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St. Elsewhere:Bypass [VHS]

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"Bypass" is the second episode from the first season of "St. Elsewhere," the critically acclaimed series that changed forever the medical shows on television. "E.R." made it to the top of the Nielsen ratings, but "St. Elsewhere" was the show that opened to door to doctors being seen more realistically than what we were used to with "Marcus Welby, M.D." and "Medical Center." I remember driving this home in a television class when we too the multi-episode plot line on "St. Elsewhere" involving the heart transplant and turned it into a "Medical Center" episode during a class discussion. I was sort of hoping that "Bypass" was the unforgettable episode from that run where the heart transplant was performed, but it is not.

Of course there are multiple plot lines going on in "Bypass," but the main one has Dr. Jack Morrison (David Morse) having to treat the bank bomber, Andrew Reinhardt (a young Tim Robbins). Meanwhile Stephen MacAllister (Jack Bannon), the husband of one of the bomber's victims, shows up at St. Eligus to find his wife in a coma. Unfortunately the rather memorable resolution of this particular plotline is not found on this tape (it comes in episode 4, "Cora and Arnie," and if you go for the "Best of" video series you can get both episodes on one tape). The other plot lines find Dr. Mark Craig (William Daniels) badgering a patient into agreeing to surgery in another effort to get publicity for the hospital, Dr. Ben Samuels (David Birney) trying to teach Dr. Beale (G. W. Bailey) to swim, and Laraine Newman of "Saturday Night Live" as a patient called "Tweety."

This episode, co-written by series creators Joshua Brand and John Falsey, originally aired on November 9, 1982. Hard to believe that it has been over two decades since "St. Elsewhere" went on the air and as "'Hill Street Blues' set in a hospital.'" On the basis of the pilot episode and this second effort Dr. Morrison is clearly the focal character (the Anthony Edwards of his generation) but you also have clear evidence of the quirky humor of the series. For those who reduce this series, one of the best television dramas ever, to being the first place where future Oscar winner Denzel Washington made a name for himself, there is the added bonus on another future Oscar winner with Tim Robbins guest-starring in this one.