The Gist:
Dorothy's son comes to town and it quickly becomes clear that he is a morphine addict. He bewitches everyone in town until he begins to steal. Then he beings to get violent, breaking into Michaela's home and scaring the shit out of Colleen. When people begin to hold their bottom lines, he then begins to make a true recovery, but winds up stealing money and skipping town.
It's a sad episode.
Commentary:
1. When Michaela realizes her fiance might have been one of Tom's doctors ... it's an important and heartbreaking reminder that she has suffered loss, too. And this is great foreshadowing of what's to come at the season's end.
2. Dr. Quinn SHOOTS Tom when he breaks in to her home! Dr. Quinn is amazing. Hank agrees. She then has to perform reparative surgery on the very same leg that she shot. And THEN amputate it! And it's her BFF's son. Wow. Small town living, eh?
3. Much like we're beginning to see lots of television shows address the issues of PTSD in Iraq/Afghanistan veterans, this episode addresses one of the less-often considered consequences of the Civil War. A stark reminder of how war ravages society even after truces have been called. Hearing the discussion about addition (or "Morphinism") is enlightening -- denial, anger, confusion. It's amazing and wonderful that we understand so much more about how addiction works now. And it makes me very, very sad for those people who didn't have vocabulary for it.
4. The varied responses from the Cooper Kids was excellent. Matthew feels guilty for not being in the home. Colleen is suffering some PTSD of her own and is overwhelmed with anxiety. Brian becomes obsessed with the shoot-em-up theatrics of it all until Sully gives him a stern talking-to.
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