Episode Report Card Sobell: C+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Score one for the Darwinists
By Sobell | Season 1 | Episode 10 | Aired on 11.06.2005
Meanwhile, on the outside...the phone rings in what looks to be a brothel. A woman who's dressed for the setting -- and how fortunate for her, because wouldn't that feel awkward otherwise? -- picks up the phone and says hello in a generic Eastern European accent. We can't see too much of her face because the camera would rather show the giant, gilt-edged mirror and gaudy lamp with fringy shade. Why do brothels have this décor? Would it be too much to expect a Chicagoland house of ill repute to maybe show some architectural awareness and take its design cues from the Prairie School? Anyway, we establish that the lady's been expecting the call, and Michael asks, "Remember when I said I might be calling you on Fibonacci?" We get a shot of the lady's face; she looks wary, but she remembers. Michael tells her, "Well, it's time."
The camera closes in tight on the bouquet next to the lady, then zooms out again so we can see that we're now looking at a different flower arrangement -- one in Dr. Sara's clinic. She's bandaging Michael's foot and lamenting that the two of them don't talk like they used to: "You seem distracted." He tells her he's got a lot on his mind. She asks, "Have anything to do with the people who took these toes?" "Nice flowers," he replies. Sara's all, "Eh," and Michael tries for flirty but skids over to "bitchy" when he asks, "Do we have an admirer?" Sara says they're from her father. Michael's still wearing what he thinks is the flirty face, and he asks what the occasion is. Sara admits it's her birthday today, and Michael actually drops the smirk and says sincerely, "Happy birthday." Sara doesn't reply. And Michael notes, "Birthdays aren't usually a sore subject...unless the celebrant is feeling her age. Which I don't see how you could be."
Sara turns up from her clipboard and looks at him for the first time. She says, "I'm 29 years old, Michael." And this is the point in the episode where I tried to figure out how she could have gone through college, med school and internship and become an old hand in this gig by the time most would-be doctors are just finishing up year three of their residency. Is there an edict in place on most shows that women over 30 are shriveled, sexless crones who should either distract people from their decrepitude by donning haute bag lady ensembles a la Carrie Bradshaw, or apologize for having the nerve to age linearly like Catherine Willows? Is this why the good Dr. Tancredi can't be, oh, 32 or 33?