Council of Dads Review: Heart Medicine (Season 1 Episode 6)

What makes the Perry family and the Council so compelling to watch is the natural way in which they take us through their lives and their struggles. Council of Dads Season 1 Episode 6, “Heart Medicine,” is upsetting enough being about Charlotte and her health scare, but then to factor in everyone coming to terms with how their own hearts are hurting is a powerful bit of television.

Maybe I am biased a bit about the stories being told on this show because I’ve been in these kids’ shoes with regards to losing a father, but that is what makes this show great. It has its niche of viewers, but still manages to make the stories wide enough that they can draw in the attention of anyone whether they’ve suffered a big loss or not.

It does make everything more emotional if you are in the “Dead Parents Club,” but it doesn’t exclude you if you are not. People can relate to that feeling of having a broken heart when you lose out on something — or someone — in your life. Council of Dads manages to take those feelings and mold them into a story about this family that is suffering and healing with help from one another.

The most powerful aspect of “Heart Medicine” are the scenes with Charlotte and Scott when she’s under anesthesia. Wouldn’t we all love an opportunity to have a visual conversation with the one we’ve lost and loved?

This form of storytelling gives the viewer a clearer picture of what is going on inside Charlotte’s mind without the bogged down feeling of making it all a conversation. Yes, she is having a conversation with her dead father, but ultimately she’s not really conversing at all.  

It’s hard for a television show to convey an emotion being held back by a character without having to spell it out fully, but this show is one of the few that manages it beautifully. Charlotte converses with her father about how much she misses him and how much people don’t understand her, while in turn, he tells her to let others love her.

There is no specific spelling out of her deepest secret, but it’s all there in the contextual clues. Scott is there consistently listening and letting Charlotte lead the conversation while having her back — as she explained to her mother prior to going into surgery. 

He keeps referencing one red heart, which is her favorite card from when they first adopt her and she starts learning English. That reference alone packs a punch much bigger than the end of the episode when they let Scott go. 

Scott: I’m always here Char Char. Remember one red heart.

Most of the time, television emotional punches come from a combination of words and visuals. However, once we know the meaning of one red heart, the mention of it alone has our hearts aching. 

Maybe that is the point — one red heart is a symbol for all of us that no matter our pain and despair we all have one red heart.

The other zinger of “Heart Medicine” is the writer’s subtle approach to revealing just how important Charlotte is to the rest of the family. Up until now, she has been the quieter, more optimistic member of the family.

The focus has never really been on her but she’s been there in the shadows — lurking. Now, we realize it’s because Charlotte is the glue of this family. 

She is the one making sure that everyone else is doing okay ahead of her own needs. She’s there to comfort and protect even when she herself is struggling to make sense of a world now turned topsy-turvy.

The way Council of Dads handles Charlotte’s coming out is well thought out and respectful. It isn’t used as an anthem for the episode, but rather a bookend to a nice story on healing.

None of the characters immediately flock her and commend her for being “brave” or whatever other superlative shows usually place in coming out scenes. All in all, it’s just another moment, nothing big.

In fact, the way they time it to where she comes out as they are spreading Scott’s ashes is absolutely perfect. It allows her to live her truth and allow those around her to love her but it doesn’t take away from the monumental step of letting Scott go. 

This family has been openly grieving him for months now and to finally have Charlotte be the one to lead the charge on spreading his ashes in the water by their house is indicative of Charlotte’s role in the family. 

They say that music can make or break a scene. Well, using “I’ll Rise Up” by Andra Day really shows that this isn’t the end of The Perry Family — it’s a new beginning. 

That’s another super gut punch too — realizing this family can take anything life has to throw at them because they are united and strong.

Council of Stray Thoughts:

• Okay, when is the Anthony is the father of Luly secret going to come to light?
• Once again, I know the writers are trying to get us to care about Luly’s adoptive parents, but their significance is still lost on me.
• While it’s sweet to think that Peter and Oliver want to expand their family, they need to work on the one they have first.
• Jules is great for Theo. I’m glad he has someone he can turn to that understands without trying to fix.

 

What did you think of this episode of Council of Dads? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Council of Dads airs Thursdays at 8/7c on NBC.

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