Night Shift Season Premiere: Pre-Recap Recap

Am I completely out of my mind, or was our optimism about this show warranted?  Patrick and Robin had a new conversation, and even bantered!  Jagger had a fun entrance, was charming, momentarily wore nothing but a towel, and introduced his adorable son named Stone!  The new hospital set is cool!  There was no hideous hair or fashion!  There were no mobsters, or murders set to music! 

Sure, there were low points:  Among other things, Dr. Ford's death scene was unintentionally hilarious, and Patrick being Chief of Staff is almost as ridiculous as a hitman being the hero of a soap opera.  But overall, it was good, right?

The full recap will be up Thursday night.  Perhaps by then I will have decided I hated this, but for now I'm....looking forward to next week's episode.  Of something related to General Hospital.  WHAT IS THIS FEELING AND HOW DO I COPE?!

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Comments

[horselover]

The best part was that there was no Sonny, Jason or Carly. I loved it! Bring on the next episode!

[ande mcbeal]

Yeah, that was hot fried ass.

On a completely shallow note, the fact that the new Dr. Julian is played by his littler brother is very distracting. That dude is petite.

Also, I'm taking their obvious and lame ass attempt to recreate Izzy "The Most Hated Character on Grey's Right Now" Stevens as proof that these poo flinging monkeys are only marginally better than the poo flinging populate the rest of the writing rooms at ABC Daytime and yes, I mean OLTL, too.

[Kazou]

I wanted to like it and I just ... didn't. It's trying so hard to be a low-budget Grey's anatomy even stealing some of the storylines and it's such a BAD imitation. Not only that, the acting was downright bad as well. The new Dr. Julian neither looks or acts the part (and his personality seems completely diff from the laid back guy that brought his guitar into a patient's room). Kudos on them for finally bringing in a gay character but one who was completely without charisma? I think the only actors who did have character and charisma were Robin, Patrick and Jagger (and he's not that good of an actor but has enough charisma to fill in the gaps).

I think what disturbed me most about the show though was the pervasiveness of "old" GH's misogyny. This is a new writer but he's serving up the same old crap about women -- and I'm not even a feminist. Patrick orders Robin on maternity leave without her consent? That's blatantly illegal. Robin's new best friend basically reinforces Patrick by telling Robin she just likes to fight? Robin even accedes to the issue saying he's "partly right"? No. He's not right. Pregnant women aren't helpless. If this was even a difficult pregnancy (preclampsia, gestational diabetes ... ANYTHING) or she was further along I could see treating her like a moron incapable of making "right" decisions for her baby. But a random car flying through a window? No. (And Patrick's chatter when fixing dinner about "you don't have to go to work after the baby if you don't want ... your body is your own." That's pretty blatantly saying a woman should stay home with the kiddies and give up her career.) I don't care if Patrick is proved wrong -- the fact that GH validates this tripe is just as bad as "regular" GH. "Blondie" the young intern doesn't know the answers until the big strong guy steps in and helps her out. Sure she redeemed herself slightly later in the episode but in conjunction with the rest of the dialogue about Robin/Patrick it weights the show more towards dumping on women than showing them as strong or capable. I also could do without the Epiphany/BDW romance. They just don't do it for me. But at least it's not eating the show so I can wade through it.

There are some palatable things: Robin and Patrick have charisma, no matter how infuriating the dialogue. The Jagger story looks interesting and could have legs. And RF!S is returning so I'm sure he could single-handedly pump enough charisma into the show to make the lack by the rest of the lackluster cast seem not as glaring. (And while I appreciate them tryingo to keep "Dr. Leo" in the family -- couldn't they give us a new doc that was as good looking as the original *and* who could act?? The orig was so purdy!) I hate to go against the tide but ... so far? Not seeing the "great" quite yet.

[Kimberly]

While NS2 won't be winning any Emmy's...of course, what do those mean anyway? But I digress, NS2 has it faults but IMO it is miles above an beyond NS1. And that in itself is reason enough for me to rejoice and give thanks.

[Sarah]

Is it just me, or does something about the set design / lighting remind you of Saturday Night Live?

[Sarah]

Yep. Loren Michaels is gonna be PISSED when he realizes SoapNet stole his Grey's Anatomy skit from the SNL season premiere!

[Nicole]

what i dont get is how did Dr.Ford die?????

[Cate]

I don't think I'm going to be able to handle Antonio Sabato Jr. and Jason Thompson being on my screen at the same time, one episode and I have a serious case of heat stroke!!

It was a good show alround, but then again all I have to compare it to is season 1 and daytime GH so who knows if it was actually good or just not completely horrible in every way.

[Lauren; The OG]

OMG, I haven't read the pre-recap because I just downloaded the episode and I'm getting liquored up so I can watch, but...I'm actually excited to see JAGGER. Help! This isn't like me. I've resisted, but the Antonio Sabato Jr. pretty is pulling me in. Where is the old comfort of my bitter cynicism? It's right around the corner, isn't it?

[Beth R.]

Ain't it amazing what a little time away from the mob can do??????

However if the only thing I have to scratch my head over so far is somehow three year staff member Patrick being named Cheif of Staff and not say how a murder defendant during the day is a janitor at night....I'm good right now.

Plus you know...ANTONIO SABATO JUNIOR IN A TOWEL!!!!! I'm shallow enough to admit that would push it pass crap to good for me right there.

[Mel]

I didn't eat breakfast this morning because I had to leave room so that I could eat my words. NS2 was good. It was damn good. Ok, so there were the obvious moments like when Leo Julian spouted off his rules and I wondered when Miranda Bailey had gotten a sex change operation. And the 2 interns are massively annoying but that's just me because really, the ONLY reason I tuned is was for Scrubs. Oh, and to see ASJ in a towel. What?? Like, I'm the only one! But other than that...I recognized Scrubs again! And it wasn't the horrible version from the LAST season of NS - it was the banter-filled, sexy, hot Scrubs! (And seriously, Patrick being all hotly disciplinarian w/ the brothers Julian...oye! Totally diminishes the ridiculousness of him actually being named Chief of Staff!)
So...verdict for Episode 1 - good...really, really good.

[natty3]

It was good but like others have said before me i dont know if i think it was good b/c original gh and NS1 suck so bad. it got a little boring with the interns and dr leo is now played by a tyranical shrimp when the his original portrayer was laid back and hot. Patrick and RObin have a maturity on this show that is not evident on gh. ASJ was great he was so hot i nearly fainted when he was in that towel. my advice if the show just keeps playing up patrick robin and jagger there should be no problems. oh yeah and robert will be back so that should be great. my grade is a B

[Tania]

It was DAMN good! I loved every minute of it, or at the very least every minute of Robin and Patrick. NS1, or Night Shit as I like to call it, sucked and we were lied to, because saying its a show for Scrubs fans AND doing what they did made me not only hate the show and certain characters but lose whatever respect I had for TIIC, and its only normal that I be against a second season with my two favorite characters, but a series of events made me change me tune cautiously... until last night that is. Last night when NS2 premiered made me realize that while the show has its fault, it goes miles beyond GH as of recent and NS1 so it gets major points in my book. While the Dr. Ford dying scene made me giggle and say that was the most unrealistic death ever to grace my tv quite possibly, overall it was pretty great. I'm even willing to overlook the Grey's Anatomy-ish moments, that was basically eveything NOT Robin and Patrick, and even enjoy them, which is something that didn't happen last year as was the fact that I enjoyed Robin and Patrick in every single scene this time which I cannot say the same for NS1. Patrick and Robin made me giggle and sqee and smile and laugh and be a total fan girl and have it be 100% deserved, something GH and NS1 haven't done in a while.

I'll skip over my "EEEE!!!" session and skip over everything NOT Patrick and Robin and say this, while I wasn't fond of Patrick "firing" Robin, I totally got where he was coming from unlike what GH and NS1 has done on occasion where I can only say "I don't know". Like Patrick said, he was looking out for their family's best interest, plus it had to do with his fears. You guys are saying pregnant women aren't helpless, and I agree, BUT I think it was just a knee jerk reaction of her getting hit by a car. He wants to protect Robin and their baby, plus the "part of what you were saying was right" was right in my opinion because she wanted to get back to work when she should have taken a few days off seeing as how she was JUST HIT BY A CAR. I'm thinking, and it could just be me, that while he said she should take an early maternity leave now, he wasn't planning on keeping her from work until the baby was born like he said when he really thought about it. Now that still isn't right but don't forget it is a little complicated seeing as how the person in question is your girlfriend and currently carrying your child. But again, could just be me.

So ummm, is it Tuesday yet? :D

[Anonymous]

I hated it all except for ASJ in the towel. I also thought the storyline was misogynistic. Patrick got to express his "fears" as serious concerns, Robin gets (surprise!) more jokes about swollen ankles! This is the most cliched bullshit ever but that doesn't stop them. Why would Patrick get to be chief of staff? Cause he's a dude and not a preggo chick? And they played Robin's potential lawsuit for laughs but this is exactly the reason we have laws.

I hate the way they treated Robin's "principles." "Oh Robin, you women and your silly little principles. You aren't still taking THAT stuff seriously are you?" I've had men (and women) pet me on the head and express similar sentiments "you're always so fired up about things, isn't that cute." Yeah. Nobody ever does this to men. "Oh, you and your silly little anti-abortion policies and pro-war talk. You're not still wasting time on that are you?"

Ok GH, we get it by now: women are sluts who make babies and look to boys for protection and sound thinking. Whatever. I'm not tuning in again.

[ckn]

I am not sure if it was very good or if GH and NS1 are/were just THAT bad, but regardless, I enjoyed the show.

One thing for sure, minus the side of misogyny, it was great to see Scrubs behaving like the Scrubs I fell in love with 2+ years ago. Was it me or did they both handle themselves in a manner you'd expect from two people in love? I'm actually excited for episode #2, but can we get Jagger and Patrick in towels next week?

The pulling rank/firing her story didn't sit well with me either. It was the weakest point, of the whole show, and was so blatantly illegal and fed right into a problem I have with Scrubs on GH - that Patrick does things that affect Robin's career that would make him look like a loon if she weren't carrying his baby - like banning her from OR's, but OG GH seems to think those are his right and Robin doesn't get to really say boo about it. On NS2 I thought it was clear that Patrick was overreacting and being completely irrational and absolutely WRONG. And the conversation with S/R was IMO more about wanting Robin to examine the situation and make the decision for herself, rather than just standing on principle alone (and also maybe about not going back 1 day after being hit by a car), although again dialogue sucked a bit. Hopefully this will be the last of Patrick pulling rank on her, but I do wonder if they are setting up a long-running examination of Robin/Patrick's varying ideas of sex roles in family and relationships. Patrick is coming off as very traditional - making noises about her not coming back to work when the baby comes. What does he expect of her as a mother - that he will make the money while she centers her life around their child's every desire - like Maddie did with him? And how is that going to mesh with a girl who's role model was a spy/police chief who never let a man tell her what to do? That might be interesting.

I'll at least give them points for recognizing the misogyny instead of treating it as de-rigeur and the way the world should work - a la OG GH.

[CHIgirl2112]

I hate to be an I told you so.... ok, not really - NS2 is going right down the crapper just like NS1.

Are you seriously kidding me that Patrick makes COS and the jackass fires Robin????? WTF. and if this is just a "dream" - it still sucks.

This shows sucks, just like the mothership and someone PLEASE explain to me why GH writers think us female views want to watch the men of GH treat the women like shit.

God please take me out of my misery. Cancel this freakin' show NOW!!!!!!!!!

On a happy note - I have a quote to share with all you bloggers as it really does apply to us (especially Becca and Mallory):

"Hope is the feeling we have that the feeling we have is not permanent." Mignon McLaughlin

[tanya]

I actually...wait for it...liked it. First time ever i have liked scrubs.

BUT...do not like the new Dr Leo...bring back the first one - he is sexier and looks more of the age of a doc...than this new little dude. And WTF - now dr leo and the ken doll are brothers? But the first gay guy on the show - cool. And he is cute.

Jagger - bring back that towel. He is still sexy.

[Sarah]

I just found you guys, thanks for the laughs :)!

I know I'm late to this episode but just have to say I agree with most of what was written in the recap. I am looooving this season of the show...I almost didn't watch it because I stopped watching last time around. So glad I gave it a shot this season, because it reminded me of how good soaps can be (side note: I FF GH down to a few minutes a day now and I did not FF ANY of NS2).

I love the new writer, he clearly understands what makes characters do what they do. For once I understood why Patrick was being such a caveman and I sympathized. Of course, I don't agree with how he was acting (I AM a feminist lol) but I could at least understand it.

I absolutely love the new Leo...I know I am in the minority here. But last time he was too one dimensional for my liking. But this season we see he has conflict with his brother, he is adopted, etc.--all background issues that give him more complexity and make him more interesting too me.

I personally find all the comments about his height to be unnecessary lol because soooo many actors are short. But usually the production people know how to shoot such that the audience would never guess. So this is a production issue...there is absolutely no reason to have this actor standing next to a 6 foot tall person and being a few feet behind him on the set to boot. It's called perspective and the production people should know about that.

Speaking of production, someone needs to talk to the editor. I like the fast pace of the show but the editing needs something. Not sure what as I'm not an expert, but something feels off. Scenes just end and I'm like huh?

Overall though I LOVED the first episode and can't wait to see these characters every week. The writing will keep me coming back. Too bad the writers can't go to GH :p.