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Kara’s lesbian mom returns for a pivotal moment on “Red Band Society”

If you haven’t been watching Red Band Society, here’s an update on all the characters since our last recap.

Kara: Kara convinces Nurse Jackson to let her go to her school’s homecoming, as long as Nurse blank chaperones. Nurse Brittany is excited to go because she has just broken up with her boyfriend and needs a distraction. Nurse Brittany decides that Emma could also use a distraction and convinces her to go as well. At the dance, Kara discovers that the kids who once feared her now pity her, which, for her, is a fate worse than death. Leo, who had originally shown up at the dance to support Emma, saves the day by telling her whole school what a raging bitch she is and Kara is so grateful that she kisses him.

The Leo/Emma/Jordi love triangle: Emma is torn between her first love, Leo, and the interesting and attractive newcomer, Jordi. While Leo has history on his side, Jordi has failing health and Mama drama on his. Although Jordi’s mother shows up (surprise-she’s not dead!), she eventually ditches him when she discovers that he is sicker than she thought. She leaves in the middle of the night without saying goodbye, providing strong evidence as to why he lied to everyone in the first place. She does however sign over her rights, which allows Jordi to become emancipated and make his own medical decisions.

Jordi decides he just wants to be friends with Emma. He doesn’t need any more complications in his life. Emma decides she just wants to be friends with Leo. After all, there was a probably a reason why they broke up in the first place, right? But that doesn’t last long. Leo kisses Emma. Jordi makes a move and holds her hand. And the battle for Emma’s heart is on!

Dash: Dash receives the wonderful news that he has moved up on the organ donor list. All he needs is a “tune-up” and then he can go home and wait for his new pair of lungs to arrive. But he’s not sure that he wants to take them. If he did have the surgery, it would only be for his parents. He has accepted his fate. He knows he’s not going to live forever and he’s not afraid to die. He just wants to be remembered.

To that end, he tells Kara that he’ll give her the secret to getting on the UNOS list if she helps him get into a luxury apartment building. Although he won’t tell her why he wants to get into the building, Kara uses her Moms real estate agent to get into an empty apartment. They ditch the real estate agent by pretending Dash is a decorator who needs to be alone with the space to get its story, and run up to the roof where Dash paints a gorgeous, huge piece of art that the Red Banders can see from the roof from the hospital.

Charlie: Coma Boy’s story is revealed and here is the gist: Charlie and his parents were at a party when his dad decides it’s time to go home. Charlie’s mom is having a good time so she stays behind, relying on a friend to drive her home later. Charlie has eaten too much sugar and is throwing up in the back seat, so his dad suggests that he lie down. Sure it’s raining and dark, but they’re almost home, so he helps Charlie take off his seatbelt. Just as the seat belt is released-BAM! Charlie’s mom blames his dad for the accident and Charlie’s coma, and files a restraining order against him. It’s been four months since the accident and two months since he left the ICU. Since he hasn’t woken up yet, the insurance guys in suits have decided that he move on to a rehabilitation center.

Nurse Jackson isn’t ready to give up on the idea that Charlie will wake up. She made a promise to him the night that he came to the hospital that she would be there when he woke up, and she intends to keep that promise. So she does something illegal and potentially unethical. She switches out the blood in for Charlie’s labs, putting his name on the blood of another patient’s vial in a last ditch effort to stall his transfer.

This week, Red Band Society returned after a two-week hiatus and Kara’s lesbian mom, played by Andrea Parker, is also back.

The Red Banders are standing on the roof looking at Dash’s artwork, when Kara goes blind. Everything goes dark and she begs Leo to take her back to her room before anyone else notices. On her way to her room she is rude to a hot guy (not that she can tell he’s hot. She’s blind) so he plays a prank on her and sends her down to the maternity ward where she is mistaken for a pregnant patient. Her eyesight magically returns and she is so happy that she kisses the nurse wheeling her down the hallway and then notices the lamaze class happening in the next room. (Yes, @pamplemousse76, that does seem to be two women partnering together in the class. They could be sisters or friends, but let’s just say they’re a same-sex couple expecting a baby. ) Then she feels insulted.

But Kara doesn’t have too much time to fret about that. She has this inconvenient temporary blindness to worry about. Kara’s doctor confirms that her condition is getting worse so he decides that it’s time to put in a pacemaker since they can’t get her a heart. Kara is freaked out about surgery and begs her Mom to postpone it until they can get her a heart, but her mom insists that she get the pacemaker. She tells Kara that she’ll be back in a few hours and Kara is shocked and hurt that her mom would leave to attend meetings while she is in surgery. Kara’s mom didn’t think it was a big deal, but since Kara seems upset, she offers to move the meetings. But it’s too little too late. Kara tells her mom she doesn’t want her there.

Meanwhile, Nurse Jackson’s stunt works. Charlie’s transfer has been delayed because his bloodwork indicates an infection. Nurse Jackson uses the time she bought to convince Erin, the new Chief of Surgery and Doctor McAndrew’s old flame (played by guest star Mandy Moore), to bring in a famous neurologist from Israel to take a look at Charlie’s case. She’s down to try, but she insists that they get Dr. McAndrews on board first. At first he says no, so Nurse Jackson gives him a lecture on letting his ego get in the way and he changes his mind. Unfortunately, Nurse Jackson won’t be around to greet the miracle doctor because Dr. McAndrews discovers that she tampered with the vials of blood and suspends her.

In other news, Emma avoids both Leo and Jordi while she tries to decide which one she wants to be with. She tries to be logical about it-she creates a spread sheet, inputs data-but no matter how many different ways she crunches the numbers, Leo always comes out on top. She realizes that although Jordi might be the safer choice, her heart wants Leo. I thought for sure they would drag this decision out. You know, she’ll decide she needs to be alone to find herself, learn to love herself before she loves someone else. But instead, she tells Leo that he’s the one for her and kisses him. Poor Jordi witnesses it all.

Later Kara wakes up from surgery to find her mother crying at her side. Kara is surprised but her mother informs her that although Kara succeeds in scaring everyone else off, she isn’t so easy to push away. Kara tries to cheer her mother up by saying that at least the surgery boosted her higher on the UNOS list. Kara is under the idea that because her condition has gotten worse, she is more likely to get a heart. Her mom is forced to tell her the truth. The reason why Kara isn’t on the list is because she has failed four out of five drug tests since she arrived at the hospital. Her horrendous attitude doesn’t help either. Basically, when she learns to have a heart, she’ll get a heart.

Kara assures her mother that if a smile is all that is needed to get her on the list, she can do that. She’s a cheerleader. She can be cheery. But her mother suggests that it would take real change to turn things around, and she doubts that people ever really change. She certainly hasn’t.

“You used to be straight, Mom. I’d say you changed a lot,” Kara reminds her.

“True,” Kara’s mom concedes. “But that was all because of Daniela. Sometimes you need someone you want to change for.” That’s when Kara notices the toothpicks on her nightstand. The hot guy whom she has been arguing with all day must’ve left them there for her. Looks like there is a new eligible bachelor to consider.

Next week, I’m sure Kara will start turning over a new leaf. If not for a heart, then at least to get the new guy’s attention. Will you be watching?

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