Red Band Society - General Discussion

[sekay87]

The guy who plays Dash was on the first season of America's X Factor, which is the only reason I watched this show. Not even he can save it for me, unfortunately.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I did love that the song playing when they entered the dance was a cover of the song from Sixteen Candles (when Andi and Jake kissed over her cake at the end).

[BooBear]

Yeh I am out.  All of the points raised above.  Especially the idea that Leo or Emma would have dressy clothing around.  But this entire show isn't even internally logical. Jordi can't go to the movies because he is sick, but Kara can go to a dance where she could easily tax her heart - dance / take coke / have sex - with just her nurse as chaperone? Ok, if they have never met her before, but they know how she is. No compassion from this show for the girl in the head gear, on a show about kids with medical conditions. Dr. Baby Walker was talking funny again. Did no one think that taking Emma to a party like that was a bad idea? They should take Emma to a nursing home so no catty kids would get to her. 4 episodes in and we haven't met any, ANY, other doctors.

 

To me it is like Jordi is on a different show. He seems smarter and more mature than all of them and has a compelling story. Maybe he is unrealistic for a teenager but I don't think so. I think he is right on for a teenager with cancer.  I would like to stay around for him. I also like Dash (though has he even had one attack since the show started?) but alas, can't take the rest of it.

[MyLisa]

What jarred me was Leo saying he's only known Kara 5 days.  Really?!!  Only 5 days have elapsed since the pilot?  I'm trying to hang on for Olivia Spencer, and Wilson Cruz, and Charlie Rowe.  But my ability to suspend my disbelief is wearing thin.

Edited October 10, 2014 by MyLisa

[bros402]

No studying either.  Anorexic girl should at least be doing some studying since she seems healthy enough to keep up with her classes.  Did she bring all her party dresses to the hospital?  

 

They said that they've known Kara for five days.

 

Assuming this is the fifth day, the pilot began on a Monday, as at the end of the episode, Emma wrote in her food journal "Saturday" - also, dances and things of that nature tend to happen on Friday nights.

 

Also, Emma wouldn't have much studying to do - hospital-bound instruction is typically 10 hours a week - not due to medical reasons, but because that's what the school districts will pay for.

[kris4n6]

What jarred me was Leo saying he's only known Kara 5 days.  Really?!!  Only 5 days have elapsed since the pilot?  I'm trying to hang on for Olivia Spencer, and Wilson Cruz, and Charlie Rowe.  But my ability to suspend my disbelief is wearing thin.

 

I read somewhere that the entire first season is supposed to happen over the period of three weeks.  

[whack-a-mole]

I kept hearing good things about this and really tried to give it a shot, but it's just high school cliche bingo with some really ridiculous hospital setting stuff wrapped around it. Coma kid is annoying. Everybody else seems too healthy to be in the hospital or at least in the wrong sort of medical facility for their issues. I spent most of the episodes being thrown out of it by unrealistic nonsense. There's not even that Shondaland is completely insane thing that you can just accept and roll with here. We're supposed to take this very seriously because these are sick children with a sassy nurse who means business. It's a miss for me.

[ShortyMac]

The only characters I care about are Leo, Jordi, and Nurse Jackson so that's why I'm sticking around.

 

I feel so bad for Jordi. He has to go through chemo without any family. :(

[queenanne]

I kept hearing good things about this and really tried to give it a shot, but it's just high school cliche bingo with some really ridiculous hospital setting stuff wrapped around it. Coma kid is annoying. Everybody else seems too healthy to be in the hospital or at least in the wrong sort of medical facility for their issues. I spent most of the episodes being thrown out of it by unrealistic nonsense. There's not even that Shondaland is completely insane thing that you can just accept and roll with here. We're supposed to take this very seriously because these are sick children with a sassy nurse who means business. It's a miss for me.

 

I keep thinking that this show is the way it is because they are signaling to us clearly the denouement is going to be like Lost/St Elsewhere, where it's revealed that everybody is living in a dream/Coma Boy's fantasy and/or subjective totally wrong worldview; but it's probably too early for that and I'm grasping at straws.

 

Did no one think that taking Emma to a party like that was a bad idea? They should take Emma to a nursing home so no catty kids would get to her.

 

I thought that was meant as a positive (from their point of view), and that the girls were meant to be sincere if deleterious in their ana-envy, praising Emma for her "willpower over food", which was then paid out by her renewed determination not to eat anything, and to try to keep the envy of her peers.  Actually IMO one of the more realistic things about eating disorders/real life/human nature this pile of crap has ever shown us (though I'm unsure about whose idea the eating journal was in the first place, doctors or sick-Emma's.  I tend to think it's unhealthy but if the alternative is eating and drinking air and water...).

 

If nothing else, I'm happy this show probably means Astro is making enough bank that he has moved himself and his mom outta Brownsville.

Edited October 11, 2014 by queenanne

[backformore]

All of the hospitals i've been in - and i've been in quite a few - require you to be buzzed in and out of any pediatric ward.

 

Yeah, more recently that has been the case.  because, as an adult, you can walk out of a hospital and refuse medical care.  but with underage patients, the hospital staff has a certain amount of "parental"  responsibility, and liability for if a kid wanders off.  (or gets drunk, high).  And letting kids have a party on the ROOF?  without adults?  and the kids have beer and weed?  WTF!!!!!!!!!! 

 

An anorexic girl would only be on a medical ward if she had lost so much weight that she was having heart problems or other medical complications.  That would involve being in bed and attached to IVs.    After that, (like when she's able to walk around)  she goes to a psych ward, and then a day program while living at home.  

 

The whole issue of the "red bands"  bugs me.  Those are hospital ID bracelets.  the whole PURPOSE is identification.  Like, if you are a patient getting prepped for surgery, they check your ID to make sure you are the right patient.   As an adult having procedures in the hospital, my experience is that the staff checks the id ALL THE TIME - before taking vitals, giving meds, getting a blood test.   Just to make sure everything is recorded for the right patient.   So, patients wearing each other's bracelets?   Not OK, would not be allowed, and is potentially dangerous.  Every staff member on every shift does not know every patient by name - that's why those ID bracelets are so important!

[Lovecat]

I did love that the song playing when they entered the dance was a cover of the song from Sixteen Candles (when Andi and Jake kissed over her cake at the end).

And I love that someone else noticed this :)

[Tara Ariano]

Details of Charlie's accident are revealed, which creates a moral dilemma for Jackson. Meanwhile, Jordi gets a taste of freedom.

[fifty8th]

I beginning to dislike Jordi and this love triangle stuff.

[Paper Bag]

So Jordi admits that he doesn't know how to drive and this guy lets him drive his one-of-a-car only-5-in-existence car? Yeah, right.

Considering how bad Charlie was hurt, it's amazing how his dad walked away from the accident with only some facial injuries. Especially since the crash looked like a head-on and dad was driving while Charlie was in the back seat.

So all the kids are allowed to leave for hours at a time and no one notices or says anything, even though Nurse Sass said she knows where the kids are at all times?

Oh and Brittany, that interview outfit was not good.

[bros402]

Considering how bad Charlie was hurt, it's amazing how his dad walked away from the accident with only some facial injuries. Especially since the crash looked like a head-on and dad was driving while Charlie was in the back seat.

 

It wasn't head-on - it was a collision to the driver's side.

 

I'm more wondering why Nurse Jackson put Charlie's name on the blood sample - changes in blood work wouldn't help a coma patient like an EEG would. Speaking of, why isn't Charlie hooked up to an EEG 24/7?

[t7686]

What kind of doctor is McAndrew anyway? He seems to be a pediatric-surgeon-oncologist-pulmologist-cardiologist-neurologist combo which just goes to show you how realistic this show is. No need for any other doctors here (even for a consult or second opinion) Dr. McAndrew can do it all. He's a one stop shop!

[Ms Lark]

So all the kids are allowed to leave for hours at a time and no one notices or says anything, even though Nurse Sass said she knows where the kids are at all times?

I find it odd that they take all these unsupervised outings, but are still considered sick enough to live in the hospital. Given that, shouldn't they be on an outpatient basis or in a rehab (physical or otherwise) facility? Usually hospitals want you out ASAP, not just for the beds, but due to exposure to all kinds of communicable diseases. Psst, Nurse Sass, kids are frequently not where they say they are going to be. So, you probably don't know where they are at all times unless you've stuck tracking devices in them.

 

OK, while it was a rather sweet story, I wonder why in heck would a kid with cystic fibrosis, a respiratory disease, and needing new lungs, be creating a mural with spray paint?!?! That stuff is really toxic even to those with healthy lungs. And no respirator or even a cheap dust mask. Granted, it's hard to deliver lines that way, but they're managing over on Bates Motel, believably!

 

This could have been a good show, but it's becoming more mediocre and ridiculous by the ep. Sadly, it is sure to be cancelled fairly soon.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I hate the love triangle stuff but I have to admit that it's not surprising especially with teenagers. But what happened to Jordi saying JUST LAST WEEK that he wasn't going to let a girl mess up his friendship with Leo?

 

I haaaaaate that Emma is the one who told Leo that should just be friends but got jealous as soon as she thought he was interested in Kara (but again, not surprising with teenagers). I know she was hurt, but it was really rude of her to say he is just a typical jock/popular guy. From what we have seen, he just seems like a normal teenager.

 

I had the same thought about Dash using so much spray paint with his CF. Dude, come on!

[Primetimer]

Red Band Society tries to compare Nurse Jackson to another TV nurse (you know the one), but she is found wanting.

Read the story

[fifty8th]

Where has Wilson Cruz gone, has he (Kenji) been in the last two episodes at all? He is one of the bright spots in this show.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I miss Ricky too! If we can only have two nurses, I will gladly trade Brittany for him.

[Diana Berry]

I may have missed it but where did the graffiti artist kid get all the paint? Also, he did this in broad daylight and no one saw him?

[rho]

OK, while it was a rather sweet story, I wonder why in heck would a kid with cystic fibrosis, a respiratory disease, and needing new lungs, be creating a mural with spray paint?!?! That stuff is really toxic even to those with healthy lungs. And no respirator or even a cheap dust mask. Granted, it's hard to deliver lines that way, but they're managing over on Bates Motel, believably!

 

I find this show charming and cute. It's no masterpiece but perfect mindless fluff to but on while I'm making dinner after a long day so I am totally willing to suspend disbelief 99% of the time. But Dash, a kid with a respiratory disease, spray painting and smoking weed then telling Kara she's sabotaging herself is the biggest joke I've seen on this show so far. At the very least, give the kid a mask or a bandana. I'm willing to bet the person who actually painted that mural was wearing protective gear so it's not like the request would come out of thin air.

[Lovecat]

Dash, a kid with a respiratory disease, spray painting and smoking weed then telling Kara she's sabotaging herself is the biggest joke I've seen on this show so far.

 

 

Seriously!  I actually had the same thought when she came over to him in the classroom brushing dry-erase dust off of her.  Dash is NEVER shown short of breath (only reluctantly taking breathing treatments), SKATEBOARDS all over the hospital, goes gallivanting around the city at the drop of a hat, and we're supposed to believe he needs a lung transplant?  Right.  I actually know a transplant recipient who made it to the (relatively-speaking) advanced age of 41 with CF before getting put on the transplant list (aka "got his pager), and he was so debilitated by that point he was on OXYGEN 24/7.  C'mon, show!  The Fault In Our Stars made nasal cannulas sexy to the target demo for this show (and yes, I do realize that's pretty twisted and there's a whole OTHER rant that could be inserted here)...would a little realism be such a bad thing?  Gah.

[jhlipton]

With Leo, it was probably the first word that came to mind that he knew would get her out of the room ASAP.

 

All the more reason to think he's a douche.

[tomatoflyer]

I started out liking this show even with its flaws but it/s getting more and more boring. And coma boy is the worst.

[tom87]

. But Dash, a kid with a respiratory disease, spray painting and smoking weed then telling Kara she's sabotaging herself is the biggest joke I've seen on this show so far. At the very least, give the kid a mask or a bandana.

Him spray painting would have probably been the end of him.  I know a kid with Asthma who had a an attack by using a shapie.  

 

Anyway how will  "clean" blood help the boring coma kid?

[BensBritches]

I only got around to watching this episode last night- and I think it will be my last. It is just a puddle of twaddle, isn't it?  Nothing made any sense.  Who exactly did Kara call to get into the building and why did she allow her to stay in an unoccupied apartment without supervision.  Was there no security at the building that would have caught Kara and Dash going up to the roof and defacing the property?

 

Coma kid is beyond boring and ridiculous.  I nearly laughed out loud at the Men in Black coming to take him away.  This just isn't how it happens. And what does Nurse Jackie think she can do for Charlie exactly?  Because his blood has nothing to do with his coma/head injury.  Let me tell you, my father was in a serious car accident and had a brain bleed.  He needed 5 hours of emergency surgery.  The neuro-surgeon who performed the surgery was never seen again after my dad survived the night.  My dad was in the ICU for about 2 days and once he could stand up on his own, he was sent to a rehab facility.  That facility ONLY kept him until he was able to walk and take care of his, um, personal needs, independently.  That was maybe 5 days alter. And then it was adios GrandpaBritches, off to home health care.  The man continued to need hours and hours of therapy and had to be on a toileting schedule, but they dumped his ass ASAP. So I just have an impossible time understanding how any of these kids, including Charlie who is breathing on his own and apparently "stable" would still be in a hospital.

 

And yes, what kind of Dr. is Dr. McAndrew anyway?  He apparently is the only doctor at Hospital McHuge, with Nurse Jackie the primary nurse.  We need more doctors and we absolutely need a social worker or therapist of some kind.  But we don't need flashbacks to Brittany's interview or whatever that was.

 

Dash doing any running around the way he does is silly if he really is on the lung transplant list.  Can the actor at least wheeze a bit every once in a while? And what keeps Leo there?  Needing PT does not keep you in the hospital.  And he gets around just fine, doesn't seem to be on chemo anymore, so what's his deal?  Why do we not get to see anyone trying to work with Emma on her anorexia?  It's almost like they are glamourizing eating disorders in a bad way. 

 

I have no clue how this is doing in the ratings, but really, it can't last, can it? 

[BooBear]

Anyway how will  "clean" blood help the boring coma kid?

 

I think it will be dirty blood. I think she switched it with blood that will show some medical reason coma boy has to stay in the hospital.

[sekay87]

Does anyone else think that Emma is the actual worst, at least with the love triangle? Like don't get all butt hurt and jealous over Leo kissing Cara then blatantly throw yourself at Jordi in front of his face. Not cool dude. Pick one.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Leo abandons Emma, so Jordi tries to fill the vacancy. Meanwhile, a new patient shocks Kara; and Jackson is desperate to keep Charlie at Ocean Park, a position shared by Dr. McAndrew's ex, Dr. Grace.

 

Sneak peek with Wilson Cruz:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMbqExbwc_k

 

Clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4aFkm9xc9Q

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xx7FZfcCBU

[BensBritches]

Clearly no one cares about this show anymore.  I had forgotten about it and then it showed up on the DVR.  Continues to be utter garage...

 

Why would the chief of surgery have anything to do with a comatose boy and whether a "coma specialist" should be called in to consult?  It has nothing to do with surgery.  Or did I get the title of the new doctor wrong? And did Charlie even have a head injury?  What caused his coma? 

 

So Kara is all set for surgery, but she's able to make her way out of the hospital, into the loading dock and grab a smoke.  Where'd she get that nice fresh pack of ciggys? In the cigarette vending machine at the hospital?  And she isn't getting on the transplant list because of her bad attitude?  Yes, her "unclean" drug tests could do it, but it was implied that there was more to it than that.  Is that really how these life-or-death medical decisions are made?  "We don't like you, you're not a nice person so no heart for you!"

 

And did the mystery boy (who looks like a man to me and not someone who should be hanging around/on a pediatric ward) really get surgery or not?  Because if he did, he sure had a miraculous recovery and if he didn't, what hospital lets a kid just lay in a pre-op ward for fun? 

 

Why or why am I still here?

[joanne3482]

Why or why am I still here?

 

I WANT to like this show so much. I love the idea. The execution is lacking. Definitely lacking. I think there needs to be a more revolving door of kiddos. It seems too weird to me that so many of them are there for the super long haul. 

[calliope1975]

I was a bit appalled at how they treated Kara going blind, like eh, no big deal. I know she wanted to downplay it, but Leo should have known better since, you know, they're all sick enough to be hospitalized. Suddenly going blind seems like something you'd want to immediately alert a medical professional to even if your friend doesn't want to draw attention to herself. 

 

I was really looking forward to this show, and I do like most of the actors, but the execution has been terrible. I think it's entirely possible to make a compelling medical drama about kids in a hospital, but this isn't it.

[Madding crowd]

I also thought the mystery guy looked around thirty and no one is walking around in street clothes right after a liver transplant. I thought maybe he was a twin or something. And why did he lead a blind girl into an elevator with her not knowing what was going on?

Also it appeared that a nurse or medical professional was teaching school in the hospital. Outside of Kara, none of these kids should be here and they should all be in regular school.

[missbonnie]

I for one absolutely love this little show but I fully expect Fox to cancel it because they cancel everything I like. I don't know if anyone has done this but if you go to the shows site on Fox there is an interview with the actual guy who inspired this show.

[fifty8th]

Glad to see Kenji again I missed him the last few episodes. Disliking Jordi more and more.

 

The show is unrealistic, but I'm just going with it because for the most part I like the characters.

[memememe76]

I am so tired of Kara always being uber bitchy at the start of the episode and then she's all hurt, innocent and complicated by the end. I'm to the point where I would like all the kids to either die or be cured. Just leave the hospital, and have a new group of child patients to focus on. 

Edited November 7, 2014 by memememe76

[rho]

I am so tired of Kara always being uber bitchy at the start of the episode and then she's all hurt, innocent and complicated by the end. I'm to the point where I would like all the kids to either die or be cured. Just leave the hospital, and have a new group of child patients to focus on. 

 

That's actually a fantastic idea because right now the only characters I like are Kenji and Nurse Jackson.

[bros402]

Clearly no one cares about this show anymore.  I had forgotten about it and then it showed up on the DVR.  Continues to be utter garage...

 

Why would the chief of surgery have anything to do with a comatose boy and whether a "coma specialist" should be called in to consult?  It has nothing to do with surgery.  Or did I get the title of the new doctor wrong? And did Charlie even have a head injury?  What caused his coma? 

 

So Kara is all set for surgery, but she's able to make her way out of the hospital, into the loading dock and grab a smoke.  Where'd she get that nice fresh pack of ciggys? In the cigarette vending machine at the hospital?  And she isn't getting on the transplant list because of her bad attitude?  Yes, her "unclean" drug tests could do it, but it was implied that there was more to it than that.  Is that really how these life-or-death medical decisions are made?  "We don't like you, you're not a nice person so no heart for you!"

 

And did the mystery boy (who looks like a man to me and not someone who should be hanging around/on a pediatric ward) really get surgery or not?  Because if he did, he sure had a miraculous recovery and if he didn't, what hospital lets a kid just lay in a pre-op ward for fun? 

 

Why or why am I still here?

 

The previous episode showed what caused Charlie's injury - he was feeling sick after eating a lot of candy, so his dad told him to lie down in the backseat of the car, then the car got hit on the driver's side.

 

With organ transplants, as I understand it, attitude does play a factor, primarily how the individual will take care of the organ, as organs such as hearts are in rather short supply. She's failed all but one drug test and her attitude is not the attitude of an individual who would have the ability to remember to take a pill every day without fail.

 

With regards to the mystery boy, he COULD be 21, depending on the hospital, but usually the up-to-21 limitation applies to smaller adults under 21 - not fully formed compulsive liars.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ugh, I am so tired of the love triangle and the wishiwashiness of the three involved in it.

 

Leo: I'm totally not interested in Emma anymore. Wait, no I am!
 

Jordi: I like Emma but I am going to respect the bro code and not pursue her. Wait, Leo just kissed her so I am now going to try to mark her as my territory by holding hands with her in front of Leo!

 

Emma: I like Jordi! I like Leo!

 

Hunter looks way too old to be in a children's ward and the actor is so stiff and unnatural. I know we are supposed to think Hunter is a match for Kara but all I think is that they're both dicks.

[Lovecat]

With organ transplants, as I understand it, attitude does play a factor, primarily how the individual will take care of the organ, as organs such as hearts are in rather short supply. [Kara]'s failed all but one drug test and her attitude is not the attitude of an individual who would have the ability to remember to take a pill every day without fail.

 

That's exactly right...except that transplant patients take a *multitude* of pills every day to ward off rejection.  Miss Thing doesn't seem responsible enough to take anything that's not going to get her high.

 

So Kenji's a floor nurse *and* he works in Pre-Op?  30-year-olds can be admitted to the pediatric and adolescent ward?  (Yeah, I know the character of Hunter is probably going to turn out to be 19 or something, but the actor is 27 and looks it.)  There's just one lab tech in the entire hospital, and he knows exactly who Coma Boy is?  Pshyeah.  Right.  It's like these showrunners have never set foot in a hospital.  At least someone is actually going to be, you know, SICK next week.  Why do I keep watching this crap, why??

[bros402]

That's exactly right...except that transplant patients take a *multitude* of pills every day to ward off rejection.  Miss Thing doesn't seem responsible enough to take anything that's not going to get her high.

 

So Kenji's a floor nurse *and* he works in Pre-Op?  30-year-olds can be admitted to the pediatric and adolescent ward?  (Yeah, I know the character of Hunter is probably going to turn out to be 19 or something, but the actor is 27 and looks it.)  There's just one lab tech in the entire hospital, and he knows exactly who Coma Boy is?  Pshyeah.  Right.  It's like these showrunners have never set foot in a hospital.  At least someone is actually going to be, you know, SICK next week.  Why do I keep watching this crap, why??

 

I meant to say multiple pills, but it was close to 3 AM :P

[mythoughtis]

Do Leo and Emma have parents?  We've never seen or heard about them

[Lovecat]

I agree that a lot of the stuff on this show bs but children hospitals (some if not all) perform congenital heart surgeries on those over 18.

OK...but Hunter is in for a liver transplant. The part is woefully miscast if he's supposed to be an adolescent, because he looks his actual age, 27. Kara's the cardiac patient (who actually looks like a teenager), but she doesn't have a congenital heart defect, she's in heart failure. I'm not sure the etiology has been revealed, but my impression is that it's not a congenital condition.

[fifty8th]

Kara, Hunter, Jordi and Dash band together in support of Nurse Jackson, whose actions have caught up with her. Emma meets Leo's friends from home and one Red Bander's circumstances change dramatically.

Edited November 13, 2014 by fifty8th

[bros402]

At the end, I thought they were killing off Dash.

 

Perhaps the letter reading at the end is signalling a transition in narration of the series from Charlie - who was essentially an omnipresent third person narrator - to individual (or perhaps multiple per episode) Red Banders, which would be a welcome change of pace.

[missbonnie]

I was worried about the same thing! I love this little show, and who knew that the gal playing Nurse Jackson could sing like that? Amazing

[Bobcatkitten]

I wasn't that impressed with the singing frankly. And was bored in general with the back-story of learning more about her. 

 

And I continue to be confused about why some of these kids are even in there if they can traipse around all day in normal outfits, going to restaurants etc. Makes no sense. I also have a hard time with the anorexia storyline because a)the girl doesn't look anorexic and b) what is the point of her being there if they don't actually make her eat?

[backformore]

And I continue to be confused about why some of these kids are even in there if they can traipse around all day in normal outfits, going to restaurants etc. Makes no sense. I also have a hard time with the anorexia storyline because a)the girl doesn't look anorexic and b) what is the point of her being there if they don't actually make her eat?

Right! Extended Inpatient hospitalization for these kids ? Who pays for that? Kids with anorexia might stay in the hospital for a short time, then go home and attend day programs. Most of these other kids would be sent home. People in my family have had major illnesses and surgery with very short hospital stays. If the parents don't want to take them home, they would lose custody and g o to foster care. The girl with the heart problem would either be confined to bed on a monitor, OR sent home to wait for a donor heart. I can't figure out why these kids require round the clock hospital care. Insurance companies don't cover that any more.

I know it's a tv show, but it's so unrealistic it's hard to watch.