‘Saving Hope’ S4 Ep 15 recap: To thine own self be true

We learn a little more about Hope Zion’s finest in “Not Fade Away.” Charlie explores what life would be like if he lost his gift, Zach learns more about Dawn while working together to help an old friend, and Alex takes Dana on a much needed excursion from the hospital. Buckle-up for another wild ride, Hopefuls.

Old-Fashioned Medicine

Alex wakes Charlie up before the alarm goes off. She cheerfully tells him she was on her 7th grade debate team and has worked out an argument in favor of removing his benign, but quickly growing brain tumor. She knows that he is afraid of not seeing ghosts, so she tells him to ignore them for the day. It is the only way he can learn what life would be like if he stopped seeing them. She poses this query: “Who are you and who do you want to become?” Over the past few years, helping ghosts has become part of Charlie’s identity, but he is much more than his gift. It doesn’t hurt to be reminded of his natural, pre-gift instincts as a surgeon.

Charlie heads to work, determined to spend the day doctoring the old-fashioned way. Bishop acts as team leader when Russ, a 40 something-year-old, is rushed into the ER after being crushed by a tractor. Yikes! It’s clearly going to be a long day, so Bishop asks Cassie if she’d like to join him for tequila shots after work. She says she’s sworn off men, plus he’s not her type. (Yeah, right.) To which Charlie cheekily replies, “But you’re mine.” Adorable! He’s is in chipper spirits given the obstacle he is facing. Once they’re done goofing around, they get to work on Russ, who turns out to be quite an interesting character.

Russ’ wife, Tracy, sure has a lot of patience because this guy seems pretty wacky at first. He was tending to the farm in the middle of the night because, according to his horoscope mumbo-jumbo reasoning, nothing good happens after noon and he needed to beat whatever impending doom is looming in the near future. Well, it’s not like Charlie is one to judge. He does see ghosts after all. Still, Tracy says that Russ’ bizarre hunches and premonitions have come true in the past. For example, he predicted a severe storm no one else saw coming. Okay, so this should get interesting…

Charlie and Cassie work together in the OR to place screws in Russ’ leg (Ewww). When he sees Russ’ spirit appear, Charlie makes an announcement that he wants to focus on good old-fashioned medicine. Subtle, Charlie. After he’s out of surgery, Tracy admits that Russ’ eccentricities have been out of control lately, but their farm is succeeding when others around them are closing down. Well that’s intriguing! Russ begins speaking and it looks like he’s addressing Charlie. Does he remember limbo?! Nope, he’s actually talking to his wife.

Russ is concerned about when he can get back to work and is disappointed to learn about his long recovery. Suddenly, Russ can’t feel his legs. Uh-oh! Bishop, Charlie and Cassie take him back to the OR. His spleen is punctured, but they don’t know what caused the rupture. After the operation, Russ is still paralyzed. They hope it isn’t permanent, but can’t make any promises.

Tracy blames herself for what happened to Russ. She’s afraid he’ll hurt himself again and doesn’t know how much more of this she can take. Bishop oversteps his bounds and asks if she’s thinking of leaving her husband. Whoa! Bishop apologizes and we get the feeling that he’s been left, so he sympathizes with Russ. As it turns out, he isn’t far off base. Tracy admits she called a divorce lawyer once and hung up before anyone answered. But for now, neither Tracy nor the doctors are giving up on Russ.

Russ’ ghost reaches out to Charlie, so he uses the good old phone trick. He sees Charlie as a kindred spirit and wants to help him figure out the problem. Awww, poor Charlie. He’s trying so hard and really doesn’t need any extra temptation. Ultimately, they are able to figure things out the old school way.

Charlie, Bishop, and Cassie examine Russ’ images. Bishop glances over at Charlie’s expression and says he knows that look. It’s the “I’m figuring this out but have the weight of the world on my shoulders” look. While he’s trying to see what’s bugging his buddy, Cassie notices that Russ’ clavicle had been operated on. It seems a piece of wire migrated down and ruptured his spleen. They need to remove the wire before it causes more damage.

Bishop and Charlie fill Tracy in and say Russ should be able to walk again. They also did an MRI and Russ shows signs of early Alzheimer’s. Oh no! That is terribly sad, but it could explain his erratic behavior. In the midst of the chaos, Tracy got a text from neighbors. Russ’ bizarre hunch was right again, a huge electrical storm and flash flood rolled in. Well, there you have it. Maybe Charlie and Russ are kindred spirits after all.

Now that Russ’ odd case has been settled, Cassie tells Bishop that she’s changed her mind and would like to grab drinks. Sadly, she isn’t the only one who has had a change of heart.

Bishop reveals that he’s married. What?! But he’s been flirting with Cassie this whole time. His wife is a lawyer and she was the mysterious person calling him at the beginning of episode. Oh boy. Bishop honestly tells Cassie, “It’s getting complicated. You deserve better than that.” Ain’t that the truth! She broke up with Dev because of her feelings for Bishop. This was an unexpected twist. Hope it doesn’t make things too awkward.

At the end of the day, Charlie tells Alex that he succeeded. He went the day without ghosts. He got it done and no one died. Guess the experiment restored Charlie’s faith in himself as a surgeon too. He even booked his surgery with Shahir. Oh my, we know that episode is going to keep us on edge! Alex confesses that she was booted out of debate club for unsportsmanlike conduct. Haha! Yup, we can see that happening. Well, at least ChAlex is on the same page now.

Dawn of a New Era

On more than one occasion, we have seen the way in which Zach totally understands Dawn. He has been the sweetest with her. So when Zach pokes his head into her office and asks for disposable safety glasses, tongue depressors, etc. we all know that he really is just concerned about how she’s doing. Dawn throws him a look and allows him to ask the question that is really on his mind: how was the arraignment?

Dawn says it was exhausting, but they’re pursuing all charges against Lane. Phew! He better pay for what he’s done. Dawn and the other women he preyed on all deserve justice. Their conversation is interrupted by a phone call from her college friend and roommate, Reba.

Reebs is out hiking when she’s suddenly bitten by spider. Is it poisonous? Zach’s ER expertise and knowledge of venom will come in handy, so he insists on sticking around.  Zach texts Reebs pictures of spiders, while they all have a candid chat. Reebs is in the middle of a divorce and feels embarrassed. She admires how Dawn is always together and how nothing phases her. Oh if only she knew what Dawn has been through and how she’s been rattled to her core this year.

Reba recognizes one of the spiders. She’s been bitten by a Black Widow. Uh-oh! They stay on the phone with her while she walks back to her car. Zach asks what Dawn was like in college and the two of them toss a ball around while chatting with Reba. Suddenly,
Reba falls. Her legs give out, she’s nauseous, has stomach cramps and is going into shock. Poor thing! I couldn’t imagine being all alone in the woods like that (which is why I don’t haha). Anyway…

Zach and Dawn have Reba improvise with whatever she has on hand. They tell her to crush her antacids because her brain needs sodium. Reba tearfully pleads, “Dawn, don’t let me die out here all by myself.” Awww, this is heartbreaking. Dawn recalls how they’d read ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ but they’d reverse gender roles. It would always make Reba feel better in college, so Dawn grabs her book and voices Mr. Darcy while Zach reads Lizzie’s lines. So sweet!

Suddenly, the call drops! Luckily, medics are already on their way to Reba. She is Dawn’s oldest friend and the only one who knows her before Hope Zion. Zach comforts her with a hug. Awww! Dawn says Zach was a huge help. He starts getting a little twinkle in his eye. Yay! He’s thinking what we’re thinking. Dawn doesn’t think it would be appropriate since she’s his boss. However, Zach rebuttal shuts her argument down: Dawn is not Zach’s boss because he is not a surgeon, he works in the ER. Boom! Problem solved.

We aren’t the only ones thinking these two would be great together. When Reba finally reaches Hope Zion, she assumes Zach and Dawn are dating. I really like the way these two are together. I think they’d be really good for each other too. I hope this blossoms into a genuine romance. They both deserve a proper love story instead of a string of flings or someone as horrific as Lane.

Road Trip

Dana is rightfully and realistically feeling down. She’s finished three cycles of chemotherapy and is at risk of catching Pneumonia. When Alex checks-in, she reveals why she’s extra bummed out. Dana desperately wants to go to the annual festival at the lake. She hasn’t missed it in 20 years. It also holds great sentimental significance for her because Molly was born in their cottage during the festival. Awww. She misses the days when life was magical and worth living. Plus, she “had words” with her daughter and they haven’t spoken since. They’re both stubborn women, so neither one of them is breaking the ice with an apology. Oh sweet Dana, you are breaking our hearts. We know she is so much stronger than this, but we can’t blame her for feeling low.

Alex succumbs to Dana’s pleas and busts her buddy out of the hospital. Maggie kindly covers her shift, so that the two of them can be wild like ‘Thelma and Louise.” Dana teases, “I always knew you were badass.” As their joyride begins, Dana tells Alex about her bucket list and explains her frustration with Molly, who has taken a semester off to be a barista near their home. Obviously, she’s doing this to be nearby during this difficult time. It’s a shame that the two of them can’t just get along. Alex eases Dana’s worst fear and promises to be there for Molly if the unthinkable happens. Pass the tissues, please!

Being the tough cookie that she is, Dana has adopted a new philosophy. Buddhists think everyone should be prepared at all time for death. She wonders, “Am I being the person I want to be? Am I ready?” Dana doesn’t even remember what normal feels like because she’s been battling cancer for so long. No matter what happens, Dana has whole-heartedly placed her trust in Alex. Sigh…you are killing us, ‘Saving Hope’. We can’t process all of these feels!

Their friendship is delightful to watch. Alex and Dana show us how two intelligent, sensitive, strong and competitive woman can be loving and caring friends. There is no female cattiness on ‘Saving Hope’ and it is one of the things I love and admire about this show. These characters are real. They’ve work through their problems and overcome adversity. However hard times have been, these wonderful women gracefully persevere. That includes Dawn as well. She started out as a bit of a villain who wanted to pull the plug on Charlie in Season One and now she is a beloved character who we champion and want the best for. Credit is due to the writers and these phenomenal actresses. Bravo, Erica Durance, Wendy Crewson and Michelle Nolden!!!

Ok, back to the narrative. Suddenly, Dana feels like a 1000 daggers are stabbing her chest. But they aren’t turning back just yet. Alex wasn’t taking Dana to the lake, they’re going to see Molly instead. Surprise! Alex will be peacemaker and patch things up between mother and daughter. While the doc checks on Dana, Alex gets Molly’s version of their fight.

Molly says that all Dana wants to talk about is making plans for the end. She fears her mom is giving up because she “gets all Zen when she’s packing it in.” Molly is not ready to let her go. Whoa! Poor Molly. We know Dana is a pragmatist, but she should be a little more sensitive with Molly. On the other hand, when you see your mom is in bad shape, you should probably cut her some slack instead of fighting with her. It is a good thing Alex stepped in as peacemaker because she offers an outsider’s perspective, while being totally invested. Alex tells her to give Dana every reason to stay. Instead of pushing her away, she should be honest with her mom. By episode’s end, we see mother and daughter making-up.

Since Dana couldn’t go to the festival, the gang brought the festival to her. So sweet!!! Zach asks Dawn how their Jane Austen is doing and how she is holding up. Dawn defensively rebuffs Zach saying he doesn’t have to pity her. He assures Dawn that pity is so far from how he feels about her. Zach says, “That person your friend was describing…I jump off the grid for that woman.” Ooooh! Methinks we have a serious romance blooming and I love it!

What did you think Hopefuls? Do you like Zach and Dawn together? How do you feel about Charlie not using his gift? Are you worried he might lose his abilities after the surgery? Are you relieved Molly and Dana made-up? Do you think they should try to be more understanding and sensitive of each other? Share your thoughts!