S3 Ep3 - The Way Back | thenightshiftfans

Drew returns home and immediately something is not right as we hear a phone conversation with his parents during which he lies saying he is not in the states and his tour may be extended. His temper flairs as he confronts a cocky patient who was brought in as a precaution.

An injured bride & groom arrive at the ER with their wedding party where they're treated by Jordan, Shannon, Drew & Kenny. Tensions run high between the bride & her father. While Drew is treating the father, we find out the man is a veteran who has served 5 tours overseas. Drew believes he suffers from PTSD leading to his unpredictable behavior which includes lashing out at the ER staff with a surgical scalpel resulting in Kenny being injured. Drew sticks up for the man asking that his time in the service be taken into consideration. Paul does surgical consult with bride and discovers an underlying cause for her fainting spell. She is found to have a disorder that causes nightmares, high anxiety as well as fainting, it is a genetic condition that her father also has. Both the bride & her father are taken in for a surgical procedure to help keep the condition under control. The bride is filled with bitter resentment towards her father and refuses to see him before the surgery. At the last moment, she sees her father being wheeled by in a hospital bed. She asks to speak to him, but he had already been sedated & prepped for the procedure. While the bride's surgery is successful, she is heartbroken when she learns complications arose with her father’s procedure and he did not survive.

Topher & TC bring Topher's mother to a casino for a night out. Mrs. Zia is a feisty woman who speaks her mind and refuses to settle for a few measly games of BINGO. TC charms Mrs. Zia while Topher just wants the night to be over as he has grown tired of his mother criticizing everything he does.
At the casino, an older gentleman collapses from a heart condition. TC & Topher provide first aid and TC sees that the man gets to the hospital while Topher stays with his mother. Topher has a conversation with his mother explaining how her hurtful words make him feel.
From her perspective, she is only pushing him to be better because she wants the best for him. She reveals that she was once an engineer, but after her husband's death, she had to give it up to ensure that her children were properly taken care of and they had the opportunities she missed. Their conversation leads to the beginning of the mother & son reconciling. Later, TC shares the results of cardiac tests with the gentleman from the casino. He needs surgery, but because of the severity of his condition, he wouldn't survive it and he most likely has less than 6 months to live. TC asks if he has any friends or family to contact and the older gentleman says he never took the time to settle down & all his friends are dead. He asks TC to sit with him awhile to which TC replies he will stay as long as he wants him to. TC sees a bit of himself in the older man and contemplates where his life is at.

Scott confronts Kenny about teasing Paul asking him to tone it down because Scott feels that it is interfering with Paul's work as surgeon. Paul overhears and says that he doesn't need anyone's help to gain the respect of his peers. While Paul is tending to Kenny’s wound from the earlier incident, Kenny confesses to Paul that he is proud of how far he has come and that he successfully pursued his childhood dream to become a surgeon.

Shannon presses Jordan about her new relationship with Sam. Jordan asks her not to talk about it during working hours because at the hospital, Jordan is her boss, not a friend. Later in the episode we see Sam asking Jordan to join him for breakfast. She agrees and the two share a kiss. TC & Jordan have a conversation about their relationship which seemingly has come to an end…though something tells me not for good.

Drew reveals to Jordan that the reason he hasn't told his parents he was home is because they don't know he married Rick. He is concerned with how his father will react after how he handled Drew coming out. With the events of that night's shift, Drew decides to call his dad and tell him about his marriage, from the look on his face afterwards, it did not go well.

At the end of the episode, we see the gang gathered for a surprise “welcome home” party for Drew in the staff lounge. Topher brings his mom and she brags on Topher to his co-workers. She also shares in front of everyone that she plans to move in with Topher’s family permanently, much to Topher’s dismay. After the issues with his own family, Drew is greeted with open arms at the party letting him know that no matter what, he has a family there.

From the episode 4 previews, it is one that cannot be missed as the team rushes to help victims caught in riot fueled by racial discrimination. If the intense scenes are any indication, this will be one of the most memorable episodes of the 3 seasons.

Admins picks – our favorite moments from the episode: