Saving Hope Review: Break On Through To The Other Side Comments (Page 2)
28 Comments
mapleleaf
June 17th, 2012 12:22 PM
After this episode, I'm over it. I actually like Charlie's ex-wife way more than the fiancée, she seems in touch with herself and reality, and is open to so much more. I wonder why they split up. While there are interesting concepts, i.e. being in a coma and being able to still see, hear, feel, etc, it also seems it's going to become a night time soap opera, which i'm so not into. Whenever a show begins to have stories revolve around love relationships between cast members, it degrades. The early ER was able to pull it off, but once the big cast members left, it became a soap opera.
Wendy
June 16th, 2012 10:39 PM
@Miranda: Finally, with regards to Alex, even though Charlie is in a coma, she's processing his condition according to the stages of grief. Right now, three days in, it is normal to be in denial. Alex was relaxed in her scenes with Dawn because she's not threatened by her and she's smart enough not to blow up at her while Charlie is just feet away. Plus, there was obviously a part of Alex that was interested in what Dawn had to say. Alex deals with patients' families all the time. She used to loved ones questioning her and demanding that she do something even when everything that can be done has been done.
As the episode progressed, Alex began to struggle with her emotions more. The scene with Dr. Zach Miller, for example. When she finally broke down while talking to her friend, Melanda (Dr. Tolliver), Alex was very much affected by not only her fiancee's condition, but also the stress of everything else going on in her life. Alex broke down at the end of the pilot episode as well.
Wendy
June 16th, 2012 10:38 PM
@Miranda: Maggie's comments to Gavin earlier in the pilot about foreplay (Alex and Charlie challenging each other during the lecture) seemed to foreshadow Maggie's sexually provocative side. Gavin seemed to take the hint as well, since he set up the poisoned boy's case so Maggie would have a chance to look like "the best" doctor. When Maggie spoke to Gavin about not being sure how she processes her feelings for guys she likes, I think that's exactly what she meant. She doesn't know how to act. When it came to Joel, she decided to go with her impulses. When Joel responded positively to her approach, she turned it up a notch. Also, it hasn't come up yet, but Maggie is supposed to be bipolar. Manic periods, therefore, are not uncommon.
Wendy
June 16th, 2012 10:38 PM
@Miranda: Joel's behavior in "Contact" was completely consistent with his characterization as someone who sees himself as the center of his own universe. He cut in line and he led Dr. Lin to believe he was going to let a patient die because he was confident his play of waiting the husband out would work out in his favor. His disregards the wishes of his fellow doctors and patients because he believes he's right. Are his motives good? Sure, but he does have a pretty big ego, if you ask me.
The two teens who drank the "love potion" did end up together, but there's nothing onscreen to suggest Maggie or Gavin had anything to do with it or that the girl was in cubicle 3.
Wendy
June 16th, 2012 10:36 PM
@Trixee: The show does consult with actual doctors. They have several doctors on staff. The transfusion story may be cliche, but it was a well-used one. The conflict it caused reflected Alex's internal tug-of-war over whether to try alternative therapies. Basically, when it comes to people you care about, you have to be willing to do anything, including things you don't believe in to try to save them.
@Miranda: I haven't seen any of the actors, except Taylor-Ross who was playing a character who was uncomfortable touching a "fat" patient, seem uncomfortable with the medical scenarios or procedures. I don't even know what you mean when you say the set is too staged and too perfect. It's a nice hospital that's kept clean and orderly. It's not a general hospital in the middle of Chicago (i.e. ER). The sets remind me of Grey's more than anything.
Joel's behavior in "Contact" was completely consistent with his characterization as someone who sees himself as the center of his own univer
Trixee
June 16th, 2012 9:07 PM
I think the writers really need to consult with actual doctors because the patient storylines are jusr recycled from other shows : the husband refusing the blood transfusion is a plot device we've seen too many times. It did set us up for some awesome Elijah (oops! I mean Joel) abs. For me the best part of the show was Maggie's facial expression while she was standing there in her bra - the ultimate "awww... C'mon pleasssssse"
Miranda Wicker Rank: Staff Member
June 15th, 2012 10:27 PM
@Fruit Salad--"Gillies so pretty they can make him a schizophrenic drug dealer with mommy issues and I'll still be watching."
Amen to that.
@Shaerra--Yes, the medicine is meant to drive the personal situations/storylines, but so far the way the lack of comfort the actors have with the medical aspect of the show takes me out of the scene. It's too formal and nothing feels natural at all about it. That could be attributed just as much to the sets as to the speech though. The set is too staged and perfect.
Miranda Wicker Rank: Staff Member
June 15th, 2012 10:23 PM
The thing with Goran's supposed womanizing is that Gillies himself has said that Goran is supposed to be a man who's "not quite a narcissist but definitely sees himself as the center of his own universe." So far there is very little about this character that seems that way. He seems overly caring. There's no mention of a change of heart or character between the time he was his previous hospital and this one.
As for Maggie, when she asked the psych resident to meet her in the cubicle, it was to meet with the girl who poisoned the boy she had a crush on. The two of them conspired to set the two kids up, evidenced by their (the kids) make-out session. Standing in line for coffee, she was very unsure of herself. She said she had a crush on the doctor but seemed unaware of how she processes that sort of thing and made a comment to that effect to the psych resident. The next thing we know she's hitting on Goran in the scrub room. It doesn't match up.
Miranda Wicker Rank: Staff Member
June 15th, 2012 10:15 PM
@Danny--To be fair to me, I AM trying it. Every week. Just like y'all are. It has so much potential to be a really interesting show if only it gets the kinks worked out quickly.
@Wendy--Here's the thing. I understand WHY Alex is so pragmatic. Completely. But, it's a normal human reaction to show emotion in time like this. It's only been three days since his accident. She was entirely too relaxed in the scenes with his ex wife which makes their relationship less believable. I want to root for him to wake up so that they can be together but there's very little about her that makes me do that. You're on to something about her arc being that she has to find a way to trust other people's kindness again. (cont)
Blue light special
June 15th, 2012 2:28 PM
Please stop the blue lights, starbursts, and horizontal flashes across the screen. It's corny as well as annoying. Viewers don't need these silly gimmicks to realize we're looking at a ghost or someone "in between." Take Ghost Whisperer and Medium, for example.
Other than the gimmicky lighting and way too many venetian blinds, this show has promise.
Wendy
June 15th, 2012 1:49 PM
continued...
This is why Alex reacted so negatively to Joel's attempt to be nice in the premiere; it was like he was tempting her to go to an emotional place where she didn't feel safe yet. This is Alex's arc. She needs to regain the sense of hope--her trust in her own emotions-- she lost and which found safe harbor in the realist Charlie was.
As for Maggie. In the premiere, she flirted with Gavin and even asked him to meet her in a cubicle. There's also a big difference between confidence professionally and confidence personally, especially when the kind of hook up sought is one without emotional risk (i.e. a just sex). I'm glad you appreciated the threads coming together after having it spelled out for you in Charlie's dialog. Then again, you seem to miss a lot of details and subtext.
Wendy
June 15th, 2012 1:48 PM
Alex retreats into detached pragmatism because she worries about her emotions overwhelming her. From her own account, Joel broke her heart and that betrayal drew her to Charlie's practicality. Those walls she's put up do come down at times when her care for Charlie overcomes her defenses, but she obviously fights it. I think it's misguided to define "normal" so narrowly.
Also, when Alex spoke of Joel's past (i.e. banging nurses) she was speaking about the Joel she knew years ago. So far Alex has been the only one to characterize him that way and it's clearly a perception based on the fact that he was unfaithful to her while they were in a relationship. He broke her heart so she's prejudiced against him. We might be convinced but Joel's task is to convince Alex. There’s been a clear thread about Alex's response to "nice" behavior. In 1.2 a friend tells Alex she should let people be nice to her but she fights it because she's worried she'll start crying and not stop. This is why Al
Danny Stoppenbach
June 15th, 2012 11:56 AM
I don't see why anybody would not give this show a great rating. I personally love it. This is why so many good shows get cancelled too soon. You get a couple of negative type reviews that people believe instead of actually trying out the show themselves. I hear it so many times, somebody will say, oh, I hate that show, and I ask,have you ever watched it. The answer is usually no, but I heard it got bad reviews. I feel if a show entertains me for the 30 or 60 minutes, I like it, because that's what it's supposed to do. Try it, before you condemn it.
I am enjoying this show, it has potential. However if it was on in the fall I think it would not last and I may not watch it if it were up against other shows I had on at the same time!
I was full on expecting a girl fight! If it were my husband seeing his ex wife or really if any woman was touching my husband that way I would kick their butts!
I am super jealous of the actress that plays Maggie for having that steamy scene with Daniel Gilles!! LOL!
Fruit Salad Rank: Guest Star
June 15th, 2012 7:44 AM
(cont.)
just really irks me. What wold be great would be if they made Alex actually move on and fall in love with someone else, and that's when he wakes up. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see.
P.S. what is wrong with the lights? It's all so weird and wrong, it ruins the set. They'd better fix this, because I can't properly appreciate DG's godly hotness when he's blue.
Fruit Salad Rank: Guest Star
June 15th, 2012 7:41 AM
I think this episode is far better than the previous one, but it's still just average. I'm watching this for Daniel Gillies, and though the shirtlessness was awesome and certainly delivered, the rest of that scene was just awkward. We've seen nothing of the womanizing jerk Goran is supposed to be, in fact, he might just be the nicest guy at the hospital. What kind of a womanizer asks how the comatose man is doing, rather than hitting on the fiancée? But Gillies so pretty they can make him a schizophrenic drug dealer with mommy issues and I'll still be watching.
Aside from that, I really think this show could do without Charlie. And that's bad, because this is only the second episode and I've already grown tired of the main character. But he's just so cheesy, and aside from talking to dead people and looking at Alex, he's got nothing to do. I hope he wakes up soon, because he does seem like an interesting person, but having a ghost walking about copying Meredith Grey's monologues ju
Shaerra
June 15th, 2012 2:52 AM
with medical shows now, you get a flood of medical jargon, with this one the medicine is a plot device to futher the personal situations and storylines alone, so its only given the bare basics. I'm loving the show and agree that Charlie needs to wake up soon and either remember or can see/do something he wasn't able to before.
I think thats the biggest issue, where are they going with the storyline?
Hookified(dande) Rank: Regular Character
June 14th, 2012 10:41 PM
I admit this show is lacking but Daniel Gillies keeps me glued because he is so charismatic. Then, how many times is they going to let that little boy die that it was starting to get boring real fast. Nobody can die that many times and be resurrected. I really hope this show can become better as time go on. I am glad they brought in the ex-wife because Alex was only looking out for Charlie as a doctor.
June 17th, 2012 12:22 PM
After this episode, I'm over it. I actually like Charlie's ex-wife way more than the fiancée, she seems in touch with herself and reality, and is open to so much more. I wonder why they split up. While there are interesting concepts, i.e. being in a coma and being able to still see, hear, feel, etc, it also seems it's going to become a night time soap opera, which i'm so not into. Whenever a show begins to have stories revolve around love relationships between cast members, it degrades. The early ER was able to pull it off, but once the big cast members left, it became a soap opera.
June 16th, 2012 10:39 PM
@Miranda: Finally, with regards to Alex, even though Charlie is in a coma, she's processing his condition according to the stages of grief. Right now, three days in, it is normal to be in denial. Alex was relaxed in her scenes with Dawn because she's not threatened by her and she's smart enough not to blow up at her while Charlie is just feet away. Plus, there was obviously a part of Alex that was interested in what Dawn had to say. Alex deals with patients' families all the time. She used to loved ones questioning her and demanding that she do something even when everything that can be done has been done.
As the episode progressed, Alex began to struggle with her emotions more. The scene with Dr. Zach Miller, for example. When she finally broke down while talking to her friend, Melanda (Dr. Tolliver), Alex was very much affected by not only her fiancee's condition, but also the stress of everything else going on in her life. Alex broke down at the end of the pilot episode as well.
June 16th, 2012 10:38 PM
@Miranda: Maggie's comments to Gavin earlier in the pilot about foreplay (Alex and Charlie challenging each other during the lecture) seemed to foreshadow Maggie's sexually provocative side. Gavin seemed to take the hint as well, since he set up the poisoned boy's case so Maggie would have a chance to look like "the best" doctor. When Maggie spoke to Gavin about not being sure how she processes her feelings for guys she likes, I think that's exactly what she meant. She doesn't know how to act. When it came to Joel, she decided to go with her impulses. When Joel responded positively to her approach, she turned it up a notch. Also, it hasn't come up yet, but Maggie is supposed to be bipolar. Manic periods, therefore, are not uncommon.
June 16th, 2012 10:38 PM
@Miranda: Joel's behavior in "Contact" was completely consistent with his characterization as someone who sees himself as the center of his own universe. He cut in line and he led Dr. Lin to believe he was going to let a patient die because he was confident his play of waiting the husband out would work out in his favor. His disregards the wishes of his fellow doctors and patients because he believes he's right. Are his motives good? Sure, but he does have a pretty big ego, if you ask me.
The two teens who drank the "love potion" did end up together, but there's nothing onscreen to suggest Maggie or Gavin had anything to do with it or that the girl was in cubicle 3.
June 16th, 2012 10:36 PM
@Trixee: The show does consult with actual doctors. They have several doctors on staff. The transfusion story may be cliche, but it was a well-used one. The conflict it caused reflected Alex's internal tug-of-war over whether to try alternative therapies. Basically, when it comes to people you care about, you have to be willing to do anything, including things you don't believe in to try to save them.
@Miranda: I haven't seen any of the actors, except Taylor-Ross who was playing a character who was uncomfortable touching a "fat" patient, seem uncomfortable with the medical scenarios or procedures. I don't even know what you mean when you say the set is too staged and too perfect. It's a nice hospital that's kept clean and orderly. It's not a general hospital in the middle of Chicago (i.e. ER). The sets remind me of Grey's more than anything.
Joel's behavior in "Contact" was completely consistent with his characterization as someone who sees himself as the center of his own univer
June 16th, 2012 9:07 PM
I think the writers really need to consult with actual doctors because the patient storylines are jusr recycled from other shows : the husband refusing the blood transfusion is a plot device we've seen too many times. It did set us up for some awesome Elijah (oops! I mean Joel) abs. For me the best part of the show was Maggie's facial expression while she was standing there in her bra - the ultimate "awww... C'mon pleasssssse"
Rank: Staff Member
June 15th, 2012 10:27 PM
@Fruit Salad--"Gillies so pretty they can make him a schizophrenic drug dealer with mommy issues and I'll still be watching."
Amen to that.
@Shaerra--Yes, the medicine is meant to drive the personal situations/storylines, but so far the way the lack of comfort the actors have with the medical aspect of the show takes me out of the scene. It's too formal and nothing feels natural at all about it. That could be attributed just as much to the sets as to the speech though. The set is too staged and perfect.
Rank: Staff Member
June 15th, 2012 10:23 PM
The thing with Goran's supposed womanizing is that Gillies himself has said that Goran is supposed to be a man who's "not quite a narcissist but definitely sees himself as the center of his own universe." So far there is very little about this character that seems that way. He seems overly caring. There's no mention of a change of heart or character between the time he was his previous hospital and this one.
As for Maggie, when she asked the psych resident to meet her in the cubicle, it was to meet with the girl who poisoned the boy she had a crush on. The two of them conspired to set the two kids up, evidenced by their (the kids) make-out session. Standing in line for coffee, she was very unsure of herself. She said she had a crush on the doctor but seemed unaware of how she processes that sort of thing and made a comment to that effect to the psych resident. The next thing we know she's hitting on Goran in the scrub room. It doesn't match up.
Rank: Staff Member
June 15th, 2012 10:15 PM
@Danny--To be fair to me, I AM trying it. Every week. Just like y'all are. It has so much potential to be a really interesting show if only it gets the kinks worked out quickly.
@Wendy--Here's the thing. I understand WHY Alex is so pragmatic. Completely. But, it's a normal human reaction to show emotion in time like this. It's only been three days since his accident. She was entirely too relaxed in the scenes with his ex wife which makes their relationship less believable. I want to root for him to wake up so that they can be together but there's very little about her that makes me do that. You're on to something about her arc being that she has to find a way to trust other people's kindness again. (cont)
June 15th, 2012 2:28 PM
Please stop the blue lights, starbursts, and horizontal flashes across the screen. It's corny as well as annoying. Viewers don't need these silly gimmicks to realize we're looking at a ghost or someone "in between." Take Ghost Whisperer and Medium, for example.
Other than the gimmicky lighting and way too many venetian blinds, this show has promise.
June 15th, 2012 1:49 PM
continued...
This is why Alex reacted so negatively to Joel's attempt to be nice in the premiere; it was like he was tempting her to go to an emotional place where she didn't feel safe yet. This is Alex's arc. She needs to regain the sense of hope--her trust in her own emotions-- she lost and which found safe harbor in the realist Charlie was.
As for Maggie. In the premiere, she flirted with Gavin and even asked him to meet her in a cubicle. There's also a big difference between confidence professionally and confidence personally, especially when the kind of hook up sought is one without emotional risk (i.e. a just sex). I'm glad you appreciated the threads coming together after having it spelled out for you in Charlie's dialog. Then again, you seem to miss a lot of details and subtext.
June 15th, 2012 1:48 PM
Alex retreats into detached pragmatism because she worries about her emotions overwhelming her. From her own account, Joel broke her heart and that betrayal drew her to Charlie's practicality. Those walls she's put up do come down at times when her care for Charlie overcomes her defenses, but she obviously fights it. I think it's misguided to define "normal" so narrowly.
Also, when Alex spoke of Joel's past (i.e. banging nurses) she was speaking about the Joel she knew years ago. So far Alex has been the only one to characterize him that way and it's clearly a perception based on the fact that he was unfaithful to her while they were in a relationship. He broke her heart so she's prejudiced against him. We might be convinced but Joel's task is to convince Alex. There’s been a clear thread about Alex's response to "nice" behavior. In 1.2 a friend tells Alex she should let people be nice to her but she fights it because she's worried she'll start crying and not stop. This is why Al
June 15th, 2012 11:56 AM
I don't see why anybody would not give this show a great rating. I personally love it. This is why so many good shows get cancelled too soon. You get a couple of negative type reviews that people believe instead of actually trying out the show themselves. I hear it so many times, somebody will say, oh, I hate that show, and I ask,have you ever watched it. The answer is usually no, but I heard it got bad reviews. I feel if a show entertains me for the 30 or 60 minutes, I like it, because that's what it's supposed to do. Try it, before you condemn it.
Rank: Regular Character
June 15th, 2012 11:44 AM
I am enjoying this show, it has potential. However if it was on in the fall I think it would not last and I may not watch it if it were up against other shows I had on at the same time!
I was full on expecting a girl fight! If it were my husband seeing his ex wife or really if any woman was touching my husband that way I would kick their butts!
I am super jealous of the actress that plays Maggie for having that steamy scene with Daniel Gilles!! LOL!
Rank: Guest Star
June 15th, 2012 7:44 AM
(cont.)
just really irks me. What wold be great would be if they made Alex actually move on and fall in love with someone else, and that's when he wakes up. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see.
P.S. what is wrong with the lights? It's all so weird and wrong, it ruins the set. They'd better fix this, because I can't properly appreciate DG's godly hotness when he's blue.
Rank: Guest Star
June 15th, 2012 7:41 AM
I think this episode is far better than the previous one, but it's still just average. I'm watching this for Daniel Gillies, and though the shirtlessness was awesome and certainly delivered, the rest of that scene was just awkward. We've seen nothing of the womanizing jerk Goran is supposed to be, in fact, he might just be the nicest guy at the hospital. What kind of a womanizer asks how the comatose man is doing, rather than hitting on the fiancée? But Gillies so pretty they can make him a schizophrenic drug dealer with mommy issues and I'll still be watching.
Aside from that, I really think this show could do without Charlie. And that's bad, because this is only the second episode and I've already grown tired of the main character. But he's just so cheesy, and aside from talking to dead people and looking at Alex, he's got nothing to do. I hope he wakes up soon, because he does seem like an interesting person, but having a ghost walking about copying Meredith Grey's monologues ju
June 15th, 2012 2:52 AM
with medical shows now, you get a flood of medical jargon, with this one the medicine is a plot device to futher the personal situations and storylines alone, so its only given the bare basics. I'm loving the show and agree that Charlie needs to wake up soon and either remember or can see/do something he wasn't able to before.
I think thats the biggest issue, where are they going with the storyline?
Rank: Regular Character
June 14th, 2012 10:41 PM
I admit this show is lacking but Daniel Gillies keeps me glued because he is so charismatic. Then, how many times is they going to let that little boy die that it was starting to get boring real fast. Nobody can die that many times and be resurrected. I really hope this show can become better as time go on. I am glad they brought in the ex-wife because Alex was only looking out for Charlie as a doctor.