Red Band Society: Season 1/ Episode 10 – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

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Overview

In the winter finale, which could turn into the series finale unless FOX decides otherwise, a handful of surprises are thrown at us. Well, surprises if perhaps you weren’t paying attention.

Trigger Warning(s): Surgery scene

Topic 1: Bureaucracy – Dr. McAndrew & Jordi

Topic 2: Hope For A Better Tomorrow – Dash, Charlie, Hunter, Nurse Jackson and Dr. Naday

Topic 3: The Tables Have Turned – Leo, Kara, and Emma

Review (with Spoilers) – Below

Topic 1: Bureaucracy – Dr. McAndrew & Jordi

As Dr. McAndrew deals with Brittany’s attitude [1], he also deals with having to break to Jordi two pieces of bad news. The first being that chemo has only shrunk his tumors, and the 2^nd issue being that while he would like to operate, as Jordi wants him to, being that he isn’t emancipated he can’t. Thus leading to Jordi to decide to do some hospital drug dealing to get the cash he needs.

Commentary

Let’s pretend for a second, or rather hope, the last three episodes of the season are released. Could we get a possible happy ending for Jordi? For be it my twisted desire for one drop of darkness to taint the light, imagine if the tumors make it where chemo no longer works, Dr. McAndrew operates, and he ends up forcing Jordi to be like Leo. Something which he originally avoided, but then had no choice but to do. I mean, it is possible. Plus, this way, yeah Jordi ends up without a leg, but is still very much capable of singing and playing guitar.

Topic 2: Hope For A Better Tomorrow – Dash, Charlie, Hunter, Nurse Jackson and Dr. Naday

Starting with Nurse Jackson and Dr. Naday, it seems some sort of romantic plot is being laid out to go on between them. Something which could be beneficial to Charlie who is already showing signs of progress by speaking in a similar fashion as to how Stephen Hawking speaks. Though, considering what Dr. Naday mentioned in the last episode, perhaps it isn’t just Charlie’s need to see his parents together which may bring him out of his coma state, or lead to his brain really supercharging, but seeing the woman who fought so hard for him finally seem happy.

As for Dash and Hunter? Well, Hunter and Kara begin distancing themselves from each other, Kara started it, upon Hunter talking about leaving to go home. However, with his beeper going off, he ends up staying for surgery. Leading to Dash to give him a pep talk and Hunter to return one. For while Dash is often seen as the sidekick, the one who is just injected into a situation just because, Hunter has another take. He sees Dash as a leader who doesn’t fully see his own potential. After all, while Leo is away, who was doing their best to handle every hospital crisis and keep the Red Band Society together? Mr. Dash.

Commentary

To me, the Dr. Naday and Nurse Jackson storyline is very awkward. Potentially cute, but it makes him seem like your generic genius who, when it comes to some sort of science, is remarkable. However, put him into a social situation with a woman he finds attractive and then he falls to pieces. Still, the one plus of the scenario is Octavia Spencer being someone’s love interest. Something I don’t think has come often in her career.

Those two aside, I’m glad to see Charlie progressing, but the thumbs up at the end was so corny. Especially considering he not only gives a thumbs up, but moves his arm in the process. Making you wonder, especially after citing Biggie Smalls, if he may be holding back how well he is for her, like everyone else, might be fearful of the future.

Topic 3: The Tables Have Turned – Leo, Kara, and Emma

Emma’s return home is very rocky. First she has to deal with her dad, Jon (John Allen Nelson) who wants her so badly to be normal; her little sister who misses her dearly; and then her mother Caroline (Marin Hinkle) who hasn’t visited her in a long time. Though things get really bad when we learn part of the reason Caroline didn’t see Emma is because she learned her mother, Emma’s grandma, was also anorexic. Something Caroline doesn’t want to deal with for bad enough this disease is affecting her daughter, but she doesn’t want some sort of “genetic disease” stamp making it seem validated, in the sense that it running in the family makes it like having diabetes or something. Either way, Emma locks herself in her bathroom and, after eating some sort of white meat, first tries calling Leo. Issue is, after Kara’s sort of breakup with Hunter, and her encouraging Leo, something sparks between those two which leads to making out, and perhaps sex. Thus leaving Leo unable to answer Emma’s calls [2] and her vomiting and passing out on her bathroom floor.

Commentary

I personally find this sudden Leo/ Kara thing to be some ABC Family/ MTV type of nonsense. If just because as much as it has been hinted at, something just seems so wrong about it. Like this is being done solely for the sake of drama and not for the story. Which almost makes me feel sad Emma isn’t the star of the show for there is something about her storyline which reminds me of Men, Women, and Children’s Allison character. For while the show seemingly is gearing Emma’s eating disorder toward genetics, at the same time it just feels like the type of story which should be a main focus, and not an issue amongst a slew of others. Especially since while juvenile cancer is a big deal, among the other issues on the show, a series focusing on eating disorders feels overdue.

Things To Note

[1] Due to the one night stand, Brittany is still mad and even comes out to Kenji and Nurse Jackson about what happened and gets a stern talking to. However, after Dr. McAndrew gets tired of her stink eye, he tells her to keep her personal feelings outside the hospital because it could affect some kids life.

[2] The full story on how Leo and Kara came to be deals with Kara needing to get away, since Hunter leaving over staying with her upsets her, and Leo wanting to go to Emma’s house to see her, since she doesn’t answer his calls. So, rather than help him stalk Emma, Kara takes Leo to her old school to watch cheerleaders, then has him kick a soccer ball. Something he gave up on a few episodes ago, playing soccer that is, so that he wouldn’t end up the team mascot, but Kara doesn’t seem to want him to throw his talent away. So, her believing in him, combined with perhaps an attraction which never died within her, leads to what is mentioned in topic 3.