Still unsure about HawthoRNe

I know what I said last week.

Nevertheless, after four episodes, there still isn’t much that’s new to say about HawthoRNe. It’s interesting, or not, to note how slowly the show is evolving. Are we even getting to know the characters better, or has each episode just given us a little more of the same? And, while I realize that the premise is meant to be nurses in a hospital, shouldn’t there be something more to chew on? Was ER really just about doctors in an ER, or was there something more each week, even if that was character plot instead of show plot? I just feel like something’s missing.

And, while I suppose I wouldn’t be able to pinpoint how or why any particle show has hooked me in the past, it usually has something to do with having more to interest me than a compassionate, widowed nurse, whose widow-ness, by the way, hasn’t even come up much after the premiere. Not that it must, but wasn’t that a major plot point?

Which isn’t to say that I’m not enjoying HawthoRNe, just that I couldn’t list ten things that I love about it (or, likely, even five). Of course, it’s usually the indescribable or intangible stuff that hook us on a show, but let’s try and analyze this situation, and see if we can come to some sort of conclusion.

As I said above, the premise is nurses in a hospital. The storylines allow us to get to know these nurses as people, as well as healthcare providers. But, have we really learned anything new after their introductions? Christina (Jada Pinkett Smith) has become more of a compassionate administrator than a practicing nurse, which I like, but now we get the same story from her each week: patient in need, doctor too focused to get it right, Christina steps in and saves the day. As a method of understanding more about her, that’s fine. Once or twice. But, as her plotline week in and week out? Come on.

And then there’s her family. Her daughter, Camille (Hannah Hodson), will obviously be revealed to still be suffering from the loss of her father. That’s why she acts out. Her mother-in-law, Amanda (Joanna Cassidy), is suffering from the loss of her son. Fine. But why do we need them? I fully understand the concept of a well-rounded character, but people (i.e. Camille and Amanda) shouldn’t exist on the show simply because Christina should have that aspect of her life explored. They should be there if it’s good for the show. Here, as with Mary’s family on In Plain Sight, it’s not.

As far as the nurses go, aside from Christina, only Bobbie (Suleka Mathew) really stands out as a major force on the show going forward. She’s Christina’s best work-buddy, who may or may not have a relationship with her on the outside as well. It’s hard to tell, when the show never leaves the hospital. Bobbie’s thing is an amputated leg, that keeps her wary of getting close to people … Really? That’s what they have for her? This is my first real exposure to Mathew (aside from a brief stint on The West Wing), and I think she’s extremely talented. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to see her range as the weeks go by, because being just the amputee doesn’t give her much of a path to trod (sorry!).

Ray (David Julian Hirsh) and Candy (Christina Moore) are two idiot buffoons whose sole purpose on the show is apparently to provide some comic relief. Only they’re not funny. They’re immature, irresponsible, and two of the last people you’d want providing healthcare to you. Kelly (Vanessa Lengies), the new girl, could be a source of tremendous insight into nursing, if only she were allowed to learn, week after week. Episode three gave her that opportunity, but last night she was getting lost in the basement, and chasing after a patient. What’s the point in that?

Tom (Michael Vartan) has the potential to be an interesting foil, or something, to Christina, if only the writers could figure out how to utilize him. Is he meant to be constantly butting heads with Christina over medical issues (and losing?), or might they possibly run the hospital together, Chief Nursing Officer and Chief of Surgery? Also, Tom has a personal relationship with Christina, likely as a result of the one he had with her husband. Are we seeing an inkling of a romantic interest there, or will we at least get to see them as close friends? For some reason, the husband angle has been mainly abandoned thus far, so its hard to say.

And yet, most of the above aren’t complaints, so much as things that I’m still left wondering. I realize that all, or some, will be revealed in good time, but so far I remain undecided about my feelings toward the show, so I’m impatient. I used my trick from last week, ignoring the characters and focusing on the medicine, but the medicine wasn’t as exciting as in the last episode, and ignoring the characters left the show feeling hollow. It’s clear that a little spice of them is required to make HawthoRNe go down smoothly.

The question is, will HawthoRNe find the right recipe before it’s too late for me?

Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Jul 08, 2009 @ 16:00 EST5EDT