ST. ELSEWHERE: LOST AND FOUND IN SPACE (TV)
Summary
One in this medical drama series set in St. Eligius hospital in Boston. In this episode, Rosenthal and Papandrao continue their tense working relationship as Axelrod, pleased with his weight-loss success, offers a spare ticket to hear astronaut Colonel Cochrane speak. Craig, in "the worst mood ever" since losing Barbara, leads rounds and chastises a tardy Morrison, and he brings the residents to inspect Westphall, as malaria is not a common diagnosis in Boston. Caldwell returns with his face bandaged after Zoe's attack, and Morrison, a fan of all things astronomy, happily accepts Axelrod's offer. Craig meets Pru Dowler, a young mentally-challenged woman mildly injured in a car accident, and Turner and Chandler visit Terri and Ken, who are preparing for the in-vitro procedure and are exasperated with the long process. Cochrane collapses after his speech, saying that he cannot feel his legs, and Morrison aids him and prepares to run tests. Axelrod is distressed to find that he has actually gained weight despite his efforts, and Ehrlich and Hawkins argue about his treatment plan.
Craig informs Caldwell and Turner that they must broaden their case load and take on more elective surgeries, much to their annoyance, and Caldwell tells Turner the truth about his "accident." Pru flirts with her friend Buddy, who is also mentally handicapped, and Chandler invites Turner to accompany him on vacation, though she is distracted by her concerns for Caldwell. Elizabeth returns from her travels and Westphall hides his annoyance at her decision not to tell him about her boyfriend as he greets her, though Constance quickly sees through their falsely affectionate attitudes. The doctors catch Pru and Buddy having sex, and Turner gently questions the girl about her understanding of sexuality and reproduction. Terri aids Ken when he struggles to perform in the overly "clinical" setting, and Caldwell convinces his patient, Mr. Boyden, to undergo a secondary cosmetic procedure during his real surgery. Morrison seeks Ehrlich's opinion on Cochrane's case, and Craig resolves to give Pru a "good old-fashioned talking-to" when Turner explains about her encounter with Buddy.
Cochrane has a strangely theological dream about his time in outer space, and Westphall balks when Constance urges him to "relate honestly" to Elizabeth, feeling that she is overstepping her bounds. Noting that they have never truly gotten along well, Constance decides to leave his home. A noticeably slimmer Marcy is exasperated to see that Axelrod has not lost any weight as per their agreement, and she breaks up with him despite his protests. Morrison tells Cochrane that he has Guillain-Barré Syndrome, in which paralysis ascends the body and then recedes over time, and Cochrane declares that he is being "cleansed" so that he will be worthy to meet God on his next space voyage. Craig attempts to talk Pru out of further sexual activity, saying that there is too much "at stake," and Ehrlich questions Caldwell about Boyden's unnecessary surgery, though admits that he needs the experience for his own rotation. Turner performs Terri's egg-retrieval procedure, and Morrison is forced to intubate Cochrane when the paralysis spreads to his chest. Axelrod begs Rosenthal for help with her daughter, but she urges him to move on and lose the weight only for himself, and Axelrod argues with an alcoholic patient about the nature of addiction. Pru tells Buddy that they must be "good citizens" and avoid future intimacy, and Elizabeth finally confronts her father, asking him to trust her to make her own adult decisions. Craig complains to Caldwell about his trying week, though Caldwell is far more concerned about his newly-scarred face. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: November 13, 1985 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:51:42
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:67119
- GENRE: Drama, medical
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Drama; Drama, medical
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1982-1988
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Bruce Paltrow … Executive Producer
- Abby Singer … Coordinating Producer
- Mark Tinker … Supervising Producer, Developed by
- John Masius … Producer, Developed by, Writer
- Tom Fontana … Producer, Writer
- Beth Hillshafer … Associate Producer
- Joshua Brand … Created by
- John Falsey … Created by
- Robert Becker … Director
- Bob Rosenfarb … Writer
- J.A.C. Redford … Music by
- Dave Grusin … Theme Music by
- Ed Flanders … Cast, Dr. Donald Westphall
- Norman Lloyd … Cast, Dr. Daniel Auschlander
- Ed Begley, Jr. … Cast, Dr. Victor Ehrlich
- Steven Furst … Cast, Dr. Elliot Axelrod
- Mark Harmon … Cast, Dr. Robert Caldwell
- Eric Laneuville … Cast, Luther Hawkins
- Howie Mandel … Cast, Dr. Wayne Fiscus
- David Morse … Cast, Dr. Jack Morrison
- Christina Pickles … Cast, Nurse Helen Rosenthal
- Denzel Washington … Cast, Dr. Phillip Chandler
- William Daniels … Cast, Dr. Mark Craig
- Alfre Woodard … Cast, Dr. Roxanne Turner
- David Ackroyd … Cast, Col. Chuck Cochrane
- George Deloy … Cast, Ken Valere
- Deborah May … Cast, Terri Valere
- Jennifer Savidge … Cast, Nurse Lucy Papandrao
- Linda Thorson … Cast, Mrs. Cochrane
- Tanya Berezin … Cast, Constance
- Amanda Wyss … Cast, Pru Dowler
- Mark Baker … Cast, Buddy Askew
- Raye Birk … Cast, Irish Patient
- Frank Hamilton … Cast, Mr. Boyden
- Dana Short … Cast, Elizabeth Westphall
- Jeannie Elias … Cast, Marcy Eisenberg