Mercy Street - General Discussion

[HoodlumSheep]

Better than what poor Mr. Squivers woul have been able manage too.

[HoodlumSheep]

The stuff with the pastor and Tom freaked me out way more than the amputation scene. I was bracing myself for Tom to lunge at the dude or smash a glass of alcohol in his face or stab him to death with a chess piece or something. :(

I'd be fine with them having a crazy intense operation scene once in a while. I wasn't phased by this one, which is odd, because I don't like blood and gore stuff. Probably because I was more focused on the characters rather than the actual operation.

I hope that Season 2 renewal is true! I thought this was an excellent episode.

I assumed the warning for last week's episode was for the Aurelia/Silas stuff.

[Dirtybubble]

 

They had the same warning for the previous episode, and I didn't see anything that merited an "adult warning" in the previous episode except for the implied oral

 

 

It may be a general trigger warning on depicted battlefield suffering. At the Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center the room where a movie on the battle is shown has a warning on the door. Of course, a lot of kids go there whereas they may not be watching this.

 

Drug use will also warrant an adult warning as well.  But this is PBS so they are a little more...conservative I guess is the word on their censorship.  What I mean is this warning probably wouldn't happen on cable based show and certainly not on HBO or Showtime but here yeah I guess so.
 

The stuff with the pastor and Tom freaked me out way more than the amputation scene. I was bracing myself for Tom to lunge at the dude or smash a glass of alcohol in his face or stab him to death with a chess piece or something. :(

 

Word!  I'm always expecting Tom to go batshit at the drop of a hat.  That being said I really like the Pastor but my gut is telling me there is more to him than meets the eye.  And I don't mean the story he told about the fight in his youth.  Something else is there...

 

 

[Milz]

She may be heading to California by sea, too.

 

That was another way, but it would have taken up a whole lot of time. No Panama Canal at that time, so the ship would have had to go around Cape Horn.

[Blergh]

Well, in any case, there was NO inexpensive, risk free or QUICK way for Mrs. J. Foster to get from Alexandria to California back then! I wonder if this will be further alluded to.

[formerlyfreedom]

The spot to post news and such about Mercy Street.

[izabella]

I hope she makes it to Cali.  It must have been so pristine and beautiful then, especially as compared to the war situation in Virginia.  Anyway, it's not like their marriage means anything to her husband, so what's the point of staying?

[HoodlumSheep]

I wonder how long they were married. He definitely seemed indifferent to her.

[Milz]

With Mrs. Foster, I can so totally see her go to California or Nevada (or anywhere for that matter) and present herself as a widow or as Miss Whatever-her-maiden-name-is. It seems the "west" was a place people could start anew.

[HoodlumSheep]

I was going to suggest that Mrs. Foster might take the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fey to California and become a Harvey Girl, but the Harvey Girls weren't established until 1875+ so I'm off by 10 years. She still could be taking the railway part of the way though. It should have been operating at that time.

Silas screams of a "season 1 villain" to me so I'm going to be very disappointed if he's not dead or shipped away by the end of these episodes. >:(

Edited February 4, 2016 by HoodlumSheep

[hoosiermommy]

I was going to suggest that Mrs. Foster might take the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fey to California and become a Harvey Girl, but the Harvey Girls weren't established until 1875+ so I'm off by 10 years. She still could be taking the railway part of the way though. It should have been operating at that time.

Silas screams of a "season 1 villain" to me so I'm going to be very disappointed if he's not dead or shipped away by the end of these episodes. >:(

The Golden Spike (the final,ceremonial spike in the Transcontinental railroad, wasn't driven until 1869. So no ATSF for our girl.

[jschoolgirl]

This was a good episode. Mary certainly stayed pristine through that bloody operation.

[formerlyfreedom]

The unexpected visit of a hospital inspector throws the staff into disarray. Mary feels empathy for a deserter, while Silas makes Samuel pay for his arrogance. A family tragedy forces James Sr. to take a risky step to earn his family’s respect.

[Straycat80]

What happened to the guy the Dentist smothered last week?

[Greta]

This was a good episode. Mary certainly stayed pristine through that bloody operation.

I know, she had that one bloodstain that almost worked like an accent mark on her dress.

 

Samuel was awesome under pressure. And he seems like he would be a patient-oriented doctor rather than Jed's more "well the operation was a failure, I guess, if you consider it from the dead patient's point of view" research-oriented position.

 

I think I really want to try apples a la parisienne.

[NorthstarATL]

I'm hoping that next week Mary and Samuel can transplant a heart from a Confederate to a Union soldier. They really are making medical and cultural strides while the rest play out "Gone With the Wind".

[LittleIggy]

I knew poor Tom didn't want to go back to the front. I was hoping he would shoot Frank and run off.

[jschoolgirl]

I knew poor Tom didn't want to go back to the front. I was hoping he would shoot Frank and run off.

I was sure Tom was going to kill Frank.

[Ina123]

I hope someone kills the big, dumb oaf kitchen quarter master..

[Blergh]

Ok, do I think Mary and Dr. Foster needed to do ALL they could have done to save Aurelia? Of course. Without question. However; do they think that NO ONE will ever find out that  Nurse Mary tore herself away from the ball- and enlisted the help of a 'quarantined' doctor along with a laborer to perform very risky, complicated surgery on a non- military person considered by both sides to be 'contraband' ? I hope  they're ready to bite the bullet and hope their medical compassion and knowledge won't  get trampled to the ground by military regulations,etc.. Oh, and since a known enemy prisoner DID make his escape during this ball, there no doubt will be a thorough investigation as to EXACTLY what went on in the Mansion Hospital during that time.

    WHERE would Mary have gotten an expensive, form-fitting silk ball gown at a moment's notice and how could she have begun to have afforded it? Don't forget for all we know, she only carried one small satchel with her and has NEVER gotten to sleep in a bed. Also, they made this character to look much more fetching than she likely would have appeared at the time as, in real life, she was born in 1818 and would have been in her mid 40's- the exact same age as Mary Todd Lincoln who was NOT the belle of the ball despite     her overspending.

      Interesting to see Mrs. Green being revealed to be more sympathetic to her husband's efforts than previously shown and at least she DOES understand that he is trying to protect his family even if she disagrees with his tactics. Also kind of funny that she somehow convinced herself that her fancy apple cake being more popular somehow meant she (and the South) had 'won'.

    Kind of funny to see Emma and her sister pour on the charm to help her sister's boyfriend escape but no doubt the sister will be devastated when she learns of his death (I wonder if Emma's  boyfriend the fake dentist will tell them it was a suicide?)

    It will be interesting to see how soon Aurelia will be able to recover from this major surgery and where will she convalesce ?

 

    How will Dr. Foster explain his quarantine and will folks think he and Mary were really carrying on a longterm tryst that week?

[Milz]

I liked how Mary ASSumes that Sam impregnated Aurelia.

[BusyOctober]

yeesh, this gets worse every week.  No mention of the dead officer the "dentist" snuffed out last week?  The dentist/spy guy just wanders around the hospital and the town without anyone questioning his papers or local residents recognizing him?  Complex gyno surgery performed  without anesthetics, antiseptics or LIGHT by a doctor, an apprentice and a nurse who have probably never seen such an operation performed?  And why were Sam's sleeves covered in blood but his chest and stomach area looked pretty clean? Speaking of blood, wouldn't Aurelia have bled quite a bit during this ordeal?  How did she survive such blood loss? 

 

And I can't get past the very modern mannerisms, speech, eye rolls and sarcasm from Dr. (Ted) Foster. I don't think people in the 1860's spoke in the flippant "Chandler Bing" style this character uses sometimes.

[Hero]

I really like this show and am glad that is has been renewed.

[jschoolgirl]

"Also kind of funny that she somehow convinced herself that her fancy apple cake being more popular somehow meant she (and the South) had 'won'."

---

It shows The Quality's fatuous nature.

[LiveenLetLive]

Well since Downtown barely bothers to be strictly "historical" I've decided to go with it, I did find it odd that the smothered officer was not mentioned. The ending was tragic, but realistic IMO, suicide related to service in the military has always, sadly, existed...

[jschoolgirl]

Frank stole maps and other Intel materials from the smothered officer, so the story of his flight should recall that.

[dargosmydaddy]

How long has Dr. Ted been working for the army? I guess I could understand him never doing an amputation in his civilian practice, but wouldn't he have had the opportunity to at least observe a boatload of amputations in his time at the army hospital?

[MissLucas]

It seems odd that nobody in that hospital ever bothered to check what the Doctor suffering from smallpox, the head nurse and Samuel were doing so secretly. The place was not wholly abandoned as the scene with fake dentist in the closet showed. I also wondered where the hell Mary got her gown from - a loan from nurse Hastings? LOL!

 

The episode required quite a bit of hand waving but I still enjoyed it for some great character work. I loved Mrs Green and her pie victory for Dixie. And I thought the scenes between Mary and Doctor Foster in full cold turkey rage were very well handled. He sure can be a nasty piece of work when pushed to the limits. I appreciate how they handle the inevitable romance (well inevitable if the show gets renewed).

Edited February 8, 2016 by MissLucas

[jschoolgirl]

It has been renewed. See my post in the media thread.

I don't think Mary assumed Samuel was the father, at least not out loud. Jed certainly did.

[Milz]

yeesh, this gets worse every week.  No mention of the dead officer the "dentist" snuffed out last week?  The dentist/spy guy just wanders around the hospital and the town without anyone questioning his papers or local residents recognizing him?  Complex gyno surgery performed  without anesthetics, antiseptics or LIGHT by a doctor, an apprentice and a nurse who have probably never seen such an operation performed?  And why were Sam's sleeves covered in blood but his chest and stomach area looked pretty clean? Speaking of blood, wouldn't Aurelia have bled quite a bit during this ordeal?  How did she survive such blood loss? 

 

And I can't get past the very modern mannerisms, speech, eye rolls and sarcasm from Dr. (Ted) Foster. I don't think people in the 1860's spoke in the flippant "Chandler Bing" style this character uses sometimes.

 

 

Why they didn't do a hysterectomy? Anyhow, Aurelia's survival rate, realistically, would be dismal regardless of the procedure. If the blood loss doesn't kill her, the infection will.

 

 

But she'll probably survive and give birth next season to a healthy baby.

[Milz]

How long has Dr. Ted been working for the army? I guess I could understand him never doing an amputation in his civilian practice, but wouldn't he have had the opportunity to at least observe a boatload of amputations in his time at the army hospital?

 

 

 

 

The American Civil WAr was the first time where medical field hospitals were used. M*A*S*H* was set in a field hospital in Korea.Using it as a point of reference,  Mercy Hospital is like the army hospitals in Seoul or Tokyo, where  the soldiers Hawkeye et al. patched up went to further recuperate.

 

BUT, impaired physician Foster probably would have seen one or two amputations even there because gangrene was a deadly and common side effect of wounds.

[Former Nun]

I guess my standards were raised by Downton Abbey.  I had to bid buh-bye to Mercy Street.    If there weren't so many other really good things to watch (HBO, BBC, FX, etc.) I might have stayed longer.

Edited February 9, 2016 by Former Nun

[DrLar]

I thin Sam was clear that she couldn't bear a child anymore, the damage to her uterus was too severe.

 

Maybe that means she'll keep doing favors for the Prison Break guy..

 

Damn didn't expect Tom to pull that off, maybe run away to California or something but suicide? mmm

[Blergh]

By Samuel's reaction to Dr. Foster's query, re NOT denying that he could have had something to with Aurelia getting in that condition, I think it's possible that Sam and Aurelia may have gone beyond flirting on at least one occasion but maybe Samuel just wished they HAD instead of wanting to admit the ugly truth that he knew that Aurelia had been so badly exploited by the quarter master. I take it that by the surgery, they had to cut and sew up so much in such a hurry so many places that it rendered Aurelia barren like an 80-year-old nun.

 

   Ironically, Mrs. Green's  'cake triumph' was completely due to Belinda being able to make such a delicious and visually appealing confection. Hence  the [former] slaveholder's 'victory'  was DUE to the work of a freed person!  Yes, Mrs. Green had the idea but did nothing to carry it out.

[Milz]

I should have put a sarcasm warning in my post about Aurelia getting pregnant if this series lasts...

 

 

 

   Ironically, Mrs. Green's  'cake triumph' was completely due to Belinda being able to make such a delicious and visually appealing confection. Hence  the [former] slaveholder's 'victory'  was DUE to the work of a freed person!  Yes, Mrs. Green had the idea but did nothing to carry it out.

 

Historically, wealthy/well-to-do women did not do the cooking and cleaning but they knew enough about it to be able to direct it. She was also in charge of inventory of the household supplies, the preserving of food for winter use, etc. In effect, she was the manager and how well her household ran (meal production, food preservation, cleanliness, etc.) was a reflection on her managerial skills or lack thereof.  So the writers got it right this time.

[Blergh]

I don't disagree, Milz , that it's a safe bet Mrs. Green had good reason to take pride re household and meal management but that doesn't negate the fact that while she had the idea for the cake and was able to use blackmail to obtain the ingredients, it was Belinda the newly freed person who turned those ingredients into the delicious and appealing cake so one may say it was a triumph and  skills of a freed person using their own skills over a generic and unappealing military issue confection..

 

   In addition to feeling a bit more sympathetic to Mrs. Green re  her understanding that Mr. Green's motivation is above all else to protect and safeguard their family, I have admit I felt bad for her when her heirlooms got manhandled and even deliberately destroyed .Yes, despite her refusal to accept the grim reality that their house had been confiscated by the occupying army and they have only been allowed to stay there with any possessions whatsoever due to whims of the occupying commander.

 

   Poignant that Aurelia attempted to console Samuel (and possibly herself) after Samuel's news of her having been rendered barren via the operation,etc. that she is the mother of a son named Gabriel. This makes her desperation re gaining news and being reunited (and her agreeing to a sordid arrangement ) all the more palpable rather than just her wanting to know about unspecified 'family'. Where she last knew Gabriel was, who is supposed to be tending to him, how old he is, who his father is/was and whether she can be reunited with him may all come to play out in this series.

Edited February 9, 2016 by Blergh

[peacefrog]

I just wish the rapist didn't get the "funny" storyline this week.

[Dirtybubble]

I just wish the rapist didn't get the "funny" storyline this week.

 

Asshole yes but if I remember correctly Aurelia seemed fairly willing.  At least the one time we did see it so rapist IDK.  Not to put it past him; don't get me wrong yeah the guy is a douche & I get Aurelia wasn't exactly enjoying the experience but as she told Samuel she did things she wasn't proud of...*shrug*

 

And I thought the scenes between Mary and Doctor Foster in full cold turkey rage were very well handled. He sure can be a nasty piece of work when pushed to the limits. I appreciate how they handle the inevitable romance

Agreed.  I'm glad it's not a simple Dr. Foster smiles at Mary and she falls head over heels kinda thing.  And  I have a soft spot for the rough around the edges kinda characters, especially when romance is involved.

Edited February 10, 2016 by Dirtybubble

[Milz]

I don't disagree, Milz , that it's a safe bet Mrs. Green had good reason to take pride re household and meal management but that doesn't negate the fact that while she had the idea for the cake and was able to use blackmail to obtain the ingredients, it was Belinda the newly freed person who turned those ingredients into the delicious and appealing cake so one may say it was a triumph and  skills of a freed person using their own skills over a generic and unappealing military issue confection..

 

   In addition to feeling a bit more sympathetic to Mrs. Green re  her understanding that Mr. Green's motivation is above all else to protect and safeguard their family, I have admit I felt bad for her when her heirlooms got manhandled and even deliberately destroyed .Yes, despite her refusal to accept the grim reality that their house had been confiscated by the occupying army and they have only been allowed to stay there with any possessions whatsoever due to whims of the occupying commander.

 

   Poignant that Aurelia attempted to console Samuel (and possibly herself) after Samuel's news of her having been rendered barren via the operation,etc. that she is the mother of a son named Gabriel. This makes her desperation re gaining news and being reunited (and her agreeing to a sordid arrangement ) all the more palpable rather than just her wanting to know about unspecified 'family'. Where she last knew Gabriel was, who is supposed to be tending to him, how old he is, who his father is/was and whether she can be reunited with him may all come to play out in this series.

 

Mrs Green is like a chef de cuisine: it's the line cooks who do the prep and actually cook the food, but it's the chef who gets the Micheline star and gets written up  by the food critics.

[ComeWhatMay]

And I thought the scenes between Mary and Doctor Foster in full cold turkey rage were very well handled. He sure can be a nasty piece of work when pushed to the limits.

 

I enjoyed watching Dr. Foster go back & forth with his mother the week before & enjoyed that scene too. When pushed to the limit, Jed's mother sure comes out of him. Unlike his mother, however, Jed sees when he goes too far & is sorry for it.

 

Friends of friends who participate in reenactments are less than thrilled with some aspects of the show, but I rather like it. I do think they made a mistake billing it as the next Downton Abbey. That's for the fans to decide & you should never set yourself up to fail that way.

[HoodlumSheep]

I enjoyed watching Dr. Foster go back & forth with his mother the week before & enjoyed that scene too. When pushed to the limit, Jed's mother sure comes out of him. Unlike his mother, however, Jed sees when he goes too far & is sorry for it.

Friends of friends who participate in reenactments are less than thrilled with some aspects of the show, but I rather like it. I do think they made a mistake billing it as the next Downton Abbey. That's for the fans to decide & you should never set yourself up to fail that way.

The biggest problem I have with the "next Downton Abbey" stuff is that they aren't even in the same timeslot, so they shouldn't be compared. Yes, it's strange that that's my biggest issue with the comparison. And the fact that it's not another British-centered (takes place in Britain) show. Kind of hard to compare the two in my opinion. I enjoy this show just as much as Downton Abbey, if not more, because Downton's been stale for the past 3 seasons.

I feel like i'm more engaged with this show than Downton too. Probably because of the more intense stuff.

Anyways, wonder what Jed's papa was like. Was he evil too? I know his mother mentioned how his papa would be so disappointed and ashamed, etc. last episode, but I was getting vibes resembling the "witchy mother/worn-out/henpecked father" trope, even though there's no evidence to support it.

'Cause yeah, Jed definitely takes after his mama in spitting out harsh-words.

Edited February 12, 2016 by HoodlumSheep

[jschoolgirl]

I enjoyed watching Dr. Foster go back & forth with his mother the week before & enjoyed that scene too. When pushed to the limit, Jed's mother sure comes out of him. Unlike his mother, however, Jed sees when he goes too far & is sorry for it.

 

Friends of friends who participate in reenactments are less than thrilled with some aspects of the show, but I rather like it. I do think they made a mistake billing it as the next Downton Abbey. That's for the fans to decide & you should never set yourself up to fail that way.

What issues do the reenactors have with the show? It would be interesting to know.

[formerlyfreedom]

President Lincoln’s visit sets in motion a diabolical rebel plot and offers an opportunity to free James Sr. Dr. Foster uncovers a scheme to undermine him at the expense of his patients. Aurelia recovered from her surgery makes a bold decision.

 

 

[HoodlumSheep]

A lot of predictable stuff this episode, but I thoroughly enjoyed this episode anyway.

I've become Phoster shipper trash. The tension and flirtyness was definitely there. I hope Mary keeps in mind that Foster is technically still married, because I'm fully expecting his wife to return in season 2 or whenever to throw a wrench in their developing relationship.

So they're on a first-name basis now. Excellent.

Samuel :(. Aurelia :( While Sam has excellent intentions, I feel like he's getting a little pushy in a way with Aurelia. I know you love her, but you need to calm down and think for a minute.

Glad to see Foster and Diggs sort of bonding.

How did Jed know where Samuel lived?

Silas better die next week.

Poor Mary. She's an absolute queen. Now she's being forced to chop off fingertips. By season two I fully expect her to have to perform a surgery all by herself for some reason.

Knights of the Golden Circle for Frank.

We obviously all know whether this particular evil plan to murder lincoln works or not. It's only 1962 after all,

I like the Mary/Dr. Hale scenes. I like the dynamic. It's interesting.

Summers can go though. He obviously wants that desk job, where he's now ignoring other important stuff.

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS MR. SQUIVERS? What has become of my delicate med apprentice?

Chaplain's a smart cookie. Glad he didn't stop the burial (due to Tom dying by way of suicide), because I think he could have technically back in the day.

Edited February 15, 2016 by HoodlumSheep

[LittleIggy]

I couldn't figure out why Summers was acting so strange during that procedure. It would be scary to realize something like that had happened (cut, gangrenous fluids, etc.)

I wish Dr. Foster had been able to tell the Inspector General about Silas. I want that POS to get his just deserts.

[LiveenLetLive]

I am really enjoying this series, I was unsure of Josh Radnor at first, but he is very good in this. I like that there are laughs mixed in with the grosser stuff.

[izabella]

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS MR. SQUIVERS? What has become of my delicate med apprentice?

 

Good question!  They introduced him and then he disappeared.

 

I'm loving Luke Macfarlane as the chaplain.  He is so caring, regardless of what side of the war people are on, and the least selfish of them all.  I'm glad he spoke up about the suicide.

[ComeWhatMay]

Dr. Foster off the stuff & having feelings is quite the man. I can easily see why he would want to turn it off in that hospital. Married is married until a court order says you are not & Mary has integrity so I hope it plays out accordingly.

Samuel is an amazing man, but I think bad timing sums things up from Aurelia's end & pushy doesn't look good on anyone. I'm glad Sam took Jed's advice. Bullen is way past due for what's coming to him. I hope Bullen gets it next week.

Those brothers were from DE -- real ugh moment for my home state.

Looking forward to the finale next week & the show's eventual return.

[Blergh]

Not that I think it was just for Mr. Green to have been arrested but why didn't he hurriedly sign the Oath as soon as they left? He'd already said he'd done it in front of his objecting family and the soldier's own mother so what would it have hurt him to have done so? Didn't he think they'd  have checked it out? So, with the putative owner of the property being arrested, does this mean the Greens are now entirely homeless and will that Confederate grave be disinterred?

    Yes, I agree Silas deserves to pay for what he did to Aurelia, framing Samuel in addition to being horrible at his appointed job of distributing food, medicine and supplies to the wounded and medical staff!

   Sad that Samuel had to leave (and will Dr. Foster step up to protect Aurelia from Silas) but, Silas virtually signed the man's death warrant so he had no choice. Who was the older woman in Silas's quarters who told what happened- his mother, perhaps?

    Surprised that Mary would have greenlighted the   camp followers to entertain the wounded (and that she wouldn't have known the contemporary euphemisms but used the actual term prostitute).  I guess we're to believe that with all the hubbub over the escaped prisoner, then the surprise inspection, Aurelia's emergency surgery somehow got overlooked.

    I hope somehow Aurelia WILL beat the odds and be reunited with her son Gabriel but those odds were incredible.

     I know that Mr. Booth had a very long simmering hatred for President Lincoln and all he felt he stood for but was he plotting to do the President in this early? Good that they showed that Mr. Booth was somewhat Elvis-like re popularity back then.

[jschoolgirl]

Well, Delaware was a slave state, so their attitude was not surprising.