There was no question, I had to watch this show. Being from Houston, we get few chances to see our sprawling city depicted on television, which is strange considering it is the fourth largest city in the U.S. So when a chance came to see a bit of the Bayou City on national TV, I jumped at the chance. Besides there was a bonus - every Texan's favorite down-home medical personality Dr. Red Duke would be featured.
This first episode set up some of the real life drama we would be seeing in future episodes, as well giving us vignettes of current crises. We have the young pediatrician who describes the brain tumor of a patient, then removes her wig to show the shaved head revealing that she herself is the patient. We have the young, good looking, perfectionist male surgeon with the beautiful wife who never sees him, and is having trouble conceiving. We have the young, black female neonatal physician who fights for the lives of the newly born. And other players, not so well developed this time, such as the couple who work with Houston's famous LifeFlight system, the female looking for a committment, the male reluctant to pop the question. And of course, Dr. Red, that extremely talented surgeon that looks and talks like he would be more at home herding cattle than in a high tech hospital.
The producers pull no punches. Our pediatrician starts having complications after surgery, and has to go back under the knife for exploratory surgery. Her family stands by her side while she puts up a brave front, and her mother's and father's faces show the fear and pain they are suffering because of their daughter's illness, and potential death or incapacitation. The grizzled face of her father trying to control his emotions as she was wheeled into the operating room told the tale of his love.
Likewise, the mother and father of two premature infants are shown in their pain as they are told of problems with one of their children, and later have to make the decision to let one of them go. It was also good, for once, to see the physician openly share their pain - no stoic or untouched doctors here - these are real people.
The most contrived event of the evening was a wedding proposal. A woman had a very interesting operation in which a toe was removed from her foot and replaced a finger she had lost. This story line was very good, and unique, even when her boyfriend goes to a jewelry store and tells the clerk he needs and engagement ring for a toe. But the actual proposal was obviously contrived and could have been left out altogether.
I have to admit - this show brought tears to my eyes a few times in one evening. It looks like they have made a fantastic blend of the reality of the hospital and introduced enough drama and storylines to make it a great series. The participants on the most part are real and uncontrived. And of course, it is in Houston.
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