Mercy Street - General Discussion

[LittleIggy]

Everyone pitching in to gaslight McBurney was so funny. The chicken guts thing was hysterical.

Foster's mother was atrocious. I liked him calling attention to her grandchild.

Good to see Mary again. One thing worried me: Foster is an Army officer, right? Would he be considered AWOL?

Looking forward to season 3.

[Suzysite]

Does anyone know why Mary was absent for part of the season, other than the character's illness story?  Seems odd, since she's allegedly the main character.   

I wanted Foster to slap his mama back - what a wretched woman.  She and her stumpy son are both the worst.  

I don't like the black teacher lady at all.   Going to medical school would be an awesome thing for whatshisname to do.  Don't stop him so he can run errands around the camp school and temporary hospital.  Stupid.   I realize he kind of did it on his own, but he was subconsciously Kaepernick'ed into it.   Ha, I'm going to TM that one.

[jschoolgirl]

I have a hard time believing that, in real life at that time, Emma would have undergone such a change of heart.

To donate tablets and pencils? Maybe.

To facilitate and especially attend the wedding? No.

[Haleth]

I could watch Hastings and Hale mess with McBurney all day. It was sweet for Emma to arrange a wedding for Belinda and George.  Kind of funny that Mr Green burned down the barn without knowing the gun was being hid there.  Oops.  Did anyone else think Mary was going to die as soon as Foster arrived?

Sad that this was the season finale. I had no idea until it was said after the show. 

[LucyHoneychrrch]

I hate that these seasons are only six episodes long.  It's far too short for much character development.  I have the same issue with Grantchester.  

That said, this was a pretty decent episode.  I'm annoyed that there was no definitive McBurney exit, but I loved the interactions with Foster and his mother.  In a terrible way I feel some empathy for his mother.  She's a monster, no doubt; but also a sad and desperate woman hanging onto the shreds of the only power she ever had.  It's pathetic and to be pitied.  

So did Samuel not go to medical school?  Because I'm pretty angry if that's the case.  He needs to stop being led around by the women in his life. 

Miss Hastings is officially my favorite character.

[LittleIggy]

Um, Pinkerton, how on earth do you think your guys were going to put out that inferno? A bucket brigade? Seriously, I laughed when he ordered them to put that fire out.

[blackwing]

21 hours ago, jschoolgirl said:

I have a hard time believing that, in real life at that time, Emma would have undergone such a change of heart.

To donate tablets and pencils? Maybe.

To facilitate and especially attend the wedding? No.

I don't think it was unbelievable.  That scene in the dining room when Belinda was telling them about George was heartbreaking.  Didn't Belinda say in an earlier episode that her mother was owned by the Greens?  So Belinda has spent her entire life with this family.  Emma has never not known her. 

And yet, when Belinda was explaining to Jane and Emma where she has been going twice a week for the past 20 years, it was obvious that they were stunned at how little they knew about her.  I think both of them were crying.  It seemed to me that this was perhaps the first time they actually saw her as a human being.  Times are changing and it seems that Emma at least recognises that.

I hope the show is renewed for a third season and I hope that the actress who plays Mary gives a bigger commitment.  The season is only six episodes long, surely the actress can make the time to film it?   

I'm puzzled as to why Emma seems so indifferent to her boyfriend leaving, perhaps for good.  I get why she can't see him or write to him, but I would have thought she would have at least fretted about him to her sister.  Instead, it's like she has forgotten all about him (perhaps due to Jack Falahee's schedule) and the show is trying to push her together with the priest.

Would burning the barn down cover up the existence of the body?   I didn't think there was an actual floor of that barn, I thought it was just dirt.  James buried the body in the middle of the barn floor.  I don't know much about burning bodies hidden in the ground, but I guess he assumes the fire would burn the body?  Would it be hot enough to cremate it?  Maybe the skeleton would be left but unrecognisable and with no DNA analysis in 1863, he figures he is safe?

[Fireball]

On ‎3‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 8:45 AM, Haleth said:

I could watch Hastings and Hale mess with McBurney all day.  

Me too; them playing those tricks on the Major reminded me of the show MASH. I can't believe how Hastings & Hale have become my favorite characters. I hope McBurney isn't gone next season I want to see more shenanigans.

On ‎3‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 8:45 AM, Haleth said:

Did anyone else think Mary was going to die as soon as Foster arrived?

I did and I still think it could happen if the actress who plays Mary doesn't have time to commit to the show. I hope the actress will make time for this series, but I'd rather the writers kill her off than just have her randomly show up once in awhile.

On ‎3‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 7:34 AM, Suzysite said:

I don't like the black teacher lady at all.   Going to medical school would be an awesome thing for whatshisname to do.  Don't stop him so he can run errands around the camp school and temporary hospital.  Stupid.   I realize he kind of did it on his own, but he was subconsciously Kaepernick'ed into it.   Ha, I'm going to TM that one.

I don't like her either. She doesn't want Samuel to go be a Doctor because he'd be some kind of symbol for the university and that they would just be using him. Okay she might have a point, but Samuel's dream is to be a doctor does it really matter why he got into the university?  Also in one of the episodes Charlotte was annoyed with Samuel because he was hiding that he could do doctor things and wanted him to set up and show the Black community that they can do all the things that white men can. Can she make up her mind please.

On ‎3‎/‎7‎/‎2017 at 6:28 AM, blackwing said:

Would burning the barn down cover up the existence of the body?   I didn't think there was an actual floor of that barn, I thought it was just dirt.  James buried the body in the middle of the barn floor.  I don't know much about burning bodies hidden in the ground, but I guess he assumes the fire would burn the body?  Would it be hot enough to cremate it?  Maybe the skeleton would be left but unrecognisable and with no DNA analysis in 1863, he figures he is safe?

I was wondering that too. I'd think in some ways that burning the barn down would make it easier to find the body.

[ComeWhatMay]

I am very sorry to see this today... http://tvline.com/2017/03/09/mercy-street-cancelled-no-season-3-josh-radnor-pbs-drama/

I think its safe to say "production schedules" is code for actor availability. Some could not or would not make themselves available at the same time. "Funding" given what is going on with PBS & what some folks were asking for perhaps...

Lots of excitement for this program in the DMV & I rather enjoyed it myself so I am quite sad. I also wish there would be a 2-hour wrap up rather than the end of series 2 as the end. It reminds me of the "what if" scenarios with Downton Abbey as some folks wanted to leave after 3 series.

Edited March 9, 2017 by ComeWhatMay

[LilWharveyGal]

This is exceptionally disappointing.  I enjoyed the show a lot and feel like most of the plot lines are now left unresolved. 

[dbklmt]

Boo!  It's been canceled after 2 seasons.

http://tvline.com/2017/03/09/mercy-street-cancelled-no-season-3-josh-radnor-pbs-drama/#more-804921

[Souris]

That sucks. I really enjoyed the show.

[ComeWhatMay]

I did not see a comment from Radnor as of yet, but sharing a lovely message from Hannah James (Emma Green). Looking forward to seeing Ms. James in Outlander. 

[ComeWhatMay]

Team Frank! I'm going with real life for my imagined ending. Nice message from Jack Falahee... 

[Fireball]

Well that's disappointing; I feel like the show finally found it's groove. 

[Hero]

BOOOO! I really liked this show and it sucks that it is going to be left unfinished. 

[LittleIggy]

Aw, that sucks!

[Toothbrush]

I will miss this show, but feel that most of the story lines were, if not resolved completely, given enough foreshadowing in the event of cancellation that the blanks can be filled in.

• Jed will nurse Mary back to health & they will live happily ever after
• Samuel & Charlotte will become freed slave activists (Although I would have liked to have seen a story line around the repercussions of Samuel helping Jed to buy Julia & her baby. Even though they bought them to save them from being separated, would there have been fallout? I have a bad feeling that there would have been a Charlotte/Samuel/Julia love triangle, so at least we were spared that. In my fantasy future, Samuel eventually went to medical school). 
• Emma & the chaplain and Belinda & George(?) also live happily ever after  
• Hale & Hastings would continue to be awesome 
• The Green family is left unresolved. Would Pinkerton (yes, that one) have finally busted them? Would they have realized that in order to survive they would have to give in to the Union, or would they resist to the bitter end? Would Alice have continued to be the world's worst spy? Would her father have joined her?

Simplistic to be sure, and there are stories and conflicts that could still be told on the way to my supposed conclusions, but I can put on my exposition hat & be satisfied. Still will miss this show though! 

[henripootel]

On 3/6/2017 at 0:06 AM, LittleIggy said:

Looking forward to season 3.

Sorry Iggy, there won't be a season 3.  Piece of mercy, that, if you ask me.  I stayed till the end but in general, I think this show vastly over-estimated how fascinating the Greens are, or whether they ever signed a loyalty pledge.  I have no idea how James Green ever made any money nor how Alice hasn't been caught yet, at least I won't have to watch Dr. Mosby learn obvious lessons anymore.  Will someone please give Mary Elizabeth Winstead better material to work with?

[Fireball]

9 hours ago, henripootel said:

I stayed till the end but in general, I think this show vastly over-estimated how fascinating the Greens are, or whether they ever signed a loyalty pledge.  

The Green's stories were the weakest link in the show for me. I honestly just didn't care if they signed a loyalty pledge, if Alice's spying worked, or if James Jr. succeeded once in one of his plans. I found myself messing around on my laptop whenever the Greens showed up. I wish the show had focused on the hospital.

[henripootel]

I'm still surprised at how bland it all was.  Bad sign: I never really got my mind past the idea that I was watching costumed actors, good actors to be sure and solid production values, but it never really pulled me in.  Contrast this with The Knick or Deadwood where some part of me feels like I've actually glimpsed a bit of what being there-n-then felt like.  Never really got the feeling that, not far off camera, a war was being waged that tore apart a country and exposed all to unimaginable horror.  Hells bells, I got more 'Civil War reality' from Gone with the Wind.  That's not good.

[Fireball]

19 hours ago, henripootel said:

I'm still surprised at how bland it all was.  Bad sign: I never really got my mind past the idea that I was watching costumed actors, good actors to be sure and solid production values, but it never really pulled me in.  Contrast this with The Knick or Deadwood where some part of me feels like I've actually glimpsed a bit of what being there-n-then felt like.  Never really got the feeling that, not far off camera, a war was being waged that tore apart a country and exposed all to unimaginable horror.  Hells bells, I got more 'Civil War reality' from Gone with the Wind.  That's not good.

I haven't seen The Knick or Deadwood, so I can't really comment. But sometimes it seemed Mercy Street took itself too seriously. I had a hard time getting into season 1 I found a bit boring; I thought season 2 was better.  I really enjoyed the shenanigans with Hastings & Hale. They were awesome this season, and I'm sad I won't get to see what they get up to in season 3.

[henripootel]

2 hours ago, Fireball said:

I haven't seen The Knick or Deadwood, so I can't really comment. But sometimes it seemed Mercy Street took itself too seriously.

The Knick covered ground sufficiently familiar to this show that it should have been recognizable (a hospital at the end of the 1800s/ early 1900s) but was brutally frank about the state of affairs in both medicine and New York culture at the time.  It was gritty enough to make Mercy Street look like an episode of Full House. 

Deadwood - jesus, Deadwood.  It's like Shakespeare wrote a western, populated by actual people from that time, and speaking the most incandescently filthy language imaginable.  The worst, most depraved character from Mercy Street, probably Bullen, would not only be considered as harmless as a schoolmarm, he'd wither to a crisp at one glance from the awesome, profane majesty that is Al Swearengen.  Can't recommend it highly enough. 

[blackwing]

On 3/22/2017 at 0:18 PM, Toothbrush said:

I will miss this show, but feel that most of the story lines were, if not resolved completely, given enough foreshadowing in the event of cancellation that the blanks can be filled in.

• Jed will nurse Mary back to health & they will live happily ever after
• Samuel & Charlotte will become freed slave activists (Although I would have liked to have seen a story line around the repercussions of Samuel helping Jed to buy Julia & her baby. Even though they bought them to save them from being separated, would there have been fallout? I have a bad feeling that there would have been a Charlotte/Samuel/Julia love triangle, so at least we were spared that. In my fantasy future, Samuel eventually went to medical school). 
• Emma & the chaplain and Belinda & George(?) also live happily ever after  
• Hale & Hastings would continue to be awesome 
• The Green family is left unresolved. Would Pinkerton (yes, that one) have finally busted them? Would they have realized that in order to survive they would have to give in to the Union, or would they resist to the bitter end? Would Alice have continued to be the world's worst spy? Would her father have joined her?

Simplistic to be sure, and there are stories and conflicts that could still be told on the way to my supposed conclusions, but I can put on my exposition hat & be satisfied. Still will miss this show though! 

I will miss the show too.  Too bad, it was finally picking up steam and I loved the historical setting.

To add to your scenario:

Jed becomes head of the hospital but continues to practice.  Hale works directly for him.  Mary is back as Head Nurse and Hastings never tries to undermine her again.

Frank returns and finding that Emma has apparently completely forgotten about him, runs off with Alice.

The body in the barn is discovered.  James Green gets arrested for the murder of the Union officer.  Jimmy Green gets arrested as well for his weapons dealing.  They both hang.  Jane Green cries until she realises that she is finally free of both of them.  She goes to live with Frank and Alice.  She gives Belinda the house.  Belinda opens a restaurant and B&B and becomes very successful.

[Toothbrush]

2 hours ago, blackwing said:

 Jane Green cries until she realises that she is finally free of both of them.  

This made me laugh out loud - too funny!

Great scenarios! I hate that it was cancelled as it was hitting its stride. 

[Souris]

Wow, Entertainment Weekly screwed up. In the latest issue, in the Ridley Scott feature, they say Mercy Street was just picked up for a third season on PBS. That sent me happily scurrying to Google to see if I had missed news of a resurrection. Alas, no.

[Moxie Cat]

On May 9, 2017 at 2:13 AM, Souris said:

Wow, Entertainment Weekly screwed up. In the latest issue, in the Ridley Scott feature, they say Mercy Street was just picked up for a third season on PBS.

I have been holding this tidbit in my head since last summer after reading the magazine, just came here to see when is Mercy Street coming back, anyway? Sigh, to read the other posts here. Never did see an EW correction.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

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[ElectricBoogaloo]

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