‘Mercy Street’ season 2, episode 2 preview: A look at ‘The House Guest’

PBS now has its winter schedule officially in full swing. After all, we had the season 2 premiere of “Mercy Street” on Sunday night, and it was an episode that proved that in order to save one of their own in need, we could see unity among the staff. Yet, at the same time there was plenty of dissension still in the ranks on other subjects, and that’s not changing as we take a step forward into the second episode of the season entitled “The House Guest.” Think about the era of this show, and think about the difficult circumstances that these characters are in. It’s a powder keg of ethical and moral dilemmas on a weekly basis.

For the time being, we can just offer up a small taste of what will be coming up, courtesy of the official episode listing:

“Foster cares for a gravely ill Mary, which doesn’t sit well with the new chief; Charlotte tries to contain a smallpox epidemic; a house guest spurs a scheme by Alice; and Samuel faces a difficult decision.”

The moment you hear the word “smallpox,” it immediately throws you back into such a difficult and challenging time where solving medical problems was not easy. What this show does so well is layer in medical drama with some of the issues facing the world at this particular time — then, it somehow finds a way to be relatable. Also, it has Josh Radnor in the cast, and that is always something that we’re going to celebrate.

Before we start to wind up this article, don’t want to act as though this show is all gloom and doom all of the time, though — just remember that we got our first kiss of the season tonight! (It is only episode 1, so it’s not as though it could’ve feasibly come up before now.)

What did you think about the premiere of “Mercy Street” tonight, and do you have any particular expectations regarding where the story should go from here? Let us know in the comments, and as we get closer to the next new episode, we’ll provide further details. (Photo: PBS.)