There’s a slim chance you remember the NBC drama, Trauma, the television series that focused on a group of paramedics in San Francisco that was cancelled in 2010. But if you do, this might get confusing. Fabienne Larouche‘s French Canadian series, Trauma, is the Grey’s Anatomy of Radio-Canada in that it “takes us into the professional and personal lives of all those people working in the trauma unit at the fictional Saint-Arsène Hospital, where accidents have made the patient a prisoner caught between life and death.”
It follows the evolution of Julie Lemieux, Chief of Trauma, as well as the head of psychiatry, Antoine Légaré, and meanders through the personal and professional world of physicians. In the fourth season, a new generation of residents arrived, including an Italian neurosurgeon, Dr. Giulia Amaro (Cristina Rosato), a cheeky know-it-all who wins over most folks with her confidence and inclination to make bold choices. She is also undeniably sexy and, lucky for us, a lesbian. In her first season, the show’s fourth, she kept her personal life personal but Season 5 finds the character opening up.
Giulia’s girlfriend, Dr. Martine Laliberte (Madeleine Peloquin), is one of the only to put up with her nonsense and notes that she is more comfortable in her sexuality than Guilia. Martine is bisexual which is obviously great because we love openly gay characters, but also because SHOWER SCENES! The characters are well-developed and their relationship has continued to evolve through the season. Here’s hoping it gets more screen time as the rest of the season unfolds.
Also of note are the show’s musical selections. The series releases a soundtrack by a single Quebec pop singer for each season, generally consisting of cover versions of famous pop and rock songs. Past soundtracks have included Arianne Moffat, Pascale Picard and Martha Wainwright.
The current season’s album, by Coeur de Pirate, starts with “Ain’t No Sunshine”, her take on the classic Bill Withers‘ song. The album also includes Amy Winehouse‘s “You Know I’m No Good,” Kenny Roger‘s “Lucille” and The National‘s “Slow Show.” Sold. Seems Trauma‘s sales pitch should read, “come for the fast-paced and compelling show, stay for emotionally dynamic tunes.”
