As the show begins, everyone is hurting from the absence of Nurse Jackson (Octavia Spencer). Kenji (Wilson Cruz) and Nurse Dobler (Rebecca Rittenhouse) ban against Dr. Jack McAndrew (Dave Annable) by refusing to get him some tacos from the roach coach.

Jackson shares a moment with her niece, who suggests following her earlier dreams and refusing to go back to the hospital. Meanwhile, the patients plan on fighting for Nurse Jackson. They plan on writing a letter on Jackson’s behalf. Of course, Hunter (Daren Kagasoff) enters and mocks their efforts. Leo (Charlie Rowe) and Emma (Ciara Bravo) leave to meet Leo’s friends, who are coming to the hospital.

Leo and a reserved Emma meet with Leo’s friends. Hunter continues leading Jordi, Dash and Kara towards their destination. Meanwhile, Jackson pulls out her soul dress and reminiscences about her Aretha Franklin days. For the nurses, everything seems to be going haywire without Jackson.

At the dinner date, everything is going fine, until it is time to order. Emma has a tough time adjusting with her condition. Hunter and the other patients finally get to their destination, but Dash (Astro) seems to be falling ill. He’s coughing and clutching his stomach. Kara and Hunter separate from Jordi and Dash. Kara tries to discover Hunter’s secrets to no avail.

Hunter tells Kara about the motorcycle crash again. He explains David’s liver was worthless and had a big black spot on it, which was possibly cancer, which is why Hunter didn’t have surgery in the previous episode.

Leo and Emma continue having dinner with Leo’s friends. Lauren attempts to get to understand Emma’s condition. Overall, they seem supportive. Dash and Jordi (Nolan Sotillo) discuss the situation and Jordi insists he should have never put on the Red Band in the first place.

Kenji and Dobler pay Jackson a visit and recommend she apologize to McAndrew. She is obviously enraged by the idea. Kenji believes Jackson’s singing skills have faded with time. Hunter finally unveils his big surprise, the operating room. The patients watch from outside. He stresses the point of how alone the kids really are, despite forming friendships with one another and relationship with their parents.

Leo and his friends share a goodbye, while the other patients watch the operation. The doctor catches them spying and chase them away. Dash is obviously growing more and more ill.

Kenji, Dobler, Dina and Dina’s niece are shown at a karaoke bar. Dina takes to the stage and begins to sing “Midnight Train to Georgia”. Everyone is impressed with Dina’s skills, especially Kenji. Emma expresses her concerns with Leo’s friends and how she felt they treated her. Leo explains he just wants them both to get out of the hospital together. He questions whether Emma wants the same, but she says she doesn’t know.

As the show returns, McAndrew grills the kids about their operating room adventure. Dash goes off on a rant, as he continues coughing. After coughing up blood, he falls unconscious on the floor. Emma runs into Lauren in the hallway. Lauren apologizes for her mouth and raves about Leo’s goodness. She continues belittling Emma about her condition by telling her to get her act together, before Leo moves on.

The nurses question why Dina gave up her singing career. In the form of a flashback, we discover Dina’s sister in the hospital. Her sister passed away, while she was at rehearsals. After her sister’s death, Jackson decided to turn to nursing. Kenji describes Jackson’s love and need of nursing. She receives a phone call and storms off.

Kara and Hunter share a chat and Kara begins scolding Hunter for his attitude. She explains they might all die alone, but they don’t necessarily need to live alone.

Jordi and Leo wait outside of Dash’s room. McAndrew questions their reasons for visiting the operation room. Jordi apologizes for hitting Leo in the last episode. Jordi joins Dash. He is seemingly guilty for dragging Dash along earlier.

Leo and Emma chat again. Emma wants Leo to meet her father. Emma eats one of Leo’s marshmallow cakes, which she claims was one of her favorites as a child, and the pair share a kiss. Jackson shows up worried about Dash’s condition. McAndrew reveals he got Lisa to call Jackson. He insists he understands Jackson’s motives. The pair seem to be reconciling their differences. McAndrew reveals he has lifted Jackson’s suspension and admits that the kids and he need Jackson.

As the episode ends, all of the kids have written parts of the letter. Kara posts the letter beside the nurse’s station. The narration was slightly reminiscent of The Breakfast Club. Meanwhile, Dash explores his dream-like state looking for Charlie. Charlie is nowhere to be seen. Jackson enters the room and checks on Charlie. Suddenly, his eyes open.

Review


It is really a shame that Red Band Society isn’t getting more live viewers. Of course, the show is paired off with some rating monsters, in Law & Order: SVU, Criminal Minds and Modern Family. I really enjoyed this episode, even if nearly everything turned out perfectly. Jackson gets to return to work, Charlie finally wakes up and Emma finally confronts her condition. On the flip side, Dash’s condition worsened, but mostly due to missed treatments and will likely be fine.

Overall, this was a good episode and especially a good lead in for next Wednesday’s episode. For that, the episodes deserves an 8.5 out of 10.