Complications - Pilot & 1.02 - Advance Preview

“Burn Notice” creator Matt Nix is bringing another series to the USA Network: “Complications.” The show stars Jason O’Mara as Dr. John Ellison, an ER doctor who intervenes in a drive-by shooting to save the life of a little boy. In the process, he gets caught up in a gang war. The pilot episode, “Patient Tyler: Gunshot Wound,” will run back-to-back with the second episode, “Infection,” in a two-hour premiere event on June 18. Here’s what to expect:

The Pilot

The pilot sets up the events that change Dr. Ellison’s life. And the episode is quite gripping. It begins with a break-in at John’s house, where he tries to keep his family safe against intruders. The scene immediately grabs your attention. (While you don’t see the conclusion right away, the scene is revisited again at the end of the episode.) After this, we cut to a scene 10 hours earlier with John talking to a therapist, played by the wonderful Constance Zimmer. It seems Dr. Ellison has recently beaten up some men in the hospital. As the episode progresses, we learn the backstory of what happened and how it all ties to a single important event.

The central crux of the episode (and the series) is the moment when John happens to be driving by a park and hears gunshots. Thanks to several factors, he is primed to take action, especially when he sees a young boy shot in the road. As a doctor and a father, he needs to help. But when the shooter comes back, everyone else starts running – except John. He is angry, and he picks up a gun to defend himself and the child – and perhaps take his anger out on the shooter. But that one action causes a litany of repercussions. That moment changes the course of John’s life. And it also will change the lives of those around him.

John’s outward circumstances change as his actions place him in the middle of a gang fight. (The boy who got shot is the son of a prominent gang member. A rival gang wants the boy dead.) But the incident also changes him as a person. It awakens something in him. John was already a doctor, whose job is to save lives. But what happens if a doctor tries to be a hero outside of the hospital? John now feels responsible for this boy and wants to keep him alive. But doing so will create some serious risks for him. Does that make him a hero? He is definitely willing to cross the lines to save a life. The show poses these “hero” questions. And it also shows how doing the “right thing” may create “complications.” The therapist analyzing John’s behavior addresses this issue directly. She admits that doctors have to play God within a hospital. But she tells John, “You take that outside the hospital and there will be complications.” John’s choices bring those complications into play.

I thought the show did a good job of showing us why looking out for the boy was so important to John. His young daughter died of cancer the year before and he is still dealing with the loss. So given an opportunity to save a child (and cheat death), he won’t pass it up. I also enjoyed the therapist scenes. They set up the backstory of what had happened, but they also gave us a peak at a more personal side of John. Though he definitely keeps his emotions close to the vest.

The other characters in the series had minor roles in the first episodes. But nurse Gretchen Polk, played by Jessica Szohr, was the most prominent supporting character. John turns to her for help when he needs assistance from someone who won’t play by the rules. Then we also have John’s wife Samantha, played by Beth Riesgraf. And Lauren Stamile plays Dr. Bridget O’Neil, a rigid by-the-book doctor who has to deal with the aftermath of John’s actions.

Episode Two

In episode two, John is dealing with the outcome of the home invasion, and he once again gets Gretchen involved in what he should do and who he should tell about what happened. Gretchen tries to help John by asking a patient to lie about a medical condition. She also tries to throw off Dr. O’Neil, who is digging into things that don’t make sense. You begin to see how Gretchen and John are burying themselves in lies – and John is getting more mixed up with one of the gangs. When the young boy whom Dr. Ellison saved in the gang shooting goes missing from his hospital bed, John has to scramble to find him. The gang the boy’s father belongs to is aware of the situation, and they are not too happy with John.

We also learn more about John’s family in this episode. We’ll see some flashbacks of John’s daughter. And when John starts keeping secrets from his wife, she turns to another source for help. That source has ties to her past, giving Samantha her own storyline. The episode ends with a new source of trouble for John and Gretchen.

Analysis

Without a doubt, Jason O’Mara is the perfect choice for the lead role. He shaped an interesting character. And he grounded the action, giving the series an important aspect of believability. In someone else’s hands, the plot could have felt excessive. But he makes it real. I was extremely impressed with his performance. He shows us that John is a good father and caring husband who wants to protect his family. John is also a good doctor who looks out for his patients. Through all the twists, O’Mara carries the show. And that’s a good thing, since everything revolves around his character.

I expect to see Gretchen in more of a prominent role as the series progresses, but I’m not sure that’s a good thing. Unfortunately she comes across as abrasive and annoying. Her character is a tough woman. Covered in tattoos and smoking at every turn, she is the type of person who speaks her mind without caring how her words are taken. But Jessica Szohr didn’t add any human element of connection to the character, so Gretchen quickly became unlikable. She was supposed to be rough around the edges with a caring heart, but even when she made choices out of a desire to help people, her aggressive brashness made it hard to focus on the good. Her character could be a big detraction for the show. Szohr was good when her character was mad, but Gretchen was mad too often, which grated on me.

I also found Beth Riesgraf a little underwhelming as the wife. But she grew on me as time went on. Lauren Stamile’s character hasn’t had enough scenes yet to see where they will take Dr. O’Neil. But so far the character seems pretty rigid and intense.

For the most part, I found the pilot to be well-written and well-produced. There were a few moments that felt mundane but in general the writers told a mindful, solid, rooted, fast-paced, interesting story. The show moves back and forth in time, showing us both the present and the past. I thought the structure worked well and was easy to follow. In fact, the time jumps became an interesting device for telling a fuller picture. Information was slowly revealed to broaden the scope of John’s life.

Unfortunately, though, I didn’t like the second episode nearly as much. It wasn’t written as smartly. There were some moments that made me ask, “Really?” And I didn’t love the direction the show took. After watching the first episode, it wasn’t clear where the series was going next. Though it was a great episode, it was hard to tell what the show was going to be about or where it would go from there. But the direction becomes clear in the second episode, and I wasn’t too excited about it. This is when you realize John’s character is caught up in a turf war between gangs. And that’s a scary place to be. I’m not sure how viewers will respond to that. Personally I don’t think it sounds too fun to sit and watch someone get entangled in a gang web, even by accident. It makes me nervous just thinking about it. So I’m not sure the premise of the show will be interesting enough to keep viewers’ attention.

The series is a grittier drama than most shows on the USA Network. Overall it has some good things going for it. The show’s pilot definitely started strong. But my interest in the show declined with episode two. And I could envision the series going downhill quickly moving forward. Still, I will stick around to see where it goes next.

“Complications” premieres June 18 with a two-hour event beginning at 9/8c. The series will run for 10 episodes.


Pilot Rating: 8.3/10

Rating for first two episodes combined: 7/10


Are you looking forward to "Complications?" If so, tell us why. What are you most anticipating? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.

About the Author - Tonya Papanikolas

Tonya Papanikolas is an online, print and broadcast journalist who loves covering entertainment and television. She spent more than 10 years as a broadcast news anchor and reporter. Now she does everything from hosting to writing. She especially loves writing TV articles and reviews for SpoilerTV.