Deadly Medicine

Hamel is earnest and convincing as a pediatrician recently relocated to a small Texas town. Just as everything starts to fall into place--a growing practice and a new country home being built by her supportive husband--tragedy strikes when a young patient dies in her care and foul play is suspected. Could the big-city doctor have created the emergency situation in order to play "savior" at the last second, or is her dedicated former pediatric-ICU nurse to blame? Pic follows Hamel as virtually everything she's worked so hard for gradually falls apart. Richard Colla's straightforward, unpretentious direction is a tremendous asset and helps offset the occasionally predictable plotting, unremarkable electronic score and a very, very pat (though satisfying) ending. Hamel is terrific, as usual; Ruttan impresses as the obviously disturbed nurse (her arrest scene is quite, well, "arresting"). Altogether, a satiating drama.