S01.E02: It's Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider Silk Surgery

[formerlyfreedom]

When a young boy’s legs are crushed after being pinned by a car, Malik is determined to use a revolutionary procedure using spider silk to save his limbs, while Zoe lobbies in favor of the safer route of amputation. Also, James, Walter and Talaikha care for Amelia, a young woman in dire need of a liver transplant, but they’re puzzled by her resistance when they tell her the donor is her estranged father, Simon.

[12catcrazy]

Is anybody out there watching this show???  I kind of like it - it has likable characters, happy endings, and no villains.  And no hot sex scenes either.  I guess that doesn't cut it for 2016.

Unfortunately, two New York newspapers have already said that this show is going to be dumped - and this was before the 2nd episode was even aired.   Too bad. 

[crazycatlady58]

I enjoy  it. hopefully  it will  continue .

[Shannon L.]

I like it, but I wonder if it's going to get old having them win all the time.  James really does need to learn some sort of lesson about patient privacy and how to not blurt out news of likely the odds are that the patient is going to die.

Having said that, I do like all of the characters so far. 

[zxy556575]

It looks like the only question is whether or not CBS will let the season play out or cancel early. Predictions from TV By the Numbers:

"Pure Genius premiered to a 1.0 rating in adults 18-49 last week. That is … not good. Here’s how not-good it was: That’s the lowest premiere for a CBS drama since Battle Creek in March 2015. That show never got above 1.0 on its way to being canceled after 13 episodes. Even last season’s Rush Hour opened at a 1.1."

[12catcrazy]

18 -49 years old huh?  I'd love to know how many 18 year olds are watching the same shows as 35 year olds, let alone 49 year olds!  They really need to get these ratings systems into 2016 and out of 1965.  And I guess that my "household" doesn't even count, containing a 59 and 69 year old.  The tv execs probably think that we should just drop dead. 

[Blergh]

Well, overall I like this one and will try to keep watching it as long as it stays around.

 

 Onto the episode itself: I never imagined a person's legs could be THAT damaged yet still have enough function to be able to wiggle toes,etc. Still, I'm glad that the spider silk bolts seemed to have done the trick.

    A more poignant part of the episode was when Dr. Brockett started dissing the child's mother for 'letting him play in the streets' - being completely unaware of the fact that there were NO parks or playgrounds whatsoever for any children in their neighborhood to play in for three miles. I liked that she checked her 'Marie Antoinette'  tude and worked to help bring a playground to play. Yes, James dropped the new playground and five more like they were gumballs but she was the one who had her eyes open to a very urgent need. It kind of reminded me of M*A*S*H Christmas episode in which Charles was horrified to learn that his 'secret' gift of chocolates to an orphanage had been sold on the black market and was ready to let the orphanage leader have it with both barrels only to be humbled. This was because the pointed out that while he knew the orphans would have loved the chocolate for a day, the monies he'd made via the sale ensured that they'd have enough rice and cabbage to eat for several weeks rather than starve after the chocolate treat was gone.

 

    OK, I knew that Dr. Wallace could NOT 'have it all' re commuting back and forth on weekends to Ohio and that he or one of his family would give. In this case, it proved to be his son . Yes, the teen seemed to open up a bit after that 'impromptu' visit but that will be no substitute for the family being in the same community on a constant basis.

 

Yes, I agree that James WAY overstepped his bounds via getting the liver patient's estranged father there over her very clear objections. Still, at least she DID agree to the liver donation and he accepted her never anything further to do with him thereafter so I think them holding hands at the end was apt. Even if they don't reconnect (and she sure had valid reasons to want to avoid it) at least both will know that there WAS a time he came through for her when she needed it. Oddly enough, no mention whatsoever of the mother's fate but it appears since she had been left entirely alone for ten weeks when she was a child of eight that the mother had already died or was totally unreachable.

   It appears that James seemed a bit shakier at the end of this episode so I'm wondering if the rare 'ALS on steroids' disease is starting its course? Why no sighting or even mention of the patient with that advanced condition or any of the previous week's patients?

 

Oh, yeah and that young resident was shown performing a Christian prayer and doesn't seem to have any evil intent so I guess that's something to be grateful for even though I'm not tuning in this show to find out about the docs' offtask lives.

Edited November 10, 2016 by Blergh
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[JessDVD]

I'm enjoying so far. I don't mind if they win all the time. I know reality isn't like that but I can hand wave. Especially in a show where the whole premise is technology that may or may not exist yet.

I would be OK with slightly less of a front row seat on the medical procedures. Up front and personal on the kid's cut open legs was a little more than I wanted, mental picture - please fade.

[Dowel Jones]

On 11/7/2016 at 9:00 AM, 12catcrazy said:

And I guess that my "household" doesn't even count, containing a 59 and 69 year old.

Unfortunately, you are most likely correct.  As I understand it, the ratings systems are not there primarily for the benefit of the production staff and the actors (to let them know how good a job they are doing), but for the advertising department at the network.  The network sells its advertising based on how well the show is doing for a particular demographic, i.e., age, sex, and whatever else the advertisers are looking for.  You and I are not the favored demographic anymore (I'm 62) because we don't buy stuff like the 18-49 yr. old folks do.  So they're the target, and if they don't like quality, we don't get quality.

[Mojeaux]

This episode really bothered me for a couple of reasons:

1) Brockett's she's-a-bad-mother-for-letting-her-kid-play-in-the-street. No, she's not. Full stop. Forget the parks. Forget the no-green. How about people stop being busybodies about other people's kids and getting their boogymen from L&O SVU like they're real? Kids need room to play and freedom to grow. In some suburban neighborhoods (like mine) there are no sidewalks. And so...keep them in the house and drive them two doors up for their playdates? Get real. In today's era of getting in other people's business, it really made me mad. Somebody could have easily said, "The driver wasn't paying attention and it's all his fault." Nobody said that. Nobody said anything about the driver's liability. "But he just appeared out of nowhere." Right. That's what kids do. That's why you go slow and pay attention. Noooo, it's all on the mother.

2) The semi-happy-make-up ending of the girl and dad. Please. No. Like there was no followup last episode for the woman whose husband was abusing her, I cannot believe anybody that selfish (dad) would keep any promises he made to her like leaving her alone after it was all said and done. Get the liver, cut him off. He owed her.

I like seeing James as both an arrogant asshole and as a shy, confused, and uncertain man-child with a crush on a girl. Love it.

Edited November 21, 2016 by Mojeaux