Transplant 2×02 ‘Jasmine’ finds the doctors adapting to a new normal. The aftermath of last season’s finale and the season opener led to a lot of turmoil in many of the doctors’ lives. Amidst family, heavy workloads, and new bosses, the doctors find themselves clinging to any semblance of routine they can. Luckily, the doctors have each other.
BASh is all heart
Bash is all heart, and whether it’s strangers or family, he takes no shortcuts in helping somebody. The episode opens with Bash and June guiding Bash’s friend back in Syria through a trauma procedure over facetime. Even on call, Bash always goes all out to save any life he possibly can, even if that life is thousands of miles away.
Speaking of trying to save lives, after his patient collapses and over 20 minutes of CPR, the patient is pronounced dead… but miraculously comes back to life. As perplexed as he is, eventually, with Dr. Novak’s assistance, Bash finds out that the patient’s lineage unveils a rare cardiac disease predominantly found in South-Asian males. Unfortunately, before he comes up with a treatment plan, the patient codes again and cannot be revived.
Throughout this episode, we see Bash making time for anyone he can. Even though he can’t relate to his patient’s work stressors, Bash finds time to listen to his patient talk about his workaholic tendencies. He also finds time to listen to Mags as she talks about her cancer patient. He asks Theo about how his new arrangement is going over with his wife and checks on Dr. Bishop as he recovers from surgery. He even spares 10 minutes to see Rania outside the hospital so that she can give him a Jasmine plant. It’s just who Bash is, and he always finds the time for everyone. Bash’s resilience and heart prevail despite his own struggles. So much so that familiar smells and sights dredge up flashbacks to the war, causing him to zone out, but somehow he finds a way to return to the present and assist those in need.
JUNE’S FIGHT FOR CHIEF RESIDENT
As June’s fight for Chief Resident continues, we see her leadership flourish. At the beginning of the episode, she assists Bash in a facetime trauma procedure finding a creative way to seal off an open wound with the sticky side of an electrode. Then when Theo’s patient first arrives in trauma, even though Dr. Novak offers, she dismisses him –love that, and drills an alternate line into the patient’s knee for a blood transfusion. This impresses Dr. Novak so much that he offers her an opportunity to assist on Theo’s patient in vascular. Initially, June fights the opportunity but then goes ahead, brushing off the other resident’s judgment as she knows she earned her vascular assist.
Her unapologetic personality is one of the many reasons she would make an incredible and informative leader. When Dr. Singh offers her advice to navigate the ‘landmines’ of the chief fight, she resists the urge to be liked by everyone, to which he responds with ‘not like, but respect.’ June mulls over this and eventually tells Novak that she would like to respect other residents OR time ahead of hers in the future.
Dr. Arthur also gives her some advice, which is not to play the fight by everyone’s rules. As June works through the politics of finding the best way to the chief position, she considers her effect on others a little more but remains true to her unapologetic self. I mean, it’s June; any barrier thrown her way will either get pummeled or broken because she will not stop fighting.
MAGS V. NOVAK
For many of us, Mags is the definition of selfless and hard-working. Novak, on the other hand, doesn’t see it this way. He views her constant onslaught of work as her belief that no one else can handle patients as well as her and believes that she wants patients to need her. He even goes as far as to say that she should go home to ‘preserve herself for her other patients.’ We all know that Mags doesn’t believe she is the best, unlike Novak. She becomes attached and likes to go above and beyond for her patients. Mags wants to ensure that all tests and treatment get done for her patients, and sometimes the need to do those things yourself- to see it through, is too strong.
In this episode, Mags deals with a cancer patient of hers– Deena, who comes in for severe dehydration and pain, and ends up on dialysis, ultimately suspending chemo. Mags wasn’t officially assigned to the patient, but she assigns herself to Deena’s care due to her shorthand with Deena and her husband, Ephraim. Ephraim tries to convince Mags to sway Deena not to give up on chemo entirely, to which Mags says that at this moment, Deena doesn’t need her; she needs Ephraim’s support.
On the other hand, Dr. Novak makes his usual comments about Mags, ultimately leading to Mags stepping back and passing off her extra duties to the overnight staff and the oncologist. Even though Mags goes home at a decent hour, she still feels haunted by the case. Her forceful removal of herself from Deena’s personal and professional care for the evening shows that Mags will do whatever she can for her patients, even if that means stepping back.
THEO NEEDS NORMAL
Theo, oh Theo. Between balancing his home life and his new job as attending, it really seems like anything normal is off the table for Theo. This episode sees Theo dealing with a teenage patient- Carly Miller, and her agitated sister Hannah. Carly comes in with a ruptured carotid due to a blood clot, and Hannah is tasked with helping choose which surgical option is best suited to repair the damage. Unfortunately, Hannah believes that her parents, who are out of town, would never want her to make such a decision and that even though she is older, Carly is the more responsible child.
Despite not knowing this family’s situation, Theo steps in to guide Hannah where he can. Theo comforts her and lets her know that her parents are equally supportive of both girls and that they would trust her. Theo also tells her that it takes a lot of courage to admit your fears about yourself and your future. In a way, these two girls remind him of his own daughters and his instincts to help them and guide them take over. Theo reflects on his own personal life throughout the case, manages to save Carly, and even tries to find a way home when his flight gets cancelled. Despite his struggles, he comes to work every day and helps anyone around him, even if he doesn’t have all the answers. But, seriously, Theo needs a nap.
DOCTOR’S PERSONAL ANECDOTES
- Bash, Rania, and Amira are the comedic trio I didn’t know I needed
- Amira swatting away Bash’s hand from the food cause Rania isn’t there yet is just *chef’s kiss*
- ‘Hello love of my heart’ *SCREAMING*
- Rania got. him. a. plant.
- Claire calling out Bishop’s worries that the hospital might NOT fall apart without him had me on the floor
- Bishop begrudgingly taking himself to phsyio and stopping to snarl at Novak for a few seconds also had me on the floor
- Mags patient knowing how busy she can be just makes me so proud of how caring Mags is
- Bash not knowing whether to trust Novak is honestly a mood
- Speaking of Novak, he’s still insuferable
- Like, seriously, who the hell smiles when diagnosing a rare and life-threatning cardiac disease
- June and Dr. Arthur are a duo I didn’t know I needed
- Theo doing anything to make it home to his girls, even driving FIVE FREAKING HOURS, has my heart
- Mags putting on a smile for Bash when he tells her about his former fiancée hurt me a little. And by a little, I mean alot.
It seems like the doctors are fighting tooth and nail for jobs and family. It’s a tough balancing act, but here’s to trying.
What did you think of Transplant 2×02 ‘Jasmine’? Please share with us in the comments below!
Transplant airs Sundays at 10/9c on NBC.
