Beautiful episode about growth and self-acceptance. Fantastic acting, the journey of forgiveness and self-acceptance and recognizing our place in other peoples lives (and there's in ours!) and how that shapes our experiences and perspectives was so well done. Especially loved the balance between the found family and the way the family who raises us and the choices they make shape our self-worth and how that can be a good thing but also so damaging but it's up to us to decide what to do with it.
I only started this show a few weeks ago (and binge watched while home sick because I couldn't stop, thank you Hulu!) so this was the first episode I had to wait to watch and I couldn't help but review it since it was definitely worth the wait!! I'm always so impressed by the way we see the characters grow but still like stay true to their core and Buck's journey through this season has been so phenomenal-that process of learning to value yourself not only for what you can do for others but because you intrinsically deserve has been something I connect with and Oliver Stark has done such an amazing job of showing that growth while maintaining the charm and humor that made the character so endearing to begin with. I love that this season we've seen Buck really start to figure out himself and his wants and needs with the "age of absolutely" and I think this really tied in thematically with the way he cares so much about others and how he supports them.
I loved too that his parents care most when Buck is hurt and he like learning to value himself and his own happiness and we kind of see that at play here but at the same time his own brain is telling him that it's up to him that matters, not how anyone sees him and that so much of what we experience is just a matter of perspective. We see Buck face the challenge of having everything you think you want put in front of you and having to realize that it might not be what you actually want-I think Stark did such an amazing job of showcasing that struggle between like being happy you finally have it in reach and realizing that you were wrong and how complicated that must be with humor and a depth of emotion that was so excellent like when his confusion but happiness when seeing his parents and brother in this fantasy world his brain has created and then the horror and shock that Doug would still be there and the inability to help to help Maddie because she's not ready to be helped (continuing the struggle they've had with this throughout the course of the show!). Such an awesome job of portraying the like relief and grief of letting go of the stranglehold of the past but leaves so much new room for reflection and possibility but is simultaneously so painful I'm so excited to see what happens next and Stark did an excellent job of portraying that confusion of emotions.
Angela Basset (as ALWAYS) was so fantastic and the relationship between Athena and Bobby is so sweet and powerful-as someone with loved ones in recovery, their relationship and individual character arcs are always just so wonderful to see on screen, and the balance of support and struggle is so powerful. I especially loved her and May leaning on each other to support Bobby. And Peter Krause as like real-Bobby versus coma dream-Bobby was fantastic! I definitely cried in the scene with Christopher and Buck-Gavin McHugh did such an amazing job conveying sadness and trust and really added weight to episode in demonstrating the importance Buck has in the lives of the people around him.
Beautiful episode and the actors all crushed it, I love that we saw the important of Buck's place in their lives even in small moments and that everyone's own growth and stories we've seen were evident in their response to this crisis compared to previous ones (Maddie's like resignation when she asked which one killed me!, Eddie balancing stoicism and grief and the way I cried at those tears that just like ooze out of you when you're at that precipice of hope and despair that I don't think I've ever experienced outside of a hospital and they are the absolute worst and Ryan Guzman emoted them so beautifully, Chimney's own struggle with his family and what forgiveness means to himself and to his relationships, I could definitely go on!). I loved how Buck was like sorta aware of what was going on around him outside of the coma and knowing his parents were there as he heard the voices of his loved ones and the like doctor version of himself forcing him to reckon with the worst things he feels and thinks about himself (and the difference Stark conveyed between his two selves as they argued!! Such great acting! Plus I loved the call back to the prison episode and quoting Bobby!).
I love that the storylines aren't just one and done but continue through multiple episodes and even seasons and that the writers continue to touch on them and show how they impact the characters throughout as this one did in the themes of found family, forgiveness, and growth which we see centered around Buck (and his being the guy who always wants to fix things!) and his impact on everyone but also in their relationships to one another around him. Also the camera work being off centered through the coma sequences and the contrasting colors was fabulously done! This episode was funny and heart warming and (as usual!) made me tear up at least 10 times but probably laughed at least as many. My only complaint is I have to wait another week to see how Buck's journey continues and how almost dying himself complicates his trying to find that secret to ease and happiness he's been searching for and how almost losing a loved one impacts the others on their own journeys and how their responses to it have changed and shifted from one season to another!
I only started this show a few weeks ago (and binge watched while home sick because I couldn't stop, thank you Hulu!) so this was the first episode I had to wait to watch and I couldn't help but review it since it was definitely worth the wait!! I'm always so impressed by the way we see the characters grow but still like stay true to their core and Buck's journey through this season has been so phenomenal-that process of learning to value yourself not only for what you can do for others but because you intrinsically deserve has been something I connect with and Oliver Stark has done such an amazing job of showing that growth while maintaining the charm and humor that made the character so endearing to begin with. I love that this season we've seen Buck really start to figure out himself and his wants and needs with the "age of absolutely" and I think this really tied in thematically with the way he cares so much about others and how he supports them.
I loved too that his parents care most when Buck is hurt and he like learning to value himself and his own happiness and we kind of see that at play here but at the same time his own brain is telling him that it's up to him that matters, not how anyone sees him and that so much of what we experience is just a matter of perspective. We see Buck face the challenge of having everything you think you want put in front of you and having to realize that it might not be what you actually want-I think Stark did such an amazing job of showcasing that struggle between like being happy you finally have it in reach and realizing that you were wrong and how complicated that must be with humor and a depth of emotion that was so excellent like when his confusion but happiness when seeing his parents and brother in this fantasy world his brain has created and then the horror and shock that Doug would still be there and the inability to help to help Maddie because she's not ready to be helped (continuing the struggle they've had with this throughout the course of the show!). Such an awesome job of portraying the like relief and grief of letting go of the stranglehold of the past but leaves so much new room for reflection and possibility but is simultaneously so painful I'm so excited to see what happens next and Stark did an excellent job of portraying that confusion of emotions.
Angela Basset (as ALWAYS) was so fantastic and the relationship between Athena and Bobby is so sweet and powerful-as someone with loved ones in recovery, their relationship and individual character arcs are always just so wonderful to see on screen, and the balance of support and struggle is so powerful. I especially loved her and May leaning on each other to support Bobby. And Peter Krause as like real-Bobby versus coma dream-Bobby was fantastic! I definitely cried in the scene with Christopher and Buck-Gavin McHugh did such an amazing job conveying sadness and trust and really added weight to episode in demonstrating the importance Buck has in the lives of the people around him.
Beautiful episode and the actors all crushed it, I love that we saw the important of Buck's place in their lives even in small moments and that everyone's own growth and stories we've seen were evident in their response to this crisis compared to previous ones (Maddie's like resignation when she asked which one killed me!, Eddie balancing stoicism and grief and the way I cried at those tears that just like ooze out of you when you're at that precipice of hope and despair that I don't think I've ever experienced outside of a hospital and they are the absolute worst and Ryan Guzman emoted them so beautifully, Chimney's own struggle with his family and what forgiveness means to himself and to his relationships, I could definitely go on!). I loved how Buck was like sorta aware of what was going on around him outside of the coma and knowing his parents were there as he heard the voices of his loved ones and the like doctor version of himself forcing him to reckon with the worst things he feels and thinks about himself (and the difference Stark conveyed between his two selves as they argued!! Such great acting! Plus I loved the call back to the prison episode and quoting Bobby!).
I love that the storylines aren't just one and done but continue through multiple episodes and even seasons and that the writers continue to touch on them and show how they impact the characters throughout as this one did in the themes of found family, forgiveness, and growth which we see centered around Buck (and his being the guy who always wants to fix things!) and his impact on everyone but also in their relationships to one another around him. Also the camera work being off centered through the coma sequences and the contrasting colors was fabulously done! This episode was funny and heart warming and (as usual!) made me tear up at least 10 times but probably laughed at least as many. My only complaint is I have to wait another week to see how Buck's journey continues and how almost dying himself complicates his trying to find that secret to ease and happiness he's been searching for and how almost losing a loved one impacts the others on their own journeys and how their responses to it have changed and shifted from one season to another!