"A Gifted Man" Episode 1.3--In Case of Discomfort

I want you all to know that I have watched each episode at least twice so that I can give you the best recap possible.

There were things in this episode I never wanted to see again. But I did it. For you. I hope you appreciate it. ☺

Here we go:

It is early in the morning. Michael walks around his living room in a towel (yup, only a towel) reading the details of a surgery from a tablet and pouring a cup of coffee. And then a woman says, "If you're trying to get me in bed again, it's not working."

Surprise! Michael spent the night with last week's reporter, Liz Martin.

They banter and flirt and he tells her that the surgery he's performing today is on a 2-time marathoner who risks never walking again if Michael makes a mistake. Liz says the lead for her article about him will be, "There's nothing Michael Holt likes more than a challenge."

A little later, Michael comes out of the OR, bragging about the outcome to a colleague (or maybe the anesthesiologist?) who tells him that two other surgeons turned the guy down because it was such an impossible case. Michael just laughs that off.

Rita finds Michael and comments that his good mood must mean that he forgot about the Paralysis Research dinner. Michael remembers. Then he asks Rita if his friend, a doctor looking for a job, has arrived yet because Michael wanted to talk to him about taking over Clinica Sanando. Rita says that he isn't there, but that a Dr. Sykora is waiting for her interview. Michael is annoyed because the interview was arranged by Anna's boyfriend, Philip, and Michael feels micromanaged. Rita reminds him that Philip was probably just trying to help since Michael is so busy with his own practice.

Michael goes into his office to meet with Dr. Sykora (Rachelle Lefevre). They discuss her resume, which most recently includes a position as VP of Community Affairs for an HMO. She comments about his lack of HMO experience. He asks her what the job was, she explains that she was told the job would be about creating a wellness program for the uninsured, but was disappointed to learn that it was all about publicity and that she never got to do anything of the sort. Michael tells her everything that's wrong with Clinica Sanado. She gets mad, tells him that he shouldn't have wasted her time when he obviously has someone else in mind for the job, and leaves in a huff.

Chasing her out of the office, Michael runs into Dr. Pat Ross, the doctor friend he was waiting for. Michael introduces him to Rita and Dr. Ross tells stories about how amazing Michael was back in med school. Michael takes Dr. Ross over to Clinica Sanando for a tour. When Ross learns that he's responsible for everything from treating patients to running every aspect of the office, Dr. Ross says he's seen enough, that he isn't that desperate for a job and bails.

On the way out, a man and his son walk in. The man, Rafe Douglas, hurt his arm trying to show off to some kids by slam dunking on the basketball court. He shattered the glass, cutting his arm, and dislocating his shoulder. And also giving himself a bad case of the hiccups. Zeke comes in to help Michael. Michael and Zeke push the shoulder back into place.

(This is one of the scenes I did NOT want to watch again. Ick!)

Rafe asks again what to do about his hiccups and Michael tells him to try breathing into a paper bag. Michael runs into Philip, who wants to know what happened with Dr. Sykora. Michael says she wasn't a good fit but that he'll find someone.

And then Rafe collapses. They have to use the defibrillator to shock his heart, which works, and they get him into a room. Zeke says that a few lacerations shouldn't have caused this. He and Michael talk about a few possibilities and Zeke agrees to monitor him.

Anna shows up, which annoys Michael because it's a bad time. She quips that she wishes she could just call Rita and make an appointment, reminding him that she has no control over when she appears. Michael insists that this just isn't working because he has other patients. "Patients with checkbooks," she says. "They get sick too," he replies. They argue and she leaves.

Outside, Rafe has checked himself out because he has to get to work. Michael gives him a referral to a cardiologist, one of the best in the city. Rafe shrugs it off since he can't afford a specialist. Zeke tells him to listen to Michael, but Rafe leaves.

That night, Michael is at the Paralysis Research dinner and runs into a pilot, Carol Gordan (Cara Buono), an attractive woman who flew a patient for him last year. She has pain in her hand and Michael asks about it, suggesting that she might have carpal tunnel syndrome. When a tremor in her hand causes her to drop and break a glass, cutting herself, he insists on taking her to his office to stitch the cut. He insists on letting him run tests to confirm the carpal tunnel and she agrees to come in first thing in the morning.

The next morning, Rita greets him with questions about Carol, who is already waiting. He goes into the room where Bax is running the test. Everything looks normal. Michael keeps Carol distracted while Bax continues checking for tendinitis or other conditions, but nothing seems to be wrong, until Michael and Bax notice a tremor in her other hand. In another room, they discuss possibilities of drug use, alcoholism, brain tumors, a stroke, and Michael decides that she needs an MRI. They go back to talk to her about it, but Carol has split.

Zeke calls because he's lost track of Rafe and wants to know if he ever went to see the cardiologist. Michael tells Zeke to call himself, then tells Rita to get the FAA on the phone because he wants to stop Carol from flying until he knows she's safe to travel.

Anna shows up. She asks what's bothering Michael, he explains the situation with Carol and she reminds him of an ice road trucker up in Alaska that Michael thought had had a drinking problem. It turned out he'd had 18 cups of coffee. Anna asks what happens if Michael reports Carol to the FAA and it turns out there isn't anything wrong with her, and he realizes that she'll never get to fly again. He hangs up and goes to the airport to find Carol.

Carol is mad that Michael has shown up, insists she's fine. Michael threatens to call and report her. She tells him about a friend that had brain cancer two years before. Carol is afraid to find out that her tremors are caused by cancer. Michael convinces her to come in for tests.

The MRI shows two lesions in her brain. She asks if it's cancer and he says that's the one thing it isn't. They aren't sure what it is. She says, "You're the best in the business, this place has everything, how could you not know?" He tells her there are a lot of possibilities and the only way to know what the lesions are is by cutting into her brain. One of the lesions is in a place that controls movement in the arms. If she doesn't have surgery, she could lose the ability to fly. She agrees to have surgery first thing in the morning.

Michael gets into his car and a detour forces him to go through downtown. The cardiologist, Dr. Howard Eastman, calls to tell Michael that he never heard from Rafe. A basketball bounces into the street in front of him and he slams on the breaks and tells Howard he'll call back. Michael picks up the ball and goes to the court to find the owner. He sees the shattered backboard and knows this is where Rafe was injured. He yells, "No, Anna, Rafe is NOT my patient!" Then he picks up the ball and says, "Tell you what. If I make this shot, I'll find Rafe." He sinks the shot and calls Tavo at Clinica Sanando to get Rafe's number.

Michael calls and reaches Rafe's wife. Rafe is on the couch, an ice pack on his shoulder and a wet cloth on his forehead. He refuses to talk to Michael, so she lies and tells Michael that Rafe is feeling better and just went to the store. Satisfied that Rafe is fine, Michael hangs up and says, "Happy now, Anna?"

The next morning, Dr. Lance, the anesthesiologist, preps Anna for surgery. She begs to be put way, way under. She's terrified of the surgery and asks Dr. Lance, "Is Michael Holt as good as he says he is? As EVERYONE says he is?" Dr. Lance says, "Honestly? No. He's better."

Michael and Bax confer about the surgery and realize that the location of one of the lesions means that Carol will have to be awake for the surgery. Bax shows pictures and asks her to identify them, to ensure that her brain is still functioning normally. Michael says the lesion isn't cancer and Carol is relieved. She asks, "What is it?" He tries to dodge the question by telling her to focus on the pictures, but she insists. He tells her it's a kind of larva.

(That's the other part I did NOT want to see again!)

He tells her the larva aren't alive and that this is much better than having cancer. Then he asks if she's had any bad pork lately. She tells him she was in Ecuador in January and that might have been when she contracted it. Michael removes the first lesion and the tremor in her hand stops. She asks if this means she can fly again. He tells her first thing's first and moves on to the second. Bax puts up a new picture and while Carol is making a joke about it, she stutters, then stops speaking, then loses consciousness.

Her blood pressure jumps, her brain is starting to swell and there's a leak of some sort. They raise the bed, suction out the extra fluid and manage to bring her blood pressure down. It was a cyst that burst. Michael feels guilty that Carol is unconscious and Bax insists that he couldn't have known that would happen. While they are washing up, Rita comes in and says Zeke is on the phone and that Rafe Douglas has shown up back at Clinica Sanando with what seems to be neuro problems.

Michael asks Rita to have someone drop his car off at the clinic and takes off running.

When he arrives, Zeke says that Rafe's lungs are clear, but there is tension in his neck veins, he's unconscious and Michael remembers the hiccuping, realizing that Rafe has a sack of blood around his heart. They can't crack his chest open in the clinic, and Michael decides he needs to do a procedure to drain the fluid. Zeke says Rafe must have bruised his heart when he fell and Michael says the cardiologist would have seen it if Rafe had shown up.

Without any equipment but a needle, Michael performs the procedure, missing the fluid at first, but then finding it. His blood pressure stabilizes, his pulse rate goes back up, and Rafe is going to be okay, though Michael tells Rafe's wife that he needs to go to an OR.

Out on the street, Anna is waiting for Michael. He's angry because things went wrong with Carol and then blames her for getting him involved in Rafe's case because of the ball. She says she didn't do any of that. He says he's mad. She says he's scared.

Zeke asks where to send Rafe and Michael says to go to Manhattan Memorial. He tells Rafe that he's going to the best cardiac surgeon he knows. Rafe says he can't afford it and Michael says, "You can't afford not to." Rafe thanks him and is put into an ambulance.

Philip shows up and asks Michael why he blew off Dr. Sykora. Michael says she wasn't right for the job and that he's still working on it. He gets into his car and Anna is waiting for him. She thinks it's sweet that he's offered to find her replacement. She asks what happened to the other candidates. He says he offered the job to one person, who turned it down, and that the woman Philip sent wasn't right. Anna says, "Philip may be a lot of things, but he has good taste in women."

That night, Michael goes to Dr. Sykora's house because she has apparently been ignoring his calls. He apologizes for the way he treated her. She asks if he's there because his first choice turned him down. He says yes and offers her the job. She says, "Okay." He says, "Great." She says, "No, I mean I'll think about it."

Michael goes back to his practice and finds Rita still at the office. She runs through tomorrow's schedule and he asks about Carol. Rita says there is no change, that she's still unconscious. He goes to Carol's room and falls asleep in a chair by her bed. He wakes up sometime later when she grasps his hand. He looks over to see that she's awake. She doesn't speak, but she looks at him and he says, "Welcome back."

What's coming up: Next week, Rachelle Lefevre joins the cast as a series regular and Clinica Sanando is in danger of being closed down. Also, look for former ER doc Eriq LaSalle to have a recurring role as Dr. Evan Morrison, a neuropsychiatrist.

"A Gifted Man" Episode 1.2: In Case of All Hell Breaking Loose--Recap!

Hi, everyone!

So sorry this recap is a couple of days late. It was a pretty busy weekend. But here we go with the recap of Friday's episode...

Dr. Holt arrives at his office. Rita runs through his schedule for the day, mentioning that a reporter, Liz Martin, will be interviewing him for NYC's Top 10 Surgeons in Manhattan. Rita then reveals that his waiting room is full of walk-ins, to which Michael replies that he doesn't take walk-ins. A young mother says she heard Michael had helped a boy from Clinica Sanando. Michael tells Rita to push back his first appointment and runs out the door to Anna's clinic. He finds the social worker (who I incorrectly identified as a nurse last week, sorry!) and tells her to stop referring patients to him. She insists she hasn't referred anyone but says word got around about what he did for the little boy. A man asks if the service is inside and it turns out Clinica Sanando is holding a memorial service for Anna.

Michael goes inside and is surprised to see the clinic is very crowded. He takes a seat toward the back and listens to people saying really nice things about Anna. While a girl plays a song, the man next to Michael strikes up a conversation about how they each know her. His name is Zeke and he turns out to be a doctor at the clinic.

The next speaker is President of the Board overseeing the clinic. He's also a university professor and Surprise! He was Anna's boyfriend, too. And he announces a scholarship fund in her name. Michael catches a glimpse of Anna, who is watching the service, but she disappears before he gets a chance to talk to her.

Outside, Michael chats with Anna's boyfriend, Philip, and a woman runs up begging for help for a boy who fell on the playground. He is unresponsive. They get him inside the clinic and revive him, learning that his name is Patrice and he came from Haiti a few months ago to live with his dad after his mother died. An injury to Patrice's elbow doesn't match up with the story of his fall. Michael wants to run blood tests, but learns that it always takes a couple of days for the clinic to get laboratory results since they have to send everything out. Finding an old microscope in a storage closet, he dusts it off, checks a blood sample and discovers that Patrice has sickle-cell anemia.

Back at his own practice, Michael's CPA Jim and wife Rebecca come in after she has fallen off her bike. She mentions that her husband has been on her to exercise more since menopause has caused her to gain weight. She explains that just before she fell, she saw something angelic looking. Michael diagnosis her with a silent migraine, which do not typically cause pain, and orders a prescription. He asks if she has any pain from the fall and she says her ribs are bothering her, so he orders a CT.

In the hall, Michael talks with a colleague about the migraines and something suddenly occurs to him. He runs to stop the CT, brings in an ultrasound machine and discovers Rebecca is pregnant. The couple cries because they had tried for so long to have a baby and she thought she was in menopause.

Pleased with himself for diagnosing a pregnancy for the first time in 10 years, Michael goes back upstairs to find Rita mad at him for taking off earlier. Anton is inside his office. Michael thanks him for extracting Anna, but Anton, who knows perfectly well that Anna is still around, says that even if he had extracted her, she could still find a way back in. Anton senses she's there and Anna appears, begging Michael to tell the truth. But he lies and tells Anton she's gone. Anton leaves and Anna and Michael talk about the memorial and her boyfriend.

The phone rings. It's Clinica Sanando and Anna pleads with Michael to answer. He reluctantly does and it's Zeke, asking for help with the sickle-cell boy. Michael says he's too busy. Anna tells him if he doesn't go, he'll always wonder what happened to that boy. Rita brings in Liz the reporter, but Michael says he has an emergency and has to leave.

Back at the clinic, Patrice's father, Harold, has arrived and Michael is about to show him back to the room. Zeke tells Harold about Patrice's condition and that he needs a blood transfusion. Harold says he'll donate, pulling out a donor card to prove that he can. Except that his blood type is AB- and Patrice's is O+, which means they aren't related. In his charming bedside manner, Michael tells Harold he can't donate because he's not Patrice's biological father. Angry and shocked, Harold storms out.

Rita calls to say Rebecca has come back with the worst headache of her life. Everything seems normal, so Michael orders an MRI and discovers a brain tumor. The good news is that it will respond to chemo. The bad news is she can't do chemo while pregnant. She's 26 weeks along and wants to wait, but Michael tells her the tumor is too aggressive and they can't wait. He wants to induce labor, giving the baby (a boy) an 80% chance of survival. Jim's all for it. Rebecca refuses.

After dinner with his colleague, Michael stops back by Clinica Sanando to check on Patrice again. Zeke is still looking for a hospital with an available bed, as well as transportation. Patrice asks for his dad, they make up excuses why he hasn't arrived, Zeke finally finds a ride to County. He goes into renal failure because the school nurse earlier gave him ibuprofen. Michael and Zeke save him, and off he goes to the County Hospital.

Rita is annoyed at Michael for constantly running off to the clinic, but he tells her they need a lot of help right now. She reminds him that she used to be a nurse and would be willing to help if he needs her. He says he's done with it, then asks what happened with the reporter. Rita says he got bumped to the #1 spot on the list because of his dedication.

The phone rings. Jim and Rebecca are on the way in because Rebecca has terrible nosebleed and agonizing headache. Michael rushes her in for emergency surgery to correct the hemorrhaging tumor. Rebecca makes him promise that if anything happens, he'll save the baby and not her. Then Jim, who didn't hear the conversation, pleads with Michael to choose Rebecca's life over the baby's.

In surgery, things go haywire. The OB is running late from another surgery. Michael drills into Rebecca's skull and is trying to find the source of the bleeding when the baby's heart rate plummets. He's trying to stop the bleeding, but the baby's heart is dangerously low. At the last possible second, he finds and clamps the bleed, then performs an emergency C-section. The OB arrives, Michael stabilizes Rebecca and is able to remove the tumor. Mom and baby are both okay. Jim promises Michael free taxes for life.

Anna comes back and congratulates Michael on the surgery, then asks about Patrice. When Michael tells her he's at County, she insists the boy would be better off under Michael's care and that he should have Patrice transported over. And that he should find Harold, Patrice's father, and get the two reunited.

The next day, Anna's boyfriend, Philip, comes to see Michael and asks him to work at the clinic. Michael says he's too busy, but that he knows some great doctors and will send some over. And that he'll find the clinic a new director.

Michael finds Harold at work and yells at him, calling him an idiot. Michael says the only thing Patrice ever did was love his father, and that Harold is punishing the wrong person. Harold refuses to listen and Michael leaves.

Back in Patrice's room, the boy asks again where his father is. Reluctantly, Michael finally starts to tell him what happened to his father, but then Harold shows up, apologizing for not being there. They hug and everything is going to be okay.


So, what were your thoughts on Episode 2? Was it as good as the premier? Better? Not quite there? Be sure to vote in our poll!

"A Gifted Man" Episode 1.1: Pilot--Recap!

Dr. Michael Holt is in the OR, performing a dangerous procedure on billionaire Ron Vinetz. There's a fluid leak, he needs a patch, the tech takes too long to get it to him and Michael says the patient is going to die. He finally gets the patch, finishes the surgery and leaves the OR. When the surgical tech approaches to say what an honor it was to work with him, he ignores her and orders an assistant to fire her.

Dr. Holt is not warm and fuzzy.

While out jogging, he thinks he hears a woman scream, followed by the sound of a collision, but when he turns back to help, the street is deserted, except for a red, bouncing ball. Confused, he keeps running.

At the office, his secretary, Rita (Emmy-winner Margo Martindale), fills him in on his very busy schedule of meetings and consultations. She also mentions it's her birthday and his only commentary is that the restaurant she's going to later is overrated.

When Michael checks on his patient, Ron the Billionaire, we learn that they are also friends and that Ron enjoys wild parties. Michael tells him he can't do anything at all until the patch heals and it's clear that Ron has no intention of staying put for that long.

Later that night, Michael stops at a restaurant to pick up his take out order and runs into Anna Paul (Jennifer Ehle), inviting her back to his place to have dinner. She agrees and they have an evening of reminsicing about the days when they were married and living in a dreadful apartment back in Alaska. He doesn't want her to leave, but she does when his phone starts ringing.

Michael's nephew, Milo (Liam Aiken) has been arrested and needs someone to pick him up. Uncle Mike takes Milo home, gives his sister, Christina (Julie Benz) some money to pay for the past due rent, and mentions that he ran into Anna. Christina is excited by this news and says the only time Michael wasn't a total jerk was when he was with Anna. Michael gets upset about this, tells her to fix things with her son, and basically storms out. It's pretty clear that they see each other often but have a strained relationship.

The next day, Michael has an appointment with nineteen-year-old tennis champion, Lacey Sandreski, who is one French Open away from being the youngest woman to win the Grand Slam. Michael suspects she has an aneurysm and orders an MRI.

While Lacey is undergoing her test, Michael runs into Ron in the hallway. Ron was trying to sneak out against doctors' orders and Michael says, "I have very few real friends. I don't want to lose one of them to stupidity."

Back in his office, Michael tries to call the clinic where Anna is now working, but is informed that she died in an accident two weeks ago.

Christina shows up at his office right as Rita has handed him an article about Anna's accident. Christina wants Milo to see a therapist, but the therapist wants the primary man in Milo's life to attend the sessions. Michael says he's absolutely not going to therapy. Christina sees the article about Anna's death and is confused, but then realizes that Anna must have come to him as a spirit and declares that he has a "cosmic gift." He walks away from her.

Lacey Sandreski has an aneurysm, but since she is asymptomatic, Michael says she has two choices. She can have a small procedure that will clear it up immediately, but will be unable to play tennis for three months. Or, she can wait until after the French Open next week, risk a rupture, and have a 25% chance of surviving. Lacey's mother wants to have the procedure now. Her father doesn't want to lose the Grand Slam. Lacey decides to wait.

Anna comes back to Michael and explains that she was hit by a car when she was out running and chased a kid's ball into the street. She says that the staff at the clinic is upside down without her and asks him to go to her office and unlock the computer. He reluctantly agrees and goes to Clinica Sanando, logs right into the computer, much to the relief of the staff, and overhears a nurse directing a woman to take her children to the ER. Michael stops and says not to go to the ER because her son needs an MRI and she needs to go to an imaging center. He finally ends up taking the mother and her three children to his own office for the test.

Convinced there is something wrong with him, he has an MRI himself and doesn't have a brain tumor. When Anna comes back, he tells her he can't see her because he's a surgeon and needs to behave rationally.

Christina talks him into seeing her friend, Anton, who knows what Michael is going through and offers to help make Anna go away.

The next morning, Michael learns that Ron the Billionaire is back in the hospital and that things aren't good. His other line rings and it's Lacey's mother, panicking because Lacey has a headache and is on the verge of passing out. Lacey admits that she lied about being asymptomatic. Michael tells them to meet him at the OR, where Lacey is rushed in for emergency surgery for a ruptured cerebral aneurysm.

On his way into the OR, he runs into mother from the clinic, orders an MRI for her other son, and then disappears to perform Lacey's surgery, fixing her aneurysm and saving her life. The results come back on the little boy, who has a tumor on his spine. Michael orders another surgeon to perform the operation, but Anna wants him to do it himself because he's the best.

Lacey is angry because she can't play in the French Open and won't be able to "be the best." Michael realizes that he needs to operate on the little boy. As he preps for surgery, Rita brings the news that Ron didn't make it.

After surgery, Michael talks to Anna again, says the boy is going to be fine, he's upset that Ron has died, and, it turns out, he's upset that Anna has died too. He says he can't handle it and walks away, going to see Anton. Anton sets up a ritual to help Michael let Anna go. He faces her, tells her she has to leave, but she doesn't want to. She has so many things left unfinished and wants him to help her. She begs him. He says she doesn't fit into his life and that he needs her to go. She tells him that if she goes, they'll never see each other again and asks if that's what he wants.

Michael tells Anton that it worked. That Anna's gone. Anton says he knows she isn't and Michael goes to the door, then stops. He asks, "Are you here?" and sees Anna, surrounded by light, walking in through another door. He smiles.

And that, my friends, is episode 1!

So, what did you think? Did you enjoy the show? Do you think it'll stick around for awhile? Over the next few days, we'll be compiling reader reviews and would love to hear from you. Also, be sure to vote in the poll over in the sidebar.