In 2020, the television industry aired 493 scripted shows across numerous outlets. The way people consume content now is different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, it's less necessary to provide ample coverage of each episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site provides shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of Peacock's Dr. Death.
"The $?!& in the Bed" was written by Matthew White and directed by So Yong Kim
Duntsch writes an email to Kim declaring himself as a stone cold killer. That would seemingly be the only piece of evidence necessary to prove his intent for what happened to all his victims. It has a serious impact on Kim. She too was charmed by Duntsch. She wanted to be a part of his world. She was aroused by what he was doing. She saw so many troubling signs too. She found the drugs in his office. He lied to her about Wendy and his baby. She knew how poorly he operated. And yet, she was also convinced of his brilliance. That meant that any action could be justified or explained away. Him alienating people who no longer wanted to work with him was just his technique annoying them and threatening their livelihoods. Kim found happiness. She too hits her breaking point. That isn't fully fleshed out here. The audience knows the aftermath of all of this though. She eventually gets a restraining order against Duntsch. He continues to stalk her because the patients frequently speak so highly of her. Everyone falls in love immediately with Kim. She is what kept this practice together. Without her, Duntsch has been flailing around. He has no one to genuinely cover for him. He continues to operate for years like that though. That too reveals that he never needed her compliance in order to deceive people with his monstrous intentions. The administration at Baylor was more than willing to promote him as a rising star in the field. He was the future. He would continue the great legacy of top notch neurosurgeons. That promotion was evident. He performed multiple surgeries in this hospital. The staff was aware of his incompetent actions. They respected the hierarchy of the operating room though. Neurosurgeons are the top of the food chain. It's improper to call them out for doing something wrong. Their training takes more specialized work than any other field. They are naturally given the benefit of the doubt. Their education means they know more. And yet, Kirby is a nervous wreck watching Duntsch operate. That too has long been part of this history. It has informed his determination to get Duntsch as far away from the operating room as possible. It's also striking to see Kirby reduced to inaction. He worries. He speaks up. He then doesn't report the problem. He doesn't alert the system to these heinous abuses. He finds his path elsewhere that allows him to flourish. And yet, that inaction allows more victims to be abused. Kirby is such a boisterous personality. His mistakes now have to be explained. They have to be rationalized away at the same time that the prosecution hopes to condemn every single action Duntsch took as having malicious intent. That's a tall order. Fortunately, Michelle Shughart is willing to take on that challenge. This case seems destined to be ignored due to the political pressures. It's toxic to anyone who worries about pissing off some very influential people. Shughart maintains her ideals though. She may be young but she's a fighter. She is determined to follow through on what Henderson and Kirby are hoping to achieve. The story gets placed in the public spotlight as well. That may ensure all of this is exposed. Kim has this email. It's damning. She hasn't had any meaningful interactions with the people trying to take Duntsch down. She is certainly sympathetic to their cause. She understands its importance. She had to take action against Duntsch. That was a perilous time in her life. She may want to forget it. No one can afford that luxury now. Duntsch is still doing a great deal of harm. That includes leaving a sponge in a muscle during surgery and mistaking the esophagus for a tumor. He has no real understanding of anatomy and what should present as normal. He is a butcher intent on inflicting as much harm as possible for as long as he can. It's simply tragic that his hype man believes in it all. Jerry trusts Duntsch to perform a surgery on his neck. He believes that the best doctor in the state can do this procedure even while drunk or high. He has to believe that. But again, that only sets up tragedy to occur. People have to be honest with themselves. They need to know fact from fiction. They have to view things objectively. That can be difficult when it becomes this personal. As such, the system should be trusted to monitor itself. It has failed to do so for many years. Many people are maimed or killed as a result.
Duntsch writes an email to Kim declaring himself as a stone cold killer. That would seemingly be the only piece of evidence necessary to prove his intent for what happened to all his victims. It has a serious impact on Kim. She too was charmed by Duntsch. She wanted to be a part of his world. She was aroused by what he was doing. She saw so many troubling signs too. She found the drugs in his office. He lied to her about Wendy and his baby. She knew how poorly he operated. And yet, she was also convinced of his brilliance. That meant that any action could be justified or explained away. Him alienating people who no longer wanted to work with him was just his technique annoying them and threatening their livelihoods. Kim found happiness. She too hits her breaking point. That isn't fully fleshed out here. The audience knows the aftermath of all of this though. She eventually gets a restraining order against Duntsch. He continues to stalk her because the patients frequently speak so highly of her. Everyone falls in love immediately with Kim. She is what kept this practice together. Without her, Duntsch has been flailing around. He has no one to genuinely cover for him. He continues to operate for years like that though. That too reveals that he never needed her compliance in order to deceive people with his monstrous intentions. The administration at Baylor was more than willing to promote him as a rising star in the field. He was the future. He would continue the great legacy of top notch neurosurgeons. That promotion was evident. He performed multiple surgeries in this hospital. The staff was aware of his incompetent actions. They respected the hierarchy of the operating room though. Neurosurgeons are the top of the food chain. It's improper to call them out for doing something wrong. Their training takes more specialized work than any other field. They are naturally given the benefit of the doubt. Their education means they know more. And yet, Kirby is a nervous wreck watching Duntsch operate. That too has long been part of this history. It has informed his determination to get Duntsch as far away from the operating room as possible. It's also striking to see Kirby reduced to inaction. He worries. He speaks up. He then doesn't report the problem. He doesn't alert the system to these heinous abuses. He finds his path elsewhere that allows him to flourish. And yet, that inaction allows more victims to be abused. Kirby is such a boisterous personality. His mistakes now have to be explained. They have to be rationalized away at the same time that the prosecution hopes to condemn every single action Duntsch took as having malicious intent. That's a tall order. Fortunately, Michelle Shughart is willing to take on that challenge. This case seems destined to be ignored due to the political pressures. It's toxic to anyone who worries about pissing off some very influential people. Shughart maintains her ideals though. She may be young but she's a fighter. She is determined to follow through on what Henderson and Kirby are hoping to achieve. The story gets placed in the public spotlight as well. That may ensure all of this is exposed. Kim has this email. It's damning. She hasn't had any meaningful interactions with the people trying to take Duntsch down. She is certainly sympathetic to their cause. She understands its importance. She had to take action against Duntsch. That was a perilous time in her life. She may want to forget it. No one can afford that luxury now. Duntsch is still doing a great deal of harm. That includes leaving a sponge in a muscle during surgery and mistaking the esophagus for a tumor. He has no real understanding of anatomy and what should present as normal. He is a butcher intent on inflicting as much harm as possible for as long as he can. It's simply tragic that his hype man believes in it all. Jerry trusts Duntsch to perform a surgery on his neck. He believes that the best doctor in the state can do this procedure even while drunk or high. He has to believe that. But again, that only sets up tragedy to occur. People have to be honest with themselves. They need to know fact from fiction. They have to view things objectively. That can be difficult when it becomes this personal. As such, the system should be trusted to monitor itself. It has failed to do so for many years. Many people are maimed or killed as a result.
