Diagnosis Murder (1993–2001): Season 2, Episode 14 - The New Healers - full transcript
A television show is being filmed at the hospital and Mark keeps interrupting the filming due to their inaccuracies. When the lead actor is murdered, Mark investigates everyone as the actor was unpopular among the cast.
Cardiac arrest in E.R.!
Whoa!
Her heart's in my hands.
Live, damn it.
Live. Live.
MAN: Cut.
Who said that?
I didn't say that.
Who said that?
MARK: Uh...
me.
What do you think you're doing?
Well, you're shooting
this television series
for realism, aren't you?
What does that have
to do with interrupting
the human drama of my scene?
MARK: Well, for one thing, a
doctor would be wearing a shirt.
And as a matter of fact,
so would the patient.
My character isn't
here to look good.
He's here to save
lives. Exactly.
Which is what we should
be doing, Dr. Sloan.
And let these fine,
young thespians
ply their craft. Carry on.
Would you let me
go without a shirt?
(heart monitor beeping)
(heart monitor flatlining)
(theme song playing)
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
NORMAN: Since when
are you a TV critic?
Since they started shooting
The New Healers in this hospital.
It's fiction. Why do you care?
Well, it's full of
inaccuracies, Norman.
Millions of people
watch that show.
And they'll be seeing
Community General Hospital
as the new setting for
the hot medical show.
We're going to be famous.
Besides, they're
paying us $10,000 a day.
We're making money
without having to deal
with one single sick person.
Well something that all
hospitals should aspire to.
Let's see how critical
you are, my friend,
when that money buys
us our new MRI suite.
I see your point. Good.
Then you'll stay out of
their way? Completely.
Ah... Oh, yeah.
Yeah, those are definitely
ventricular extrasystoles.
Yeah, it could be, uh,
carcinoma of the larynx...
Excuse me. We need
to talk. Uh, excuse me.
I'm needed for a consultation.
Won't be a moment.
Mark! It's so great
to see you again.
How long's it been? 10 years?
Lyle, what are you doing
masquerading as a doctor?
I am a doctor... again.
I'm Chief of Surgery
on The New Healers.
Yeah, I was just practicing
my bedside manner.
You can't examine patients.
You're an actor, not a doctor.
Yeah, you try telling that
to the legion of Calling
Doctor Gale fans.
They would gladly put
their lives in my hands.
Well, just because
you play a doctor
doesn't mean you are one.
Mark, listen. In
those five years
I starred on
Calling Doctor Gale,
they were as good
as any medical school.
Better because of you...
The best medical
consultant in the biz!
You told that man you saw
ventricular
extrasystoles in his throat.
Yeah, well, I tried to break
it to him as gently as I could.
But, you know, I felt I had
to be honest with him.
Ventricular extrasystoles
are in the heart, Lyle.
Right. That's why
it's so dangerous
when you find
them in the throat.
Mark, wasn't... wasn't
that Dr. Adam Gale?
No, it wasn't.
It was Lyle
Fairbanks, the actor.
Look, would you go calm the
young man in Exam Three?
He has a mild
case of tonsillitis
and an acute case of panic.
What's the holdup up there?
Sorry, Dr. Stewart. This
register's jammed again.
Dr. Stewart? Yeah?
That'll be five dollars
and eight cents.
All right. Just do
me a favor, will you?
Whatever that ethereal
creature over there wants
is on me, okay?
I'll get the change
from you later.
I'll tell Mr. Briggs to
get you a new register.
Jack! Jack, guess who's
here at Community General?!
Who? Dr. Adam Gale.
Really? You kidding me?
That's amazing, Amanda.
I got to tell ya... finding
a doctor in a hospital.
No. Adam Gale, from
Calling Doctor Gale.
I never missed an episode.
I wanted to be just like him.
And you may laugh,
but that show was
one of my inspirations
for wanting to become a doctor.
Well, I'll laugh later.
Right now, I'm saving this table
for Marcus Welby
and Dr. Kildare.
So, if can you get
the hell out of here?
Oh, really? Well, see
if I ever share a heartfelt
emotional moment with you again.
Well, it's about
time you got here.
I missed you, too.
And the $15.08 you owe me.
Norma, I gave you a 20.
The ethereal creature spent $30.
It's no great loss, hon.
The ones who could
eat their body weight
are nothing but trouble.
What did you say? $15.08?
Uh-huh.
Unbelievable. Here you go.
Here's $16.
Go buy yourself a
cigar or something.
Hey, look, man. I apologize.
I had no idea she
was with you, all right?
I know what it's like to
spend 48 hours on your feet,
desperately trying to
save the mangled remains
of what was once a human being.
Yeah, I learned a lot on
that guest spot on Nurses.
You know, I really
hope, for Amanda's sake,
that you're not Dr. Adam Gale.
Lincoln Cutter.
Yeah, that Lincoln Cutter.
But you can call me Linc.
I have great
respect for healers.
Even healers that
hit on your girlfriend?
That?
Day player.
Nothing. Nobody.
Oh, really? Well, then,
Linc, if you'll excuse me...
Wait a second! Come
on, Miss Bellows.
I'm not done eating yet!
We need you on the set.
Yeah, we need
you now. Thank you.
Look what you've done!
What?
Your rust bucket is leaking oil!
Look at those drops!
Well, I haven't got my
electron microscope,
but I'll take your word for it.
I'll have the mechanic
check it, Norman. Thanks.
Wait, wait, wait.
You're not going
to leave it here, are you?
Your car is hemorrhaging
buckets of oil
all over the pavement.
Norman, this is a parking lot.
It's the gateway to
Community General!
It has to look clean
enough to operate on, Mark!
You're cleaning the parking lot?
We have an image to protect.
This wouldn't have
anything to do with
The New Healers?
WOMAN: You heartless
pig!
What can I say?
I'm a heartbreaker.
Does that guy ever wear a shirt?
You could wash your
car, too, once in a while.
And action!
(beeping)
Her heart is stable,
but it's weak. Too weak.
Then I guess we'll just
have to give her a new one.
But we've scoured the country.
There isn't a heart available.
There is now.
Who do you think you are? God?!
In here, that's
exactly who I am!
Because I can bring
life or I can bring death.
Or I can... (phone rings)
(ringing)
Hold that thought.
Talk to me.
There's no cell
phone in this scene.
I didn't write a cell
phone in this scene.
Who put a cell phone
in this scene? Cut!
Scorsese?! No.
No. I can't hear you.
Wait a minute. Are
you kidding? Yes!
Yes! Uh... uh...
I just got the lead in the
new Scorsese picture.
We start shooting next Monday,
which means I leave
the series immediately.
But, I, uh... I want
to say that you've all
been like a family
to me and, uh...
I love each and
every one of you.
You can't walk out!
You have a contract!
Besides, this show
made you a star.
No. Correction. I
made this show.
People were
willing to sit through
your crappy little
stories to watch me.
You can do movies
in your hiatus.
We can shoot
around your schedule.
We can make it work for you.
Besides, this is a hit series!
Not without me.
Why are we walking
down the hall?
To get to the pathology lab.
To...? Perform an autopsy.
Right! I got to understand
my motivation, Doc.
To embrace the raw
truth of the moment.
Couldn't you embrace
someone else's raw truth?
I really can't do my job
with you following me around.
But Norman Briggs
said you'd show me
the harsh realities of medicine,
and I am ready for them.
With Dixon Gallow out,
I become the emotional
core of the show.
I've got to exude truth.
Couldn't you exude
on "Doc" Stewart?
Excuse us, will ya?
Sure. Sure.
Go away.
Amanda, now,
correct me if I'm wrong.
But weren't you
the one who told me
what a tremendous influence
Dr. Adam Gale was
to you? Yes. Yes.
Well, out there somewhere,
maybe there's a young girl
waiting to be inspired
by this TV doctor.
Do you know what I mean?
You may be right.
Good.
All right, but you
stay out of my way.
Go ahead. Confront
death, heal the sick,
bring new life into the
world as if I wasn't here.
(equipment crashing to floor)
He's not breathing!
Smells like he choked
on a clove of garlic!
Respirator! Stat!
"Stat." I love it.
(blowing)
Crash cart coming in.
AMANDA: Come
on, ladies, let's go!
(air pumping)
(gasps)
Okay, he's back.
(door opens, closes)
Oh, helping me celebrate
the Dinino baby, I see.
If God expected
doctors to decide
who lives and who dies,
why did he make us all so human?
Uh, "Physician Heal
Thyself," episode 27,
Calling Doctor Gale,
if I'm not mistaken.
You got a good memory.
Until The New
Healers came along,
you needed one of those just to
remember when I had a career.
Dr. Catoline would like to know
your thoughts on
the Grace biopsy.
Which reminds me of a song.
♪ Ama... ♪
♪ zing... grace... ♪
Thank you, Delores.
♪ How... sweet... ♪
That'll be all, thank you.
(sighs)
You're a star, Lyle.
You always have been.
Mark, the show is a hit
because of Dixon Gallow,
not because of me.
And once that arrogant
runt finishes his last episode,
that's it for all of us.
I worked ten years,
ten years for this
second chance.
He has no idea what
he's throwing away.
He's a thoughtless,
fat-headed jerk!
Lyle, you have talent.
You know that.
Now you've got the
experience and the maturity
under your belt to
do something with it.
You don't need a Dixon Gallow
to give you a second chance.
You know something?
You're right.
You're right! The
show must go on.
And I'm just the
phenomen-omen...
Ooh. (chuckles)
the phenomenal
talent to carry it off.
Yeah!
(both chuckling)
LYLE: Who do you think you are,
God?
In here, that's
exactly who I am.
Because I can bring
life or I can bring death.
Or I can turn a blind eye
and let fate take its course...
if I can live with
the consequences.
A terrorist died on your
operating table ten minutes ago
and now you're putting
his heart into another body.
Do you know
what this looks like?
Yeah.
Justice.
That terrorist spent his
whole miserable existence
taking the lives
of innocent people.
How ironic that his death is
gonna give one of them life.
My God, man.
Are you saying you let him die?
Did I?
I don't know.
Damn it, I just don't know!
Cut! Perfect!
You were brilliant, Dixon!
You were made for the part.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Look, when you're ready for me,
I'll be in my trailer
teaching Tahnee her new lines.
But Tahnee doesn't
have any lines.
She does now.
Are you afraid I'll
suck your blood?
(chuckles): Excuse me?
Well, it smells
like you're wearing
a wreath of garlic.
(gasping)
(grunts)
Dixon?
STEVE: The medical examiner saw
no obvious signs
of physical trauma, but
he suspects poisoning.
We'll know when
the lab tests get back.
Will you look at this?
Bleached wood floors!
Dixon Gallow sure has
changed since high school.
Yeah, now he's thin
and he's dead.
Oh, wow, Baccarat.
You know, something
about this isn't right.
Yeah, I'll say.
I've never seen a trailer
look so good.
Why am I paying a mortgage
when I could have all this?
I'm talking about
Gallow's death.
Too many people
wanted to see him dead
to believe it was
natural causes.
Well, till the lab
tests come back,
I got no reason to poke around.
Of course, it is your hospital,
and they are still filming.
That's true.
(gasps)
Oh!
Delores, all you all right?
Fine.
Why is the parking
lot so wet and slippery?
Oh, Norman's having it cleaned.
Where are you
going in such a hurry?
Lunch, uh, with
a long-lost uncle.
Um, listen, I might
be a little late,
you know, getting
reacquainted and all.
Take all the time you need.
Okay, thank you.
(makes kissing sound)
Long lost uncle.
Mm-hmm.
Well, I'm off, too.
Good luck with
your snooping, Dad.
Talk to you later.
Watch your...
Oh! (grunts)
You all right?
I'm fine. I'm fine.
(whistles)
Well, the good news is there's
nothing wrong with your heart.
The hell with my heart.
How's my insurance?
Oh, you'll need to take that up
with the billing office.
But if you'd like
to spare yourself
or your insurance
company any grief,
I suggest next time washing your
hands after setting mouse traps.
Mouse traps?
The lab found barium
chloride in your blood.
That's a common rat poison.
Doc, where have you
been hiding yourself?
Hiding?
What makes you think
I've been hiding from you?
I've got to talk
to the doc. Well...
Hey!
I can't stop thinking
about what you did the other day
when you saved that man's life.
I've never been so moved.
Oh, that. That's
just part of the job.
A job I really must get
back to. Excuse me.
Now...
I've never seen
so clearly before
just how precious life is.
We're all brief
candles burning bright,
and yet, can be
snuffed out so easily.
It's made me treasure every
human life so much more.
That is so beautiful.
Yeah.
Anyway, I talked
to Cynthia Holling
and she agreed
to put your
life-or-death rescue into
the current episode.
Really?! Mm-hmm.
I think there's someone
you might like to talk to.
What am I, a peep show?
No. Mr. Eisenson,
you have a visitor.
I don't want any visitors.
My policy guarantees
me a private room!
Who's the old gasbag?
Clifford Eisenson...
The brief candle I
saved from snuffing?
The individual human life
that you treasure more now
than ever before?
The prop guy that
keeled over on the set?
Oh, the prop guy!
Yes, thank you.
I would like to talk to him.
I thought you might.
So why is it that
Dixon Gallow's scalpels
are always so much
shinier than mine?
EISENSON: Doesn't
anybody know the meaning
of "private" anymore?
Dr. Gale!
Uh, I'm not a doctor.
I just play one
on TV.
Again. Lyle Fairbanks.
Yes, of course. I
knew that. I knew that.
It's just that ever
since I was a little girl,
you represented
everything I wanted to be.
You were so warm
and kind and wise,
firm.
Well, you're very
kind, "Dr. Bentley."
Yes!
Oh, it's you.
Shouldn't you be off
somewhere sucking up
to the writers? I'm sure there's
a couple of lines in the
script you haven't stolen yet.
That's okay...
I'll wait till you
blow 'em on the set
and grab them then.
You punk.
I was acting when
you were in diapers.
And I'll be acting
when you are, which ought
to be in about... two weeks?
You...!
Oh!
Ooh!
(both grunting)
Security! Right away!
WOMAN (over P.A.): Security
to third floor nurses station.
Security to third
floor nurses station.
Jack, do you have
any idea what it's like
seeing your childhood idol
fighting like some street hood
right under your nose?
Well, maybe it's not a good idea
to confuse an actor with
the role he plays, you know?
Try telling that to an
eight-year-old little girl
who's hopelessly in
love with the doctor
she sees on TV every week.
Why don't you tell him that?
Well, I will the next
time I run into him,
which probably will not
happen because we work
in such a big hospital,
but I would if I could.
Good, 'cause he's right there.
Like I said, the next
time I run into him.
Right. Remember, don't think
about a little
eight-year-old girl
getting inspired by
The New Healers.
You're such a jerk.
I know. You really are.
All right, Is this
thing fixed yet, Ellen?
Yeah. How much?
It's paid for.
By who?
Well.
I hope you're proud of yourself.
Oh, rarely.
I idolized you.
I wanted to be just like you.
No, you didn't.
You wanted to be like Dr. Gale.
Well, yes, but I...
Then you and I
have a great deal
in common, Doctor.
Please, sit down.
You know, usually
I like to actually meet a woman
before our second date,
but, um, in your case, I
think I'll make an exception.
Well, I'm Savannah Bellows.
I'm sitting right over there
if you'd like to join me.
I'm Jack Stewart
and I'd be very
happy to join you.
After that last time,
I had a feeling we'd meet again.
Me, too.
Although, I...
Yeah, well, go ahead.
I wasn't actually quite
sure if our next meeting
was going to be, uh,
personal or professional...
the way you were eating.
What about it?
Well, there was just so
much food in front of you.
I couldn't see how anybody
could eat like that regularly
and, uh, maintain
such a beautiful body.
But I guess a couple
weeks of salads
and that all kind of
evens out, doesn't it?
Mm, something like that.
Well, not that it's any of
my business what you eat.
I'm glad you feel that way
'cause I am really hungry
and I don't like being judged.
Oh, well, I ain't
gonna judge nobody.
Can you imagine what
it's been like trying to
live up to Adam Gale?
Trying to be this
ideal of perfection
that people expect me to be...
that even I expect me to be?
(sighs)
I... love... eating.
I mean, it's really that simple.
And if I have to
purge myself later,
then that's just the price
that I pay for this figure.
Do you have any idea
how unhealthy that is?
I don't care.
I was fat all
through high school.
The only guy that I ever
dated was the one person
in North Platte that
was fatter than I was.
And as soon as he dropped
a few pounds, he dumped me.
(sing-songy): Now look at me!
I have been.
I know, and I like it.
I mean, before, the
only job that I could get
was a receptionist for some
quack physical therapist.
I mean, now I am an actress.
So,
tell me again why I
should stop purging?
Well, 'cause it's
the worst thing
you could possibly
do to your body.
It, it weakens your heart,
it ruins your stomach.
Let, let me just rephrase that:
Don't tell me.
If you want to be with me,
just ignore the way that I eat.
Can you handle that?
I hope so.
Me, too.
Because there is only one
thing that I like more than eating.
No one expects you to be
like Dr. Gale, really. You did.
No, I would never
want to put you...
Great news, Doc... I just
looked over the revised pages,
and we're about
to shoot your scene.
Best scene in the script. Oh!
Especially since
there's no washed-up
old has-beens in it. Well,
with you at the center,
how could it be
anything but great?
So, what do you say, Doc, you
want to come see me play you?
I'd love to, but I'm right in
the middle of something, and...
No, no, no.
You go ahead. Really.
This is an honor you...
you don't want to miss.
You were in this
scene, you know.
Then I had Cynthia
write you out.
(sighs): Well... in a
way, I'm in every scene.
You know, this
is our series now,
and we ought to work
together, not against each other.
You know, Dr. Bentley
reminded me of that
and of a whole lot more, too.
(laughs softly) You mean that?
Yeah. Really?
Sure. Honestly?
Absolutely.
(exhales)
We have so much to talk about.
Let me grab a cup of
coffee, we'll start thinking
about how to save this
series. Uh... take mine.
You've got a scene the
shoot... And that's gonna do
so much more for this series
than any mere words
that we can come up with.
(exhales): Ah...
Come on, Doc, let's make
medical history. Oh! Okay.
I need that blood,
and I need it now.
A drunk driver hit a
bus that skidded through
a railroad crossing and collided
with the Golden Rail Express.
(heavy sigh) Every
hospital in town needs blood.
Then tell the staff to roll up their
sleeves... if we can't find blood,
we're gonna have to give these
good people our own. Right.
This woman isn't breathing.
Respirator! Stat!
No, forget the damn machine.
This woman needs
the breath of life.
(moaning)
I can't tell you how many
times that's happened to me.
Shh! Shh!
(groaning)
Help. (gasps)
Is that in the script?
(groaning)
(people practicing
lines indistinctly)
Excuse me, I'd like to see the
producer, Cynthia Holling, please.
Regarding? A medical matter.
Oh, then you're up next.
(chuckles): Oh, I'm sor...
There's been a-a
misunderstanding.
When I said "a medical
matter," I didn't mean
The Medical Matter, I
meant a medical matter.
Ms. Holling, I'm Dr. Mark Sloan.
Getting into
character is one thing,
but it's a little early
to be rewriting my script,
don't you think, Dr. Paltrow?
No, there's been... You'll
be reading with a prospective
Nurse Chapman...
are you ready? Yes.
(quietly): What happened
to your long-lost uncle?
(quietly): He got lost.
This could be my
big chance, Mark.
Please?
Okay, people, let's go.
Feel free to use the props.
Okay.
(clears throat)
(overdramatically): Loring Stevens
knows what drugs do to people.
He sees the human
wreckage every day.
So how could he
let himself become...
a drug addict?
Uh, I'm a, uh, brain surgeon...
That doesn't make
me a psychiatrist.
You know, the proper tool here
would be a, uh, a,
uh, cranial saw, I think.
Give an actor a scalpel
and he thinks he's a doctor.
Let me worry about that.
Wha... Th-This is inaccurate.
I don't care.
But, uh, when you wade in blood
and misery and pain every day,
it's hard to stop
thinking about it.
Maybe the drugs keep
him from... thinking at all.
He doesn't need
drugs, he needs...
(whispers): love.
Uh, your love, I suppose.
Yeah, well, what's
wrong with that?
We could be good for each other.
What about, uh...
(spits)
What about your husband?
I've seen enough.
HOLLING: Thank
you. We'll be in touch.
We'll be in touch.
Uh, Ms. Holling, I
need to talk to you.
(groans): If you insist.
But you're not getting the part.
I just don't find you
believable as a doctor.
Well, I-I am a doctor.
I'm, uh, Dr. Mark Sloan...
I'm Head of Internal Medicine
at Community General,
and I'm a special consultant
to the police
department. The police?
Mm-hmm.
I want to talk to you about
Dixon Gallow's death.
(sighs)
LYLE: Do you know
what this looks like?
Yeah.
Justice.
That terrorist spent his
whole miserable existence
taking the lives
of innocent people.
How ironic that his death is
going to give one of them life.
(turns TV off)
You know, until I read
that script, I didn't realize
Dr. Stevens was a drug addict.
He wasn't...
Until the actor who
played him decided to walk.
Now his character's
going to die of an overdose.
Isn't that, uh, questionable
taste under the circumstances?
(scoffs): I have
nothing to lose.
Look, we could
have run for years...
Now we'd be lucky
to last the month.
If killing his character gives
us a ratings point or two,
(chuckles): I can
live with the criticism.
You must have been furious
when he decided to quit.
He was a complete unknown
before The New Healers.
I cast him, I fought for him,
I even slept with
him. That's dedication.
And how does he repay me?
He quits four episodes
into our second season.
Furious? Huh. That's
an understatement.
Sounds like a motive for murder.
No one said he was murdered.
No one said he wasn't.
We're waiting for
the toxicology report.
Look, he was quitting
the show anyway.
And what could I possibly
gain by killing him?
Revenge?
And a $4 million
insurance company payoff.
What makes you think
I had insurance on him?
I learned to read upside
down in medical school.
You don't need
drugs, you need love.
(laughs): Oh, don't
you start with me.
Listen, I got a call-back
for a different part.
I'm on my way to see
the casting director now.
Good. You looking for something?
Breath mints... I can still
taste that pasta I had for lunch.
Here.
Bubble gum? We
all have our vices.
AMANDA: That's right.
And mine is television.
I am never watching another
doctor show as long as I live.
She's been exploited
and disillusioned,
the little girl. By television?
AMANDA: By Lincoln Cutter
and Lyle Fairbanks. Now, you
see, Cutter plagiarized her life...
Rather effectively, I
might add... and, uh,
Fairbanks is not exactly
Dr. Adam Gale, so...
MARK: Speaking
of Cutter, how is he?
Well, I guess that bigger
role made him very nervous.
He took enough
laxative for three people.
(laughs)
Hey.
I didn't know Steve went
to high school in North Platte.
He didn't. Dixon Gallow did.
JACK: So did Savannah Bellows.
Here she is.
Hmm. Take a look.
Small world.
SAVANNAH: My call
isn't for 15 minutes!
That's okay, take your time.
(door opens)
Sorry. I thought
you were the A.D.
Come on in.
Sorry that my dressing
room's so small.
I'm gonna wait outside.
Oh, no. Stay.
As long as you don't
mind if I keep dressing
while we talk... I've got to be
on the set in just a little bit.
Um... there's
something I-I, um...
I wanted to talk about,
but it's a little awkward.
Anything.
Could you close the door first?
(laughs): Never
mind, I'll get it.
So... what was it that
you wanted to talk about?
Uh... Keeping in mind that
I do have to be on the
set in 15 minutes, and...
directness... is
a definite plus.
Um... the, um...
the fat guy that you dated
when you were in high school,
the guy who-who dumped you
after he lost the
weight... That was, um...
uh, Dixon... Gallow, right?
(laughs): You must
have been looking
at that yearbook
that I gave him.
I hope that disgusting
picture of me
didn't turn you off completely.
Not... completely, no.
Mm, good.
I owe Dixon my life.
It was being dumped by
him that made me realize
I had to lose the
weight no matter what.
That's why I'm so happy to
have a role on The New Healers.
So you could thank
him for dumping you?
We, uh, we looked at our old
yearbook pictures and laughed.
It was like we never really
stopped being friends.
Well, somebody said
that they, uh, saw you
running out of his trailer
in tears and screaming
that he was a pig.
Okay, I got a little upset
that he ate the last Twinkie.
Still, I'm glad that we had
that time together before he...
Hold me, Jack.
Hold me close.
(exhales)
(moans softly)
MAN: Miss Bellows!
(pounding on door)
You're needed on the set! Oh.
I'm sorry, I've got to run.
You don't mind...
Well, I... I guess I could
find my own way out.
MAN: Miss Bellows?
I'm coming!
This woman is not breathing.
Respirator. Stat!
Forget the damn machine.
This woman needs
the breath of life.
Cut.
Print.
(bell rings) Ah...
whoa, whoa, wait a
minute, wait a minute.
Are you sure?
Now, that bit where
I tore open her shirt.
I don't know, it didn't seem...
urgent enough to me.
Maybe we should do it again.
We've already
done it five times.
Hey, I'm willing to do
whatever's necessary
to get it right,
even if it means tearing
open her shirt all day.
Mark, what did you
think of the scene?
Uh... that it should have
been Lincoln Cutter's.
Yeah, well, it was
always meant for me,
but he slept with Cynthia
Holling before I got a chance.
But I'm center
stage again, Mark.
The action, the
drama, the emotion.
Just like old times, isn't it?
Or like the time you spiked
that director's
coffee with a laxative.
He had to be dragged off the set
bent over in pain.
It was nice of you to
buy Cutter a cup of coffee.
I'm a nice guy.
I'd love to chat,
but I have to go rip
open a lady's shirt.
You spiked Cutter's coffee
so you could steal
his scene, didn't you?
That scene was always
supposed to be my scene
until that slug
had it rewritten.
Come on, Mark.
It was an innocent
prank. Nobody got hurt.
Oh, not like Dixon Gallow.
(chuckles nervously)
(laughs): Oh, you
loveable jokester.
(sotto): I had nothing
to do with that tragedy.
You were angry at Gallow
for walking off the show
and putting your
comeback at risk.
Mark, I reached out to you,
and this is how
you repay my trust?
Huh?
Now, I admit, I was desperate.
Okay, I was terrified.
But I'm not a killer.
You know that.
I'm not so sure.
The lab report on Dixon Gallow
just came in.
It was murder.
Barium chloride poisoning.
Rat poison?
(scoffs): Oh, how fitting.
(chuckles)
Hey, guys. Come on.
I loved him like a brother.
I need your help on this, Dad.
These test reports
don't make sense.
Rat poison seems pretty
straight forward to me.
Yeah, but we can't figure
out how it got in his system.
There was no
punctures in his skin.
And his stomach
contents were clean.
Another strange thing...
His last meal was fruit.
So?
Well, the actress that
was with him when he died
was complaining
about his garlic breath.
What?
Of course.
Delores.
You're accusing
Delores of murder?
No.
I'm accusing the parking lot.
Careful. Ooh.
So what does the parking lot
have to do with Dixon
Gallow's murder?
It's the murder weapon.
Oh, now why didn't
I come up with that?
Dimethyl sulfoxide.
It's a solvent.
Mm-hmm, I can see that.
Right there on the label.
Norman's having the parking
lot cleaned for the show.
Yeah, and it looks terrific.
But what does that have to
do with how Dixon Gallow died?
DMSO is sometimes used
illegally as a deep muscle relaxant.
It penetrates the
skin so quickly,
that it's combined with
other drugs and poisons
to speed up the absorption.
One of the symptoms
is garlic breath.
And how does
Delores fit into all this?
Remember when we
stepped out of Gallows trailer
and Delores slipped
on the pavement
and got that solvent
on her hands?
She still can't get the
garlic taste out of her mouth.
So now we know the
way he was poisoned.
All we need is the
how and the who.
I think if we find the
how we'll get the who.
So, what's up, docs?
We're discussing how
to catch a murderer.
Dixon Gallow was
killed by a massive dose
of barium chloride
mixed with DMSO.
Now, if we can figure out
how he was poisoned...
Barium chloride?
Cliff Eisenson had barium
chloride in his blood.
Who's Cliff Eisenson?
The prop guy.
He keeled over in
the operating room
after they shot the scene.
I don't believe it.
I've been wrong all along.
When?
Exactly.
What?
It's not how or who.
It's when.
Why?
Do you know
what this looks like?
Yeah.
Justice.
That terrorist spent his
whole miserable existence
taking the lives
of innocent people.
How ironic that his death is
going to give one of them life.
My God, man.
Are you saying you...
you let him die?
I don't know.
Did I?
Damn it. I just don't know.
And cut.
Now that is television.
No, that's murder.
I thought Dixon
Gallow died in his trailer.
He did. But the actual murder
was committed here, during
the filming of the scene.
So we're going to reenact it.
Right here. Right now.
Yeah, I don't think
I could give a
better performance.
You certainly
couldn't do any worse.
Now, everything is
exactly as it was before,
right down to
the original props.
So everyone just
play your parts.
I'll be Dr. Loring Stevens.
Okay, everybody. Places!
We've seen him act.
The only thing
going to get killed
is the dialogue.
Okay, roll it.
And... action.
Who do you think you are, God?
In here, that's
exactly who I am.
I can bring life, or
I can bring death.
Or I can turn a blind eye
and let fate take its course,
if I can live with
the consequences.
A terrorist died on your
operating table ten minutes ago,
and now you're putting
his heart into another body.
Do you know
what this looks like?
Yeah. Justice.
Oh, wait.
This isn't right.
Cut!
We were all wearing
surgical gloves
when we did this scene.
Oh, that's all right.
It's not important.
Just mop my brow
and we'll go on.
I really think that for
the sake of accuracy,
we should be wearing the gloves.
Don't worry about
it. It doesn't matter.
Where were we?
Uh, let's take it
from Lyle's last line.
Roll it.
And... action.
Do you know
what this looks like?
Yeah. Justice.
Something wrong?
(sighs heavily):
I can't do this.
Cut!
That's because you
know that the towel
you mopped Dixon
Gallow's brow with
was soaked with DMSO
and with rat poison.
No, it's because I'm
a stickler for accuracy.
And I don't blame you.
The glove protected you
from poisoning yourself.
We were all wearing the gloves.
I mean, anybody
could have poisoned
that towel.
Everybody was very upset
that Gallow quit the show.
But you were the only one
with a motive before that.
You tried to kill Dixon before
he made his announcement.
That's why the
prop man got sick.
He handled the towel you were
going to wipe Dixon's brow with.
Only he walked off the set
before you had a chance to.
Well...
well, he dumped me
when I was in high school
because he said
that I was too fat.
So I lost the weight.
I became an actress.
And I finally got
a job on his show.
He didn't even recognize me.
Not even after we'd
gone to bed together.
So you gave him the yearbook
as a present and then
told him who you were.
Oh, he didn't care.
He said that I was pathetic.
Just laughed at me.
Said I should get a life.
So you took his.
Dad, don't do that!
Oh, you don't think I'd use
the actual towel, do you?
That one was probably
thrown away a long time ago.
There's one thing
I still don't get.
What?
How'd she know about the DMSO?
Jack told me she
was a receptionist
for a physical therapist
before she became an actress.
They used to use DMSO
on the black market
as a muscle relaxant.
A doctor who solves
murders.
Now, that's a great idea.
And perfect for my
character. No. Mine.
Mine! Cynthia! Cynthia!
Wait for me! Cynthia!
And... action.
You're used to dealing
in life, not death.
And if I can turn
death into life,
don't I have the
obligation to try?
Whose life? Whose death?
And what gives you
the right to choose?
It's one thing to steal the
organs from a dead terrorist,
but this woman did nothing wrong
besides die in an auto accident.
Where's Delores?
She was so excited
about getting a part
and now she's nowhere in sight.
I can't believe I used
to watch this stuff.
I can't take much more, really.
They said this was
the last shot of the day.
Oh, dear, I hope they
haven't written her out.
You hope?
I've got to share
an office with her.
A corpse has no
guilt or innocence.
It's either useful
or it isn't. Useful?
How would you feel if this
useful body was your wife's?
It is my wife's.
She was hit by a drunk driver
on her way to her pre-natal exam.
Cut! Print.
That's a wrap.
Maybe she decided
not to take the part.
Or maybe they liked her so much
they decided to
write her a bigger part
in the next
episode. Yeah, right.
Maybe they need me to
help battle the plague in India.
Hey!
So what do you think?
(laughing)
Whoa!
Her heart's in my hands.
Live, damn it.
Live. Live.
MAN: Cut.
Who said that?
I didn't say that.
Who said that?
MARK: Uh...
me.
What do you think you're doing?
Well, you're shooting
this television series
for realism, aren't you?
What does that have
to do with interrupting
the human drama of my scene?
MARK: Well, for one thing, a
doctor would be wearing a shirt.
And as a matter of fact,
so would the patient.
My character isn't
here to look good.
He's here to save
lives. Exactly.
Which is what we should
be doing, Dr. Sloan.
And let these fine,
young thespians
ply their craft. Carry on.
Would you let me
go without a shirt?
(heart monitor beeping)
(heart monitor flatlining)
(theme song playing)
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
NORMAN: Since when
are you a TV critic?
Since they started shooting
The New Healers in this hospital.
It's fiction. Why do you care?
Well, it's full of
inaccuracies, Norman.
Millions of people
watch that show.
And they'll be seeing
Community General Hospital
as the new setting for
the hot medical show.
We're going to be famous.
Besides, they're
paying us $10,000 a day.
We're making money
without having to deal
with one single sick person.
Well something that all
hospitals should aspire to.
Let's see how critical
you are, my friend,
when that money buys
us our new MRI suite.
I see your point. Good.
Then you'll stay out of
their way? Completely.
Ah... Oh, yeah.
Yeah, those are definitely
ventricular extrasystoles.
Yeah, it could be, uh,
carcinoma of the larynx...
Excuse me. We need
to talk. Uh, excuse me.
I'm needed for a consultation.
Won't be a moment.
Mark! It's so great
to see you again.
How long's it been? 10 years?
Lyle, what are you doing
masquerading as a doctor?
I am a doctor... again.
I'm Chief of Surgery
on The New Healers.
Yeah, I was just practicing
my bedside manner.
You can't examine patients.
You're an actor, not a doctor.
Yeah, you try telling that
to the legion of Calling
Doctor Gale fans.
They would gladly put
their lives in my hands.
Well, just because
you play a doctor
doesn't mean you are one.
Mark, listen. In
those five years
I starred on
Calling Doctor Gale,
they were as good
as any medical school.
Better because of you...
The best medical
consultant in the biz!
You told that man you saw
ventricular
extrasystoles in his throat.
Yeah, well, I tried to break
it to him as gently as I could.
But, you know, I felt I had
to be honest with him.
Ventricular extrasystoles
are in the heart, Lyle.
Right. That's why
it's so dangerous
when you find
them in the throat.
Mark, wasn't... wasn't
that Dr. Adam Gale?
No, it wasn't.
It was Lyle
Fairbanks, the actor.
Look, would you go calm the
young man in Exam Three?
He has a mild
case of tonsillitis
and an acute case of panic.
What's the holdup up there?
Sorry, Dr. Stewart. This
register's jammed again.
Dr. Stewart? Yeah?
That'll be five dollars
and eight cents.
All right. Just do
me a favor, will you?
Whatever that ethereal
creature over there wants
is on me, okay?
I'll get the change
from you later.
I'll tell Mr. Briggs to
get you a new register.
Jack! Jack, guess who's
here at Community General?!
Who? Dr. Adam Gale.
Really? You kidding me?
That's amazing, Amanda.
I got to tell ya... finding
a doctor in a hospital.
No. Adam Gale, from
Calling Doctor Gale.
I never missed an episode.
I wanted to be just like him.
And you may laugh,
but that show was
one of my inspirations
for wanting to become a doctor.
Well, I'll laugh later.
Right now, I'm saving this table
for Marcus Welby
and Dr. Kildare.
So, if can you get
the hell out of here?
Oh, really? Well, see
if I ever share a heartfelt
emotional moment with you again.
Well, it's about
time you got here.
I missed you, too.
And the $15.08 you owe me.
Norma, I gave you a 20.
The ethereal creature spent $30.
It's no great loss, hon.
The ones who could
eat their body weight
are nothing but trouble.
What did you say? $15.08?
Uh-huh.
Unbelievable. Here you go.
Here's $16.
Go buy yourself a
cigar or something.
Hey, look, man. I apologize.
I had no idea she
was with you, all right?
I know what it's like to
spend 48 hours on your feet,
desperately trying to
save the mangled remains
of what was once a human being.
Yeah, I learned a lot on
that guest spot on Nurses.
You know, I really
hope, for Amanda's sake,
that you're not Dr. Adam Gale.
Lincoln Cutter.
Yeah, that Lincoln Cutter.
But you can call me Linc.
I have great
respect for healers.
Even healers that
hit on your girlfriend?
That?
Day player.
Nothing. Nobody.
Oh, really? Well, then,
Linc, if you'll excuse me...
Wait a second! Come
on, Miss Bellows.
I'm not done eating yet!
We need you on the set.
Yeah, we need
you now. Thank you.
Look what you've done!
What?
Your rust bucket is leaking oil!
Look at those drops!
Well, I haven't got my
electron microscope,
but I'll take your word for it.
I'll have the mechanic
check it, Norman. Thanks.
Wait, wait, wait.
You're not going
to leave it here, are you?
Your car is hemorrhaging
buckets of oil
all over the pavement.
Norman, this is a parking lot.
It's the gateway to
Community General!
It has to look clean
enough to operate on, Mark!
You're cleaning the parking lot?
We have an image to protect.
This wouldn't have
anything to do with
The New Healers?
WOMAN: You heartless
pig!
What can I say?
I'm a heartbreaker.
Does that guy ever wear a shirt?
You could wash your
car, too, once in a while.
And action!
(beeping)
Her heart is stable,
but it's weak. Too weak.
Then I guess we'll just
have to give her a new one.
But we've scoured the country.
There isn't a heart available.
There is now.
Who do you think you are? God?!
In here, that's
exactly who I am!
Because I can bring
life or I can bring death.
Or I can... (phone rings)
(ringing)
Hold that thought.
Talk to me.
There's no cell
phone in this scene.
I didn't write a cell
phone in this scene.
Who put a cell phone
in this scene? Cut!
Scorsese?! No.
No. I can't hear you.
Wait a minute. Are
you kidding? Yes!
Yes! Uh... uh...
I just got the lead in the
new Scorsese picture.
We start shooting next Monday,
which means I leave
the series immediately.
But, I, uh... I want
to say that you've all
been like a family
to me and, uh...
I love each and
every one of you.
You can't walk out!
You have a contract!
Besides, this show
made you a star.
No. Correction. I
made this show.
People were
willing to sit through
your crappy little
stories to watch me.
You can do movies
in your hiatus.
We can shoot
around your schedule.
We can make it work for you.
Besides, this is a hit series!
Not without me.
Why are we walking
down the hall?
To get to the pathology lab.
To...? Perform an autopsy.
Right! I got to understand
my motivation, Doc.
To embrace the raw
truth of the moment.
Couldn't you embrace
someone else's raw truth?
I really can't do my job
with you following me around.
But Norman Briggs
said you'd show me
the harsh realities of medicine,
and I am ready for them.
With Dixon Gallow out,
I become the emotional
core of the show.
I've got to exude truth.
Couldn't you exude
on "Doc" Stewart?
Excuse us, will ya?
Sure. Sure.
Go away.
Amanda, now,
correct me if I'm wrong.
But weren't you
the one who told me
what a tremendous influence
Dr. Adam Gale was
to you? Yes. Yes.
Well, out there somewhere,
maybe there's a young girl
waiting to be inspired
by this TV doctor.
Do you know what I mean?
You may be right.
Good.
All right, but you
stay out of my way.
Go ahead. Confront
death, heal the sick,
bring new life into the
world as if I wasn't here.
(equipment crashing to floor)
He's not breathing!
Smells like he choked
on a clove of garlic!
Respirator! Stat!
"Stat." I love it.
(blowing)
Crash cart coming in.
AMANDA: Come
on, ladies, let's go!
(air pumping)
(gasps)
Okay, he's back.
(door opens, closes)
Oh, helping me celebrate
the Dinino baby, I see.
If God expected
doctors to decide
who lives and who dies,
why did he make us all so human?
Uh, "Physician Heal
Thyself," episode 27,
Calling Doctor Gale,
if I'm not mistaken.
You got a good memory.
Until The New
Healers came along,
you needed one of those just to
remember when I had a career.
Dr. Catoline would like to know
your thoughts on
the Grace biopsy.
Which reminds me of a song.
♪ Ama... ♪
♪ zing... grace... ♪
Thank you, Delores.
♪ How... sweet... ♪
That'll be all, thank you.
(sighs)
You're a star, Lyle.
You always have been.
Mark, the show is a hit
because of Dixon Gallow,
not because of me.
And once that arrogant
runt finishes his last episode,
that's it for all of us.
I worked ten years,
ten years for this
second chance.
He has no idea what
he's throwing away.
He's a thoughtless,
fat-headed jerk!
Lyle, you have talent.
You know that.
Now you've got the
experience and the maturity
under your belt to
do something with it.
You don't need a Dixon Gallow
to give you a second chance.
You know something?
You're right.
You're right! The
show must go on.
And I'm just the
phenomen-omen...
Ooh. (chuckles)
the phenomenal
talent to carry it off.
Yeah!
(both chuckling)
LYLE: Who do you think you are,
God?
In here, that's
exactly who I am.
Because I can bring
life or I can bring death.
Or I can turn a blind eye
and let fate take its course...
if I can live with
the consequences.
A terrorist died on your
operating table ten minutes ago
and now you're putting
his heart into another body.
Do you know
what this looks like?
Yeah.
Justice.
That terrorist spent his
whole miserable existence
taking the lives
of innocent people.
How ironic that his death is
gonna give one of them life.
My God, man.
Are you saying you let him die?
Did I?
I don't know.
Damn it, I just don't know!
Cut! Perfect!
You were brilliant, Dixon!
You were made for the part.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Look, when you're ready for me,
I'll be in my trailer
teaching Tahnee her new lines.
But Tahnee doesn't
have any lines.
She does now.
Are you afraid I'll
suck your blood?
(chuckles): Excuse me?
Well, it smells
like you're wearing
a wreath of garlic.
(gasping)
(grunts)
Dixon?
STEVE: The medical examiner saw
no obvious signs
of physical trauma, but
he suspects poisoning.
We'll know when
the lab tests get back.
Will you look at this?
Bleached wood floors!
Dixon Gallow sure has
changed since high school.
Yeah, now he's thin
and he's dead.
Oh, wow, Baccarat.
You know, something
about this isn't right.
Yeah, I'll say.
I've never seen a trailer
look so good.
Why am I paying a mortgage
when I could have all this?
I'm talking about
Gallow's death.
Too many people
wanted to see him dead
to believe it was
natural causes.
Well, till the lab
tests come back,
I got no reason to poke around.
Of course, it is your hospital,
and they are still filming.
That's true.
(gasps)
Oh!
Delores, all you all right?
Fine.
Why is the parking
lot so wet and slippery?
Oh, Norman's having it cleaned.
Where are you
going in such a hurry?
Lunch, uh, with
a long-lost uncle.
Um, listen, I might
be a little late,
you know, getting
reacquainted and all.
Take all the time you need.
Okay, thank you.
(makes kissing sound)
Long lost uncle.
Mm-hmm.
Well, I'm off, too.
Good luck with
your snooping, Dad.
Talk to you later.
Watch your...
Oh! (grunts)
You all right?
I'm fine. I'm fine.
(whistles)
Well, the good news is there's
nothing wrong with your heart.
The hell with my heart.
How's my insurance?
Oh, you'll need to take that up
with the billing office.
But if you'd like
to spare yourself
or your insurance
company any grief,
I suggest next time washing your
hands after setting mouse traps.
Mouse traps?
The lab found barium
chloride in your blood.
That's a common rat poison.
Doc, where have you
been hiding yourself?
Hiding?
What makes you think
I've been hiding from you?
I've got to talk
to the doc. Well...
Hey!
I can't stop thinking
about what you did the other day
when you saved that man's life.
I've never been so moved.
Oh, that. That's
just part of the job.
A job I really must get
back to. Excuse me.
Now...
I've never seen
so clearly before
just how precious life is.
We're all brief
candles burning bright,
and yet, can be
snuffed out so easily.
It's made me treasure every
human life so much more.
That is so beautiful.
Yeah.
Anyway, I talked
to Cynthia Holling
and she agreed
to put your
life-or-death rescue into
the current episode.
Really?! Mm-hmm.
I think there's someone
you might like to talk to.
What am I, a peep show?
No. Mr. Eisenson,
you have a visitor.
I don't want any visitors.
My policy guarantees
me a private room!
Who's the old gasbag?
Clifford Eisenson...
The brief candle I
saved from snuffing?
The individual human life
that you treasure more now
than ever before?
The prop guy that
keeled over on the set?
Oh, the prop guy!
Yes, thank you.
I would like to talk to him.
I thought you might.
So why is it that
Dixon Gallow's scalpels
are always so much
shinier than mine?
EISENSON: Doesn't
anybody know the meaning
of "private" anymore?
Dr. Gale!
Uh, I'm not a doctor.
I just play one
on TV.
Again. Lyle Fairbanks.
Yes, of course. I
knew that. I knew that.
It's just that ever
since I was a little girl,
you represented
everything I wanted to be.
You were so warm
and kind and wise,
firm.
Well, you're very
kind, "Dr. Bentley."
Yes!
Oh, it's you.
Shouldn't you be off
somewhere sucking up
to the writers? I'm sure there's
a couple of lines in the
script you haven't stolen yet.
That's okay...
I'll wait till you
blow 'em on the set
and grab them then.
You punk.
I was acting when
you were in diapers.
And I'll be acting
when you are, which ought
to be in about... two weeks?
You...!
Oh!
Ooh!
(both grunting)
Security! Right away!
WOMAN (over P.A.): Security
to third floor nurses station.
Security to third
floor nurses station.
Jack, do you have
any idea what it's like
seeing your childhood idol
fighting like some street hood
right under your nose?
Well, maybe it's not a good idea
to confuse an actor with
the role he plays, you know?
Try telling that to an
eight-year-old little girl
who's hopelessly in
love with the doctor
she sees on TV every week.
Why don't you tell him that?
Well, I will the next
time I run into him,
which probably will not
happen because we work
in such a big hospital,
but I would if I could.
Good, 'cause he's right there.
Like I said, the next
time I run into him.
Right. Remember, don't think
about a little
eight-year-old girl
getting inspired by
The New Healers.
You're such a jerk.
I know. You really are.
All right, Is this
thing fixed yet, Ellen?
Yeah. How much?
It's paid for.
By who?
Well.
I hope you're proud of yourself.
Oh, rarely.
I idolized you.
I wanted to be just like you.
No, you didn't.
You wanted to be like Dr. Gale.
Well, yes, but I...
Then you and I
have a great deal
in common, Doctor.
Please, sit down.
You know, usually
I like to actually meet a woman
before our second date,
but, um, in your case, I
think I'll make an exception.
Well, I'm Savannah Bellows.
I'm sitting right over there
if you'd like to join me.
I'm Jack Stewart
and I'd be very
happy to join you.
After that last time,
I had a feeling we'd meet again.
Me, too.
Although, I...
Yeah, well, go ahead.
I wasn't actually quite
sure if our next meeting
was going to be, uh,
personal or professional...
the way you were eating.
What about it?
Well, there was just so
much food in front of you.
I couldn't see how anybody
could eat like that regularly
and, uh, maintain
such a beautiful body.
But I guess a couple
weeks of salads
and that all kind of
evens out, doesn't it?
Mm, something like that.
Well, not that it's any of
my business what you eat.
I'm glad you feel that way
'cause I am really hungry
and I don't like being judged.
Oh, well, I ain't
gonna judge nobody.
Can you imagine what
it's been like trying to
live up to Adam Gale?
Trying to be this
ideal of perfection
that people expect me to be...
that even I expect me to be?
(sighs)
I... love... eating.
I mean, it's really that simple.
And if I have to
purge myself later,
then that's just the price
that I pay for this figure.
Do you have any idea
how unhealthy that is?
I don't care.
I was fat all
through high school.
The only guy that I ever
dated was the one person
in North Platte that
was fatter than I was.
And as soon as he dropped
a few pounds, he dumped me.
(sing-songy): Now look at me!
I have been.
I know, and I like it.
I mean, before, the
only job that I could get
was a receptionist for some
quack physical therapist.
I mean, now I am an actress.
So,
tell me again why I
should stop purging?
Well, 'cause it's
the worst thing
you could possibly
do to your body.
It, it weakens your heart,
it ruins your stomach.
Let, let me just rephrase that:
Don't tell me.
If you want to be with me,
just ignore the way that I eat.
Can you handle that?
I hope so.
Me, too.
Because there is only one
thing that I like more than eating.
No one expects you to be
like Dr. Gale, really. You did.
No, I would never
want to put you...
Great news, Doc... I just
looked over the revised pages,
and we're about
to shoot your scene.
Best scene in the script. Oh!
Especially since
there's no washed-up
old has-beens in it. Well,
with you at the center,
how could it be
anything but great?
So, what do you say, Doc, you
want to come see me play you?
I'd love to, but I'm right in
the middle of something, and...
No, no, no.
You go ahead. Really.
This is an honor you...
you don't want to miss.
You were in this
scene, you know.
Then I had Cynthia
write you out.
(sighs): Well... in a
way, I'm in every scene.
You know, this
is our series now,
and we ought to work
together, not against each other.
You know, Dr. Bentley
reminded me of that
and of a whole lot more, too.
(laughs softly) You mean that?
Yeah. Really?
Sure. Honestly?
Absolutely.
(exhales)
We have so much to talk about.
Let me grab a cup of
coffee, we'll start thinking
about how to save this
series. Uh... take mine.
You've got a scene the
shoot... And that's gonna do
so much more for this series
than any mere words
that we can come up with.
(exhales): Ah...
Come on, Doc, let's make
medical history. Oh! Okay.
I need that blood,
and I need it now.
A drunk driver hit a
bus that skidded through
a railroad crossing and collided
with the Golden Rail Express.
(heavy sigh) Every
hospital in town needs blood.
Then tell the staff to roll up their
sleeves... if we can't find blood,
we're gonna have to give these
good people our own. Right.
This woman isn't breathing.
Respirator! Stat!
No, forget the damn machine.
This woman needs
the breath of life.
(moaning)
I can't tell you how many
times that's happened to me.
Shh! Shh!
(groaning)
Help. (gasps)
Is that in the script?
(groaning)
(people practicing
lines indistinctly)
Excuse me, I'd like to see the
producer, Cynthia Holling, please.
Regarding? A medical matter.
Oh, then you're up next.
(chuckles): Oh, I'm sor...
There's been a-a
misunderstanding.
When I said "a medical
matter," I didn't mean
The Medical Matter, I
meant a medical matter.
Ms. Holling, I'm Dr. Mark Sloan.
Getting into
character is one thing,
but it's a little early
to be rewriting my script,
don't you think, Dr. Paltrow?
No, there's been... You'll
be reading with a prospective
Nurse Chapman...
are you ready? Yes.
(quietly): What happened
to your long-lost uncle?
(quietly): He got lost.
This could be my
big chance, Mark.
Please?
Okay, people, let's go.
Feel free to use the props.
Okay.
(clears throat)
(overdramatically): Loring Stevens
knows what drugs do to people.
He sees the human
wreckage every day.
So how could he
let himself become...
a drug addict?
Uh, I'm a, uh, brain surgeon...
That doesn't make
me a psychiatrist.
You know, the proper tool here
would be a, uh, a,
uh, cranial saw, I think.
Give an actor a scalpel
and he thinks he's a doctor.
Let me worry about that.
Wha... Th-This is inaccurate.
I don't care.
But, uh, when you wade in blood
and misery and pain every day,
it's hard to stop
thinking about it.
Maybe the drugs keep
him from... thinking at all.
He doesn't need
drugs, he needs...
(whispers): love.
Uh, your love, I suppose.
Yeah, well, what's
wrong with that?
We could be good for each other.
What about, uh...
(spits)
What about your husband?
I've seen enough.
HOLLING: Thank
you. We'll be in touch.
We'll be in touch.
Uh, Ms. Holling, I
need to talk to you.
(groans): If you insist.
But you're not getting the part.
I just don't find you
believable as a doctor.
Well, I-I am a doctor.
I'm, uh, Dr. Mark Sloan...
I'm Head of Internal Medicine
at Community General,
and I'm a special consultant
to the police
department. The police?
Mm-hmm.
I want to talk to you about
Dixon Gallow's death.
(sighs)
LYLE: Do you know
what this looks like?
Yeah.
Justice.
That terrorist spent his
whole miserable existence
taking the lives
of innocent people.
How ironic that his death is
going to give one of them life.
(turns TV off)
You know, until I read
that script, I didn't realize
Dr. Stevens was a drug addict.
He wasn't...
Until the actor who
played him decided to walk.
Now his character's
going to die of an overdose.
Isn't that, uh, questionable
taste under the circumstances?
(scoffs): I have
nothing to lose.
Look, we could
have run for years...
Now we'd be lucky
to last the month.
If killing his character gives
us a ratings point or two,
(chuckles): I can
live with the criticism.
You must have been furious
when he decided to quit.
He was a complete unknown
before The New Healers.
I cast him, I fought for him,
I even slept with
him. That's dedication.
And how does he repay me?
He quits four episodes
into our second season.
Furious? Huh. That's
an understatement.
Sounds like a motive for murder.
No one said he was murdered.
No one said he wasn't.
We're waiting for
the toxicology report.
Look, he was quitting
the show anyway.
And what could I possibly
gain by killing him?
Revenge?
And a $4 million
insurance company payoff.
What makes you think
I had insurance on him?
I learned to read upside
down in medical school.
You don't need
drugs, you need love.
(laughs): Oh, don't
you start with me.
Listen, I got a call-back
for a different part.
I'm on my way to see
the casting director now.
Good. You looking for something?
Breath mints... I can still
taste that pasta I had for lunch.
Here.
Bubble gum? We
all have our vices.
AMANDA: That's right.
And mine is television.
I am never watching another
doctor show as long as I live.
She's been exploited
and disillusioned,
the little girl. By television?
AMANDA: By Lincoln Cutter
and Lyle Fairbanks. Now, you
see, Cutter plagiarized her life...
Rather effectively, I
might add... and, uh,
Fairbanks is not exactly
Dr. Adam Gale, so...
MARK: Speaking
of Cutter, how is he?
Well, I guess that bigger
role made him very nervous.
He took enough
laxative for three people.
(laughs)
Hey.
I didn't know Steve went
to high school in North Platte.
He didn't. Dixon Gallow did.
JACK: So did Savannah Bellows.
Here she is.
Hmm. Take a look.
Small world.
SAVANNAH: My call
isn't for 15 minutes!
That's okay, take your time.
(door opens)
Sorry. I thought
you were the A.D.
Come on in.
Sorry that my dressing
room's so small.
I'm gonna wait outside.
Oh, no. Stay.
As long as you don't
mind if I keep dressing
while we talk... I've got to be
on the set in just a little bit.
Um... there's
something I-I, um...
I wanted to talk about,
but it's a little awkward.
Anything.
Could you close the door first?
(laughs): Never
mind, I'll get it.
So... what was it that
you wanted to talk about?
Uh... Keeping in mind that
I do have to be on the
set in 15 minutes, and...
directness... is
a definite plus.
Um... the, um...
the fat guy that you dated
when you were in high school,
the guy who-who dumped you
after he lost the
weight... That was, um...
uh, Dixon... Gallow, right?
(laughs): You must
have been looking
at that yearbook
that I gave him.
I hope that disgusting
picture of me
didn't turn you off completely.
Not... completely, no.
Mm, good.
I owe Dixon my life.
It was being dumped by
him that made me realize
I had to lose the
weight no matter what.
That's why I'm so happy to
have a role on The New Healers.
So you could thank
him for dumping you?
We, uh, we looked at our old
yearbook pictures and laughed.
It was like we never really
stopped being friends.
Well, somebody said
that they, uh, saw you
running out of his trailer
in tears and screaming
that he was a pig.
Okay, I got a little upset
that he ate the last Twinkie.
Still, I'm glad that we had
that time together before he...
Hold me, Jack.
Hold me close.
(exhales)
(moans softly)
MAN: Miss Bellows!
(pounding on door)
You're needed on the set! Oh.
I'm sorry, I've got to run.
You don't mind...
Well, I... I guess I could
find my own way out.
MAN: Miss Bellows?
I'm coming!
This woman is not breathing.
Respirator. Stat!
Forget the damn machine.
This woman needs
the breath of life.
Cut.
Print.
(bell rings) Ah...
whoa, whoa, wait a
minute, wait a minute.
Are you sure?
Now, that bit where
I tore open her shirt.
I don't know, it didn't seem...
urgent enough to me.
Maybe we should do it again.
We've already
done it five times.
Hey, I'm willing to do
whatever's necessary
to get it right,
even if it means tearing
open her shirt all day.
Mark, what did you
think of the scene?
Uh... that it should have
been Lincoln Cutter's.
Yeah, well, it was
always meant for me,
but he slept with Cynthia
Holling before I got a chance.
But I'm center
stage again, Mark.
The action, the
drama, the emotion.
Just like old times, isn't it?
Or like the time you spiked
that director's
coffee with a laxative.
He had to be dragged off the set
bent over in pain.
It was nice of you to
buy Cutter a cup of coffee.
I'm a nice guy.
I'd love to chat,
but I have to go rip
open a lady's shirt.
You spiked Cutter's coffee
so you could steal
his scene, didn't you?
That scene was always
supposed to be my scene
until that slug
had it rewritten.
Come on, Mark.
It was an innocent
prank. Nobody got hurt.
Oh, not like Dixon Gallow.
(chuckles nervously)
(laughs): Oh, you
loveable jokester.
(sotto): I had nothing
to do with that tragedy.
You were angry at Gallow
for walking off the show
and putting your
comeback at risk.
Mark, I reached out to you,
and this is how
you repay my trust?
Huh?
Now, I admit, I was desperate.
Okay, I was terrified.
But I'm not a killer.
You know that.
I'm not so sure.
The lab report on Dixon Gallow
just came in.
It was murder.
Barium chloride poisoning.
Rat poison?
(scoffs): Oh, how fitting.
(chuckles)
Hey, guys. Come on.
I loved him like a brother.
I need your help on this, Dad.
These test reports
don't make sense.
Rat poison seems pretty
straight forward to me.
Yeah, but we can't figure
out how it got in his system.
There was no
punctures in his skin.
And his stomach
contents were clean.
Another strange thing...
His last meal was fruit.
So?
Well, the actress that
was with him when he died
was complaining
about his garlic breath.
What?
Of course.
Delores.
You're accusing
Delores of murder?
No.
I'm accusing the parking lot.
Careful. Ooh.
So what does the parking lot
have to do with Dixon
Gallow's murder?
It's the murder weapon.
Oh, now why didn't
I come up with that?
Dimethyl sulfoxide.
It's a solvent.
Mm-hmm, I can see that.
Right there on the label.
Norman's having the parking
lot cleaned for the show.
Yeah, and it looks terrific.
But what does that have to
do with how Dixon Gallow died?
DMSO is sometimes used
illegally as a deep muscle relaxant.
It penetrates the
skin so quickly,
that it's combined with
other drugs and poisons
to speed up the absorption.
One of the symptoms
is garlic breath.
And how does
Delores fit into all this?
Remember when we
stepped out of Gallows trailer
and Delores slipped
on the pavement
and got that solvent
on her hands?
She still can't get the
garlic taste out of her mouth.
So now we know the
way he was poisoned.
All we need is the
how and the who.
I think if we find the
how we'll get the who.
So, what's up, docs?
We're discussing how
to catch a murderer.
Dixon Gallow was
killed by a massive dose
of barium chloride
mixed with DMSO.
Now, if we can figure out
how he was poisoned...
Barium chloride?
Cliff Eisenson had barium
chloride in his blood.
Who's Cliff Eisenson?
The prop guy.
He keeled over in
the operating room
after they shot the scene.
I don't believe it.
I've been wrong all along.
When?
Exactly.
What?
It's not how or who.
It's when.
Why?
Do you know
what this looks like?
Yeah.
Justice.
That terrorist spent his
whole miserable existence
taking the lives
of innocent people.
How ironic that his death is
going to give one of them life.
My God, man.
Are you saying you...
you let him die?
I don't know.
Did I?
Damn it. I just don't know.
And cut.
Now that is television.
No, that's murder.
I thought Dixon
Gallow died in his trailer.
He did. But the actual murder
was committed here, during
the filming of the scene.
So we're going to reenact it.
Right here. Right now.
Yeah, I don't think
I could give a
better performance.
You certainly
couldn't do any worse.
Now, everything is
exactly as it was before,
right down to
the original props.
So everyone just
play your parts.
I'll be Dr. Loring Stevens.
Okay, everybody. Places!
We've seen him act.
The only thing
going to get killed
is the dialogue.
Okay, roll it.
And... action.
Who do you think you are, God?
In here, that's
exactly who I am.
I can bring life, or
I can bring death.
Or I can turn a blind eye
and let fate take its course,
if I can live with
the consequences.
A terrorist died on your
operating table ten minutes ago,
and now you're putting
his heart into another body.
Do you know
what this looks like?
Yeah. Justice.
Oh, wait.
This isn't right.
Cut!
We were all wearing
surgical gloves
when we did this scene.
Oh, that's all right.
It's not important.
Just mop my brow
and we'll go on.
I really think that for
the sake of accuracy,
we should be wearing the gloves.
Don't worry about
it. It doesn't matter.
Where were we?
Uh, let's take it
from Lyle's last line.
Roll it.
And... action.
Do you know
what this looks like?
Yeah. Justice.
Something wrong?
(sighs heavily):
I can't do this.
Cut!
That's because you
know that the towel
you mopped Dixon
Gallow's brow with
was soaked with DMSO
and with rat poison.
No, it's because I'm
a stickler for accuracy.
And I don't blame you.
The glove protected you
from poisoning yourself.
We were all wearing the gloves.
I mean, anybody
could have poisoned
that towel.
Everybody was very upset
that Gallow quit the show.
But you were the only one
with a motive before that.
You tried to kill Dixon before
he made his announcement.
That's why the
prop man got sick.
He handled the towel you were
going to wipe Dixon's brow with.
Only he walked off the set
before you had a chance to.
Well...
well, he dumped me
when I was in high school
because he said
that I was too fat.
So I lost the weight.
I became an actress.
And I finally got
a job on his show.
He didn't even recognize me.
Not even after we'd
gone to bed together.
So you gave him the yearbook
as a present and then
told him who you were.
Oh, he didn't care.
He said that I was pathetic.
Just laughed at me.
Said I should get a life.
So you took his.
Dad, don't do that!
Oh, you don't think I'd use
the actual towel, do you?
That one was probably
thrown away a long time ago.
There's one thing
I still don't get.
What?
How'd she know about the DMSO?
Jack told me she
was a receptionist
for a physical therapist
before she became an actress.
They used to use DMSO
on the black market
as a muscle relaxant.
A doctor who solves
murders.
Now, that's a great idea.
And perfect for my
character. No. Mine.
Mine! Cynthia! Cynthia!
Wait for me! Cynthia!
And... action.
You're used to dealing
in life, not death.
And if I can turn
death into life,
don't I have the
obligation to try?
Whose life? Whose death?
And what gives you
the right to choose?
It's one thing to steal the
organs from a dead terrorist,
but this woman did nothing wrong
besides die in an auto accident.
Where's Delores?
She was so excited
about getting a part
and now she's nowhere in sight.
I can't believe I used
to watch this stuff.
I can't take much more, really.
They said this was
the last shot of the day.
Oh, dear, I hope they
haven't written her out.
You hope?
I've got to share
an office with her.
A corpse has no
guilt or innocence.
It's either useful
or it isn't. Useful?
How would you feel if this
useful body was your wife's?
It is my wife's.
She was hit by a drunk driver
on her way to her pre-natal exam.
Cut! Print.
That's a wrap.
Maybe she decided
not to take the part.
Or maybe they liked her so much
they decided to
write her a bigger part
in the next
episode. Yeah, right.
Maybe they need me to
help battle the plague in India.
Hey!
So what do you think?
(laughing)