Summary
“Day Four” is an emotionally charged episode that sees some amazing work from our ensemble cast. So be prepared to have the tissues handy.
This recap of the Apple TV+ series Five Days at Memorial season 1, episode 4, “Day Four,” contains spoilers.
Read the review of the series Five Days at Memorial.
We had three amazing episodes debut last week of Five Days At Memorial, but this week we get on track with one episode per week until the finale. So first, we saw the Hurricane, then the wreckage, and last we saw the floods take out the generators, which led to our first death in the hospital. Will the doctors and nurses be able to keep it together? Let’s dive in.
Five Days at Memorial season 1, episode 4 recap
The episode begins with news covering how people have to take things into their own hands because the government isn’t giving any direction to anyone, including local officials. So you have bodies floating down the street, the federal government failing by providing essential needs, and people begin to suffer.
We next see Dr. Wynn being questioned by investigators about what happened on Day Four at Memorial. The water finally settled but was as high as the emergency entrance ramp. All the equipment in the hospital wasn’t working because the power was out, causing patients to die. Wynn goes on to explain how they didn’t know they were as surrounded by water because they never got any communication from people outside the building.
Next, they put pressure on Dr. Wynn to answer if any of the 45 bodies that were found were murdered. Wynn responds that they did everything they could to ease those patients, and in those days, all there was misery.
We are on the roof of Memorial Hospital, where we see a man page, someone, to say that no helicopter is landing as the roof is full of patients. Next, we see another nurse attempting to take water from another unit, and Dr. Wynn stops him from doing it. Back to the roof, where a helicopter finally lands. Susan pages Dr. Wynn to start staging patients for evacuation. However, they find out that the elevators are down, and Dr. Wynn calls to carry the patients up and down the steps.
I know this show is filled with some situations that might be more dramatized, but the show’s emotional beats are so gutwrenching that it consistently brings you to your knees. Torin Borrowdale’s powerful score enhances each situation.
A patient is struggling mightily, and while Dr. Baltz is trying to let it be, Dr. Pou gets the patient morphine to help ease the patient. Another aspect of this series that makes it so good is that they put you in the shoes of these doctors and attempt to understand what you would’ve done. I am blown away by the choices they were forced to make. Pou gives her the morphine, but Dr. Baltz tells her that some doctors have been taking breaks by going to their car and getting some AC while listening to music, and maybe she needs to do the same. Dr. Pou assures him that she is okay when visibly, this is taking a toll on her.
One of the nurses approaches Susan to find out why they aren’t putting her patients on the list. However, Susan makes her understand nothing has happened that has been promised to them. And they are doing their best to get every patient out of the building. Next, we see a pair of people pulling someone on a mattress up to the hospital. Susan and the group are meeting to discuss how they can’t take on more patients. They inform the security guard that no matter who shows up, they must turn them away.
Michael finds out that the coast guard helicopters are for Memorial patients, and that is it. The nurse confronts Susan and says, “you are getting your patients out but leaving ours to die.” Next, we hear a recount of someone going into a store to get diapers and being killed by cops. You listen to them talk about how everyone treats them like dogs and kills them.
We see security turning injured people away, and Dr. Bryant comes up to find out what is happening. The security guard pulls his gun, shoots it in the air, and tells them to stay back. The people begin to retreat, scared and worried about where to go next. Dr. Bryant storms inside after the security guard to find out what he is doing in the world and says what he was told.
The news station is talking about how President Bush is doing a fly-over to asses the damages in New Orleans. It upsets the people because he isn’t even going to drop in to see what has happened. Next, someone figured out a way to knock about twenty minutes off their trip to the roof, so they began to move more effectively. Susan comes to see Mr. Scott (one of the more overweight patients) and lets him know they will move him wherever they can.
Dr. Wynn asks Susan if they will be able to get him out, and Susan tells her that she doesn’t even know if she is getting out. Dr. Pou leaves a voicemail to her husband explaining that they are getting no help from anyone and the lack of direction is starting to kill patients. As Susan lists people who are left, a man tells them they have to put on a specific color armband representing the first people evacuated to people who might not make it. What a moment.
Nurses and Doctors are getting tired of carrying patients. Thus running a high risk of hurting more than helping at this point. Someone pitches to Susan to have them stop for the night, and while it’s ruffling feathers, they don’t have much choice.
The ending
Jill called Mark’s phone and left a voicemail explaining how the elements around them started killing them and their patients. Mark’s wife held the phone over a speaker so all the helpers could hear it. She announces that Memorial needs their help and needs it now. The person on the other end of the walkie-talkie and that Memorial is a secondary priority. The lady on the other end tells her to get off that line.
Mark stands up and screams for help, and storms away. A couple approaches him and says they have some boats that they can use to help the people, but they have to wait until light. Next, Dr. Pou and Dr. Wynn have a moment where they talk about how this happened. Then, the men walk down the hospital with their guns. As they do, Dr. Bryant confronts Dr. Wynn about what is going on, and she tells him that they have people dying in this hospital and can’t take any more in.
As the episode closes, Dr. Pou takes Dr. Baltz’s advice, turns on her car, and lets the AC hit her face. We get a montage of her turning on the music in the car while we see Dr. Bryant sending a distressed text message to someone and the camera pans away. What an episode.
What did you think of the Apple TV+ series Five Days at Memorial season 1, episode 4? Comment below.
