Red Band Society - General Discussion

[bros402]

Saw Hunter's death coming a mile away, the Kara thing is just too neat and tidy of a way to get her a heart.

 

Leo has more cancer, can anyone tell where it is?

 

At first I thought it was his brain, but then I took a second look and I am 95% sure it is his other leg.

 

Can sick people donate organs????

 

As long as the organ they are trying to donate isn't damaged in some way (And since it was Hunter's liver, the heart probably wouldn't have been too damaged)

 

The only unexpected thing in this episode was Leo's cancer spreading to his brain, which is still not that surprising. I'm not saying I need the show to have wacky plots from left field, but it's just so predictable. OF COURSE Hunter died so that Kara could get his heart! OF COURSE Emma found out that Leo and Kara slept together! OF COURSE Jordi wasn't emancipated.

 

I know I am supposed to root for the kids, but I had to take the judge's side. If you aren't adult enough to speak up during the hearing where you are trying to convince the judge that you are, in fact, an adult, why should she sign off on that? While it was nice of Nurse Jackson to speak up on his behalf, her speech was pointless. What she should have said is that Jordi has been acting like a responsible adult and taking care of himself for years because his mother is not the most present parent and that it's only fair that he should be allowed to make legal decisions about his own health since he has been basically been his own parent for a long time

 

Leo telling Emma that he slept with Kara sort of makes sense. They're teenagers. Not exactly much of a filter, so he blurted it out out of guilt. He wanted to make himself feel better, not thinking about Emma's feelings.

 

I was so happy when the judge said it was denied, because if she had approved it, it would've shown what a fairy tale world they lived in.

 

Now what would've made sense is if the judge had fast-tracked him through the county's family & child services program and ordered them to assign him a caseworker or patient advocate who is authorized to make medical decisions for Jordi immediately.

[Arynm]

I hate this show! Cried again, I know its cancelled and I will never get closure but man, it get me every time. Leo has cancer in his brain.

Hunter dies and donates his heart to Kara. Damn this show!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24E1eHuiO_c

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Episode description for S01.E13:

Shocking news leads to new hope and Emma and Kara start facing their family issues.

 

Clips for S01.E12:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gwu8P6kqsZA

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvJaI4fqhwI

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CteKpWfG-8Q

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5WnLE0oRGA

 

Clips for S1.E13:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PffZG026rrs

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgIlZQlbyPQ

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdPe14fLuJ4

[bros402]

Most of these kids should be in SSI, especially Jordi and coma boy. When one is on SSI, they are also on Medicare. I think abandoned Jordi is on SSI which may explain how he was able to obtain emacipated minor status so quickly. He will have an income.

 

At the most, Jordi would be in the process of applying for SSI, as there is no indication that his cancer will result in his death within the next twelve months, so no expedited processing.

 

Same with Charlie.

 

It takes *much* longer than 6 weeks for a decision to be made on SSI, especially in a state like California (I'm in NJ, took me 8 months for my initial, 3 months for reconsideration, 19 months for ALJ hearing)

 

In California, they would qualify for Medi-Cal, California's version of Medicaid (Also, Medicare is only for the 65+ crowd, never for disabled/dying SSI recipients). They don't qualify for food stamps, though. Odd thing about California - people receiving SSI/Medi-Cal aren't allowed to get SNAP benefits, unlike most states.

[Blueeyedgirl]

 

In California, they would qualify for Medi-Cal, California's version of Medicaid (Also, Medicare is only for the 65+ crowd, never for disabled/dying SSI recipients). They don't qualify for food stamps, though. Odd thing about California - people receiving SSI/Medi-Cal aren't allowed to get SNAP benefits, unlike most states.

just wanted to clarify this: Yes, Medi-Cal is applicable here. And for many other situations. 

 

But, Medicare is available to adults under 65 if they have received SSI disabled benefits for 2 years, or have end stage renal failure or ALS (not sure why the last two diseases are in there). (I have a disabled brother who (sadly) cannot work anymore. This is a lifesaver for him.  Literally.)

 

(just clarifying; the healthcare safety net (or lack thereof) is something I sadly know a lot about.)

[fifty8th]

I'll miss this show, regardless of hoe cliche and unbelievable at times. I'll miss the characters. I wish the show runners had agreed to budget cuts and a move to the summer.

[charlieboo]

I just can't even with this show.Two days after heart surgery, Kara is wheeling herself all over the place? One hour before surgery, Jordy is drinking a soda and playing cards?  

Thank you, network, for cancelling it so I don'e have to waste any more time watching it.

Edited February 8, 2015 by AmandaPanda
removing body shaming language

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I just rolled my eyes when Kara's mom said, "I don't want to fight with you anymore," and Kara's response was, "Well, then don't fight with me anymore." Uhhh, how about you stop being such a snotty bitch to your mom all the time and picking fights with her? I know that her mom is the adult in this situation so she should be the mature one but Kara was taking no responsiblity for her horrible attitude and putting the onus on her mom.

 

Yet in the same episode they want me to believe that Kara has changed and become a nicer person because of her love for Hunter, a guy who she knew for like, a whole week week before he died.

[BooBear]

I caught this last night and I have to say I am glad this show got cancelled. It was just a crazy show period. If I was writing the end for this story I might have made it all in Charlie's head and have him wake from the coma only to find MUCH sicker versions of all the characters... so that the audience could see we were seeing it via coma boy's dream.  I have never seen a more unrealistic show. Kara has open heart surgery and is just bouncing around a few hours later ? Oh lord.

 

But even last night, watching Leo... Leo, is a dead man walking. I mean really...  so my thought was...where are they going with these characters? Kara would be leaving soon, Leo would be dying soon, Charlie is gone.... how long can they keep Emma there.  I have never seen more healthy looking sick people.

 

Since they can't get health care correct I wouldn't expect them to get Jordy's brush with the legal system correct but that was laughable. I had no idea that the ability to articulate yourself was required for emancipation. Geeze never mind that the court could have signed the kid's death warrant if his grand-mom didn't change her mind. Cause that is how court's work.

 

All these people need to move on to better projects.

[t7686]

There were a few moments in there that reminded me of why the critics etc. loved this show in the beginning. For example, the second hour of the episode focused much more on the adults and mentioned how hard it is to have the kids just come and go. I liked that Charlie left with little manufactured drama. Centering the story on the nurses and doctors and then having a few kids hang around for a season or a half a season should have been the idea from the beginning.

 

Overall, I don't think it was a bad send off. I liked that Leo admitted to having all this pressure to be "superman", Emma talked to her mom, Dash got a real storyline and Cara was nicer. That said, there is no way in hell Cara'd be walking around after a heart transplant. Plus if Leo and Jordy are as sick as the doctors say they are, they wouldn't be looking as good as they do. Leo has an inoperable tumor in his lungs for goodness sake.

[sunshine2288]

If I was writing the end for this story I might have made it all in Charlie's head and have him wake from the coma only to find MUCH sicker versions of all the characters... so that the audience could see we were seeing it via coma boy's dream.

 

 That would have been a better ending.

Edited February 8, 2015 by sunshine2288

[cali1981]

There were a few moments in there that reminded me of why the critics etc. loved this show in the beginning. For example, the second hour of the episode focused much more on the adults and mentioned how hard it is to have the kids just come and go. I liked that Charlie left with little manufactured drama. Centering the story on the nurses and doctors and then having a few kids hang around for a season or a half a season should have been the idea from the beginning.

 

Overall, I don't think it was a bad send off. I liked that Leo admitted to having all this pressure to be "superman", Emma talked to her mom, Dash got a real storyline and Cara was nicer. That said, there is no way in hell Cara'd be walking around after a heart transplant. Plus if Leo and Jordy are as sick as the doctors say they are, they wouldn't be looking as good as they do. Leo has an inoperable tumor in his lungs for goodness sake.

I have liked the show from the beginning despite some its medical inaccuracies. I thought that the send off was excellent, hitting all of the right emotional cues.  Octavia Spencer is a joy to watch.  She is just a wonderful actress who can bring depth to any role that she plays.  It was nice to see Mandy Moore back on TV as well.  I did find some parts of the cancer story lines difficult to watch at times.  I've had cancer touch my family too many damn times and felt that some of those sequences hit close to home.  When Leo was told that his cancer had reoccurred, his reactions were not atypical for many, which I know from my own experience.  Some patients react with a "whatever it takes" battle cry but others can go into a depression because the news is so devastating.  While the conclusion was hopeful for the patients, one died and one knew that his cancer might kill him despite treatment.  That's realistic enough for me. 

[bros402]

I liked how ridiculously dark the ICU was.

 

It looked like a supply closet, rather than an ICU. What the heck was up with that?

 

Decent finale with the limited time they had - but if it is true that they didn't want to agree to a reduced budget + summer slot, that is just ridiculous - as I was reading online that their largest budgetary expense was their music budget.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I hated the entire Paris escape dream sequence. Not only did it look cheap and fake from a purely visual standpoint but it was just so cheesy.

[Snipsa]

I am very late to this show.  Just recently started watching it. I am actually at episode 5 at the moment, but most of my complaints had originated in the pilot, so thought this thread was the best place to voice them.

As a person that works in the healthcare industry (currently at a sub-acute clinic, but have worked at both state and private hospitals here in South Africa) I agree with all the complaints that most of these kids wouldn't be treated in-patient.  Heck, most of them seem too healthy for a sub-acute setting such as ours.  Leo, I could see in sub-acute or rehab.  Charlie, definitely in assisted living (I know this is semi-addressed later on), Jordi shouldn't have gotten through the door - in all honesty he would probably be at a clinic in Mexico, if he is lucky.  Emma should be at an out-patient eating disorder clinic, or something similar, and Dash looks much, much healthier than the CF kids I have treated in the past.  He should be at school!

The way Nurse Jackson treats Brittany is horrid. And HR would be on her case in an instant if this was real life.

Some Doctors (even surgeons) do go the extra mile for their patients, but there is no way a surgeon can feasibly spend that much time in a ward. In my experience they spend 20 minutes maximum during ward rounds once per day...  And even the good ones will forget 90% of their patients' names and faces within 5 days...

The rooms also seem extremely unrealistic.  Both too big, too unrealistic, and too "boarding schoolish".  

The thing that bugged me most though was Charlie.  Every scene we see him he is lying in supine position (on his back).  At least in this episode you saw the male nurse (that mysteriously vanished in later episodes) doing some (very poor) passive mobilizations of his lower limbs.  But a person in a coma, will be turned at least two-hourly (hopefully even more frequently) and will receive passive stretches of all limbs as much as possible.  Heck, in our clinic, we would even place them in a chair at least twice daily.

I am not too surprised at the fact that he doesn't have an NG-tube (feeding tube through the nose), as after two months he would most likely already have a PEG tube (feeding tube to the stomach) - but it would be great if they could allude to it (even show a feeding)...

Oh yes, and I have also spent many days and weeks in Paeds wards here in South Africa - my nephew has a myriad of conditions that puts has him in and out of hospital extremely frequently, and there is way too little diversity in the cases here... It is not only cancer, CF and eating disorders that plague kids, show! Where are the newly diagnosed type 1 diabetics (or older diagnosed that are in DKA), where are the undiagnosed neurological conditions, where are the kids with CP, where are the kids with pneumonia or just a bad case of flu? We need to see that there are not only these five, healthy looking, kids in this place!

So I will finish this show, but it will be mostly hate-watching, as there is very little to love at the moment...

[Snipsa]

I just looooved the IV bag clearly marked chemotherapy - and nothing else! No chemical composition names, nothing (at least nothing I could see - those with HD feel free to correct me.

 

 

Now chemo IV bags do usually have a small yellow sticker with CAUTION! Chemotherapy on it.  But it is not THAT big.  Also he would have probably received at least 2 more IV bags at the same time - one with saline, one possibly with a dextrose mix, and maybe an antibiotic.  - I am not a doctor, just a PT, but I think that's usually part of the cocktail.  I DO know I've never seen it as just one single IV bag.