TV Review: General Hospital: The Night Shift - "Paternity Ward"

It's not only the night shift at your favorite Port Charles hospital, but it's more of an alternate universe where nothing and no one are quite the same as they are during the daylight hours. But, if you're up for in-depth stories with a sharper edge than the daytime fare, it's the place to be on Thursday nights.

Mrs. Stoltz, the kind elderly woman, was back as a patient in the emergency room this week; this time she didn't lose a fight with broccoli. It was a bit more poignant than that. Her incisions had become infected and she had developed pneumonia. When Dr. Julian asked if she had taken all of her antibiotics she said she could only afford to pay for one of the two prescriptions and had opted for the pain medication. Between that and the comment to student nurse Regina that she had a bed to sleep in for the night, I thought they were gearing us for a story about how she was homeless, maybe they were, but I sure she didn't expect the fate she got at episode's end.

Elizabeth brought baby Jake into the emergency room, scaring Jason, who was working his community service job. Liz assured it him it was only an ear infection and she just needed to get some antibiotic from the doctor, but was then called in to surgery when two seriously injured patients were brought in. As if it would ever be okay for a janitor to babysit his kid at work, Liz handed Jake over to Jason and asked if he could watch him while she was in the OR. Or course, Jason eagerly agreed. Though it was a jump from reality it was sheer joy to watch Jason spending time with his son, and an experience I can only hope will soon become more common during the light of day.

We were given a little more insight into Dr. Andy Archer, the anesthesiologist who student nurse Layla found sprawled out on a gurney administering oxygen to himself. Dr. Archer explained it was to help keep him awake and that all Vegas casinos pump it in to keep their gamblers spending money. He also had an unconventional method for helping another doctor rest up in the two hours he had between surgeries: putting him under. Archer insisted two hours under anesthesia would be the equivalent of eight hours sleep and he would wake up completely refreshed. Funny, I've never come out of anesthesia completely refreshed. This didn't turn out quite the way it was planned either.

Article Author: Connie Phillips

Wife, mother, aspiring novelist, and music editor at BC Magazine, Connie Phillips spends most of her time in a fantasy land of her own creating. In reality, she writes about music, television, and the process of writing, when she's not cheering on her kids at equestrian events. …

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