Emily Owens: Going for Will, Again

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

At first I was wondering why this episode seemed so long... then I realized that it's because it actually started building some drama! Cassandra and Emily are now competing for Will's attention again, Micah admits to his friend that there might be something between he and Emily, Gina is worried about her personal life for the first time in apparently years, a prodigal surgeon returns after taking a year off, and Cassandra beat Emily on a big test. The episode even succeeded in making the audience feel for Cassandra, because as terrible as she is to others, she has had tragedy in her past. It's all great, and I understand that some of these events needed to wait a while to begin, but the tenth episode is just too late to overflow with drama. I stand by my comments about previous episodes and why this series failed, but I finally think I might just miss it after it ends in another three installments. There actually may be something left unexplained that viewers care about, and that's a shame.

Emily Owens, M.D. "Emily and... The Social Experiment" (S01E10): After a dream, Emily wonders if Will is a little jealous when other guys pay attention to her, so she starts putting him through little tests. [she seriously lives in a 9th grade world something!] Tyra gives Emily some flirting tips: Step 1: Get caught staring. #2 eye contact and physical touch. Step 3: Accidentally get too close. [I was surprised that it worked so well for Tyra.] Tyra convinces Emily to try the steps with Will nearby, and he immediately warns her that the guy she uses them on is "a dog." The other guy is now interested in Emily, however, and Emily lets Will come to her rescue after all. [Cassandra had to go out on a cabbage? what was that??] Will helps Emily put together a bookcase and she tries "the moves," only he falls asleep when she runs out for some dinner. [sucks.] She drops some stuff to wake him up but he asks to crash, which Emily needs to keep it a secret because Cassandra has been questioning Will's feelings toward Emily. [ha.]

Jack Rowand/The CW

The In-Service Exam scores are in, and Emily got a 94% to Cassandra's 95%. [Will got 90% and Tyra came in at 84%.] Later, Emily meets Gina's husband in the elevator and is surprised to learn that her boss is married. In private, he tells Gina that have no life, she says she'll change, and plans to take a vacation the next month. [hmmm...] A doctor who took a year off after a two-week suspension is back, and struggles to clear the air with Gina, who thinks he's over-confident. [and he seems to be, given what we're seeing here!] Micah confronts Gina about pulling the guy after he apologizes, and she decides to add him after giving a quick oral quiz. [it may be implied that they slept together. I'm a bit shocked here.] Emily learns that Micah and Kelly broke up because "they want different things." Micah also tells the returning doctor that he does like Emily.

Patient 1: A 24-year-old with cystic fibrosis who is set to receive a lung transplant when an organ donor passes away. The family is so excited that they have a Hawaiian-themed party in the room, as the patient wants to learn to surf with his new lungs. [cool goal.] During the surgery, however, they find something in his lymph nodes and he might have cancer. Micah wants to proceed anyway, even though that's not procedure. [why didn't he get into trouble?] The odds for him beating cancer are terrible, and the patient feels pessimistic, though he plans to go through chemo for the sake of his parents. [awww.] Cassandra tells the parents about how her brother didn't get to voice his desires, having passed away at 14, causing the parents to ask the patient what he wants, and he prefers Hawaii. [I really don't know if I want to cheer for this, but okay.]

Patient 2: A psychic has migraines and swollen legs due to diabetes. When she draws her own tarot cards and thinks she might die, she leaves her son a message. [I thought you specifically couldn't read your own tarot cards?] He rushes to the hospital, livid that she used the cards to manipulate him. [true.] She winds up with a heart infection and needs surgery, so she writes a letter to her son in case she dies. She has a complicated surgery but lives, and Emily passes on the letter anyway, opening the gateway for discussion between mother and son. [cheesy.]