Code Black (TV Series) Pre-Existing Conditions (2015) User Reviews

Good one

[cx67433 · 10/10 · 21 November 2017]

Well, that got my adrenaline pumping!

We may have been dropped into the middle of a marathon code black situation, but Code Black #1.3 managed to actually feel a little slower paced, which made keeping up with all the crazy medical cases easier. In between central lines and unnecessary thoracotomies, the residents gave us plenty of interpersonal issues to dive into.

"Pre-Existing Conditions" covered some familiar ground with a fresh take, and still hasn't resorted to any spectacularly crazy medical cases.

The prisoner's dilemma is a staple of the medical drama. Code Black handled it earlier than most, and without making it the complete focus of the show. In fact, despite the emphasis of this story in the promotional videos for this episode, I'd say it was, at best, the "C" story. Needless to say, I actually liked how it was deemphasized. It really wouldn't be unheard to have prisoners coming through a county hospital. I liked that Neal was so matter-of-fact about the situation, and wasn't also struggling with his feelings. His advice to Christa throughout the case was thoughtful and useful; he really emphasized the ethics of the situation.

And having Christa – who is older than the other residents and generally less naive – deal with this favored it a slightly different flavor than we've seen on other shows in the past.

My favorite story of "Pre-Existing Conditions" had to be Angus' character arc. Probably because I'm really starting to love Angus, who is humble and sweet, and the anti-jerk to Mario. While he made some serious strides tonight; I don't think this is the last we'll see of his self-confidence problems. I really hope that they walk that line carefully. It's endearing now, but could easily be overplayed.

Not only did I love how Angus found his self-confidence literally though song, but he turned his punishment into an opportunity. Maybe that was the point all along. When he trusts himself, he is a great doctor. He was actually doing fine with his first patient until Mario introduced that seed of doubt.

Angus' connection with Guthrie is great and could develop a real mentor relationship. Leanne may be head of the program, but she's not proving to be the most accessible of teachers. The way that she views her role isn't wrong per se, but with medicine being as much art as science at times, the students may need some outside guidance to supplement her school of hard knocks tactics.

Leanne had a harrowing day herself, with a case that struck a little too close to home. I liked that we saw her weaknesses. Her exhaustion and the way she pushed through it really set the tone. Watching her deal with the mother of the car crash victims was great. I've been slow to warm to Leanne's tragic past but seeing her relate to the mother, and use her experience for another's benefit has helped.

Her moments with Jesse also went a long way towards making her more relatable. I'd still really like to see Jesse outside of just being "Mama" to the residents and Leanne's personal cheerleader, but there's plenty of time for that to happen.

Here's my favorite part:

Jesse Salandar: "El Gordo"? Look at me. I could have been a movie start with this face. Dr. Leanne Rorish: It's not your face I'm worried about. It's your breasts. Jesse Salandar: At least their mine.

A lot of the characters could use some more fleshing out, which is starting to happen, albeit slowly. I loved how they just kind of dropped into the end that Malaya is gay and didn't make a huge deal out of it. Mario is only growing more irksome, but I think that can be good for a show. There's always that one person in the office that only looks out for themselves. And having him start out as so selfish means that he has nowhere to go but up, right?

"Pre-Existing Conditions" is the first one that genuinely had many of us crying. The emotional buttons they manage to hit are that raw. If ALL this episode had was a scene that made me cry I wouldn't be saying Code Black has outdone itself. A mediocre episode can have an excellent scene. In this case, it was excellent throughout. We felt angry, evoked feelings of compassion, and laughed and cried. Finally, it made us think...and not many network shows can pull that off. This was the episode that made Code Black. Code Black continually hits the screen with everyday people amid extraordinary situations. Issues of life-and-death concrete in a way our American society has become numb to. Code Black brings the importance of a person's life front-and-center. More than any episode thus far, "Pre-Existing Conditions" does just that.

I really must stress that Hardin's performance in this episode is commendable. (Although, when isn't it?) Another wonderful episode. Each episode, we learn a little more about who these people are, and we get to consider our own flaws and foibles through their actions. It's what a good drama does.

When Code Black became breathtaking

[rebecca-imdbhe · 10/10 · 21 November 2017]

For the highly cynical person who'd rather not think about the impact issues of life/death has on people, this show isn't for them. God forbid a show makes you think and feel things about everyday life.

Time slows as Leanne stares listlessly into space, then flips back into the normal speed of chaos that exists around her. (Code Black uses this technique often, but it's the only way to catch a breath in the high-octane action that's going on in these code-black scenes.) Leanne looks down into her nearly empty coffee cup and takes a sip. She's still in a kind of fog - as opposed to being lost in thought - when her boss, Taylor, trying to get her attention. When Leanne gets snapped out of her funk, it's real talk. Angels is in its 36th hour of a code-black, and it looks as though there isn't an end in sight. Taylor talks of putting the interns on overtime, which does not concern Leanne; moreover, Taylor mentions that Leanne has worked nearly two weeks straight. Leanne dismisses.

Two brothers are in a car accident. The survivor's the driver, who was driving drunk. Through this case, we learn that it was a drunk driver that killed Leanne's family, meaning she's the only survivor.

Additionally, Angus and Mario are working on a case where Angus is the lead doctor. Mario bullies Angus into performing a thoracotomy and Angus has to take the fall for it. Due to his carelessness, Angus has to work in the E.R. patient check-in.

Finally, Neal assigns Christa to a prisoner that's been put away for life. A number of ethical dilemmas come out of this, which invokes much thought.

Learning the specifics of how Leanne lost her family's an important piece of character-development. Talk about living with major survivor's guilt! It explains her absolute fierceness about emergency medicine and doing whatever it takes to save a person's life - she's the doctor she wishes had been on the floor when her family came in.

However, even the best doctor can't save everyone. Malaya learns this as she's working on the younger of the two brothers, Patrick. Kevin's begging not to let him die. Leanne and Neal, who's working on the other brother, exchange a fearful look. Patrick died. Leanne has Kevin wheeled away for a C.T. scan. Once gone, she has Malaya call the time of death. They give the moment the dignity of a beat and then it's back to chaos. This is difficult for Malaya. Malaya's the one who has to make the phone call to the mother, but cannot inform her of what's happened.

Once at the hospital, Leanne informs the mother. The mother's naturally stricken with grief but goes with Leanne to see her other son. That's when the big twist happens. Mrs. O'Brien tells her living son that he should have been the one that died. Apparently, mom knows that Kevin had to be driving drunk, screaming at him that he killed his brother as he sobs with regret. Leanne has the mom taken away while Kevin continues weeping. Malaya's appalled by the situation, but Leanne's unfazed. It's one of most powerful lines in the episode, from the very mouth of Leanne: "This is what grief looks like. Just let it be."

Jesse knows how hard this is for Leanne and goes to her after this. Here, we see Leanne's bitterness about drunk-drivers, and the way she defers her own grief with complaining about the stale food in the vending machine. Soon the two are doing that thing where they call each other names with the deepest of love. Then the break's over and it's back to work.

Leanne talks to Mrs. O'Brien, who's disowned her living son. Given what we know about Leanne, the idea that this woman's willing to walk away from the one that's alive - no matter how awful the situation - has to be hard. Maybe it's her own rage about drunk drivers, but Leanne's approach is understanding.

Leanne: "I can only imagine how angry you must be."

Mrs. O'Brien isn't ready for kindness, though. After hearing that Kevin was in fact drunk - barely above the legal limit - she tells Leanne how Patrick was always making excuses for Kevin. The kick in the teeth, though, is this: "My husband died ten years ago. I have no one now. You think you can imagine how I feel. You can't."

Of course, Leanne can imagine how Mrs. O'Brien feels because she truly did lose everyone. She's quite possibly the ONLY person who knows how she feels. Is this the time to say something? No. She chooses to walk away, leaving Mrs. O'Brien alone. At least for a time. Four hours later, Leanne's faced with Kevin begging her to let him die, and learning that his mother's still sitting in the room with Patrick. Leanne goes to talk with Mrs. O'Brien about forgiving Kevin. "Kevin feels the way any decent person would in this circumstance. He wants to die. The one thing I hold onto, death isn't the answer to anything. I wouldn't be here otherwise. I wouldn't be a doctor - that's for sure. The only time machine we have in this life is the one we're born in - and it only goes forward. Kevin needs a reason to live. Don't lose him too." Leanne's words resonate with Mrs. O'Brien, and she leaves the corpse of her younger son to the bedside of the living one to comfort him. This is when we were all sobbing.

Additionally, in the midst of an ego-crushing moment for Mario, it's learned Malaya's gay.

Great episode!