The fourth episode of Three Rivers — Code Green — is absolutely the best so far in Alex O’Loughlin’s new series.  Picture a bus filled with members of a high school football team on their way home from a win. Brash teens, many full of themselves, but feeling the sting of  youthful inadequacy anyway. Antonio taking his frustration out on Bobby, the smart and thoughtful boy who doesn’t quite belong, but wants to. Blair, still reeling from his dad’s post-game rant, stepping in quietly to protect him. They switch seats, a seemingly innocent incident that is to have far reaching consequences.

When the bus crashes, the mass casualty event has the staff at the Three Rivers Regional Medical Center — and the viewers — on their toes. So much so that it’s 15 minutes into the episode before I realize that I hadn’t seen Dr. Yablonski (Alex) in a while.

The teamwork, the adrenaline pumping stress, the split-second, life changing decisions… they make the most hectic day at any office seem very tame in comparison. I can understand why these people are often compared to heroes.

What also strikes me — much more so than in previous episodes — is the dichotomy of the circumstances the young couple, Brandon and Deb, are in. Does hoping that Brandon gets a new heart also mean hoping that someone dies to provide it?

Code Green is an excellent episode  written by one of the show’s executive producers, David Amann. The CBS episodic press release mentions that Dr. Travis Stork appears as an anesthesiologist, but for some reason doesn’t highlight the fact that Dr. Gonzo Gonzalez-Stawinski too has a role. Travis is hidden behind his mask and you don’t even realize he’s there until the end credits are about to roll. Gonzo however, portrays himself and has more interaction with Andy. We know this real-life thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon has made a lasting impression on Alex, who has likened him to a rock star, but not everyone knows that he is also influential to Three Rivers. Not only is the character of Andy Yablonski based on Gonzo Gonzalez-Stawinski, but Gonzo is also an expert consultant for the show.

In a recent interview that Donate Life had with him, Dr. Gonzalez-Stawinski recalls the first phone conversation he had with Alex, “It was like talking to one of my best buddies, we just got along.”

That he and Alex share a mutual respect for each other is also evident from what we’ve seen in The Doctors and the CBS2 News Central clip, where you can hear Gonzo tell Alex, “I’m very proud of you.”

Although Andy Yablonski is said to be only “loosely” based on Gonzo, it seems that there is more of him in Andy than we realized. Carol Barbee, the show’s creator, did not at first see any resemblance between Gonzo and Alex at all, but her perception has now changed because Alex apes him so well. “His hands, the way he does surgery – Alex is a great mimic. He really is so focused on getting it right and being Gonzo.”

Gonzo agrees: “People tell me, dude, that’s exactly you! How I deal with patients, certain mannerisms, I do see myself in the character. There was a scene where Andy flicks off his gloves and slingshots them into the trash can. I taught him that!”

About his acting debut, the highly respected doctor says, “It was scary as hell. It is easier to do open heart surgery than to act. Honestly, the outtakes from that scene are painful to watch. There is definitely a mutual respect between what actors do and what I do. I’d rather do open heart surgery any day.”

To learn more about Gonzo’s involvement in Three Rivers, read the Donate Life interview on the Three Rivers Expert Blog.

[tags]alex o’loughlin, alex o’lachlan, three rivers, andy yablonski, gonzo gonzalez-stawinski, carol barbee, cbs[/tags]