Combat Hospital Episode 1.01 Welcome to Kandahar

Major Rebecca Gordon (Michelle Borth) is a top trauma surgeon who has some concerns she hopes to address ASAP. Unfortunately, it's tough taking a pregnancy test on a military transport plane during a combat landing. What's a combat landing, you ask? Let's just say it's not very smooth. Buckle up!

The year is 2006. Rebecca has been stationed at the Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit at Kandahar Airfield in Southern Afghanistan. She shares first day duties with a brand new doc, Captain Bobby Trang (Terry Chen). The hospital is an unimpressive plywood building surrounded by blast walls. Rebecca and Bobby didn't expect this. They also didn't anticipate the Chief of Nursing, Commander Will Royal (Arnold Pinnock), to ask them to mop blood off the floor.

The head of the hospital, Colonel Xavier Marks (Elias Koteas), makes Bobby Trauma Team Leader before he can even get his bags unpacked. The newbies will be working with a brilliant non-military British neurosurgeon, Dr. Simon Hill (Luke Mably). We get the sense Simon likes the ladies judging by the amount of attention he shows Rebecca.

Bobby is visibly nervous when a soldier comes in with labored breathing. He accepts an offer from Colonel Marks to help create an airway. Rebecca, however, doesn't offer assistance. She simply steps in to insert a chest tube. The patient improves, but Bobby's confidence has been undermined. Colonel Marks lets Rebecca know that's not how they do things in his unit.

Rebecca is beeped 911. Yes, they still use beepers in war zones in 2006. The patient is an EHVI, or Enemy High-Value Individual. In other words, he's Taliban. Bobby handles this case with a little more savvy than the first one until members of the Afghan National Army barge in. They believe the patient is faking. A quick incision by Rebecca into the unconscious man's body proves that he's not.

Colonel Marks pulls out a gun as he assists Rebecca in surgery. BANG! He shoots a rattlesnake that slithers into the OR. Rebecca is slightly shaken. Rattlesnakes weren't covered in her training manual. Later, Rebecca meets her new roomie, Major Grace Peterson (Deborah Kara Unger). She's an Australian psychiatrist who could use a hand tending to some Afghan women at a clinic. As tired as she is, Rebecca agrees to help out.

There are rumors of an attack on the base. The patient Rebecca saved earlier is the Number Three Taliban man in all of South Afghanistan. Most of the troops double-time it into the bunker, but the Taliban prisoner needs more surgery. It isn't easy for Rebecca and Bobby to operate with mortar fire popping off outside the window.

When the attack ends, a soldier who had seemingly superficial injuries collapses. He's been bleeding internally for some time. Despite the best efforts of Rebecca and Simon, the soldier dies on their operating table. His combat buddies are devastated by the news. Flags are flown at half-staff in tribute to the fallen.

The Taliban prisoner has gone missing. He was likely swiped by the unofficial-looking soldier who was hovering over him. Rebecca doesn't understand why the colonel isn't upset by this. In truth, he's very upset. But his anger is more about the fact that they just lost a brave young soldier.

Later, Rebecca learns that she's not pregnant by an ex-fiance whose calls she's been ignoring. Well, she won't have to avoid the guy any longer after smashing her cell phone to pieces. Bobby suggests they do a blood test to determine if there's another reason why Rebecca missed her period. That'll have to wait, as another 911 page comes in.

Rebecca hasn't slept since she got there. There's no rest for the weary when you're in a war zone. The only thing Colonel Marks can say to her is, "Welcome to Kandahar."