Whoa, Hopefuls! “Gutted” delivered a flurry of intense emotions, in true ‘Saving Hope’ style. Alex has so much going on in her life at the moment. In a single day, she fights for her job, deals with the heartbreaking news about her mother’s terminal diagnosis, tries to move things forward with Manny, confides in Charlie and discovers a big surprise. Charlie is also in a tough spot as he faces his new fling, Rachel (aka the opposing counsel) and defends his colleagues while helping Bree’s spirit gain perspective. We see even more trauma and tragedy in the ER turned Urgent Care center where Thomas is forced to pitch in and eventually realizes the error of his ways. Unfortunately, an innocent man pays the ultimate price for Thomas’ grave mistakes.
Doubting Thomas
Ever since Thomas arrived at Hope Zion and started shaking things up, he has been a thorn in our sides. He thinks the drastic changes will help the hospital, but they’ve been a hindrance. Instead of taking Dawn and Zach’s advice, he continues on his path of 
righteousness. Hope Zion can’t afford to function as is, so he needs to cut down costs. He sees this as a clear-cut matter, but we know it is not. Eventually, something has to give. Sadly, Thomas learns the hard way.
We all worried when Zach quit at the end of the last episode. Now he has returned, but only to tie-up loose ends and clean out his locker. His brilliant ER is a shell of what it once was. Patients enter in need of care and Thomas calls an ambulance to take them to a nearby hospital because Hope Zion is unequipped to care for such emergencies. This is ridiculous. Can you imagine going to your local ER only to be turned away when you’re in a state of emergency. It is absolutely awful! But there is nothing Zach can do about it anymore, so he tends to his patient.
Eli King has super sweaty feet and came in because he woke up feeling off. Zach is about to properly examine him when a car crashes into the hospital, pinning rocker Martin against the glass door. Again, Thomas wants to call an ambulance, but that crap is not
going to fly in this case.
Zach and Cassie immediately tend to Martin. Luckily his spine is in tact, but he has an abdominal wound that needs pressure. When Zach has to run off to get supplies, Cassie
has Thomas apply pressure on Martin’s wound while she checks the rest of him out. Yeah, Thomas: How does it feel to get your hands dirty and personally connect with people instead of treating them as statistics and dismissively depriving them of proper care?
Thomas shakily tends to Martin and promises the young man’s mom that they’ll save him. Cassie chastises him for making an impossible promise. Rookie move, dude. Even after all of this, Thomas still wants to send Martin to General. Are you serious?! Dawn, Zach and Cassie tell him Martin will die. There is no other option, they need to operate ASAP.
They rush him to the OR where Dawn throws some intense shade at Cassie. That’s what happens when you start dating the enemy. Dana tries helping Cassie out and eventually Dawn caves, allowing Cassie to play a more pivotal role in the surgery since she is more experienced in the kidney removal department. Hope Zion’s finest pull off another miracle save and Martin is off to a great recovery by episode’s end. Sadly, the same can’t be said of Zach’s other patient.
In the midst of all the commotion, Zach asked Jackson for meds and supplies, including insulin and glucose. Shell-shocked Thomas re-enters Urgent Care and a stumbling Eli reaches out to him for help. Thomas smells alcohol on Eli’s breathe and thinks he’s drunk. If you know anything about Diabetes, you are probably putting the pieces together.
Zach wanted the insulin and glucose for Eli, not Martin. Eli is presenting symptoms of extremely high or low blood sugar level, which seems like drunk behavior to anyone who doesn’t know better. Instead of asking for help from a nurse or doctor, Thomas assumes Eli is drunk, tells him to sleep it off and draws the curtain. While Thomas is wallowing in the events he witnessed, an innocent man is slowly and unnecessarily dying.
By the time Zach comes back to Eli, he is too late. He tries his hardest to revive his
patient, but there is nothing else he can do. Eli is gone. This is heartbreaking and enraging. Zach justifiably confronts Thomas: Why wouldn’t he ask for help?! Zach explains Eli’s health condition to Thomas and says that any medical newbie would’ve known the symptoms of Diabetes. Eli’s death is on Thomas’ hands.
Is Zach being too harsh on Thomas? I don’t think so. I know…Thomas explains to Cassie why he tried to be more objective this time around after having to shut down the last hospital he reviewed because he was too personally involved. We get, Thomas, you messed up last time and now you are trying to make up for your past mistake. The problem is that he just making even bigger mistakes this time around. Would he rather have people lose their jobs or their lives? It may sound harsh, but I stand by Zach. Thomas should have asked for help instead of dismissing Eli as a drunk. That is just wrong. Plain and simple.
I also think this could be cause for another lawsuit. Eli died because of Thomas’ negligence. How is Hope Zion supposed to justify that kind of behavior? “Oop! I didn’t know any better…” is not a defense. I know Thomas feels horrible about what happened. I’m just waiting to see if his guilt will change his outlook on what he’s doing to Hope Zion.
Fight for hat’s right
Dawn helps Zach clear out his locker at the end of the day and finds the color samples for her office…Awww! He kept them. How sweet! Zach says he’s sentimental like it’s no big deal. Little things like that are always a big deal. This is such a bummer because Zach 
doesn’t want to leave his Hope Zion family, he just can’t stand seeing his ER fall apart like this.
Dawn comes up with a new plan. Zach can stay at Hope Zion and they’ll fight to save their hospital. Hell yeah! (I actually yelled that out loud while watching the episode.) They should fight for Hope Zion. It’s their home away from home and the work they do so important.
After what happened to Eli, I think Dawn and Zach will have a very strong case against Thomas. I was really worried that the series would end with Hope Zion’s downfall, but now I’m relieved. We know the whole team will come together to save the hospital they’ve built together.
It would be kind of cool if they brought some patients back from previous seasons to testify on the hospital’s behalf. It would be a nice nostalgic nod to all the lives they’ve saved and all of the spirits Charlie has helped. Speaking of which…
It’s just business 
After a fun night together, Rachel gets a call from her office. She needs to fill in for a colleague who just happens to be suing Alex and Maggie. Awkward! Charlie is surprised
to see his new fling as his opposing counsel. He asks for a moment with Rachel and wonders if this is a conflict of interest. Rachel is a professional and she won’t let emotions get in the way. Alrighty then…
Rachel grills Alex, Maggie and Charlie with equal severity. She questions Alex’s 
judgement since Martha brought Baby Luke in that morning. Was Alex’s head in the game with everything else she had on her mind? Alex first clarifies that Baby Luke is fine. Yeah, Charlie still didn’t know about that. Then she assures Rachel that all surgeons know how to care for their patients while juggling a million others things. It’s part of the job, so they’re used to it. Yikes! You can cut the tension with a knife. Rachel even questions if Charlie can be objective when it comes to Alex or does she get her way because of their history. Oh come on, Charlie sided with Maggie in this case.
Maggie feels guilty since they never told Charlie about giving Bree blood thinners beforehand. If 
he knew about it, he wouldn’t have approved the surgery. Alex thinks it is still better for Charlie to be in the dark about that.
Violet, Bree’s ex-girlfriend, takes a jab at Maggie implying they have an inappropriate relationship. Maggie is going a little too far over and beyond for her patient. Poor Maggie! What makes this even more interesting is that Bree is witnessing all of it in limbo.
Bree feels terrible that Alex and Maggie are in trouble for helping her out. She’s thrilled
when Charlie can see her and asks how she can help. Charlie says it’s easy, she just needs 
to wake up. Bree doesn’t know how. Charlie gives her a great pep talk. He really is a spirit shrink at this point.
Charlie helps Bree realize what’s holding her back in limbo. She’s scared of being alone. She substituted Violet with Maggie and she knows it isn’t right, but she’s never been on her own.
He assures Bree that she doesn’t need anyone else. She’s badass all by herself for being as brave as she’s been in her life. Once Bree finds her inner strength and confidence, she returns to her body and wakes-up.
Phew! Now that Bree is awake, the case can be dropped. Maggie, Alex and Bree are 
relieved. Rachel hopes Charlie didn’t take this case personally. She’d still like to have some more casual fun with him. Charlie isn’t really feeling it though, especially since his attention turns to Alex when she shows up at the door. Guess Rachel will just have to see him around. As Rachel leaves, she tells Alex that there are no hard feelings. Both women were just doing their jobs.
Now, time for Alex to catch Charlie up on what’s happening in her life…
Blindsided by life
Alex’s day starts off well when she makes plans to meet up with Manny at the end of the day for some mini-golf. But a lot can change in a day. Soon after, Shahir gives Alex the news about Martha’s diagnosis.
Martha has a rare form of dementia (with a crazy name) that progresses even faster than regular Alzheimer’s. She doesn’t have a lot of time left. Shahir insists on delivering the diagnosis to Martha to save her from any agitation, since she seems to get worked-up around Alex.
When Alex checks in on Martha later, she is playing with Baby Luke and in good spirits. Did Shahir tell her the bad news? Yes, he explained everything clearly and she understood him. Alex fears the illness is further along than they thought. She tries breaking the news to her mom again. Martha knows all about it, she just doesn’t want to dwell on it. Geesh, we were worried that she forgot the conversation. It’s relief that she isn’t that far gone.
Martha doesn’t want to be a burden to Alex and decides to leave. She’s not going to re-enter her life only to die on her. Alex thinks that is ridiculous. Martha needs help, she can’t go through this alone. A scare with her hospital roommate makes her realize that Alex is right.
At the end of the day, Alex goes to Charlie and explains her mother’s condition. She 
wants to take a few days off to spend with her mom. Charlie will take care of Baby Luke and everything else. He tells Alex to take care of herself and enjoy time with Martha. The love and tenderness he shows for Alex is so sweet and sincere. Plus, he’s one helluva a dad.
There’s a chance for ChAlex
Three key moments at the end of “Gutted” give ChAlex fans renewed hope. Alex turned to 
Charlie for comfort. Yes, technically, she went to ask him to take Luke for a few days. However, we all know they had a moment. The way Charlie reassuringly looked into her eyes and said he’ll be there no matter…that is exactly the kind of support she needed in that moment. Charlie is her rock and partner. She can try denying it, but some things are undeniable. The way she looks back at him shows how much she still loves him.
Meanwhile, Manny excitedly skips to Alex’s office with golf club in hand. He arrives upon an empty room. Ouch! Alex totally forgot about him. She didn’t even remember to cancel their date. She could have reached out to Manny if she wanted to. She did it in the past few episodes, but this time she went to Charlie and he was enough. So maybe Alex isn’t falling for Manny like we thought. I know she had an overwhelming day, but if she was really, truly, deeply into him I doubt she’d forget to drop him a line. Right???
Last, but definitely not least: Alex is pregnant!!! She has to be pregnant with Charlie’s 
baby because she hasn’t been with Manny yet. Unless there was an unknown off-screen fling, we can safely conclude that ChAlex is having a baby!
This is awesome. Baby No. 2 should totally trump Alex’s curse theory. If not, then maybe Martha can talk her out of such nonsense. I really need the series to have a happy ending and want to see ChAlex and their babies together as a family.
What did you think of “Gutted”? Do think Thomas is at fault for Eli’s death? Did you feel bad for Cassie when Dawn temporarily demoted her in the OR? Are you happy Dawn and Zach are fighting for Hope Zion? Was it harsh of Zach to chastise Thomas? What are your thoughts on Rachel? Did you expect her fling with Charlie to last longer than one night? Do you think Alex is pregnant with Charlie’s baby? Will this bring them back together?
Share your thoughts!
It was harsh but Thomas deserved everything Zach threw at him. Thomas was directly and indirectly responsible for everything that happened. He’s fortunate there wasn’t more than one life was lost. I don’t think he’s going to last much longer, either he’ll resign or be relieved. I love Dawn even more that she’s willing to fight for Zach and the hospital. I get her treatment of Cassie but glad Dana stood up for her.
Alex’s pregnancy definitely forces her and Charlie to work with each other. It is almost certainly Charlie’s, so Alex must be a few months along already and needs to tell him soon. I think a few days with her mother will help her clear her head on that situation, and bury any history and feelings she has towards her mother.
Just observation but I think Charlie and Rachel’s fling might have been more than one night…I think they were at her place at the end of last episode and Charlie’s hotel room the beginning of this one. Could be wrong but either way it was short-lived because Charlie’s situation is indeed complicated, and only going to get more so. She and Charlie did have some chemistry, and if things were different I’d root for them, but in this case Charlie did the smart thing. I’m glad everything was kept professional.
Charlie to the rescue again, really bailed out Alex. She still didn’t tell him the whole truth, Maggie had to do it, and she kept Luke’s minor injury from him. He probably still won’t reporter, so maybe Rachel was right in her questioning. ‘You don’t need anyone, you’re enough’ caps one of Charlie’s best ghost counsels. Hopefully Bree can win her battle.
Really liked the episode and think it sets up some big things for the rest of the season,
Agreed! Thomas should be held accountable for his actions.
I love Dawn and Zach together so much. I like the whole team’s’ dynamic…when Dawn is hard on Cassie, Dana steps up for her. It’s happened in different scenarios before too.
I thought Michael and Rachel were at two different locations haha ok so maybe it was a two night stand…either way, ChAlex is meant to be.
Yes, with the exception of Alex everyone seems to be looking out for each other this season. Dawn pushing Zach to hang out with Charlie still my favorite example 🙂
Yes!