If you are looking for an edge-of-your-seat adrenaline rush, CBS’s Code Black does not leave you wanting. Although the show received an unfavorable review from USA Today, which called Wednesday’s pilot a “wack medical drama,” my first impression was the opposite.
Code Black is about the inner-city Angels Memorial Hospital emergency room, a Level-One trauma center inspired by a documentary directed by Dr. Ryan McGarry
Dr. Leanne Rorish (Marcia Gay Harden) is the staff residency director in charge of first-year doctors. Rorish’s tough exterior is due to tragedy in her own past. The new residents are nervously thrust into the midst of their first code black on their very first day. As all hell breaks loose, we along with the doctors meet a teenage girl who’s already lost her mother and now must deal with the death of her father.
But, just as the doctors have to explain this heart wrenching news, more than three dozen emergencies come rolling in, such as: a broken leg that needs to be painfully reset; a skull that needs to be drilled in order to relieve pressure; a stumbling and bumbling skateboarder that adds an unseen concussion to a broken arm; an old man that’s suffering from a stroke; a young boy that needs a chest tube to repair a collapsed lung; and let’s not forget the “homeboy drop-off” at the show’s onset as a gang banger who’s been shot in the neck is discovered at the ER entrance. Mind you, not all of these emergencies are in chronological order.
There are calls to be made in emergency situations. We see that Dr. Rorish is tough to work with and tends to rub the less seasoned Dr. Neal Hudson (Raza Jaffrey) the wrong way. Hudson is by the book and empathetic, while Rorish is “my way or the highway” and makes unpopular, risky decisions. But those decisions, as we see, saves lives.
For instance, Rorish abruptly fires one of the residents, Christa Lawrenson (Bonnie Somerville), for ignoring an order. However, in the midst of the code black and as she’s about to leave the ER, Lawrenson deduces that an ex-heroin addict and now pregnant patient, who was earlier released because Rorish thought her condition was caused by the flu, was actually suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. Lawrenson jumps into action, drives to the patient’s house only to find her unconscious, and delivers the baby via C-section in the back of an ambulance while Rorish and Hudson shout instructions over the phone. One bold and courageous act earns back Lawrenson’s job and Rorish’s respect.
The show moves quickly with edgy editing, and the smart dramatic and swift paced story lines with multiple sub-plots makes for a heart-pounding emergency room drama. Let’s not forget Luis Guzman, whom I personally love, as he gives the show much-needed comedic relief balanced with an appropriately stiff upper lip. Although, criticized for just these very elements mentioned above, they were precisely why I enjoyed the show. I thought it was gripping and at times moving. If you’ve got a little something called ADHD and or you are the impatient type who doesn’t like slow moving plots and lots of talking heads, then Code Black is the show to watch. It’s a fast-paced adrenaline rush. And what more could you ask for, especially if you’re anything like me…a TV show junky.