Tag: Azuka Oforka

Casualty, Series 32 Episode 1 ~ Review

A brand new series of Casualty and what an episode it was! An absolutely stellar instalment with terrific performances from all concerned and ‘heart in your mouth’ scenes. Here are some highlight while I catch my breath! 

Dylan ~ Reluctant hero of the hour, Dylan is at the centre of the action as some of the team help out in a French refugee camp. He’s ‘befriended’ by a young lad and can’t walk away when a situation has him torn. The episode is an opportunity to show another dimension to the character and of course, Will Beck embraces that and brings the right amount of heart to the role when it’s needed.

Alicia ~ Alicia seems ill-equipped to deal with the dire situation before her and cracks open the booze – a decision which sees her side-lined when she needs to be at the hub. Not the wisest move there, Doctor!

David Hide (JASON DURR), Dr Dylan Keogh (WILLIAM BECK) – (C) BBC – Photographer: Alistair Heap

David ~ David seems to be firing on all cylinders again after last series saw him plunge to the depths of despair, his mental health in tatters. He’s forging quite the formidable double act with Dylan.

Connie ~ Connie had been making great strides in her relationship with Grace, but it’s cut short when Sam absconds with their recuperating daughter. It seems he’s fed Grace a line that her mother is in on the plan and the youngster couldn’t be happier. Whereas Connie…. interestingly she drops the ball with a patient, and I expect that’s only the start.

Ethan ~ From Ethan’s behaviour, I’d say he is not going to find it easy to hide his secret. The fact that it’s eating away at him is clear and ultimately he does have too much integrity. I anticipate an implosion!

 

Credits

Dylan Keogh William Beck
David Hide Jason Durr
Alicia Munroe Chelsea Halfpenny
Louise Tyler Azuka Oforka
Connie Beauchamp Amanda Mealing
Charlie Fairhead Derek Thompson
Ethan Hardy George Rainsford
Jacob Masters Charles Venn
Robyn Miller Amanda Henderson
Max Walker Jamie Davis
Iain Dean Michael Stevenson
Grace Beauchamp-Strachan Emily Carey
Sanosi Jemal Tut Nyuot
Mariam Jemal Adelaide Obeng
Cameron Hamilton Cian Barry
Emile Coudert Raphael Desprez
Chanda Perry Shobu Kapoor
Steve Perry George Rossi
Writer Dana Fainaru
Producer Dafydd Llewelyn
Director Steve Brett
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Casualty ‘Roadman’ ~ Episode Review

Casualty provided us with a very focused and centred episode this week, Elle and Jacob were at the heart of it, joined by Alicia, Louise, Iain and a newly returned (and what a welcome return it was too!) Josh. Here are some highlights from what felt like an intimate episode yet was extremely wide-reaching in its messages.

Jacob Masters (CHARLES VENN), Elle Gardner (JAYE GRIFFITHS) – (C) BBC – Photographer: Adrian Rogers

Josh is back! ~ Josh was always a favourite of mine and his return for Charlie’s 30 year celebration was a highlight of that milestone episode, for me. He already seems to have a good relationship with Iain and they made a great combination. It was heart breaking when he mentioned the devastating explosion which lost him his family, while chatting to a patient. Josh has a lot of history behind him, let’s see if he sticks around long enough to make his mark again. There’s certainly a place for him.

Jacob’s jitters ~ Jacob is so ballsy sometimes that it’s quite a change to see him having doubts and showing the opposite side to his character. His obvious nerves when it came to talking about his career in front of a hall full of school children were quite indicative of the self-doubting character trait that we see little of. I like the relationship he has with Elle too, the history between the pair is palpable but strengthens their friendship.

Elle ~ Elle was at the heart of the action in this episode, mocking Jacob, holding her head high for sending her son to a school which hasn’t got the best reputation. However, having given her careers talk and handed over to Jacob, with smug satisfaction at the way her son had stuck up for her – things took a nasty turn. Gang warfare was prominent in the school and Elle’s lad came a cropper as a result. The impact of his injuries wasn’t straight forward, and the worry led Elle to the chapel where it was clear she hadn’t considered she’d be setting foot voluntarily.

Keep the faith ~ Louise had sown the seed for Elle’s dalliance with God, having admitted that her religion and faith had helped her in the past and was still a part of her life. An interesting side to her character that hadn’t particularly been explored before.

More of the same ~ I’d like to see more episodes with similar configurations, just a few cast members leading a couple of main plots – and doing it very well. This enabled us to see various dimensions to a handful of regular characters. More of this, please!

The cast list for the episode: Casualty Cast

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Casualty: Break Point ~ Episode Review

The episode following Cal’s death was always going to be a harrowing one to watch, it was distressing to see Ethan returning to work and also watching the rest of the team coping with the fall-out. Brilliantly performed and filmed, though – here are a few highlights:

Connie Beauchamp (AMANDA MEALING) – (C) BBC – Photographer: Alistair Heap

Charlie ~ You can always rely on Charlie to be the shoulder to cry on with an open office door, plus reliable Charlie is first to greet the bereaved brother upon his arrival at the ED.

Ethan ~ Ethan has been ignoring the fact that he has a voicemail from Cal, he can’t bring himself to hear the voice of his recently departed brother. It takes Alicia and Charlie gently prompting to encourage him to hear the message, and the realisation that it was Ethan who should have been on the receiving end is unsettling in the extreme.

Dylan ~ Dylan is also out of sorts, he struggles to deal courteously with a patient who has not helped himself when it comes risking his health. I suspect that Dr Keogh will take as much time as the rest to get over losing a colleague.

Jez ~ I expect that the paramedic who can’t keep it in his trousers will not be in favour when his current liaison is discovered. The Ellison family is public enemy number one and Jez is playing a dangerous game with his latest squeeze.

Connie – The on-going saga between Grace and Connie still doesn’t appear to be resolved, but being called mum by Hugo is an interesting turn of events and one that she is keen to brush off as a slip yet appeared touched by.  From the sublime to the ridiculous, she’s also fiercely taking Sam to task over the fact that she has to apply for her own job.

Casualty Cast

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Casualty ‘Not In Holby Anymore’ ~ Episode Review

When you consider The Wizard Of Oz, do David (Jason Durr), Louise (Azuka Oforka) and Noel (Tony Marshall) immediately spring to mind as the Lion, the Tin Man and Scarecrow? No? Try watching this week’s episode of Casualty and you might change your mind. In an instalment filled with flashbacks, this truly trippy episode focuses on how the department are handling the rotten report handed dealt to them by Archie Grayling (James Wilby) AKA dad of Sebastian Grayling (Rik Makarem) and AKA Lily’s (Crystal Yu) ‘type’ and more…

Jacob (Charles Venn) is not taking the role of helping the team to make improvements to the kind of level that Charlie (Derek Thompson) feels he should be, so he and Duffy (Cath Shipton) set upon a Wizard of Oz style mission. What’s at stake? Breakfast of course, the sweetest breakfast Charlie’s ever had? I shouldn’t have thought so since this one would involve Jacob, but still, the challenge is on. More than one challenge it seems, which shows the lighter and comedy side of Charlie and Duffy. In fact I think the scenes that they are being given are going a long way to proving how well suited the pair of scamps are! David, Louise and Noel are left in bewildered bafflement for much of the episode, not to mention that Noel’s role is slightly redundant with the introduction of Elle’s (Jaye Griffith) Star Wars style self-service check-ins for patients.

Programme Name: Casualty 30 - Series 31 - TX: 26/11/2016 - Episode: Casualty 30 13 (No. 13) - Picture Shows: Charlie Fairhead (DEREK THOMPSON), Lisa Duffin (CATHY SHIPTON), Dorothy - (C) BBC - Photographer: Alistair Heap
Picture Shows: Charlie Fairhead (DEREK THOMPSON), Lisa Duffin (CATHY SHIPTON), Dorothy – (C) BBC – Photographer: Alistair Heap

On the emergency side, drugs and night club crushes are at the heart of the programme. Dodgy dealings, a protective brother and drug-fuelled carelessness lead to a near-loss and the requirement for Psychiatric input. All of which was portrayed extremely realistically and I admit my heart was in my mouth when David took it upon himself to jump from a great height to be the hero of the hour. It’s a pity nobody saw him do it. Although there were plenty of witnesses about when he roared like a lion for Charlie, back at Holby!

There’s also more disapproving looks and comments from Dylan (Will Beck) as Sebastian is still not up to scratch. Looking forward to seeing how this mentorship is going to continue to play out.

 

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Casualty ‘Pride Comes Before A Fall’ ~ Episode Review

Rather a teasing episode if ever there was one, if you ask me! Ethan (George Rainsford) and Alicia (Chelsea Halfpenny) are thrown together in yet another hazardous situation when a medical academic is trapped. The interesting element of the interaction with this particular ‘patient’ is that her medical research currently involves investigations which look into Huntington’s among other conditions. Therefore it was ironic that it should be Ethan who was in charge of her case in this instalment. Not entirely coincidental, I’d wager!

Ethan has to be the strong and calm presence for Alicia as the de ja vu of their ‘underground adventure’ is almost too much for her. Their close proximity in a risky setting is the catalyst for their potential post-shift tryst, it’s just a pity that Alicia has had one too many Tequilas, topped up with French red wine!

Meanwhile, Connie (Amanda Mealing) and Jacob (Charles Venn) are still struggling to find an even keel while Grace’s (Emily Carey) fate is still rather dicey. Jacob is determined to be there for Connie and tries to help her to settle in back at home, but this is not going to be an easy feat and it looks like their rocky road is not set to improve any time soon. Amanda Mealing is still giving this storyline 110% and every scene is award-worthy at the moment.

To complete the carrot dangling on the relationship front? Charlie (Derek Thompson) has been invited to a school reunion which he is extremely reluctant to attend, but Duffy (Cath Shipton) is close at hand to give him a much needed ego boost. Just get together, already, you two! Flirting from Duffy and a broad smile from Charlie indicates that this story line is only just getting going.

louise
Louise is on a mission to make a better relative’s room

Then there’s Louise (Azuka Oforka) who is determined to do her best with the relative’s room which she made her mark on in last week’s episode. Enlisting help from her colleagues, she’s setting about improving the facility. Louise is also continuing to collect small tokens of praise here and there which are designed to show her that she is a good nurse as well. It’s a positive turn for the easily demotivated character.

The verdict? I am enjoying the back-seat that the guest stars are taking right now, because it’s giving an opportunity for the main cast themselves to demonstrate what a talented ensemble they are. More of the same, please!

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Casualty ‘Fall On Me’ ~ Episode Review

The aftermath of the 30th anniversary episode was predictably harrowing, luckily Duffy (Cath Shipton) was still on hand to soothe the situation, and by the time the episode reached its finale, it looks like Charlie (Derek Thompson) has won £20!

A pitifully bruised and battered Connie (Amanda Mealing) is keeping an anxious vigil at Grace’s (Emily Carey) bedside, while Jacob (Charles Venn) is struggling to hold it together as his ‘world’ is crashing around him. One thing’s for sure, he’s in desperate need of the likes of Duffy to support the department while his mind is elsewhere. Similarly, Louise (Azuka Oforka) is not entirely of sound mind and required Nurse Duffin’s input when she kicks a sizeable hole in the relative’s room wall. Young Grace’s horrific accident has affected Louise deeply, although she’s reluctant to admit it.

Cath
Cath Shipton has made a welcome return as Duffy.

The two main storylines are excellently portrayed, first there’s Alicia (Chelsea Halfpenny) who is wrongly pointing the finger at her mother for adultery and makes the subsequent decision to have fun. Poor Ethan’s (George Rainsford) heart seems to be breaking a little bit, as the girl who saw him through the helicopter trauma seems hell-bent on debauchery.

Then there’s another diagnostic triumph for Dylan (Will Beck) when a mum-to-be is experiencing loud noises in her head and fears that she is suffering for Schizophrenia. It’s fortunate that Louise is not willing to accept the possibility of a mental health related diagnosis before ruling out physical health. Elle (Jaye Griffith) is rather too rash to judge, again and finds herself in the wake of Dylan’s expertise.

I found the episode was as beautifully shot as the first episode of the series and it lends an air of empathy and comfort to the overall ambience of the scenes. I have high hopes that this series is to be one of Casualty’s best.

Photo credits: BBC

 

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Casualty ‘What Lies Beneath’ ~ Episode Review

I must admit that this week I was completely embroiled in the storylines that surrounded the central characters, as opposed to the medical emergencies – oops!! However, I suspect that the script was leading me in that direction so I don’t feel too guilty for expressing that!

I think all viewers have been thinking along the same lines when it comes to Rita (Chloe Howman), and this week her lies have finally caught up with her and caught her out. She has already blackened the name of her ex, Mark, and Iain (Michael Stevenson) is led to believe that Rita’s black eye is also his handiwork. Naturally, Iain is disgusted when he learns the truth and Rita is also forced to admit that her car damage was not Mark’s fault, either. It seems any friendship left between the pair is effectively over. What I’ve particularly enjoyed during this plot has been the character development for Iain, Michael Stevenson has brought out some new dimensions to the Paramedic and I can see this fall out with Rita leading him down a dark path.

rita
Rita’s lost Iain for good. Has she lost the respect of her colleagues, too?

 

So, while one couple’s relationship looks to be beyond repair, another couple of reconciling! Fans of Connie (Amanda Mealing) and Jacob (Charles Venn) have whooped for joy to see the no-nonsense Consultant and self-assured nurse seemingly back on track. Jacob’s presentation day the ‘gun-shot policy’ is looming and he isn’t as confident about it as we have come to know one of our favourite nurses to be. However, with Mrs Beauchamp’s daughter more interested in her own little bubble and friends, the love-torn Consultant is setting her sights firmly back on her nurse. Whether the couple will be back to behaving like strangers again by the time we get to the next episode? That remains to be seen, but I hope not, the chemistry between them is undeniable and Amanda Mealing works brilliantly with Charles Venn, in my opinion.

Overall, this episode lacked the impact of the previous weeks, but as that was 1000th episode, I think all can be forgiven!

Photos Credited to BBC

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