S05.E17: The Space Between

[jewel21]

Quote

Conrad treats one of Gigi's fellow classmates, whose stomachache turns into something much more serious. Meanwhile, Devon takes several interns to a senior living facility, where they meet a former doctor whose wife falls ill during their visit. Then, in looking for a sperm donor for Padma, Leela uncovers some unsettling news about the business.

Airdate: 04/05/2022

[NeenerNeener]

Gigi's a bit too precocious for her age. It's not believable, and it is obnoxious. 

I'm also mad that they killed off Vicki Lawrence, and that now I'm going to wonder if I have Whipple disease.

[preeya]

23 minutes ago, NeenerNeener said:

Gigi's a bit too precocious for her age. It's not believable, and it is obnoxious. 

I'm also mad that they killed off Vicki Lawrence, and that now I'm going to wonder if I have Whipple disease.

Gigi needs to be reeled in a bit, and yes she's not believable. (I have a thing about kids in drama shows)

I didn't recognize Vicki Lawrence and had to do look up on the character.

Conrad & Billie were getting a bit testy with each other.

The Raptor and the twin were already having a sexual encounter, so why not just continue with the process?

[Crashcourse]

1 minute ago, preeya said:

The Raptor and the twin were already having a sexual encounter, so why not just continue with the process?

I know! 

[EllaWycliffe]

1 hour ago, preeya said:

The Raptor and the twin were already having a sexual encounter, so why not just continue with the process?

The twin can't naturally conceive. 

 

1 hour ago, preeya said:

Gigi needs to be reeled in a bit, and yes she's not believable. (I have a thing about kids in drama shows)

That and they're making the classic mistake of doing storylines with her. Gigi is fine being seen picked up from the day care. She is not fine or interesting being in tear jerky "Daddy will my best friend die like Mommy?" scenes. 

I don't care if the day care is in a hospital or if Gigi is the princess of Downtown Atlanta - why exactly is the day care staff fetching her daddy to check on one of the kiddies WITHOUT first getting the dad of the kiddy who works in the building notified???

Vicki Lawrence looked great for her age - I genuinely assumed she was senior living staff and not the wife of the elder doctor. 

[KaveDweller]

15 minutes ago, EllaWycliffe said:

I don't care if the day care is in a hospital or if Gigi is the princess of Downtown Atlanta - why exactly is the day care staff fetching her daddy to check on one of the kiddies WITHOUT first getting the dad of the kiddy who works in the building notified???

Vicki Lawrence looked great for her age - I genuinely assumed she was senior living staff and not the wife of the elder doctor. 

Yeah, that was weird. Also weird that they brought him down to the ER for testing without talking to the dad. It wasn't like he was bleeding out or something. 

Also weird that they called Conrad back to day care because Gigi was sitting sadly under a table. I mean, Conrad is a doctor trying to save lives. But is the teacher the one he was sleeping with?

[Leeds]

12 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

 

Also weird that they called Conrad back to day care because Gigi was sitting sadly under a table. I mean, Conrad is a doctor trying to save lives. But is the teacher the one he was sleeping with?

Yeah, pretty crappy day care when a parent has to be called because their child is in a snit for 30 minutes.  Oh wait a minute, they couldn't have solved the week's medical mystery without involving Max's precocious/obnoxious kid.

[EllaWycliffe]

This show would be easier to follow if it was more consistently on - last week was a rerun and this seems to happen pretty randomly. 

Was I the only one who thought "The Right Stuff" donor was actually Devon? Because that would be genuinely hilarious. 

[Frisky Wig]

I agree on the comments about GiGi. Precocious little kids are annoying. 

[MsTree]

Party of one, but I like Gigi.  I don't find her as precocious or annoying as some other child actors. For tonight's storyline, Gigi's presence was necessary, especially since she's the one who noticed his symptoms when even his own father didn't!  This was her best friend, and as the daughter of a doctor & nurse, she was more aware of his 'normal' behavior. Also, she could relate the story of how they switched sandwiches for lunch.

[NeenerNeener]

An observant day care attendant would have been aware of his normal behavior and the daily sandwich switching too, and been much more believable. I grew up with the children of doctors and nurses, and they were normal, airhead kids whose first response to any question from an adult would be "I don't know" whether they knew the answer or not. I don't know why the writers decided it was a good idea to make Gigi the next Doogie Howser, but I'm not here for "The Littlest Resident".

Edited April 6, 2022 by NeenerNeener

[hookedontv]

Similar to others, I am not a fan of Gigi playing a big part in any episode. I realize acting must be very hard for children - learning lines, being told where to stand and what to do. But I feel her acting isn't great, and it comes off as precocious and in your face. That said, I'm happy that her little friend was diagnosed and treated, though there's no way any doctor would let a boy who had a drain put in his skull at one point, and still had it wrapped up -- no way he'd be allowed to put the space helmet on.

I still don't care about Leela and Padma, I think the egg storyline just drags the show down. I'm calling it now -- Padma successfuly gets pregnant with Leela's egg (and possibly the Raptor's sperm, still not sure about that), Padma gets sick again and dies. Leela, who isn't interested in having kids now because she's so focused on getting double board certified, is now in the situation where she and Pravesh will take care of the baby. Throw Rapter in the mix if they use his sperm. Chaos ensues.

I did get the feels on the elderly storyline. My mom is in her 80's, has been in and out of hospital and physical rehab places over the past year for a couple of strokes (and some other ailments). She's on a boatload of drugs that I now know in and out, but doctors, even good ones, seem to dismiss new symptoms or just throw more pills at her. I've had a doctor say "well, why is she off such-and-such drug." I'm like "I am not a doctor, a doctor took her off of it, and I can't tell you how many times I've begged  you all to talk to eachother." She's got a cardiologist, urologist, gynocologiest, endocrinologist, neurologist, etc. It's overwhelming. As a country, we need to do better to support elderly people. 

(Sorry, rant over).

[preeya]

1 hour ago, hookedontv said:

She's got a cardiologist, urologist, gynocologiest, endocrinologist, neurologist, etc. It's overwhelming. As a country, we need to do better to support elderly people. 

That's a lot of "ologists" That said there is a book that identifies potential adverse drug interactions.

A Manual of Adverse Drug Interactions  By J.P. Griffin, P.F. D'Arcy · 1997

[windsprints]

10 hours ago, MsTree said:

Party of one, but I like Gigi.  I don't find her as precocious or annoying as some other child actors. For tonight's storyline, Gigi's presence was necessary, especially since she's the one who noticed his symptoms when even his own father didn't!  This was her best friend, and as the daughter of a doctor & nurse, she was more aware of his 'normal' behavior. Also, she could relate the story of how they switched sandwiches for lunch.

I'm with you. I like Gigi and was good with her having a bit more in this episode since it tied in with her best friend.  It's not like they will have her commenting on random cases going forward or anything. She'll go back to her short scenes with Conrad.

The Vicki Lawrence storyline was heartbreaking, one that really got to me more than most of the sad patient storylines.

[Lovecat]

37 minutes ago, preeya said:

That's a lot of "ologists" That said there is a book that identifies potential adverse drug interactions.

A Manual of Adverse Drug Interactions  By J.P. Griffin, P.F. D'Arcy · 1997

That book is 30 years old; there have been hundreds of drugs approved since then!  We have the internet now; drugs dot com has an interactions checker.  Pharmacy systems also have built-in checks for drug interactions (that would of course be dependent on the patient filling all of their prescriptions through the same pharmacy system).  There is really no excuse for polypharmacy, yet it happens all of the time because specialists don’t talk to each other.

[statsgirl]

3 hours ago, hookedontv said:

She's got a cardiologist, urologist, gynocologiest, endocrinologist, neurologist, etc. It's overwhelming. As a country, we need to do better to support elderly people. 

The person who should be co-coordinating all that is a gerontologist. Unfortunately where I live they don't get paid as much as other specialists such as surgeons and cardiologists and so too few people go into the specialty.

[Arkay]

Is the actress who plays Padma pregnant in real life? Her face looked fuller to me, and there was an awful lot of arms crossed against her stomach, sitting behind a table and all that stuff.

I knew I recognized the actress who played Gloria, but it took me a bit before I realized  it was Vicki Lawrence.

[KaveDweller]

17 hours ago, EllaWycliffe said:

This show would be easier to follow if it was more consistently on - last week was a rerun and this seems to happen pretty randomly. 

Was I the only one who thought "The Right Stuff" donor was actually Devon? Because that would be genuinely hilarious. 

Last week was a new episode here.

[Snazzy Daisy]

I really like the Dr. Kravitz/Gloria storyline. When Kit told him the bad news, that's truly heart-breaking.

I like Gigi and prefer seeing her as Connic's adorable little princess than Chastain's prodigy. When the day care couldn't get hold of Conrad, did they really get the hospital's CEO to go looking for him?

Padma's journey to motherhood is so meh. I hope AJ will say NO to her. This story seems to wipe off Leela's double-board certification arc. Weird.

Where is Caid?

[Artsda]

What happened to AJ's dad? Didn't he have 2 parents, now its like mother is alone and now living with him?

[jewel21]

10 minutes ago, Artsda said:

What happened to AJ's dad? Didn't he have 2 parents, now its like mother is alone and now living with him?

I believe it was mentioned in a previous episode that he passed away during the time jump. 

[yourdreamer]

I had wondered about his dad for a while. Kind of wish they would revisit the bio parents angle since that’s been a while and was a big thing that season. 
 

Gigi didn’t bother me as much as she did others, I guess. It’s the same as them pulling out backpack items to figure out it was a tick or looking at a dog for heartworm or whatever else they have had shown. At least it seemed realistic comparatively. Although I do agree it was weird Kit was looking for Conrad when Gigi was pouting basically.  

[statsgirl]

That big bag of drugs was very realistic. When I was in college, I worked parttime in an emergency department and the older folks would always come in with a big plastic bag full of their prescriptions (they were told to bring all their drugs when they went to the ER). Then they would get admitted, taken off all but a few meds. Then they get discharged and a few months later the different doctors have them all back on the big bag of meds again, like Alice's entry to Wonderland.

Gigi this episode raised my blood sugar a bit too high but I'm okay with it as long as it's only once a season.

I had never heard of Whipple's disease before. Good choice for the medical mystery.

Quote

Whipple's disease is a rare systemic infectious disease caused by the bacterium Tropheryma whipplei. First described by George Hoyt Whipple in 1907 and commonly considered as a gastrointestinal disorder, Whipple's disease primarily causes malabsorption, but may affect any part of the human body, including the heart, brain, joints, skin, lungs and the eyes.Weight loss, diarrhea, joint pain, and arthritis are common presenting symptoms, but the presentation can be highly variable in certain individuals, and about 15% of patients do not have the standard signs and symptoms.

 

[circumvent]

After watching This is Us an the little blind actor just stealing the show, Gigi comes put as a drama queen without much to show for herself. Sorry kid, you are cute in small doses and not at all at the level of genius. 

Not sure if already mentioned: the elder doctor had short term memory issues but at the hospital, during one of the emergency interventions on his wife, he comes out and says that he was there the whole time and that her blood pressure started to...

How was he able to remember that, When he could not remember Bell's name just a few scenes before? Bad, bad writing. 

[yourdreamer]

1 hour ago, circumvent said:

 

Not sure if already mentioned: the elder doctor had short term memory issues but at the hospital, during one of the emergency interventions on his wife, he comes out and says that he was there the whole time and that her blood pressure started to...

How was he able to remember that, When he could not remember Bell's name just a few scenes before? Bad, bad writing. 

There was a throwaway bit when Vicki sent the husband out to call the senior facility to let them know what was happening. He was speaking into a voice recorder over and over to help him remember to do that. I assume he did the same thing about her blood pressure. 

[circumvent]

18 minutes ago, yourdreamer said:

There was a throwaway bit when Vicki sent the husband out to call the senior facility to let them know what was happening. He was speaking into a voice recorder over and over to help him remember to do that. I assume he did the same thing about her blood pressure. 

I missed that. But then, how did he remember to play the recorder to remind himself what to say? 

[yourdreamer]

My father had dementia and it just becomes ingrained when they have done it enough (I realize the question may have been somewhat tongue in cheek). 

[KaveDweller]

15 hours ago, circumvent said:

I missed that. But then, how did he remember to play the recorder to remind himself what to say? 

Is it possible that the fear about his wife was so strong it made his memory sort of rally and so he remembered more than usual?

I have no idea how memory loss works, so that may be a ridiculous idea. 

[circumvent]

4 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

Is it possible that the fear about his wife was so strong it made his memory sort of rally and so he remembered more than usual?

I have no idea how memory loss works, so that may be a ridiculous idea. 

I don't think that memory works like this, not in the case of dementia. If it was trauma or other psychological condition, maybe. 

But that's how the writers work, so we are stuck with inconsistencies 

[bros402]

The giant bag of drugs was fun - I was having a fun game guessing the drugs she was put on, because I was put on the a few of the same drugs - prednisone, omeprazole, ondansetron.

But I have a bucket of drugs.

And a list of medications, dosages, reasons why prescribed, who prescribed, and when started

 

On 4/5/2022 at 11:24 PM, EllaWycliffe said:

I don't care if the day care is in a hospital or if Gigi is the princess of Downtown Atlanta - why exactly is the day care staff fetching her daddy to check on one of the kiddies WITHOUT first getting the dad of the kiddy who works in the building notified???

Vicki Lawrence looked great for her age - I genuinely assumed she was senior living staff and not the wife of the elder doctor. 

They notified the dad - daycare lady said "We called his dad, he's coming" - but if he works in the hospital.... how did it take him so long to get there? Was he in some IT dungeon?

[EllaWycliffe]

1 minute ago, bros402 said:

They notified the dad - daycare lady said "We called his dad, he's coming" - but if he works in the hospital.... how did it take him so long to get there? Was he in some IT dungeon?

I know they gave that throwaway line but to your point - its the same building and I was looking at it from this point of view. If this was not an onsite daycare to a hospital, I don't know many parents who'd be pleased that a parent of one of the other kids recommended to the staff that my kid be carted off to the local ER. And there's the very idea that lil Gigi is all upset so *her* daddy needs to be called down to help her little friend rather than - if it was that serious - just telling Gigi to shush and taking the little boy to the ER if they thought something was that serious. 

I mean, Conrad has a job. Can he always just drop his patient load and go hang in the daycare?

[SunnyBeBe]

That child is just too much.  Her lines don’t match the character.  It’s weird.  It’s not realistic and overly dramatic. Ugh…..I hate it. That dialogue about her mom and how she knew what made her friend sick was too contrived.  Ugh…

I would never have guessed that was Vicki Lawrence. Glad she’s doing well.

I can relate to the multiple med issue.  I assumed administering my dad’s medication a few months ago. He’s 84 and a heart patient. It is not simple.  Different meds over the course of the day…some are time sensitive…..he could never manage it without assistance.  Doctors don’t seem to realize when they prescribe multiple meds how complicated it can be for seniors.  
 

I have someone in my extended family who cannot digest protein. She must be on a low protein diet for the rest of her life.  She’s about 8 years old and doing ok.  

Edited April 10, 2022 by SunnyBeBe

[bros402]

With Gigi, it should've stopped with her saying the kid had double vision. The dad should've mentioned the recent sandwich change - or the daycare employee should've mentioned "oh he does x with his sandwiches now!"

[Crashcourse]

I'm not a parent, but is it normal to give a kid a roast beef sandwich?  I thought that was strange.  

[bros402]

10 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

I'm not a parent, but is it normal to give a kid a roast beef sandwich?  I thought that was strange.  

i assumed they were talking about deli counter roast beef like this - I am guessing it is what the dad has for lunch, so he made another sandwich for the kid

[MsTree]

1 hour ago, bros402 said:

i assumed they were talking about deli counter roast beef like this - I am guessing it is what the dad has for lunch, so he made another sandwich for the kid

I guess good old peanut butter & jelly is no longer on the menu...and writers didn't want to incorporate another peanut allergy into the storyline.

[statsgirl]

Peanuts and other nuts have been banned in my area since the '80s because of the nut allergies. These days kids eat what their parents do, meat&cheese sandwiches or mac and cheese in a thermos although I've seen some creative things with bento boxes.

I'm a little surprised that there isn't a catered lunch option since it's an onsite daycare and the hospital has a cafeteria but I guess Gigi's deductive abilities wouldn't be needed then.

[SunnyBeBe]

On 4/7/2022 at 6:53 AM, yourdreamer said:

There was a throwaway bit when Vicki sent the husband out to call the senior facility to let them know what was happening. He was speaking into a voice recorder over and over to help him remember to do that. I assume he did the same thing about her blood pressure. 

I guess the voice recorder might help, but when my cousin got dementia things like recorders wouldn’t have worked, because they forget to turn on the recorder or they can’t remember what it’s for. That’s why reminders often don’t work for people with dementia.  They forget to read the reminders or they read it and their brain can’t process it.   Of course, the abilities depend on the progression of the disease.  It varies AND each day is different.  Some days my cousin could engage in conversation….know my name even!  The next day, she might say I’m a good friend and no idea who I was.  Abilities, memory, etc. often varies, until you get to a certain stage.  

[tvfanatic13]

On 4/6/2022 at 2:03 AM, MsTree said:

Party of one, but I like Gigi.  I don't find her as precocious or annoying as some other child actors. For tonight's storyline, Gigi's presence was necessary, especially since she's the one who noticed his symptoms when even his own father didn't!  This was her best friend, and as the daughter of a doctor & nurse, she was more aware of his 'normal' behavior. Also, she could relate the story of how they switched sandwiches for lunch.

I am right there with you. I love little Gigi. She is one of my favorite kiddies on tv 🤷‍♀️ I will run and hide now…

[bros402]

On 4/12/2022 at 9:04 PM, tvfanatic13 said:

I am right there with you. I love little Gigi. She is one of my favorite kiddies on tv 🤷‍♀️ I will run and hide now…

She's nowhere near as good as Jack on This Is Us

[MsTree]

RE: the little actress who plays Gigi, as well as other child actors...they can't all be Shirley Temple. 

I think she does quite well in her role, and is doing a helluva lot more than any of us were doing at her age.