Code Black Season 1 Episode 8 Review: You Are the Heart
Elizabeth Harlow
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No man is an island.
Mario's connection with a surprising patient centered the drama on Code Black Season 1 Episode 8, but it was far from the only thing going on. Christa had to go it on her own, while Leanne received a surprising proposition. And Taylor had to be on his best behavior while he got stuck with babysitting duty.
If there's one thing that no one can argue, it's that Code Black is great at writing guest characters. Ted wins the award of best guest this week, though young Randall might have given him a run for his money if he'd had more screen time.
Ted was great not just because he quoted old movies and bitched about his friends settling down and becoming obnoxious Facebook posters, which is enough for me to want to grab brunch with him, but because he allowed for an organic revealing of Mario's background.
I'll admit I was skeptical of the whole needle stick storyline. It's a standard of medical drama's, but Angus' point about the likelihood of contracting HIV under those circumstances echoed my own thoughts on the matter.
But making the real point of the story Mario's inability to trust people changed my mind. Savetti is a bit of a puzzle – at first he was just some over confident jerk, but we keep getting these pieces to his story that really make him more intriguing.
Dr. Mario Savetti: I'm not in the mood for a lecture.
Dr. Angus Leighton: Okay, this is not a lecture, see, this is talking. It's what friends do. They talk. Do you even know what it means to be a friend? I mean, seriously, have you ever had one before?
While Mario managed to knock a brick out the wall around his heart, Malaya was dealing with her own issues. I was really excited for Shiri Applby's Carla to return, but I find her appeal souring.
I know it's heresy to side against the dying pregnant woman, but I kept being struck by how selfish Carla was being. Who returns to their ex-lover's life when they're dying and doesn't intend to do anything about it? And what about the person she is presumably having this baby with? Who is going to take the baby when she dies?
Malaya might not have been in the right to run the bone marrow drive in a way that it publicly disclosed Carla's diagnosis, but her intentions were good. I'm still interested in seeing how this all plays out, and I do like that it's giving the doctors a life outside of the hospital.
I've been texting Christa all these panic faced emojis, and she's not responding.
Dr. Malaya Pineda
Christa running the "code bag" was just not all that interesting. If we hadn't seen her gain confidence on cases before, it wold have been fine, but at this point it feels repetitive. I was much more interested in what happened with Neal at the bar, and now am wondering how they'll get out of this awkward limbo they've entered.
Neal and Christa aren't the only hospital romance lighting up. Cole straight up asked Leanne out, because who doesn't find splenectomies sexy? I don't really see the chemistry between these two yet, and all they seem to have in common is grief and a temper, but I'll give it a chance.
What, you never threw a computer?
Dr. Cole Guthrie
He at least seemed understanding about her readiness to date, even if it was expressed in a weirdly aggressive way. Grief Olympics, really? Cole may be hot, but Leanne is probably smart to steer clear. He seems like he could be a fun fling, but I'm not sure he's ready for her.
Other Thoughts
- I was disappointed that there was no plug for the National Marrow Donor Program. I highly encourage everyone that's eligible to sign up – the process is similar to what you saw on "You Are the Heart" except that you do the cheek swabs yourself, at your own home. It's painless, and you could help save a life.
- Hey, Malaya, did it occur to you that maybe Christa doesn't speak emoji?
- Little Randall has me hoping that this show is on for another twelve years or so just so he can come back as a medical student, inspired by his night with Dr. Taylor.
- The C-scope was really cool, and I wish this part of the show would get increased a little. Cutting into fake bodies is cool, but showing the amazing things that modern medicine can do takes the cake.
- How does Cole not know who The Who are? Yanni is white people music. The Who is rock and roll.
Excrement just made physical contact with an air current distribution device, kid.
Dr. Mark Guthrie
For some reason which I assume will make more sense once we see it, the cast of The Lion King will be showing up on Code Black Season 1 Episode 9, "The Son Rises," set to air November 25th. No hints yet on what lies in store for our docs, keeping in line with the heavy medical focus that CBS is pushing.
There's only two episodes left in the first production run for Code Black. Six additional scripts have been ordered, but are not yet in production. What do you think of the show's chances? What would you change if you were in charge?
If you missed "You Are the Heart," don't forget that you can always watch Code Black online to catch up. We can't wait to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Elizabeth Harlow was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She left the organization in October 2018.
