S01.E04: Not Your Grandmother's Robotic Surgery

[formerlyfreedom]

When James' beloved elementary school teacher is diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, he tries to employ a risky robotic surgery to save her, an approach with which Walter disagrees. Also, a military veteran blinded in combat and riddled with guilt refuses Zoe and Talikha's high-tech treatment that could restore his vision.

[DrScottie]

Yet another adventure in Scorpion meets Royal Pains meets the Great Indoors (for as long as that lasts).  

Brilliant genius with a difficulty dealing with his emotions and a lady he's fallen for all inside a hospital that solves everyone's medical issues complete with Dr. Divya Katdare and a bunch of millennials who are insulted by antiquated concepts like paper and desks. 

This week they made Geordi's VISOR from Star Trek: The Next Generation. I'm kind of surprised that Natalie allowed Dr. Brockett to stay in the room when her husband was regaining his eyesight considering the insecurities she felt. What if he looked to his left and saw Zoe first?  

So, the trial run of the robots failed yet they are still prepping Mrs. Gardner for surgery? Sure, let's get the lighting guy from Phish to fix our problem and hope for the best.  I'm a research scientist, not a medical doctor, but that just seems absolutely crazy to me. 

How long before W hooks up with Divya (Dr. Talikha)? 

We aren't quite as preposterous as Scorpion yet, but give it time and it will be. 

Edited November 18, 2016 by DrScottie

[Netfoot]

19 minutes ago, DrScottie said:

This week they made Geordi's VISOR from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

I was coming here to say that!

And they cured cancer, too.

Previously, I decided this was a pile of crap, and that I was done with it.  But I forgot to remove it from my list, and ended up with another episode on my hard drive to watch.  Giving it another chance, I've realized that I was only partially right before.  It isn't a pile of crap.  It's an Everest-sized mountain of crap, and I'm definitely done this time!

And I still maintain that nobody could work for that asshole.

[DrScottie]

34 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

And I still maintain that nobody could work for that asshole.

Walter O'Brien's closest friends work for him and he routinely puts them in harms way in situations far more precarious than those at Bunker Hill. He could also be deemed an genius asshole and yet they still work for him. James Bell probably pays them a big salary too. Leroy Jethro Gibbs can also be a complete tool and yet the NCIS agents still work for him. Maybe it's just a thing with CBS dramas. 

39 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

And they cured cancer, too.

While I see your point, as a cancer survivor, cured is a bit of stretch. In my assessment, she's no longer terminal. What they did do was to remove enough of the tumor burden such that she now has more options available to her than she did before. It was still way over the top. 

[Netfoot]

8 hours ago, DrScottie said:

Walter O'Brien's closest friends work for him and he routinely puts them in harms way in situations far more precarious than those at Bunker Hill. He could also be deemed an genius asshole and yet they still work for him. James Bell probably pays them a big salary too. Leroy Jethro Gibbs can also be a complete tool and yet the NCIS agents still work for him. Maybe it's just a thing with CBS dramas. 

It is a meme in the TV industry, that your lead character can be an insufferable asshole, and so long as they're competent, their antisocial behaviour will be tolerated.  This may have worked for Gregory House, but I'm tired of it popping up in show after show after show.  To me, insufferable means exactly that.  I don't know how they expect me to believe that the head of surgery (medicine?  Whatever.) is OK with an unqualified web-page designer dictating the course of treatment for critical patients, counselling them on their options, and generally ignoring all advice from the trained doctors on staff.  The fact that the writers can wave the It-Worked-So-It-Is-All-Right-After-All stick at the script every episode doesn't make it any more believable than entertaining.  

I was being facetious with my cancer-cure remark.  Next week, they will restore youth and vigour to an octogenarian by rewriting the JavaScript code in their DNA helix!  Thus curing old-age and death.  But I won't be watching.  Really.

[paigow]

Was this aired out of sequence?? I heard Faux.Kerberg ask W "How was your first week?"

[Blergh]

OK, while the technical mumbo jumbo seemed out of the Astral Annie zone, I did like the ethical issues of survivor's guilt as well as how obvious James was overstepping his bounds. Not that I want it to be an endless veil of tears but I'd like it if every so often a proposed procedure didn't quite go right just so the audience has an idea that the risk could backfire. I mean even Perry Mason LOST a case.  Also, as well intentioned as James and his wannabee flame were, why hasn't anyone mentioned HIPAA laws re contacting kin and loved ones without the patient's express permission or even a reason why they wouldn't apply in this center.

[Dowel Jones]

1 hour ago, Blergh said:

I'd like it if every so often a proposed procedure didn't quite go right just so the audience has an idea that the risk could backfire.

Yeah, what's wrong with having a math teacher with a nickname of Dragon Lady, anyway?  Let's go for some realism!

Is there a separate part of the hospital where the human drones do all the scut work of billing the insurance companies and such?

23 hours ago, DrScottie said:

What if he looked to his left and saw Zoe first?  

I'm going to hell for this, but I was channeling Blazing Saddles so hard....

[Finagler]

On 11/18/2016 at 1:41 PM, paigow said:

Was this aired out of sequence?? I heard Faux.Kerberg ask W "How was your first week?"

I was thinking the same thing.  I double checked the episode number- 4, and thought this should have been episode 2.  There is no way they would have had that much excitement in his first week- blind guy, cancer teacher, pregnant abused woman, old guy dying from an incurable disease, priest doctor... I'm sure I'm missing a few cases, but between the first episode and this one, it has to have been one looooong week, if this was his first week.   :P 

[Shannon L.]

On 11/18/2016 at 6:51 PM, Blergh said:

Not that I want it to be an endless veil of tears but I'd like it if every so often a proposed procedure didn't quite go right just so the audience has an idea that the risk could backfire.

I said at the end of the last episode that there is no drama in the show.  Sadly, someone needs to die on occasion.

What missed opportunity they had with this teacher!  James needs to be put into his place, kindly if possible, because even though he's an ass to work for, he obviously means well, and the teacher could have done that for him.  To refuse treatment with a "I've lived my life and it's been wonderful...etc, etc,..." talk would have worked well here.  Even if it would have had some of us crying, which leads me one positive about this show:  Augustus Prew.  You may disagree with me, but in the moments when he was sitting on his teacher's bed and interacting with the patient who has the same disease,  I thought that he was a great actor for this role.  He's found the right blend of spoiled, compassionate, fearful for his future, love, stubbornness......I think he does really well in the part.  The one who I think is miscast is  Dr. Brockett.  Her "mom issues" discussion with James, could have been better, even if it was badly written (imo).

I felt like something was off in this episode and it didn't occur to me that it may have been played out of order.

[paigow]

CBS just wanted to reincarnate "Touched By An Angel" .... "Touched By A Billionaire"

[Mojeaux]

I’ve given this longer than normal for a new series, but I’m breaking up with it. Show, it’s not me. It’s you.

First it was “Parents who let their kids play in the street are BAD.”

Now it’s that they never fail. On a 24-hour turnaround time.

ETA: Also, scenery chewing.

Edited November 24, 2016 by Mojeaux

[Rae Spellman]

On 11/17/2016 at 9:20 PM, DrScottie said:

This week they made Geordi's VISOR from Star Trek: The Next Generation. I'm kind of surprised that Natalie allowed Dr. Brockett to stay in the room when her husband was regaining his eyesight considering the insecurities she felt. What if he looked to his left and saw Zoe first?  

Maybe Natalie wasn't worried that her husband would leave her for the first attractive white woman that he saw. Just slighly nervous about the remote possiblity that once he was able to see again that he might prefer eventually someone who looked more like  the two women he dated before her.