TV REVIEW: “Don’t Ask Me Why” but We’re Hooked on USA Network’s Rush

When I heard the premise of the new USA series Rush, doctor for hire to anyone who can pay for super private house calls, I thought, wait, USA is ripping off from itself with a reincarnation of Royal Pains. That was before I saw the pilot last week. It was intriguing if not original but it had enough seeds of promise that I was ready to give this dark drama another try. “Don’t Ask Me Why” had me wondering why I’m already hooked.

The Relationships

The episode begins with Will Rush spending the night on the side of the road in his broken down car, waking in the morning to his loyal assistant Eve coming to his rescue and slapping his face. She’s cute and caring, and we know that keeping pesky feelings out of their working relationship is not going to happen. Eve is up for mothering our wayward, drug abusing doc, who definitely needs a mother right now. We know the two have a history with hints of Rush helping her out in some way. I’m looking forward to more being revealed each week as their backstory is shown little by little.

Will’s best friend Dr. Alex is also fiercely loyal, perhaps to a fault. He came to the rescue last week by stealing some blood so Will could save a bad guy in a shot gun type “treat him or die” predicament. This week the repercussions of that decision come back to haunt Alex, but we know he would do it all again for his best friend.

The “love of his life” Sarah was introduced in last week’s pilot and we got to see how Rush really does carry a torch but doesn’t quite know what to do with it. His awkwardness with her contrasted with the badass persona he was working so hard to project. It will be interesting to see how this is developed now that Sarah is taking a job in town.

Even Rush’s drug dealer relationship is engaging. The dealer tells Eve that the doc is “indestructible, that engine runs on *ussy and blow, he’s gotta keep the tank full.”

These relationships are a promising beginning suggesting a series that will give us plenty of heart. Up next week, Rush’s troubled relationship with dear old dad, played by Harry Hamlin, will get the spotlight.

The Fast Paced Storytelling

The series is called Rush for a reason (beyond it being the main character’s last name). The storytelling pace matches the frenetic pace of the lead. This week’s main plot lines were Rush treating an MMA fighter, stitching up a quirky life coach, and Alex getting into trouble at work for helping his friend. An underlying thread that will weave through every episode seems to be Rush’s out of control, self destructive behavior including drug use and sexcapades with just about every beauty in town.

In “Don’t Ask Me Why,” Rush treats an MMA fighter with a massive nosebleed. We’re talking a real gusher here of Niagara Falls proportions. He uses cocaine on a tampon to stop the bleeding, of course. It works every time. Rush is pressured to sign a waiver that says MMA guy can fight tonight. Will reluctantly agrees when the MMA fighter says he’ll take a dive preventing too many hits from landing on his face and compromised nose. In his typical Rush fashion, he turns around and bets on his fighter’s opponent. You can’t knock insider information.

Pictured: (l-r) Tom Ellis as Dr. William Rush, Jesse Luken as Troy — (Photo by: Alan Zenuk/USA Network)

Later, Rush is back at his favorite watering hole and the fight is being shown. MMA fighter not only doesn’t take a dive, but he WINS! When the doctor confronts the fighter and his manager brother about the broken promise, the fighter collapses convulsing violently. Will uses a handy dandy drill to the skull to save the guy’s life. Brother is thankful. So thankful he offers to turn over the waiver… for a price. Rush says not so fast, guess what? I injected your bro with a steroid that will get him banned from fighting for life. The waiver he signed is his.

The second patient Rush treats is a hippy dippy life coach named Isabelle who has a sexual double entendre with just about every word coming out of her mouth. She immediately identifies Rush as a troubled soul and offers to help him. He mocks her as he stitches her hand up even asking why she didn’t just go to a hospital. She says, “Hospitals scare the shit out of me.” She finally understands why he’s so upset. He says he had the chance to prove himself to someone and he didn’t do it. She says, “You wanted to disappoint her. Someone drilled it into you that you are indeed a disappointment.” She compliments him on his nice hand job before he leaves.

He shows up a couple more times before finally landing on her doorstep bearing a bottle of booze. They make out before he even gets through the door. In the next scene they’re in bed with Rush complimenting her as the “best therapist.” She admits that she got out of traditional therapy because she screwed a patient. Rush says he left traditional medicine because his dad screwed him. Major developments rushing our way next week as dad stops by.

Alex in trouble was the third important plot point this week. Last week’s Rush save left Alex needing to get some replacement bags of blood slipped back into his hospital’s blood bank. Of course, he gets caught admitting all. He needs Rush to call dear old dad for a little senior Rush intervention. Will finally agrees by episode’s end.

The Humor

With all of the Dr. Rush coke sniffing and sad drinking alone in a bar, thank God for a sense of humor to lighten the darkness that is Rush. He’s got it, along with his friends. Some of the funnier moments tonight:

When Rush has to borrow Eve’s car while his is being fixed, he says, “What about the way your car doesn’t need gas? I don’t trust it.”

His bad taste in music has no limit. Tonight he wails Michael Bolton’s How Am I Supposed to Live without You before his CD skips (yes, he still listens to his bad tunes on CDs).

Eve finds her boss after not seeing him for three days with the new app “Where’s My Boss?” He says he “needs a day to get back to even.” What does that mean? “A shower, shave, some soup, a little sex, and some highly controlled substances.” He also says he’s “easier to maintain than most tropical fish.”

This darker than most USA show tempers the blackness with some light moments, witty banter, and a pretty funny lead. Emphasis on pretty. More on that below.

The Strong Lead

Tom Ellis is the show. He is the answer as to why we are hooked on this series after two episodes. It’s not the most original premise (nod to Royal Pains and even House), but Ellis keeps our eyes glued to our sets wondering what’s going to happen next.

In a TV land where most of the heroes are generic and interchangeable, this one is different. We are rooting for Dr. Rush. Ellis plays the broken bad boy on a path to self destruction in a likeable way even when he’s doing despicable things. He’s got the acting chops to flesh out the complexities of Rush creating a believable character out of the unbelievable.

When Will Rush feels better the day after his life coach night of sex, Eve is glad. We, too are glad. He says, “You never have to worry about me” as he zips into his repaired car complete with throwback IPod. He hits his hidden stash of coke as we wince at his hell bent need to hurt himself. Yes, we worry, Dr. Rush. You had us at “tropical fish” and we’re here to stay.

What do you think of USA’s newest bad boy? Is it a Rush worth staying for?

Rush airs Thursdays on USA Network at 9 pm.