S02.E07: Trial & Error

[Bort]

When patients from the hospital's prescription drug trial start suffering life threatening side effects, Nic fears that her sister Jessie may be in danger. As a result, she and Conrad work to convince Bell that these trials are not worth the risk. Meanwhile, Mina, Austin and Kit must set aside their competitive nature and work together on a patient whose health is quickly deteriorating and Devon uses Julian as the beta tester for a product he's designed.

Airdate: Monday, November 5, 2018

[Texasmom1970]

Devon if I could reach through the tv and smack the crap out of you!

Mina love her expressions when the patients wife hugged her!

[Jlina]

Honestly, Devon's girlfriend really grated on me this episode.  She's from the rich family, yes?  And she comes across as very dismissive of him.  I cannot even imagine trying to get through med school with an uncaring partner, who tells me they might move across the country but go have a fun bachelor party?  What?  The saleswoman is a predator, but the girlfriend is a spoiled princess who treats Devon about like she treats that dog, imo.  His device was pretty inventive, go Devon!  But then it was such an obvious plot ploy....boo, show.

Nice it wasn't so Conrad focused, and Austin actually made me smile with his honest caring.  The interactions were great, the story was heartbreaking, and Nic needs a break period.   Good thing the actress only does "intense," lol.

2 weeks from now looks good.

Edited November 6, 2018 by Jlina

[CarpeFelis]

Snorted when Mina introduced Conrad with a glowing recommendation... “oh, and this is  Dr. Austin”. The expression on her face when the wife hugged her at the end was priceless, and so was her “don’t call me Princess” to Austin. And I loved it when Austin told her she was a partner rather than a mentee. We need a Mina-centric episode!

So the guys ended up at the girls’ night... where the HELL was Priya??

Bell was actually likeable this episode, but I was a little disappointed he didn’t choke a bit on his drink when Voss suggested a high-end hooker. I keep wondering if or when that’ll come back to bite him.

[Happy Harpy]

There, they said it. Mina is a queen. Well, "the" queen. I'm loving her storyline right now, this is all I hoped for. She was such a boss from A to Z which makes this episode one of my fave. Mina is fabulous, Mina rules, Mina isn't perfect but gosh I love her so much.

I really loved all the friendships. Bell and Dr Nice Butcher, Austin and Mina (please don't ruin those two partnerships/friendships with romance...coming from a shipper by nature) Feldman and Dev and Conrad etc.

I'm still 100% Team Priya. She had her dream job offered to her and she didn't ask, she didn't even expect that Devon would drop his own career in order to follow her. She gave the info, let him time to digest it and said they would talk it out, which is the key in any mature couple relationship. She was enthusiastic about his device so, writers, it isn't forgetting it after she was showed hurriedly getting ready for work since the beginning of the scene and broaching an important subject, that will make me think less of her or root for Devon and the She-Raptor. One person getting a great job opportunity elsewhere is a common issue couples have to face, and although it was obviously chosen with that goal in mind, it doesn't excuse Devon playing with fire, kissing another woman...and still playing with fire, eyes wide opened on his attraction. Loved how Mina looked at him when they danced, I probably had the same expression in front of my screen.

Although they aren't completely destroying Priya, it's clear that the writers try to make the She-Raptor bright and shiny and sympathetic in comparison. She's suddenly soooo saintly, well, if you put aside her relationship with a man two weeks from his wedding, but maybe I'm supposed to find it cute? Nope. Not buying it. I'd believe her "it never happened" when she doesn't slow dance with an engaged guy she knows is attracted to her. For now at least, she's the bringer of soapy drama + the McGuffin in surgical cases and has no personality in any of those roles, so she's just bland or annoying.

On the other end of the spectrum, I love how Nic and Conrad are written and I'm so glad that it isn't the main couple  which goes through a soapy BS storyline. The writers and EVC's acting were quite understated when Nic was placed in a situation similar to what led to her mother's death and as often, I thought it gave it all more impact. It's nice to see a lead couple staying loving and supportive of each other.

Now I find Feldman and the nurse (Clarissa? Carissa?) a little bit cute. Surprise wedding or pregnancy is coming, isn't it?

The COTW were good. The doctor responsible for the drug trial reminded me of what someone in my family said during their cancer: "In the end, most of them treat you as a guinea pig, but if you want a treatment you have to accept it". I really liked how both shed a light on the family of sick people, and how illness or addiction affects thems, too. I loved how Nic wasn't all flowers and rainbows even when her sister thanked her for being here, and explained why she's overprotective...because she was always proved right to be. "You have to make better decisions" yes ! But can she?

I love when Bell, Nic and Conrad work together. I know Bell had probably only Chastain's interest and money in mind when he kicked the drug trial doctor out, but he looked so damn noble all of a sudden and I can't help but cheer when he uses his manipulative side for the good cause. I've seen how fake his dealing with family of dead patients is in S1, but he did look affected by this one. Maybe he was, re: Conrad's ominous look. Bruce Campbell is such a fantastic actor.

Edited November 6, 2018 by Happy Harpy

[Madding crowd]

I kept thinking medical device lady is going to steal Devon’s watch idea- just don’t trust her. I pretty much like everyone on this show and it is my favorite medical show right now. I like the way it shows the money making side of medicine. I do wonder about the Julian character; is it normal for her to be spending so much time at one hospital? Do hospital’s agree on using one product and the sales rep just hangs around like that?

[TVForever]

I'm glad the show has taken out the criminal element (Lane, although next weeks' previews suggest that maybe we haven't seen the last of her), and just allow Bell to be another arrogant doctor. I actually smiled when he told Conrad (who was in his usual know-it-all mode) to "try talking to him like someone who's been practicing medicine about as long as you've been alive." I like this show a lot, but Conrad and Nic have a way of acting like they're the only ones in the hospital who truly know medicine, who truly care about their patients, etc.

Like someone mentioned upthread, I like that this show at least gives mention to the business side of medicine. I appreciated Bell reminding Conrad that many of our medical advances come from drug trials just like this. Unfortunately, even though the show didn't state so explicitly (at least I don't think they did), it seemed to be implied that there was something shady or not quite right with this trial. I get that showing all the shades of gray may not work for the COTW format, but it can't be "Nic and Conrad are right, and everyone else is wrong" ALL the time, can it?

[izabella]

5 hours ago, TVForever said:

Like someone mentioned upthread, I like that this show at least gives mention to the business side of medicine. I appreciated Bell reminding Conrad that many of our medical advances come from drug trials just like this. Unfortunately, even though the show didn't state so explicitly (at least I don't think they did), it seemed to be implied that there was something shady or not quite right with this trial.

I don't think there was anything wrong with the trial - drugs don't always work, and many do have side effects.  It was, however, saying there was something wrong with the research scientist, who wasn't taking the side effects seriously enough and cared less about the humans who were suffering (and one who ultimately died) than about continuing the trial. 

[preeya]

1 hour ago, izabella said:

I don't think there was anything wrong with the trial - drugs don't always work, and many do have side effects.  It was, however, saying there was something wrong with the research scientist, who wasn't taking the side effects seriously enough and cared less about the humans who were suffering (and one who ultimately died) than about continuing the trial. 

 

If you've ever watched an ad for a relatively new drug; the list of side effects lasts about as long as the entire commercial.

[Efzee]

I kept waiting for it to be revealed that Nic's sister whose name I can't be bothered to remember and her AA friend had relapsed and their drug abuse interfered with the drug trial. 

1 minute ago, preeya said:

If you've ever watched an ad for a relatively new drug; the list of side effects lasts about as long as the entire commercial.

In most countries in the developed world there are no ads for drugs, new or old.

[preeya]

29 minutes ago, Efzee said:

I kept waiting for it to be revealed that Nic's sister whose name I can't be bothered to remember and her AA friend had relapsed and their drug abuse interfered with the drug trial. 

In most countries in the developed world there are no ads for drugs, new or old.

1

Have you ever watched the Game Show Network? Every commercial break is prescrition drug related.

[Efzee]

12 hours ago, preeya said:

Have you ever watched the Game Show Network? Every commercial break is prescrition drug related.

No, I don't think we get that in my country. But even if we do, I don't have a TV, so...

[Mellowyellow]

"I like you, even though you are a bit of a bastard" by Dr Voss sums up my feelings for Bell perfectly. I really appreciate the way they've written him (kudos to Bruce Greenwood for doing a brilliant job). He may be "the hands of death and destruction" but he's so much more than that and this episode showed why he's an asset to the hospital. It wasn't heavy handed but I loved the way he handled things for the younguns (Nic and Conrad) and although Conrad made the right call, Bell was there to deal with the drug trial guy. I also liked the pep talk he tried to give Conrad. I usually think Bell is shady but I don't always disagree with him and I love that.

hehe glad the show acknowledged that Mina is the Queen. LOVED her face when Austin touched her and when the patient's wife hugged her. I was barely familiar with Earnest or the wife but cried over this storyline (reason number 23456 why I love this show! They make me care!). It was really sweet and I am so glad they didn't kill Earnest! I like the direction they are headed with Mina. They've set her up as an excellent surgeon and I like that they're continuing with this path and the writing has remained consistent in terms of her skill level and personality in this episode. I was worried at the beginning of the season.

The ONLY good thing about the Devon storyline was that I got to see the cast do a Bollywood dance and Mina's "WTF" faces whenever she witnesses the shenanigans between Devon and Shady Medical Device Lady.

Devon honey I'm so sorry you drew the short stick and got the crappy cheating storyline that's OOC for you! 

I shouldn't whinge! It's an excellent show and that's the only glitch in it for me.

[sempervivum]

On ‎11‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 7:12 AM, CarpeFelis said:

Bell was actually likeable this episode, but I was a little disappointed he didn’t choke a bit on his drink when Voss suggested a high-end hooker.

I wondered about this. Last week someone on here suggested that the woman he hooked up with was a pro, and his reaction to Voss's comment seems to confirm this. I assumed he was on Tinder or some such, simply because the woman he ended up with looked way too old to be a high end hooker.

I would be OK with Jessie (drug addict sister) disappearing from the plot line.

[TVForever]

34 minutes ago, sempervivum said:

I wondered about this. Last week someone on here suggested that the woman he hooked up with was a pro, and his reaction to Voss's comment seems to confirm this. I assumed he was on Tinder or some such, simply because the woman he ended up with looked way too old to be a high end hooker.

I would be OK with Jessie (drug addict sister) disappearing from the plot line.

There were two separate incidents. He got arrested for trying to pick up a hooker( a Lane lookalike) who turned out to be an undercover cop. His savvy lawyer managed to keep him from getting into real trouble with the medical board on that one. 

There was an attractive middle-aged woman that he did hook up with, who turned out to be the mother(!) of his ridiculous young assistant. The assistant put them together, but Bell didn't realize she was the kid's mother. That was actually kind of funny.

[sempervivum]

3 minutes ago, TVForever said:

There were two separate incidents. He got arrested for trying to pick up a hooker( a Lane lookalike) who turned out to be an undercover cop. His savvy lawyer managed to keep him from getting into real trouble with the medical board on that one. 

Huh, I must have missed an episode (or fallen asleep during one I watched).

[luvapickle]

On ‎11‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 7:21 AM, Happy Harpy said:

There, they said it. Mina is a queen. Well, "the" queen. I'm loving her storyline right now, this is all I hoped for. She was such a boss from A to Z which makes this episode one of my fave. Mina is fabulous, Mina rules, Mina isn't perfect but gosh I love her so much.

I really loved all the friendships. Bell and Dr Nice Butcher, Austin and Mina (please don't ruin those two partnerships/friendships with romance...coming from a shipper by nature) Feldman and Dev and Conrad etc.

I'm still 100% Team Priya. She had her dream job offered to her and she didn't ask, she didn't even expect that Devon would drop his own career in order to follow her. She gave the info, let him time to digest it and said they would talk it out, which is the key in any mature couple relationship. She was enthusiastic about his device so, writers, it isn't forgetting it after she was showed hurriedly getting ready for work since the beginning of the scene and broaching an important subject, that will make me think less of her or root for Devon and the She-Raptor. One person getting a great job opportunity elsewhere is a common issue couples have to face, and although it was obviously chosen with that goal in mind, it doesn't excuse Devon playing with fire, kissing another woman...and still playing with fire, eyes wide opened on his attraction. Loved how Mina looked at him when they danced, I probably had the same expression in front of my screen.

Although they aren't completely destroying Priya, it's clear that the writers try to make the She-Raptor bright and shiny and sympathetic in comparison. She's suddenly soooo saintly, well, if you put aside her relationship with a man two weeks from his wedding, but maybe I'm supposed to find it cute? Nope. Not buying it. I'd believe her "it never happened" when she doesn't slow dance with an engaged guy she knows is attracted to her. For now at least, she's the bringer of soapy drama + the McGuffin in surgical cases and has no personality in any of those roles, so she's just bland or annoying.

On the other end of the spectrum, I love how Nic and Conrad are written and I'm so glad that it isn't the main couple  which goes through a soapy BS storyline. The writers and EVC's acting were quite understated when Nic was placed in a situation similar to what led to her mother's death and as often, I thought it gave it all more impact. It's nice to see a lead couple staying loving and supportive of each other.

Now I find Feldman and the nurse (Clarissa? Carissa?) a little bit cute. Surprise wedding or pregnancy is coming, isn't it?

The COTW were good. The doctor responsible for the drug trial reminded me of what someone in my family said during their cancer: "In the end, most of them treat you as a guinea pig, but if you want a treatment you have to accept it". I really liked how both shed a light on the family of sick people, and how illness or addiction affects thems, too. I loved how Nic wasn't all flowers and rainbows even when her sister thanked her for being here, and explained why she's overprotective...because she was always proved right to be. "You have to make better decisions" yes ! But can she?

I love when Bell, Nic and Conrad work together. I know Bell had probably only Chastain's interest and money in mind when he kicked the drug trial doctor out, but he looked so damn noble all of a sudden and I can't help but cheer when he uses his manipulative side for the good cause. I've seen how fake his dealing with family of dead patients is in S1, but he did look affected by this one. Maybe he was, re: Conrad's ominous look. Bruce Campbell is such a fantastic actor.

Dr. Nice Butcher-I like that one!

It's Bruce Greenwood. Bruce Campbell I could see as a doctor who butchers.....

[Driad]

What was Mina's costume?  Guessing it was a character from a movie that everyone except me has seen.

[Happy Harpy]

2 hours ago, luvapickle said:

It's Bruce Greenwood. Bruce Campbell I could see as a doctor who butchers.....

Oops! Indeed :))

[twoods]

This show continues to make me care about the patients, even if we’ve seen them in a short period of time. Nic’s sister’s friend and then the lovely couple. I can’t imagine how exhausting it is to be a caretaker, but her husband seems like such a great guy. Too bad the friend died. 

Mina is awesome.

Damn it Devon! I literally gasped when he kissed the rep. 

[torqy]

On 11/9/2018 at 3:43 PM, twoods said:

 I can’t imagine how exhausting it is to be a caretaker, but her husband seems like such a great guy. 

 

I am a caregiver for Mrs. Torqy. Barbecue Man's wife nailed it quite well. I wanted to reach into the screen and give her a hug.

[cathmed]

Simply despised the kiss between Devin and Julian although I could see it coming.   This doesn't make any sense and yes, it also totally out of character for him which make is creepy and not interesting at all, imo.    He and his fiance (Priya) seemed to be happy (she really hasn't been in many episodes) but has helped and supported him when needed (specifically, the Lane incident with the "hypochondriac" patient).   Now, they're having problems and she's issuing his an "ultimatum" about relo??  And as another poster said, why wasn't she at the party?   Looks like she may be getting written out--so Devin can fully pursue Julian?   He'll end up losing both.

Bell - why are they trying to make him such a congenial and considerate guy suddenly?  Totally OOC (such a departure from his initial character/behavior.  Unsure if they're really tying to show "depth of character" or if he'll return to his "known" omnipotent self?)   They all know hims as HODAD and his devious ways but curiously, they've seems to have forgotten that.   And now a love interest with Jane Leeves (Dr. Voss?).  Has he met his match?    Why even bring Lane back for an episode or two (she has been written out from what I have read).

I do like Mina and Dr. Austin together (they are equal partners and have a mutual respect--just don't "damage" the relationship should they get together).  I also enjoy the great, professional  banter and chemistry among the three (can't think of the other woman surgeon's name).

Liking that Connic 's  staying the steady course - just don't fiddle too much with their relationship (writers).    BTW, when will we find out what really happened with Conrad's mother's death.

[MoreCoffeePlease]

Does anyone watch 911 in addition to this show? 911 also had a karaoke scene where they sang "Islands in the Stream". Apparently the network is too cheap to spend the money to get the rights to more than one song.

Loved the Bollywood dance. I wonder how long it took the cast to learn it.

[breezy424]

Do medical sale reps actually stand in and witness surgeries?  Just kind of creepy. 

I liked the whole testing drugs dilemma subject.  It's a huge subject. 

Yep.  Mina is awesome.  But she does need some people skills.  I would hate her if I were her patient.  If you know what I mean.  

[Catfi9ht]

On 11/16/2018 at 11:37 PM, breezy424 said:

Do medical sale reps actually stand in and witness surgeries?  Just kind of creepy. 

My thoughts exactly. I'm not a fan of the character. It seems like she has alot of highly advanced medical knowledge magically somehow, and they've shoe-horned her in with the cast in order to force the love triangle. I think it's gross how intimately they were dancing in front of everyone at the bar. Although it looks like Mina is gearing up to say something, which will hopefully, finally force Devin to get his head out of his butt.

I didn't like how season 2 was setup initially. I still continue to hate the Priya/Devin/Julian love triangle.

However, this episode has turned me around. I really like how Austin and Bell have been given depth of character instead of being one-dimensional megalomaniacs. Austin is actually trying to teach Mina something that will make her a better doctor and Bell isn't so money hungry that he's still willing to protect patients.

This episode has been my favorite of the season so far. I love when the cast brings their unique skill sets together to accomplish something meaningful. I wish more dramas focused on those types of interactions than backstabbing and betrayal. I hope they continue the trend!

[Ceindreadh]

Conrad is starting to annoy me to the point where I almost wished it had been sepsis rather than the drug causing the illness just to prove him wrong for a change.

The drug trial guy was a bit of a dick, but Conrad gave me the impression that it wouldn't have mattered how nice or nasty the guy was, Conrad still wouldn't have wanted to have the trials at Chastain.   And seriously, does he not know that pretty near every drug he prescribes has had to go through similar trials? 

What would he prefer, for drugs to be cleared for use without adequate testing, like, I don't know, that replacement hip that nearly killed his other patient?