Mercy Street (TV series)

Mercy Street
Genre Period medical drama
Created by
Composer(s) David Buckley
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 6
Production
Executive producer(s)
Producer(s) David A. Rosemont
Location(s) Petersburg, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Cinematography Stephen St. John
Feliks Parnell
Editor(s) Sue Blainey
Ted Feuerman
Running time 54 minutes
Production company(s)
  • Lone Wolf Media
  • Remainder Men
  • Scott Free Productions
Release
Original network PBS
Original release January 14, 2016 (2016-01-14) – present
External links
Website

Mercy Street is an American period medical drama television series created by Lisa Wolfinger and David Zabel. It is set during the Civil War and follows two volunteer nurses from opposing sides who work at the Mansion House Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia.[1] The first season of six episodes premiered on-demand on January 14, and made its broadcast debut on January 17 on PBS, concluding its run on February 21, 2016.[2]

PBS announced in early March 2016 that Mercy Street had been renewed for a second season.[3]

Cast and characters

Production

The series is created by Lisa Wolfinger and David Zabel and inspired by memoirs and letters of actual doctors and female nurse volunteers at Mansion House Hospital.[1] The production consulted a number of experts, including James M. McPherson and Dr. Stanley Burns, for historical and medical accuracy.[4] Dr. Burns' The Burns Archive has a collection of photographs of wounded soldiers and operations, which helped inspire the show.[5]

The show is filmed in Petersburg, Virginia, largely in the Petersburg Old Town Historic District.[6] 250-300 extras are employed for each episode, pulled in equal parts from local theater around the Richmond region, and first timers alike.[7]

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"The New Nurse"[8]Roxann DawsonStory by : Lisa Q. Wolfinger & David Zabel
Teleplay by : David Zabel		January 14, 2016 (2016-01-14) (on-demand)
January 17, 2016 (broadcast)		3.30[9]
New England widow Mary is sent as the new head nurse to an Alexandria hotel owned by the Southern Green family which is repossessed as a Union military hospital, much to their disliking. Doctors Hale and Foster disagree on the use of modern medicine and whether to treat Confederate wounded soldiers with the same attention. The Green family's oldest daughter, Emma sneaks into the hospital to acquire news about her "beau" Frank Stringfellow and finds her little sister Alice's beau, Tom Fairfax instead. Free man Samuel Diggs secretly performs an emergency surgery that's covered up by Mary.
2"The Haversack"[10]Roxann DawsonDavid ZabelJanuary 24, 2016 (2016-01-24)N/A
Samuel is attracted to Aurelia, a contraband slave, but she is abused by the despotic hospital steward Silas Bullen, who promises to find her family for his own sexual needs. He also gets into an argument with Mary about the treatment of the patients. Emma is accepted as a volunteer nurse, and her little sister Alice learns that her beau Tom is a patient, yet in a desolate psychological state. Anne, once the most efficient nurse, feels threatened in her position by Mary and resorts to drinking. She plots against Mary with her lover Dr. Hale. Confederate slave hunters search for contraband slaves even though they are free in Alexandria, and Jimmy convinces his father to turn a blind eye on them to avoid trouble.
3"The Uniform"[11]Roxann DawsonAlex MetcalfJanuary 31, 2016 (2016-01-31)N/A
Jed passes his military medical exam and he is quickly put to the test when he has to treat his wounded brother who's a Confederate soldier. Mary discovers his morphine addiction and wants to help him through withdrawal. As Silas is not providing enough meals for the patients, Mary decides to start cooking the meals herself. Aurelia gets pregnant from Silas. Tom is still suffering and working with Henry. Frank arrives posing as a dentist assistant, while he is stealing military plans from the Union soldiers. Meanwhile, the Union demands an oath of allegiance from the Greens, but James decides against it.
4"The Belle Alliance"[12]Jeremy WebbJason RichmanFebruary 7, 2016 (2016-02-07)N/A
While Jed is going through withdrawal, Mary keeps him hidden from the others under the pretense that he is sick and contagious. The Greens are throwing a lavish Southern-style dinner party for the Union officers and James asks for some months more time to sign the oath of allegiance to the North. Frank breaks Tom out of the hospital during the party so he can join the Confederate troops again, but Tom cannot go back and is haunted by war, so he commits suicide. Meanwhile, Aurelia has seriously injured herself while performing her own abortion, and Mary calls Jed for help. He saves her with Samuel's assistance, and even though this procedure will cause her never to have children, she reveals that she already has a child; a son named Gabriel.
5"The Dead Room"[13]Jeremy WebbRob HanningFebruary 14, 2016 (2016-02-14)N/A
The medical inspector visits the hospital and decides to make Jed chief surgeon despite not wanting the job when Alfred is promoted. Tom's body is found and the Greens want a proper burial, and a funeral is held. However, in order to be allowed to bury him in the cemetery, James Sr. lies to the union officer about the oath of allegiance, and is later arrested. Aurelia tells Samuel that she is working for Silas because he promised to send her son to safety, but Samuel does not believe it. When three Union soldiers arrive and demand to know who took the provisions that were sent for their wounded brother, Silas tells them it was Samuel, while in reality it was Silas himself who kept them. Jed has to save Samuel from being lynched and Samuel has to leave town. Frank meets with John Wilkes Booth in Washington City. He returns and plots for an attack on President Lincoln when he visits the hospital.
6"The Diabolical Plot"[14]Jeremy WebbJason Richman & David ZabelFebruary 21, 2016 (2016-02-21)N/A
Jed wants to get rid of Silas, and also faces a strong opposition from Byron. When he orders Byron to follow medical scientific treatment standards instead of making patients suffer, Silas helps Byron to get rid of the needed chloroform used as anesthetics. James Sr. is still detained by the Union administration, and plans to wait for the Confederates to retake Alexandria. Jimmy plots to smuggle supplies to the Confederate troops, and Alice joins the Knights of the Golden Circle. However, when James Sr. is about to be transferred to the capitol prison, Jimmy officially signs the oath of allegiance. Frank helps to fill the basement of the hospital with explosives, and Silas becomes a casualty in their cause. However, when Frank sees Emma attending President Lincoln's visit despite his expressed instructions not to, he aborts the bombing to save her. Aurelia recovers and leaves the hospital to go to the North, but her trip is interrupted when she happily reunites with Samuel, who has brought her mother and seven-year-old son Gabriel.

Critical reception

The series has received generally positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, it has a score of 61/100, based on 19 reviews.[15] On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 75% based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10.[16]

References

  1. 1 2 "PBS Announces New American Drama Series Set in Virginia During the Civil War, The New Drama (Title TBD) Will Offer Unique Blend of Hospital Drama and Family Saga". The Futon Critic. January 19, 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  2. ↑ "PBS' Winter/Spring Season Features Endings, Beginnings and Awaited Returns". October 19, 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  3. ↑ "'Mercy Street' Renewed for Season 2 by PBS," by Brian Steinberg, Variety, March 6, 2016 http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/mercy-street-second-season-pbs-1201726283/
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 "New PBS American Drama "Mercy Street" to Star Josh Radnor, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Gary Cole, Peter Gerety and Norbert Leo Butz". The Futon Critic. April 29, 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "Sloan Science & Film". scienceandfilm.org. Retrieved 2016-05-27.
  6. ↑ "'Mercy Street' returns to Petersburg to film second season". progress-index.com. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
  7. ↑ "Life as a 'Mercy Street' extra". progress-index.com. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
  8. ↑ "Episode 1 – The New Nurses". PBS. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  9. ↑ http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/01/18/mercy-street-premieres-ahead-of-sherlock-on-pbs/
  10. ↑ "Episode 2 – The Haversack". PBS. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  11. ↑ "Episode 3 – The Uniform". PBS. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  12. ↑ "Episode 4 – The Belle Alliance". PBS. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  13. ↑ "Episode 5 – The Dead Room". PBS. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  14. ↑ "Episode 6 – The Diabolical Plot". PBS. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  15. ↑ Mercy Street at Metacritic
  16. ↑ Mercy Street at Rotten Tomatoes
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