[Spoiler alert] Black Pean Episode 1 Recap (2/2)
The previous post was getting too massive so I've split the recap into 2 parts. Enjoy!
Hope you guys didn't lose your appetite for dinner.
We're introduced to clinical research coordinator, Kinoshita Kaori. Kaori exudes an easy charm and treats Tokai to extravagant meals under the guise of research seminars.
"We've been doing nothing but eat French cuisine since we started!" protests an indignant Sera. He turns to Tokai who's digging into a delectable slice of roast beef. "Do you always receive this sort of treatment? Patients aren't objects, you know!"
"But they are." says Tokai as he pops a piece of beef into his mouth.
Sera is justifiably disgusted. "Don't you have a conscience?"
"Are you able to save lives if you have a conscience?"
"A skilled doctor..." Tokai scratches his plate with his fork to annoy Sera further. "He will be forgiven no matter what he does."
"It's just as Dr Takashina said. A person like you should quit being a doctor! I'm going back."
After Sera leaves, Tokai reveals his real purpose for wining and dining with Kaori. "I'd like you help to look something up."
On the day of the fateful operation, Tokai is nowhere to be found. "Dr Tokai!" shouts a flustered Sera as he goes searching for him. "Do you know where he is?" Nekota wordless points at the on-call room. "He wasn't there when I looked!" says Sera.
"Did you search carefully? The sofa."
"What on earth are you doing!? The surgery has started!"
"Keep it down..." slurs a sleep deprived Tokai. "Are you afraid of losing your bet with Dr Takashina?" counters Sera. "Are you running away?"
Tokai checks an email from Kaori and rushes to the OR. "Where are you going?" asks Sera. "You're in my way," counters Tokai.
"Neko-chan!" calls Tokai. Nekota rises from her sleeping position like a cat who just caught wind of its prey. "Take this printout and pass it to Dr Kurosaki and the professor. And leave my name out of it!"
Nekota dutifully does as she is told. Kurosaki, upon reading the journal, stands to his feet. "Could you pause this operation? According to this data, there have been several incidents involving the SNIPE which was not publicized in the US, including fatal cases."
"Were you hiding this from us on purpose?" accuses Kurosaki.
Tokai chooses to enter the OR at this moment. "Sorry I'm late," he mumbles as he puts on his gown.
"What are you doing here? I'm almost done with the surgery."
"I'll take over your patient. You can take your toy and get out of here."
"This operation will pave the way to save hundreds, even thousands of lives in the future."
"I'm not talking about the future, I'm talking about what's going on right now!"
"Only the SNIPE can save this patient! I can certain that the SNIPE will succeed!
"Continue with the operation," says Saeki, much to Tokai's frustration. "Tokai, Takashina is the surgeon in charge here. I'll take the responsibility for this call."
Takashina completes the operation without further ado and Saeki applauds him as he leaves the OR.
Later in the day, Sera looks for Tokai to clarify a lingering question. "You met up with the research coordinator yesterday to get the information about the SNIPE, didn't you? Are you really leaving this hospital?"
"Why should I?"
"What?"
"He's the one who should be leaving."
"What are you saying? The SNIPE was a great success, wasn't it? You're the one who lost the bet, Sensei."
"Well, time will tell," says Tokai mysteriously.
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that old lady will die soon."
Tokai's prophetic words ring true when Minagawa wakes up from her operation in great pain.
"Over here. A novice like you wouldn't understand, Takashina was lax in his preparation."
Tokai wordlessly hands Takashina his smart tablet.
"What is this?"
"It's Minagawa-san's CT scan when she was first admitted!"
Upon analysing the scan, Takashina immediately realizes his error. "An aneurysm... There's a risk of her splenetic artery rupturing..."
"It has already ruptured. She's bleeding profusely in her abdomen."
"Why is her abdomen bleeding? The surgery should have been perfect!"
"The heart surgery, that is. You only considered the heart, didn't you? Try inserting a new valve into an old one, the blood circulation improves suddenly and will affect the other organs. You know that much at least, right? That's why I stopped you!"
"You checked, didn't you?"
"Before the operation, you examined this old lady's CT scan to check, didn't you? Whether it was alright to insert the new valve!"
"If you end up killing this old lady, then go to hell."
Takashina resolves to operate on Minagawa, but her abdomen is an uncontrollable bloody mess.
Minagawa's blood pressure drops drastically and even Takashina can't calm his shaking hand to pick up a pair of forceps.
"Guess you'll be writing that resignation letter, huh?" says Tokai as he smiles behind his mask.
"I'll help you if you give me your severance pay," offers Tokai.
"You've got to be joking! What are you saying at a time like this? Do you understand what's going on here? It's bleeding so profusely that I can't see where the lesion is! If we can't stop the bleeding, she'll die!"
"Then save her by *yourself*!"
Despite his career on the line, Takashina refuses to beg Tokai for help. Tokai shrugs and starts to walk off.
Sera, possibly the only doctor with a real conscience in this show, begs Tokai to stay. "How much do I have to pay you? How much do I have to pay before you will save her!?"
"She's my patient. She underwent this surgery on my advice, so she's the person that I have to save as a doctor. But I... I... can't do a thing even though I'm a doctor."
"It's really frustrating, but you're the only one who can save her. If money will solve this issue, I'll pay for it! Please! I'm begging you, please save her life!"
"There's no time, you, come and help."
"Sensei, I have no idea where it's bleeding from!" says Sera.
"In times like these, you just gotta take it out."
"What?" says a stunned Sera as Tokai proceeds to lift up the organ from the abdomen for a better view.
"Hold it."
Sera, who can't quite believe what's happening in front of him, freezes.
"I said HOLD IT!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Hurry up!"
Having discovered the lesion, Tokai speedily stitches it shut to stop the bleeding.
Minagawa's blood pressure gradually rises back to normal as Tokai peers at Sera.
"100 million yen, yeah? Before you pay me back, you're going to work here, for me, for the rest of your life."
Tokai slaps Sera on his chest, leaving a bloody handprint as if to seal the deal that they just made.
(T/N: It's also worth noting that Nino ad libbed this bloody slap which made Takeuchi Ryoma's dumbfounded expression all the more authentic. Nino is having such a blast playing a wicked person.)
Tokai chuckles as he leaves the stunned surgical team behind.
Tokai later appears in Saeki's office, as Saeki was reviewing Minagawa's CT scans.
"You knew about the aneurysm, didn't you? In spite of that, you made Takashina perform the surgery using the SNIPE. And even predicted that it would lead to this."
Saeki smiles. "At least Takashina-kun will keep a lower profile after this. Well done, Tokai. You've really done so much for me."
Back in his room, Tokai picks up an X-ray showing a forcep lodged in a patient's chest. As he glares at it, the camera pans out to show that Tokai Ichiro was the doctor in charge.
THE END