Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Fridays, I will be reviewing St. Elsewhere, a medical show which ran on NBC from 1982 to 1988.  The show can be found on Daily Motion.

This week, the heartbreak continues!

Episode 3.11 “Homecoming”

(Dir by David Anspaugh, originally aired on December 5th, 1984)

What a depressing episode!

Actually, it’s not totally depressing.  Dr. Elliot Axelrod (Stephen Furst) survives his first night as the attending-on-duty and he even convinces cranky old Mrs. Hufnagle (Florence Halop) to go back to her room.  He also handles things when a patient collapses in the hallway.  One can be sure that Elliot will be given absolutely no praise for his good work because he never is.  But at least, he was there and he proved himself to be more competent than anyone gives him credit for being.

Now, for the depressing stuff:

Nurse Rosenthal is continuing her affair with Richard Clarendon.  This wasn’t depressing because of anything that happened in this episode.  Instead, it’s just depressing that any time was devoted to these two boring characters.

After her apartment is broken into while she’s in the shower, Clancy (Helen Hunt) moves in with Jack.  Jack and Clancy make for a cute couple but, watching this episode, it’s easy to see that their relationship is doomed. Clancy is young and enthusiastic.  Jack is young but he moves like an old man and he’s already been through a lifetime’s worth of tragedy.  Sadly, Clancy living with Jack does not last longer than one night.  Clancy says that Jack acts like he’s offended by having her stuff in his apartment and she’s right.  Jack is still mourning his wife and not ready to live with anyone.

Lois Wegener (Mimi Kennedy) comes home from being out of town and discovers that her husband, Andrew (John Schuck) is becoming progressively weaker from the experimental bone marrow treatment that he’s going through in an attempt to save the life of their daughter (Brandy Gold).  Everyone at the hospital is impressed with Andrew’s courage but it’s obvious to me that this is not going to have a happy ending.

Kathy Martin is still in the psych ward.  During this episode, she gives Fiscus the note that Shirley Daniels gave her after Shirley shot and killed Peter White.

And finally, it wouldn’t be a depressing episode without a Westphall storyline.  Westphall’s daughter, Lizzie (Dana Short), comes home from college for the weekend and, without asking Westphall ahead of time, she brings along her new boyfriend, Rick (Casey Seimaszko).  Lizzie assumes that Rick will be sleeping with her in her room.  Westphall is not thrilled to hear about that.  (It doesn’t help that Rick isn’t wearing a shirt when he and Westphall first meet.)  Lizzie gets angry.  Westphall points out that his dead wife would not have approved.  Lizzie argues that she is now an adult and can do whatever she wants.

And you know what?  I am totally on Westphall’s side here.  It’s his house!  Lizzie isn’t the one paying the bills.  If Westphall doesn’t want Rick sleeping in her room (and, I might add, there are other rooms in the house where Rick could sleep), then Rick doesn’t sleep in her room.  When I was younger, I probably would have been on Lizzie’s side but now that I’ve gotten older, I see Westphall’s point and Lizzie comes across as being a spoiled brat.  I mean, if she wants to stay in the same room as Rick, they can get a motel room.  How expensive could one be in 1984?  This episode ends with Lizzie telling her father that she’s leaving.  “Lizzie!” Westphall says but she’s already gone.

See what I mean?  This was a depressing episode, even by St. Elsewhere standards.  That said, it was also a good episode.  Ed Flanders, David Morse, Helen Hunt, Stephen Furst, Mimi Kennedy, they all gave wonderfully empathetic performances.  Your heart may hurt for them but you can’t wait to see what happens next.  Sometimes, life is depressing but, like the characters on this show, you have to moving forward.