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Medivac: episode guide

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Duty of Care

Episode 36
Canada: August 27, 1998
Written by Marcia Gardner
Directed by Peter Fisk.

Sean and Rhino have an important soccer match to play when their team makes the finals. Rhino talks Sean into sneaking away from the hospital to participate. Sean, in turn, supplies Rhino with a medical certificate for a day off work. Rhino collapses during the match with no feeling in his legs. His condition deteriorates rapidly, the paralysis reaches his lungs and a young man, who that morning seemed fit and healthy, lapses into a coma. The cause is found to be Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Sean has to cope with the prognosis — while his friend may come out of the coma. He may have some form of mental impairment.
Julia passes over Gosia as the department's new Nurse Manager and instead appoints the unpopular Eric Frost to the position. Another intern, Stella O'Shaunessy, has her first taste of Emergency when she is knocked down by a man in the waiting room. She is saved by the experience of a new nurse, Evie Morrison (Sean's former girlfriend). Evie manages to subdue the patient who is exhibiting violent tendencies, the reason for which is a mystery at first. A woman with severe asthma whose medication has gone missing helps identify the man as her employer, a normally peaceful Professor of Jewish Studies. To his shame, the professor has a liking for pork products. After indulging, he has become used to taking some of his housekeeper's asthma medicine which usually makes him vomit up the offending meat. However, he has recently been taking a new medicine for gout, and the cocktail of drugs has lead to a severe and violent reaction.

Guest Stars: Jonathan Atherton as Eric, Stephen Curry as Damian "Rhino" Ryan, Carol Burns as Mrs. Ryan, Richard Pedicini as Professor John Wachtel, Sue Robinson as Nancy Turner.

Sharing The Blame

Episode 37
Canada: August 28, 1998
Written by Matt Ford
Directed by Graeme Blundell.

It is Stella's first medivac and she is accompanied by Gosia. The pair are conned into allowing the victim of a yachting mishap, Glenn, to bring his luggage with him on the helicopter into the hospital. Later, Evie discovers the luggage contains a shipment of cocaine. Glenn at first tries to enlist her help to escape but Evie refuses. He eventually confesses that the yacht's skipper, Dewie Kirkwood, is the 'Mr Big' of the smuggling operation and he broke Glenn's foot himself, to make the injury convincing enough for Glenn to be taken to the hospital. Moreover, Kirkwood is on his way to the hospital to pick up the drugs. Tom and Julia become involved in stalling Kirkwood until the police arrive. Sean is given the care of a critical patient. The patient nearly dies which at first appears to be Sean's fault. Later it is revealed that Eric is really to blame when he refuses Sean's request to accompany him and the patient to the Intensive Care Ward, effectively leaving Sean one man down at a crucial time. Sean, doing the work of two, managing to get the patient back in time to resus where Arch and the team bring the man back to life. With growing opposition to Eric Frost as Nurse Manager, Julia reluctantly gives way and suggests to Gosia that the job could be hers if she could find a way to get Eric to leave on his own. Gosia springs in to action and Eric soon announces that he is quitting so that he can accept a "better" job at another hospital.

Guest Stars: Jonathan Atherton as Eric Frost, Chris Betts as Dewey Kirkwood, Jennifer Congram as Eugenie, Gerry Day as Mr. Kryzych, Angus Grant as Glenn Carmody.

Protection

Episode 38
Canada: August 31, 1998
Written by John Coulter. Directed by Di Drew

Problems start for Stella when her wayward brother Timmy turns up at the hospital with a gunshot wound. Gosia and Arch help her to patch him up secretly so the police don't become involved but trouble comes to the hospital in the form of some thugs looking to finish the job on the hapless Timmy. A fight ensues between Arch, Tom and the thugs and when Julia discovers what is going on, she demands Stella inform the police. Stella places her career in jeopardy by refusing to turn in her brother but a good word on her behalf to Julia by Arch keeps her from losing her job. A young girl with dysmenorhea is the centre of a conflict between Stella and Marina when Stella disagrees with Marina's refusal to place the 14-year-old on the pill, believing Marina's motives are driven by her religious convictions. Stella is forced to eat humble pie when it is revealed that she had overlooked an important factor in the girl's medical history, namely that she was diabetic. Taking the pill, that Stella was so keen to prescribe, would have endangered her health. Julia invites Tom to the racetrack to watch her horse, Fine Young Hero, win at the races. Their celebration becomes a little more than friendship. Evie is accepted into Pre-med.

Guest Stars: Andrew McKaige as Dave Callen, Marc Gray as Timmy O'Shaughnessy, Sharon Muscat as Lori, Damien Garvey as Slugger.

Pity

Episode 39
Canada: September 01, 1998
Written by Tim Pye
Directed by Peter Fisk.

Tom and Arch are called out on a medivac to a domestic dispute in which a man, Dominic, has hit his wife Kelly with a shovel. But all is not as it seems. Kelly, after finding out that Dominic has been unfaithful, set fire to his belongings and doused him in petrol to also set him alight. Kelly has Multiple Sclerosis and both people have been under enormous strain trying to cope with the disease. Yet despite all this, Dominic still loves Kelly, who wants nothing more to do with him. Unable to get the wedding ring off her finger, she amputates it, and the department comes to a bizarre standstill as everyone is forced to look for the missing digit so that it may be reattached. Ernie Sharpe, a man with Korsakov's Syndrome, a debilitating condition brought on by chronic alcoholism, is befriended by Sean who brings him into the Emergency department for care. Ernie tells Sean that he was at Bethlehem West a long time ago and that he once had cancer. Sean goes to his father, Peter Michaels, the Director of Oncology, to see if he has any record of Ernie. While looking through the files, Sean accidentally comes across Tom's file. Sean now knows about Tom's rhabdomyosarcoma. Dave asks Marina to move in with him. She refuses.

Guest Stars: Garry McDonald as Ernie Sharp, Andrew McKaige as Dave Callen, Veronica Neave as Kelly Leary, Andrew Buchanan as Dominic Leary, John Gregg as Dr. Peter Michaels.

Calling The Shots

Episode 40
Canada: September 02, 1998
Written by John Concannon and John Coulter
Directed by Graeme Blundell.

Evie, who has been accepted to study medicine, oversteps the mark when she disagrees with Stella's treatment of a suspected drug addict. Evie sympathises with Stella's patient, Susan Mustoni, who demands to be treated for her pain. Stella suspects that she is a drug addict, and refuses to give her the painkiller pethadine. Evie is fooled by Susan's behaviour and asks Gosia to request a second opinion. Stella is embarrassed and angry about the fact that her professionalism has been called into question by a nurse and becomes defensive about her 'gut feeling'. The disagreement nearly causes a major doctor/nurse dispute. Since Susan is denied the pethadine she craves, she leaves the hospital in search of an illicit substitute. She is later readmitted after taking a drug overdose and dies. Evie and Stella, distraught by the turn of events, makes peace with the other.
A year after having left her order, Marina is visited my Monsignor Duvall , who has come to determine her conviction. Marina finds it hard to tell Monsignor Duvall she has decided not to go back to the convent. Beside feeling guilty of failure, Marina thinks the decision automatically implies she now has to move in with Dave. Dave is angry at her for excluding him from her past life. Arch, trying to support Marina in her decisions, attempts to lighten the expected confrontation with Monsignor Duvall, who, contrary to Marina's expectations, wishes her happiness in her new life.
Sean is desperately trying to find a place for Ernie to stay, who has been re-admitted with a dislocated shoulder and is suffering with severe memory loss caused by Korsakov's syndrome. After several failed attempts, Sean appeals to Gosia who makes use of her contacts to find suitable accommodation for Ernie at a detox centre. Julia has Arch ask Gosia to be 'nicer' to the doctors, while Arch extracts a man from a horse costume.

Guest Stars: Garry McDonald as Ernie Sharp, Andrew McKaige as Dave Callen, Monette Lee as Susan Mustoni, Sean Scully as Monsignor Jack Duval, John Gregg as Dr. Peter Michaels.

Denial

Episode 41
Canada: September 03, 1998
Written by Adam Todd
Directed by Julian McSwiney.

Tom and Arch bring in a cancer-ridden patient by medivac. Tom takes a special interest in the woman, perhaps seeing his future in her current condition, and wants her to receive whatever palliative care is available while Arch, recognising the hopelessness of her situation, tries to have her accept her imminent death so that she can help her children face what lies ahead. Tom takes out his frustration with the case on Sean who in turn lashes out at Ernie. Dave comes to the emergency department and proposes to Marina, but feeling rushed and uncertain of her future, she says no. Arch stumbles upon Tom and Julia's now intimate relationship.

Guest Stars: Garry McDonald as Ernie, Andrew McKaige as Dave Callen, Kris McQuade as Carmel, Josh Lawson as Rob, Kelly Rummery as Maree.

Feet Of Clay

Episode 42
Canada: September 04, 1998
Written by John Concannon and John Coulter
Directed by Peter Fisk.

Timmy O'Shaugnessy's life had turned around: he's in a relationship, a ready made family, a good job and a new beginning. Then a senseless altercation outside a coffee shop leads to Timmy being brutally beaten and he is brought into Emergency. He stabilises and it at first appears that lady luck might still be smiling on Stella's favourite brother. However Timmy takes a turn for the worse and despite the tireless work of Arch and the team, he dies from his injuries. Stella and Arch each suffer a crisis of confidence in medicine and their abilities.
Ernie Sharpe is admitted with a suspected broken ankle but he cannot remember how it happened. Luckily though, for a patient in crisis, a memory of what once was, prompts Ernie to carry out a life-saving procedure. A procedure that could only have been performed by a doctor. Julia investigates and reveals the secret and tragic past of Ernie Sharpe, a former Army man and doctor whose inability to save the life of his beloved wife, Cass, after a car accident, led him to alcoholism. At Sean's intern review, Arch tells him to react, then think, and not the other way around. Sean does just that, when his and Evie's ambulance gets into an accident while transporting a transplant patient. Dealing with three patients at once, one of whom is Evie, Sean reacts with the speed and thoroughness of a seasoned professional. Evie, suffering from a suspected fractured skull, also has temporary blindness caused by particles of glass from the windscreen. Sean's quick thinking saves the day and her sight, and helps him regain his confidence.

Guest Stars: Garry McDonald as Ernie, Marc Gray as Timmy O'Shaughnessy, Roger Davies as Mr. Kenny, Bill McCarthy as Transplant Patient, Roger Raaen as Ambulance Officer.

Code Purple

Episode 43
Canada: September 07, 1998
Written by Denise Morgan
Directed by Malcolm McDonald.

Stella, Marina and Evie are confounded by a boy's faking of an illness — until they find the reason why. Having been brought up by a lone and overpowering mother, Jamie Flynn decides to stop the world by blanking it out. His mother, a devout Christian, has failed to give her son the facts of life. He kissed a girl and because of this believes he has done the wrong thing and as a result has been pretending to be sick so as not to have to go to church and confess his "sins."
Tom pushes himself to the limit by attending a medivac in a rugged part of the country. A man seems to have ingested a foreign body, later found to be a fish hook, on a drunken dare. Delays occur when oesophageal varicosies are discovered and must be treated. Tom, in a great deal of pain, elects to push on. But Arch, who at this stage has no idea of Tom's illness, advises against haste. Tom excuses himself to take morphine but the bottle ends up falling from his grasp and smashing. The surgery turns out to be a protracted affair and eventually the pain gets too much for Tom and he collapses. Sean's phobia surfaces when a young girl, along with her pet spider, is admitted. Arch is upset he was never told about Tom's condition and that Julia allowed him to continue to work in the ER. Stella, Evie and Marina go to a bar, where they meet a man, Mark Best, who seems to be a friend of Gosia's.

Guest Stars: Diane Craig as Mrs. Flynn, John Gregg as Dr. Peter Michaels, Jermey Sims as Mark Best, Bob Newman as Mr. Romay, Enrico Mammarella as Marty, Paul Denny as Jake, Ryan Hartshorn as Jamie Flynn, Rebecca Nary as Jessie Romay.

Wants and Needs

Episode 44
Canada: September 08, 1998
Written by Marcia Gardner
Directed by Geoffrey Nottage.

Sean, Evie, and Gosia are called out on a medivac to treat a nine-year-old boy with a broken leg but instead find a group of homeless kids living in an underground sewer complex and a middle-aged man with an unknown illness. Returning to the hospital, Sean and Evie eventually diagnose the man as having an obscure 16th century sweating sickness and convince Arch to let them treat him with an equally obscure 16th century remedy. After their brief first encounter in a bar, Marina becomes a strange man's object of affection as he sends her flowers and begins to hang around the hospital. Marina suspects she is being stalked but her colleagues are dismissive. Meanwhile Tom's cancer is getting worse and is having a serious effect on his ability to work as an emergency doctor. Tom refuses any cancer treatments that may prevent him from returning to work, but an unsympathetic Arch just wants him replaced.

Guest Stars: John Gregg as Dr. Peter Michaels, Jermey Sims as Mark Best, Meaghan Davies as Hekka, Ken Russel as Vergil.

Boy Scout

Episode 45
Canada: September 09, 1998
Written by Matt Ford
Directed by Peter Fisk.

After being called out on a medivac to an isolated farmhouse, Sean and Evie's pilot is murdered and their helicopter is stolen, leaving them to contend with the injured, and dangerous, partner of the man responsible. Marina continues to encounter her suitor, he conveniently appears to help her with a flat tire and then takes the opportunity to fix up her car. As Tom returns to work, Arch considers going to the medical board to have him placed on the impaired practitioners register.

Guest Stars: John Gregg as Dr. Peter Michaels, Jermey Sims as Mark Best, Steve Jacobs as Parker, Nathan Kotzur as Ian Thorburn (Chopper Pilot).
Note: Nathan Kotzur's character is listed as "Chopper Pilot" in the credits but his name is shown as Ian Thorburn on his flight suit. Medivac's original director of photography was also named Ian Thorburn — coincidence?

True Colours

Episode 46
Canada: September 10, 1998
Written by Marcia Gardner
Directed by Karl Zwicky

Marina is becoming increasingly alarmed that Mark is stalking her. When she learns he has gotten a job at Bethlehem West as an orderly, she goes to Arch with her fears. At first dismissive, Arch eventually responds to Marina's concerns about Mark, stepping in to confront him and tells him to stay away from Marina. However, to the bewilderment of Arch, when Marina hears Mark's side of the story, she begins to defend the behaviour of the man whom she once feared. Soon afterwards, while Marina is home alone, Mark attacks her. Arch saves her and comforts her, leading to an unexpected new development in their relationship. When Tom collapses while working on a patient, Dr. Peter Michaels tells him that the time has come for him to leave his job. Stella informs Tom of a new experimental cancer trial that he may benefit from.

Guest Stars: John Gregg as Dr. Peter Michaels, Jermey Sims as Mark Best, Vince Williams as Mr. Lemonick.

When People Love You

Episode 47
Canada: September 11, 1998
Written by Denise Morgan
Directed by Graeme Blundell

When a gambling addict is brought into the ER following a failed suicide attempt, Evie encourages him to turn his life around, which he does, but only to have his hopes for the future dashed when he is diagnosed with terminal kidney failure that leaves him with less than a day to live. Marina is unsure about how to proceed with her budding relationship with Arch and when her emotional turmoil finally becomes too much for her, she resigns from the hospital. Julia and Tom are married. Meanwhile Tom and Julia are dealt a blow when Peter Michaels reveals that the early stages of Tom's new radical cancer therapy has not worked. With Tom facing death and Julia, the loss of her lover, the pair decide to get married.

Guest Stars: John Gregg as Peter Michaels, Grant Dodwell as Paul, Eugene Gilfedder as Wayne Doubé, Alan Edwards as Burns Victim, Holly Graham as Wendy.
Note: Second episode using music other than the closing theme during the end credits ("Token Angels" written by Roger Mason and performed by Wendy Matthews).

God's Greatest Gift

Episode 48 (finale)
Canada: September 12, 1998
Written by John Coulter and John Concannon
Directed by Peter Fisk

Tom's cancer has become so acute that he goes into cardiac arrest and must be rushed to emergency where the team are able to revive him. But his chances of survival depend on Peter Michael's ability to quickly operate to relieve the increasing pressure the growing tumour is applying to Tom's heart. Tom undergoes the surgery and an anxious Julia waits to see if it will still work. Having come through the surgery successfully, Tom begins his cancer treatments with Julia at his side. Meanwhile Arch discovers that Marina has decided to return to her life at the convent. Determined to convince her of his love, he pleads with her not to forsake him. Marina is unable to go through with her commitment to join the closed order and decides to give her relationship with Arch a second chance. Sean and Evie get back together and Evie learns she has received a scholarship that will allow her to study medicine full time.

Guest Stars: John Gregg as Dr. Peter Michaels, Jennifer Flowers as Mother Superior, David Coombs as Priest.