Just about to pull the plug on this show. They just keep churning more characters and plots into an already muddled mess. So many of the characters are cartoonish: the lusty English nurse, the noble black medical phenom, the parson struggling with doubt, the evil cook, the bizarre new peach slice counting hospital chief who is so over the top that I feel bad for the actor, and tonight, the British lord pining to see casualties and amputations. Last week we were introduced to a Union soldier who was obviously female (posing as male). It was obvious to me as soon as she spoke that it was a girl, but everyone in the hospital was convinced she was a he. But it was a nice opportunity to lecture us on intolerance. The writing is dreadful, the acting poor. There is a fixation with close ups of wounds and gore, not very convincing though they may be. The hospital staff seems more occupied with hi jinks and flirting than patient care. Then when the script tries to get serious, it falls flat because it's hard to see any of these characters as real people. The pace of the place seems quite leisurely. On the other hand, you often see one patient with a horde of staff hovering over him, not very realistic. I could go on, but why bother. This is far far below usual PBS fare.
Review of Mercy Street
