This week’s episode of Red Band Society brought Doctor Naday to Ocean Park Hospital, and nothing else matters.

In Red Band Society season 1, episode 8, Adrian Lester made his debut as Dr. Naday. I think we can all agree that he livened up the show in many ways, and I hope he stays forever.

Oh, and some other things happened too. We’ll get into that.

Wakeup call

So Charlie (Griffin Gluck) has woken up from his coma. Er, sort of.

Guess they weren’t quite ready to get rid of those introspective voice-overs after all, so Charlie is now awake, unable to move… yet somehow still able to see and hear everything that happens in the hospital?! Suspend your disbelief at the door, please, and disconnect your question-asking devices.

Dash (Brian Bradley) also wakes up, with absolutely no drama. I gotta admit, I was really hoping that something more meaningful would come from him collapsing and waking up in Charlie’s dream hospital… instead, he just jumps out of bed and makes jokes about boobs.

And speaking of boobs: Leo (Charlie Rowe) is still trying to make this “red band society” thing trying to happen (mandatory Mean Girls reference, check), and arranges a field trip.

At least they didn’t go to a buffet

One of the most poignant things about this episode was how we, through Emma (Ciara Bravo)’s eyes, got to experience how big of a role food really plays in our daily lives.

First there’s the cheetos, which Emma actually eats. Then there’s hotdogs. And pizza. With all the pet store (seriously, who thought getting a pet for someone living in a hospital was a good idea?!) and strip club adventures, Emma just finds herself really overwhelmed, and it’s obvious that she’s far from okay.

Then a miracle happens: the boys are not allowed into the strip club. Thank god, because this storyline was already terrible enough as it was.

Then a very convoluted series of events occur, including the car getting towed and Leo’s leg beginning to bleed, all so that Emma and Jordi (Nolan Sotillo) are left to walk home alone.

That ultimately comes to nothing, though. I have to say, I prefer this pair to Leo/Emma (if Emma has to be involved with romance drama at all), so I had high hopes for this scene.

But all that happens is that Emma vocalises to Jordi what was already pretty obvious: that food is still kind of a problem for her. Insert ‘duh’ here.

The storyline does end with a touching scene though. Getting back to her room, Emma is confronted with yet more food. She breaks down, and Charlie’s final quote fits perfectly with her storyline: “The more we feel the need to control things, the more those things start to control us.”

The only problem is… Emma still seems perfectly fine without eating anything. That’s now how this works. But whatever.

“Oprah is a genius!”

Hunter (Daren Kagasoff) and Kara (Zoe Levin)’s flirting is interrupted when a cute girl runs into his arms. But don’t worry Kara, it’s just his sister Ashley (Jes Macallan). We know this because, well, misunderstandings are the cornerstones of quirky romances.

Brittany (Rebecca Rittenhouse) then randomly suggests a mindfulness exercise, which is hilarious. But Brittany is hilarious in general – one of the standout characters for sure.

Ashley crashes the party, and after the comedic mishap is cleared up, she explains to Kara that Hunter wasn’t always so cynical. He had leukemia when he was younger which caused his current cirrhosis. Which just really sucks.

But Ashley is super awesome, and asks Kara to help convince Hunter to accept half her liver. Sister of the year? I think so.

Kara confronts Hunter, telling him, “I’m not into idiots who turn down their sister’s liver.” Guys, Kara is evolving fast. I like it a lot. It probably means she’s gonna die, but at least when it happens, I’ll care.

Hunter tells her the sad story of how he lost his brother. “What if Ashley does this noble thing, and somehow it goes wrong?” he wonders.

This resonates with Kara, who explains to Ashley that Hunter’s choices are all he has left. Overhearing this, Hunter later finds Kara on the roof, and kisses her.

And you know, I kind of dig this ship. I like Hunter, and Kara is probably my favourite character out of all the kids. Not that that’s saying much.

Sidenote: Is anyone else struggling to empathise with the younger characters on this show? Really, they’ve got a great set of actors. Charlie Rowe, Nolan Sotillo and Ciara Bravo are all fantastic. Let’s use them for something other than love triangles and strip club getaways.

I would walk 500 miles…

Saved the best for last!

First of all, Charlie’s parents come to see him. I’m a big fan of Thomas Ian Nicholas so I was already smiling by the time Naday made his first appearance – and from then on, everything was just awesome.

He’s happy and smiling and generally the exact opposite of Doctor McAndrew (Dave Annable), and I like it.

I’m obviously not a doctor, and I appreciate that there’s a procedure you have to follow. But this is a TV show, and it’s not enough for characters to prove that they’re right – for them to be likeable, they have to actually, you know, be likeable.

And between McAndrew and Naday, I’d be Team Naday every time. He’s genuine and feels real, whereas McAndrew just really needs to unclench.

At the end of the episode, Dina confronts Naday about being a fraud, and he quickly proves that – obviously – he’s not. #TeamNaday forever.

Naday shows Dina that he’s brought Charlie’s parents together, and while that might not have been on the medical checklist, it’s actually improving his stats. “Healing isn’t just about medicine. It’s about the heart.” McAndrew could learn from that.

And hey. It looks like someone’s heart just skipped a beat. Naday/Jackson romance, here we go!

What did you think about ‘Red Band Society’ season 1, episode 8?

Red Band Society season 1, episode 9, “How Did We Get Here?” airs next Wednesday at 9/8c on Fox.