"Emily Owens, M.D." is a new series on the CW. The show explores high school bullying and insecurities from the perspective of a successful adult who escaped that world, only to be forced back into it by way of insecure coworkers and dreamy doctors. If you hated high school, be careful -- this show could give you nightmares!
Meet Emily Owens
The best thing about Emily Owens is the actress who portrays her. Meryl Streep's daughter, Mamie Gummer, is fantastic in the role. She is the reason the Emily character is entirely relatable. What stands out most about the show is the difference between Emily's thoughts and actions.
For anyone who was horribly bullied in school, it's easy to see how a very competent woman, such as Emily, can be insecure on the inside -- telling herself one thing, but because of the automatic feelings of inadequacy, doing something else. That's the loop she seems to get stuck in: Every little thing she does is wrong, so the fear that she's about to do something wrong (even when she may be right) causes her to screw up yet again. And then the cycle repeats.
Life can be a lot like high school, if you let it
When a girl who was picked on in high school becomes a full grown woman, many of those feelings of anxiety are left behind. Unfortunately for Emily, high school comes to her when her high school nemesis, Cassandra (Aja Naomi King), gets residency alongside her at Denver Memorial Hospital. Cassandra still hasn't grown up and decides to make life nearly unbearable for Emily when they realize they both have a crush on the same man.
It seems as if Emily had already grown out of the high school phase, only to be thrown back into it. Her goal now is to learn how to be the only adult in the room while everyone else reverts back to the idiotic high school versions of themselves.
Emily finds allies
Emily seems to be on the right track when her friend, Micah (who is in charge of her crop of interns, played by Michael Rady), reminds her that her silly high school problems are nothing compared to the problems of the patients whom she is treating. That is the best advice she could have gotten.
Her other ally, Tyra (Kelly McCreary), is a lesbian who doesn't know how to tell her father the truth, or even how to speak to people like a normal human being. Instead, she sends out Emily to do her dirty work, resulting in more embarrassment for Emily. Emily's series of misfortunes may be the perfect opportunity for her to grow up and overcome her fears and past bullying, despite her unfortunate surroundings.
Root for Emily's escape from the clutches of high school insanity on the series premiere of "Emily Owens, M.D." on Tuesday, 10/16 at 9PM ET on The CW.
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