Behind the Reviews – Edition #19 (RFDS)
RFDS premiered on the Seven Network on 11 August 2021 and revolves around the lives of the workers for the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS). The main characters consist of Dr. Eliza Harrod who starts working at the RFDS after leaving her hospital job in London, Dr. Wayne Yates who believes Eliza took his job, Rhiannon who is the RFDS’ base tour guide, Leonie who is the RFDS base manager, Pete and Matty who are the flight nurses, and Mira who is one of RFDS’ pilots.
The series is not only based on the real-life Royal Flying Doctors Service in Australia but the Service were also heavily involved in the production of the show, ensuring the accuracy of the medical scenes in the show. This show isn’t the first to portray the Service, The Flying Doctors, also portrayed the RFDS and the lives of their workers from 1986 to 1993.
The pilot fires on all cylinders showing Eliza adjust to life in the outback, as well as the medical situations that the RFDS attend to, and the realities and limitations of rural medicine. The pilot ends with a twist, with Rhiannon, who is also Pete’s sister-in-law, dying in a car crash with her husband and Pete’s brother, Nate.
The first season successfully manages to realistically portray a variety of medical situations and crises, as well as develop the main characters. The medical situations and crises vary throughout the season from car crashes, to seizures, to suicide attempts, and even rescuing a missing child with epilepsy who doesn’t have his medication on him. In terms of character development, we see Eliza struggle at first but eventually bond with her colleagues, as well as build a life for herself in Broken Hill, Pete take on a fatherly role with his niece, Taylor, after the death of her parents, gay nurse, Matty finding love with a local, and Mira comforting a dying woman in a roadside crash.
The first season ended with Eliza making the decision to go back to London to deal with the breakdown of her marriage. It wasn’t made clear if she was going forever, but she needed to leave for now. In a way, her choice provided a full circle to her character and the season, as the season kicked off with her arrival to Broken Hill.
RFDS was renewed for a second season in June 2022 which is scheduled to air next year, according to TV Tonight, the second season’s story arcs and subplots have been described as follows:
“Just a year after Eliza left Broken Hill behind, much has changed, with lives at RFDS South East progressing at a rapid rate. The determined team will face some of their most confronting challenges to date – in the air, on land, with each other, and within themselves – set against the isolation, beauty and brutality of the outback.”
I’m looking forward to reviewing RFDS again next year.
Behind the Reviews – Edition #20 will be released next week and will focus on Sando.
Loveday Writing 