Transplant Season 1 Finale: Who's Back From The Dead?
Leora W at .What have I been saying for the past few episodes? That they were going to end the season by circling back to Dr. Bishop's head injury.
That's exactly what they did on Transplant Season 1 Episode 12 and Transplant Season 1 Episode 13.
We might have seen it coming, but that didn't make it any less hard. We still didn't know how it was going to end.
Dr. Atwater: Listen. I know that wasn't easy. But he's out of our hands now. And we know exactly what he'd tell us to do: to get to work and focus on the patients we can help. Let's get to work.
It's too early to know if this is the sort of show that kills off regulars. Plus, this is an ensemble cast. They could go on without Dr. Bishop, even if the show would never be the same.
There would have been something poetic about a passing of the torch. Dr. Bishop has been training these doctors, and now it's time for them to step up.
It's a classic growing up trope. The hero's journey has the mentor dying before the hero steps up.
This isn't Star Wars or Lord of The Rings, though. This is a medical show. Sure, people die, but Doctors tend to live.
Dr. Bishop wasn't just the mentor. He was Bash's first big save. To have his first save end with Dr. Bishop's life would have been devastating to Bash. It wouldn't have helped with his guilt or PTSD at all.
Dr. Bishop: Take me through your thinking.
Bash: All of her symptopms. The fluid around her heart. The fluid on her lungs. Wecan't see how they're connected. She's negative for respiratory virus, and her white blood cells are normal, which means there's not an infection either. The fact is she's been here two days and we still don't know what's wrong with her.
Dr. Bishop: Other than a ruptured spleen, which we caused. And before we could repair that, the seizure.
Bash: Basically, all we know is that she's extremely ill, and her prognosis is worsening because of what happened in Trauma last night.
Dr. Bishop: Which was my mistake. And I'll tell that to the board. Thank you.
Bash: Sir, I'm not going to let you take responsibility --
Dr. Bishop: It was my fault. I am not having you come this far for something like this to hold you back. Now, clear your mind, widen your views. List everything that it can't be until you see what it is. There's a poetry in the differential. There's truth. We get it wrong, until we get it right. And they get to start over.
We now know that Bash had to leave his parents injured in a bombed building to save his own life. He's had to live with this for the longest time. Now he can finally let it go.
He can let it go because he broke down and unloaded to an unconscious Dr. Bishop, who regained consciousness with his confession.
He can let it go because he finally came clean to his sister, a girl who has been begging him to open up and let her in.
Most importantly, Bash can let go because his mother might be alive!
I had to go. I had to leave him. If I'd stayed to treat him, they would've found us. If I tried to move him, they would've heard us. So I left him there to die. It's my fault. It's all my fault.
Bash
What was that last scene? Those last few minutes? That woman? Was that his mother? We haven't seen enough of her to recognize her, especially in secular clothing. Bash's reaction, however, implies that that is exactly who she is.
It could be a misdirect. Maybe we're meant to think it's his mother when it's really just a cousin or something. It was clearly one of those moments meant to bowl us over with shock. It certainly worked. I'm all kinds of bowled over.
If Bash's mother is alive, then what does that mean? Could his father be alive too? Does it change anything regarding his citizenship? Are they going to stay in Canada? Is he going to stay at York Memorial?
Also, where has she been all this time? Why didn't they know she was alive?
Mags: They met so young. You could end up being married to someone who isn't anything like the person they started out as.
Bash: Or it just means that you change together. M parents met at 18 and they were more in love than any couple I've ever seen.
Bash has been mourning and riddled with guilt for so long. This seems like a good thing, and it mostly is. She's alive, and she can help with Amira.
However, life is never that simple. Bash might be angry with her for letting them think she was dead. He'll hate himself for it because he'll know he should be happy, but he still had to build a life without her.
He finally has his life together. He has a good job, he and Amira are in a good place, he has friends, and he's addressing his trauma. Now everything is going to change, and change, even good change, is never easy.
That finale left us with so many questions, most of them centering around Mrs. Hamed, and some of them centering around Dr. Bishop's recovery.
Claire: Jed. I asked you if the nausea was normal and nothing to be concerned about. You said yes. Then I asked you if the dizziness was normal, and you said yes. Now, if neither of those were true, you have to tell me right now. Because what happened last night in the trauma bay, Bash is now on the hook, a patient's life is at risk, and if it's because you are not taking care of yourself --
Dr. Bishop: Alright, Claire! Alright! I couldn't ... I couldn't see the damn monitor. It went foggy.
Claire: Okay, how long has this been going on? Have symptoms been getting worse and you've just been lying about it?
Dr. Bishop: No, I haven't in ... The nausea's normal. The headaches too, but this, these, lapses in vision I wasn't expecting. I haven't been lying to you. Maybe I've been lying to myself.
Dr. Bishop still isn't speaking. He might not be up and functioning when next we see him. He might have to look at what life is like for the non-medically inclined. Claire was preparing him for that, though. She'll be here for him.
Claire is an angel, and I'm so glad those two kids have a shot. She even brought his son around.
Nearly losing Dr. Bishop affected everybody because they are all so linked to him. It was very reminiscent of Transplant Season 1 Episode 1. Everybody was worried. Claire, Bash, Mags, June, the whole team.
Dr. Bishop has really gone to bat for Bash. He's also clearly been grooming Mags to be the next Dr. Bishop. Her arc has been a bit confusing, but he seems to think she's got what it takes to fill his shoes.
Claire: I think you have created a monster in your own image.
Dr. Bishop: One day, we are going to be working for Mags.
Everything coming to a head with Dr. Bishop led to a steamy moment with Mags and Bash. I'd thought that ship was buried when Bash hooked up with Vivian, but I guess not. Nobody can deny that was a moment!
June and Lou's moment seems to be over, at least for now. I haven't given up on them yet, but I get why June is pushing him away.
She is making strides in her career, though. Good for her! I'm really enjoying where they went with her storyline. Her ability to put the patient before her pride got her noticed.
Meanwhile, she's sticking to her guns when it comes to keeping her dad out of her life. Once again, I say, good for her.
Singh: I called the surgeons who repaired Mr. Kowalski's hernia
June: Bet they called their lawyer as soon as you hung up.
Theo's marriage is in trouble, but we already knew that. He seems to want to fight for it, especially after seeing how easy it is to lose people you love.
He needs his wife and kids. They keep him going when he can't prevent a good kid from dying. Being a doctor is hard. He needs them to come home to.
Theo loves his family so much. Melissa and the kids love him too, but as she said, that's not always enough if they want different things. Hopefully, they can weather the storm because right now, it's anybody's guess.
There were some great cases in these episodes too. Finn's case was especially moving. We didn't know this kid for very long, but his prognosis still got the tears flowing. And the Jessup's love story was certainly one to root for.
Joanie: Your wife doesn't wanna move here?
Theo: I kind of took the offer before really discussing it with her.
Joanie: Ah, so you're an idiot.
Dr. Bishop and Bash are lucky they could save Sonja Jessup because what happened with her spleen was a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Mags solved it because that's what she does. She notices the little things, and she makes the diagnosis. Dr. Bishop was laying into her, but now he's embracing her.
She's grown, though. She and June are buddies now, and she and Bash are, well, maybe something else? Again, there was a moment. Not to mention her not feeling comfortable inviting him to that party.
A lot of these stories have been on-going and could have happened on any episode. What makes this a finale is Dr. Bishop's collapse and Bash's mother(?) showing up. It's more than enough to have us tuning in next season.
I convinced myself I was strong enough to throw everything out and start this big adventure, and now you're telling me I'm broken, fragile, and there's nothing I can do about it?
Navia
So what did you think, Fanatics?
Was that Bash's mother?
What does her return mean?
Are you planning to watch Transplant Season 2?
Let us know in the comments, and remember, you can watch Transplant online right here via TV Fanatic.
Leora W was a staff writer for TV Fanatic..
