So... wow, just... wow. And that's a complimentary "wow", because, though intense, Casualty tonight was an excellent piece of television.
Such a fantastic ep all around. Wonderfully written by Rebekah Harrison, and great acting all throughout. I don't know how much I'll have to say for it, as I'm struggling a bit with putting words together at the moment, but I'll try.
The inter-connecting storyline of the women's march was brilliantly done. I loved how it spanned across the ep, affecting almost every character's story in some way or another. I thought it was really powerful.
Donna, as usual, was a highlight of the episode. I've been very pleased that Donna has confessed at this point in the storyline - I don't think it would have worked to continue the "will she or won't she" thing for much longer. And Jaye Jacobs keeps out-doing herself when it comes to acting. Tonight felt like a perfect showcase of her talent. Donna's phonecall to Mia at the start almost made me cry.
I thought they did really well at tying Donna's storyline into the episode while also involving her in the story about the women's march. Donna feels like a proper leading character of Casualty now, which I'm very happy about, especially as I almost never felt like she was given that kind of prominence in her second stint on Holby.
I also loved Donna and Max kissing, because I think there is so much potential in this relationship! Even if it's just a short fling it could add a lot to both their storylines, and they're both characters I love, so yeah. I like a bit of personal drama on Casualty every now and then when it's done well, so hopefully this will be. I'm so intrigued by what it could mean that I'll even forgive how it feels - at least to me - to have sort of come out of nowhere. It's still believeable, especially with the stress they're both going through, I just think there could have been a bit more buildup.
I felt very sorry for Dylan being left alone waiting for Donna, though. I'm not sure how I feel about the possibility of this being a love triangle, it depends on how it's handled. I just hope that whatever happens, Dylan and Donna get to still be close, because their dynamic is fantastic.
Also, I feel like Dylan/Max/Donna is likely to be a more usual media love triangle with all the drama that comes with that, because sticking Dylan and Max at opposite sides of a love triangle feels like something the show would love to do... so are we going to get two love triangle stories at once, or is Teddy/Paige/Sah going to lead to a polyamorous relationship? I guess we'll have to wait and see.
Rida was brilliant, which is no surprise. I really, really like Rida, she's such a good character. And Sarah Seggari's acting was great in this ep, again, as usual!
Rida's family friend Mariam showing up makes me wonder if we're about to get some exploration of Rida's family. I think that would be great. I've been waiting for more backstory for her for months.
The scene near the end with Jodie sitting next to Rida on the hospital bed, and their conversation about the discrimination they face as women, was possibly the best part of the episode. Like just about everything else, it was so good.
The patient stories were great. I particularly adored Jan's lovely assurance to the woman who hadn't gone to the march - because other attendees had made her feel unwelcome for being trans - that not everyone thinks that way, feminism is for all women, and that Jan would be glad to march alongside her. That was wonderful.
Stevie didn't get as much to do tonight as some other characters, but she was still great. I just love Stevie.
I did think the useage of the incidental music was a bit much tonight, but it's not like it took anything away from my appreciation of the ep, I still loved it.
Jodie was excellent as well. Anna Chell is such a good actress! The scene where Jodie started crying and Max hugged her was particularly emotional.
I almost didn't realise Faith was there, which was nice. She didn't do much in this episode that couldn't have been done by any other character, she was basically in the background, and while I'd rather she leave entirely I still appreciated this.
There weren't many Jacob scenes tonight either, but I get why, because the episode was really focused on other characters, and it was still nice to see him anyway. :)
So, yeah, tonight was fantastic. Good job, Casualty! Next week, we get two eps, both of which seem to be very Faith-centric from what I've seen... but they also seem very Max and Jodie-centric, which is great, because they're two of my favourite characters at the moment.
