It’s the penultimate episode of Good Sam‘s first season, and things are getting heated! The board makes multiple decisions, some good and some bad. Meanwhile, Griff and Vivian deal with the fallout of their one-night stand as Joey gets to the bottom of who Tim cheated on him with.
Keep reading to find out what happened in “The Griffith Technique.”
Mindless Indiscretion
Following their … regrettable night together, Vivian immediately realizes what she’s done with her ex. Griff is calmer, though, as Vivian frantically tries to get ready. Vivian doesn’t want her whole life to blow up because of some “mindless indiscretion” with her ex-husband. She wants them to forget this ever happened.
Meanwhile, Sam knocks on the door as her parents finish getting dressed, now more stressed knowing that their daughter is right outside. She comes in, and Vivian and Griff act like nothing happened.
Don’t Mix Personal With Professional
Lex tells Griff that they are over because she saw him with Vivian. Griff tries to explain himself, but Lex won’t hear it. Sam tries to get Griff to tell her what’s wrong with Lex, but he pushes it off like he doesn’t know. But he’s more so asking her to keep personal and professional separate.
Unfortunately, Asher puts two-and-two together from two empty wine glasses, and the guilty look on Vivian’s face and figures that she and Griff spent the night together. News slowly spreads and reaches Donna, who tells a very curious Caleb and Joey.
When Sam catches up with Joey and Caleb, it’s clear that there is something wrong. Joey tells her that Griff shouldn’t be chief (more on that below) because they are not following him after what he did to Lex. They both are hesitant to tell Sam, and after a quick look at Donna, who returns it, we cut to Sam confronting her parents.
Sam tells Griff that the residents don’t want to follow him since he hurt their friend, but given that Sam is still technically the chief, Griff tells her she should get them in line. Vivian tries to explain to her daughter after Griff leaves, but Sam cares about helping her mother professionally, considering Lex did not deserve this.
Griff later admits to Lex that what they had was good and he blew it.
“You know what was good? What Sam and I had. That was good.”
Lex doubled down on them and it cost her her friendship. She says she’s the one who blew it.
Asher confronts Griff and tells him he shouldn’t have slept with his wife. He’s spent enough time with Griff to know what’s behind those walls. He knows the truth. He knows what Griff really is; a petty, weak, insecure “little man clinging onto things he has already lost.”
“And everyone knows it but him.”
The Board’s Decision
The hospital board has made their decision on Griff and the accident, and he is cleared. There was no disciplinary action against him, considering he was not on shift; there was no arrest or police records. No need for further action. Unfortunately, the relief doesn’t last long.
Vivian gets a call from the board as they have been discussing her role in the accident since she was on duty that night. When she took the paramedic’s report, Vivian violated her terms of employment. They are required to take action. Vivian has been relieved of her duties as CMO.
The board is set to formally review the case at the next staffing session in a few months. Griff offers to call Byron to see where he stands on this, and Sam volunteers to gather signatures and letters from every department head in the hospital. Now that Griff’s proctorship is done, Sam says he can run the department since the vote is next week and it’s about to be official.
The board makes one more decision, and that is revoking Tina Kingsley’s seat. Her replacement? Malcolm. He knows the place, the finances. He told them it should be him, and the board agreed. Malcolm’s first order of business is helping Sam get her mother back. If he can finally get the clinic approved, he needs Vivian to see it through. Sam happily gives Malcolm the letters she got on her mom’s behalf to give to the board.
The board will hear Vivian’s case on the condition that the interim CMO signs off on her appeal. The interim CMO being Rhonda, who was gunning for Vivian’s job. Sam asks for Rhonda’s help, but she is less than willing. She says that Vivian abused her power for too long. It’s time for a change.
The Chief is Back
Griff doesn’t take long to transition back into his old position, telling Caleb to prepare for rounds instead of “reclining like a renaissance nude.” Sam tries to call Isan, who took a personal day, and Griff snatches the phone from her and tells him that if he doesn’t want to be there, there’s a long line of people waiting to take his place.
“This is not a wellness retreat. We’re not here to talk about your feelings.”
Lex comes in and tells Griff that he doesn’t care about people’s feelings. The new chief is the same as the old chief.
“He doesn’t care about anybody else but himself.”
Griff is using his chief powers to good use as he bumped a patient to the front of the line for radiology. Something even Sam never did.
After word gets out about Griff and Vivian, Joey and Caleb don’t want to work with him. Following the confrontation with her parents, Sam tells the residents that her father hears their concerns and that he hopes that they can put aside their personal differences and respect his authority “for the greater good.” When Sam sees that they are still not on the same page, she sends Joey down to the ER so he can keep an eye out for Lex in case she needs someone to talk to.
“Happy to jump ship before it sinks.”
A Mess in the ER
Kace is worried about Tim and Joey’s relationship, regretting the time he spent with Tim since he didn’t know they were together. Lex doesn’t want to get in the middle of this, but knowing what happened doesn’t help.
Now with Joey in the ER to keep an eye on Lex, Joey makes it his mission to find out who Tim cheated with. Lex tries to tell him that knowing who Griff cheated with doesn’t help, but Joey says it’ll help him. Since Tim told him it happened at a work party, Joey starts to investigate and round up a list of suspects.
After needing a CT consult for a patient, Griff is the one who comes down to the ER, much to Lex’s dismay. As if that wasn’t enough, Joey finds out that Kace is the one who Tim cheated with. Joey takes Kace’s stethoscope since it’s something that belongs to him, and Lex takes it from him and gives it back to Kace. Kace thinks that Lex told him and Joey feels betrayed knowing that she knew. Joey tells Lex that he’s just as evil as Kace is, but Griff tries to defend her. Lex doesn’t like him defending her. Griff clears his throat, and Vega is standing by the counter, seeing it all go down. He kicks Joey out of the ER and he tells Griff where the patient is.
The next schedule comes out, and Lex is not very happy with it. She tells Vega that was not her drama he saw, though she was able to keep her personal life in check. And if he had any idea how hard that was, he might appreciate that she still gave it everything she had. Lex is now back on nights, and after hearing her out, Vega asks for her preference and tells her that Kace can have nights.
Change of Plans
Caleb finally tells Sam about him applying for Harbor Memorial after a doctor who works there comes out to interview him for the residency program. He admits that it feels like they’re going backwards with Griff in charge again.
“Don’t let me hold you up.”
After getting some solid (and punny) advice from Malcolm, Sam realizes she needs to change things instead of waiting for them to change. Unfortunately, Caleb takes that same advice and asks Sam for a letter of recommendation for the Boston job. He and Sam are likely over.
It was a successful day for Sam after doing a surgery involving the Griffith technique, and Rhonda wants her to do interviews for medical journals. In return, Rhonda will talk to the board about Vivian. Griff doesn’t like the fact that she’s stealing his technique like she stole his job. Things are never going to change unless Sam changes them. She tells Griff she’s taking the department back.
“I am taking it back for good.”
Sam visits Lex with a bottle of wine to be there for her friend. Their friendship would have never gotten stronger if it wasn’t for him. They sit and talk and sip wine and listen to Sam’s interview like the two best friends they have always been.
Meanwhile, Joey finds Tim sleeping in the ambulance, still not knowing what to do. He closes the doors and admits that he’s still angry. However, he immediately starts making out with Tim.
Griff listens to Sam’s interview, her officially deciding to take back the department, and he throws a glass towards the camera.
The Cases of the Week
CT Department:
Tanya White comes in with shortness of breath and she gets tired easily. Sam comments on Tanya’s painted nails, and she mentions that underneath, they look like they’re dirty even when they’re clean. Griff asks if she has cracked nails, and she does. Sam tells her that what looks like dirt could be something called “splinter hemorrhages.” Debris thrown from inside the heart that collects in the extremities, usually caused by a mass.
After taking Tanya to imaging, it’s found out she has atrial myxoma. Also known as the Loch Ness monster of tumors. The tumor is getting riskier to remove, so Griff suggests the Griffith technique. A theory about a technique. Cryoablation, liquid nitrogen. It kills the tumor while avoiding the risk of taking away too much tissue. It’s never been done, so Caleb figures they can try to replicate the surgery in a virtual environment to do many trials.
Griff has yet to master the Griffth technique, though the pressure might be on after he talked to a medical journal about the patient. Sam tells her father that he is the problem. The department is falling apart. Griff tells Sam that she stepped aside because he is the better chief. And what he says goes.
“Because I’m the chief.”
Tanya’s tumor grows even more to block her tricuspid valve, and it’s going to keep growing unless they get it out of there. While in surgery, Sam decides to go with the Griffith technique instead of the traditional procedure, as she was able to master it a few times in the SIM lab. And it’s a success.
The ER:
Brian Jenkins, an 11-year-old with blunt chest trauma after a skateboarding accident, is brought in. Brian’s brother, Cameron, tells Lex and Kace that he wasn’t skateboarding but instead either running or climbing. His heart rate is spiking, and whatever happened, it did not come from climbing a fence.
After the LV fails to work, Vega has no choice but to take Brian to surgery. Lex tells Cameron and their mother that out of all the kids they see, his brother is the only one she’s ever seen without so much as a scraped knee. She doesn’t think Brian fell. She knows Cameron is trying to look out for Brian, and she bets that’s hard with their dad gone. But she needs him to tell her what happened.
Turns out the boys were vaping, and Cameron thought Brian was having an allergic reaction. He has a genetic condition (that is far too long and unpronounceable). Vega’s running tests to confirm, but Lex thinks it’s what killed their father. Griff puts Brian on a temporary assist until his heart recovers.
Don’t miss the season 1 finale of Good Sam on CBS on Wednesday, May 4 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Stay tuned for our continued coverage on the series, including episodic recaps and more!
