Everything that happens here is dwarfed by the conclusion. Ehrlich is unbelievably weak as he holds onto Mrs. Craig's results from her exam until forced to relinquish them. There is a syndicated cartoonist who is told he has terminal cancer. But finally we have Morrison who naively goes off to do public service at a high security prison and his do gooder direction finds him in dire straits.
2 Reviews
Difficult subjects on network television
jarrodmcdonald-18 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
The subplot with Victor (Ed Begley) performing the exam on Mrs. Craig (Bonnie Bartlett) becomes a long-running "joke" on the show. Victor continues to bring this up in future episodes, often in the operating room, reminding Dr. Craig (William Daniels) that he has seen Mrs. Craig in a vulnerable position and knows how difficult that must be for Dr. Craig. Is Victor saying this sincerely, or is he sticking the knife in, to get back at Dr. Craig, who has often been harsh during the times when Craig is mentoring Ehrlich? It's amusing.
Speaking of vulnerability, this episode is a turning point in the life of Dr. Jack Morrison (David Morse) for obvious reasons. He hasn't been this vulnerable since his wife Nina died at the beginning of the second season.
The scenes at the men's prison are part of an outreach that Jack is doing during his residency at St. Eligius. There is some dramatic license taken in terms of security (guards and cameras), but a riot has occurred, and surely there would be a great deal of pandemonium. And probably a cover-up too, by prison officials, afraid of losing their jobs.
I found the scene where Jack returns to St. Eligius, all battered and now a rape victim, to be very powerful. This is Jack's last episode during season 4. He is temporarily written out as having gone back to his parents' place in Seattle. But when he returns at the beginning of season 5 to start his last year of residency, he has a new wife in tow (Patricia Wettig) and two step kids who know nothing of his harrowing experience at the prison. The inmate who assaulted him gets out on parole at the end of season 5 and comes to where Jack, his wife and kids live.
Along with Peter White's story, the rape of Jack Morrison was one of the more shocking storylines on St. Elsewhere. This was a program that wasn't afraid to tackle difficult subjects on network television.
Speaking of vulnerability, this episode is a turning point in the life of Dr. Jack Morrison (David Morse) for obvious reasons. He hasn't been this vulnerable since his wife Nina died at the beginning of the second season.
The scenes at the men's prison are part of an outreach that Jack is doing during his residency at St. Eligius. There is some dramatic license taken in terms of security (guards and cameras), but a riot has occurred, and surely there would be a great deal of pandemonium. And probably a cover-up too, by prison officials, afraid of losing their jobs.
I found the scene where Jack returns to St. Eligius, all battered and now a rape victim, to be very powerful. This is Jack's last episode during season 4. He is temporarily written out as having gone back to his parents' place in Seattle. But when he returns at the beginning of season 5 to start his last year of residency, he has a new wife in tow (Patricia Wettig) and two step kids who know nothing of his harrowing experience at the prison. The inmate who assaulted him gets out on parole at the end of season 5 and comes to where Jack, his wife and kids live.
Along with Peter White's story, the rape of Jack Morrison was one of the more shocking storylines on St. Elsewhere. This was a program that wasn't afraid to tackle difficult subjects on network television.
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