paulmcuomo
OK, this series has just finished last night in the UK, and I decided to wait until then before I did this review. It was also because initially I'd avoided watching the series because of a perceived scaremongering agenda it had, but ultimately I decided to give it a go, in part of the fact Jodie Whittaker is about to take over as the lead of one of my favourite shows, Doctor Who, I'd thought I'd watch it to see. In this story, a nurse, Cath Hardacre, is fired by the NHS after whistleblowing. Afterwards, she deals the CV of her best friend, Allison Sutton - a doctor who is leaving for New Zealand - and goes to work in a hospital in Scotland.And boy, does this series get so much of it wrong. The entire problem with the series is that it's wrong-headed in its approach to the main character of Cath - she is committing a clearly wrong crime, but the plot and the characters, and by extension the writer, do so very little to condemn her, that the mind is made up before the halfway point of the first episode. She's a very hard character to pin down - in the space of one episode, she goes through so many changes in mind that sadly Whittaker doesn't seem able to really pull off at all, that I cannot say ANYTHING about what she's like except that she's...actually, I can't. But if you think that's bad - try the other characters who proved me right about the scaremongering that happens. You have Dr. Bridget Raine, played by Sharon Small who gives a legitimately good performance - she's kind of like the dark mirror to Cath, as she's an experienced doctor who is dangerous, as she drinks on the job, but there's kind of hidden tragedy about her performance, which gives her nuance that's kind of missing with everyone else in the cast. You have Euan Elliot who plays the new boss of Cath, who is kind of a "Doctor McDreamy" type, but also is very idiotic in protecting her when he finds out the truth. Then there are other characters like Mona and Charlie, who are the cute couple that develop, but also is written quite bizarre with random mood swings.Generally, the series is quite interesting when it's not focused on the insane lie that Cath is getting away with, and actually focuses on the others - honestly, if this had been Andy (Elliot) trying to run a hospital amidst infighting and the stresses that entales, it may have been interesting. Because whilst I dismiss a lot of the characters, they were likable, up until the last episode when they kind of fail, but they were fun: when they were written so, I liked watching them, particually Charlie and Mona. Hell, give a series of those two, but do it properly.Also, one thing I can say is that there's a legitimate tension during the operating scenes within the episodes. It takes a very humanist approach to those, in that they're not fully fleshed people, but they don't need to be for you to care about them, and that there's a potential the Cath could make a mistake given her not proper training. But it f***s it up by having her solve almost all of these events with near to no problem. The series writes Cath as being both overly clever, and incredibly stupid at the same time, as she really comes very close to being busted.When the series does reign itself back, and just focuses on the running of a hospital, it is good. In fact, the middle two episodes are fantastic, for this. But when it chooses to focus on Cath, it falls apart, especially in the end in which a person - BECAUSE of her lies - is killed horribly and tragically, and in the very next scene - the last of the show - is her being promoted and walking around like Conor McGregor after a win...seriously?When I was watching this series, I realised that the rise of Cath was very similar to rise of Louis Bloom, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, in the movie Nightcrawler; both have recently lost jobs, find a way into a new one, slowly work their way up whilst being careful to stay ahead of the competition, end up killing the person closest to them to cover up for themselves, and ends with them in the position they've always wanted. The problem with this is that we all knew Lou was a psychopath whose actions are consistent throughout, whom when he said "My problem isn't I don't understand people, it's that I don't like them" meant it - Cath says "I'm doing this for my daughter", then immediately does a lot for herself, who thinks about doing the right thing, then immediately does the wrong, who threatens someone, then immediately takes it back, repeat that last one, and then threatens someone else, then immediately takes it back. The fact that Whittaker is only just convincing in this role is another thing that hampers the series - it's not a bullseye, but it hits the board, which in a way makes it so much more frustrating.Ultimately, I do approve of the technical prowess with shooting the surgery scenes and a few characters prior to the last episode. The morals are all screwed up, but that's a given. I'd rather not see a series 2 of this, although I have heard words of it, but I would like to see a spin off where Charlie and Mona get married and go to a new hospital to have their own adventures. Just my opinion, make it what you will.
Sluggr-3
Spoiler Warning, this is my impression in a general way after watching the first two episodes.I can see credibility problems which require a suspension of belief on two different levels. First is the documentation paperwork involved with bank accounts, pay, leases, etc, which is an issue that was addressed somewhat in the first two episodes. They glossed over a lot of this, and in some ways had they gone into detail, it likely would have been criticized for too much paperwork. But in a show about a stolen identity, to be done well, these details need to be included. If handled as well as they were, in say, Day of the Jackal, then it could be anything but a boring aspect of the show.Second is the transition of her medical competence from being a nurse in one scenario to being a doctor in another. To me, much of it was disappointing because they had her seem a bit too obviously out of her comfort zone, standing paralyzed for what seemed like ages rather than being part of the A&E team. Those who watched The Fall will recall the most excellent A&E scene which was done in excruciating detail and accuracy. Yes, we get that she feels out of place, but I think it would have come off better as her being competent in public and then having a near breakdown in private as opposed to the 30-45 second long deer in the headlights looks which should have raised an immediate red flag from everyone else in the room.One thing the show does is address the difference between credentials and credibility, in much the same way that early seasons of the USA TV show Scrubs showed that the staff nurses were often more competent at performing some procedures than the new residents and interns. Most A&E work is routine tasks under higher pressure and I know a number of older experienced Physicians Assistants who could easily pass as an MD in working up and treating a patient.
