The Night Shift season 4 premiere review: Jordan fights for the future
For TC, he was halfway around the world in Syria, separated from Syd and trying to stay alive. He was eventually aided by a woman that he met while out in the field, and when his captor found himself in danger, he had a decision to make: Help a bad man, or allow him to die. Given that this is TC that we’re talking about here, he’s not the sort of person to let anyone die. Therefore, he wanted to do whatever he could to save him. One of the many things we love about the TC character.
TC’s part of the story tonight was intense, action-packed, and absolutely dangerous given that his search for Syd led him to some interesting spots.
Alas, this is far from the end of his story here; this is just it for the time being…
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Jordan’s finest hour
Paul’s father Julian is running the hospital now, but there were issues that went along with it given that the place is so under-staffed that he was considering shutting down the ER.
Who was the first person opting to come back to work? It was Kenny, who realized that he needed the money and wasn’t making doctor cash in the same way that everyone else was. He didn’t have anywhere near the same security. Therefore, he went back while Paul looked on, even going into the hospital and having some stand-offs with his father in the process.
Kenny got himself back in the midst of things quickly, and in the process had an opportunity to learn more about “nurse” Cain, a guy who clearly had the skills and qualifications of a doctor. With the hospital being so busy, he was willing to take on added responsibilities if need be. Cain’s an interesting guy, but we see some clashes between him and Kenny in the future.
One of the other struggles was the attempt to save Mac, and that brings us over to one of the stars of the episode in Jordan. Jill Flint’s character was especially desperate to ensure that he was okay after being rescued, and he was ready to challenge both Paul’s father and the media to make this happen. It was also interesting to learn that Jordan lied to Julian in order to get back in to the hospital and try to save Mac. It was a side of her that Scott wasn’t quite ready for, but we like the new Jordan! She’s playing less by the rules and more by her heart. It’s cool to see.
Jordan took some of this momentum back to Julian, where she made a negotiation with him in order to get all of her former doctors back. She offered to help ensure that the hospital was profitable and cared for, while also looking out for everyone she was close to. Like we said, Jordan was awesome in this hour, and it looks like it could be business as usual soon.
Beyond the hospital, but still in San Antonio
One of the things that the series did especially well tonight was present a new medical crisis that they can revisit next week. This one involves an incident at an amusement park that sent it into chaos. Drew and others were sent on scene in hopes of trying to save everyone they could.
The episode’s cliffhanger actually was with Drew out of the field, as he had to convince a young woman to drop down from a precarious position; if she didn’t, she could kill both herself, her friend, and even him.
Final Verdict
The strength of The Night Shift is how it manages to consistently deliver some powerful character stories from start to finish, and it absolutely did bring some of that in the season 4 premiere. You can argue that the TC / hospital stories were a bit disconnected, but at least both stories were powerful in their own right and it’s a part of the show’s DNA. This was a worthy way to pick up the season 3 cliffhangers, and compelling viewing all the way through. Grade: B+.
Where are things going on The Night Shift from here?
If you do want to see a preview for the next new episode of the NBC show, be sure to head over to the link here. (Photo: NBC.)