The person who wrote the log review for this one did such a magnificent job I have little to add. I found the entire scope of the two episodes brilliantly produced and edited. We get a great view of cultural mores and political obstructionism. We mostly get a look into the souls of the individuals that created the hospital, ran it, and brought it into the future. St. Eligius is seen as a backward, less than perfect hospital. But it has more to do with the problems and trials of the people who lived it. Wonderful work.
2 Reviews
An absolutely wonderful exploration of its characters and the changing social mores of the United States over the course of half a century
GusF10 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
(For the sake of simplicity, this is a review of both parts of this two-part story.)
A tantalising journey through the history of St. Eligius, this is an absolutely wonderful exploration of its characters and the changing social mores of the United States over the course of half a century. The superb script by Tom Fontana, John Masius and John Tinker hits all of the right notes and it is very skilfully directed by Mark Tinker.
The premise of the two-parter is that St. Eligius is celebrating its 50th anniversary, which spurs many memories for its long serving members of staff. To that end, the story takes place in six distinct eras: 1935, 1945, 1955, 1965, 1975 and 1986. Rather than presenting the relevant events in strict chronological order, it features intertwining narrative strands which develop in a natural fashion and for maximum dramatic effect. Although there are several retcons here and there, the storyline nevertheless displays the series' trademark strong continuity in its depiction of St. Eligius' past, depicting or referencing numerous events which were discussed in previous episodes.
One of the most important of said events is naturally the founding of St. Eligius itself by Father Joseph McCabe in 1935. Father McCabe, a liberal minded Irish priest, spent many years trying to get the hospital off the ground as he felt that the impoverished people of the South End of Boston, Catholic and otherwise, needed a hospital to cater to their needs. He succeeded in spite of the best efforts of his obstructive superior, Monsignor Senti, who not only dislikes him personally but objects to his unorthodox views concerning issues such as artificial contraception. This foreshadows 20 years of battles with the Archdiocese of Boston which eventually leads to Father McCabe, who has become an embittered alcoholic, being relieved of his duties as St. Eligius' chief administrator in 1955. By 1945, the roof was already falling in due to poor workmanship. Ten years later, Dr. Craig was desperate to leave St. Eligius and work as a cardiac surgeon at Boston General. As such, the clear implication is that it has already earned its reputation as a rundown, second rate hospital. This unfortunate legacy is not the one that Father McCabe deserved for all of his hard work. Although his Irish accent is mediocre, Edward Herrmann is nevertheless excellent as the priest. He very effectively portrays Father McCabe's decency and idealism in founding the hospital and the mounting disappointment and disillusionment that he experiences as the years pass.
The most compelling narrative concerns St. Eligius' Director of Services Donald Westphall, played superbly by Ed Flanders, and the manner in which his life has been in many respects defined by his connection to the hospital. To that end, Westphall is the only character to appear in all six eras. In 1935, the six-year-old Donnie is walking past the newly opened St. Eligius with his father Thomas, also played by Flanders, when they meet Father McCabe, formerly their parish priest. Donnie steps through its doors for the first time when his father helps bring Patrick O'Casey, who was injured in a mill accident, inside. Later that year, Donnie suffers the first major trauma in his life when his mother Elizabeth and three siblings are killed in a fire, leaving himself and his father as the only survivors of their family. Flanders plays Thomas in much the same way as he does his son. This makes perfect sense as previous episodes have made it clear that Thomas was a warm, compassionate, decent and fair-minded man and that his son inherited all of these qualities in abundance.
By 1945, the sixteen-year-old Westphall is a juvenile delinquent who stole money from two patients at St. Eligius. His father sends him to the hospital to be straightened out by Father McCabe. In a scene that would probably not be made today, McCabe challenges the boy to a boxing match and punches him in the stomach after he refuses to fight a priest. McCabe did not do so to be abusive or even to knock some sense into Westphall but to make him face his pain and survivor's guilt as a result of being the only one of his siblings to survive. Father McCabe takes the boy under his wing and hires him as a shoeshine boy. McCabe mentoring Westphall represents the biggest retcon as he told Dr. Auschlander in the Season Three episode "Breathless" that he never met McCabe. By 1955, he is a St. Eligius intern. The 26-year-old Westphall's characterisation is similar to that of Jack Morrison as he is shown getting too attached to his 13-year-old polio patient Sarah O'Casey. When she dies, he is quite distraught, which probably accounts for the fact that Westphall tends to keep a respectful distance from his patients in the 1980s.
By 1965, Westphall is happily married to Maureen and they have a young daughter named Lizzie. He longs for a son and Tommy is born in 1973. However, by the time that he is two, he is already showing the earliest signs of what was later diagnosed as autism. Westphall is upset that he and his son will never share the same kind of bond that he enjoyed with his own father but, as demonstrated in numerous episodes, he does not love Tommy any less because of it. In 1975, Westphall experiences a trauma similar to the fire that killed his family when Maureen is involved in a serious car accident and is rendered brain dead. Westphall struggles with the decision to take his beloved wife off life support before ultimately deciding that it is the best thing to do. Maureen is a frequently mentioned character on the series but this is her only appearance. The writing and Anita Gillette's performance combine to demonstrate the extent to which she was a stabilising influence on Westphall's often hectic and difficult life.
The various narrative threads are tied together by the presence of an Irish-American family called the O'Caseys at St. Eligius in all six eras. While it is quite a big coincidence that their health problems always seem to happen concurrently with major events in the lives of the hospital staff, it is such a clever and effective dramatic conceit that I had no problem accepting it. In 1986, Terence O'Casey, played wonderfully by Brian Kerwin, is brought to the hospital with severe headaches, nausea and a fever and quickly develops more serious symptoms including paralysis. He has not spoken to his 19-year-old son Kevin, played well by John Scott Clough, in two years as he is gay. When Kevin comes to St. Eligius to visit his father, Terence rebuffs him. A flashback to 1965 shows that Terence was a hippie who was brought to hospital by his future wife Helen, played very well by Kate Mulgrew, after a bad trip. The decision to make Terence a hippie was a brilliant one as his homophobia towards his own son in 1986 is entirely inconsistent with his commitment to peace and love for everyone in 1965, highlighting his hypocrisy. Terence's father Patrick O'Casey was an early patient at St. Eligius after the aforementioned mill accident in 1935. He would return to the hospital in 1945 and 1955 because of his daughter Sarah's bouts with polio, which cost her her life on the latter occasion. Most significantly, Patrick was the recipient of the first heart bypass at St. Eligius, which was performed by Dr. Craig in 1975. Funnily enough, Patrick is played by William Daniels' future "Boy Meets World" co-star and on-screen neighbour William Russ.
The obnoxious, arrogant and self-important Mark Craig is my favourite character on the series. Daniels is never less than utterly wonderful in the role and he provides many of the comic moments on this occasion. This two-parter shows that Craig has not changed much over time. In 1955, he was a sycophantic intern who was forever sucking up to the chief of surgery Dr. David Domedion, played by the always excellent Jackie Cooper, in much the same way as Victor Ehrlich sucks up to Craig. The oft-mentioned Dr. Domedion previously appeared as a senile elderly man, played by the great actor Dean Jagger in his last role, in the Season Three finale "Cheers" so it was very interesting to see him as the expert surgeon at the top of his game whom Craig remembers. The 1955 scenes also show Craig's wife Ellen, played as ever by Daniels' real life wife Bonnie Bartlett, heavily pregnant with their son Stephen. Craig wishing that they will all live happily ever after carries with it a twinge of sadness given Stephen's death.
The 1945 scenes featuring James Stephens as the young Daniel Auschlander, newly arrived from the Pacific Front, are very effective. We see the prejudice with which Auschlander was faced as a Jew working at a Catholic hospital. More positively, Auschlander is depicted meeting his future wife Katherine for the first time at St. Eligius. As Westphall was a delinquent in those days, their relationship gets off on the wrong foot but as things develop there are already early signs of the close friendship that the two men would form as time passed. Stephens does not really resemble Norman Lloyd, still alive and going strong at 104, but he does an excellent job of imitating his very distinctive voice. The 1965 scenes are entertaining and well written but they lack the meat of those set in earlier and later eras since neither the St. Eligius staff nor the O'Casey family are faced with grave problems.
The story is shot very well with each era having a distinctive visual style, making them easy to distinguish. In the first half, the 1935 scenes are presented entirely in black and white but in an extremely haunting and effective moment, the picture switches to full colour when the six-year-old Westphall sees Patrick O'Casey's blood on the floor at the beginning of the second half.
Overall, this is a superb exploration of the tragedies and occasional triumphs experienced by the staff of St. Eligius over the course of 50 years.
A tantalising journey through the history of St. Eligius, this is an absolutely wonderful exploration of its characters and the changing social mores of the United States over the course of half a century. The superb script by Tom Fontana, John Masius and John Tinker hits all of the right notes and it is very skilfully directed by Mark Tinker.
The premise of the two-parter is that St. Eligius is celebrating its 50th anniversary, which spurs many memories for its long serving members of staff. To that end, the story takes place in six distinct eras: 1935, 1945, 1955, 1965, 1975 and 1986. Rather than presenting the relevant events in strict chronological order, it features intertwining narrative strands which develop in a natural fashion and for maximum dramatic effect. Although there are several retcons here and there, the storyline nevertheless displays the series' trademark strong continuity in its depiction of St. Eligius' past, depicting or referencing numerous events which were discussed in previous episodes.
One of the most important of said events is naturally the founding of St. Eligius itself by Father Joseph McCabe in 1935. Father McCabe, a liberal minded Irish priest, spent many years trying to get the hospital off the ground as he felt that the impoverished people of the South End of Boston, Catholic and otherwise, needed a hospital to cater to their needs. He succeeded in spite of the best efforts of his obstructive superior, Monsignor Senti, who not only dislikes him personally but objects to his unorthodox views concerning issues such as artificial contraception. This foreshadows 20 years of battles with the Archdiocese of Boston which eventually leads to Father McCabe, who has become an embittered alcoholic, being relieved of his duties as St. Eligius' chief administrator in 1955. By 1945, the roof was already falling in due to poor workmanship. Ten years later, Dr. Craig was desperate to leave St. Eligius and work as a cardiac surgeon at Boston General. As such, the clear implication is that it has already earned its reputation as a rundown, second rate hospital. This unfortunate legacy is not the one that Father McCabe deserved for all of his hard work. Although his Irish accent is mediocre, Edward Herrmann is nevertheless excellent as the priest. He very effectively portrays Father McCabe's decency and idealism in founding the hospital and the mounting disappointment and disillusionment that he experiences as the years pass.
The most compelling narrative concerns St. Eligius' Director of Services Donald Westphall, played superbly by Ed Flanders, and the manner in which his life has been in many respects defined by his connection to the hospital. To that end, Westphall is the only character to appear in all six eras. In 1935, the six-year-old Donnie is walking past the newly opened St. Eligius with his father Thomas, also played by Flanders, when they meet Father McCabe, formerly their parish priest. Donnie steps through its doors for the first time when his father helps bring Patrick O'Casey, who was injured in a mill accident, inside. Later that year, Donnie suffers the first major trauma in his life when his mother Elizabeth and three siblings are killed in a fire, leaving himself and his father as the only survivors of their family. Flanders plays Thomas in much the same way as he does his son. This makes perfect sense as previous episodes have made it clear that Thomas was a warm, compassionate, decent and fair-minded man and that his son inherited all of these qualities in abundance.
By 1945, the sixteen-year-old Westphall is a juvenile delinquent who stole money from two patients at St. Eligius. His father sends him to the hospital to be straightened out by Father McCabe. In a scene that would probably not be made today, McCabe challenges the boy to a boxing match and punches him in the stomach after he refuses to fight a priest. McCabe did not do so to be abusive or even to knock some sense into Westphall but to make him face his pain and survivor's guilt as a result of being the only one of his siblings to survive. Father McCabe takes the boy under his wing and hires him as a shoeshine boy. McCabe mentoring Westphall represents the biggest retcon as he told Dr. Auschlander in the Season Three episode "Breathless" that he never met McCabe. By 1955, he is a St. Eligius intern. The 26-year-old Westphall's characterisation is similar to that of Jack Morrison as he is shown getting too attached to his 13-year-old polio patient Sarah O'Casey. When she dies, he is quite distraught, which probably accounts for the fact that Westphall tends to keep a respectful distance from his patients in the 1980s.
By 1965, Westphall is happily married to Maureen and they have a young daughter named Lizzie. He longs for a son and Tommy is born in 1973. However, by the time that he is two, he is already showing the earliest signs of what was later diagnosed as autism. Westphall is upset that he and his son will never share the same kind of bond that he enjoyed with his own father but, as demonstrated in numerous episodes, he does not love Tommy any less because of it. In 1975, Westphall experiences a trauma similar to the fire that killed his family when Maureen is involved in a serious car accident and is rendered brain dead. Westphall struggles with the decision to take his beloved wife off life support before ultimately deciding that it is the best thing to do. Maureen is a frequently mentioned character on the series but this is her only appearance. The writing and Anita Gillette's performance combine to demonstrate the extent to which she was a stabilising influence on Westphall's often hectic and difficult life.
The various narrative threads are tied together by the presence of an Irish-American family called the O'Caseys at St. Eligius in all six eras. While it is quite a big coincidence that their health problems always seem to happen concurrently with major events in the lives of the hospital staff, it is such a clever and effective dramatic conceit that I had no problem accepting it. In 1986, Terence O'Casey, played wonderfully by Brian Kerwin, is brought to the hospital with severe headaches, nausea and a fever and quickly develops more serious symptoms including paralysis. He has not spoken to his 19-year-old son Kevin, played well by John Scott Clough, in two years as he is gay. When Kevin comes to St. Eligius to visit his father, Terence rebuffs him. A flashback to 1965 shows that Terence was a hippie who was brought to hospital by his future wife Helen, played very well by Kate Mulgrew, after a bad trip. The decision to make Terence a hippie was a brilliant one as his homophobia towards his own son in 1986 is entirely inconsistent with his commitment to peace and love for everyone in 1965, highlighting his hypocrisy. Terence's father Patrick O'Casey was an early patient at St. Eligius after the aforementioned mill accident in 1935. He would return to the hospital in 1945 and 1955 because of his daughter Sarah's bouts with polio, which cost her her life on the latter occasion. Most significantly, Patrick was the recipient of the first heart bypass at St. Eligius, which was performed by Dr. Craig in 1975. Funnily enough, Patrick is played by William Daniels' future "Boy Meets World" co-star and on-screen neighbour William Russ.
The obnoxious, arrogant and self-important Mark Craig is my favourite character on the series. Daniels is never less than utterly wonderful in the role and he provides many of the comic moments on this occasion. This two-parter shows that Craig has not changed much over time. In 1955, he was a sycophantic intern who was forever sucking up to the chief of surgery Dr. David Domedion, played by the always excellent Jackie Cooper, in much the same way as Victor Ehrlich sucks up to Craig. The oft-mentioned Dr. Domedion previously appeared as a senile elderly man, played by the great actor Dean Jagger in his last role, in the Season Three finale "Cheers" so it was very interesting to see him as the expert surgeon at the top of his game whom Craig remembers. The 1955 scenes also show Craig's wife Ellen, played as ever by Daniels' real life wife Bonnie Bartlett, heavily pregnant with their son Stephen. Craig wishing that they will all live happily ever after carries with it a twinge of sadness given Stephen's death.
The 1945 scenes featuring James Stephens as the young Daniel Auschlander, newly arrived from the Pacific Front, are very effective. We see the prejudice with which Auschlander was faced as a Jew working at a Catholic hospital. More positively, Auschlander is depicted meeting his future wife Katherine for the first time at St. Eligius. As Westphall was a delinquent in those days, their relationship gets off on the wrong foot but as things develop there are already early signs of the close friendship that the two men would form as time passed. Stephens does not really resemble Norman Lloyd, still alive and going strong at 104, but he does an excellent job of imitating his very distinctive voice. The 1965 scenes are entertaining and well written but they lack the meat of those set in earlier and later eras since neither the St. Eligius staff nor the O'Casey family are faced with grave problems.
The story is shot very well with each era having a distinctive visual style, making them easy to distinguish. In the first half, the 1935 scenes are presented entirely in black and white but in an extremely haunting and effective moment, the picture switches to full colour when the six-year-old Westphall sees Patrick O'Casey's blood on the floor at the beginning of the second half.
Overall, this is a superb exploration of the tragedies and occasional triumphs experienced by the staff of St. Eligius over the course of 50 years.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
