The Heart Guy

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    I’ve known about The Heart Guy (Doctor Doctor in some parts of the world) for a while, but it wasn’t until recently my local library system had the DVDs for me to borrow.  I would check every now and then, not fully expecting them to appear.  Then one day they were there.  I requested the first season immediately, and was put on a waiting list.  Others must have been looking for this series too.  It wasn’t a big deal, though, as I had already been waiting for years and had accepted the possibility I would never see this show.  Now that I have watched the first season, I am glad to say I have and it was worth the wait.  Even with it making me greatly question the behavior and mindset of people working in the medical profession.

    Life has finally caught up to heart surgeon Dr. Hugh Knight (Rodger Corser).  His womanizing, alcoholic, drug using, and partying ways have drawn the attention of his superiors.  They are putting him on probation for one year, to be served in the rural hospital of his hometown, Whyhope.  Oh, and one more thing.  Hugh is not allowed to perform any surgeries.

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    Returning home and becoming a general practitioner makes Hugh miserable.  Yet, somehow, he does not lose his arrogance.  It does take a hit, as the people around him do not care who he is, or who he once was.  They are unimpressed.  Something Hugh is not used to.

    Hospital Administrator Dr. Penny Cartwright (Hayley McElhinney) is especially unimpressed with Hugh.  Other than the hospital board, she is the only person in town who knows why Hugh is working in Whyhope.  Everyone else is going with his story he is there for altruistic reasons.  Completely untrue.

    Throughout the season, Penny takes Hugh to task for his actions, as she should.  The reputation of the hospital and the wellbeing of the patients are on the line.  Having Hugh go back to his old ways is not going to help anything.  Except, he hasn’t really shaken those old ways in the first place.

    Penny isn’t unreasonable, though.  She knows there are times to look the other way.  Such as when an emergency surgery needs to be done, and Hugh is the only surgeon available.

    Working with Hugh and Penny is the very optimistic receptionist Betty Bell (Belinda Bromilow).  Betty always tries to see the bright side of things, and make sure everyone is happy.

    Also, there is Ken Liu (Charles Wu), the hospital manager who knows how to wreak revenge when he is displeased about something.

    Then there is Aoife (Shalom Brune-Franklin).  She is a nurse at the hospital who gets involved in a romantic relationship with Hugh.  At first it was only supposed to be a bit of fun.  Then Aoife finds herself in love with Hugh.  Feelings he does not feel in return.  Once Hugh admits this (after lying about it), a very bad work environment is created.

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    At home, the only person excited to see Hugh is his mother, Meryl (Tina Bursill).  She loves calling Hugh her “genius” and “prodigal son”.  Behavior which understandably bothers Hugh’s brother, Matt (Ryan Johnson).

    It probably does not help Matt is married to Hugh’s ex-girlfriend, Charlie (Nicole da Silva).  Once Hugh shows up in town, Charlie starts acting differently.  She dresses differently, and obsesses over Hugh and his life, making Matt question if she is truly over Hugh or not.

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    Hugh’s father, Jim (Steve Bisley), is not thrilled to see his son at all.  Ajax (Matt Castley), Hugh’s adopted bother, is indifferent.  He doesn’t care much for Hugh either way.

    The feeling is mutual for Hugh about Ajax, until he finds out he is Ajax’s father.  Then everything changes.

    Oh, my goodness.  Hugh can be really hard to take.  Especially in the first episode.  Thankfully, he does improve and change throughout the season.  Not fully, but enough he can show he cares about someone other than himself.  His terminally ill friend Joey (Dave Eastgate), in particular.

    Meryl was too much throughout the entire season.  She is worse than Hugh with everything being about herself.  There was only one truly kind moment she had.  It was with Matt, and even then, she had to put herself in the compliment.

    Following Meryl around, and helping Meryl with all her community activities, is Ajax’s girlfriend, Hayley Mills (Chloe Bayliss).  A very religious girl, she always has something to say.  Often at a time where whatever she has to say will turn things awkward.

    There is something about Hayley I wonder about.  She is with the Knight family all the time.  I mean ALL the time.  It made me wonder where her own parents are.  Or if she has them at all.

    While some characters drove me a little crazy, Matt is the one I felt sorry for.  He is the one who holds the family together, despite Meryl’s claims it is also her.  He saved the family business (a fact his father is too proud and ornery to admit).  He is the one to bring people together after there has been a disagreement or a bad situation.  He is the one who asks for the least.  Yet, he is the one who keeps getting the short end of the stick.  Even his wife doesn’t treat him well.  Charlie’s fascination with Hugh and his life only makes things worse for their relationship.  Matt is in constant question as to which brother she truly wants.  It’s no wonder Matt gets into a mood at times.

    With season one watched, I am very eager to see what happens in season two.  Something is definitely brewing between Hugh and Penny.  Neither is denying it.  Nor are they admitting it.  The attraction is this unspoken element between them.  An element that has the complication of Penny’s son, Floyd (Winta McGrath).  Floyd adores Hugh, but Penny does not like Hugh’s influence on him.  This makes acting on any feelings a bit more tricky.

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Photo by John Platt.

    Since by the last episode Hugh is starting to show a better side to himself, it will be interesting to see if this behavior continues.  Or is he going to go back to his old, less appealing ways.  I am thinking how Hugh behaves is going to depend on who he is around.  Some people bring out his negative traits more than others.      

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