S7E8
An episode of forgiveness and moving on. The patients, Walter and Edith, frame this weeks story. They come in to have the number tattoos from a Nazi prison camp removed from their arms. Having lived through the Holocaust, they want to erase this reminder of hate (Ediths’ daughter doesn’t approve). They’ve been together and through so long and through so much that this little operation will just be a ripple in their lives. But Walter has a bad reaction to the surgery from an infection and becomes incoherent and disoriented. He repeats an unsettling phrase to his wife before he recovers and she confronts him when he recovers. It turns out Walter was the man who gave the Jews their tattoos when they were brought to the internment camps. This obviously sends Edith for a loop, but she manages to forgive the man she’s loved and shared life with for decades.
With Sean and Christian’s professional and personal relationship in trouble it puts their situation into perspective. They’ve been through a lot together and they both have done very bad things in their passed, not many of which are secret at this point. Julia now comes to town to tell Sean that she is getting married and moving to London, if he signs the paper work allowing her to take the kids. Julia was the original fulcrum in the Sean/Christian/girl love triangle. Julia and Christian have crashed into each other like love struck teenagers over the years while Sean has been trying in vain to move on from his divorce. Julia has become the catalyst for change. She has truly moved on when she puts her foot down when both men try the old “Our Love is real and you know it!” routine. She says to them both that any romantic ties they’ve had are gone. Her, the kids, the men, they all need to get to stable grounds. This makes Christian back of and Sean steps up and signs the paper work. A painful situation, a painful choice, a real life changing moment.
Then the devil in desguise shows up looking for help. Eva Moore, probably the best character the show has had only behind Escobar, asks McNamara/Troy to help remove some scars from her infant son. Eva made a hasty retreat at the end of Season 2 that left some incredible damage to Sean and his family, Matt especially. His first love disappears after finding out that she is a post-op transsexual and her own sons kills himself right in front of them. Eva damaged Matt in life changing ways, he never really got passed it and the trouble he’s got into since hasn’t helped. Now Christian turns her away immediately, she’s so awful he won’t even consider hearing her out. She then tracks down Sean at his home because she knows he’s the easy mark. At she’s right. Except Sean is wise to her. He actually sees her as the manipulative liar that no one can trust and kicks her out of her house. Real change! Sean has actually learned something, changed and made a good decision for once.
Matt is the same old blithering idiot of a child though. Like an old black widow at work, Eva easily lures Matt in just days before getting married to Ramona. His chance for a real stable life is right in front of him, he even makes amends with his fathers to keep them close. Just when you think some sort of normal family bond can materialize Matt runs away with Eva in the very last scene.
Really fantastic episode, I was actually talking to the TV as Matt started walking towards the limo that Eva shows up in at the end. The promo for next weeks episode really got me worked up. I’ve been a fan of this show for so long that it’s hard to believe it’s over in a week. My only hope is that they end this show in a meaningful and deserving way. Time will tell butt I think I’m going to watch my N/T DVDs right away when all is said and done.
One episode remaining.