Mercy

A few weeks ago, under my former name of Ruth Ann Renaud, I wrote a review stating that Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan wouldn't have taken five minutes of any of this. Now that I've gotten to see some more episodes and I've gotten more adjusted to the characters, it's good to see that everybody SEEMS to be getting along. The plot line about the father having Alzheimer's disease/senile dementia hits home-my mom and at least two uncles died from it. James LeGros' doctor (who I called "oily") deserves some sympathy having lost a wife. At least he's on a first name basis with the nurses. The young nurse (Michelle Trachtenberg's character) seems to be developing some armor-the way she stood down the wife of her boyfriend was good to watch. Veronica also was good as a surrogate older sister playing "crazy war veteran" with the wife. The usual subplots that are in other medical dramas are here, but putting the emphasis on the nurses gives the show a new perspective. It just gets better every week!

The show, Mercy, is not brilliant nor awful. It's somewhat mediocre. Except for Margo Martindale and Michelle Trachtenberg, I never saw any of these actors or actresses before. It's nice to have a show that is set in New Jersey which is also actually filmed here that isn't the Sopranos well except for Teresa Giudice's appearance in one episode. She was the NJ housewife who flipped the table at her dinner party and claimed to be classy. Anyway, Mercy is about an Iraqi veteran nurse who returns home to face her relationships and her life after war. I never heard of the actress but she's okay in the role as Veronica. To me, Margo Martindale is a scene stealer and a veteran character actress who should be in every episode. She's wonderful and deserves to have her name in the first credits like everybody else. She has had a respectable career and given good scripts that she could possibly be Emmy worthy. Well, maybe the writers and producers are reading this. I sure hope so.

Mercy was a very good show that for some reason was canceled at the end of season one. Granted, it had some parts that stretched the reality level a bit, but isn't that what TV is for? The nurses appear to have more knowledge and abilities than even the doctors around them at times, but their own stories are so captivating that it doesn't really matter. Usually there is more than one writer on a show, and from the way the characters talk (they all sound the same), it seems like there was only one here, but that was OK. The interaction with patients is a bit more relaxed than you find in real life, but honestly, wouldn't you rather go to that hospital than any other one anywhere? DEFINITELY YES! I watched it for Michelle because I have adored her ever since I saw her on Buffy. Jaime Lee was awesome too, not to mention drop-dead gorgeous. Miss G-I Jane was good too, staggering from one disaster to another. Although Veronica seemed to be the lead focus of the show, I put her in third place and followed the other girls. It started out good, but then somehow began to get seriously better and better in every episode. They thought they were writing a season cliff hanger, but as it turns out, it became a series finale that would leave you screaming for more.

There are a lot of idiot shows out there that should be canceled but they persist. This was a very nice show that should have lived a bit longer. I thought it was great.

Compelling, well-developed characters, great writing, interesting premise, great dialogue, good production values--why was this show canceled? I honestly don't understand NBC's claim of "under-performance." According to the American viewing public and its 3.6 million viewers, this show was worth renewing but NBC found this project apparently not worth the effort.

Returning GWOT veterans, especially those in the medical field, do a great service that few realize can and does lead to PTSD. The themes brought to the fore in this drama are done in such a palatable way, it makes the topics easier to swallow for the non-military public.

Taylor Schilling is radiant as Veronica and I hope to see her in many other projects.

This is one of the few shows where the cast of people who aren't quite as well known as the mega-stars in all the other shows still work fantastic. Here's the breakdown, this cast has feel, dynamic, and most of all they play off one another perfectly, between spunk and genuine feel the rhythm of this show is authentic.

Now as for the actual plot, its more of less the same as every other medical drama, yada yada yada people in medical crisis, yada yada, people needing a doctor, yada yada relationships, not really far from the norm. At least the interactions between all of the cast is worth watching. I give it a solid 8/10.