Malpractice episode one was every bit as gripping as we’d hoped it would be, and a scary portrayal of how bad things can go wrong in an overstretched and understaffed NHS hospital.
Viewers saw Dr Lucinda Edwards (Niamh Algar) endure the work shift from hell, which ended tragically with the death of a patient. But was she to blame? Or was it just a tragic accident?
At first, our sympathies were one hundred per cent with Lucinda, who was faced with an impossible task – unable to be in two places at one time, she had to leave an overdose patient in the hands of her trainee.
In horrifying scenes, the overdose patient Edith died, and an investigation was subsequently launched. Meanwhile, it became apparent that Lucinda wasn’t as squeaky clean as we first thought…
Here are the 5 burning questions we need answering after watching Malpractice episode one on ITV.
***Warning: spoilers from episode one of Malpractice ahead***
Is Dr Lucinda Edwards to blame for Edith’s death?
The MIU – Malpractice Investigation Unit – launched an investigation into Dr Lucinda Edwards after the death of a patient in her care. Edith died, probably due to being left with Lucinda’s trainee doctor Dr Ramya Morgan. While Lucinda dealt with a gunshot wound injury on another patient, she issued instructions to Morgan – who clearly was massively out of her depth.
On paper, Morgan was most likely to blame, but the buck stops with the most superior member of staff on duty – Lucinda. No thanks to top consultant Leo Harris (James Purefoy), who had popped home half an hour early to collect his son. If Leo had been at work, another pair of hands would most likely have saved Edith’s life…
And let’s not forget Matron Beth Relph (Hannah Walters) who told Lucinda not “to prioritise a junkie over a child”. A chain of unfortunate events, albeit preventable, could have saved Edith’s life.
However, throw in Lucinda’s possible drug addiction, and her co-dependent relationship with GP Rob, and Lucinda certainly looks guilty of something…
Malpractice episode one: What is Lucinda hiding?
As episode one of Malpractice continued, it became increasingly obvious that Lucinda WAS hiding something. At the beginning of the episode, we saw her talking on the phone to Rose – later revealed to be Rob – and said to him: “Jesus, how was this happened again? I’m not doing this.”
We later discovered that Rob was Edith’s GP, and prescribing her “a little extra methadone” so she didn’t buy it off the streets. We assume he was taking money for the extra pills. And not for the first time. Lucinda made it clear there had been “other overdoses”.
However, during a heated discussion, Rob threatened: “Any investigation into me will end more than both of our careers. If the MIU goes crawling through my prescribing, it won’t just be Edith’s record that interests them.”
We learnt that Rob gives Lucinda pills “so she can do her job”. So has Rob been making Lucinda clean up his messes in exchange for pills of her own?
Did Lucinda know Edith? What set up did she have with Rob? Either way, it’s a very unethical way for a doctor to behave. Especially if she is an addict, as Rob suggested…
Malpractice episode one: Is Dr Morgan the villain of Malpractice?
Dr Morgan was portrayed as a trainee junior doctor with more than a little attitude. And a reluctance to actually do her job. So far, no likey. Should she even be a trainee doctor?
Her attitude didn’t make us hopeful about the next time we have to go to A&E… Should we be blaming her, if anyone, for the death of Edith?
Why did Lucinda take so much time off during Covid?
During the course of Malpractice episode one, we learnt that Dr Lucinda Edwards took several months off during Covid. But why?
We now know that she is taking medication for something. Did she have a mental health breakdown? In which case, why is she hiding the pills from her husband?
Is she an addict? And, if so, is this affecting her job?
Is Rob dead?
At the end of Malpractice episode one, Dr Lucinda Edwards told Rob she was going to come clean about her involvement in Rob’s little extra-prescription sideline. Something he took badly.
She told him: “I am so done with doing favours for you.” In response, Rob threatened to tell her bosses she’s an “addict”. Something she denied.
During a scuffle, Lucinda pushed Rob away – into the path of a car.
If Rob is dead, this could actually make life easier for Lucinda as she could blame everything on him. But could his death mean police will go through his files?
It’s looking pretty dicey for Lucinda, a woman already on the brink.
Read more: Malpractice on ITV1: Everything you need to know about ‘nail-biting medical thriller’
Malpractice continues with episode two on Sunday, April 30, 2023 at 9pm on ITV1. All episodes are now available to watch on ITVX.
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