“Belief System” was a great themed episode with just the right amount of spooky. An eerily feel followed the characters throughout the episode. It was the perfect balance between the Halloween theme and the true essence of the show that made this week’s episode truly amazing.
During Halloween themed episode, the team treats a vampire who comes back to life. He’s not really a vampire, only a man practicing vampirism, because duh, vampires don’t exist. Devon was finishing up the paperwork for his dead patient, when the man sits up in his body bag, very much alive, making the ghostly morgue assistant scream in fear. Devon had called time of death after not seeing any cardiac activity for over 30 minutes. While he believes he did everything right, believes he hasn't screwed up, Conrad thinks differently. So, he tags along for the remainder of the case, to follow his protégé. It’s easy to see the tension between Devon and Conrad during the hour. Devon doesn’t trust Conrad’s judgement as much as he did because of how fundamentally opposed he was on the torturing last week’s patient.
“Happy Halloween.” -Conrad
Remi and his girlfriend are not drug addicts; they have needle marks on their arms because they drink each other’s blood, claiming it gives them vitality. Bella seems to be a lot more into vampirism than her male counterpart; even her name is a callback to the Twilight series. It’s hard to think this wasn’t deliberate on the show’s part. Coming back from the dead is a trait of vampirism, but there is actually a medical explanation to his condition. Conrad and Devon do several tests to finally discover, Remi has a disease that means he needs to stop his vampire lifestyle. Bella does not believe two people as fundamentally different as them can be together, so she storms off. This directly mirrors Devon and Conrad’s relationship at the moment.
Another patient brought in at Chastain is Hades, a racist and a huge a**hole. He doesn’t hide the fact that he’s racist; he embraces it and entices his followers to it. He has a condition that requires a neurosurgeon, but he doesn’t want Dr. Cain, the second class citizen. He wants a real American. When Cain is about to walk out, Hades starts to plead for his help, only it’s not Hades, it’s his alter ego. The man has multiple personality disorder, and Douglas wants Dr. Cain’s help. While Nic believes it would be wise for them to wait for the psych evaluation before taking any decisions, but Cain wants to remove the racist part of Hades’ brain as soon as possible. He doesn’t listen to anyone’s advice and does what he thinks is right. In a spectacular turn of events, he does not remove the right personality. The ending had me shook, as it did Cain, who got caught at his own game. The exchange between the patient and the doctor was intense, both Morris Chestnut and Zach Appleman acted it beautifully.
“And there it is, that pained expression when you realise you’re not as smart as you think you are.” - Hades
The fact that Hades is the personality who has survived is a good thing for Bell. He was being followed by one of Hades’ goons who promised to bring him harm if he did not survive. When the gang stormed into the hospital, armed and demanding to see their leader, Bell put them in their place. I was impressed by how unimpressed he was by them. Bell’s a tough guy. They left the hospital without causing too much trouble, but they promised Bell he would pay if anything happened to Hades.
Away from the hospital, driving to a medical conference on October 31st, Mina and Austin get stranded in a weird town after Austin’s car breaks down. Some strange vibes can be felt as the tow-truck driver tries to shoo them to the next town over, about 3 hours away. The driver made excuses as to why he couldn’t repair his car. Still, they managed to catch a ride with him into town, and the creepy continued. When they stop for some lunch at the diner, they don’t get a warm welcome either. My first assumption, and theirs, was that the town is filled with racists, but that’s not the case. They aren’t racists, but they hate doctors, especially ones employed by Red Rock Mountain Medical.
The town used to be vibrant, that was before their hospital was taken over by Red Rock Mountain Medical. No one could cover the premiums and eventually, the prices drove everyone away. It’s hard to think the prices in a hospital would be enough to desert a town, but that’s their story. Even if Mina and Austin aren’t their favorite people, they end up asking for their help when one of their own need emergency medical care. They operate in the abandoned hospital, and again, hats off to the director, the scene very creepy and nightmare-ish. As the doctors leave, they suggest they sue Red Rock Mountain Medical, so my guess it isn’t the end of this storyline.
When the hospital closed down, medicine was disposed of by being poured down the drains, and it seeped into the ground water. This led to some very weird dreams for both surgeons. Mina’s dream revolved around her unassumed feelings for Austin, while Austin was stuck between a car and a scarecrow. It was a great episode for them; their relationship is growing organically, and is true to their characters. Yes, she does have a heart, but it’s also very guarded. They are adorable together, and Austin giving Mina some pointers on her presentation from afar was particularly touching. They don’t need to be in the same place for us to witness the chemistry between them. He was the one person she wanted at the conference.
I loved, loved, loved this episode. I give it a 9/10.
