I loved this episode. I thought it was very well written, and LI did a fantastic job of directing, too. Loved the Ray storyline. After the bum deal he got in the premiere last week, I was pleased to see them give him a chance to really show he's got the chops to be a good doctor. Yeah, he still has a lot to learn, but they all do. And he has definitely come a long way. It was nice to see them keep in line with the soft spot he seems to have for kids. I could easily see him as a Pedes resident. I also liked that they allowed him to get attached to a case. I think that was a lot of what was missing last season. But I also think that there are a lot of issues in his past with trust and emotional attachments and getting too close, and that he maybe uses emotional distance as a defense mechanism to keep from being hurt as he maybe was by others in the past. It'll be interesting to see it explored, so I really hope they keep up with this and don't fumble.
Loved the Pratt storyline, which is rare for me, because I have never liked the character except for when he was sticking it to Morris. But the writing is getting stronger for him and I'm really liking what they're doing so far. I'm interested to see how it plays out.
And Morris giving Neela a hard time with the charting. Susan did say last season that Morris isn't the sharpest shovel in the shed, but he's a paperwork hound, so a nice bit of continuity there. I also like to think that maybe this is Morris bucking up to the challenge and trying to really do better at his job instead of shirking responsibility and proving everyone who doesn't expect much of him right, as he told Ray in the finale last season. I'm interested to see where they take him as well.
Felt bad for Luka at the end, and I actually liked his scene with Abby. I'm still not a 'shipper, but I did think the scene was well played. And I loved the part with Abby & Neela and the *ahem* 'witches" on the El. Great stuff.
A great episode, I think. And next week's looks good too.
~Ash