I'm delighted to have worked on such a fantastic episode. I'm thankful to the cast and crew who allowed me the opportunity to share a set with them. Although my lines were cut, it was still an amazing day on set. Thank you to the director for selecting me to portray an " unhoused " person. I look forward to working together again. I've heard so many wonderful comments from those who watch every episode and that certainly brings a smile to my face. Although I only did some background work, It certainly makes it all worthwhile knowing that we are bringing joy to so many who tune in weekly. Great job, team!
2 Reviews
Another frustrating episode
LodgeDweller20 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
In this exciting installment: Veronica sticks Bloom with a patient who's as insufferable as he is rich. But this patient unwittingly drops a few breadcrumbs that could spell the end for Veronica. Reynolds sees himself in a young patient and is forced to make a tough decision when he suspects the child is being neglected at home. Iggy reflects on his recent choices after running into an old colleague who's life is in shambles. Max discovers Helen's been hiding something, a brain tumor diagnosis. This explains her personality shift, but her unwillingness to discuss her options puts Max on edge. In an effort to build the resistance, Wilder trusts the wrong person and faces serious consequences.
...nah just kidding. They killed off Kapoor so his death can be used to lure people back to New York. I hate what this show has become.
The episode starts with a funeral scene for Kapoor. Instead of being sad or touched by what his friends say, I'm just angry. Later in the episode, Bloom says something that hits real close to home for me. While talking to the pod person I've dubbed nuSharpe, Bloom pours her heart out. She states something to the effect of "This whole place feels like a trigger for me. Not for my sobriety, but my sanity. I want to leave." Same girl, same. Was this line written by a writer who wants out because they know the show has been destroyed?
What the show gets right, it gets really right and it's almost enjoyable but with this dark cloud of stupidity that's been hanging overhead since 4×08, everything feels tainted.
I'm so over this season. I'm over the one dimensional character of Veronica. I'm over the sudden appearance of holistic medicine woman Mia, she eats up screen time that would be better used on almost anyone else. I'm over everyone being surprised by Veronica's actions when Max told everyone what she would do. I'm over Max being surprised that things are so bad, when he knew firsthand how badly things would end up going. I'm tired of nuSharpe, and feeling like I'm watching a robot programmed to take a human's place every time she's on screen. This is not a comment on FA's acting, but the unforgivably bad characterization. I'm over the fact that they built an excellent show and decided to wreck it for funsies and relationship drama. Anyone remember before the season started there were taglines about "Love Heals" and "More Joy?" If what we're seeing this season indicates how these writers feel about love and joy, they may be more emotionally disturbed than I am. This isn't good drama.
I think we were supposed to see this episode as a tribute to a fallen character, and a heartwarming reassembling of the group that we once loved. As with the last several episodes, things just felt too wrong to fully appreciate anything that managed to be enjoyable. Almost everything feels off. Bloom and Iggy are still fine. Reynolds is okay at times especially since Malvo isn't around. Get Max away from nuSharpe and he's capable of being compelling. Wilder is a diamond in the rough of a horrible season. Shout out to her interpreter as well, I love that guy. A lot of the characters seem to have the enthusiasm for their jobs that I have for the show at this point. There's no joy, there's no love, there's no healing, it's just a big stupid mess that was completely unnecessary. Can't wait until the next one when I'm betting everything that's wrong at the hospital ends up being blamed on Max. He hasn't been anyone's punching bag for the last couple episodes so it's overdue to put him down because as the only straight white guy main character he = person everyone and anyone can always blame for everything.
We don't even really get a solution as to what went on with Iggy and his patient, an 8-year-old boy who wanted to get legally emancipated from his parents. Seems like an awfully large amount of time was spent on something that we don't even get to see the parents side of or any feasible conclusion for. Yeah, this was used against him later in the episode, but you'd think they would have focused on the drama of Kapoor's son instead. It wasn't until nearly the end of the episode when Iggy's story shifts to Kapoor's son, who attempted suicide. Was anything particularly bad about this? No. But there's been a sincerity and heart lacking at times throughout the season, and this feels like it was tacked one because last minute somebody remembered Kapoor was estranged from his son.
Veronica refuses to accept Wilder's resignation because she makes too much money for the hospital. So the one pure ray of sunshine this season is being held hostage in this now horrible place. Iggy gets demoted. Bloom is let go. Reynolds is outed as the one who ratted out Operation: Morgue and I'm not even shocked because he is possibly the second most bafflingly destroyed character this season. But hey, Mia gets a second chance and keeps her unnecessary sham of a job. I fear I'm going to have to take up drinking if I'm going to finish this series.
My biggest gripe of this episode is the ending. First, Max says something about he thought he left the hospital better off. No dummy, you did not. You knew better but the writers are even dumber than they like to make you. Then Max doesn't even get to decide he wants to stay. NuSharpe tells him he has to stay. Why can't he make any decisions for himself? This is so toxic. Max comes off like somebody who grew up in an incredibly neglectful/emotionally abusive household. Now as an adult who tragically lost his wife who he always could have better communicated with, he's now afraid to do anything that his girlfriend might not like because she'll leave him. And she makes all the decisions and shuts him out when he wants to be there for her. What about this says romantic? He's her pet, not her partner. I don't buy her as loving him or caring about anything outside of London. It feels like she's putting on a show when she interacts with people. It's like I'm watching a robot trying to not get caught by a bunch of humans, but not putting a whole lot of effort into the charade. This is not a portrayal of a strong woman, it's the destruction of a character I one loved dearly. If someone in my life suddenly changed the way this character has changed since 3×14, I'd be seriously concerned about her emotional well-being, is there a medical condition causing this? I'd be desperately trying to help figure out what is with the sudden personality shift? But this is a TV show so there's no mystery, only bad uninspired writing.
NuSharpe tells Max he has to fix things, and he has to salvage his legacy as well as hers. I can not deal with her anymore. She no legitimate concern for that hospital and her so called friends. She's all about legacy. She tells Max he could never lose her. It feels like she saying "silly American trophy boyfriend, you can't lose me, no one else would ever put up with my pod person shenanigans!" This is insulting to how the show used to be. So again, everything will be up to Max to try and fix things but everybody will probably end up berating him for half an episode first. NuSharpe leaves, episode ends. I wish the next one would start with a phone call to Max informing that there was a plane crash and no survivors, but I know better. And it still wouldn't fix the terrible issues that have plagued other people and stories this season. I might have given this episode a 7/10, but the end scene frustrated me to the point where now a 7 feels too generous.
I want to love this show so much again that it hurts. The good stuff isn't good enough to make up for the infuriating stupid stuff. Get rid of Veronica. Send Mia away, I think her only purpose was to suspect she'd be a traitor when they decided to saddle Reynolds with that mess instead. Give Reynolds and Sharpe their original personalities back. Don't have Iggy ruin his marriage. Help Bloom get her self together, I can't believe my once least favorite character is now one of the highlights of the current mess of a season. Bloom and Casey need to patch things up, he needs to be on the show again. Let Max have a backbone and be more than nuSharpe's pet. If the genders were reversed, people would be having a massive fit at a man treating a woman the way nuSharpe treats Max. You don't need to punch down one gender or group in order to lift up another, the writers don't seem to understand this.
I have a tiny glimmer of hope that maybe this show will turn things around and it's final year. Maybe Max will be written with agency of his own and a more fleshed out backstory (EVERYONE ELSE HAS ONE) and there's a genuinely happy ending for him and his daughter. Maybe Reynolds will be free from the messy Malvo and find happiness that doesn't feel wrong and crush his soul. Maybe Bloom can find some kind of peace and meaning in her life and have totally outgrown her oblivious entitled characteristics. Maybe Iggy will finally stop trying to sabotage his personal life. Give us good things for Wilder too, she's a better character than the show deserves at this point. Maybe the pod person who took over Sharpe's life will go back to their home planet. Sadly, I'm not holding my breath.
20 episodes to go before the show ends. Forever. Because this season totally lost even the audience members who stubbornly held on during season 3's well meaning but not always well done lectures. Will the writers salvage their legacy? Or will this show fade into obscurity? I'm going to start trying to will a new show into existence for Ryan Eggold and hope to god it turns out better than this one. The whole cast deserves better.
...nah just kidding. They killed off Kapoor so his death can be used to lure people back to New York. I hate what this show has become.
The episode starts with a funeral scene for Kapoor. Instead of being sad or touched by what his friends say, I'm just angry. Later in the episode, Bloom says something that hits real close to home for me. While talking to the pod person I've dubbed nuSharpe, Bloom pours her heart out. She states something to the effect of "This whole place feels like a trigger for me. Not for my sobriety, but my sanity. I want to leave." Same girl, same. Was this line written by a writer who wants out because they know the show has been destroyed?
What the show gets right, it gets really right and it's almost enjoyable but with this dark cloud of stupidity that's been hanging overhead since 4×08, everything feels tainted.
I'm so over this season. I'm over the one dimensional character of Veronica. I'm over the sudden appearance of holistic medicine woman Mia, she eats up screen time that would be better used on almost anyone else. I'm over everyone being surprised by Veronica's actions when Max told everyone what she would do. I'm over Max being surprised that things are so bad, when he knew firsthand how badly things would end up going. I'm tired of nuSharpe, and feeling like I'm watching a robot programmed to take a human's place every time she's on screen. This is not a comment on FA's acting, but the unforgivably bad characterization. I'm over the fact that they built an excellent show and decided to wreck it for funsies and relationship drama. Anyone remember before the season started there were taglines about "Love Heals" and "More Joy?" If what we're seeing this season indicates how these writers feel about love and joy, they may be more emotionally disturbed than I am. This isn't good drama.
I think we were supposed to see this episode as a tribute to a fallen character, and a heartwarming reassembling of the group that we once loved. As with the last several episodes, things just felt too wrong to fully appreciate anything that managed to be enjoyable. Almost everything feels off. Bloom and Iggy are still fine. Reynolds is okay at times especially since Malvo isn't around. Get Max away from nuSharpe and he's capable of being compelling. Wilder is a diamond in the rough of a horrible season. Shout out to her interpreter as well, I love that guy. A lot of the characters seem to have the enthusiasm for their jobs that I have for the show at this point. There's no joy, there's no love, there's no healing, it's just a big stupid mess that was completely unnecessary. Can't wait until the next one when I'm betting everything that's wrong at the hospital ends up being blamed on Max. He hasn't been anyone's punching bag for the last couple episodes so it's overdue to put him down because as the only straight white guy main character he = person everyone and anyone can always blame for everything.
We don't even really get a solution as to what went on with Iggy and his patient, an 8-year-old boy who wanted to get legally emancipated from his parents. Seems like an awfully large amount of time was spent on something that we don't even get to see the parents side of or any feasible conclusion for. Yeah, this was used against him later in the episode, but you'd think they would have focused on the drama of Kapoor's son instead. It wasn't until nearly the end of the episode when Iggy's story shifts to Kapoor's son, who attempted suicide. Was anything particularly bad about this? No. But there's been a sincerity and heart lacking at times throughout the season, and this feels like it was tacked one because last minute somebody remembered Kapoor was estranged from his son.
Veronica refuses to accept Wilder's resignation because she makes too much money for the hospital. So the one pure ray of sunshine this season is being held hostage in this now horrible place. Iggy gets demoted. Bloom is let go. Reynolds is outed as the one who ratted out Operation: Morgue and I'm not even shocked because he is possibly the second most bafflingly destroyed character this season. But hey, Mia gets a second chance and keeps her unnecessary sham of a job. I fear I'm going to have to take up drinking if I'm going to finish this series.
My biggest gripe of this episode is the ending. First, Max says something about he thought he left the hospital better off. No dummy, you did not. You knew better but the writers are even dumber than they like to make you. Then Max doesn't even get to decide he wants to stay. NuSharpe tells him he has to stay. Why can't he make any decisions for himself? This is so toxic. Max comes off like somebody who grew up in an incredibly neglectful/emotionally abusive household. Now as an adult who tragically lost his wife who he always could have better communicated with, he's now afraid to do anything that his girlfriend might not like because she'll leave him. And she makes all the decisions and shuts him out when he wants to be there for her. What about this says romantic? He's her pet, not her partner. I don't buy her as loving him or caring about anything outside of London. It feels like she's putting on a show when she interacts with people. It's like I'm watching a robot trying to not get caught by a bunch of humans, but not putting a whole lot of effort into the charade. This is not a portrayal of a strong woman, it's the destruction of a character I one loved dearly. If someone in my life suddenly changed the way this character has changed since 3×14, I'd be seriously concerned about her emotional well-being, is there a medical condition causing this? I'd be desperately trying to help figure out what is with the sudden personality shift? But this is a TV show so there's no mystery, only bad uninspired writing.
NuSharpe tells Max he has to fix things, and he has to salvage his legacy as well as hers. I can not deal with her anymore. She no legitimate concern for that hospital and her so called friends. She's all about legacy. She tells Max he could never lose her. It feels like she saying "silly American trophy boyfriend, you can't lose me, no one else would ever put up with my pod person shenanigans!" This is insulting to how the show used to be. So again, everything will be up to Max to try and fix things but everybody will probably end up berating him for half an episode first. NuSharpe leaves, episode ends. I wish the next one would start with a phone call to Max informing that there was a plane crash and no survivors, but I know better. And it still wouldn't fix the terrible issues that have plagued other people and stories this season. I might have given this episode a 7/10, but the end scene frustrated me to the point where now a 7 feels too generous.
I want to love this show so much again that it hurts. The good stuff isn't good enough to make up for the infuriating stupid stuff. Get rid of Veronica. Send Mia away, I think her only purpose was to suspect she'd be a traitor when they decided to saddle Reynolds with that mess instead. Give Reynolds and Sharpe their original personalities back. Don't have Iggy ruin his marriage. Help Bloom get her self together, I can't believe my once least favorite character is now one of the highlights of the current mess of a season. Bloom and Casey need to patch things up, he needs to be on the show again. Let Max have a backbone and be more than nuSharpe's pet. If the genders were reversed, people would be having a massive fit at a man treating a woman the way nuSharpe treats Max. You don't need to punch down one gender or group in order to lift up another, the writers don't seem to understand this.
I have a tiny glimmer of hope that maybe this show will turn things around and it's final year. Maybe Max will be written with agency of his own and a more fleshed out backstory (EVERYONE ELSE HAS ONE) and there's a genuinely happy ending for him and his daughter. Maybe Reynolds will be free from the messy Malvo and find happiness that doesn't feel wrong and crush his soul. Maybe Bloom can find some kind of peace and meaning in her life and have totally outgrown her oblivious entitled characteristics. Maybe Iggy will finally stop trying to sabotage his personal life. Give us good things for Wilder too, she's a better character than the show deserves at this point. Maybe the pod person who took over Sharpe's life will go back to their home planet. Sadly, I'm not holding my breath.
20 episodes to go before the show ends. Forever. Because this season totally lost even the audience members who stubbornly held on during season 3's well meaning but not always well done lectures. Will the writers salvage their legacy? Or will this show fade into obscurity? I'm going to start trying to will a new show into existence for Ryan Eggold and hope to god it turns out better than this one. The whole cast deserves better.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
