Holby City: You used to be Mark Williams

(Series 13, Ep.15) If Holby City was directed by M. Night Shyamalan, you wouldn’t be surprised to find that the twist at the end was that Henrik Hanssen was actually a ghost. Supernaturally tall, he oozes around the hospital dispensing charm and iron-fist-in-velvet-glove evil in equal measure. He is universally feared and has absolute power, but seems to exist without personal context apart from some odd glimpses we’ve seen of a more playful, childlike nature – driving a toy snowman home after carefully fastening its seatbelt, for example.

His chief function so far has been to take a metaphorical scalpel to the staff team, though he manages to get other people to do the dirty work.

Mark “Jesus” Williams, as CEO of the hospital, was given the task this week of getting rid of either Ric Griffin or Elliott Hope – or preferably both. If this had been successful, Ric would have had grounds to claim for constructive dismissal, as he found he’d been moved from his office and was required to carry out his paperwork in the staff room. This didn’t please anyone, least of all Chrissie. “I can’t microwave pasta bake while Ric sits there writing his case notes,” she complained to her dad. Well, exactly.

Everyone had a problem with Mark’s suits. Before he started wearing suits he “used to be Mark Williams – friend,” said Elliott. Ric preferred love-bombing to attacking. “Even if you do get sucked into management games, you’ve got the best interests of the hospital at heart,” he said, little realising that Mark was planning Ric’s leaving whip-round even as the words were leaving his lips.

Well, it was all too much, even for a man who has previously played the Son of God. Someone had to go, so in the fluid staffing configurations of Holby City Hospital, why not lose a CEO rather than two top-flight yet unhealthy surgeons?

And this left Hanssen looking quietly satisfied with his day’s work. You feel that he has a grand plan in all this, and everyone else is just a pawn on his personal chessboard. We left him comfortably installing himself in the Director of Surgery office.

Meanwhile, Donna was visited by Kieran on the eve of his deployment to Afghanistan, trying to persuade her that they had a future together as long as he doesn’t get killed (which he promises he won’t). Donna turned down an offer of marriage, a decision which made more sense than the last time she turned him down, because she explained that her priority was adopted daughter Mia, and not wanting her to love a man who might not come back. Given all that Mia has been through in her little life, this is probably a wise decision, though she could still have kept her options open for when he gets back. But, then again, he didn’t look half as good in army clothes as he did in scrubs (who does?).

Next time: Malick cocks up, while Elliott and Chrissie impress Hanssen.

Posted by PLA           (more Holby here)