I was excited when I first heard about this show. After watching the first episode, I was disappointed. The acting is lousy and the military aspect lacks authenticity which leads me to question who they used for a military adviser. They've glamorized a few doctors in this show, but where are the medics, nurses and PAs?
This is one of the very few combat/hospital type shows I actually love. The acting is first rate coming from Elias Koteas, Gord Rand and Adam Beach. I was very reticent to like Michelle Borth because she seemed at first to be just a typical 'Hollywood' actress, but she grew on me within moments. Terry Chen and Luke Mably, even though I hate the character of Simon, also grew on me. The first episode was quite good and the rest of the series built on that.
As for the military aspects, was MASH really correct in terms of a) the irreverence of the doctors, and b) the fact the show lasted nine years longer than the actual Korean War did?
As for the medics and the nurses and PAs, they've been shown. Susy, Pam and Audrey including Graham are all quite good representations of the nurses. The medics are shown vis a vis the two chopper jocks. What you're not getting is that isn't "Emergency" for the Afghani war. This is a story about the hospital at Kandahar not about the others you mentioned. And yes, the doctors are good and should be glamourized no differently than they have on "Grey's Anatomy" or "Private Practice". Because in the end, this is still an hour long drama show like the two I previously mentioned. But the acting is above par due to the fact that most of the cast and crew are Canadian with the exception of Borth, Mably and Jetooa.
I used to watch the show "Tour of Duty" which for the most part got everything right in terms of the aspects of the Vietnam War, but I got sick and tired of the jingoism of the show. And I would hardly have called "China Beach" 100% accurate. It was largely a soap opera set to Vietnam with a buch of clucky women sitting around being all clucky about the men in their lives.
The creator of "Combat Hospital" spent some time at the actual hospital in Kandahar and wrote what he saw and was given access to all aspects of the hospital by the Canadian forces that were stationed there. I suppose I should have asked you if you are anything else but Canadian because that's who is being covered in this show. We here in Canada have a different outlook on things and the show is giving an aspect of this current war that someone in the United States wouldn't understand if you're not Canadian. From all aspects of the Canadian view, it is accurate.
"Sometimes my ruminations are too confusing for someone not inside my head." -Anon
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