A Bit Less Alton Towers

Adam, a junior doctor, wakes up in his car and realizes he’s late for his shift. He rushes to the hospital, but is too late to start his shift. ..

Adam is actually out in the parking lot, and we soon learn that he’s working the labour ward. Before he can even get inside, he’s stopped by a heavily pregnant woman outside. In fact, the arm is out already. ..

Adam begins his interview by breaking the fourth wall, revealing that he is in the maintenance lift facing a real crisis – a cord prolapse. He describes the situation and how he plans to fix it.

Adam Lockhart is questioning Adam’s work ethic, as he can’t seem to keep up with the man’s usual patterns. The boss is trying to get a sense of why Adam might be struggling, but Adam won’t answer. He jokes around and holds the item in front of him for now, letting the boss have his say.

Tracy is the head midwife here and oversees Adam’s work as he heads into his next patient. She is six centimeters dilated, but an undercurrent of racism sees Adam jump in as a shining knight and hit back against her, threatening to kick them out if they continue. ..

Adam is juggling a lot of different things at once, and it’s hard to keep everything in check. He’s exhausted from the day’s work, but he can’t help but feel overwhelmed by the amount of stress he’s under.

Shruti is a bit of a wallflower, but Adam promises to help teach her. He does just that, and she delivers her first baby – although also with a bit of a tear too.

Adam isn’t exactly happy, but Shruti is quick to apologize. Only, the irony here is that Adam is forced to apologize to the woman he called a racist earlier, before working overtime to do Lockhart’s bidding and “send some people home.”

There is a warm and friendly relationship between Shruti and Adam, exemplified when the former is given her first Cesarean section to work on. It’s a beautiful moment that is spoiled by our earlier racist patient calling Shruti “a Paki.” ..

Adam had been looking forward to his stag do for weeks, but after another long day at work he was nearly asleep at the wheel when he arrived at Greg’s house. Unfortunately, Mr Lockhart called and said that there had been a cancellation and he needed to be on the night shift. ..

Adam has been promising Harry that it will only be a couple of years until they move out and progress, but it is clear this is taking its toll on his work. ..

Adam arrives to find a patient he sent home earlier called Erika in the hospital. It turns out she has a serious illness and he’s worried.

Adam is forced into performing an emergency Cesarean. Adam has never done a 25 week one and this is a really risky procedure. Adam passes over the tiny baby but the patient is losing a lot of blood.

Lockhart arrives and takes over, a puddle of blood on the floor around them. Adam is worried and it soon sees Lockhart arrive to take over. ..

Adam makes a bad call earlier on, but Lockhart encourages him to let it go. He’s going to take the blame for this. News of the incident spreads across the hospital though, with Adam noticing that Erika is recovering, despite a lot of blood loss, and the baby is okay as well. Adam heads in and apologizes to the babe in secret.

Adam wakes up to the sound of laughter and shouting coming from a strip club. He can’t remember getting there, but he’s sure he was there with the group. As he tries to get up, he finds himself passed out on the sofa. The memories of the night keep flashing through his mind, and soon he’s fast asleep again.

The Episode Review

This episode starts out strong with a powerful opening scene that packs in an equal amount of comedy and drama. The show then ramps up the intensity throughout the episode, making it one of the most exciting and suspenseful I’ve ever watched.

Adam’s mistake at work was certainly a standout moment, while the fourth-wall breaking and little comedic quips worked well to stop this slipping into the realm of melodrama. ..

This film has some slick cinematography and a socially relevant theme around how overworked and understaffed the NHS actually are.

This show does a great job of capturing the chaotic feeling of this and adding it into a captivating drama. The episodes ahead certainly look promising, especially if we see more of the conflicting way Adam has to juggle his personal and professional life.