S01.E08: Family Affair

[Bort]

Much to Bell's dismay, Nic and Conrad decide to admit a homeless Jane Doe, whom they suspect was dumped off by another hospital during Chastain's big Charity Ball. Elsewhere in the hospital, Devon and Irving care for a male escort who offers surprisingly good advice, Micah returns for a checkup and falls even harder for Mina, and Devon's parents are in town.

[Happy Harpy]

It bears repeating, I love Mina. "I'm here because I'm black", calling out the hypocrisy, and wow, did she get her supermodel on indeed. I think she should stick to her policy and not do patients, but I admit it, Micah is quite cute. (Mina, don't cut any wire, OK?)

For me, the show is at its best when the good guys and Team Shady are manipulating each other. And I enjoyed the hell out of Bell manipulating the other shady hospital director. I was cheering, actually. Lane came off much more predatory than Bell, once again. I really wonder what her deal is, or if there's a deal.

Nic and Conrad work great as partners in crime for the good cause. When they look in the same direction, I can see how they can work as a couple and it makes me root for them more than sudden make-out sessions like in the pilot. I'm not shipping them yet, but I can see myself go there.  Conrad is definitely growing on me. It was nice how he covered for Dev's parents, and it was nice how the writers don't need to draw attention on his good deeds anymore.

Same, they didn't take advantage of the fundraiser to put everyone in a tux or evening dress, but only those who had a point being there.

It was nice that Dev got more character development. It's always a tricky ground, but after I was wary of a cliché galore. I liked how they dealt with his cultural background. It isn't the only thing that defines him, no token here, but the writers don't pretend that his background doesn't exist either (same for Mina). At the same time, they chose an angle that went beyond one community and could apply to any generation who made a big jump on the social ladder or saw significant change in society compared to their parents. I found Dev's feelings for his parents and his reactions realistic and easy to empathize with. He loves them, at times he's annoyed or embarrassed by them, sometimes he's right to be and sometimes he's hard on them. But in the end, I liked how he wanted his Dad to be proud of himself and how thankful he was to him.

Feldman was back in style. Yay!

The big case was definitely emotional, but all the shenanigans before and the last zinger spared me a saccharine overdose. I found both guest actors very good and both cases more interesting than your usual POTW. I'd like to see continuity here, too, if the show lasts (the painting promised, for example). 

Edited March 20, 2018 by Happy Harpy

[rhys]

The escort reminded me of one of the Queer Eye For the Straight Guys. At least I think that was the show. Plus he also resembled the doc who worked on him.

[izabella]

I really liked this episode!  Everything about Mina is awesome, and she made me laugh at the matter-of-fact way she explained she was at the fundraiser because, "I'm black."

It was also a great contrast between Nic and Conrad, who wanted to help the patient even - or especially - when they thought she was a homeless patient dumped by another hospital, and Bell, who wanted her GONE until he found out she came from a wealthy family.  Not a surprise, not even subtle, but just truth.

I was very surprised Lane was not a bitch to Dev's parents, though.  I thought she'd get all pissy once she found out they were not moneybags donors.

5 hours ago, Happy Harpy said:

I found Dev's feelings for his parents and his reactions realistic and easy to empathize with. He loves them, at times he's annoyed or embarrassed by them, sometimes he's right to be and sometimes he's hard on them. But in the end, I liked how he wanted his Dad to be proud of himself and how thankful he was to him.

Dev's story with his parents was well-done.  I can understand his desire to also protect his parents from others who would look down on his family and dad for driving a taxi. 

I am really liking this show, and am so glad I started watching it.

Edited March 20, 2018 by izabella

[SimoneS]

Last night was the second episode of this show that I watched. I cannot get over Emily VanCamp, IMO a mediocre actress, who had her own series and a prominent role in the Marvel movies is playing second fiddler to the Gilmore Girls guy who can barely act. Oh well. 

[notcreative enough]

Thank God the homeless woman was secretly comes from a rich family. I would have been more impressed if Conrad thanked Bell for helping with a poor woman and not a money bag. 

Were we supposed to think Bell was an a-hole for a busting out the antibacterial soap because I would do that too. I don't like touching people.

Devin had me worried he was such a dick to his parents if he didn't pull it together in the end I don't think I would have liked him anymore. His mom's face was so sad.

[thuganomics85]

Enjoyed seeing Devon's parents and seeing more of that relationship.  Great casting too: Brian George is one of those actors who has appeared in a lot of stuff, and Zenobia Shroff was excellent as Kumajl's mom in The Big Sick.

I'm not sure what made me laugh harder: Mina actually saying "I'm here because I'm black" line, or Bell's reaction after the fact.  And she dropped a random Idi Amin reference.  Mina is the best.  And her and Micah would actually be kind of fun.

I kind of want them to find a way to have the Helpful Gigalo (err, I mean Male Escort) pop in from time to time.

I figured they would find some way to make Bell eat his words with the homeless patient, so I wasn't surprised when it turned out that she was actually the daughter of a wealthy family.  Still, it was fun watching Conrad and Nic team up and be on the same page.

[Lady Calypso]

I really enjoyed the Devon subplot, because it showcased some of his best and worst qualities all in one. I appreciate that this show isn't afraid to show their main characters as in the wrong or complete dicks sometimes. Devon's behaviour toward his parents was pretty cruel, and I felt so bad for them when Devon kept dismissing them in a very curt manner. Yet, I totally, totally get it. Plus, his reasoning for being the way he was made sense, and he came around to apologize. It was a fascinating subplot to watch. He has a good relationship with his parents, but even he has his limits and can act badly toward them. The fact that he wanted to protect his family due to what his dad did for a living was very endearing. This is why Devon is my favourite character by far. 

So, Mina might have a love interest in cutie Micah. I'll admit, I'm not always fond of guys pushing themselves onto women like Micah was kind of doing, but Mina didn't take it all that much and Micah also didn't press too hard. However, because this is a medical drama and because he's a heart patient, I only expect it to end in death. However, I hope Mina gets some before he does die, because they had some really strong scenes and Micah was still fairly charming. 

So, we have recurring characters. I need Male Escort to be around more often. He was great in helping Feldman as well as Devon. I thought he was utterly charming, and I recognize the actor from some other shows.

Bell's an interesting character, that's for sure. It's not surprising that the mere mention of money got him to shift gears as quickly as he wiped his hands down after touching the homeless woman. Of course, she ended up being rich so that gave Bell the motivation to give it to the hospital who dumped her there. His motivations are purely selfish, so if Bell's going to remain a main character, I need him knocked down several pegs. I think, with his tremors, he needs to be taken off surgery. That might actually make him change. 

On 20/03/2018 at 10:57 PM, notcreative enough said:

Were we supposed to think Bell was an a-hole for a busting out the antibacterial soap because I would do that too. I don't like touching people.

For me, it was more that he did it because of his prejudices toward the homeless. He's never done that before after touching any other patient. But doing that after touching a homeless woman made it clear that he does have prejudices with people who are not of his class, or even a middle class. Which, you know, if he needs to sanitize his hands, fine, but it wasn't due to him having OCD or germaphobia. So, it was still kind of a dickish move for me. If he sanitized his hands after touching everyone, then fine.

Conrad and Nic are working slightly better for me, in the sense that I like their friendship a lot. I appreciate that we got thrown into the middle of their roller coaster relationship, but I also appreciate the build-up here, and that they're not just making out every episode or fumbling to define their relationship. This episode was more about how they work as colleagues and friends, so it allowed for their romance down the line to be more acceptable for me. 

[MsTree]

On ‎3‎/‎20‎/‎2018 at 1:23 PM, rhys said:

The escort reminded me of one of the Queer Eye For the Straight Guys. At least I think that was the show. Plus he also resembled the doc who worked on him.

That's because it WAS him...Jai Rodriquez.  Would love to see him stick around a bit.

[MoreCoffeePlease]

Jai Rodriquez ... a cutie patootie for sure.  Auggh ... the eye stuff!  CANNOT watch that stuff. 

This was actually my favorite episode. I think the cast works together well. I really enjoy the ER doc with the beard too.

[alegtostandon]

I was waiting for Devon's dad to mention his other son Raj! Brian George plays his dad in Big Bang Theory

[auntiemel]

The rich girl's story reminded me of Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan.

* edited because I spelled her name 20 kinds of wrong.

Edited March 28, 2018 by auntiemel

[Mellowyellow]

That was an excellent episode! I enjoyed every aspect of it: Mina's date, Devon and his parents, the charming male gigolo (agree with those of you who say they need to keep him and have him come back again!) and most of all Bell working with together with Nic and Conrad albeit for completely different reasons.

I enjoy watching Bell so much I feel kinda bad about it! I know he's a horrible person but there is something about the way he's written and portrayed that makes him so interesting and watchable. I find myself wondering if he was ever decent and could he ever become a bit more decent.

I don't ship Nic and Conrad but I really enjoy their friendship. I really like that they resolved the thing with the friend and made them pretty drama free the last two eps. I was dreading the endless relationship angst and drama but the show proved me wrong. I am quite content with wherever they take the relationship if they keep writing it well like this.

Edited March 28, 2018 by Mellowyellow

[Lyanna19]

Ok I don't get it, why did that other hospital drop Sara of at this one? Didn't they know who she was? 

[Ceindreadh]

On 29/3/2018 at 6:35 AM, Lyanna19 said:

Ok I don't get it, why did that other hospital drop Sara of at this one? Didn't they know who she was? 

No they didn’t. They saw that she had no ID, assumed that she was homeless and had no insurance so they dumped her. 

If Mina hadn’t happened to recognize the provenance of the bag, nobody at Chastain would have figured it out either.