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Gideon's Crossing
By Dr. Pamela Perry Gideon’s
Crossing is the exciting new medical drama debuting on ABC this season. While you may be
tempted to regard this as the doctor-series-du-jour, take a few minutes to observe what
this excellent series has to offer. For starters, it's actually believable! The culturally
diverse cast plays real-life doctor roles in a perfectly conceivable teaching hospital
setting in Boston. The focus of the show is far from the typical blood-and-guts inner city
drama of most medical shows that plague our television screens. Instead, this series
focuses on the emotional and character development aspects of being a physician. It's no
secret that most physicians are not known for their interpersonal skills. This dramatic
series provides insight as to why. Paul Attanasio (Homicide) has carefully developed the
focus of this show as being a journey into the mind of a physician as opposed to the daily
patient-care duties that seem to inundate most medical series. We are carried through
various stops on this journey as we become emotionally involved in the lives of the
physicians and their patients. Physicians are for once portrayed as the individuals that
they are, i.e. some are nerds, others are chain smokers, some thrive on a
‘soapbox’, and few are completely emotionally inaccessible. All seem to have the
common trait of finding a thrill in the challenge of caring for another human being.
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The series stars Andre Braugher (Dr. Ben
Gideon), who performs in his usual outstanding manner. He is plump, but nonetheless
fantastic! Being such an incredibly diverse actor has once again landed him a role in
which he commands respect. In his usual Braugheresque way, he owns and embraces his role
thereby executing his portrayal with precision and accuracy. Are physicians really as
complex as Dr. Gideon appears? Sure! Why not? The responsibility of caring for the life of
another human being is a monumental and honorable task (and not one to be taken lightly).
At the same time physicians are just like everyone else - living, breathing individuals
who bleed when cut.
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© ABC, Inc.
The Cast of Gideon's Crossing
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In the series premiere, Dr. Gideon
provides a riveting account of his wife’s unsuccessful battle with ovarian cancer.
The loss of a loved one is a painful reality to which most individuals can relate. Most
medical series do a shabby job at best when portraying a physician’s personal loss
and the subsequent grief process. However, this series uses this great loss as a focal
point for Dr. Gideon’s drive and motivation. As viewers we are continually aware of
his coping mechanisms and are in fact able to evaluate our own means of coping. Remember
now, this is television! |
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The residents (doctors in training) are a comically diverse group and are
realistically representative of those one may see daily in a teaching hospital. An
interesting and comical scene in the series premiere illustrates the seemingly
dysfunctional nature of various physicians. A group of young doctors enjoy cigarettes and
coffee at night on the roof of the hospital in freezing weather, but no one is
particularly interested in going inside. Instead, they remain on the roof and vent
frustrations about being overworked and exhausted. This scene seems to be the
‘stuff’ that most medical dramas are made of, but Attanasio keeps it at a
moderate level. This results in the scene focusing on the inner workings of the minds of
these physicians as opposed to the obvious exhaustion associated with medical training.
When watching this show I asked myself: Is there an art to practicing medicine? My daily
experience as a physician tells me absolutely yes. Gideon’s Crossing not only conveys
this to a lay audience, but also illustrates the importance of physicians realizing and
developing their art to the best of their ability. The art of being a physician is
actually quite simple - it involves being a human being who practices medicine and not a
physician who practices being a human being. M
October 2000 |
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