Good Sam Review: Family/Business (Season 1 Episode 11)

The dramatic twists on Good Sam Season 1 Episode 11, “Family/Business,” struggle to create emotional resonance due to a lack of fundamental character development.

As this medical drama barrels towards its first season finale, the supposedly devastating revelations and plot twists appear more frequently.

However, most of them don’t stick the landing because Good Sam keeps its cards too close to its chest for too long — especially with Isan, Joey, and Malcolm.

Griff’s narrative is one of the few that’s pacing works with the retrospect of the season thus far. Griff’s acceptance of the past and his role in the accident has an emotional payoff because of the journey Good Sam allows him to experience.

The series follows Griff through personal and medical highs and lows while honing in on the impacts those have on him, Sam, Vivian, and sometimes Lex.

Good Sam‘s naturally focuses on Sam, Griff, and their family since the family/business stems directly from them.

That choice has narrative advantages, but its disadvantages are unavoidable.

“Family/Business” dials up Joey and Isan’s absurd argument as tensions rise at Lakeshore because Tina threatens to sell the hospital.

Unfortunately, Good Sam never gets to know Joey and Isan — separately or together — well enough for their argument to have any personal stakes.

Subsequently, it’s challenging to have any sympathy for Isan when he refuses to stay in the OR during surgery. Instead, Isan becomes more unprofessional than Joey because at least Joey completes his portion of the operation.

Good Sam is so invested in the professional competition that it often neglects the necessary storytelling element to care about the characters first and foremost.

The competition doesn’t matter if the characters don’t matter first, and, unfortunately, this season has completely unbalanced approaches to its supporting characters.

Another example of this comes from the supposed bombshell reveal that Eric is the man Tim cheated on Joey with just before their wedding.

This reveal could have been a perfect, jaw-dropping moment if Good Sam had chronicled more of Joey and Tim’s relationship prior, but it doesn’t.

So, it isn’t easy to invest in a romance on the rocks when the show never gives us a reason to believe it’s something that Joey and Tim should repair.

A few awkward scenes of Joey and Tim tiptoeing around each other at home could have helped this story. Similarly, spending some time with Isan outside of the hospital could benefit understanding his decisions.

Good Sam is bizarrely invested in keeping its characters confined to Lakeshore’s walls, and it’s stunting them as individuals and their relationships with each other.

This problem becomes a conundrum with Malcolm, Tina, and Byron.

Malcolm’s dynamics with his parents directly juxtapose Sam’s dynamics with her parents, yet Good Sam doesn’t give the former an ounce of the same attention.

Byron and Malcolm say they haven’t spoken to each other since their last confrontation. But, before that, the show doesn’t give much of a foundation to their familial history.

Their reconciliation during “Family/Business” should have a significant emotional payoff, like when Sam and Griff finally see eye to eye.

It should feel exciting to see Malcolm reconnect with his father after all this time. To some degree, it does, but it could be so much more.

The same is true when Malcolm says goodbye to Tina again. Her betrayal would sting more if Good Sam chronicled Tina’s attempts to reconcile with her son.

Instead, it turned her tunnel vision to Griff and controlling Lakeshore, which is a conscious decision that speaks to her need for financial agency and revenge.

Tina’s rivalry with Bryon and Griff is clearly defined, but her relationship with her son isn’t. That distinction is concerning since her rift with Griff no longer holds bearings, and Byron is barely on the show.

On the other hand, Malcolm is relatively present on Good Sam, so the emotional and psychological significance of his mother leaving him again deserves exploration.

Good Sam didn’t give Malcolm ample time to explore his relationship with his parents before things turned on their head, so ideally, it should follow Malcolm’s reaction to the aftermath.

This strikingly unbalanced storytelling is strange, considering Good Sam is good at other emotional beats.

The turning of the tables with Caleb and Sam is an intriguing way to test the boundaries of their newfound relationship. Also, it’s an excellent way to bookend the season since the series started with Sam presenting a similar offer to Caleb.

Lex learning about Griff and Vivian’s affair before either one can own up to the infidelity creates drama around yet another secret shared by the pair. Again, this is another great bookend — despite the confusing motivations for the affair.

Most importantly, both forces create significant changes in Sam and Lex’s lives, hopefully bringing them closer before Good Sam‘s first season ends.

After all, their endlessly complex, fragile, and special friendship is one of the best things about this medical drama.

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

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