S01.E01: If at First You Don't Succeed...

[AnimeMania]

After a brain injury erases the last eight years of Dr. Amy Larsen's life, she must navigate an unfamiliar world where she has no recollection of patients she's treated or the tragedy that caused her to push everyone away.

Premiere Date: January 7, 2025    FOX    9pm

[possibilities]

I actually don't understand why it's so hard for people to just tell her the truth about what happened and why it feels like such a big deal to them to do so, or why they feel like they have to hide things.

I get why it's hard for her to be confused, but they have everybody acting like it's some kind of moral conflict for them, and that part doesn't make any sense to me.

The ex husband needs to tell her whatever it is that led to her leaving him, and where they are now.

The boyfriend needs to be there for her. If this happened to me and I found out my significant other stayed away instead of being by my side being supportive, I'd be very upset! If I didn't remember them, at least I'd know they offered, and I could take them up on it or not. But if they stayed away? Terrible!

Likewise, the ex-husband can tell her: I was your boss, and I was your friend, but I'm re-married, this is what happened between us, and I will try to be there for you, but I can't hide my new family from you in the process.

She seems to be lucid enough to process what people say to her. It's not dementia.

The rival who it looks like effed up by mixing up drugs that wound up killing a patient and is now doing her job... I'm sure there are people like that IRL, but it's also such a tv trope to have a moustache twirling villain around making everything worse for everyone. Oh, and the other doctor who seems to be in love with the boyfriend and he finds her annoying-- yikes. Mouthy intern who takes criticism wihtout getting defensive (before her accident) and calls out the nasty gossipers afterwards, is at least likable but also not very believable as the only one who is on her side-- another tv thing: one heroic loyalist who is surrounded by legions of cowards and saboteurs!

Still, I'm watching. 

I guess we'll see if her being a brilliant doctor with a terrible bedisde manner (like House) makes viewers hate her, or if she will get the same response House did, or if they are going to have her personality change permanently, so she's in "winning people back and making an apology tour" like female characters always have to do if they ever failed to coddle fragile egos.

[AnimeMania]

I kinda liked this, I can get behind a doctor show where they spend about a half hour looking at a patient and moving on to the next one. I never thought those TV shows where a doctor would spend every minute of 5 days trying to figure out the ailment of one patient was even remotely realistic, even though it is the standard for television and shows a doctor's dedication to their patients. I had no problem with her methods, although she could have been a little nicer. Why was the patient talking the whole time the doctor was trying to examine her jaw, I don't think that was helping?

I hope somebody will take the time to show her around and give her the condensed version of what's what at the hospital and her life.

[gibasi]

8 hours ago, possibilities said:

...

The rival who it looks like effed up by mixing up drugs that wound up killing a patient and is now doing her job... I'm sure there are people like that IRL, but it's also such a tv trope to have a moustache twirling villain around making everything worse for everyone. Oh, and the other doctor who seems to be in love with the boyfriend and he finds her annoying-- yikes. Mouthy intern who takes criticism wihtout getting defensive (before her accident) and calls out the nasty gossipers afterwards, is at least likable but also not very believable as the only one who is on her side-- another tv thing: one heroic loyalist who is surrounded by legions of cowards and saboteurs!

Still, I'm watching. 

I guess we'll see if her being a brilliant doctor with a terrible bedisde manner (like House) makes viewers hate her, or if she will get the same response House did, or if they are going to have her personality change permanently, so she's in "winning people back and making an apology tour" like female characters always have to do if they ever failed to coddle fragile egos.

I think possibilities accurately pinpointed all the things wrong with the show. I especially hated the villain of the piece. They didn't have to make Scott Wolfe's character an actual villain. There is enough drama in his being appointed chief, a job she formerly had and presumably will want back. It is the first episode and I hope they dial it back a bit. I think it is a good idea but hope the whole thing becomes more plausible.

[Chaos Theory]

This show looks interesting by I loath shows where the entire case could essentially be solved by telling someone the truth.   If the truth actually matters and it looks like in this case it might then the entire premise is based on people lying just to move the plot and create drama.   

Edited January 8 by Chaos Theory

[DanaK]

I liked this first episode, even with the indicated issues. We’ll see how the rest of the season goes 

[Spartan Girl]

2 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

This show looks interesting by I loath shows where the entire crusts could essentially be solved by telling someone the truth.   If the truth actually matters and it looks like in this case it might then the entire premise is based on people lying just to move the plot and create drama.   

Same. I was interested, but I’ve had my fill of “secrets and lies” tropes (damn you, Smallville).

And can already see the writing on the wall that they’re going to make the ex-husband the bad guy for moving on with his life…

Edited January 8 by Spartan Girl

[babyrambo]

Thought this was a bit bland for a series premiere, especially given the premise, but pilots tend to be hit or miss and I did like most of it. 

Especially Larsen. The ‘jerk genuis’ trope can be grating but I like the idea of a female character in this role and hope they don’t completely take away her prickliness. She can work on her bedside manner and still have a bit of an edge. 

Also liked Amirah Vahn’s Gina, who I hope isn’t reduced to the ever patient best friend, because she’s got a lot of range. I also thought she had the best chemistry with Larsen, definitely more than her boyfriend (who reminds me of a short Matt Bomer) and her husband, even in the happy flashbacks. Not really sold on either romance yet.

And I’m with everyone about not liking all the secrets and lies, but I think dropping everything on her in this episode would’ve been a lot. Hopefully they get things out of the way in the next episode or two because watching everyone tiptoe around the truth is going to get old fast. 

[OLynn33]

I'm in for now if for no other reason than I'm old and the pace of this show suits me. I'm not straining to decipher dialogue through some ridiculous soundtrack or reaching for gravol to counteract tilt a whirl camera work. So there's that. 

However, none of these characters are overly likable so the next episode better bring it in the form of a reason for me to stay beyond sensory. 

 

[Unathletic Club]

Amy is such a hateful character that I despised her by the time of the accident. When she hit the bus I was like, "Oh good". Texting while driving? FAFO.

She rags on her co-workers for every single thing but it's OK for HER to have sex with a resident in the breakroom or parking garage.

Moaning about how she's lost EVERYTHING - son, marriage, career. Too bad you don't have a daughter Amy. Oh wait! You do! But you neglected her then and you are neglecting her now. Poor kid lost her little brother and her Mom responded by over working. But hey! She's chief of staff so there's that. 

 

[eel2178]

9 hours ago, gibasi said:

 I think it is a good idea but hope the whole thing becomes more plausible.

The main character had a nearly full recovery from a craniotomy in less than a day. I think the Plausibility ship has already sailed.

[possibilities]

I was really angry about the texting while driving. It's lucky nobody else was hurt.

[preeya]

2 hours ago, eel2178 said:

The main character had a nearly full recovery from a craniotomy in less than a day. I think the Plausibility ship has already sailed.

This ↑. I also wondered if she had such an operation wouldn't her head have been shaved? Also, for all the doctors and med students that follow here, is her condition (partial/selective amnesia) real or just made up for TV?

[AnimeMania]

4 hours ago, eel2178 said:

The main character had a nearly full recovery from a craniotomy in less than a day. I think the Plausibility ship has already sailed.

Not sure it was one day, since they moved her from staying in the emergency ward to the ward that she was in charge of. Although it did seem like she had a remarkably speedy recovery.

[DearEvette]

I actually quite liked this.  I liked the messiness of the story and the relationships. Amy probably still in love with her husband, the doctor who is  in love with her and she likely has no idea who he is, and the woman doctor who is pining after him. None of these potential romances is interesting to me, and I thought Amy and young Dr. had all the chemistry of bread and milk.  But I still like the messiness.

 

21 hours ago, babyrambo said:

Also liked Amirah Vahn’s Gina, who I hope isn’t reduced to the ever patient best friend, because she’s got a lot of range. I also thought she had the best chemistry with Larsen, definitely more than her boyfriend (who reminds me of a short Matt Bomer) and her husband, even in the happy flashbacks. Not really sold on either romance yet

 

Agreed on all counts. I hope Amirah has her own storyline as well.

I liked that Amy is unlikable generally, but it is clear she isn't all bad. She is able to maintain close friendships with her BFF and her ex husband even if their work life is shown as contentious. And she looks genuinely happy and relaxed with her new boyfriend. And the young intern who was obviously mentored by her does not take her professional rebukes personally. And regardless of how she closed off after the death of the son, the daughter was all smiles and warmth when she came to see her and didn't hesitate to hug her. These shows are as subtle as hammers, if the daughter had any resentments we would have seen that.

Which makes the upcoming stuff interesting (potentially). How much of your personality is just you and how much is formed by your history? It seems like before the kid died she was warm and loving and after her work consumed her and she became colder.

I once read a book where a person with retrograde amnesia due to a TBI with some PTSD thrown in and didn't remember much about himself or his adulthood relationships.  His pre-Amnesia self was A LOT. And he had burned some relationships.  He was really different afterward. Had no connection to his former self at all and as he learned about his former self he always referred to his former self as if he were a different person. It was fascinating.

In that vein, I hope they don't revert Amy back to that person we saw in the flashbacks,  all warm and cozy. And I especially don't want a barrage of her being all conciliatory and apologizing while people revel in her condition. I hope they fall somewhere in between with her.

And yeah I know we were supposed to on their side, but that pregnant couple just annoyed the hell out me.

And then we have Scott Wolf.  I didn't see him as super villainous at this point, but he is obviously her rival and the show is setting them both up to be ambitious above all else.  He dislikes her like everyone else does and knows he would be the beneficiary of her getting ousted because of her attitude, she knows he is her likely replacement and in her exacting standards probably mistakenly caused the death of someone and she is willing to use that as her leverage to keep him from taking her job. Again it will be interesting to see how the show positions them.

The show has the potential to be interesting if they don't fumble it too bad.

[preeya]

2 hours ago, DearEvette said:

I once read a book where a person with retrograde amnesia due to a TBI with some PTSD thrown in and didn't remember much about himself or his adulthood relationships.  His pre-Amnesia self was A LOT. And he had burned some relationships.  He was really different afterward. Had no connection to his former self at all and as he learned about his former self he always referred to his former self as if he were a different person. It was fascinating.

Sounds like an interesting read. Can you post the title?

[Elizzikra]

Quote

it's OK for HER to have sex with a resident in the breakroom or parking garage.

Is he a resident? I thought he was a staff physician and she was the chief. If he was an internal medicine resident, he would be about 28 years old and I think this guy is supposed to be older than that.

Quote

And then we have Scott Wolf.

I have loved me some Scott Wolf since Party of Five and at first I will still on my "he does not age" mantra with him. But the more I look at his face, the more nervous I get. It looks like it's going to crack or slide right off. Maybe lay off the chemicals and the botox for awhile?

I also didn't think he was supposed to be all evil. Whoever he called (wife? Girlfriend?) and told he was chief seemed genuinely happy for him. I wonder if he will be a little more nuanced. Maybe not incompetent, but made a mistake and fears the repercussions plus he's highly ambitious? 

I really hate the trope that one can be empathetic and basically polite OR one can be a brilliant physician but not both at the same time. I know several who managed to pull that off. I guess that doesn't necessarily make for compelling television though.

[preeya]

8 hours ago, DearEvette said:

And then we have Scott Wolf.

I don't know if anyone else saw that he's listed in a recurring role, not as a main character.

[DearEvette]

6 hours ago, preeya said:

Sounds like an interesting read. Can you post the title?

Sure... now I just have to find it. LOL.  This show made me want to look it up myself. I read it as part of an anthology in college.

[Elizzikra]

1 hour ago, preeya said:

I don't know if anyone else saw that he's listed in a recurring role, not as a main character.

I'm trying to remember who else used to be billed that way on some show but was literally in every episode. Maybe it was perennial 90's "Special Guest Star" Heather Locklear?

[HerkyJerky]

Does anyone remember that Christine Applegate show from back in the day, Samantha Who?

”After a car accident gave Samantha amnesia, she has to start her life all over, while gradually discovering her past. These personalities clash, as her former self is too wicked to accept, but the past won't just be forgotten by those who knew her: family, house-mate/exes and professional circles”

[Dowel Jones]

I think it could be an interesting premise, having to negotiate a virtual battlefield that she has left in her wake.  Although I don't like the knives in the back scenes, evil me did have to laugh when one of the interns made the joke about getting Amy to "repay" the $3000.

You would think medical science could develop an ET camera tube that was just a bit thinner than that monster they pushed down the patient's throat, but I guess that was necessary for the plot line.

[Paloma]

On 1/10/2025 at 3:11 AM, Dowel Jones said:

You would think medical science could develop an ET camera tube that was just a bit thinner than that monster they pushed down the patient's throat, but I guess that was necessary for the plot line.

That scene was hard for me to watch because I have such a strong gag reflex that I can't even tolerate dental x-rays when they stick something in the back of your mouth and you have to bite down. If I was ever told I had to have an ET camera tube for some diagnostic reason, and it looked like the one in this scene, I think I would refuse the test and take my chances medically.

[possibilities]

I was told that if I had an endoscopy, they would give me a drug that stops the gag reflex. Just so you know-- it's a theoretical possibility! 

[l star]

I liked this. I liked Amy. She was bitchy, but I guess I have a high tolerance for that. She appears to still have good relationships with her friend, boyfriend and daughter. She’s just bad with the people who work for her and patients. 

I found the current timeline to be a little confusing. They said something about transferring her out of the ICU so there must have been time we didn’t see. They also had time to inform everyone and get her family there. It wasn’t very clear though. It appeared she had the accident, woke up, got diagnosed, found out, and was walking around in like two days. If they are going to continue to speed through her recovery, it needs to be clearer. 

I thought she took the news pretty well. She could reasonably be lost in grief, but I didn’t get that. 

I liked pretty much everyone. I didn’t like that the ex has a pregnant wife. That was too much IMO. I’m not surprised he hasn’t told her yet though. She deserves a little time to process what she’s found out so far. I reserve judgement if the secret keeping gets stupid though. 

Boyfriend needs to get in there. I don’t mean be pushy or romantic. He just needs to be there for her. He’s apparently been her trainee for four years so no one is going to think anything of it. I’d be so pissed later if my boyfriend just disappeared when I needed him. She has to feel completely alone. Friend isn’t enough.

As far as new chief, eh. I’m thinking that autopsy she ordered before the wreck is going to come back to haunt him. 

Edited Monday at 03:00 AM by l star

[Elizzikra]

Quote

She appears to still have good relationships with her friend, boyfriend and daughter

I disagree. She and her friend seem ok but the boyfriend is her direct report so it's not good that they are romantically involved. And the daughter doesn't live with her and evidently doesn't talk to her often as evidenced by the message we saw Amy leave her to "call her mother once in awhile." I'm pretty sure that is a troubled relationship too though there is some love there.

Quote

He’s apparently been her trainee for four years so no one is going to think anything of it.

I mean, it's a tv show so sure, people may look past it. But in the real world, it gets her fired and him... maybe not terminated but definitely counseled about appropriate colleague relationships and probably pushed out because there are forever doubts about whether he earned any promotions/accolades he got or he just slept his way to the top. It's a big deal. Though it's an interesting twist to have the male staff member be in the position to defend from those accusations rather than the female staff member.

[possibilities]

I thought the doctor who took her place cancelled the autopsy, to avoid it exposing him. Maybe I'm wrong?

[l star]

25 minutes ago, Elizzikra said:

I mean, it's a tv show so sure, people may look past it. But in the real world, it gets her fired and him... maybe not terminated but definitely counseled about appropriate colleague relationships and probably pushed out because there are forever doubts about whether he earned any promotions/accolades he got or he just slept his way to the top. It's a big deal. Though it's an interesting twist to have the male staff member be in the position to defend from those accusations rather than the female staff member.

I said not romantically. Since he’s been her trainee and they are obviously known for having a close relationship, I don’t think anyone would think twice if he stepped up to be there for her. Not romantically. Regardless of rules, she doesn’t need that right now. 

[chediavolo]

On 1/10/2025 at 3:11 AM, Dowel Jones said:

I think it could be an interesting premise, having to negotiate a virtual battlefield that she has left in her wake.  Although I don't like the knives in the back scenes, evil me did have to laugh when one of the interns made the joke about getting Amy to "repay" the $3000.

You would think medical science could develop an ET camera tube that was just a bit thinner than that monster they pushed down the patient's throat, but I guess that was necessary for the plot line.

Good Lord, that was just horrible. They’d have to knock me out completely . I agree with the husband in this day and age. We can’t have tests that aren’t torturous! 

17 hours ago, Paloma said:

That scene was hard for me to watch because I have such a strong gag reflex that I can't even tolerate dental x-rays when they stick something in the back of your mouth and you have to bite down. If I was ever told I had to have an ET camera tube for some diagnostic reason, and it looked like the one in this scene, I think I would refuse the test and take my chances medically.

I thought the same thing.. there’s no way I would’ve taken that test and I’d be dead

[ebk57]

On 1/12/2025 at 10:28 PM, possibilities said:

I thought the doctor who took her place cancelled the autopsy, to avoid it exposing him. Maybe I'm wrong?

He wanted to cancel it, but the family had asked for it so he couldn't.

[TVForever]

I don’t know. I’m all for a female doctor who’s on top of her game, but I HATE HATE HATE the trope of the brilliant  doctor who can’t be bothered to be polite to colleagues or patients, and everyone has to bow to her anyway because, she’s BRILLIANT! 

A doctor is already in the power position over a patient, who, in a clinical setting, is vulnerable ( and very likely afraid). Being an **shole to your patient just feels mean, and frankly, abusive. Same thing with the 
relationship between senior and junior doctors. There’s a way to be the smartest person in the room and respect the humanity of the person you’re speaking to.

It’s why I eventually stopped watching House. Watching someone be that mean for kicks just got to be too much. I want to like this show, but I think I may be a little gun-shy of the “brilliant-but-awful” thing.

I’m in for now. Hopefully I last the season.