(Series 13, Ep.51) What a delightful episode. I would have enjoyed it just for the neat demonstration of how character can be revealed via the eating of fruit. Henrik Hanssen peels his apple with a small knife, wearing a look of patient contentment and anticipation. Sir Fraser just grabs an apple from a bowl, sinks his teeth into it, and when he’s had enough looks round for a bin to throw it in. Hanssen’s pain at this callous disregard of fruit was etched on his face.
Etched on the face of Young Dr Oliver Valentine was a bruise – is he ever without a bruise? – caused this time by running into a lamp post. He was being distracted while jogging by his former patient, recruitment consultant O’Gorman. While Oliver was nursing his bruised head, O’Gorman hunted it, and offered Oli a job as a hot shot high flying recruitment consultant. He would be earning a salary so enormous it could only be comprehended by looking at the figure typed on an iPhone and not spoken out loud. Recruitment is presumably not the type of consultancy Oliver was aiming for when he applied for medical school. What a marvellous use of several years of training and a qualification your sister worked hard to earn you. But Oli had had enough of being Jac’s puppet and spending hours in the wet lab suturing pigs’ lungs – even his on-the-fly carotid sinus massage did nothing to impress her – so he wrote his resignation letter to Hanssen and told everyone he was leaving.
We knew he wouldn’t get out without being faced with a tricky case which showcased his surgical skills (Jac accidentally cut her finger so he had to do the operation) and his people skills (he was rather good at dealing with a patient with a learning disability and his somewhat sensitive partner), and so it was no surprise when he changed his mind at the end of the episode. It certainly didn’t come as a surprise to Jac. She hadn’t spent all that time forcing him to learn to juggle coins between his fingers for nothing. It would have been a terrible slight to her work as a mentor if her mentee had metaphorically thrown her pigs’ lungs in her face and left. In fact, she knew it wouldn’t happen. So she’d taken the step of removing his resignation letter before Hanssen got to read it.
Hanssen had other fish to fry anyway, what with having his apple-eating interrupted, and with charging Sahira Shah the Registrah with the job of delving into the fake boobs. Bhatti was making himself scarce this week, leaving Michael Spence to mop up the mess caused by the exploding implants. Two patients with defective frontages were summoned for a quiet word. One of them promised to keep quiet as long as Michael threw in a free “Brazilian butt lift” (who knew?), but then she called a press conference anyway. Bad news for the credibility of the plastics department (hurrah!).
And it was bad news for Tedious Josh the Paraplegic Snowboarder. Apparently his paraplegia is permanent as, presumably, is his tediousness. Eddi spent the episode looking tragic. I just wish someone would find young Josh a place in a spinal unit so he can get on with rebuilding his life and Eddi can get back to being sarcastic again.
Next time: Chrissie and Dull Dan’s engagement party; Plastic Bhatti is involved in an accident; and Sahira and Greg realise they’ll miss each other when he goes to St Jimmy’s.
Posted by PLA (more Holby City here)
HOLBY CITY BEHIND THE SCREEN
pauseliveaction 
Absolutely brilliant!! love your reviews of holby, very witty with genuine lough out loud bits
Nothing says ‘look of complete confusion’ like that the picure you have of jac above 😀
LOL! Loving the reviews PLA, I think you get more humorous as the weeks go on 🙂
Sahira Shah the Registrah has a lot on her plate doesnt she what with insinuating herself into every facet of every storyline. Dont get me wrong, I like her and that but geez, leave some story arc for the rest of us. Shes all but ousted Elliot. She’ll be crashing Chrissies wedding next.
Jac was brilliant as per usual. Witty lines and snappy remarks a plenty. Wasnt so convinced by the accidental-finger-cutting or the sneaky-removal-of-Olli’s-letter. Not very Jac like imo. I know she wants her mentee to not give up on all (her) hard work, and is brilliant and telling people what they need to hear whether they resent her for it or not. She did just enough pushing and prodding here and there to guide him into the situation, for him to draw his own conclusions and decide to stay. That bit, I liked.
The fact that hes not a qualified doctor and Penny did his work and Hanssen knows and he oh-so-nearly decided to leave for the Shiny World of Recruitment, would have saved his ass. Right? And ninety per cent of the time hes a bit of a useless chap. So it was typical he had one of his Bright and Shiny days and decides that medicine is fantastic despite his fudging of qualifications. I just dont want Jac to get in trouble downthe line for not noticing her mentee is a fraud. Y’know?
We did get some gorgeous shots of Greg. Yay! (and Jac, of course. *hugs her*)
Thanks again, PLA.
Not sure about the episode being ‘delightful’ though I’m pretty sure that I’d be revising my opinion if Jac had careered through the hour in her leathers while getting medieval on doe-eyed-Oll’s ass and being medievalled in turn.
As with many of HC’s other old faithfuls Naylor’s been reduced to moments of 2D caricature over the last few months; this at a time when even the more promising of the newer faces lack the back catalogue to carry the series. As ever, I exempt Henrik and his god-like way with an apple from any criticism (can it be a coincidence that only hours later, in the happy knowledge it would be tended by the best, Mr Jobs finally loosed his hold on the orchard?)
There is one irritation that I do have to mention, the episode title, “Oliver Twists.” Trub is he didn’t, did he? He didn’t embrace the abuse and say: “Please Ms Naylor, can I have some more?” He didn’t twist again (nor did he last summer) he failed to twist the night away and he certainly didn’t twist and shout – that was more of a whimper … ok, ok I know: the title was about whether Olly would stick or twist. Now I like wordplay as much as the next fool (considerably more as you know) but it has to be true to the context. He didn’t twist, he stuck.
Obsessive, me? Yep.
Of course they’ll miss each other, it’s so obvious they’re in love! And I was just starting to warm up to Jac, then she got really mean, then she was nice again. i just don’t know what to think! But I’m glad Oli’s staying.
Agree with one of the above comments about HC becoming a bit 2-D in terms of our beloved characters. Yes, the edges do need to be softened somewhat to give us the lovely warmth that we used to enjoy when Elliot and Connie shared a moment of understanding or Jac’s yearning days for Joseph. Wonder if Holby writers read PLA….they should!