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The 4th episode of The Night Shift’s 3rd season tackled some tough topics head on with a storyline that is definitely one of, if not the most, timely that the series has brought viewers yet.
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The opening scenes find areas of downtown San Antonio in racial protests as the crowd awaits the verdict of a case involving the shooting of a black man by a white man. When the verdict announcement is delayed because of a medical emergency as the suspect on trial collapsed in the courtroom, riots break out causing chaos for the first responders & doctors sent out to assist.
TC has joined the SWAT team as one of the first doctors to sign up to respond to such emergencies.
When an officer involved shooting occurs, Paul & Scott are called out to help get the injured individuals back to the hospital for treatment. TC arrives to tend to the wounded officer, who happens to be white, and the young black man accused of shooting him who has also been shot. This leads to more unrest between those attempting to treat the victims as well as the crowd which is growing more unstable as officers begin using teargas in an attempt to gain control over the situation. When the injured officer is chosen as the one to be airlifted via helicopter to the hospital for further treatment, an argument ensues over whether he or the young black man was in more serious condition. While TC & the officer’s partner return with the officer to the hospital, Paul & Scott are left to treat the young man in the streets when they discover the ambulance they arrived in has been looted. They find a store whose shop owner shoots at them assuming it was looters. Scott & Paul try their best to treat the young man while they wait for the helicopter to return to take them to the hospital. The store owner recognizes the young boy as a worker at the sandwich shop up the road where he is a delivery man. Paul takes matters into his own hands and attempts to address the riotous crowd only to have it backfire when they learn that he & Scott are treating the man that the police officer shot inside and the crowd begin to force their way into the store. Paul stands up to the leader of the group telling him if he really wants to be a leader, then tell the crowd outside to make way for the helicopter to land so that the injured man can be transported to the hospital.
Meanwhile, tensions run high inside the ER as Kenny arrives late as a result of being pulled over which he feels is racially motivated. When the suspect on trial is brought in for medical tests & treatment, it drives a wedge between staff with differing points of view. Members of the media surround the hospital adding to the frenzy. Jordan & Kenny are given charge of the suspect causing disagreement over treatment options. Later we see Kenny confront Jordan in the break room where he shares what life is like from his perspective as does Jordan. This exchange raises important questions for viewers to consider within their own lives. Even with the suspect’s tests returning clean, Jordan is not convinced and refuses to release him until she finds out what is causing his pain. After the suspect’s condition worsens, symptoms lead to the discovery of a tumor on his pancreas causing abnormality in his blood which is why he collapsed in the court.
As more patients flood the ER, Drew & Shannon work to set up a decontamination tent to help the people affected by the teargas exposure & Topher struggles to keep the media at bay. A young boy arrives who got separated from him mother in the riots. Shannon takes him under her wing and devises a plan to help find his mother. It is discovered that she was taken to another area hospital for treatment and the little boy is flown by helicopter to be reunited with her.
TC & Drew operate on the wounded officer only to find that the bullets caused irreparable damage to his heart and dies on the table. When TC takes a closer look at the bullets, he realizes they could not have come from the young black man’s gun because they were the wrong caliber. They do however match the bullets in the officer’s partner’s gun. It is determined that in the midst of the riot, she is the one who unintentionally shot her partner. Paul & Scott were successfully able to remove the bullets & treat the young man and saved his life.
Jordan clears the trial suspect to be released to the authorities with medication. In a shocking moment, as he is being escorted out, a black man with a gun forces his way through the crowd gathered outside the hospital and shoots the suspect in the head. That man is quickly taken down before harming any other people and Jordan & Kenny race to aid the suspect, but after rushing him back inside & failed attempts at CPR, he is declared dead.
As the episode draws to a close, patients continue being rushed in as the riots in the streets continue.
While most shows tend to wrap everything up and give viewers some kind of closure, this particular one decides to reflect a more realistic outcome where issues like those addressed here don’t resolve themselves in an hour.
While it was difficult to watch at times with such a heavy subject matter, I have to give the writer’s, cast, crew & everyone involved so much credit for the way they handled this thought provoking & intense story.
On June 29th, viewers will be treated to a double dose of our favorite doctors & nurses with two episodes airing back to back beginning at 9pm EST!
Admins picks – our favorite moments from the episode:
Paul standing up to the riotous crowd
Shannon helping this little boy get reunited with his mom
The conversations between Kenny & Jordan