'GIDEON' MIGHT BE LOSING THE WAR.Byline: David Kronke TV Critic ``Gideon's Crossing'' jumps the gun slightly and presents its cliffhanger cliff·hang·er n. 1. A melodramatic serial in which each episode ends in suspense. 2. A suspenseful situation occurring at the end of a chapter, scene, or episode. 3. episode tonight, as the season's next-to-last episode. In it, pressures from all directions finally conspire to attack Ben Gideon (Andre Braugher), the otherwise stalwart physician who tonight trades in his soaring rhetoric beseeching be·seech tr.v. be·sought or be·seeched, be·seech·ing, be·seech·es 1. To address an earnest or urgent request to; implore: beseech them for help. 2. the genuine care of patients for a short temper and a steady supply of antacids Antacids Definition Antacids are medicines that neutralize stomach acid. Purpose Antacids are used to relieve acid indigestion, upset stomach, sour stomach, and heartburn. . A series of medical emergencies and tricky ethical questions - including using a fetal-cell protocol to help a fast-fading patient with Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease or Parkinsonism, degenerative brain disorder first described by the English surgeon James Parkinson in 1817. When there is no known cause, the disease usually appears after age 40 and is referred to as Parkinson's disease. - weighs heavily in the foreground of Gideon's consciousness. In the middle ground lurk ongoing behavioral problems from his young son, who has begun to act out violently over the loss of his mother and the neglect of his father; Gideon is in deep denial over how serious the problem is. And way in the background is the matter of Gideon's own deteriorating health, which he neglects even more than his son. When Gideon makes a wrong call on a teen-age patient - he misses clues suggesting drug use - a disastrous outcome forces him to reconsider how his own son, given his patterns of neglect, might turn out. And if he himself will be around for his son's future. Despite generally glowing reviews, ``Gideon's Crossing'' has had a tough freshman year: It was trounced, as might be expected, on Wednesdays opposite ``Law & Order.'' More troubling is the fact that it's made no headway against weaker competition on Mondays. Perhaps this is due to the evocatively melancholy tone that permeates the series: There's a fatalism fa·tal·ism n. 1. The doctrine that all events are predetermined by fate and are therefore unalterable. 2. Acceptance of the belief that all events are predetermined and inevitable. in the storytelling that's sometimes a little romantic and sometimes just deeply sobering and heartrending. The show's chances for a second season are iffy if·fy adj. if·fi·er, if·fi·est Informal Doubtful; uncertain: an iffy proposition. [From if. at best, but many are the excellent series that never manage to find a sizable audience. Viewers should try to sample this one while they still have the chance. ``GIDEON'S CROSSING'' What: Drama about a dedicated doctor trying to balance too many patients and responsibilities. The stars: Andre Braugher, Ruben Blades. Where: ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. (Channel 7). When: 10 tonight. Our rating: Three and one half stars CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Dr. Ben Gideon (Andre Braugher) is battling both external and internal problems on ``Gideon's Crossing,'' tonight on ABC. |
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