Written by John Edward Betancourt Aram Tafreshian and Haley Louise Jones as Dr. Dominik Kohn and Dr. Susanna ‘Zanna’ Parker in Episode 106 of ‘Berlin ER’ – ‘Self-medication’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple TV+.)
Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Six of ‘Berlin ER’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
For the most part, medical dramas steer clear of something that they should in fact, focus upon. In that, there are mistakes that doctors will make, and there are consequences for those mistakes, and there are long term effects on the human psyche courtesy of the horrors that doctor’s see, and those impact their lives and their careers, and we just don’t see that often in these shows. It could be because there is a belief that these shows should focus on the heroism of the job, and the nobility it creates. Or it could be related to the fact that we see enough tough stuff with the suffering that takes place in the ER as is. But one way or another, all of this remains in the shadows, but thankfully, that is changing. As evidenced by the amazing new Apple TV+ series, Berlin ER. In fact, this week’s episode dove full bore into such matters since ‘Self-medication’ explored all three of those elements in stunning detail. In the midst of a rare purgatory no less. Since the ER was quiet and empty for a change and that allowed for reflection to come forth for Zanna. Since she realized now that while she was doing some wonderful things, she was also creating problems and hurting people and that prompted her to really think upon what needed to follow for her and she believed that accountability was the way to go. So, she made sure to apologize to Daniel, and take whatever consequences were going to head her way, and that was… the high road really. What most folks hope a doctor would do in that situation. But this story made sure to point out that not all doctors would stand tall and face the music for their mistakes. Since Dom… screwed up big time here. In fact, his mistakes weighed heavy over this episode. Because his father-in-law was admitted to the ER after a jaunt around town and a quick tour of the hospital and Dom simply thought, it was no big deal. Just an older man tiring out or some other age-related matter… until everything went south. For the ‘old man’ went into cardiac arrest and it became clear that a heart issue was at hand and well, Dom’s aloof approach to this, cost the man his life. For he did not do a proper workup in the slightest, and had he done an EKG he would have caught this. But instead… he cost his family a beloved life and dug a hole for himself, one that there may be no return from. All because of how much he wants to capture the image of being a great doctor. Because of how badly he wants to be admired as such and truly he and Zanna’s journeys here… spoke volumes to how mistakes will be made and how consequences await from them… and that doctors deal with them differently. But there was also mention of the mental weight that this career can bring forth and we saw that twofold here. Since Emina was for the first time, forced to just sit on the sidelines while her brother healed, and she experienced the frustration of that firsthand since her family expected her to do more when she could not and that taxed her heavily. And of course, we also saw sobriety hammer Ben in this story. Since he struggled badly to resolve the ugliness surrounding him, to the point where his cold turkey approach pushed him to the absolute breaking point. All of which brought forth a brutal story, really. Because we truly came to understand how stressful a job this can be, how badly it can impact the psyche of an individual and of course… how it can bring out the worst and best in people. Which was refreshing to say the least. Since we truly don’t see such matters in this genre enough, and going this route gave us a lot to think upon. Specifically, how there is not much of a safety net for the people we task with saving our lives, and perhaps… we need to think upon offering them help and guidance in this life. But while we wait to see that come to life, we can celebrate this powerful tale. One that put that problem on display and set the stage for some real struggles for this team, and perhaps some romance too, thanks to that stolen kiss, and it will be interesting to see what big moments await us as we inch toward the end of season one of this refreshing show. Until next time. Watch ‘Berlin ER’
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