(Series 13, Ep.41) Yes, I know there’s usually a puking extra or two on Holby, but there were loads of them in this episode. It was coming thick and fast. Or thin and fast. Fast, anyway. Sacha and Eddi were at a loss. “It’s not like normal food poisoning,” they kept sighing. What could it be? Who would work it out? Turned out it was lead poisoning, caused by wine dissolving the lead from some fakey antique cups. The person who worked it out was new girl Dr Lulu Hutchison. She may be teetering on high heels and getting non-speaking-extra nurses to bring her cups of coffee, yah, but she can put two and two together, diagnosis-wise. That’ll teach Eddi to make snap assumptions about people. Just because one looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, doesn’t mean one can’t also be a doctor.
But can one be both a mother and a doctor? This was the question Sahira Shah the Registrah was wrestling with, as she failed to really give 100% to her shiny new Cardiac Trauma Unit or her Adorable Son Indy, who was having a birthday. Her team of non-speaking extras from
last week were apparently having a day off, so this week the CTU was staffed by Sahira and Jac, with Dr Oliver Valentine hanging around fairly uselessly in the background (Jac had him practising juggling 50p coins across his knuckles. It was partly a dexterity exercise and partly an exercise in Putting Junior In His Place).
Sahira seems intent on setting the cause of feminism back decades, such is her inability to separate home and work. When putting an emergency chest drain into a small boy, she had to get Jac to cover his face because she couldn’t cope with the fact that he was roughly of a similar gender and age as her son. Pull yourself to-freaking-gether, woman! At one point she got in such a state that she smashed up the toy 
ambulance she’d got Indy as a birthday present. When we saw it in pieces on Hanssen’s floor, we just knew he’d spend the rest of the day fixing it for her. He really is besotted. Once again, Sahira went wobbly in the operating theatre and Jac had to tell her to snap out of it, and once again she snapped out of it and did some suturing that “maybe only three surgeons in the world could have done,” (according to Jac), and once again we’re supposed to admire her and not think it’s all a bit rubbish because Jac is by far the superior surgeon anyway.
And where is Elliott? Has he been quietly shipped off to the mythical St James, or are they hiring at The Hadlington again? And has Frieda gone with him, wherever he is?
Funny Little Nurse Tait’s mother was brought into the hospital with a nasty infection and an advance directive saying not to make huge attempts to save her should the machines start going bleep. FLNT wasn’t happy with Ric, blaming him for the fire in which her mother was burned. But when the bleeping started, Ric wasn’t happy to leave her mother unsaved, and he dashed off to get Funny Little Nurse Tait to give him the go-ahead to save her mother’s life. It all prompted a bit of soul-searching on the part of FLNT. “I’ve been so angry,” she told him, her face registering its usually “mildly crestfallen” expression. Ric saved Mama Tait, and we left FLNT sitting by her bed, gently holding her hand. And looking mildly crestfallen.
Next time: Chrissie is frustrated with Dull Dan; Irish Dr Greg has a dark secret from his past; and Michael Spence employs “fliratatious” mentoring techniques with Lulu.
Posted by PLA (more Holby City here)
HOLBY CITY BEHIND THE SCREEN
pauseliveaction 
I love the whole Sahira/Hanssen thing but I’m getting annoyed with all the over-the-place storylines they’re giving Sahira/Laila. Sahira/Jac banter = awesome! James Anderson = gorgeous (especially his eyes)… =)
Lulu = kill her off or send her to St James. I find her arrogant…and there’s a bit evil lurking under the surface.
Overall the episode was alright – 3/5.
Hi, I don’t have a blog, but I love your posts on Waterloo Road and Holby City. You obviously prefer Jac but to be honest I really like Sahira, I think Jac’s a bit mean, so I very much enjoyed the bit where Sahira said, “Oh, really? Because you seem to manage to be Superbitch 24/7.” But I think anyone would’ve enjoyed that. I miss Frieda and her vampirish ways. I think that maybe Oliver Valentine wants to break free from Jac, she won’t let him do anything. I quite enjoyed the mystery side with those cups. I think the last episode was particularly brilliant and gorey but I don”t understand how it was irritating, unless you like Jac, I suppose. i do like her, but she is a bit evil and I hate what she said to Sahira’s husband. Keep writing.
Thank you, WV. I expect I’d be terrified of Jac if she was someone I knew in real life, but as a character on a TV programme I love her for her complexity, her drive and her wit. She seems very real to me. Again in real life I’d probably find Sahira easier to connect with, because she’s warm, friendlier etc, but as a character she just seems a bit wet. Just my opinion, though 😉 .
I think the BBC need to go down on bended knee to Mrs Connie Beauchamp (sp?) and offer her however much they pay Graham Norton to persuade her to come back and save Holby, It’s dire these days, absolutely dire.
I havent seen this episode yet. But thankyou for agreeing – Jac is by far the superior surgeon. 🙂
Little things do make me happy. *shakes head at self*
PS – WHERES MARY-CLAIRE?! WE WANT HER BACK!
totally agree with you Nikki, do not understand why Jac puts up with the she-ra. it seems every week she is abit useless and then Jac winds her up and she gets good. she should be thanking/worshipping Jac
sahira is the best charcter and frieda in ukraine
I agree Ann they are my favourite
Dear Pauseliveaction I agree, Jac is great to watch on TV
I’ve finally seen this episode. And I thought it was hilarious! And gorgeous. Darwin!drama is really hotting up. I loved Jac and Sahira bickering and poor Olli stuck there juggling 50p pieces, made my day. Cos they worked it out. They need each other. Wether they like each other or not. Jac was really working to get Sahira over her Indy!issues, she ws offering to help and even took the hard line and ordering her to keep on “superb*tch says keep going” etc and pulling together as a team more. Idk. I think they turned a corner this week.
Eddi’s range of facial expressions have me cracking up laughing. Shes so funny. And friedas back next week! Not tomorrows ep, next weeks one. I mean what on EARTH is she going to make of Lulu. Sacha is like big!daddy of them all now isnt he, trying to keep all everyone happy.
I know this isnt much of a review this week PLA, I apologise. I’ll scrub up to form next week I promise.
xx
Late to this one so brief comment.
GAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHHH for 54 minutes followed by 360 seconds of partial redemption. Said before that HC can pull bad episodes from the coals but after last week’s fiasco doubted they’d be able to. Only just managed it this time with a pasted on smile at the end.