Body of Proof: "Dead Man Walking"
Apr. 19th, 2011 10:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
icepixieHa! Well, I guess this was pretty much the one scenario where it would be halfway believable for a team of medical examiners to be totally badass, such as by storming into a hospital and shutting down an entire surgical ward, and they certainly played it to the hilt. In fact, the whole thing felt like a much, much more natural way of integrating the ME characters into the crime-solving. At least surgical procedures and hospital administration is something Megan actually should know something about, and I can certainly see Kate having the power and connections to lean on Gwen in appropriate ways.
I loved Ethan's little subplot/romance, too! Awwwww, so cute. I loved the bit at the end where Curtis was caught between Ethan and Karen and going, "Ohhhh, places I do not need to be, OMG." And I liked that it was a straight-forward, non-criminal death that it centered on. It's nice to see some of the more routine work they do. (There was a nice shot somewhere in the middle where we saw another body prepped for autopsy, giving the impression of a bustling office, which again makes it seem like a more real, fleshed-out setting.)
Though speaking of realism...I question whether a former neurosurgeon-turned-ME can use a bottle of vodka and a kitchen knife to cut someone's abdomen open and figure out exactly what's gone wrong and exactly how to fix it until the paramedics get there. (Though at least they had her only able to do a stop-gap measure, and not just go ahead and cure the guy.) Then again, these kinds of shows do tend to work best on the "drink more, think less" principle.
So, Megan and Peter broke down a door and performed emergency surgery. Surely this is up there with the delivering-a-baby-together cliche on the scale of shippiness? Yes? Oh, you guys. You're too adorable for words. I liked their banter at the beginning, too, and the way Peter literally pushed her forward when the guy they saved wanted to thank her.
I also liked the way Megan's dead patient "haunted" this episode without completely overwhelming it. (Minus one scene. More anon.) I'd been wondering how the inevitable malpractice suit had gone down, and exactly how she'd left neurosurgery. Like Peter, I was really impressed with the way she handled it: giving up her practice immediately, not trying to fight it. The pilot certainly gave the impression that she'd been dragged kicking and screaming from her surgical tools. I liked how the accident informed her drive to get to the bottom of this case; in general, I find "because she wants justice!" kind of a weak motivation for any character, and very much appreciate it when we get a more specific motivation.
Something I did not appreciate, though: Megan's chat with Dr. Chandler near the end. These were special circumstances and all, but I really, really, really want them to quit with the scenes where she goes all judgy-judge on people and tells them they're "pathetic" or "reckless" or whatever. Writers, if you've done your job, we know that already. Megan doesn't need to tell us. I like her being smug about her intelligence and medical knowledge; being morally righteous makes her much less sympathetic.
I guess Bud is still in court this week? I...can't say as I missed him. I already mentioned that the show has a few too many characters, and Sam's excellent. I wonder if they were planning to go somewhere with that "Because you're prejudiced" line the cheesesteak place worker said to her? Given the issues inherent with Megan's frequent treatment of Curtis (SPEAKING OF WHICH: OMG, that scene where they're all archly mutually respectful, how great was it?), I was surprised to see that pop up.
Kate was awesome this week. She knows the mayor well enough to know that he hates when people hang up on him! And the mayor calls her back! Heh, she and Castle should talk.
One last thought about Ethan: is he actually Megan's intern/fellow, or is he just employed by the city and has attached himself to Meganlike a baby duckling because he's figured out that she's the smartest person in the building and he'll learn the most from her?
I loved Ethan's little subplot/romance, too! Awwwww, so cute. I loved the bit at the end where Curtis was caught between Ethan and Karen and going, "Ohhhh, places I do not need to be, OMG." And I liked that it was a straight-forward, non-criminal death that it centered on. It's nice to see some of the more routine work they do. (There was a nice shot somewhere in the middle where we saw another body prepped for autopsy, giving the impression of a bustling office, which again makes it seem like a more real, fleshed-out setting.)
Though speaking of realism...I question whether a former neurosurgeon-turned-ME can use a bottle of vodka and a kitchen knife to cut someone's abdomen open and figure out exactly what's gone wrong and exactly how to fix it until the paramedics get there. (Though at least they had her only able to do a stop-gap measure, and not just go ahead and cure the guy.) Then again, these kinds of shows do tend to work best on the "drink more, think less" principle.
So, Megan and Peter broke down a door and performed emergency surgery. Surely this is up there with the delivering-a-baby-together cliche on the scale of shippiness? Yes? Oh, you guys. You're too adorable for words. I liked their banter at the beginning, too, and the way Peter literally pushed her forward when the guy they saved wanted to thank her.
I also liked the way Megan's dead patient "haunted" this episode without completely overwhelming it. (Minus one scene. More anon.) I'd been wondering how the inevitable malpractice suit had gone down, and exactly how she'd left neurosurgery. Like Peter, I was really impressed with the way she handled it: giving up her practice immediately, not trying to fight it. The pilot certainly gave the impression that she'd been dragged kicking and screaming from her surgical tools. I liked how the accident informed her drive to get to the bottom of this case; in general, I find "because she wants justice!" kind of a weak motivation for any character, and very much appreciate it when we get a more specific motivation.
Something I did not appreciate, though: Megan's chat with Dr. Chandler near the end. These were special circumstances and all, but I really, really, really want them to quit with the scenes where she goes all judgy-judge on people and tells them they're "pathetic" or "reckless" or whatever. Writers, if you've done your job, we know that already. Megan doesn't need to tell us. I like her being smug about her intelligence and medical knowledge; being morally righteous makes her much less sympathetic.
I guess Bud is still in court this week? I...can't say as I missed him. I already mentioned that the show has a few too many characters, and Sam's excellent. I wonder if they were planning to go somewhere with that "Because you're prejudiced" line the cheesesteak place worker said to her? Given the issues inherent with Megan's frequent treatment of Curtis (SPEAKING OF WHICH: OMG, that scene where they're all archly mutually respectful, how great was it?), I was surprised to see that pop up.
Kate was awesome this week. She knows the mayor well enough to know that he hates when people hang up on him! And the mayor calls her back! Heh, she and Castle should talk.
One last thought about Ethan: is he actually Megan's intern/fellow, or is he just employed by the city and has attached himself to Megan
no subject
Date: 2011-04-24 07:44 pm (UTC)MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
This was better than that other episode I watched!
Definitely the best of all they've aired so far!
so I kept expecting her to shiv him and steal his wallet
Awww. I sort of remember her from Firefly (she was briefly fake!married to Mal, IIRC), but not enough for it to bother me during the episode. (Fun fact: Christina Hendricks and the guy who plays Ethan are married in real life.)
Emerson Cod clone? It's not just me, is it?
...YES. Except Emerson was way cooler and better-written. Possibly we should send these writers Pushing Daisies episodes to learn from.
Her skeezy dirty gloves of purse-contents-sitting-in!
Yeeeeah. Although I think at that point the gloves were more about protecting her than him, maybe. Still, if you're gonna vodka up the knife, might as well do the gloves too.
I question her need to pinch his aorta when the clamps were obviously not on his aorta in the first place
She sort of explained that; she was pinching his aorta because it was feeding the gallbladder-related vessel that was supposed to be clamped.
I guess she couldn't find that particular vessel by touch (perhaps it's smaller or not as near the cut she made).Rewatch: Apparently there was "no way to know what's leaking," so she had to do the equivalent of shutting off the water at the street to fix a leaky pipe.And now I kind of wish they'd filmed a scene where she's driving back to the hospital and Peter "faints later" in the passenger seat. Heh.
no subject
Date: 2011-04-25 02:38 am (UTC)NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
(Fun fact: Christina Hendricks and the guy who plays Ethan are married in real life.)
Awwww, that's adorable! (Another distracting thing about Christina Hendricks: every time I see her on screen, I can't help thinking, "Omg, are those REAL?! They can't be real! Except... what if they're REAL??" lol, poor girl.)
Possibly we should send these writers Pushing Daisies episodes to learn from.
Or at least some knitting needles. Alas!
Although I think at that point the gloves were more about protecting her than him, maybe.
Ha! That seems a bit selfish: "Well, yes, I'm germing up your insides, but what if by some chance you have AIDS and the hospital you just got out of didn't notice??"
I guess she couldn't find that particular vessel by touch (perhaps it's smaller or not as near the cut she made).
:::handwaves furiously:::
:::drinks more:::
hehehehe
no subject
Date: 2011-04-25 02:56 am (UTC)IT WILL SUCK YOU IIIIIINNNNNNNNN!!!
(Another distracting thing about Christina Hendricks: every time I see her on screen, I can't help thinking, "Omg, are those REAL?! They can't be real! Except... what if they're REAL??" lol, poor girl.
ME. TOO. Actually, I think they are real, and so basically every time I see her I just put my hand on my chest and wince sympathetically. Also I wonder how much tailoring every single shirt she wears has to go through. I have a hard enough time finding shirts that fit there; I can't imagine what she has to go through.
:::handwaves furiously:::
:::drinks more:::
Definitely need to invest in booze for this show. Or something similar to booze. Maybe sleep deprivation.
no subject
Date: 2011-04-25 05:04 pm (UTC)I figure they must be real, because no serious actor would go for augmentation that extreme. I'm more surprised that she never had a reduction - I had an over-endowed friend who was absolutely thrilled when she hit 18 and was able to get the surgery done and get things down to a manageable size. But yeah, Hendricks must have her own tailor. Crazy!
Maybe sleep deprivation.
I can see how that would help!
no subject
Date: 2011-04-25 10:34 pm (UTC)Exactly.
I'm more surprised that she never had a reduction
I totally would've, if I had those. Not only must they be uncomfortable, but they even look disproportionate to the rest of her body.
no subject
Date: 2011-04-25 02:42 am (UTC)Apparently there was "no way to know what's leaking,"
Ummmmm I'm guessing the one they put the clamps in?? WAIT, NEVER MIND, JUST GET ME ANOTHER DRINK! That vodka will serve many purposes in this scene!
And now I kind of wish they'd filmed a scene where she's driving back to the hospital and Peter "faints later" in the passenger seat. Heh.
Yes! Men swooning daintily is always win!
no subject
Date: 2011-04-25 02:59 am (UTC)PERHAPS? Maybe there are multiple blood vessels leading to the place where his gallbladder was, and since only one gun was faulty, she didn't know which vessel would be leaking? And she didn't want to fish in his stomach feeling for clamped arteries?
(Dear self: WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE THIS SHOW MAKE SENSE IT WON'T WORK OMG.)
That vodka will serve many purposes in this scene!
Indeed!
Yes! Men swooning daintily is always win!
So much win! (Also Megan could tease him a bit afterwards? More banter is always a good thing!)
no subject
Date: 2011-04-25 05:12 pm (UTC)God forbid she shove a hand in his guts and grope around blindly!
(Dear self: WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE THIS SHOW MAKE SENSE IT WON'T WORK OMG.)
Dear brain: You are not needed here! Move along! Nothing to see!
Also Megan could tease him a bit afterwards? More banter is always a good thing!
Nothing cements lurrrrve like passing out after shared impromptu surgery!