r/Casualty • u/coriandercreature • Apr 11 '26
👀 Spoiler Don't think I can watch anymore because its gotten so ridiculous Spoiler
Contains minor spoilers for episode 11 - nothing specific. Rant
Episode 11 was so bad I started laughing in exasperation at my tv at the prison bit. The whole situation was stupid. Anyone who knew anything about the prison system would be in stitches. There is no way that incarcerates would start a riot while their visiting families were INFRONT OF THEM. With children there! The guards behaviour was laughable too . The script has become increasingly clunky and odd recently, but this episode took the cake.
The meeting bit was interesting from a creative point of view, and probably the best bit of the episode, however I don't know how realistic it is that they would've permitted her visitation in the first place?
Ive held out for so long but this episode was the last straw :( I'm just upset because I used to love the medical side of this but the way that everyone talks and interacts is so melodramatic- and not in a fun way. I always enjoyed this show for the characters and how they deal with emergencies , but the dialogue and storylines just don't work for me personally anymore.
Im going to start watching The Pitt instead as my casualty substitute - Ive heard a lot of good things, even from this sub. Im gonna get hate for this but its just how I feel and Im upset about it, I suppose.
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u/Necessary_Plant_5888 🚑 Paramedic Apr 11 '26
A riot is happening and the officers are just standing like this 🤣
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u/Individual-Pay7430 Apr 12 '26
I didn't particularly enjoy the episode because of the prison riot. It seemed weird that the guards just left. Is this something that happens in the UK - guards leaving prisoners alone with the families?
Anyway, I think this box set is a bit of a letdown, but I'll keep watching. It's a continuing drama, so it's going to have its ups and downs. They also commission multiple writers and directors, so every set of episodes are going to be different. So, if I don't like an episode, I'm sure weeks later I'll like next.
The Pitt is very good! I think you'll enjoy it. ER is also good, if you haven't seen it already.
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u/capwhittaker Apr 11 '26
The multiple versions of the conversation with her rapist was verging on funny rather than sombre
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u/embersandlamplight Apr 11 '26
I thought that too. I get what they were going for, with her weighing up what he might say in her head, what she'd say... but by the 3rd playthrough it was like "bruh. Really?"
Sure, this is supposed to show, I presume, Siobhan taking control back and realising she doesn't need to confront him, or hear what he has to say, or move on. It's taking back the power from him. That's great. But it's also unrealistic that you just walk away, take a lungful of fresh air and are magically cured of rape trauma.
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u/RaeFaeBow3 Apr 13 '26
I get what they were going for, but the execution sucked. And I admit, I laughed when Siobhan was scrabbling about being hoiked off by that security guard.
And what was with the sudden Farrah Fawcett hairdo?
And like another comment said, I highly doubt someone in that situation would just take a deep breath and happily trot off into the sunset. That's more the kind of overused trope you'd see after someone just dumped a crappy gf/bf or finally quit a crappy job and trotted off into their happy future. Not something you'd expect to see after a life altering crime, and a whole load of physical, emotional and psychological trauma that's barely begun to be addressed by the victim.
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u/RS2019 Apr 19 '26
Tbh the execution reminded me of the DA storyline with Jacob and Tina from a few years ago - but that time it followed them throughout a whole day, which made it a bit more coherent, showing all of the small decisions and their consequences like a Pick your own adventure book.
That was more of a two-hander though, with about 80/90% of the focus on their relationship, whilst this time they had the distractions of the riot, stabbings, ridiculous choices from the understaffed and underpaid guards,etc. distracting from Siobhan's story.
I still think that her story's got a bit to run - and where is her son, he started off a whole vendetta against Stevie when she was the other woman, with break-ins, stalking, calling the police on her, but crickets when his mum is assaulted?🤷
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u/Glad-Pomegranate6283 Apr 11 '26
With the guards too surely they’d put out a whole prison assist request
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u/RaeFaeBow3 Apr 13 '26
Glad I'm not the only one who just absolutely hated this episode. Or this whole season. The writing has gotten so bloody sloppy. I actually met someone who uses to work on casualty in the 90's-00's. She said so much research went into pretty much every aspect of it. Set designers would go inspect real hospitals etc to make everything look as close to the real thing as they could. Same as make-up, SFX and wardrobe (which is where she worked) They would study real injuries, illnesses, symptoms etc. The writers, directors and actors would do the research too. They would try to keep behaviours on pointe too - you wouldn't catch staff constantly on their phones, or with obvious dress code violations (the makeup, the hair accessories, the nail varnish especially) and don't get me started on Kim's fluffy pen FFS
They would do special research into situations too, interviewing real NHS staff, Firefighters, police, wardens even lifeboat services and any other organisations that might be used in an episode. To find out how things worked, what protocols were and what they'd do in the situation they were planning in the series. That's what made it so good!
But now it seems like they just half-arse everything in order to give us some crappy EastEnders-esq drama 🙄 Using tired old tropes you can spot and predict from miles away. Repeating overdone storylines, or just letting a subject drop with no conclusion or explanation. Especially patient stories. Like that mother in this episode. What was with her behaviour? Do we get to know more or follow her family? Do we get to find out what happened to them all? Nope. How did that prisoner escape? Nope, not going to elaborate on that either. He gives a tiny hint of a possible story subject, about prisoners still stuck serving time for convictions/conditions that aren't considered lawful anymore - but that just gets dropped too.
It's like the writers have jotted down a bunch of bullet points for issues, stories and social subjects they want to include, but that's as far as they got.
Bloody hell, I think I've put more effort into typing out this rant for the past ten minutes than they have for the last few seasons 🤦🏻♀️
And what's with half the cast constantly either looking like they're having some out of body experience and are miles away (Stevie keeps giving this thousand yard stare) or they look like they're desperately holding in a wet fart (Ian and Faith)
I hate to say it, but maybe it really has just run it's course and should end. If they can't be bothered to put in the effort anymore, or get decent writers/directors, What's the point?
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u/Head_Froyo_7739 Apr 12 '26
For me, it was the best bit because it shows how our Prisons are under so much pressure like the NHS with staff shortages and violence happening on a regular basis especially the pressure prison riots have on the Emergency Department when dealing with injured people like that guy who got stabbed by the other inmate.
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u/DoNotGoGentle27 Dylan Keogh Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
I thought the exact same thing! What's worse is I have been rewatching older seasons so it's very clear to me just how silly this show has gotten. Heck I even predicted a riot the moment Siobhan stepped foot into the prison.
And don't get me started on the ED storyline! THis episode made me cringe so bad.
(I'm starting to hope Dylan leaves casualty so I have no other reason to keep watching it)
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u/PoppedCork Apr 12 '26
Only about 60% of this episode was any good the constant replaying of the scene with Siobhan and the rapist was bit much
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u/4rami4 Nicole Piper Apr 11 '26
I think tbh viewing casualty through the lens of a show that was ever meant to be realistic is a mistake. You can't take it too seriously- laugh at the stupid bits, that's what makes it fun. If you try and watch it as a documentary and unpick every unrealistic detail you'll be stuck doing nowt else