ST. ELSEWHERE: ADDICTION {FIRST SEASON FINALE} (TV)
Summary
The first season finale in this medical drama series set in St. Eligius hospital in Boston. In this episode, Nina continues her labor and the other doctors take bets on the specifics of the baby's birth, while elsewhere an unseen figure starts a fire as a distraction and then raids the drug cabinet. Morrison, excited about his forthcoming child, finds Gene Castody passed out from drugs in the waiting room and quickly tends to him as Fiscus aids an eccentric one-man band patient. Craig proudly introduces his son Steven, who is planning to become a doctor as well, to Ehrlich, and instructs him to show him the ins and outs of resident life. Westphall learns of the theft and suspects that it was an inside job, particularly when he hears that White was on call at the time, while elsewhere Auschlander and his longtime friend Herbie reminisce about their youth together and the passage of time. Steven and Ehrlich check on a patient, Marie Benzinger, who is affronted at their casual use of her first name, and Ehrlich is taken aback when Steven invites him to get high with him.
Westphall confronts White, who denies stealing the drugs and swears that he is still following his rehab program, but Westphall notes that White is close to being dropped from the program anyway, as he is not much of a doctor. The other doctors converse about Nina's ongoing labor and about their various vices, including White's addiction issues, and Morrison talks to Castody, who admits that his young wife and child left him because of his drug use. Ehrlich searches for the wayward Steven, and Auschlander and Herbie get into a road-rage incident with a dangerous driver and soon turn up bloodied in the St. Eligius emergency room. Ehrlich finds an extremely intoxicated Steven, and Cavanero urges Nina to "speed things along" with a shot of oxytocin, as her labor is progressing very slowly. Herbie proudly tells Auschlander that their skirmish made him feel "eighteen again," and when Myra arrives in search of her soon-to-be-ex-husband, Rosenthal advises her to fight to repair their fractured marriage rather than give up. Ehrlich seeks Kochar's "Indian wisdom" for his problem with Steven, and a detective arrives to question Castody, threatening him with significant jail time if he does not provide information on his drug dealer.
Roberts coldly ends her affair with White, telling him that he is "damaged goods" and has taken advantage of her, and a desperate Castody ends his life with an air embolism. Nina finally gives birth to her son, and when Fiscus visits the morgue, he ends up giving in to Martin's aggressive sexual advances. Steven assures a frustrated Ehrlich that his drug issues are "under control," and though Ehrlich threatens to tell Craig, he finds that he cannot bring himself to break the bad news to his mentor. Myra finds a devastated White and attempts to comfort him, reminding him of their happier times and inviting him to finally come home. Westphall tells Auschlander about the drug thefts, but Auschlander is distracted with thoughts of aging and admits that he would relish the chance to be twenty again, though Westphall disagrees. The doctors throw a party to celebrate the birth of Morrison's baby, and Hawkins brags that he won the pool, though realizes that he misplaced the necessary ticket. An in-the-dark Craig introduces his son to his colleagues and Morrison happily reveals that his son's name is Peter, though he is saddened to hear of Castody's death, and the doctors all toast to the baby's health. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: May 3, 1983 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:49:13
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:14388
- GENRE: Drama, medical
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, medical; African-American Collection - Drama
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1982-1988
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Bruce Paltrow … Executive Producer
- Mark Tinker … Producer, Director, Developed by
- John Masius … Producer, Developed by, Writer
- Joshua Brand … Producer, Created by
- John Falsey … Producer, Created by
- Beth Hillshafer … Associate Producer
- Tom Fontana … Writer
- J.A.C. Redford … Music by
- Dave Grusin … Theme Music by
- Ed Flanders … Cast, Dr. Donald Westphall
- David Birney … Cast, Dr. Ben Samuels
- G.W. Bailey … Cast, Dr. Hugh Beale
- Ed Begley Jr. … Cast, Dr. Victor Ehrlich
- Terence Knox … Cast, Dr. Peter White
- Howie Mandel … Cast, Dr. Wayne Fiscus
- David Morse … Cast, Dr. Jack Morrison
- Christina Pickles … Cast, Nurse Helen Rosenthal
- Kavi Raz … Cast, Dr. Vijay Kochar
- Cynthia Sikes … Cast, Dr. Annie Cavanero
- Denzel Washington … Cast, Dr. Philip Chandler
- William Daniels … Cast, Dr. Mark Craig
- Norman Lloyd … Cast, Dr. Daniel Auschlander
- Kim Miyori … Cast, Dr. Wendy Armstrong
- Ellen Bry … Cast, Nurse Shirley Daniels
- Barbara Whinnery … Cast, Dr. Cathy Martin
- Howard Duff … Cast, Herbie
- Scott Paulin … Cast, Steven Craig
- Deborah White … Cast, Nina Morrison
- Melody Anderson … Cast, Nurse Jill Roberts
- Karen Landry … Cast, Myra White
- Ralph Seymour … Cast, Gene Castody
- Eric G. Laneuville … Cast, Luther Hawkins
- Sagan Lewis … Cast, Dr. Jacqueline Wade
- Howard George … Cast, Detective Enright
- Jean Allison … Cast, Marie Benzinger
- Alice Cadogan … Cast, Jenny