Good Sam Review: Chronic Insult (Season 1 Episode 7)

Good Sam Season 1 Episode 7, “Chronic Insult,” gives some of its characters space for a new level of introspection. Doing so takes them to new places emotionally while driving the narrative forward dramatically.

The stakes at Lakeshore continue to rise, but they’re starting to pivot away from Griff and Sam’s competition and towards the characters’ interpersonal relationships.

For example, “Chronic Insult” brings Tina Kingsley to town, and while she has plenty of work to do at the hospital, the bulk of her most effective scenes are with Malcolm.

There aren’t many words shared between the two, but Victoria Rowell and Edwin Hodge put so much raw emotion behind the few they share.

So much of this episode hinges on Sam confronting her selfishness, and it’s intriguing to watch how Good Sam turns to other characters as she does so.

Malcolm is more than deserving of that spotlight, as he is shouldering so much. But, until now, a lot of that gets lost in Sam’s competition with her father.

Hopefully, the show will continue in this direction and allow Malcolm and Tina the same depth it grants Sam and Griff — even Sam and Vivian.

Regardless of it follows through on that or not, essentially every character on Good Sam would be better off for admitting that separating the professional and personal is virtually impossible when both are so intricately intertwined.

The moment they confront such is when the characters will be free to navigate their stories in a different direction than constant generational differences. The show’s dedication to relaying such is admirable, though, because of its prevalence in society.

Nevertheless, “Chronic Insult” proves it can weave that tension into its stories without being heavy-handed.

It does so through Griff’s refusal to report the reality of his side effects. His resistance has as much to do with his pride as it does with his future in medicine.

Instead of letting that set Sam and Griff back even further, it brings them together in the end — though through secrecy.

The instability in their newfound foundation doesn’t bode well for how long it will remain, but it will be intriguing to see Sam and Griff interact in a new way.

Additionally, this episode is refreshing for how it subverts the same pitfalls with the Sam, Lex, and Griff situation.

However, Good Sam still has yet to explain Lex and Griff’s compatibility to make any investment in their relationship worthwhile.

Where it’s challenging to know if that is intentional, it’s easy to comprehend the importance of Sam and Lex’s friendship. Moreover, it’s logical for their respective care for Griff to bring them together.

Good Sam taps into Shakespearean drama and the fundamentals of many great medical dramas and feel-good shows. So, it’s not shocking that Sam and Lex’s reunion, though fraught, is immensely poetic.

The person who is the catalyst in their friendship’s divide is the same person who brings them back together. It may be temporary, but the end of “Chronic Insult” proves that could be all Sam and Lex need to begin moving forward.

No matter the likability or success of Griff and Lex’s relationship, Good Sam keeps placing reminders into its episode that Sam and Lex’s friendship is worthy of as much nuanced storytelling as any other relationship.

This show’s dedication to a complicated female friendship remains a sight to see.

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Good Sam airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on CBS.

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