MONDAY MORNINGS, TNT’s new medical drama from David E Kelley started out with a pilot
that didn’t grab my attention as it should have, but two episodes in, I would
say that the show does have some serious potential. Here’s why...
The Medical Drama
With the
brilliant HOUSE MD off the air, and PRIVATE PRACTICE also having ended, I really
wanted more medical drama on TV (besides GREY’S ANATOMY, one of my favourite shows),
and MONDAY MORNINGS seemed to be my answer. While the premise wasn’t very exciting,
the fact that it was from David E Kelley (who gave us DOOGIE HOWSER MD, and CHICAGO
HOPE) made me look forward to it. And I wasn’t disappointed. While the pilot
wasn’t outstanding, it served its purpose as a medical drama worth watching. As
is the case in medical dramas, matters like convincing patients to go in
for procedures and making quick decisions to perform surgeries are all a part
of MONDAY MORNINGS’ fare. The medicine is engaging, as the doctors go about
trying to solve the mysteries of their patients’ conditions. While they do have
a trauma chief and cases like organ transplant, I feel that there has been too
much focus on neurosurgery, in the first two episodes at least. This could
obviously change, with cases in general or cardio-thoracic surgery also forming
important procedural stories, but given the number of neurosurgeons, I’m waiting to see how. On the other hand, I would also like to see more emergency
procedures and more action in the ER perhaps, to make it really gripping. Emergency
procedures and surgeries would also make for good cases to dissect at the
Morbidity and Mortality meetings (M-and-Ms).
It seems
like the writers are being a quite indulgent while writing the Morbidity and
Mortality scenes. The sarcasm and tone of the chief of staff, Dr Hooten makes
for good drama and provokes the audience’s emotions in more than one way,
however, it seems a little exaggerated and unprofessional to me. However, since
the show is co-created by a doctor (Sanjay Gupta, and is based on his book, Monday Mornings), there probably is some authenticity in the practice of ripping apart
surgeons while reprimanding them for some of their poor judgements while working on patients.
Regardless of that, the M-and-M meetings make for a good tension-creating tool in
the storytelling, raising the stakes for the doctors involved in the cases
dissected. It also makes us think of grey areas and gives us a sense of how
difficult the doctors’ jobs can be at times. I particularly liked the M-and-Ms
in the second episode, with the issue of dealing with a transplant procedure being brought up. That’s when I found that Dr Hooten was being a
little too harsh. However, seeing Dr Ridgeway defending a resident gave us a sense
of how varied the issues discussed at the M-and-Ms can be. Therefore I see potential in the M-and-Ms as an engaging way to take the series forward. What I
would like to see is Dr Hooten at work himself and
then question some of his own decisions, while he goes about pointing out the
flaws in the patient care that other provide. That would be a very good way to develop his character as well.
It was a
little predictable to see the doctors ‘married to their jobs’, but it’s always
good to see hardcore professionals in a profession-based drama. Dr Napur’s
blunt way of talking and Dr Park being to-the-point aren’t groundbreaking traits
in characters in a medical drama, but they are certainly effective. I like the
character of Dr Villanueva. It’s always good to have this one genius who can baffle
you with his diagnostic abilities (à la
House). What I find a little hard to digest is how much Dr Wilson has gotten affected
by the death of his patient in the first episode. I would say that the initial
shock and disappointment was fine, but as a surgeon, he should be more capable
of handling loss of this nature, and for him to even start hallucinating because
of the loss was a little too much, I thought. Maybe that storyline is going
somewhere, as he’s yet to meet the mother of his patient, but till then, we’ll
have to wait and watch. As far as the
characters’ personal lives are concerned, I think their stories are coming
along at a decent pace, and as the series goes on, I believe what happens with
them, personally, will become more consequential for us.
The Entire Package
While the
pilot wasn’t as gripping as it could have been, it ended perfectly, and episode
two set the tone for what all the show could do. Continuing storylines have
been established, what with the lawsuit, and even with regard to the doctors’
personal lives. The cast is strong, with good actors like Alfred Molina, Ving
Rhames and Jennifer Finnigan, so I’d be expecting some strong performances in
the long run as well. The show deals with medical drama in the procedural genre well, while it still has some of the quirkiness that is typical of David
E Kelley (ALLY McBEAL, BOSTON LEGAL). Dr Hooten’s piano in his office, the way
he shaves his head in solidarity with his patient, and Dr Park’s blunt communication
is all a part of that and adds to the entertainment quotient. In fact, a few
lines of Dr Park, especially his “Not do; dead!”, are quite hilarious. And
ultimately, MONDAY MORNINGS is a show with heart. With the characters, the
hospital, the M-and-Ms, etc, there’s a lot of potential for it to be really good.
I just hope it lives up to that potential and my expectations.
What have you thought of MONDAY MORNINGS so far? Is it the medical drama you were waiting for, or is it just another procedural according to you? Do share your views below.
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