Red Band Society (Pilot)

“They can never cut into your soul. That is what makes you yourself.” Leo (Charlie Rowe) says this to Jorgi (Nolan Sotillo) before Jorgi undergoes major surgery.

This show is certainly a tough pill to swallow and yes, I have issues with it, but there were parts, mainly the above mentioned line, that truly touched me.

Red Band Society occurs almost entirely in the hospital setting, albeit a beautiful one. The rooms that the teenagers live in have personality and they are big, bigger than my dorm rooms in college. Dash (Astro) has cystic fibrosis, a disease so rarely mentioned in Hollywood. It’s inherited and is fatal. Also, though this isn’t mentioned in the show, it renders the men sterile. Still, people with this disease are living longer now than ever before. Emma (Ciara Bravo) has an eating disorder. Her ex-boyfriend, Leo, has cancer and part of his leg has been removed.

And then there are the new kids. Kara (Zoe Levin) has an accident in cheerleading practice and sprains her wrist but it turns out to be much more. She has an enlarged heart and because of her drug use, the chances of her getting a transplant aren’t great.

Jorgi has come up from Mexico because Dr. McAndrews (Dave Annable) is the best and he won’t take no for an answer, so McAndrews makes some space for him, making him Leo’s roommate. Leo doesn’t take the news that well, but the two bond too quickly.

Even Kara sort of even turns her bitchy act around, though she still has a long way to go.

The whole thing is narrated by young Charlie (Griffin Gluck), who is in a coma after some accident that occurred when his father was visiting him unexpectedly. His father then lost his visitation rights but still sees him by volunteering as a music therapist.

My issues are numerous. Like how in the world does Kara get away with smoking cigarettes at cheerleading practice and in the hospital. This comes back to bite her in the ass. And she’s just allowed to go into Emma’s room and eat her food, and she is plain nasty to Emma, but they help each other out. Sort of.

Then there is the scene when Kara is unconscious and visits with Charlie who wants two things. He wants pizza and to tell his dad that it wasn’t his fault. That was just odd, and each coma is different. Sure, Charlie might be able to hear everything but that doesn’t mean it is like that across the board. The show gets out of reality and into something metaphysical. I hope every show doesn’t have something like that.

The kids all have a party on the roof that night, Kara’s and Jorgi’s first night there, so they can have fun before Jorgi’s surgery, the beer is courtesy of Charlie’s father and Emma looks to be leaning toward Jorgi over Leo which will certainly make things interesting. 

Octavia Spencer is top-billed as Nurse Jackson, who doesn’t take crap from anyone and she is great. The acting is actually pretty good, with mostly unknown talent. And mechanically the show functions beautifully, and yes, I will continue watching this show, though you know a death will happen at least once this season and they better be doing everything correct medically, or else I will be super mad at them. But there was that touching moment that made me teary. Grade: B+