Middle Of Nowhere, Summary and Review from Alt.TV.ER

[Phyl]

Middle of Nowhere
Summary and Review by Phyl Behrer
Written by: Carol Flint and Neal Baer
Directed by: Jonathon Kaplan

The episode opens with Peter and Elizabeth walking near the El track.
Peter reveals that he's all packed for a well-paying stint in northern
Minnesota and will be at a hospital where he will be one of three
surgeons. He talks about how difficult it was helping Carla arrange for
Reese's care, with Thursday's plans being up in the air because it's
a difficult day for both Carla and his sister Jackie. Elizabeth offers
to help Peter and Reese and after she assures Peter it's no imposition,
he agrees.

Inside the hospital, Robert Romano catches up with Peter and explains
that the Locum Tenen program has contacted him with a change in plans
and a change in location. Peter's new destination is Laverne,
Mississippi. Peter argues that he signed a contract and that they can't
just change their minds, but Romano wryly tells him that's what the
"fine print" was all about. He also informs Peter that he is the
leading candidate for the "Cardiothoracic spot" to be awarded in May.

Jeanie Boulet is being discharged from the hospital and is indignant
that she must exit via a wheelchair. Peter takes control of the
wheelchair from an aide, giving Jeanie the opportunity to walk out on
her feet. Peter and Jeanie talk about how she is feeling and about
Peter's destination. When Jeanie hears it's in Laverne, Mississippi,
she reveals that she has family there and Peter should feel free to look
them up. However, she cautions him not to reveal her HIV status if he
meets up with her family, as she has not yet told any of her relatives.

Peter leaves Chicago and finds himself with an overheated car along a
rural road in Mississippi. A pick-up truck slows down and appears to be
stopping to help him, but two young men glare at him and keep driving.
Peter walks into town and meets up with an old man, Jesse Morgan, who
directs him toward Maureen Chapman, a nurse practitioner who has
sustained neck and leg injuries in a losing battle with a mare. Peter
is surprised there is no hospital for him to practice at and she informs
him that the nearest hospital is 80 miles away. Maureen is relieved
that Peter didn't turn out to be a dentist, and laughs at the knowledge
that he's a fifth year surgical resident. Her son, Sonny, comes walking
by and is cold to Benton. He is one of the men who earlier refused to
stop and help Peter along the road. Maureen asks if Peter can practice
medicine, and Peter assures her, "I can take care of myself." Sonny
urges his mother to get off her feet and Maureen leaves the patients in
Peter's capable hands.

Peter prepares to help with patients and realizes to his dismay that not
only is there no hospital, but the clinic's waiting room is outside of
the building; patients prefer to wait outside due to the heat. Peter's
first patient is a woman named Miss Pearl Johnson who tries his patience
as Peter attempts to move the examination along quickly. She, however,
is much more interested discussing the local Benton families.

The last of the patients are waiting for Peter, one of whom is the old
man Peter first met, Jesse Morgan. He has a nasty ulcer on his foot and
Peter advises him to stay off of it and soak it three times a day to
help the healing process. As Peter examines Mr. Morgan, his first
patient, Miss Johnson comes out with a specimen and Peter tells her it
should be sent to the lab. She insists that he can, and should, let her
know the results right away by going into the back room of the clinic
and testing the sample himself.

The day is done and Peter sits down to a meal of greens and ham hocks.
Peter, a vegetarian, politely declines the food and says he will eat
more biscuits. Maureen comments that it's a good thing he eats lard (an
animal product obviously used in the preparation of the biscuits).
Maureen also asks why Peter didn't speak to his son on the phone, and
Peter tells her his son is deaf and they need a video phone hookup,
which he had arranged for in Minnesota, but correctly assumes isn't
available in Laverne. Maureen asks Sonny if he got Peter all set up in
the trailer, but Sonny curtly responds, "I don't work for him." Maureen
explains to Peter where the trailer is and apologizes that it will be
cramped for a man his size. She also wonders if Sonny has grounded the
trailer.

Peter falls asleep in the trailer, obviously uncomfortable as the bed is
much too short. He hears a car screech by and a glass bottle is thrown
at the trailer. As Peter walks out to investigate, he cuts his foot on
the broken glass and then receives a mild electric shock when he touches
the metal trailer.

The next day, Peter arrives at Maureen's house complaining that half of
the patients are going to her house to see her, avoiding him. He then
tells her he's leaving, saying "You need a doctor that everyone can
accept." Peter doesn't want to wait for his broken rental car, but
hitches a ride with two young women in their pickup truck. They are
giddy with excitement and interested in Peter, especially with the fact
that he's a doctor. They good-naturedly flirt with him, and he joins in
harmlessly, then one of the women, Becca, tells her friend, Annie, that
she should allow Peter to look at her hand. Peter finds that Annie has
an infection from handling shrimp. He suggest an antibiotic and time
off from work, but she laughs at him, explaining that the only way she
can skip work is if he stows her away to Chicago.

As they are driving, Peter and the women come across an accident. A man
has been thrown from his tractor and is injured, but is more concerned
that he cannot find his young son who was riding on his lap. Peter sees
an overturned tractor and finds the boy near a ditch. He sends the
women to the man's house for an ambulance, stressing that it's a matter
of life and death.

Another day passes and we next see Peter jogging as he passes and greets
Jesse. He jogs past some young boys and chastises them for smoking, but
the boys are more interested in flirting with a young girl passing by
sipping on a soft drink. Then he shows up at the clinic and comes
across Sally Mannon, wife of the man and mother of the little boy who
were injured. She is very grateful to Peter and brings him a sweet
potato pie to thank him. Peter is ecstatic and states "It's the best
thing I've had since I've been here" much to the feigned dismay of
Maureen.

Maureen tells him that Tuesday is rounds day where she makes house
calls. She remarks that the Ebee girl is pregnant and is certain she's
had no prenatal care. Peter says he'll go see her if he can borrow
Maureen's car, but Maureen laughs that a car won't help -- he needs a
boat. Peter gets to the Ebee's house and there we see a shack in
tremendous disrepair with chickens roaming in the front yard. Mr. Ebee
comes out and rudely asks, "What do you want?" Peter explains he is
there to check on the pregnant Melanie Irene. Melanie agrees to be
examined outside the house and tells Peter she had some bleeding a week
prior. Peter examines her and states she needs an ultrasound and
blood tests, but at this point Mr. Ebee shows up and is furious, asking,
"What's going on?" Melanie explains that Dr. Benton is helping her, and
Mr. Ebee retorts, "Well, this would be the doctor for you, wouldn't it?"
then says that Melanie's had enough help from "his kind" already.

Peter leaves and has some free time where he uses a program on his
laptop computer to practice sign language, and masters the phrase,
"Reese, wash your hands." Peter goes out for a jog the next day and
comes across Jesse, who has to go outside to get water to soak his
foot. Peter spends another day at the clinic and sees a young patient
named
Adelina. She is diabetic and Peter explains that her glucose level is
too high and finds that Adelina is not monitoring her glucose levels.
Peter rebukes her because he saw her earlier being teased by the boys
who were smoking and Adelina was drinking a sugared soft drink.
Adelina's grandmother is with him and tells him plainly that she does
not trust doctors. Peter then shows Adelina how to inject herself with
insulin.

Later on, with Maureen, Peter vents his frustration at the lack of
quality medical care, and laments the fact that Adelina did not get
required supplies and education regarding management of diabetes. Peter
lectures Maureen that they should expect nothing less than 100% to which
Maureen realistically replies she'd love that, but settles for 60%.
She then explains that Adelina is an athlete and is afraid the diabetes
will change that.

Mr. Ebee comes charging by and asks Maureen to come to his house as
Melanie is in labor but is not progressing. She tells Peter to go and
Mr. Ebee balks at first, but finally agrees. Peter arrives and is
within a candle-lit house. He finds the baby is footling -- that is,
being born foot first. Realizing he does not have the knowledge to
deliver a baby presenting this way, he uses his lap-top for
instructions. He needs the candles to be extinguished because he will
use ether, which is flammable, and tells Mrs. Ebee he needs help
administering it to Melanie for the birth. He further explains that
Melanie could die if her uterus ruptures. Mr. Ebee says, "I may kill
her myself once I see the bastard." Peter isn't swayed and directly
asks if Mr. Ebee can read, to which he replies yes. Peter explains he
needs someone to read instructions from the computer, and then Mr. Ebee
asks his wife to read while he helps with the ether.

Peter rotates the baby and attempts to deliver it while Mrs. Ebee
laboriously reads instructions. The baby is born and Peter announces to
the Ebees that they have a granddaughter. Peter smiles widely and Mrs.
Ebee proclaims that the baby looks "just like an Ebee." Mr. Ebee
responds, "I see, Melanie's damned lucky."

Peter later asks Melanie if it is possible the father is
African-American and advises her that "lots of African-American
babies don't get full pigmentation until later" and seems concerned for
the welfare of the mother and her child. As Peter is leaving, Mr. Ebee
offers payment, which Peter refuses. Maureen takes it, and advises Peter
that the gesture was difficult at best for Mr. Ebee and Peter should
have accepted it. Peter insists that the baby is jaundiced and wants
the mother and the baby taken to the clinic for observation.

Peter has some time off and stops by Adelina's house. She is cold at
first and says she doesn't want to talk about her diabetes, but he says
he's not there to talk. He and Adelina go jogging together and are
joined by the young boys Peter met days ago in town. As Peter concludes
his jog, he says hello again to Jesse, who thanks Peter for leaving the
jug of water on his front steps earlier in the day, but insists he'd
have to come to town anyway because, "If I don't sit in this chair,
who's gonna do it?"

At Maureen's home, she says that Melanie and the "jaundiced" baby should
be allowed to go home, insisting that if the baby's pigment were going
to darken, it already would have started. Maureen praises Peter for his
good sense in handling the Ebees and urges him to drive Adelina and her
grandmother 80 miles to the hospital. Peter isn't keen on the idea, but
she adds that they have a video hookup and that Peter "Might could see
your son."

Peter does drive them to the Green Cove Medical Center and Adelina is
seen by Dr. Brookes, who explains to Adelina that if she learns to
manage her glucose level she can have an insulin pump. Dr. Brookes also
diagnoses an pansystolic murmur, or small hole in her heart. Peter
admits he missed it because he never listened to her chest. Dr. Brooks
tells the grandmother that Adelina needs simple surgery to correct it,
but the grandmother steadfastly refuses. Meanwhile, Peter is upset that
he missed this important diagnosis.

While at the medical center, Peter does get an opportunity to see Reese
over the video hook-up. He signs, "Reese, wash your hands" as Reese
giggles and Elizabeth, who is with him, beams. The time is short and
Peter looks longingly at the screen well after Reese's image disappears.
Peter and Dr. Brookes try one more time to coax Adelina's grandmother to
schedule surgery, but she demurs, saying she'll think about it.

When Peter gets back to the clinic, he's dismayed to learn that Jesse
has died suddenly and feels frustrated that he should have been able to
prevent the death if only he'd checked him. But Maureen is practical
and says that Jesse was just an old man and they really couldn't have
done anything. Maureen then offers to perform the burial service,
telling Peter she is a nun. After the funeral, at the funeral luncheon,
Peter sees Adelina who is being teased by a boy because she talked about
becoming a doctor. Adelina says she's changed her mind because "Doctors
act like they know everything when they don't." She is obviously bitter
and Peter admits that he made a mistake with her diagnosis, but explains
that he has learned from it.

Peter and Maureen share a quiet moment when Maureen praises him for his
work, saying he took good care of Laverne, though Peter thinks
differently. She tells him she loves her little town and laughs that "I
never did well with a doctor over my shoulder. This is a good place for
a nun with authority issues." She queries Peter as to his chosen
specialty and he tells her he's interested in cardiothoracic surgery.
Maureen then understands why Peter is being so hard on himself having
missed Adelina's heart murmur and tries to console him by saying that
she missed it, too. Peter comments "Yeah, but you're a nurse" prompting
Maureen to say, "Look out, now!" Peter confesses that he's been
distracted since Reese was born, but loves his active parenting role.
Maureen nods and agrees that parenting is a full-time job, also
revealing that she took Sonny in a few years ago when his parents died.

Their discussion is interrupted by Sonny who swings by in his pick-up
with the news that a shrimp boat blew up in Southport. They travel to
the accident scene and get news that the boat was blown out of the water
by a propane tank explosion. When he hears it will take 15 minutes for
the boat to raise its outriggers and come to dock, Peter travels out to
the accident scene on another boat to bring the victims in quickly. One
man has a gash to the chest and the other has a partial amputation of
the upper thigh. Peter sends Sonny into a nearby shrimp factory for
"Saran Wrap" and then uses a fishing fly and some leader to repair the
partial amputation. Sonny comes back and explains he had to steal the
plastic wrap from the factory, then Benton tells him to feel for a
pulse while he uses the wrap to stabilize the man's chest, using Sonny's
T-shirt on the chest wound.

As the patients are stabilized Peter praises Sonny for his good work and
Maureen comments that they were "mighty lucky there was a surgeon in
town" then apologizes because Peter has missed his flight, delaying his
departure until the next day. Peter and Sonny share a handshake.

Maureen comments the next morning that Peter is leaving early, and he
says he has to take care of something. We next see Adelina's face
shining with delight through a bus window in Chicago. Peter gets out of
the bus and spies Reese waiting for him with Elizabeth. He scoops his
son up with joy and kisses him and then as Adelina gets off the bus,
Peter tosses a snowball at her, much to her delight, and grandma's
dismay. She throws one back and him, ecstatic.

We see Peter back at the hospital outside of a room where Adelina and
her grandmother are talking with a doctor. Peter accepts
congratulations from Kerry who says Romano has mentioned that Peter is a
show-in for the cardiothoracic spot. Peter mentions that it's a
time-consuming specialty and then asks Kerry what she's doing on that
floor. Kerry reveals she's visiting Jeanie.

Peter greets Jeanie in her room and asks if she's had a set-back. She
says yes and begins bleeding from her nose. Peter reaches for a tissue
and moves his hand to wipe her nose, but she barks at him, "Peter, don't
touch me for God's sake! I'm poison." Defeat is written on her face
and she tearfully tells Peter, "I can't do this. I can't." Peter
responds gently, saying, "You can't do this alone. Hmm? Hmm?" as he
tenderly strokes her face, causing her to
smile.

REVIEW:

First of all, I'll address the "Boy, they really portrayed the South as
an awful, backwoods, racist place" feeling some may have. Yes, I've
been to the great South. Not Mississippi, but Leesville, Louisiana.
That's the extent of my "Deep South" exposure, and since I'm not
well-versed regarding the area, I must respectfully refrain from
commenting about the episode's representation of the area and its
people. Others more learned, and experienced, than I am will take care
of that no doubt. Suffice it to say that it made an impression on me.

Okay, now I must confess before anyone yells at me for being blasé about
this episode that I'm not a real big fan of these "showcase" affairs.
Now that I've said that, I thought this one had many things to offer.
In terms of character development, the most telling point is that Peter
is willing to sacrifice his time off for the well-being of his child.
In this regard, he has grown tremendously from the self-absorbed man we
met in season one. In more general terms, I thought the two most
telling aspects of this story were Peter's ability to admit his
shortcomings and his willingness to get the job done despite the adverse
physical, and social, conditions.

As a surgeon, Peter of course is highly skilled. His training is
extensive, but as he veers toward more and more specialized medicine,
he will, by necessity, lose the opportunity to continue training and to
gain experience in other medical areas. So I found it quite believable
that he hadn't delivered a baby since medical school and wasn't
well-versed in the skill of a simple, but thorough, general medical
check-up. I also liked Peter's inability, at first, to grasp that
["Toto, I don't think we're in Chicago anymore"] he wouldn't have access
to instruments, equipment, or laboratory support in rural Mississippi as
he did in a large county hospital.

With regard to Peter's tenacity under adversity, I was duly impressed.
Being white, as I've recently been told I really, really AM, I cannot
fathom the difficulties people of color face in this country. I may be
wrong in my assumption, and if I am, I apologize in advance, but Peter's
reaction to the prejudice he encountered, be it racial or cultural,
seemed totally realistic to me. It was as if he'd experienced it his
whole life and by unfortunate experience knew how to rise above it
and/or deflect it. So, it didn't surprise me that he could endure it
and move on. This, above all regarding LaSalle's performance, was
wonderful.

I definitely enjoyed the scenes in Chicago the most. Reese looked too
cute for words, and Elizabeth has moved past any hurt she might have had
regarding their failed relationship to help her friend, Peter, and seems
to delight in Reese as well. I would have preferred seeing Carla
waiting with her son instead of Elizabeth, because I can never get
enough of that character and feel it would have been great for her to
share Peter's joy in their son. Having said that, I understand that
Lisa Nicole Carson can't jet out to Chicago as she's committed to
another television show, but I wanted to state a preference.

Will Jeanie Boulet ever find happiness and stable health? It was
wonderful to see her walk out of the hospital when Peter was leaving and
equally devastating to find out that she's suffered a set-back by the
time Peter has returned. She also fights everyday and is becoming
battle-weary. Was Peter indicating at the end of the episode that he's
willing to assist her emotionally in her struggle? If so, it brings
them full-circle and it is fitting that he help her now, when she most
needs it, especially in light of the way he had treated her in the past.

In all, the episode was satisfying in that I stayed interested and
enjoyed how Benton (and La Salle) overcame the difficulties of being a
stranger in a strange land and solidified his priorities as a result of
it. Look for Peter to continue to learn from his two-week experience.

MISCELLANEOUS THOUGHTS

- Celia Weston came close to stealing the show, she was as believable
and natural as they come. Wonderful job.

- The newborn baby's head magically grew to larger proportions between
the birth scene and the "Momma's holding me now" scene. How quickly
they grow.

- My, how Peter has evolved since the days of Abby Keaton. He's become
the Pied Piper of Children in Laverne.

- Someone is as mathematically challenged as I am. Is Peter only in his
5th year of residency, or his 6th? He was second year during season 1.
What did I miss?

- Sorry, pals, no obligatory Forrest Gump statements. Not a one.

- So glad Benton didn't forget to say, "Go, go, go! C'mon c'mon c'mon!"
in this episode. I would have sorely missed it. No, really.

- Great directing/camera work #1: Peter disappearing within the exhaust
fumes of a Chicago taxi cab, emerging in the steam of an overheated
engine in Mississippi.

- Boy, the make-up and special effects guys are getting creative.
Graphic stomach wound from the shrimp boat collision.

- What, a baby is born and Carol wasn't there to witness it? I demand
my money back!

- Benton's episode reminded me of Hathaway's in that both ingeniously
used what supplies they had on hand to save lives.

- Did our resident vegetarian (yup, pun intended) take a big honking
piece of chicken at the funeral luncheon? Say it ain't so!

- Great directing/camera work #2: Jeanie Boulet's eyes. Need I say
more?

- I was waiting for strains of "We are the World" in that last scene in
Mississippi, where two weeks of intense interaction raised the
consciousness of the local inhabitants while allowing Benton to further
commit himself to the importance of human relationships. Oh, sorry, I
did get carried away, didn't I? See, I can write these TV Guide-ish
summaries. Well, like Aesop's Fables, every story has a moral.

- Um, I'm no doctor, and I certainly don't play one on TV, but was Mr.
Morgan using bacteria-infested creek water to soak his foot in? Sorry,
perhaps that's in the category of more than you wanted to consider. So,
yeah, sure, he boiled it first.

- Peter's enthusiasm in signing to Reese was great. Sign Language: The
only language passed down from children to parents. In other words,
Reese is gonna out-pace him and soon.

- First Tae Bo, now Saran Wrap. I'm glad Peter has earned good money on
his trip, we can only afford "plastic wrap" in my family, not the brand
name kind.

- Who is paying for sweet Adelina's operation and expenses? Is this the
same hospital where earlier in the season Dr. Kayson turned down a boy
whose mother was an illegal alien although the child needed an internal
cardioverter defibrillator ? (Vanishing Act) Just asking.

- Peter wasn't really being condescending when he asked Mr. Ebee if he
could read. It's a common question those in the medical, and other,
professions are trained to ask. For example, if I assess a patient's
ability to read after a stroke, I need to find out if he or she ever
COULD read. It's like that old joke: "Doctor, will I be able to play
the piano after my operation?" "Why, of course!" "Funny, I couldn't do
it before." Moral: Find out what they could do "before." So, Peter's
question was totally realistic to me.

LOOK OF THE WEEK: Oh, yes, Jeanie's eyes were beautiful, but this
belongs to none other than little Adelina's face as she sees snow, and a
big city, possibly for the first time in her life.

LINE OF THE WEEK #2: In response to Peter's rant about sub-par care for
Adelina, where he asks if she's ever heard of a sub-cutaneous insulin
pump, Maureen says: "Something newer than leeches?"

LINE OF THE WEEK #1: Maureen, to Peter regarding the joys of parenting,
and of interacting with people: "And what a blessing when you can
hear the sound of your own heart."

--

Phyl
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