Last week’s Code Black ended on a huge cliffhanger. This episode, the lives of three doctors are changed forever.
In the previous few episodes, Gordon Heshman has been stalking/ our wonderful Dr. Malaya Pineda. After Dr. Gina Perello (Christina Vidal) was found by Dr. Christa Lorenson (Bonnie Somerville), she was taken to centre stage. With eight stab wounds to the abdomen and blood pouring out of her at an alarming rate, Dr. Mike Leighton (Tommy Dewey), Dr. Mario Savetti (Benjamin Hollingsworth), Dr. Neal Hudson (Raza Jeffrey) and Christa try to save her life.
In the midst of them trying to save Gina’s life, Dr. Malaya Pineda (Melanie Chandra) is wheeled into the ER with a stab wound (and multiple injuries that we aren’t able to see yet).
And all this only happens in the first 5 minutes.
Mike decided to “break from the standard protocol” (board members words, not mine) by performing surgery on Gina at Centre Stage. And as Dr. Leanne Rorish (Marcia Gay Harden) says, “centre stage is where rules go to die”. New surgeon Dr. Will Campbell (Boris Kodjoe) arrives while the trio are desperately trying to save Gina’s life. Pissed off that they didn’t bring Gina up to the OR, he (rudely) pushes Mike aside and continues the procedure.
Ultimately, all efforts are in vain because Gina dies. Time of death: 5:43am.
Ultimately, all efforts are in vain because Gina dies. Time of death: 5:43am.
I liked Gina. She was cross at times with everyone, but she was just doing her job. She had Leanne’s back. She had everyone’s back. I was crying so hard when Gina died that I had to leave the room.
The doctors are all questioned by the Hospital’s internal review board after Gina’s untimely death. All the doctors involved, including Nurse Jesse “Mama” Salander (Luis Guzmán), are basically interrogated by the members board. Their every move during the whole ordeal are questioned, by the Board and themselves. Campbell, being the cocky S.O.B. he is goes to the board and decides to throw Mike and Neal under the bus. She needed this, she needed that. I’m sorry, I actually got so angry at him that I couldn’t see straight. Dr. Heather Pinkney (Jillian Murray) stands up for Campbell’s actions, telling Mario that he’s an amazing doctor and won multiple awards. Sorry Heather, but winning multiple awards doesn't mean I’m going to like you. Executive producer Michael Seitzman said in a statement that Campbell is a “well-respected surgeon with an arrogant edge. He’s a character viewers will love, but also love to hate.” He’s definitely right on that one: I’m definitely hating on Campbell right now.
Dr. Angus Leighton (Harry Ford) is harbouring a deep and dark secret. He runs down to the parking garage to hand Malaya’s phone only to find that she’s being attacked by Gordon. Gordon, after being tackled off Malaya by Angus, stabs the knife into his throat. He pulls the knife out and initially Angus applies pressure to Gordon’s neck wound. At the end of the episode, Angus and Malaya share an adorable friendship moment, complete with a Hawaiian burger and a milkshake. Angus also shares that Gordon is dead. It’s over. It’s a sigh of relief for everyone. Walking out of Malaya’s hospital room, Angus bumps into his big brother. We then get a shocking revelation: after Gordon stabbed himself in the neck and pulled the knife out, Angus originally applied pressure to stop the bleeding. But what Gordon mutters next is his fatal mistake:
“I’m going to kill that bitch.”
Angus, angered and shocked, takes pressure off the wound and watches at Gordon bleeds out. It’s not until security comes running that Angus snaps out of it and yells for a gurney. Mike comforts his little brother and tell him this is one secret he must “take to his grave”.
Ok, I’m not saying that I condone Angus’ actions, but I do understand them. Think about it: your friend was just stabbed and nearly raped by this guy. Instant anger and protective mode would activate, and you would do anything to stop that guy from hurting your friend. Gordon’s last words would anger anyone. So I definitely don’t blame Angus for having a moment of anger and not helping Gordon. But as a doctor, you took an oath to help, not to kill. Legally, what Angus did was wrong. Morally, I can’t blame him (but that’s just my opinion). I’m worried about what will happen if someone finds out about Angus’ actions. If there was a security camera in that area and someone decided go over the tapes, they might be able to see what Angus did.
Leanne was contemplating on leaving the hospital. But with Gina’s death, the position of ER Director is handed to her “until Taylor comes back”. Harbour may have been on the board and part of the committee that was interrogating the doctors, but we see that he is still distraught by Gina’s death. They were in a relationship, and he never got to say goodbye. Him and Leanne share a heart-wrenching moment at Gina’s graveside. They both never got to say goodbye to their loved ones. I’m definitely glad that Leanne’s not leaving though. Leanne and Jesse are the back-bone of Angels Memorial and Code Black and if either of them leave, I (or we) will riot.
On a lighter note, Christa and Neal are officially a thing. Before Gina’s death, Gina pulled Christa aside and told her that she noticed the “thing” going on between her and Neal. She wanted them both to disclose the relationship to HR by signing a disclosure form. Neal was initially reluctant to sign the form, angering Christa. But, all’s well that end’s well. The forms are signed, and Neal tells Leanne (in front of the board members) that he and Christa are in a relationship.
I have to say, this whole episode was an emotional train-wreck for me. But the writers and the actors/actresses are phenomenal. Truly phenomenal. The storylines are so captivating, and so realistic. To be quite honest, I don’t think this show gets enough praise. The work the writers do, on top of the amazing acting abilities from the cast, bring the storylines to life. The actors acted the heck out of all these scenes, making them so real and so connecting on an emotional level.
On a side note, does anyone know where I can get myself one of those Angels Memorial jackets? They look insanely cool!
What was your reaction to the episode? Do you think Angus tell anyone his deep, dark secret or will he keep his trap shut? What do you think is next for Christa and Neal, now that they've signed the HR form? Will Malaya emotionally and mentally recover from her attack?
‘Code Black’ airs every Wednesday on CBS at 10pm E.T.
