TV REVIEW: Rush’s “Bitter Sweet Symphony” Is a Whole Lotta Bitter with Just a Touch of Sweet

Last week we saw a new and improved Rush. Correction, we saw our hero trying to become a new and improved Rush.

Sarah’s return, cancer diagnosis, and baby talk made Will want to be a better man. In “Bitter Sweet Symphony” the message seems to be that no matter what Rush does it will never be enough; he will never outrun or outsmart his past.

Rush has been called USA Network’s darkest drama, and tonight’s installment made a case for that argument. It started all hopeful and happy, but as the night wore on the frenetic pace developed into a twenty car pile up that would not let us tear our eyes away. Let’s look at what happened with our epically screwed up delectable doc.

Rush Plans His Happily Ever After  

The episode opens auspiciously enough. it’s cuddle time with Rush and Sarah. He wants to take a trip to Bora Bora so she’s all tan before her big surgery. Priorities, people. She objects at first, but finally relents. Perfect because he’s already booked the trip knowing that a girl would have to be blind, stupid or both to turn him down. Will’s been a busy boy planning for his new and improved life. He wants to get his old respectable hospital job back, buy a perfect engagement ring, and start wearing cardigans to show he’s worthy of getting hitched to Sarah. That’s his big plan… a big Bora Bora proposal.

Everyone Is Screwed

Not so fast, lover boy. Eve calls from the bar downstairs sporting tears and a bruised face thanks to crazy ex-boyfriend J.P. Concerned Rush meets her, and she confesses, “I killed J.P.” She tells Rush all and adds, “I wanted to kill him.” Why do I feel Bora slipping from those Rush fingertips with each Eve confession.

Rush gets a call and it’s… wait for it… J.P. It seems that creepy ex truly is a monster that just won’t die.

“You’re alive, that’s a shame,” Rush deadpans, verbalizing the words we were all thinking.

J.P. demands that Rush come patch him up or else. The “or else” is that he’ll go to the police with a story about an Eve set-up.

“I should just kill you right now,” Rush says, again channeling every viewers’ thoughts.

“You don’t have the stomach for it.” Yes, J.P. I fear you are right. Rush – arrogant asshole on the outside, softie on the inside.

J.P. accuses Rush of taking Eve away from him with Will insisting she wanted to change her life. Rush saves the jerk (darn) but at least removes the bullet without painkillers. J.P. says he’s hanging on to the gun as an “insurance policy.”

Meanwhile, Rush bestie Alex is also screwed. Wife Laurel wants to deposit the Cabo money, now. This is the Cabo money he gave da club girl to keep her mouth shut about what went down with her mouth, so to speak. Alex is scrambling in full panic mode. He has to borrow the replacement five grand from BFF Rush. Will also lays out his grand Sarah scheme, leaving Alex in awe and a little puzzled with his quickly changed friend.

Eve is also puzzled when she finds out that Rush booked the island trip all by himself like a big boy. He says, “My helplessness is a habit, Eve, not a birth defect.” She’s impressed but also happy with the fact that he forgot about a ride to the airport. No worries, she’s got this.

Pictured: (l-r) Sarah Habel as Eve Parker, Tom Ellis as Dr. William Rush — (Photo by: Alan Zenuk/USA Network)

Troubled Side Kick Is Back

Problem man-child actor Max is back! Before you get too excited about another Ice-lan-dick adventure, he’s joining Alex in the deep trouble mode. He thinks he’s killed his girlfriend and the shot of a rather dead looking girl on the floor seems to be confirmation.

Rush says not so fast. He hasn’t lost a client yet this season, and he’s not starting with this one. Rush discovers that Max girl is not dead. Turns out she took a little of this, a little of that, showing us all that oxy cocktails are a bad, bad thing. Once she’s good as new, Max has the bright idea that he’ll shadow Rush for the rest of the day to get pointers on how to be a fake doctor for a new audition he has at four.

“You’re like this authentic-sounding fountain of shit,” Max gushes with admiration. Rush says sure when he finds out Max has a friend who specializes in engagement rings. The ring connection asks Rush to describe his girl. He says she’s beautiful, intelligent, and about fifty other adjectives that say our guy is head over heels in love. “She’s everything,” says the jeweler with Rush agreeing. He finds the perfect ring for Rush’s perfect girl.

Zen Master Flash Drug Dealer Is Back

Later, Eve calls her personal life coach and Rush’s sweet drug dealer Manny. “Get over here now,” she demands. He comes over, asking, “What happened to you.” Eve confesses that she shot stalker ex, but that the d-bag is keeping the gun. Manny says, “Damn.” I’m glad you had it with you. I gotta get it back.” You know this is going to be a task equivalent to climbing Everest… and again, we feel the sand on the Bora Bora beach slipping away.

Harry Hamlin Is Back

Time for Rush to put the second half of his happily ever after plan into action. He visits the doctor who offered Rush a job after seeing one of his saves, and asks her if the job offer is still on the table. She says regrettably no. One board member objected. Rush’s father.

Rush ditches Sarah at a doctor’s appointment to go meet up with Daddy Dearest on a soccer field where he’s cheering on his latest kid. Rush begs for his old job back saying he needs this. Elder Rush objects at first, but eventually agrees. After the match, Corinne and new kid pile into the car with Dad telling son that stepmom’s pregnant. Boom! Just like that, Bora Bora has blown up in our faces. So the big question … is it a senior or junior daddy moment?

Pictured: (l-r) Larenz Tate as Dr. Burke, Tom Ellis as Dr. William Rush — (Photo by: Alan Zenuk/USA Network)

Confession Time for Alex

Alex admits to Laurel that “something happened” at that crazy party he attended with Rush.

“I let some girl go down on me,”  he says, adding that he’s really sorry. Problem is, she already knows. Party girl Steffi was going to out him. “That woman came to our house. We have a child.”

In the hilarious line of the night, he says, “I was in over my head.”

She tells him to move out, and to be gone by the time she returns with their son.

A Battle to the Death

Rush takes a baby Bora step when he picks up the beautiful engagement ring.  Before he can leave, he gets a call from Max’s girlfriend. Now it’s actor on the floor passed out. Rush revives him because that’s what he does. “Did you get the ring?” asks Max.  “Yeah. Did you get the part.” “Yeah.”

Rush heads back to his place and Eve pretends to be all chipper. Her phone beeps incessantly and when Rush yanks it out of her hands, he discovers J.P.’s been calling all night. Rush takes off to “just talk” to the psycho ex. He shows up at his former friend’s place and creepy music’s playing. Something bad is about to go down. J.P. come out pointing the gun at our favorite doc., saying, “He’s been expecting Will. He shoots our hunky lead! Rush can’t believe he’s been shot. We can’t either. “Do you really think you’re getting away with this?” asks Will.

Rush kicks out J.P.’s legs from under him, sending the bad ex into a glass coffee table.  J. P. suffers a severe cut on his neck, and we’re left chanting, “Bleed out, bleed out” over and over. Just die already.

“Help me. This isn’t you,” pleads J.P.

“I guess you really don’t know me,” answers Rush.

Manny shows up, taking back his gun and trying to get his favorite client to leave. Instead, Rush gets his favorite drug dealer to leave. Will watches until J.P. is dead (for real this time).

The Happily Ever After that Wasn’t

That plane is still waiting. Rush is in panic mode, getting back to his place to remove the bullet in his arm. Eve asks what happened and Will says, “He won’t be bothering you anymore.”

As if all of this isn’t quite enough, right before Rush takes off to join Sarah, Alex shows up with his bags. “Go. Find happiness, Rush,” he advises.

“I’m trying.”

In the uh oh moment of the night that truly dooms our doc, Manny gets pulled over for a broken tail light and the cop finds his gun. He won’t give up Will… you’ve gotta love the scruples of this drug dealer.

Rush finally, at long last, reaches the plane with Sarah patiently waiting. Right before he leaves for his happily ever after, stepmom Corinne calls to say, “It’s yours.” Way to put a kink in a marriage proposal.

The second Rush looks into his love’s eyes, we know this one’s not going to be a hello to new possibilities, but more like a goodbye.

“All this work I’ve been doing is to try to become the kind of man you can love. I really wanted to change. My life is never going to be perfect.”

“Are you telling me you don’t want to go on this trip?” asks Sarah incredulously.

“No… we can’t be together. You need to be with someone who makes you better, not worse.”

She can’t believe it. We can’t believe it. She sees the blood seeping from his arm.

“What happened? Just be honest with me. This is it. There’s never gonna be another chance.”

“I know,” he whispers. Oh Rush, say something. Do something. He does. Once Sarah takes off, Will heads to the bathroom to do some Max coke. When he comes out, the cops are waiting.

Rush has been a summertime pleasure, offering us a cast of characters we care about due to the acting chops of these beautiful people. It’s given us some plot lines our brains can fully sink into, often surprising us with a twisty turn we didn’t see coming. Tonight was no exception. We wanted to see the redemption of Rush front and center, but instead we were left with a bittersweet symphony of a man trying his damned best and it just wasn’t good enough.

Let’s all hold our collective breaths and hope that the ratings will be good enough for USA network to renew the fledgling dark doc drama for another summer of Will Rush craziness.