers for American viewers. 

[dargosmydaddy]

The season 5 premiere is on ION in the US on March 14 (well, technically I guess the 15th?) at midnight.

[Lady Calypso]

Oh. So they might not be dropping the Maggie in love with Zach thing. It's unclear to what extent that'll be explore, but hopefully it isn't. Explored, I mean. Maybe this'll just be about Maggie growing as a person and as a doctor. 

Cool, Sekara and Cassie are back together. I liked them as a couple before Bishop was brought in, so I'm glad that he's gone and we can get back to that. At least they're a different type of couple that we usually see, especially on medical dramas like this one.

Oh...well then. I knew that they revealed too much in the promo for the season, so obviously something was going to shake things up by the end of the first episode. And...a break up of Alex/Charlie, it is. I was half convinced before that ending that Alex was going to just shove Charlie into the chapel, get married right then and break the curse that has been surrounding their engagements. Well, we will see them reunite and most likely marry by the series finale, so I'm not too worried. 

In other news, Dawn/Zach are still going strong, Dana wants to switch to trauma which means becoming a resident again, and Shahir might be getting a new arc with some stripper? Maybe? Oh yeah, and Charlie almost lost his arm but didn't, but could a few episodes down the road. I guess they had no idea where they were going with their cliffhanger last season and threw ideas together for the premiere while they planned out the season. It really did show with the unnecessary drama, but it did lead to their break up so it eventually did have a purpose. It did feel tacked on, though. 

[metaphor]

Loved this episode. I thought Alex, Dana and Cassie had really engaging storylines. Dawn has become such an enjoyable character, and I look forward to seeing where Maggie will go this season. Sad about Alex and Charlie's broken engagement, but I had the feeling it was coming after reading some interviews with the writers and Erica that were published pre-premiere. Like Lady Calypso, I'm figuring on a reunion at some point down the road, so I'm not too heartbroken. The love is obviously there and I'm interested in seeing where Alex's decision takes her for now. Hopefully their union will end up stronger for it. 

I'll miss this show when it's over, so I'm going to savor this final season. 

[Lady Calypso]

So, second episode aired. It is definitely Alex's show, since the episode focused more about Alex's feelings about her breaking up with Charlie, rather than Charlie's reaction to being dumped. But I like it, because I like Alex. I only wish we could get a little more perspective on Charlie this season, since Michael Shanks is a great actor and could handle some more emotional beats. It was nice that Dana asked about Charlie. And the last scene was very well done. I think they needed to finally hash out their issues, and it was nice to see Charlie take back some control from their relationship. Alex has been in control for so long, deciding about their relationship and whether it progressed or not that having Charlie get angry was a nice change of pace. 

I like New Guy, but his thing with Alex that they're implying will happen is clearly only temporary. I see what his purpose is in terms of Alex, but I still believe that Charlie/Alex are endgame, even with this season, so far, setting up the possibility that they could not get back together. I would find the latter an interesting twist, but Alex/Charlie have overcome a lot so I can't see the show ending without them getting married. 

I loved Shahir/Maggie's conversation. I also loved Zach/Maggie's conversation at the end. Their friendship is really super sweet and I'm glad they didn't ruin that.

[Lady Calypso]

So, I am feeling bad for Charlie now. Everyone else is so concerned with Alex and her feelings and how she's doing with the whole break-up that people have forgotten that this is difficult on Charlie too. It does feel uneven since all of the other main characters were at Alex's surprise birthday party and Charlie's the one who couldn't even stay. I am hoping for more of a Charlie POV soon. I do like Alex a lot, but I also feel like the show could give a little toward Charlie. 

So, Maggie tries online dating and all three attempts don't end ideally. Bachelor #1 was a dick, plain and simple. From his demanding "Sit, I ordered you something odd that I don't know if you'll even like" to his wanting to talk about his misogynistic app, I'm totally on Maggie's side with calling him out. And then Bachelor #2 was not that much better. I was fine with Maggie calling her out on being on her phone. It's a date, girl! Shut it off! Maybe Maggie was too blunt in her words, but I think she knew what she wanted and that she wanted to make it clear that this date was over. Of course, then the woman started going off about how she knew Maggie and why she was cancelling, even if she had no flipping idea, so good on her for ending that disastrous date immediately. Bachelor #3 was definitely better. Even though he ended up sleeping with Alex's nanny at the end, I wouldn't be surprised if we do see him and Maggie going on a few dates. 

I'm with Cassie; that parasite case was disturbing. But it looks like she's finding her footing, and I like how Zach apologized for pushing too hard. He's also finding his footing as a mentor. I am with him on his fear of things moving too quickly, but I can't remember how long it's been since him and Dawn started dating. I do think moving in does require a deeper talk, so hopefully they do that before Zach moves his stuff in. 

Charlie's ghost case just kind of ended without resolution, right? His ghost patient and his ghost patient's ghost didn't really resolve things. 

[dargosmydaddy]

Charlie and Alex, both singularly and together, kind of bore me. I still miss Joel. I know it's not going to happen, but I'd prefer Zach, Maggie, Shahir, Dawn, and Dana to take center stage, while Alex and Charlie fade to the background.

Did anyone else get a vibe that Jackson is secretly interested in Maggie? He keeps giving her looks. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but they'd be cute together.

[Lady Calypso]

So, I didn't get to talk about last week's episode so I'll combine my thoughts with this week's.

I don't mind the new CEO. He's on the young side, but at least they address it. Maybe it helps that I'm a fan of the actor, but I don't hate the guy. He seems to want to prove himself and he's also willing to listen and not take all the things said about him to heart. I just see him as a guy who's doing his job. Both episodes had him perfectly objective, but open to change.

Now, new resident can go screw off. He's not good at all, and he's rude to Sekara. So, he cheated off of the guy and seems to not be very good at the medical stuff, and he wants to be friends with the guy? Yeah, no. 

Alex has been quite insufferable the last few episodes. Now she's going against Dawn and breaking rules? Girl, you need to either convince Dawn about your patient or don't do stupid shit.

Damn, I wish I remembered what else happened in last week's episode.  

As for last night's episode. This week, on The Alex Show, she gets semi-kidnapped to save a kid's life. Well, semi-dragged into a room before a commercial break for drama. So, Witness Protection Dad is too scared to go into an actual OR, but he's fine with walking down the halls without a hat or sunglasses? Also, couldn't they just cover his face during the procedure if he wanted to stay anonymous? Also, why wouldn't they cover the windows so he wouldn't be found by the guy who's trying to kill him? And why wouldn't they specify only certain doctors with the proper credentials could go into the room? A lot of questionable plot points with this case of the week. 

It was nice to see Charlie with Luke. Even if I agree with Alex that going behind her back was wrong, I can't blame Charlie since he made it clear that he doesn't get to see Luke at all. It has to suck that their breakup has caused Charlie's relationship with his son to suffer. 

It was nice to see Maggie's patient again. I like when they have recurring patients. Plus, I'm guessing it'll be a tragic romance with them? 

I would have much preferred to see Charlie with a new love interest, rather than Alex and her new guy. Danny's fine, but he was only brought in as a love interest for Alex, most likely to get her to choose Charlie in the end. It's just so predictable. Plus, I want happiness for Charlie. I guess I'm getting tired of all this Alex drama.

[Lady Calypso]

Alex's mom is certainly a handful. I was overwhelmed when she just showed up at Alex's and took over. However, like all predictable TV shows, I knew Alex's mom and Luke would show up at the hospital and there would be something wrong with her. Lo and behold, there it is. My first thought was some brain tumor that will kill her in an episode or two. 

I still like the new CEO. He's a hardass and I know we're supposed to see him as a bad guy, but he hasn't been around the hospital for very long. He's doing his job, just as he's told to do. That being said, this can't be the end of the ER, right? And this can't be the end of Zach. Part of me is hoping that they find a way to keep the hospital as is. Zach quitting was oddly upsetting. As there are only a few episodes left, they could easily leave Zach/Dawn as is and they could never be seen again. 

Also, new CEO and Cassie? No thanks. Let's not hurt Sekara yet again with another white dude. 

So, it's official. I am officially shipping Alex and Charlie AWAY from each other. They are so much happier without the other. I'd be totally fine with Alex staying with Emmanuel and Charlie reconnecting with his old college friend/girlfriend. This episode had me thinking for a split second that maybe Alex/Charlie aren't endgame anymore. It would be an interesting twist.

So, Charlie's Chief of Surgery again. Let's hope he doesn't go into yet another coma by the finale. 

So, Maggie's love interest is in a coma. I'll bet Charlie will be seeing her soon. I do hope that the girl doesn't die. I'd like for Maggie to get a happy ending. 

[dargosmydaddy]

Just got caught up on the previous two episodes...

-Manny is adorable. And nice. Personally I think he deserves better than Alex, but I could get on the Manny/ Alex train. 

-Also adorable? Luke. He's like the most serious baby ever... no smiles!

-Alex's decision to let her mom watch Luke five minutes after mom comes waltzing back into her life felt super wrong and plot-driven.

-What was up with Charlie looking at the paternity test website? Does he think proving he's Luke's bio-dad will help him fight for custody? Because that could backfire badly if it turns out he's not (I'm still convinced Luke is Joel's), and I would think the unknown paternity wouldn't work against him in a custody battle, since it's what he and Alex both wanted. And if he's doing it to see whether he wants to fight for custody (like, he'd give up on trying to see Luke if it turned out he's Joel's), then that's just all kinds of wrong and not in line with what we've seen of Charlie's character. I just don't get what he's up to. 

-I was wondering why the cancer study coma woman looked so familiar-- turns out she was the female lead on Houdini and Doyle! (I miss Houdini and Doyle!)

20 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

That being said, this can't be the end of the ER, right? And this can't be the end of Zach.

The ION website has episode descriptions up for the next two weeks. 

Spoiler

It sounds like the ER does become an Urgent Care, but Zach sticks around. It also mentions Dawn trying to regain her position as chief of surgery.

Edited April 19, 2017 by dargosmydaddy

[Lady Calypso]

1 minute ago, dargosmydaddy said:

-What was up with Charlie looking at the paternity test website? Does he think proving he's Luke's bio-dad will help him fight for custody? Because that could backfire badly if it turns out he's not (I'm still convinced Luke is Joel's), and I would think the unknown paternity wouldn't work against him in a custody battle, since it's what he and Alex both wanted. And if he's doing it to see whether he wants to fight for custody (like, he'd give up on trying to see Luke if it turned out he's Joel's), then that's just all kinds of wrong and not in line with what we've seen of Charlie's character. I just don't get what he's up to. 

I think you're right. When he was with Alex, it didn't matter who the biological father really was. Charlie was Luke's dad no matter what and he didn't need to know. But now, with Alex/Charlie splitting up, Charlie doesn't have as much control with Luke anymore. Now, the paternity test does matter, because it could determine whether or not he has rights to parent Luke or to have any sort of custody. Especially since Alex and him are having a very rough breakup, it now matters. I think he was really reacting out of fear. With the last episode stating that he never got to see his son, I think he got scared about his rights as Luke's father. And he's right to, because if Charlie wants some rights to ensure that he can share custody of Luke, the paternity test could come up at any time. And with Alex starting a new relationship, I do think it would scare Charlie more if things became messier down the line. 

That being said, Sunday's episode was nice because it confirmed that Alex/Charlie are working out custody arrangements, so not all hope is lost. And I do think that the paternity test WILL backfire on Charlie, whether or not it is confirmed that Luke is Joel's son. Alex won't be happy to see that Charlie panicked and did the paternity test when they both decided not to. 

[dargosmydaddy]

2 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Now, the paternity test does matter, because it could determine whether or not he has rights to parent Luke or to have any sort of custody.

Isn't he listed as the father on Luke's birth certificate, though, or am I remembering that wrong? Unless Alex contests paternity, he is legally Luke's father. Now, Charlie could be panicking because he thinks Alex might contest paternity, but maybe that's a conversation he should have with her before jumping to the conclusion that she would... Just seems like he's needlessly opening a can of worms by doing the paternity test himself when it might otherwise be a non-issue.

[Bort]

19 minutes ago, dargosmydaddy said:

Isn't he listed as the father on Luke's birth certificate, though, or am I remembering that wrong?

I can't remember for sure anymore, but I don't think Alex and Charlie were back together yet when the kid was born -- which, in all likelihood, would mean that the birth certificate probably says Father Unknown.

[Lady Calypso]

40 minutes ago, dargosmydaddy said:

Isn't he listed as the father on Luke's birth certificate, though, or am I remembering that wrong? Unless Alex contests paternity, he is legally Luke's father. Now, Charlie could be panicking because he thinks Alex might contest paternity, but maybe that's a conversation he should have with her before jumping to the conclusion that she would... Just seems like he's needlessly opening a can of worms by doing the paternity test himself when it might otherwise be a non-issue.

It's definitely a conversation they need to be having, but it seems like they're still working toward talking civilly. Their breakup was pretty rough, and it's taken them a few episodes to even talk for more than a couple of minutes. I don't know whether Alex put Charlie down as Luke's father. I can't imagine her not doing it, but I can't remember. Either way, it doesn't seem like he's gone through the paternity test yet. I can't blame him for getting worried about his role in Luke's life as his father, especially since it seems to him like Alex and him are not getting back together and Alex is moving on. We've already seen that Alex is willing to find a way to have Luke be around Charlie more, which is good. I also think Charlie should talk to Alex about the paternity test, be honest about his fears when it comes to his rights. 

I don't think it's a bad thing for Charlie to be curious now about the paternity. I see the situation on the side of Charlie wanting to know what rights he truly has if he's not the biological father so he can find a way to still be in Luke's life, rather than Charlie wanting to find out about the biological father and fighting for sole custody or anything like that. It's a legitimate fear, even if Joel is dead and is the biological father, and especially if Alex opted to not put either name on the birth certificate out of respect to Joel. It's definitely going to open up a huge can of worms here but I expected the paternity issue to be brought up eventually. It shouldn't be a big deal, but I do think it becomes a big deal with messy breakups. It doesn't help that Charlie and Alex never got married, so the favor is less on Charlie's side. I could be wrong since I don't know all that much about this area. 

[dargosmydaddy]

43 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

I can't remember for sure anymore, but I don't think Alex and Charlie were back together yet when the kid was born -- which, in all likelihood, would mean that the birth certificate probably says Father Unknown.

I remember it being a topic of conversation in the season four opener... something about Luke's birth certificate needing to be filed (even though he was like six months or more old by then, I think?) and they were going to do the paternity test and then decided not to since Alex and Charlie were firmly back together by then, and Charlie would be the only father Luke would ever know. So I thought they just put Charlie's name on the official certificate, but it's been awhile since I've seen that episode, so like I said, I could be wrong. 

[TVForever]

I don't blame Charlie if he's panicking a little bit. As far as he knew, they were a couple/family, on their way to marriage. Then without any warning, and totally because of Alex, they weren't. Unless they had a conversation I missed, Charlie still doesn't really know what really changed Alex's mind and heart. And he's no fool- everything's great as long as they're together, but without marriage when Luke was born (and I'll admit I know nothing about the birth certificate situation), Alex holds all the cards. And just like she pulled the rug out from under him regarding their relationship, any guy would have to consider that she could do the same regarding his rights as a father. And without established paternity, he doesn't really have any.

[metaphor]

Loved this episode, what with Alex/Shahir/Alex's mom, Maggie/Bree/Charlie, Zach and Dana, Cassie and Thomas, and of course, Alex/Charlie. I've been a bit wary of those two exploring separate romances; dare I hope that last scene with Manny put an end to that? Also, I've been a fan of Erica Durance since Smallville, but I think she's grown a lot as an actress since then. That last scene with Charlie was well done. 

Still really enjoying this final season. 11 more episodes to go. 

[Lady Calypso]

So, I didn't think that they'd include Erica's pregnancy into the final season, but they actually did. So, I guess this COULD actually lead to a Luke being Joel's son scenario...maybe. I'm still unsure which direction they'd take. 

Amazing scene between Charlie and Bree, and I loved the intercutting between them and Alex and Rachel's scene. Otherwise, I probably would have told Violet to screw off for a day. I really am unimpressed with Violet leaving and then deciding to come back. Is this now the last of Violet/Bree on the show, then? 

Ah! Thomas! It only took four or five episodes to figure out the CEO's name! He definitely screwed up and I'm a bit annoyed with him, but I still sympathized with the guy. What else is he supposed to do here? I think that they definitely set up the ER making its return and Thomas having a part in it.

So...I guess Sekara gets screwed 2.0 with Cassie now with Thomas? Since she never denied it, I guess Sekara doesn't get the girl again? 

Poor Zach. But him and Dawn are just a lovely couple. 

Luke is so cute. I love his scenes with the adults. 

[dargosmydaddy]

Random question but I didn't know where else to post it-- does Alex have another brother? I started watching the show during the second season on ION, so I never saw season one and missed a few episodes from the other seasons here and there. I swear I remember in one of the first episodes I saw that Alex made some kind of reference to having practically raised her younger brothers. Then during the arc with her brother Luke there wasn't another brother mentioned, nor was there one in the weird coma-flashback-Erica-Durance-as-Alex's-mom episode, so I started to think I just didn't hear the mention of multiple brothers correctly. But then in the most recent episode when Alex is talking to her mom when she thinks she's confusing the two Lukes, she references "Luke, your youngest son," which sounds like something she'd only say if her mother had more than one son... so have they ever mentioned what happened to Alex's other brother?

[Lady Calypso]

3 hours ago, dargosmydaddy said:

Random question but I didn't know where else to post it-- does Alex have another brother? I started watching the show during the second season on ION, so I never saw season one and missed a few episodes from the other seasons here and there. I swear I remember in one of the first episodes I saw that Alex made some kind of reference to having practically raised her younger brothers. Then during the arc with her brother Luke there wasn't another brother mentioned, nor was there one in the weird coma-flashback-Erica-Durance-as-Alex's-mom episode, so I started to think I just didn't hear the mention of multiple brothers correctly. But then in the most recent episode when Alex is talking to her mom when she thinks she's confusing the two Lukes, she references "Luke, your youngest son," which sounds like something she'd only say if her mother had more than one son... so have they ever mentioned what happened to Alex's other brother?

Ah, so I had to look it up to remember, but Alex DOES have another brother, Doug. I cannot remember what happened to him, though. I don't think we've ever met him and they haven't talked about him much. I am impressed that they remember that she has another brother, because I sure didn't. 

[Lady Calypso]

"So, could it actually be?" I asked myself as I heard Charlie say that Alex was away for the weekend. And yes, it was the unthinkable; Erica Durance's first missed episode, and I presume only missed episode. Which means, if I remember correctly, now Michael Shanks is the only one to appear in every episode. I did find it weird to not have Alex in the episode, but I also thought it was a smart move. I'm not sure how far along Erica would have been during the filming of this final season, but she definitely wouldn't have been on maternity leave during this episode's filming, so hopefully everything was alright for her here.

We had an increase in Charlie this episode. Not a whole lot, because the episode was still shared with everyone else, but I love seeing more of Charlie on his own. The one thing I did roll my eyes at was Manny and Charlie's little rivalry thing. Not because Manny shouldn't question how Charlie keeps getting private information, but because Manny's too new to know anything about Charlie, nor have they ever had a conversation before this episode, and it felt like Manny was more jealous of Charlie and, thus, out to find something wrong with him. It was not a good look on Alex's new boyfriend, that's for sure, and I was more annoyed with him...until he and Charlie talked things out. The episode did make me change my mind on Manny, though. Out of all the weird and odd things Charlie goes through to get info from his ghosts, knowing what meal she had for dinner is not one of them. Since Manny wasn't in the initial checkup, for all he knew, either of the patients could have mentioned in passing that they had fish for dinner. It's not out of the realm that Charlie could have put it out of his mind until they had to look in her throat. 

Also, speaking of the patient of the week, I thought it was going to go a more predictable route. What I liked about it instead is that it was more about the woman and her marriage to her husband, rather than the guy she was having an affair with.

Also, the hunt for new chief resident is on. So, again, surprising with the Dawn/Cassie scene, where Dawn admits that she was hard on Cassie because she knows that they have to fight harder than the men in order to get respect. That was a nice piece of realism there, and a small but nice twist to that story. Rather than it being about Thomas, it has nothing to do with Thomas. Also, nice foreshadowing to Cassie and Sekara probably getting back together. I really like Sekara and predict he'll get the chief residency, which is totally fine with me. I like Cassie enough and admire her confidence this episode, but Sekara is like that dark horse, who is showing plenty of promise to get it. 

Also what's surprising is that I didn't hate Billy Scott this time around. Maybe the change in look helped, maybe it was that I actually saw promise in him (not in maybe the ER/surgical route, but maybe another medical route). I thought it was sweet that he really connected with the young boy patient. He might not be cut out for the ER or surgery or anything like that, but I thought for a brief scene that maybe psychiatry could be a better route. I also could enjoy his mentorship with Maggie. I appreciate that he admitted that he'd learn better under Maggie's leadership. I bet she never thought of herself as a mentor before, because most people think that mentors have to be like Dawn or Charlie, when they can easily be a Maggie.

We meet Jonathan! And boy, is he a cutie. I am totally surprised that Shahir lied about his boyfriend's cookies. That seems like an un-Shahir thing to do, but it's what anybody would do in a relationship, so it was nice to see a more emotional side to him. 

I'm reiterating that Luke is totally adorable and I got a silly grin when the kid actor hi fived Michael Shanks. That was totally adorable.

Also, why did Alex dump her pregnancy test at Shahir's? Why wouldn't she dump it in a dumpster? 

Oh, I just read that Erica directed the episode after this, so I guess they let her have the whole episode off to prepare.

[TVForever]

I'm all for Dev becoming chief resident. I am NOT for him continuing to pine for Cassie. How many times does he have to get together with her, only to be unceremoniously dumped for the latest white knight (pun intended) to come along?

And on a separate note, add me to the list of those who think Luke is ridiculously adorable.

[dargosmydaddy]

On 4/30/2017 at 11:40 PM, Lady Calypso said:

Also, why did Alex dump her pregnancy test at Shahir's? Why wouldn't she dump it in a dumpster? 

It was a really strange scene cut between scenes, but they weren't at Shahir's. As Charlie opens the trash can, you can hear Jonathan ask in the background, "Charlie, where do you keep your corkscrew?" So considering that the pregnancy test randomly being in Charlie's apartment is even weirder than it being at Shahir's, they must be at Alex's. Which at first made no sense to me, but then I figured she asked Charlie to stay at the condo for the sake of Luke getting to stay somewhere familiar while she's away. A throwaway line to that effect would have been nice, though. And I don't know why she would have been so obvious about the disposed test unless she wanted Charlie to discover it...

[Lady Calypso]

1 hour ago, dargosmydaddy said:

It was a really strange scene cut between scenes, but they weren't at Shahir's. As Charlie opens the trash can, you can hear Jonathan ask in the background, "Charlie, where do you keep your corkscrew?" So considering that the pregnancy test randomly being in Charlie's apartment is even weirder than it being at Shahir's, they must be at Alex's. Which at first made no sense to me, but then I figured she asked Charlie to stay at the condo for the sake of Luke getting to stay somewhere familiar while she's away. A throwaway line to that effect would have been nice, though. And I don't know why she would have been so obvious about the disposed test unless she wanted Charlie to discover it...

Ok, I don't know why the apartment suddenly looked different to me, but you're right. I guess the scene was shot at a different angle that it usually is. I guess it was Jonathan and Shahir just hanging out inside well before Charlie that got me thrown off. Actually, even Jonathan was hanging there before Shahir got off work. But then I just rewatched and realized that Jonathan was still babysitting Luke.

[dargosmydaddy]

I thought Jonathan was baby sitting at the hospital, and then they all went to the condo, but maybe that was my confusion... The lack of segue from the hospital to the condo was weird, but if they were in the same place all along, I guess that makes sense? Although I don't really think it would make sense for all three of them to drive there separately...

I didn't mind the lack of Alex in the episode, but there was way too little Zach. I also thought the return of the ER seemed much too quick and easy. The whole Thomas subplot of the last few episodes seems pointless other than to have Charlie replace Dawn, and I'd think there would be other/ easier ways to do that if it needed to be a major plot point of the season.

So does anyone know how long the hiatus is after the next episode? ION has the preview up for episode 9, and then the following week they're returning to the beginning of the season... is SH doing the thing that so many other shows seem to be doing of late and breaking up their season so that it's spread out longer?

[Lady Calypso]

1 hour ago, dargosmydaddy said:

I thought Jonathan was baby sitting at the hospital, and then they all went to the condo, but maybe that was my confusion... The lack of segue from the hospital to the condo was weird, but if they were in the same place all along, I guess that makes sense? Although I don't really think it would make sense for all three of them to drive there separately...

It was weird. Jonathan seemed to go to Alex/Charlie's condo to put Luke down for a nap/early bedtime after hanging at the hospital. Then Shahir showed up to wait for Charlie, who seemed to come a minute later only because he stopped to get food and stuff for the three of them. It kind of makes sense, if you think about Jonathan/Shahir having their own separate cars for work. Since Jonathan wasn't hanging out at the hospital all day and he was really only there for that meeting, it's not out of the realm. I just didn't figure out whose condo/apartment it was until today. I love that Charlie actually can hang out with the other characters outside of work. It's always been Alex to have the friendships with the others, so it's a nice change for Charlie to have a guys night. 

I don't think the hospital subplot is done. Like the older woman told Dawn, they aren't actually switching back to the old format and that things will continue progressing, even without Thomas. 

1 hour ago, dargosmydaddy said:

So does anyone know how long the hiatus is after the next episode? ION has the preview up for episode 9, and then the following week they're returning to the beginning of the season... is SH doing the thing that so many other shows seem to be doing of late and breaking up their season so that it's spread out longer?

Not sure. I imagine it'll be at least two weeks, but I can imagine them restarting in July or something. I'll let you know Sunday night, if they show a preview for the next episode.

[Lady Calypso]

So, it looks like Saving Hope is coming back to Canada on Thursday, June 8th. And complete with another Reid! For a moment, I thought I was watching Rookie Blue with Alex's brother. Speaking of, I'm pretty sure Alex's mom said that she had three sons total. So there seems to be a third son out there (Jasper? If I heard his name right?).

I knew Alex's mom was going to die from the previews of Alex crying on Charlie's shoulder, so it was no surprise when she did end her life. I thought it was interesting that she chose to even after finding out about Alex's pregnancy. Doug Reid seems like he'll be a dick for blaming Alex for their mother's death, even though Alex confirmed that her brothers haven't been in their lives in ten years, so I'd say they suck more. 

Poor Manny. I guess that's the end of his character on the show. As I predicted, he was merely an obstacle and nothing more. 

Speaking of changes for the next half season, it looks like Maggie and Sydney are back on! Having Sydney back was a complete surprise, but what's more surprising is that it seems like she'll be part of the last ten episodes. I swore she was going to say that she got married to that girl she went to Israel for. I never thought that those two would actually end up together by the end of the series, but it looks hopeful, and I am excited! Also still liking Billy for a second episode. Two out of his three episodes show some promise. 

Also, I guess Cassie did get chief residency for good. At least for now, because I still think Sekara could end up being an excellent chief resident. Maybe he'll be helpful with Cassie. It seems like there'll be some drama with those two for the last half of the season. I didn't realize that he was in a relationship either. 

And now, for Charlie. I totally forgot about how much I loved the psychic from the early seasons until he showed up. That excited me, until I realized he was here to set up Charlie's final arc and that he'd die. Creepy dead dude was seriously creepy. Randall hit the nail on the head with the creepy clown comparison. That being said, it does sound like Charlie's going to get a very dark arc with his ghosts for the last ten episodes, and that is something that I am fully interested in seeing. Or, they might not. Who knows? It'll be interesting to see when he can't control the ghosts anymore and they start showing up outside of the hospital. Charlie's gotten lucky until lately, so I wonder what'll happen. 

[dargosmydaddy]

19 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Speaking of, I'm pretty sure Alex's mom said that she had three sons total. So there seems to be a third son out there (Jasper? If I heard his name right?).

Hmmm... didn't see the episode yet, but now I'm wondering if they're half brothers? How old was Alex when her dad died? I forget what the specific birthday was in the coma-dream (six?), but I found it odd that the second brother wasn't in it, and now there's apparently a third... Even assuming they didn't want to be bothered with all the little brothers in the coma dream (which was more of a symbolic thing anyway, I guess), if they're all from the same father, Alex would be fairly close in age to all of them (with Luke presumably being the youngest), which doesn't seem to totally fit with her "I raised my brothers" comment, though I guess it could be that she was just the responsible oldest and her "raising" was more making sure they ate, got homework done, etc. when she was a tween/ teen. But if they're from a different father and younger than Luke (who seemed to be 4-5 years younger than Alex) that might make a bit more sense (and might explain why they're not super close as adults, if they're a lot younger than her and she got burnt out "raising" them).

Who's the Rookie Blue actor playing Alex's brother? (If I understood your comment correctly.)

[lynny]

I really do like this show but didn't we get a whole arc with a stalker ghost just last season? It doesn't look interesting to me. 

[Lady Calypso]

4 hours ago, dargosmydaddy said:

Who's the Rookie Blue actor playing Alex's brother? (If I understood your comment correctly.)

Ben Bass (who played Sam Swarek).

12 minutes ago, lynny said:

I really do like this show but didn't we get a whole arc with a stalker ghost just last season? It doesn't look interesting to me. 

Yeah, but I think this arc will be different. I just think it's a change to have more violent and dangerous ghosts around. Charlie's been pretty lucky so far in that way. 

[dargosmydaddy]

18 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Ben Bass (who played Sam Swarek).

Interesting... so it would seem he's an older brother.

[dargosmydaddy]

I watched the latest episode last night... like the Thomas sub-plot, I'm uncertain what the point of Manny was if he's just going to leave now. Unlike with Thomas, I liked the character and the actor, but the fact that his sole purpose was to be a monkey wrench in Alex/ Charlie and then he just leaves... ugh, that just feels like lazy writing. (I realize it's also based on the actor's availability and/ or the show's ability to only pay for a certain amount of episodes with him, but still... I wish he'd gotten a bit more of his own development/ story.) 

I realized while watching that in my whole wondering-over-the-birth-order-of-Alex's-brothers post I forgot that Alex had specifically said Luke was the youngest. So if Ben Bass is the oldest, I hope the other brother is between Alex and Luke, or their continuity of her "I raised my brothers" line is shot. I also hope they explain where these brothers have been all this time... I can understand them being estranged from the mom, but why the estrangement from Alex and Luke? (Based on their absence from Luke's death and the episode last year where Alex was sad about baby Luke having no extended family.)

Maggie and Sydney together were cute.

[statsgirl]

I'm still trying to catch up on the season but it seems to be all over the place.

They lost me when Alex said that she couldn't be with Charlie because they were cursed or whatever.  My mother used to make those kinds of deals with God when my father was sick "If he gets better, I won't wear any jewelry for a year."  (She loved jewelry.)  Alex's superstitious decision made little sense and hurt not only herself but also Charlie and baby Luke.  At that point it's selfishness and Charlie shouldn't have let her get away with it. 

Besides, when you introduce the OTP in the show's first episode, it's stupid to still have them apart in s5.    Let the audience have some time to enjoy the OTP.  I get the feeling that Erica Durrance EP is affecting the storylines for Erica Durrance Actor.  A big thumbs down for the new love interests from me.  Not necessary at all in terms of telling the stories of Alex and Charlie.

My like of Ragman is affecting how I feel Thomas but right now he feels like wasted potential in terms of overall storyline for the show.   The ER storyline also feels WTH right now but maybe it will get better.  

[Lady Calypso]

I don't know why I thought the show was coming back next week. Also forgot that they switched to Thursdays. So I just finished the new episode. 

Mention of Alex's absent brother, Jasper, who is "backpacking in Nepal". AKA, they probably won't be casting him, or didn't bother. Which leaves the introduction of Doug. I can't remember when Alex said she lost her dad, but Doug was 12, so I'm guessing he's a few years older? Also it's confirmed that Alex is the second oldest. 

Doug doesn't seem like a great guy. Even if he "came to his senses" at the end of the episode, it didn't feel earned. He hasn't been around for Alex, that much we know, and he's an alcoholic and blames Alex for a lot. So his apology felt like them only doing it so Alex had family still out there. 

I love when Charlie gets to actually interact with the other main characters not named Alex or Dawn. I also thought that this would be a ghost-free episode. Silly me for thinking that, but I do like the ghost aspect, so I'm ok with it. I don't recall him having to deal with two young girls as ghosts, so he had a handful.

I enjoy the return of Sydney immensely. I also liked their case. How sweet that the guy was fine with his fiancee having an STI.

Cassie's freaking out that her schedule didn't work out was pretty hilarious. Girl, you're learn that not everything will go exactly how you schedule it. However, she does need to take charge and stand up for herself, so hopefully this is a good learning curve.

I'm really, really glad Alex's case didn't go the way I thought it would. I'm glad that the little sister didn't end up being just her sister's harvester, so to speak, but the twist of her virus was a nice way of showing that the parents really do care about both girls. It does suck that the older sister didn't make it, but I figured that she'd donate her heart to her sister.

And finally, the final arc for Alex/Charlie to get back together. 

[dargosmydaddy]

Aw, I kind of liked Dougie. He was a jerk in his first scene with Alex, but I thought the reconciliation seemed sincere (though I agree it was rushed), and I liked that his relationship with Alex (I laughed when he called her "Lexie") felt natural and sibling-y, even if they have been estranged for awhile. (Though I guess they see each other somewhat, or did at some point in their adulthood? He did know Charlie.)

On 6/11/2017 at 1:11 PM, Lady Calypso said:

I can't remember when Alex said she lost her dad, but Doug was 12, so I'm guessing he's a few years older?

I don't remember if they mentioned what birthday it was in the coma dream episode, but I seem to remember young Alex looking about six or so? Ben Bass is ten years older than Erica Durance (and looks it, IMO), so I'm hoping they mean for Dougie to be about six years older.

Speaking of the coma dream, I realize it could have been meant to be a more simplistic memory of that day (and I know it was meant to confuse the viewers into initially believing Alex's mom was Alex and didn't want to give her a ton of kids), but I wonder where Jasper was meant to be in that? I can pretend twelve-year-old Dougie was out somewhere, but did they just leave preschooler-ish Jasper to his own devices somewhere?

I almost teared up in the final scene between the ghost sisters and I am NOT a crier, so kudos to the young actresses. I do wish there had been a final scene with the parents and surviving sister, though.

Count me among the Maggie/ Sidney fans. And Jonathan is such a sweetheart (and gorgeous). I liked Shahir's scenes with Dougie, too.

[dargosmydaddy]

The ghost in this most recent episode (Blake?) creeped me out so much... In the end I was surprised (but glad) that Charlie managed to get rid of him as easily as he did. But I'm assuming this might have continued ramifications down the road? Other powerful ghosts (poltergeists?) wreaking havoc?

Was the ghost in Alex's nightmare the nurse that was obsessed with Charlie?

Zach had a lot of good lines this episode. And while IRL the action would be out of line, his "booping" the big guy's broken nose cracked me up to no end.

I'm not sure I'm getting the whole Shahir/ Jonathan adoption story... It was Shahir's idea to begin with, but this is the second episode in a row that he's expressed doubts, and yet Jonathan (in this episode at least) is just like, "No, we're doing it!" Maybe it's time to slow down and think it over a bit more? And while I'm not an expert on adoptions, particularly in Canada, would S/J be considered appropriate parents? They're not married, right? If memory serves, they haven't even been together that long... Jonathan was only introduced this year, and I think he might have been mentioned towards the end of last season, but they've been together maybe two years tops? Last week I fan-wanked it as Shahir was pursuing the adoption on his own or looking to adopt privately, but then this week they're both filling out extensive paperwork, and you'd think their lack of a long-term or married relationship might be an issue, no? Particularly if they want a baby rather than an older, harder-to-place child... Don't get me wrong, I think they'll make wonderful parents, but I don't think that's the way adoption works in the real world.