Saving Hope focused on characters making decisions tonight. Some good and some bad, but decisions nonetheless. And some editor made the decision to bring back the blue light, which made me question what that person was thinking. But I digress.

"Consenting Adults" dealt with what happens when the people we love, or for whom we're caring, make choices we disagree with and the consequences of those decisions. It also firmed up what I love and dislike about this show.

Just to get it out of the way, we'll start with what I dislike about so we can end on a positive note.

First, the medical jargon they force the actors to use is almost over-the-top. I wrote in the first few Saving Hope reviews that this didn't feel very medical. What I think I meant is that it doesn't feel like the medical aspect of this show comes very naturally to these actors. The dialogue during the surgical scene tonight was almost laughably bad. There was a complete six or seven line exchange of nothing but medicines and procedures and none of it felt real.

If you want me to believe this is a medical drama, study other medical dramas who've done medicine better and then try again. Right now it really feels like these actors and actresses are just playing doctor. If that's the case, let's just fix everything with a bandage and call it a day.

The second thing that is making me a little cranky week to week is the uneven writing of Daniel Gillies' character, Joel. One week he's an altruist who wants to give his patient the best possible outcomes. The next he's a cocky surgeon. Then he's a cuddly teddy bear having trouble becoming exclusive with his girlfriend. Then he's convinced his patient is crazy without so much as a conversation with the man and snaps at the psych resident whose consult he requested.

If this is an attempt at nuance for this character, it's failing.

Nuance is subtle. It's a doctor who will speak his mind with authority, maybe even be an ass, and then deliver a cup of coffee to the recipient of his verbal attack without acknowledging that the coffee is an apology. This, quite frankly, is a poorly fleshed out and understood character. If Joel were a med student, or even a resident, and in the process of "finding himself," then Joel's back and forth nature would be slightly more understandable. But that's not the case here. And what makes this more difficult to bear is the fact that Gillies is really talented. He's doing the best he can with what he's given. But what he's being given isn't spectacular.

I love-hate that Charlie's ex-wife wants to petition for decision-making privileges as far as Charlie's care is concerned. I love it because I hope it brings out a little feistiness in Alex. We started to see that tonight when Alex told Melanda that Dawn wasn't allowed in Charlie's room. We need to see more of that because it develops that character. I hate this plot, however, because it's just such a sucker punch. I felt the sting of her words and kind of wanted to slap her for being so high-and-mighty. But, this serves the purpose of making me want to know more about this marriage and why it didn't work out and helps to explain, at least a little bit, why the ex-wife was introduced this season. She is yet another battle Alex has to fight.

What I love completely, however, is Charlie. All things Charlie.

I love flashback Charlie. I love in-between Charlie. I even love coma Charlie.

The interactions Charlie has with the patients who are in-between and dying have been and continue to be my favorite part of this show. Enough so that I say it week after week. (To read a few of them, check out the Saving Hope quotes page.) Tonight, however, was perfect. Here was a woman who was content to be in the in-between because it meant she didn't have to face a life she wasn't sure she wanted. Charlie helped her realize that she wanted a better, different life, so when she awoke, while she didn't remember him specifically, she remembered her decision to be happy.

Charlie, even in the in-between, is still saving lives despite the fact that he can't seem to save his own.

What did you think of tonight's episode? What are you loving and hating about Saving Hope in general? Do you think it's going to survive, or is it on life support like Charlie?

Miranda Wicker was a Staff Writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in 2017. Follow her on Twitter.