Miami Medical - Down to the Bone, S01E12

With only one episode remaining, I just have to say that it SUCKS that this show hasn't been picked up. It makes me laugh and smile, and then in makes me cringe. I care about the victims and I want them to live, but the task of saving them is made difficult enough that I don't feel that their survival is a given, and, in some episodes, it is not.

For instance, after Proctor (Jeremy Northam) saved the life of a man in this week's episode, we know that that same man is going to continue welding, a practice which is slowly poisoning him to death. Apparently they thought his father had Parkinson's disease, but instead had the same thing he now has, but he's going to continue in that line of work and allow himself to deteriorate with Parkinson's-like symptoms. Now that is heavy!

Meanwhile, you have Dr. C (Mike Vogel) acting against orders, descending into an unstable sinkhole to amputate a man's leg so that he can be saved. Chris has a mad saviour complex to be doing what he did, not only going in there in the first place, but staying after he broke his wrist because he knew if he left the man he was attending would die. When he cut the rope the search and rescue team had attached to him so that they couldn't pull him up, I was both joyous and terrified at the risk.

All I can say is that next week, in the finale, we better get something happening between Chris and Eva (Lana Parrilla) which is more than just fantastic chemistry. I am always one for advocating that a man and a woman can be friends without there being anything more there, but it is SO obvious that both Chris and Eva are in love with each other that I will simply argue my point about Eva and Proctor, or Serena (Elisabeth Harnois) and Chris.

That said, if I ever end up dying in a sink hole, I want Dr. Chris Deleo to come save me, and possibly marry me too. You?

Miami Medical - Time of Death, S01E11

What a perfect title for this episode. On one side, it refers to the time of death of one of the patients who died, and on the other, the point at which the relationships of some of the other characters ended. It was, actually, one of the more depressing episodes of the show, although it was done very well. Again, I lament that it was cancelled as it is the only medical drama to catch my interest in some time.

When the episode started, and we met the two sweet teenagers who were lifeguards, you immediately sensed the strong connection between them. Twins, born only a few minutes apart, and obviously very close. They saved a man who was drowning only to be plowed over several moments later by the speed boat he and his girlfriend had just been thrown out of. You have to wonder what sort of criteria they have for renting out the boats.

Unfortunately, the sister never regained a heart beat after the accident and was Serena (Elisabeth Harnois)'s first time of death. What a heart breaking thing. And literally, it was heart breaking. Her brother ended up suffering from broken heart syndrome, so grief-stricken by her death that he was physically affected. As much as I have been requesting fatalities, as it is impossible to avoid them in a trauma centre, I could have managed without this one.

On the happier side of things, the man who was the original victim was fine, but his girlfriend was paralyzed. So not so much happier. Her husband, soon to be ex, showed up as well, and when the boyfriend freaked out and took off because he could not deal with the possibility of wheelchairs, the husband stood by to learn that she would recover full mobility. I can't say whether their relationship will be able to recover, but he was there for her even in the face of crippling disability.

Finally, Rick Deleo (Bailey Chase) showed up to make his young brother, Chris (Mike Vogel) suffer a bit. He hit on Eva (Lana Parrilla), which naturally upset Chris. The two may be very good friends, and I am usually a fan of a man and a woman being friends without it needing to be romantic, but these two are clearly in love with each other and I wish the series was going to be around long enough for us to watch that play out.

Rick, it turns out, has kidney cancer, which is going to be a horrible challenge, but he refused to tell Chris about it, wanting to really be the big brother for once. Funny despite all the tension between the two, they really loved each other. But isn't that they way it is between siblings?

Good episode, good series, and a shame that it won't continue. If it did, what are some of the things you would want to see develop?

Miami Medical - Diver Down, S01E10

Although this episode is #10, it clearly was originally intended for earlier in the season. I guess that's why it felt like Tuck (Omar Gooding)'s attack happened so quickly - because some of that time was taken away when the series was reduced to 8 episodes. It's a shame; it was a good episode which showed Serena (Elizabeth Harnois) handling herself well in an unexpected scenario.

I am not a fan of water. I am even less a fan of drowning, so the first few minutes of the episode, when some divers when underwater clearly fated for some dramatic event sure to land them in trauma, I was disturbed and upset. Let's just say that Serena's reaction to being enclosed in a small room would be similar to mine if I was in that same closed room while it filled up with water. I was just glad that we had injuries, rather than drowning victims needing resuscitation.

Of the 4 involved in the accident, only one of them ended up with the bends, a sickness caused by ascending from a deep pool of water too quickly. The surgeons, however, believed that 2 did. This left Serena alone in a decompression tank with a patient recovering from the bends and another quickly deteriorating. Turns out that victim got tetanus from a dirty needle. I don't know why people think it's a good idea to get piercings or tattoos when they are on vacation - if you wouldn't walk into a sketchy tattoo parlor in your own city, don't walk into a sketchy place anywhere in the world. It's not worth it.

The part I liked best about the episode was that it was actually quite an advertisement for marriage. 2 of the victims were a couple - the chick with tetanus and a guy who had something embedded in his arm. When the young lady's situation was starting to look bleak, Eva (Lana Parrilla) had to ask the young man about his fiancée's next of kin. Despite the fact that the couple had been engaged for over 6 years, they were not married and therefore he had no legal rights to make decisions for her. I'm not sure what the laws about common law marriage in the states are, but if that situation is possible, I say that there is more reason than having kids or a desire for a big wedding to tie the knot.

With only 3 unviewed episodes left, I again indicate that I am quite sad that Miami Medical wasn't a greater hit, but I guess that's what happens when you pick Friday night to air a program.

Miami Medical - Like a Hurricane, S01E09

We have entered into the bonus round. Although Miami Medical was cancelled and its eighth episode became the season and series finale, the 5 other episodes which had already been filmed get to air this June. So if you were a fan and are disappointed that it was cancelled, at least you get a little more than you might have.

In this episode, a hurricane threatens Miami. We didn't actually have any trauma related to the weather - instead a van plunged through a deserted park and crashed into a car, sending it flying into another vehicle containing a family. The family in the first vehicle were dead at the scene, but the parents and children in the second car, who had just let the first car pull ahead of them, were able to be rushed to the hospital.

I'm actually a little disappointed that we did not have a higher death count. Yes, everyone in that first vehicle died, but that was at the scene. We have few patient deaths, most of which happen because the team was not able to help them out soon enough. The odds that exist in this trauma wing doubtfully represent those of a true medical facility. Still, who wants to see a show that's overly depressing?

The real challenge of the episode was for Chris (Mike Vogel). He clearly has issues with drunk drivers, and the driver of the van that caused the entire incident was easily believed to be one of them. Strangely, he had no alcohol or drugs in his system. Once Chris realized this, both out of guilt for having judged the man and out of a desire to answer the question of why the accident happened, he searched for the cause. It turned out that the driver had a heart condition of some kind which essentially gave him a heart attack and caused him to pass out, faint, at the wheel.

It's interesting to consider how great the stigma against drunk driving has gotten, although clearly, if this case is the norm, the assumption that someone who causes an accident is drunk may also have grown to prevalent. Can you imagine waking up after a medical condition caused you to faint, and have people calling you a murderer? So many of us get behind the wheel of a car every day, we could easily get into accidents that resemble DUI incidents without that actually being the case.

Only 4 more episode of Miami Medical left. Don't miss out.

Miami Medical - An Arm and a Leg, S01E08 - Season Finale

In the episode technically considered the series finale, we started with an alligator attack, added a dose of flesh-eating disease, spiced things up with some romance, came back to reality with a death, and concluded dancing and drinking in a parking lot while listening to the Black Eyed Peas.

Of all the medical dramas which aired this season, Miami Medical was definitely the best. While the series did not catch hold of an audience large enough to earn a renewal, the actors have all had the chance to prove themselves to be capable, and hopefully more will be coming their way in the future. I would definitely be willing to check out some other show knowing that any of the team of doctors were to be found in the cast.

As for this episode, as a finale, having a good time with friends and feeling hope and love despite the hard work that is trying to save lives every day, and not always succeeding, is a lovely place to stop. I will be saddened if by the end of the 5 episodes which remain to be aired we are left with a more depressing cliffhanger. A party in the face of defeat is charming and pleasant.

I could talk about the choice made by an 18 year old girl to give up the dream she's had since she was 10 so that she could live. After all, by the time she's 26, she can have had another dream and still have an easy 50 years to fulfill it. Perhaps when I was 18, there was nothing I wanted quite that badly. Perhaps, despite the belief in my own immortality that I shared with all 18 year olds, I still feared the possibility of death, if someone threatened me with it. I cannot say.

But I will finish that thought, and instead congratulate Miami Medical for a job well done, despite its lack of renewal. No new medical drama made it this year; I'd say you are in good company, but I only watched the pilots of the other 3 before giving up on them, while I stuck with you.

Miami Medical - Man on the Road, S01E07

Despite Miami Medical being cancelled, it will get a second season. Confused? Well, 13 episodes were filmed. 8 of those will consist of the first season, concluding on May 21. The final 5 will be aired as a second season, between June 4 and July 2. So we get 13 episodes in total, but 2 seasons, and no more than that because it was cancelled.

I'm actually quite disappointed that it was cancelled. It was definitely the best new medical drama to be aired this season. Then again, Mercy, Trauma, and Three Rivers were also cancelled, so calling it the best can be accurate without earning it a renewal.

This episode was yet another example of good television, focusing mainly on the medical ethics to be considered in the case of a DNR wish.

When a motorcycle accident victim is brought into the OR, Dr. Proctor (Jeremy Northam) opens his shirt to discover the words DO NOT RESUSCITATE tattooed to his chest. The man in only semi-lucid, and confused as to his age and his whereabouts.

It turns out that the DNR was a true reflection of the man's wishes - he had early onset Alzheimer's and so no point in extending his deteriorating life by the means of artificial ventilation and the like.

So don't forget to watch the Season 1 finale, as well as all of Season 2.

Miami Medical - Calle Cubana, S01E06

Festivals are always a busy time for hospitals. Between the drinking and the insanities of having too much fun, people hurt themselves far worse than in any other circumstances. No surprise that Alpha team was very busy repairing a myriad of injuries.

While Eva (Lana Parrilla) helped a teenager from a bad neighbourhood who had been left for dead at the entrance to the hospital, Serena (Elisabeth Harnois) took a special interest in a stabbing victim who had protected his wallet, and pictures of his late wife and child, from 3 attackers, and Tuck (Omar Gooding) paid his usual, tender attentions to the sister of another stabbing victim.

I like the attention Miami Medical pays to the Cuban population of the city. Eva has come a long was since she was a teenager at a high school where the life expectancy isn't more than 17. As depressing as that is, to know someone got out, that there is a chance for a better life even starting so low, is so full of hope that you can't help but smile and hope too. But it also credits that betterment to luck as well as effort. Had no one helps Eva, had her patient not ended up in her care, maybe neither of them would have had the chance to improve their lots.

As for the two stabbing victims, it was apparent from early on that they were linked. Regardless of how kind a man Serena's patient seemed, and he did a very good job of seeming kind, I knew from the start that he was the attacker himself, from the moment we met/saw the second victim. What I did not see coming was what happened after Alpha team figured it out. I assumed that the man's plan would be to try to finish what he started, to kill the girl he had attacked before she had a chance to denounce him. Instead, he ran. And during his escape, he encountered Tuck and stabbed him in the heart with a pair of scissors.

After watching Tuck be so kind to the sister of the true victim of the stabbing attack, and knowing just how good a nurse he is, how much Alpha team relies on him, to see him stabbed was simply awful. Unexpected and heartbreaking, we do not even know how long he was unconscious before he was found, if he is likely to suffer brain damage nothing. And what's worse is that the SOB who did this to him escaped.

And in the moment the team found Tuck and began to work on him, we were again reminded of why Proctor (Jeremy Northam) was chosen to be the team lead over Eva and Chris (Mike Vogel). While they and Serena were in a panic over what had happened to their friend, Proctor maintained his distance and forced them to do the same so that they would be able to help him as they would any other patient, rather than have their judgement and abilities clouded by emotions.

Hopefully Tuck will recover, though I would enjoy seeing have to work for that recovery. It would be far more realistic. If that doesn't happen, I won't mind either. What are your thoughts?

Miami Medical - Golden Hour, S01E05

I liked Miami Medical from the beginning, but this episode was the one that really demonstrated the potential of the show. Between the laughs and the heartache, we focused on the seriousness of funding and got a lighthearted look at Eva (Lana Parrilla) simply having a bad day. It's what a medical drama ought to be.

The episode started with Proctor (Jeremy Northam) describing the victims he and his team had helped the day before to a room full of potential financial donors. He set the stage for the medicine, outlining the conditions of the three primary casualties, and promising us that by the end of the episode someone would be dead. I particularly liked that one of the guests guessed that the homeless man with a nail through the foot would be the one to die because he seemed the least likely, and on these shows, that's usually how things work out.

As the show progressed, for once we had to learn to love the casualties as we went. We hadn't had a chance to learn much about them before the accident occurred, but as they were operated on, as their situations became more serious, or less serious, we still became invested in their survival. Particularly as the weight of knowing one would die followed us throughout.

The most memorable and hilarious moment was when Proctor used the chicken dinner at the fundraiser to demonstrate surgery techniques, which was followed by a flashback to the day before in which Proctor had tried to decline giving the speech, threatening the likelihood of him doing such a thing.

As we neared the end of the episode, our 3 primary victims seems like to survive, and the confusion of we the viewers was matched by the donors. Only then were we reminded of a 4th casualty, the mother of a 2-month-old, who had been involved in the accident, but mistakenly taken to a different hospital. She arrived at the hospital too long after the accident, and she could not be saved. And although we hardly knew who she was, we were devastated all the same.

Quality writing, interesting cases, just enough amusement to get us by - those are the qualities needed in this kind of show, and Miami Medical proved yet again that it has them.

Miami Medical - All Fall Down, S01E04

As the first season of Miami Medical develops, the character development continues to balance nicely with the surgeries and medical cases. We continue to feel for the injured, and hope for their recoveries, while we learn more about our team through details revealed in circumstances focused on patient care.

Although the ratings dropped for this episode, there is still hope. If you are enjoying it, make sure you are watching and making sure the network knows there is a fan base. This is the most interesting medical drama to premiere this season, and possibly more interesting than Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice, which I dropped midway through the 5th and 2nd seasons, respectively.

The episode started, as always, with the accident. We got just enough details about the couple to care about their futures before their balcony collapsed. All I have to say is Thank God for modern medicine, because even though they survived the fall, they would have died without proper treatment which we likely could not have provided even 30 years ago.

I was, of course, interested to know what had happened at the Crab Shack the previous week, which had resulted in Eva (Lana Parrilla) waking up naked in Proctor (Jeremy Northam)'s bed, but it did not steal focus. In the lull between patients, Eva and Chris (Mike Vogel) were both interested in discovering what happened to her that night, but the comments were short, and as soon as they were interrupted by the call of a patient needing help, the subject was dropped. Naturally, the explanation discovered by the end - Eva passed out and Proctor took her home to sleep off the alcohol she had consumed, and then slept on the couch like a gentleman - made great sense.

As for the case, when the wife refused dialysis, things got interesting. Why would she do that? It likely meant her death, and it made very little sense. Even her husband was baffled, until the forms she had to fill out to complete an adoption were read. If she had dialysis, the adoption wouldn't be able to go through. She wanted that child so much that she was ready to essentially commit suicide rather than have to check a box which would prevent her from getting her wish. And Proctor, like any good and intelligent doctor, got her to take a treatment which was essentially dialysis, but called it something else so that she would not have to check the box and give up the child. Motherly love and logic coming together for a happy result.

What disaster awaits us next week? Who will get hurt and what will they need to be saved? Will Alpha team finally lose a patient whom we care about and who wasn't dead from the get go? We'll have to watch and find out.

Miami Medical - What Lies Beneath, S01E03

Three episodes in, and we get a wedding disaster and a very lucky man suffering from being impaled with a pole. And we also got the beginning of a potentially exciting and curious sexual relationship.

I love how in the first few minutes of each episode, we see our victims right before disaster strikes. In those mere moments, we begin to care about them, to care that they will be able to achieve the hopes and dreams that have just been related to us. When whatever accident the follows, we are already invested in the survival of those people, and would be even if they appeared completely unconscious in the OR.

I also love that our doctors come across as real people, very capable and dedicated to the job, but still human. They have yet to go somewhere annoying, such as having personal problems affect them while they are on the job. Even the youngest resident, Dr. Warren (Elisabeth Harnois), although exchanging text messages with a bow all day, did not bring her annoyance at his lack of distraction into her work. Her job got done, and done well, though on her breaks her personal life distracted.

I think my favourite moment of the episode was when Dr. Zambrano (Lana Parrilla) had to cut the bride out of her wedding dress. Despite the necessity of the act, she still showed the right amount of feminine feeling towards such a horrid thing to have to do.

As I have praised before, the medicine was sound and interesting, with proper amount of concern for the victims. And since that is done well, we can have the romantic attachments forming on the side. I am very anxious to find out this week how Dr. Zambrano went from flirting with Dr. Deleo (Mike Vogel) all day and evening to waking up naked in a bed and having Dr. Proctor (Jeremy Northam) walk in with coffee. Very very anxious.

Are you?

Miami Medical - 88 Seconds, S01E02

Two episodes in, and it looks like the ratings have remained steady, which is quite impressive considering the show airs Friday nights. And the quality and content has also remained on par, something that is also not particularly common.

One of my biggest problems with most medical shows is the focus on the characters and their personal lives. I have a problem with procedurals that do the same thing. If I wanted to watch a show about the social interactions of characters who just happened to be doctors or police men or whatever, I could still be watching General Hospital. I want to watch a show that is about medicine.

Yes, I want the characters to be real and I want to relate to them, but I want the show to be about the choices they are making while they operate, the effect the job has on them personally, not about who they are sleeping with this week. And so far, Miami Medical has done that perfectly.

When the resident, Dr. Warren (Elisabeth Harnois), was left to fend for herself - "I've never done anything solo." "Alright, page me if you get into trouble," Dr. Proctor (Jeremy Northam) said to her. When she left, he asked the nurse to page him 2 minutes before she got into trouble - she had to make some tough choices. First, she gave into another doctor's demands against her better judgment, and then she worked hard enough to know how to save the patient when his safety became compromised. There was a little bit of the goofiness of inexperience, but medicine was the prevailing force.

At the end of the episode, when the primary victim's life is in great danger, we also had Proctor stop in to do some simple medicine. Her kidney was useless? Remove the kidney, she doesn't need it, she has another. Simple solution, and medically sound.

And so far, the show has addressed death perfectly. Two episodes, two deaths in the OR. The first was a burn victim to far gone to try to save, the second was a shooter who had tried to commit suicide. He succeeded, but the brilliance of the scene was how fully engaged the doctors were in trying to save him (yes, despite his crimes), and how quickly it came to a halt the moment they realized he was already gone. Sure, we aren't dealing with someone we are emotionally attached to, but the honesty of the doctors moving on the moment they know it's over was spot on.

So keep watching, and hopefully the ratings will be this high next week too.

Miami Medical - Pilot, S01E01

Medical dramas have not done particularly well this season, despite the efforts to find a show to replace ER. The premiere of Miami Medical is the most promising medical show I have seen this season, but with Friday time slot, it may not last either.

I had no desire to watch the second episodes of Mercy, Trauma, or Three Rivers, but Miami Medical will have me back again. This may be because I am quite a fan of Jeremy Northam from his days in Emma and in An Ideal Husband, but one actor would not get me back if I found no value in the show.

The opening scene was done very well. A couple, the wife pregnant, pulled over to get an ice cream cone. The women undid her seat belt, about to get out of the car, but short conversation with her husband kept both in the car until an explosion in the shop they were about to head into pushed the car back into the street, and an oncoming vehicles slammed into them, sending the wife hurdling from the car. The moment I saw her remove her seat belt, I knew that her injuries would be severe, but the removal itself made complete sense and was very natural.

Her husband's injuries seemed relatively mild, but the camera highlighted him removing a piece of glass from his neck. When, shortly afterwards, a nurse asked if his neck had been looked at, and he said it had, I knew that his serious injury would be the neck wound. There was little chance in the pilot episode for a pregnant mother to die, or lose her child, but killing off the husband was a very real possibility, and as soon as his wife was out of the clear, it was expected for him to go down.

Yes, cliche and predictable, but that's actually what one wants out of these kinds of shows. Not too many surprises. I was glad, also, that the writers chose to save the husband.

As for the characters, our introduction to the team showed us just how comfortable they were with extreme trauma. Dr. Raynard (Andre Braugher) was a good leader, but he lost it. After saving a man's life, the blood was just too much, and he left the OR, stripping down to nothing. Despite this, his team kept going, pushing forward, and figuring out the new power dynamic. As expected, a new guy, just transferred in and planning to start in a week, was on hand to help out. Dr. Proctor (Northam) proved himself very capable in a very short period of time.

The team's relationship with Raynard was one of colleague to colleague; he was their boss and a respected surgeon, but the depths of friendship did not bind him to the team. They can go on without him, in a way they have already shown they could not go on without each other. They rely on each other's ability to stay above the horror to stay there themselves.

The most unique part of the pilot, for me, was the death scene. Instead of having someone die on the table, unable to be saved by our heroes, the victim had been killed at the scene of the explosion, and though he survived several hours more and was transported to the hospital, nothing could be done to save him. He was going to die, and they did not even try to save him because they knew that they could not. The challenge then became simply completing his last wish, allowing him the chance to say goodbye to his fiancee. I thought this was perfect because we were confronted with mortality, and the inability for doctors to save everybody, but we were not confronted on the first day with someone dying on the table because a doctor made a mistake or did not move fast enough.

I plan on watching Miami Medical again. Do you?