Spoilers Below

The Good – Excuse the Pun #1 We all have Different Strengths

Shaun has autism. Initially, the board of directors was reluctant to hire him, but they immediately saw that his neurodivergent brain was an incredible strength for him as a surgeon.

Naturally, it is also a detriment at times. In one season, one of the chiefs – not unfairly – puts Shaun into pathology so he does not have to deal with patients.

But this made me think: Even those of us who are not neurotypical have strengths and weaknesses. I am an Optometrist and manage patients daily. There are things about my personality that make me great at my job, and likewise, there are things that make me bad at it that I need to work on. I really like how the show represents that.

#2 Amazing Diversity

I loved that the show had so much diversity (both gender and race), and they did it in a way that made it look easy.

#3 Makes you Think about the Big Questions in Life

Would I rather risk dying on the operating table, getting a titanium femur, or would I want my leg amputated?

Would I rather have a hysterectomy and never have kids or potentially die from cancer?

And if I was making the decision for a loved one, what would I choose for them?

Life is hard, and suffering and death are inevitable. The show unflinchingly highlights this. It also highlights that we—including surgeons—are human. We make mistakes. We fail. That is part of life. Our work is to build systems to reduce suffering as much as possible.

The Bad#1 Melendez

His death was unfair and unnecessary. The very next season, they lose a nurse to COVID. The season before, Lim almost dies. You can highlight the risk of working in medicine without killing off one of your major—and, in my opinion—best characters.

And if you are going to do that, why start a romance with Brown? Ugh.

#2 The Writers Get Lazy with storylines that aren’t about Shaun

What happens to Andrews fertility issues? What about Carly? She disappears when she breaks up with Shaun. I get it; Shaun is the protagonist, but the writers get lazy and, at points, downright sloppy with other characters, and they don’t need to do that for Shaun to be the focus.

#3 Season 4 Slips

Maybe it’s Melendez’s death or the introduction of a bunch of new characters. Maybe it’s because it’s not on Netflix and ThreeNow doesn’t have subtitles. Maybe all of the above, but we watched about three or four episodes of season four, and we are done, at least for now.

OtherThe Surgeons are Very Self-Centred – Naturally

For me, this show highlights the at times myopic nature of medicine. I get it: The surgeons are the main characters. But is that a reason to treat everyone else in the hospital as disposable? The nurses, receptionists, even the anaesthetist?

Again, the story is about Shaun, who is a surgeon, so I understand the desire to focus on them, but you can do that and highlight the stories and contributions of everyone else.

Maybe this hits home so hard because it isn’t that different to real life. How many times as an Optometrist have I seen a GP not refer to us when they absolutely should have? Why aren’t more optomtrsists in hospitals? And why are are allied health so underfunded?

If we had more funding and a better understanding of what allied health is capable of (a lot), we would see a drastic improvement in healthcare outcomes almost overnight. It isn’t about one area being more important than another. Last I checked, you need your blood pressure medication, but you also need to be able to see (at least to drive).

Things are changing; we are beginning to recognise allied health’s pivotal role. But it could be better, it needs to be better. And if it is better, we will all do better. And last I checked, that was the point.