Nurses Season 1 Episode 9 Review: Mirror Box
Leora W at .Grace took a stand on Nurses Season 1 Episode 9. Tearing up her NDA on Nurses Season 1 Episode 8 was a high for her; you could see her riding it.
However, now Dr. Hamilton knows she won't play ball, and he's out to get her sacked again. There's no question of those peer reviews being random. Time was running out for her to go public.
Funnily enough, when Quinn mentioned her career as a hard-hitting journalist, it didn't occur to me that she could be the one to tell Grace's story. Cookies for you if you saw it coming.
Grace: Do you think that we can get it back? The people that we used to be?
Quinn: Yeah. But you gotta push out all the poison that changed you first. And it ain't easy. Takes a lot of guts.
Grace and Noelle coming to Quinn was a great moment. It had subtle buildup and a great payoff. Quinn and Grace really bonded while Quinn was in quarantine. Now they can both get what they want.
It was also great to see Kabir stepping up. He put the pieces together and realized that Dr. Hamilton assaulted Grace.
Because Grace was someone he cared about, he was willing to do something about it. He put his career at risk to give her Noelle's information.
Don't get me wrong; I still think Kabir is a tool. Aside from the cheating on his fiancee bit, he was perfectly willing to ignore assault accusations until he knew Grace was the victim.
Still, he stepped up, and I'm proud of him. Hopefully, it won't all be for nothing. We need results! We need Dr. Hamilton brought to justice!
Noelle: What if he's right? What if I am a bad nurse?
Grace: But you aren't. You know, I was ... afraid of him too. Right up until he tried to get me to sign the NDA. And that's when I knew that he was afraid of me. And he's afraid of you too, Noelle. That's why he got you to sign. He knows that either of us could take him down with our stories. Now imagine what we could do, together.
As for Grace asking Evan out in front of Kabir, I wasn't the biggest fan of that. She was trying to send Kabir a message, which I get, but Evan really likes her. He didn't deserve to be used like that.
Keon also doesn't deserve to be used. He realized his relationship with Dr. Banks meant more to him than it does to her. In fairness, she was rather upfront about that in the beginning. He kept pushing her.
Still, it is hard to walk away from a connection like that. We saw that mirrored in his patient, Justin's, fiancee Maddy.
Their story was so tragic. We've seen it before, the amnesia plotline, but that doesn't make it any less sad.
We can't blame Justin for feeling uncomfortable with someone he can't remember, especially when someone claims that they had this whole life together and that he owes her love he doesn't feel.
You can't force yourself into someone's life, even if you know you're good for them, 'cause if they can't give you what you need, you have to let them go.
Keon
At the same time, Maddy loved him so much! She invested so much in this relationship, and now it's just over. It's enough to make you ugly cry.
Also, who else finds it ironic that the actress who played Maddy, Sarena Parmar, also played Sav's fiancee on Degrassi, and she's in the same episode we meet Kabir's fiancee since both of those characters are played by Raymond Ablack?
Wolf's plot was kind of cute, if very minor. Damien is clearly still miffed at Wolf, understandably. So he got stuck with a hypochondriac, Gloria.
Gloria was constantly coming to the hospital, saying she had specific symptoms when she was fine.
Wolf used some of his good-hearted, cinnamon bun charm to discover her real problem. She was grieving and lonely.
Wolf invites her to come to have lunch with him every day, and wham, her symptoms disappear.
Frankly, I don't love this interpretation of a hypochondriac. It's played off as someone faking symptoms for attention, which isn't always the case. People who struggle with hypochondria truly believe they are sick.
They fear all the things that can go wrong in their bodies and are sometimes sure they feel symptoms. It's not an act, so much as psychosomatic. It's not easy being a hypochondriac.
Still, it could have been worse. At least Wolf showed Gloria some sympathy. Some doctors and nurses would get fed up and send the poor woman away.
Have you ever caught a glimpse of your own reflection when you weren't expecting it, and thought, who is that person, and how does she look so put together? When what you're actually feeling is that your hair is on fire?
Grace
Ashley didn't do much this episode. It's funny. In the beginning, Ashley was not a fan favorite. Now, the episode lacks something when she doesn't have a plotline.
Naz's storyline is where the episode titled came from. She used a mirror box to help a patient struggling with phantom pain in her missing limb.
You could feel the relief Kelly felt when she used the mirror box. It was cathartic.
Naz did a good job relating to Kelly. She sees her twin brother's eyes in the mirror every day. A lot of Naz's issues seem to go back to her brother. Hopefully, we'll get a flashback at some point.
Surprisingly, Sinead wasn't a big part of this episode. After she fell off the wagon on Nurses Season 1 Episode 8, I expected more of a follow-up.
Grace: Look, I know what you're gonna say. I was stupid, and I risked nuking my ovaries for nothing.
Sinead: Your ovaries are not my concern; your complete lack of judgment is! Why are you not wearing a lead apron? Stay back! You exposed yourself to radiation!
Grace: My patient collapsed. What was I supposed to do?
Sinead: make sure she doesn't collapse!
Grace: She was dehydrated and her blood sugar was elevated.
Sinead: You should have started an IV before she went into isolation!
Grace: The only person who was at risk here was me!
Sinead: You're damn right. The peer review finds mistakes in your charts, instances of poor judgment. Seeing this, I understand why.
Grace: What does that mean?
Sinead: It means they're opening up an official case with standards and practice. They'll be an investigation. You're suspending pending the review! Now, hit the shower and get out!
The most we saw from her was her losing it on Grace for not following protocol. She did make a good point. Grace should have prepared for Quinn's collapse better. She wasn't at her best as a nurse at that moment.
Still, with mirrors being the theme of the episode, one can't help but wonder if Sinead saw a bit of herself in Grace at that moment. She was disappointed with herself, and she was scared of what will happen now that she's drinking again.
Sinead has always supported Grace, so having them on the outs is a big deal. It could also affect Grace's job in the future. She's under a clearly rigged peer review, and she's going public with her Dr. Hamilton story.
She needs allies. After this incident, will Sinead still be one of them?
Sometimes you see yourself reflected in a mirror, and sometimes reflected in someone else. It might be someone you miss or someone you feel for. Or it might be someone you never thought you'd be again. And sometimes, it might just be the you you're finally ready to be.
Grace
What do you think, Fanatics?
Will Grace and Noelle win the day? Are you proud of Kabir? Are Keon and Vanessa over? What will happen with Sinead's drinking?
Let us know in the comments, and remember, you can watch Nurses online right here via TV Fanatic.
Nurses airs on Tuesdays at 10/9c on NBC.
Leora W was a staff writer for TV Fanatic..
