In a nice change of pace to the usual problem of insufficient resources and staff, this week the Critical trauma team has quite the opposite problem when they find themselves with too many doctors.
More specifically, Lorraine Rapparport (the marvellous Claire Skinner) is back after her sudden disappearing act in the first episode. It turns out that despite the vague rumours of some kind of illness, she had in fact been suspended pending a competency hearing… which has now fallen apart meaning, as far as she’s concerned, things are back to normal.
Unfortunately that isn’t quite how it works out given that Glen Boyle is still around and, at least as far as the rota is concerned, still in charge. It’s something of a dilemma for supervisor Clive (whose approach to his responsibilities is rather chillingly summed up when he insists on a C-section delivery at 24 weeks because “if that mother dies it’s going to be all over national news; foetal death doesn’t [even] make local radio”). He doesn’t like the ‘riding rough-shod’ approach of newbie upstart Glen, but clearly he doesn’t much care for the returned Lorraine either.
It would seem that he’s happy enough for them to sort it out between themselves (“Bastard wants us to fight for the same job” as Lorraine succinctly puts it) and then deal with whoever’s left, a bit like Simon Cowell. With the competency hearing apparently halted rather than abandoned, and with Mrs Hicklin (Neve McIntosh making a potentially thankless role very watchable indeed) having identified a three month gap in Glen’s CV, it seems Clive has ammunition ready for whichever way things go.
And on the subject of having one doctor too many… Last week’s episode ended with Fiona accompanying ex-boyfriend Glen back to his digs, presumably for a thorough all-over physical examination. This week we discover that Fiona also has a current boyfriend, gynaecology consultant Tom Farrow (Elliot Cowan). It would appear to be fairly serious too, based on his terse comment that “we’ll talk about it at home”.
It makes for some tense, testosterone-fuelled scenes across the operating table as Glen’s by-now familiar stubbornness conflicts with Tom’s concerns for the patient’s unborn baby. Regardless of which is really the correct medical approach, it’s clear that Fiona is being forced to choose whose side she is on.
Maybe there’s more going on even than that. Fiona accuses Glen that he’ll “fight for a stranger’s baby” as though this in some way reflects on why they split up, and tearfully tells him that now Lorraine is back he should go.
Poor Glen – he may be a bit blunt and a bit bull-headed, but you have to admit that as far as his relationship with Fiona goes, he is certainly getting some very mixed signals.
Aired at 9pm on Tuesday 24 March 2015 on Sky1.
> Order Season 1 on DVD on Amazon.
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