Transplant 2×07 “Control” is about gaining and losing. Specifically, certain doctors find themselves gaining control while others seem to be losing it. The control framework is complex because life is never fully in our control. No matter how much we like to believe we are a master of our own fate, there are too many external variables that will demolish our “control.”
LISTEN.
Bash and Mags find themselves at the heart of their own conflict and stuck between the wishes of a patient and the worries of a father. Kelsey Grisholm comes in with pneumonia after suffering a fall in the bar she is currently working on. Unfortunately, her father- Ray, is also a doctor and a very controlling man. Ray and Kelsey have a rocky relationship, as Ray’s personality and the recent loss of Kelsey’s mother from ovarian cancer becomes too much for her.
It turns out that Kelsey has ALS, something she hasn’t yet disclosed to her father. When she tells him, he reacts exactly as she thought he would. He begins to want multiple tests, a second opinion, and for her to comply with his plan of action. Kelsey refuses because she has a doctor and a treatment plan, and all she wants to do is beat her current ordeal.
Ray believes she should be on the ventilator because it will give her lungs time to rest, but Kelsey refuses because she knows she won’t come off. Kelsey also expresses her frustration about her dad never listening to her and that his voice has always been the loudest in their home. She doesn’t want him calling the shots if she’s intubated. She doesn’t want to go through what her mom went through.
Mags even advocates for her, which causes Ray to call the higher-ups and get the doctors within his control. Unfortunately, things worsen, and Kelsey begins coughing up blood. Mags is off the case, Bash is conflicted, and Dr. Bishop is stuck with a dad who believes it should be “two of him and none of you.”
Bash does a procedure that saves her life long enough to get her to the OR, with the father’s approval, mind you, but causes her to be stuck on a ventilator for the rest of her life. It’s exactly what she didn’t want. In the end, Bash feels an enormous amount of guilt for not being able to comply with her wishes, even though Dr. Bishop tells him that he did everything right.
The father? He blames Bash for Kelsey being on the ventilator, even though it’s exactly what he originally wanted, and only changed his tune when she got worse. He said, “I’m listening, now,” but as a doctor, he should know that had he listened before and gotten started on an alternate plan, this might not have happened. So it’s not any more Bash’s fault as it is his own.
Let’s hope things don’t worsen more than they already have. As we’ve seen, Bash seems to be losing any semblance of control, whether at home or work. Everything he wants is slipping out of his grasp, and his demons seem to be rearing their ugly heads. Let’s hope Bash gets some control back soon.
FALSE HOPE.
June also feels like she’s losing control in the political fight as Chief Resident. She sees a patient who can’t keep anything down and is three months post gastric bypass. The patient informs June about her disapproval of the doctor who performed the surgery, York Memorials’ own Dr. Roche.
June orders tests after confirming the patient has been following all the post-op instructions. The patient feels overwhelmed that June is actually going to test her. After June leaves the examination room, the sister corners her and expresses her concerns about giving her sister false hope.
June orders a CT, which comes back clear and then speaks to Dr. Singh about a scope. Dr. Singh asks her why she’s asking him, considering she can approve all those tests by herself. She says she wants his opinion. Dr. Singh claims that there should be nothing wrong with her statistically speaking. June fights back because she doesn’t want to make the mistake of listening to statistics over her patient.
Unfortunately, all tests come back fine, and June manages to piss off Dr. Roche. Finally, June offers one last support to the patient: getting her a referral to a new gastro doc and helping her through the worst of it. Dr. Roche informed Dr. Singh that the board would discuss June’s conduct.
June tried to navigate the landmines of this case but came up short on the political side of things. Even Dr. Singh takes a step back when June and Roche talk. Rightfully so, June gets upset that Dr. Singh doesn’t have her back at that moment. But, again, the politics. The admirable part of this case was that June still did her best to bring comfort to her patient despite the cost to herself.
LETTING GO.
Theo has a whirlwind day of ups and downs. As his wife’s custody fight escalates, they talk only through lawyers. So much so that when he calls her and leaves a voicemail trying to be civil, that voicemail becomes part of the custody battle.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Theo finds himself dealing with a couple who crashed their car on the way to the hospital to have a baby. Unfortunately, when they arrive at the hospital, the wife doesn’t have time to get an epidural, and the husband passes out as she gives birth. In all seriousness, this scene was comedic genius presented through the husband and wife’s bickering.
As the husband struggles with the reality of a baby, a totalled car, and increasing debt, he hides away in the hospital. Theo hears his concerns about not being ready and scared about giving the child the best life. In fact, Theo hears both parents out about their newfound concerns and simply listens. Unfortunately, as Theo talks the husband down, he collapses due to a splenic rupture and is taken to surgery.
When Theo reunites the husband and wife, he makes a bold move. He gives them his car. He is purging a few things. It proves that Theo is taking some control back in his life, and he is working towards letting things take their course. It also proves that his therapy is helping his patients when he is struggling.
DOCTORS PERSONAL ANECODTES:
- love to see the proper representation of prayer on this show; also those mosque announcements: accurate
- Amira being mad at Bash cause Rania moved out is sad and hilarious at the same time
- MAGS AND JAKE
- no seriously they are adorable, and Jake is so sweet for wanting her to be as comfortable as possible
- also, Mags studying in the middle of the night, why am I not surprised?
- awww Claire stole Bishop’s office to prep for her exam
- the nurses station being a mess without Claire just proves her importance, and the fact that she is the glue holding part of the ED together
- Bash is still giving Theo the cold shoulder…. ouch
- and Bash and Mags tension is… well… palpable
- well at least they are talking about what happened…. and moving on
- Jake saying “well that’s a man down” *heart eyes*
- Mags sticking up for Jake a little. we love to see it.
- June checking in on Mags. again, we love to see it.
- everyone struggling with the dementia patient and Claire handling it in five seconds, again, proves her importance
- Theo giving the couple his car, awww, look at him letting go
- Mags talking to Bishop about cardiology and the apology he owes her for being out of line. now that is a woman taking control.
- Bishop gifting Claire a stethoscope… *sobbing*
- “it’s gonna be really sad if I failed” AGHAGHAGHGS CLAIRE
- poor Bash
Let us know what you thought of Transplant 2×07 “Control” in the comments!
Transplant airs Sunday at 10/9c on NBC.