S01.E10: ...Must Come Down

[AnimeMania]

(Season Finale)

A mass casualty event requires all hands on deck at Westside Hospital. Amidst the chaos, Gina deals with a devastating revelation and Amy’s forced to confront her demons.

Premiere Date: March 18, 2025    FOX    9pm

Conni Miu 

Paulyne Wei

[Spartan Girl]

I’d have felt sorrier for Richard if he just told Amy the truth in the last episode instead of gaslighting her.

Honestly, Nora was right to rip Amy a new one. Just because she doesn’t remember the awful way she treated her family doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. And Michael, do you really want another go if the only reason Amy loves you again is because of a brain injury?

I don’t know if I’m coming back next season.

Edited March 19 by Spartan Girl

[DanaK]

Oh Amy, oh Michael. Amy has a bit of an excuse because of her lost years, but Michael is a mess and his wife will likely leave him

Oh Richard, the coverup and gaslighting is worse than the mistake in this case

[txhorns79]

So there was a mass casualty and the hospital's protocol was to rely on an intern to tell them what to do because he had combat experience as a medic?  And were none of the patients triaged in the field?  It felt like they were just taking everyone first come, first serve, regardless of need.  I'm also thinking the guy they brought back after being down for 45 minutes is going to have serious deficits, if he is able to function at all. 

So is Richard gone forever?  I don't see how the character could ever come back from this.

And honestly Amy, just take a job at another hospital.  None of these people are worth all this drama.   

[l star]

Yes! TJ’s father is going to be okay! TJ and Amy are okay! Though of course he had her removed from the case and would barely speak to her until she was proved right. Not exactly promising for a deep relationship there. I guess as long as she doesn’t get it wrong they’re fine. 

Amy was definitely bitchy to Sonya, but I still rolled my eyes at her big teary eyes. I guess she hates Amy again now. She really is too dramatic. And of course she told Jake. I wish I could see that as a friend watching out, but it’s too opportunistic.

I do feel for Jake but if this episode was clear about anything there, it’s that he saw this coming. And he should have. Doesn’t make it right but just underlines how bad of an idea rushing into things was. Also I can’t imagine Amy coming to that bar. I don’t know what he was thinking.

Katie freaking out about Amy’s behavior made more sense in the episode. She was just frozen and not reacting well. I can completely see how losing her son and not being able to deal turned into what we’ve seen. I was glad to see her pull through it.

I don’t blame Amy for not forgiving Richard. I wouldn’t either. And thank god she shut down that shit coming from the board. He was ridiculous. 

No to Gina and Amy tension. Amy shouldn’t have blown her off like she did, but they were in the middle of a crisis. Was Amy supposed to stop to comfort her? Michael was around to support her for a reason. Amy could have texted her later, but she didn’t know. It’s not like Gina texted her either. Ugh. I think Amy was right that this is much more about past Amy than current Amy which frustrates me. I get that Amy can’t just erase the pain she caused by being better now, but just walking out was unfair.

Michael and Amy is such a bad idea. I get it for her. He’s the only part of her life she hasn’t been able to get back. Misguided, but I get it. But what the hell is he thinking? I still hate his wife though. I feel like she always blamed Amy when the real problem was at home. 

Edited March 19 by l star

[txhorns79]

4 hours ago, l star said:

And thank god she shut down that shit coming from the board.

I liked her shutting down the board guy, but he was also right.  Her behavior in going to confess she screwed up to Dixon's widow was reckless and impulsive.  She could have set up herself and the hospital up for a giant lawsuit. 

[Broderbits]

49 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

She could have set up herself and the hospital up for a giant lawsuit. 

Maybe that hospital deserves a lawsuit if its legal staff is telling doctors in trouble to lie, force the underlings to lie, and blame someone else for their mistakes. Richard talked to that lawyer at least twice on camera, and she gave him the same advice both times. I'm disappointed we didn't see any consequences for her!

[Spartan Girl]

12 hours ago, l star said:

Michael and Amy is such a bad idea. I get it for her. He’s the only part of her life she hasn’t been able to get back. Misguided, but I get it. But what the hell is he thinking? I still hate his wife though. I feel like she always blamed Amy when the real problem was at home. 

Fair point, but Nora has only known Amy as the cold ex-wife/mother that hurt both Michael and Katie, and it’s understandable that she’s see Amy as using her condition for a do-over…and she’s not entirely wrong.

12 hours ago, l star said:

No to Gina and Amy tension. Amy shouldn’t have blown her off like she did, but they were in the middle of a crisis. Was Amy supposed to stop to comfort her? Michael was around to support her for a reason. Amy could have texted her later, but she didn’t know. It’s not like Gina texted her either. Ugh. I think Amy was right that this is much more about past Amy than current Amy which frustrates me. I get that Amy can’t just erase the pain she caused by being better now, but just walking out was unfair.

OTOH maybe Gina is getting a little tired of a friendship that has become one-sided over the years. She’s always been the one to support Amy with all her troubles, yet the one time she actually needs her, Amy’s too wrapped up in herself to notice.

Edited March 19 by Spartan Girl

[Keywestclubkid]

Was it just me or did They seem to wrap up the death/cover up super quickly 

[txhorns79]

7 hours ago, Broderbits said:

Richard talked to that lawyer at least twice on camera, and she gave him the same advice both times. I'm disappointed we didn't see any consequences for her!

Was the lawyer a hospital lawyer or Richard's personal lawyer?  I thought it was his own lawyer. 

[l star]

8 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Fair point, but Nora has only known Amy as the cold ex-wife/mother that hurt both Michael and Katie, and it’s understandable that she’s see Amy as using her condition for a do-over…and she’s not entirely wrong.

OTOH maybe Gina is getting a little tired of a friendship that has become one-sided over the years. She’s always been the one to support Amy with all her troubles, yet the one time she actually needs her, Amy’s too wrapped up in herself to notice.

Even if that’s true, and I think that it probably is for her, the problem is Michael running to Amy every time there’s a crisis not Amy having the crisis. So far he’s been the one with no boundaries, and I feel like that’s probably always been true.

Michael clearly never got over Amy, their son’s death, or their life together. I don’t buy that Nora didn’t know that. Maybe she thought he just needed time. But he’s the one married to her and in love with someone else. If she honestly thinks that trashing and blaming Amy and telling Amy to back off is going to fix that, she’s an idiot. 

I do think he’s going to go back to her when the baby is born. He screams a do the right thing guy. That’s still not going to fix her problem though. 

That’s the thing- I don’t think Amy was too wrapped up in herself to notice. She was in the middle of a crisis. She shouldn’t have stopped to let Gina unload on her right then. Gina giving credit to Michael for doing that was unfair too. He knew what was going on because of his job. He also had time to stop and give her that time because of his job. Amy didn’t.

As soon as Amy saw Gina on a normal day, she clocked something was wrong, asked about it, saw the problem and tried to fix it. I just don’t think they were as close as Gina says anymore. Gina thinks it’s become one sided. Well, Amy didn’t tell her her secrets either. Jake was a big one. Even now, She didn’t bring her in on any of this last crisis even though she desperately needed someone to talk to. Why? I think they had problems, and I’m interested in seeing why. I just thought saying it’s about things you don’t remember then walking out was unfair here. 

Edited March 19 by l star

[preeya]

I knew I recognized the "accident hero" estranged from his son.

Det. Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski from "The Wire" played by Jim True-Frost.

  

[Sweet-n-Snarky]

I still don't like Nora. There's something off about her. It feels like she preyed on a grieving man because she thought he was a great catch and then spent a lot of time trying to force a happy lifestyle. It struck me that even Katie made a comment implying that she did something to be petty. And Nora didn't have any reaction to Katie moving out. It also felt like she misled him about her ability to have children and then got mad that he wasn't excited.

I mean let's be honest here. It's plain as day Michael never got over Amy. He didn't even leave her when she was being cold to him. Amy divorced him. He has left the house pretty much the same way as it has always been. There's a shrine to his son. He still hasn't clearly grieved properly. And Katie was consistently what kept him going. What about aju of that made Nora think 'I fan fix him." IDK. I struggle with people who walk into situations eyes wide open and still get mad when they play out how it would.

I like Jake. But maybe two weeks ago she told him she was in love with her husband. Amy didn't even remember their relationship. They're not on the same page here. Even without Michael,  they're not on the same page because he thinks they're in a full blow relationship and he'd probably propose and she's not emotionally prepared for that yet. And it's felt like he's always been more in love with her than she was him.

But it's also concerning to me that Jake is this devoted. He's blindly obsessed with Amy. There's a difference between embracing and accepting someone's flaws and not acknowledging them. He has her on a pedestal.

It feels like Jake falls hard and fast, and he jumped into this too soon after his own divorce.

It felt genuinely odd that he couldn't even handle a night out with his colleagues without Amy. He's made Amy the center of his world. On the surface it seems sweet and ideal but beyond that, it genuinely sucks that he revolves around Amy like this. I don't think it's healthy, so I'm fine if they take a beat. It was always too soon for this.

Sonya sucks. She always comes across opportunistic rather than sincere. 

Gina's feelings are valid. We've seen in the present and flashbacks that she always revolves around Amy. She was the mediator for Amy and Michael after Daniel's death. She basically stood between Amy and the board and colleagues. She was the one to get Amy out of bed and pick up the pieces for her when Daniel died. She's helped her post accident. The one time we saw a glimpse of Gina's non work life, it was her taking Amy's phone call during dinner with her wife.

We heard nor saw nothing of Amy trying to catch up with Gina's life, her new wife, any of that. 

I know people may want to think that Amy not telling Gina about Jake may be a reflection of their relationship, but it more so feels like a reflection of hers with Jake. She also hesitated before telling him she loved him back. Felt like a possible fling thing. And she maybe didn't want to hear Gina warn her about the power dynamic issue.

I don't think Amy is intentionally self absorbed, but it still happens. And it's something that builds up over time even with those close to her. She tried to push Gina away too. It just didn't work. But imagine how much grace Gina must've exuded for that to even happen?

I like Amy precisely because she's so messy and flawed and not always the most Lovable person. Sometimes it feels like she gets stripped of agency and accountability by viewers which is surprising. I also don't feel she's some victim to Michael either.

Kinda looking forward to the return of cold Amy. Seems to be her coping mechanism in general which makes me curious about her past. How she grew up... etc. I also found it striking that she and Michael share a similar avoidant quality with some emotional things. May be another factor that contributed to their marriage issues. But it also may be something they related to in each other. 

The Richard comeuppance was sweet. Loved it! 

I don't read too much into the medical stuff on this show because it's basically more about the character drama. 

 

[jabRI]

 

I knew I recognized the "accident hero" estranged from his son.

Det. Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski from "The Wire" played by Jim True-Frost.

 

THanks! he was so great in that show, especially when he became a teacher.

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, Sweet-n-Snarky said:

It feels like Jake falls hard and fast, and he jumped into this too soon after his own divorce.

It felt genuinely odd that he couldn't even handle a night out with his colleagues without Amy. He's made Amy the center of his world. On the surface it seems sweet and ideal but beyond that, it genuinely sucks that he revolves around Amy like this. I don't think it's healthy, so I'm fine if they take a beat. It was always too soon for this.

Honestly, it feels like both Jake and Michael put Amy on a pedestal. Maybe it should be understandable that Michael never got over her, but again I ask why would you still be pining over someone that treated you like crap then left you?

[Dowel Jones]

On a couple of side notes, it always amuses me a bit when someone cleans out their office and, no matter how long they've been there, they can fit everything in a 12"x12" box.

Even more trivially, is 'gaslit' a proper term?  It seems off to me, because I regard gaslight as one word, and 'gaslighted' would be the better term for the past tense.  That's just me.

[CarpeFelis]

15 hours ago, Broderbits said:

Maybe that hospital deserves a lawsuit if its legal staff is telling doctors in trouble to lie, force the underlings to lie, and blame someone else for their mistakes. Richard talked to that lawyer at least twice on camera, and she gave him the same advice both times. I'm disappointed we didn't see any consequences for her!

I think she must have been Richard’s personal lawyer. I doubt the hospital’s legal staff would have told him to do all that.

I don’t think Amy was necessarily going back to being cold with Katie. The problems she was wrestling with were not really appropriate to share with her child, especially not the issue with Michael and Nora for obvious reasons.

I guess we’re supposed to sympathize more with Amy than Nora, but I didn’t blame Nora one bit for telling her off. But Michael is definitely the bigger problem. We didn’t get to see the eventual discussion Nora and Michael would have when he finally stops dodging her. I hope we get to see it in episode 1 next season, because he’s the one who deserves the real butt-kicking. He knows he has a pregnant wife at home—one who, as she told Amy, picked up the pieces after he and Amy split up. He should have shut that kiss down for both Nora’s and Amy’s sakes! And now they appear to be at it again… SMH.

Poor Jake. I really hope he doesn’t go back to that bar and end up having a drunken fling with Sonya. I don’t like how Sonya told him what she overheard, purely for her own benefit. And did it not cross her mind that this would be hurtful to him?

4 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

Even more trivially, is 'gaslit' a proper term?  It seems off to me, because I regard gaslight as one word, and 'gaslighted' would be the better term for the past tense.  That's just me.

Gaslit is valid. Would you say you lighted a lamp or lit it?

[Paloma]

Overall I've enjoyed the show, though I'm not crazy about the soapy Amy-Jake-Michael-Nora plot and worry that will be the main focus in the second season (if there is one). The other problem I have with the show is not understanding the timeline both before and after Amy's accident; can anyone clarify that, including how long Amy and Michael have been separated or divorced? It might help me understand why Michael is apparently more in love with Amy than with Nora. Here's my best guess on the timeline based on clues from flashbacks and present day: 

The earliest flashback of the series (I think) was when she saved TJ's life on the plane, and at that time she was pregnant with her son and Katy was a toddler or preschooler. In the flashbacks of Danny's death he seemed to be around 7 or 8, and in the flashback to Katy's birthday party she seemed to be a preteen (11 or 12?)--this was apparently after Danny's death when Amy and Michael were still married but their relationship was bad. They probably separated or divorced a year or two later because Katy seemed to be a young teen in the flashbacks to her splitting time between her parents' homes and telling Michael she didn't want to stay with Amy. Currently Katy seems to be 16 or 17, and Nora is at least 6 months pregnant (though she looks further along to me). So I'm guessing that Michael and Nora have been married for at least a year, while Amy and Jake were together for 5 months before the accident (and Michael did not know they were together). But how much time went by between Amy and Michael's breakup and Nora and Michael's getting together? If it wasn't much time, I could see Nora being kind of a rebound relationship for Michael, with him still mourning both Danny and the loss of Amy's love. So when Amy became her old self after the memory loss, I would be more understanding of Michael falling back in love with her. Of course, it's still wrong for him to cheat on and possibly leave his pregnant wife.

Whatever the timeline, I do understand Amy being in love with Michael, since she has no memory of the bad times--she has been told what happened, but that's not the same as experiencing it all emotionally at the time things happened. In just the short time since the accident (again, the timeline is unclear but it seems like only a few weeks) she has had to process and grieve the death of her son and the loss of her marriage, along with all the challenges of her job and now thinking (for a little while) that she killed a patient. So I don't blame her for turning to him for comfort.

[topanga]

13 hours ago, Sweet-n-Snarky said:

I like Amy precisely because she's so messy and flawed and not always the most Lovable person. Sometimes it feels like she gets stripped of agency and accountability by viewers which is surprising. I also don't feel she's some victim to Michael either.

Kinda looking forward to the return of cold Amy. Seems to be her coping mechanism in general which makes me curious about her past. How she grew up... etc. I also found it striking that she and Michael share a similar avoidant quality with some emotional things. May be another factor that contributed to their marriage issues. But it also may be something they related to in each other. 

Same. I like shows about complex and flawed characters, but they're more often male characters. Amy's nicer now, but she still has that take-charge, I'm-always-right edge. And yes, she can be self-absorbed. She simply could've told Jake that she's going through a lot right now and isn't up for a relationship. 

 

1 hour ago, Paloma said:

But how much time went by between Amy and Michael's breakup and Nora and Michael's getting together? If it wasn't much time, I could see Nora being kind of a rebound relationship for Michael, with him still mourning both Danny and the loss of Amy's love. So when Amy became her old self after the memory loss, I would be more understanding of Michael falling back in love with her. Of course, it's still wrong for him to cheat on and possibly leave his pregnant wife.

Yeah, I can't figure out the timeline either. I feel bad for Nora, but it seems like she was always insecure about Amy. Maybe she suspected that Michael wasn't totally over her.

8 hours ago, CarpeFelis said:

I don’t think Amy was necessarily going back to being cold with Katie. The problems she was wrestling with were not really appropriate to share with her child, especially not the issue with Michael and Nora for obvious reasons.

But Amy was shutting her out, as Katie pointed out. It was obvious that something was bothering her. When Katie asked about it, Amy could've told her that she was tired, stressed about work, etc. Or she could've said that she couldn't talk about it, but Katie shouldn't worry. Saying that nothing was wrong was blowing off Katie's concern for her. 

 

[Sweet-n-Snarky]

12 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Honestly, it feels like both Jake and Michael put Amy on a pedestal. Maybe it should be understandable that Michael never got over her, but again I ask why would you still be pining over someone that treated you like crap then left you?

They do. But also we only have seen one of the two actually be honest about her being flawed, right? Michael has told her when she missteps. He's told her where there were issues, personally and professionally. That at least suggests someone who is aware of her flaws and that she has them but still someone who cares about her.

This isn't even a ship thing (I genuinely feel like when examining these characters everything is in the scope of the ships sometimes which throws me off a bit), but I keep seeing this sentiment that Jake sees and embraces her flaws, when what we've really seen is a man who excuses or dismissed them (until now maybe because this is the first time that the flawed Amy that has affected her other relationships has directly affected him... but maybe he'll just blame Michael like everyone else does). Jake never holds space for why people had issues with Amy, he just dismisses things like " Yeah, but she's a great doctor" or "Yeah, but she's brilliant," "Yeah, but she's grieving" and that's just it. That justifies everything. I think that's the difference in how Jake places her on a pedestal and ignores rather than embraces her flaws, a distinction whereas people like Michael and Gina embrace them but hold her to account.

I mean why wouldn't Michael still love Amy? He's had more time with the woman who loved him than the eight years of the woman he didn't? 

I don't think any of that just goes away. On top of that, even when she was treating him that way it was her who divorced him. I mean he loved the woman, flaws and all I guess, no? I would imagine it's difficult knowing the woman he basically had been with since college or med school or whatever is still there underneath all the shared grief they had.

I guess I just don't really get the question. Why would you pine over someone who doesn't even know you exist and loves someone else?( Sonya) Why would you pine over someone who doesn't even remember your relationship and said she still loved her husband? (Jake) Feelings are messy.

I guess it just feels weird to me because Amy has the space to be really human and grapple with emotions, and Michael doesn't because I guess the desire to make someone a villain somehow in the story? 

1 hour ago, Paloma said:

Overall I've enjoyed the show, though I'm not crazy about the soapy Amy-Jake-Michael-Nora plot and worry that will be the main focus in the second season (if there is one). The other problem I have with the show is not understanding the timeline both before and after Amy's accident; can anyone clarify that, including how long Amy and Michael have been separated or divorced? It might help me understand why Michael is apparently more in love with Amy than with Nora. Here's my best guess on the timeline based on clues from flashbacks and present day: 

The earliest flashback of the series (I think) was when she saved TJ's life on the plane, and at that time she was pregnant with her son and Katy was a toddler or preschooler. In the flashbacks of Danny's death he seemed to be around 7 or 8, and in the flashback to Katy's birthday party she seemed to be a preteen (11 or 12?)--this was apparently after Danny's death when Amy and Michael were still married but their relationship was bad. They probably separated or divorced a year or two later because Katy seemed to be a young teen in the flashbacks to her splitting time between her parents' homes and telling Michael she didn't want to stay with Amy. Currently Katy seems to be 16 or 17, and Nora is at least 6 months pregnant (though she looks further along to me). So I'm guessing that Michael and Nora have been married for at least a year, while Amy and Jake were together for 5 months before the accident (and Michael did not know they were together). But how much time went by between Amy and Michael's breakup and Nora and Michael's getting together? If it wasn't much time, I could see Nora being kind of a rebound relationship for Michael, with him still mourning both Danny and the loss of Amy's love. So when Amy became her old self after the memory loss, I would be more understanding of Michael falling back in love with her. Of course, it's still wrong for him to cheat on and possibly leave his pregnant wife.

Whatever the timeline, I do understand Amy being in love with Michael, since she has no memory of the bad times--she has been told what happened, but that's not the same as experiencing it all emotionally at the time things happened. In just the short time since the accident (again, the timeline is unclear but it seems like only a few weeks) she has had to process and grieve the death of her son and the loss of her marriage, along with all the challenges of her job and now thinking (for a little while) that she killed a patient. So I don't blame her for turning to him for comfort.

I think they said Michael and Amy have been divorced for five years. It's been eight years since Daniel died. And that flashback of the shared custody thing would put that at about five years ago. I don't think Michael and Nora have been married that long though. It's weird because Nora's comments made it seem like she "helped raise" Katie making it sound like she's been around a while, but there was something else that gave me the impression that they hadn't been married very long.

I don't think there's a timeline on grief to make some actions resulting from it more palatable than others, which feels like the point of the show.

Basically, Amy has had EIGHT years to grieve her son and basically treat people terribly and shut down on them because of that loss. In that eight years, she basically stopped parenting her other child, blamed her husband for her son's death, pushed eveyone away, fostered a difficult working environment for her colleagues, and wracked up complaints because of her terrible bedside manner with patients. Eight years of that because she was grieving.

In that same eight years Michael, who watched their son die in his arms, had to completely take over parenting because Amy shut down, seemingly changed his job position, dealt with Amy blaming him for his sons death when she was mostly projecting because she felt guilty she chose work over her son and wasn't there to save him. And then had to grieve the loss of their family as he knew it and his marriage. And he ended up with another woman not necessarily because he was ready but because she made him feel loved when he was hurting (i don't like Nora or that pairing, but the parallels between Michael and Amy finding comfort in people who make them feel loved when they're vulnerable and hurting is right there).

Michael still lives in the same house that looks the same way and still goes into his son's room frequently which is still set up like Daniel is coming home.

Michael's breakdown at the museum with Amy screamed that he never got to properly grieve in those eight years. His spiral when Katie left meant he didn't have her to distract him from his own grief and pain...

I think Gina's monologue in the finale was great, and her talking to Michael about it worked for many reasons but in part because it is applicable to him too. All that guilt and pain and where do you put it? That's what trauma does. That's what the trauma and guilt did to Gina in that moment. But it's also what it did to Amy. But ALSO Michael. 

I think it's safe to say that there's no timeline on grief and Amy and Michael are still in a similar boat, but for whatever reason, the expectation for Michael to have healed and moved on is higher, and that's where I struggle with the narrow view of Michael as a character given everything. Everything for him is basically he should know and do and be better with no real grace or space for him to still be just as screwed up as Amy for their shared trauma, but Amy always got the excuse of her grief explaining her coldness for eight years and now her TBI explaining things now.

Given what we know of how things played out, Amy sat in her pain for eight years and threw herself in work. And Michael buried his pain and postponed his grief because he had to hold things together when Amh checked out.

Neither is healthy. Neither is healing. Both are as screwed up now as they were eight years ago because of that. 

Interestingly, I'll add that Amy becoming colder in the finale is actually reflection of her starting to process her grief again. She found out her son died and she didn't remember it but since then she threw herself into work and Jake and hasn't reprocessed that.

And Michael spent a long time burying his but had to revisit it when he walked Amy through it, opening the floodgates and had to confront it further when Katie left because he couldn't distract himself from it. He's kind of an open wound too right now. He hasn't actually been okay since he had to open that up again.  So it's like we have all the context for how BOTH of them ended up here, but only one of them is getting grace with that and I guess I'll never understand that part.

37 minutes ago, topanga said:

Same. I like shows about complex and flawed characters, but they're more often male characters. Amy's nicer now, but she still has that take-charge, I'm-always-right edge. And yes, she can be self-absorbed. She simply could've told Jake that she's going through a lot right now and isn't up for a relationship. 

 

Yeah, I can't figure out the timeline either. I feel bad for Nora, but it seems like she was always insecure about Amy. Maybe she suspected that Michael wasn't totally over her.

But Amy was shutting her out, as Katie pointed out. It was obvious that something was bothering her. When Katie asked about it, Amy could've told her that she was tired, stressed about work, etc. Or she could've said that she couldn't talk about it, but Katie shouldn't worry. Saying that nothing was wrong was blowing off Katie's concern for her. 

 

Amy should've told Jake that. But 1. Amy doesn't communicate well with emotions and is emotionally avoidant which we've seen all season (it really fascinates me goodness I like the layers to this character) 2. Jake is very intense and has rose colored glasses. Amy told him she loved her husband not that long ago. Gina warned him things were there with Michael and maybe he should let that play out first. Jake still went all in full blast anyway. He doesn't actually listen in that regard. THIS makes me excited to learn more about his previous marriage. He's a really great guy, but I also wonder if his wife was telling him there were issues and she wasn't satisfied with something and he was just so in love and happy that he didn't hear her or see the signs. 

And yeah, the Katie thing. At that point (and again it was very telling for Amy) her issue wasn't even about Michael and kissing him. It was the Dixon case and that she could've done something so horrific professionally. That's what was at the forefront of her mind. Even the Michael stuff was a byproduct of the Dixon thing. Amy at her core still is consumed by the job. It's her passion.

That's what was eating her up inside. But yeah, Amy not talking to Katie didn't even seem to be about her not wanting to talk to her daughter about her love life. It was Amy shutting down again because it's what she does. I love that Katie being older and more vocal now means that she can really keep Amy honest and aware in a way that no one else can. I loved that scene. 

[Madding crowd]

I agree with most of the what you said but Amy didn’t choose her job over her son. She chose to miss one field trip for a work emergency. Also I don’t have a problem with Jake wanting a relationship with Amy. Before her accident she was no longer in love with her ex husband and he married and is expecting a baby with his new wife. Jake knows her memories are faulty but she agreed to try it again with him and she needs people on her side. Richard set it up for people not to trust her and Jake was one of the few that still saw her as competent.

[AnimeMania]

3 hours ago, Paloma said:

Overall I've enjoyed the show, though I'm not crazy about the soapy Amy-Jake-Michael-Nora plot and worry that will be the main focus in the second season (if there is one). The other problem I have with the show is not understanding the timeline both before and after Amy's accident; can anyone clarify that, including how long Amy and Michael have been separated or divorced? It might help me understand why Michael is apparently more in love with Amy than with Nora. Here's my best guess on the timeline based on clues from flashbacks and present day: 

The earliest flashback of the series (I think) was when she saved TJ's life on the plane, and at that time she was pregnant with her son and Katy was a toddler or preschooler. In the flashbacks of Danny's death he seemed to be around 7 or 8, and in the flashback to Katy's birthday party she seemed to be a preteen (11 or 12?)--this was apparently after Danny's death when Amy and Michael were still married but their relationship was bad. They probably separated or divorced a year or two later because Katy seemed to be a young teen in the flashbacks to her splitting time between her parents' homes and telling Michael she didn't want to stay with Amy. Currently Katy seems to be 16 or 17, and Nora is at least 6 months pregnant (though she looks further along to me). So I'm guessing that Michael and Nora have been married for at least a year, while Amy and Jake were together for 5 months before the accident (and Michael did not know they were together). But how much time went by between Amy and Michael's breakup and Nora and Michael's getting together? If it wasn't much time, I could see Nora being kind of a rebound relationship for Michael, with him still mourning both Danny and the loss of Amy's love. So when Amy became her old self after the memory loss, I would be more understanding of Michael falling back in love with her. Of course, it's still wrong for him to cheat on and possibly leave his pregnant wife.

Whatever the timeline, I do understand Amy being in love with Michael, since she has no memory of the bad times--she has been told what happened, but that's not the same as experiencing it all emotionally at the time things happened. In just the short time since the accident (again, the timeline is unclear but it seems like only a few weeks) she has had to process and grieve the death of her son and the loss of her marriage, along with all the challenges of her job and now thinking (for a little while) that she killed a patient. So I don't blame her for turning to him for comfort.

Doc is already renewed for a 22 episode second season.

Your and other timelines presented for before the accident seems reasonable, I would say that the timeline after the accident "a few weeks" seems off, there was recovery, rehab, recertification as doctor, residency, reconciliation with peers, including daughter/roommate, romance, license re-instatement, medical and romantic recklessness, and revenge. I would think this would take months, but not as many months as it would take for a woman to have a baby.

I would like to see in Season 2, Jake document and take advantage of Amy and Michael's inappropriate actions, leveraging them into giving him unwavering support and assistance to be Richard's replacement. Jake would then have power over Amy and Sonya and becomes a little petty in how he treats them, since his position would make it inappropriate to have a romantic relationship with either one of them.

[l star]

Danny died seven years ago (pilot). Amy became chief more than five years ago (Sonya’s flashback). She moved out almost five years ago (per Gina episode two). They divorced four years ago. 

We don’t know anything about timing for Michael and Nora, but they don’t seem to have been married long. She’s at least seven months along if not a little more. 

Jake can’t be chief. He’s a resident. They’re bringing in someone new to us. 

Edited March 20 by l star

[Paloma]

3 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I would say that the timeline after the accident "a few weeks" seems off, there was recovery, rehab, recertification as doctor, residency, reconciliation with peers, including daughter/roommate, romance, license re-instatement, medical and romantic recklessness, and revenge. I would think this would take months, but not as many months as it would take for a woman to have a baby.

 

44 minutes ago, l star said:

We don’t know anything about timing for Michael and Nora, but they don’t seem to have been married long. She’s at least seven months along if not a little more. 

@AnimeMania I agree that "a few weeks" does not seem enough for all that needed to happen after the accident, but when we first saw Nora it was soon after the accident--I think it was when he was on the phone with Amy. In that scene Nora looked almost as pregnant than she looked when she confronted Amy in the hospital. Of course, I may be misjudging how pregnant she looked, but she was definitely well beyond first trimester when we first saw her (she had more than just a small bump when Michael was on the phone), and she was probably somewhere between 6 and 8 months in the hospital confrontation. So I don't think it could have been more than 4 months between the immediate aftermath of the accident and Nora's confronting Amy in the hospital after Amy passed the boards and was reinstated. And I'm pretty sure that 4 months in real life would not be enough for all that happened in the show after the accident.

[Sweet-n-Snarky]

5 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

I agree with most of the what you said but Amy didn’t choose her job over her son. She chose to miss one field trip for a work emergency. Also I don’t have a problem with Jake wanting a relationship with Amy. Before her accident she was no longer in love with her ex husband and he married and is expecting a baby with his new wife. Jake knows her memories are faulty but she agreed to try it again with him and she needs people on her side. Richard set it up for people not to trust her and Jake was one of the few that still saw her as competent.

I didn't say she chose her work over her son as an indictment but more an acknowledgment that she's very work oriented and that seemed to always been an issue that has been subtly show.

If I recall correctly, she didn't need to go into the work emergency but she wanted to. Nothing wrong with that, but it's clear work sparks joy in her differently. And it's clear that a lot of her guilt stems from the fact that she "chose work over her son" typical mom guilt. And we've seen through many flashbacks that she tends to choose work first. I get the impression that motherhood isn't as easy for her as being a doctor. She always seemed to struggle navigating it, and I find that really interesting compared to the usual perfect mom bit. 

I also just think Jake wanting a relationship is fine but it was too much too soon. They weren't picking up where they left off, but he kinda did. He could obviously still be on her side without jumping into romance again. But I guess we can agree to disagree on that. 

[statsgirl]

I hate romantic triangles. This show has three of them (Michael/Amy/Jake, Amy/Jake/Sonya, Amy/Michael/Nora).

I really liked Katie being the adult in the room and calling Amy out shutting her out again. I appreciate that Amy accepted it and reached out to her.

I agree with everyone that Michael hasn't got over Amy. But that's on him, marrying another woman and having a child with her when he hasn't let Amy go.  Emotionally cheating on Nora all down the line. I blame him for the kiss in the elevator when Amy was vulnerable.

I blame Amy for the kiss in Michael's office. Unlike Michael, Before Accident (BA) seemed like she was completely over Michael. It was only when she lost her memory that she fell in love with Michael again. The previous day, everything was falling apart for her -- TJ's father was getting worse, Richard told her that she was the one who killed Dixon. She saw Michael in the elevator, he comforted her, and she went back into the old habit. But the next day was wins -- TJ's father was on the road back, she knew that Dixon wasn't her fault. She knew that Michael was married and expecting a new baby, she knew that she was in a monogamous relationship with Jake. No sympathy from me to either of them there.

Unpopular position: I feel for Nora. She she fell in love and married a man who she thought had been hurt by his ex. I don't think that Michael told her that he was still in love with Amy because he may not have known that he was.  Nora also helped raise Katie when she was rejecting her mother. Now she's 7 months pregnant, Amy is back in the picture and Nora is seeing her world blow up.

Yes, in the dinner scene the marriage looked shaky. But we don't know what it was like Before Accident and Amy's personality change.

On 3/19/2025 at 12:09 AM, txhorns79 said:

So there was a mass casualty and the hospital's protocol was to rely on an intern to tell them what to do because he had combat experience as a medic?  And were none of the patients triaged in the field?

Yes, that was bad. But at least the hospital's doctors and residents didn't have to go in the field themselves to triage as every other medical show seems to do. (The only exception that I can think of is Transplant.) It was also weird that intern TJ was the one who could tell them to give up on a patient who was still alive to save on blood usage.

On 3/19/2025 at 9:59 AM, Broderbits said:

 Richard talked to that lawyer at least twice on camera, and she gave him the same advice both times.

I think that was his personal lawyer, not the hospital's. Richard was desperate for the hospital not to find out.

On 3/19/2025 at 10:24 AM, Spartan Girl said:

OTOH maybe Gina is getting a little tired of a friendship that has become one-sided over the years. She’s always been the one to support Amy with all her troubles, yet the one time she actually needs her, Amy’s too wrapped up in herself to notice.

When Amy was first realizing that she'd lost 8 years, Gina caught her up on their friendship, telling Amy how much she had supported Gina through her last divorce and remarriage. It's been pretty much one-sided since Amy's accident but the impression was that it was mutual in the old days.

The day of the train wreck, Amy was running from patient to patient. Michael was in his office, doing whatever administration needed to be done. Amy didn't have time to comfort Gina, Michael did.

[l star]

9 hours ago, statsgirl said:

I agree with everyone that Michael hasn't got over Amy. But that's on him, marrying another woman and having a child with her when he hasn't let Amy go.  Emotionally cheating on Nora all down the line. I blame him for the kiss in the elevator when Amy was vulnerable.

I blame Amy for the kiss in Michael's office. Unlike Michael, Before Accident (BA) seemed like she was completely over Michael. It was only when she lost her memory that she fell in love with Michael again. The previous day, everything was falling apart for her -- TJ's father was getting worse, Richard told her that she was the one who killed Dixon. She saw Michael in the elevator, he comforted her, and she went back into the old habit. But the next day was wins -- TJ's father was on the road back, she knew that Dixon wasn't her fault. She knew that Michael was married and expecting a new baby, she knew that she was in a monogamous relationship with Jake. No sympathy from me to either of them there.

Unpopular position: I feel for Nora. She she fell in love and married a man who she thought had been hurt by his ex. I don't think that Michael told her that he was still in love with Amy because he may not have known that he was.  Nora also helped raise Katie when she was rejecting her mother. Now she's 7 months pregnant, Amy is back in the picture and Nora is seeing her world blow up.

Yes, in the dinner scene the marriage looked shaky. But we don't know what it was like Before Accident and Amy's personality change.

When Amy was first realizing that she'd lost 8 years, Gina caught her up on their friendship, telling Amy how much she had supported Gina through her last divorce and remarriage. It's been pretty much one-sided since Amy's accident but the impression was that it was mutual in the old days.

The day of the train wreck, Amy was running from patient to patient. Michael was in his office, doing whatever administration needed to be done. Amy didn't have time to comfort Gina, Michael did.

I agree the elevator kiss is mostly on Michael. I wouldn’t put the office kiss (if there even is one- the actors said it was left vague on purpose) all on Amy. He was shooting off green light signals and once again getting in her personal space and touching her face. If he wants to stay loyal, maybe he should not get so close and keep his hands to himself. So I think it was on both of them. Both should have known better. 

I should feel for Nora. She’s being wronged. I just don’t. Even when she had a point in her rant at Amy I wasn’t on her side. I just don’t like her. She’s clearly hated Amy for awhile. She just screams the kind of woman who blames it all on the other woman instead of her precious man. 

I think Amy and Gina’s relationship has been one sided so far because it’s had to be. Amy is coming off a major life altering event. She’s trying to rebuild her whole life. She needs attention right now, lots of it. Up until now, Gina hasn’t needed extra attention so Amy hasn’t had to give it. I didn’t see the massive problem this episode. I thought Gina overreacted for the reason you listed and was unfair. The fact that Michael knew what happened and checked on her shouldn’t be a slight on Amy. That she was so quick to ask what was wrong and how to fix it should be in her favor. We may be shown in flashback that Gina has reason to be pissed, but I haven’t seen it shown yet. 

I do believe they had problems though. Gina said she was holding what past Amy did against her now. We know Amy didn’t tell her about Jake over five months. Didn’t even mention there was someone, no name. That’s a big secret to keep from your closest friend. The only other fight we’ve seen was Amy pissed because Gina was keeping secrets for Michael. I’m guessing Amy feeling like Gina was choosing Michael and Gina’s behavior to support it didn’t just start with the accident. 

At the end, even after it all came out, Richard still blamed Amy. He had to cover it up because he didn’t believe she’d support him. Man just couldn’t let it go. I hope if he does come back, he’s come to terms with his responsibility a little more. The accident was understandable. Everything he did afterwards was not, and he needs to see that.

Edited March 21 by l star

[Cosmocrush]

On 3/19/2025 at 1:55 PM, Keywestclubkid said:

Was it just me or did They seem to wrap up the death/cover up super quickly 

Maybe, but this story was part of the entire season, every episode, so it had to be resolved by the finale.  There was even a significant part dedicated to Richard's family life affecting his work life.   What this guy did to Amy was terrible and I was glad to see it cleared up and Richard lose his position.  Making the mistake was bad, but as it often is, the coverup was worse. 

[CarpeFelis]

I get that Michael isn’t completely over Amy and why, and Nora is probably a rebound. I don’t even like Nora (though I think pre-accident Amy undoubtedly gave her plenty of reason for her antipathy). But… call me old fashioned if you want, but Nora IS his wife now, and they’re expecting a baby, FFS.

So Michael needs to grow the hell up and do right by her. Come clean with her about his feelings rather than sarcastically telling her to shut up about the baby and sneaking around kissing Amy. Give Nora the chance to decide whether she wants marriage counseling or divorce/co-parenting.

[possibilities]

He seems to resent the baby, also. Their marriage is a mess.

[statsgirl]

14 hours ago, possibilities said:

He seems to resent the baby, also. Their marriage is a mess.

He never got over losing Danny.  Maybe he resents having another child because he doesn't want to move on from the place where he is, grieving Danny and the loss of his family with Amy and their two children. (We know that this is a surprise baby because Nora said that she didn't think that she would get pregnant and seemed very happy that she was.)

Michael is an emotional mess.

Edited Tuesday at 04:35 PM by statsgirl

[possibilities]

As a person who didn't want children and wouldn't be happy to have one forced on me, I'm sympathetic to his situation in that regard. But he is handling it very badly.

He really should have dealt with his grief over Danny in some way other than swallowing it, though. It's ben years, and he has access to every possible kind of support and counseling.

But TV likes its characters to be overlooking the obvious.

[Cosmocrush]

 

4 minutes ago, statsgirl said:

He never got over losing Danny.

I realize this is a fictional television drama, but parents never "get over" the loss of a child.  The grief never leaves but with time and sometimes help,  life expands to make room for living (work, love, happiness, etc.). 

[l star]

He hasn’t dealt with Danny’s death, but I think Michael would be doing better if Katie hadn’t moved in with Amy. Now it’s not just his ex, it’s his family that’s just out of his reach. I think he misses what he had with Amy as much as he misses her. Now he’s on his own with a wife he isn’t passionate about and a replacement baby he doesn’t want. And just to dig in the replacement vibe, he’s supposed to turn Katie’s room into the new baby’s room meaning his daughter won’t even have a place to sleep at his house. Getting Amy back is really the key to getting everything he wants back. Now for the first time that’s possible, and he can’t turn away. It’s understandable. I just don’t see him starting an affair as particularly sympathetic. He’s a grown man, not some selfish dumb kid. 

[possibilities]

I do think it's ridiculous that the head admin of a hospital, with a banquet sized dining room, can't find a room in his house for b oth living children-- Katie should have her room, and if they want to keep Danny's shrine, ok. Find space. Get a bigger house if you have to. It's probably wrong that he kept the house that he and Amy shared, anyway. Move out, start over in a new house with your new family. Make sure it's big enough for all your kids.

TV loves an affair! And a dilemma!

I actually like this show a lot. But some of it is annoying.

[Sweet-n-Snarky]

11 hours ago, possibilities said:

As a person who didn't want children and wouldn't be happy to have one forced on me, I'm sympathetic to his situation in that regard. But he is handling it very badly.

He really should have dealt with his grief over Danny in some way other than swallowing it, though. It's ben years, and he has access to every possible kind of support and counseling.

But TV likes its characters to be overlooking the obvious.

Fair. But also... this applies to Amy, too.

I feel like this whole show very clearly outlines two grieving parents who haven't healthily worked through that grief, but only Michael is expected to do something about his and hold to account for it.

 

If Amy got eight years to shut everyone out and shut down because she didn't seek therapy, why is the expectation that Michael should've succeeded at doing more than she did?

I'm sorry to anyone reading my stuff who may be bothered that I keep harping on this. I just genuinely do not understand that when facing the exact same loss and grief, Amy gets the grace and sympathy that she does and the acknowledgment of how that deeply impacts her as a character, but Michael .... doesn't.

 

11 hours ago, Cosmocrush said:

 

I realize this is a fictional television drama, but parents never "get over" the loss of a child.  The grief never leaves but with time and sometimes help,  life expands to make room for living (work, love, happiness, etc.). 

Exactly. It kinda feels like when people speak about Daniel's death the conversation only centers Amy. There's no examining how that same death affected Michael. I find people really dismissive of that. Like he wasn't there and actually watching his kid die in front of him. There's even less consideration of how Daniel's death affected Katie. That grief really doesn't just go away. And it doesn't hit one parent less or more than the other.

[Sweet-n-Snarky]

4 hours ago, possibilities said:

I do think it's ridiculous that the head admin of a hospital, with a banquet sized dining room, can't find a room in his house for b oth living children-- Katie should have her room, and if they want to keep Danny's shrine, ok. Find space. Get a bigger house if you have to. It's probably wrong that he kept the house that he and Amy shared, anyway. Move out, start over in a new house with your new family. Make sure it's big enough for all your kids.

TV loves an affair! And a dilemma!

I actually like this show a lot. But some of it is annoying.

I think that's just inherent to him being stuck and not moving on and the house is representative of that. It's not about if he can afford to get another house with more space or remodel the home. It's why he never left and Nora had to move in in the first place and why the house is still the exact same.

Part of his grief and issues is in his inability to let go of the past or make room for what's new. Otherwise they could've moved out when he and Nora got married.

Michael clings to the past in his grief journey whereas Amy ran from it which is why she moved into a sterile apartment with no personality or memories. I appreciate that even how they live reflects their grief and how they deal with it.

[l star]

You make sense. As for why I don’t automatically offer Michael the same grace, I just don’t care about Michael as much as I do Amy so I’m not as moved by his situation. It’s probably the same reason I have sympathy for Amy in the kiss and affair storyline they’re setting up but think Michael should know better and do better.

I just haven’t really connected yet. And it’s not that they haven’t had the time to build a character. Michael has arguably had more individual time than anyone but Amy, and it’s been well written. They’ve given his situation a lot of support. It just hasn’t made me like him more. He’s interesting at times but not as sympathetic so my reactions to him are harsher. I’m hoping they do flashbacks to the divorce and aftermath to show more of where his head was at and why he thought moving on was a good idea. Nora doesn’t have to be in them though. 

Edited Wednesday at 07:31 AM by l star

[statsgirl]

On 3/25/2025 at 12:44 PM, Cosmocrush said:

 

I realize this is a fictional television drama, but parents never "get over" the loss of a child.  The grief never leaves but with time and sometimes help,  life expands to make room for living (work, love, happiness, etc.). 

I'm sorry, that was insensitive of me. I should have said that Michael has not processed it.