Three Rivers on CBS

By Ally Matteodo

The CBS medical drama Three Rivers gave viewers an in-depth look at the most advanced transplant hospital in the U.S. on June 12th at 8:00 p.m. ET, earning the title of Best TV Show of the Week. The team of surgeons at Three Rivers Regional includes Dr. Andy Yablonski, a leader whose sweet disposition, in combination with his impressive skill and intelligence, earn him many friends among his co-workers and patients.  In this episode, Andy takes over for Dr. Jordan as acting department head while she is away at a conference.  In her absence, he must decide whether to allow Dr. Miranda Foster to initiate a transplant procedure.  One of Miranda’s patients, a man named Bill, is facing a life on dialysis with the loss of his kidneys.  His wife, Candace, offers him one of hers, but unfortunately it’s not a match.  Miranda discovers that Candace is a perfect match for another person in the system however, and suggests that they enter a “daisy chain,” in which people who are not matches for their own family members are able to donate an organ to a patient they do match in a chain until their family member finds an exact match.  After a vote, Miranda is freed to go ahead with the chain, yet Ryan Abbot, the transplant coordinator, discovers a perfect match for Bill.  Even though the couple could bow out of the chain, and it would be safer for Candace who then would not need to undergo surgery, they decide to go through with it anyway, so as to help more people, and end the suffering and limbo they’re living with.  A prior patient, Scott Becker, also returns to Three Rivers for a checkup after a heart transplant six weeks prior.  Andy discovers Scott’s body is rejecting the heart, and in what appears to be miraculous good fortune, discovers another heart ready for transplant.  However, Scott’s body is unable to accept the new heart as well, and he perishes.  Visibly upset, Andy must tell Scott’s parents their son passed. 

In an age where many medical dramas are popular TV fare, it’s refreshing to see one without the graphic scenes common to many of the others.  For those who enjoy watching talented and kind-hearted doctors work hard to save people, Three Rivers is a treasure.  This show displays the extreme challenges that face doctors, and makes one appreciate caregivers in a whole new way.  In addition, Three Rivers genuinely focuses on the transplant and surgical teams work.  Without the usual complex romantic and sexual backstories common to medical dramas, the teams appear more proficient and actually seem to enjoy their work rather than being battered down by it.  It’s also rewarding to experience the transplant process from the different angles of the organ donors and recipients.  The “daisy chain” theme of this episode helps one understand what a huge difference donating an organ can make in another’s life.  It’s mind-boggling to realize that you have the power to take away the pain and worry of another human being through your own kindness and empathy.  Yet the lead character, Andy Yablonski, is perhaps arguably the best aspect of this show.  Compassionate, caring, and deeply gifted, Dr. Yablonski’s reassuring voice and masterful touch make us all yearn for a doctor with that level of adroitness and sympathy.    

Best TV Show of the Week

The Parents Television Council - www.parentstv.org