Noah's finally got his groove back, and all it took was one hardass Army colonel.

Niceness only gets you so far, as some of the docs learned on Code Black Season 3 Episode 7. But that advice can be taken too far, as we saw with Angus, who is jeopardizing his personal relationships for the sake of the job.

I was so happy to see Elliot gaining some confidence back, but I could have done without the constant repetition of "Stand your ground." Either the writers are completely unaware of how loaded a phrase that is or they just don't care.

I'm not sure which is worse.

But bringing in Colonel Willis Sr was brilliant. If he's going to be hanging around, he might as well do something other than try and sell Ethan's house out from under him, and it was a unique way to have father and son bond.

The Colonel's methods worked though (with a little assist from the dance team), and Elliot is back in Leanne's good graces.

Thank god, because that storyline was drier than dust. And it had Mama and Daddy on opposing sides. Nobody likes it when the parents fight.

Or their brothers for that matter. Unfortunately, #Mangus is still navigating some choppy waters as Leighton settles into the OR and Mario contends with being the sole senior ER resident.

Some friction was inevitable with Angus' new role, but the solution to this problem is pretty obvious.

Guthrie needs to step in and give some advice to his Young Squire.

Angus: He's your first year. Get your house in order.
Mario: I'll deal with this ass clown, but what was that? "Get your house in order?" You're starting to sound like Campbell.
Angus: Thank you.

Permalink: Get your house in order.

One of the strongest relationships of the show has been erased, and I cannot figure out why. I'd attribute it to difficulties between actors, but who wouldn't get along with Harry Ford?

Angus' idolization of Campbell tracks, especially after he was plucked from the obscurity of the ER and planted into the hallowed ground of the OR, but Guthrie should be there to help Angus find his own way of being a surgeon.

A way that allows him to learn how to be technically proficient but also to know when not to cut, when to talk to his patients, and when to trust in the healing power of touch even if it's unproven.

It's hard getting into Rox and Noa's backstories knowing that the show has been canceled, but both plots were done in a way that I still cared. Just maybe not as much as I would have if Season 4 were headed our way.

In fact, my big problem with Noa's story was that we didn't learn enough about it. What exactly happened that she can't have kids? I doubt that it's related to the ACL tear that ended her dance career.

It seems like a weird revelation just to get us to a point where Leanne proclaims her a real doctor. And then it wasn't mentioned when Mario asked her to move in -- that's not the kind of thing she should be keeping secret at that point in a relationship.

There's a moment for every medical student when all of her skills, and all of her knowledge, and all of her compassion come together. That's when she truly becomes a doctor. I'm proud of you.
Leanne [to Noa]

Permalink: There's a moment for every medical student when all of her skills, and all of her knowledge,...

I was disappointed by the past "beef" between Rox and her dance coach. There was a lot I loved about the case, but I thought there was going to be more to their falling out than Rox just being a self-destructive teenager.

I loved the dance-off, even if it was far-fetched and a questionable use of the limited budget. And the voiceover of Rox's background with Mia while they worked to save Juanita was A+ editing work. It came together beautifully.

But overall? It just didn't do it for me. The relationship between the dance team girls wasn't fleshed out enough, the parallels between Vanessa and Rox were weak, and the reconciliation was schmaltzy.

Other Thoughts

Why in god's name did it take the coach so long to use her whistle? If you have a whistle, USE IT!
It was refreshing to see a teenage girl get treated like crap by a boy and ask what's wrong with him instead of thinking it's all her fault.
Diego continues to be the worst, and even a bullet didn't slow him down. Why is Leanne putting up with his ish?

So what was your take on "Step Up"? Should we be spending more time with the established docs, or do you dig the newcomers? Is there anything that could redeem Diego in your eyes? Does tough love work, or does it kill the spirit?

Join the conversation in our comments section below and let your voice be heard! You can watch Code Black online, anytime, anywhere.