User:Raintheone/Charlie

Charlie is the seventeenth episode of the thirty-eigth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty, and the 1317th episode of the overall series. Charlie is the final episode from series' episodic bloc titled "A History of Violence". The episode was written by Michelle Lipton and directed by Michael Lacey, and premiered on BBC One on 16 March 2024. The plot follows an attack on a nurse, Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson), who is stabbed following an altercation a patient. The remainder of the characters are tasked with saving Charlie's life with their medical skills. The episode also features the departure of Charlie, the sole remaining original character in the series. Thompson played the character for thirty-eight years until he announced his departure in 2023.

Plot
Consultant in Emergency Medicine Stevie Nash (Elinor Lawless) and Advanced Clinical Practitioner Faith Cadogan (Kirsty Mitchell) rush Emergency Nurse Practitioner Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson) to Resus after he is stabbed by patient, Kyle Marsh (Angus Castle-Doughty). They are joined by Consultant Zoe Hanna (Sunetra Sarker), nurse Siobhan McKenzie (Melanie Hill) and staff nurse Ngozi Okoye (Adesuwa Oni) who attempt to save Charlie's life.

Charlie is semi-conscious and has visions of his dead wife, Duffy (Cathy Shipton). He has flashbacks to his past, where he is sleeping in a yellow car where he is woken by a nurse. They attend a surprise party for Shirley Baldwin's (Annette Badland) final shift before she retires. Shirley tells a rough looking Charlie to improve his behaviour if he wants a promotion. A radio broadcast reveals a bomb has exploded and the victims are taken to Charlie and Shirley's hospital.

In present day, the ED team determine that Charlie has a stab wound to the right upper quadrant which could have penetrated his liver. Zoe realises that Charlie is on warfarin which is causing massive bleeding. Zoe and Stevie disagree about how to treat Charlie, but Zoe insists on using her treatment plan. Consultant Dylan Keogh (William Beck) joins the effort to save Charlie, who remains semi-conscious and asks about Mel Sinclair (Amanda Ryan). Paramedics Iain Dean (Michael Stevenson) and Jacob Masters (Charles Venn) arrive at a car accident and find Mel. They begin treating her but request help from fire crews and HEMS. Jacob reveals that Mel's oxygen saturation (sats) are down and they need to move Mel imminently. Tech results reveal his condition is deteriorating fast leaving Zoe confused. Faith tries to reassure Stevie over her doubts regarding her medical capabilities. Stevie agrees to attend the scene of Mel's accident to assist as a Critical Care Doctor.

At the ambulance station, Paramedics Teddy Gowan (Milo Clarke) and Jan Jenning (Di Botcher) discuss their truamatic experiences following an explosion. She consoles Teddy following Len Goudier's (James Barriscale) death. Stevie arrives at the crash site to treat Mel, she assesses Mel's fractures as her sats drop. Stevie struggles to insert a tube into Mel's airway and they switch to a surgical incision method. Iain supports Stevie who struggles but eventually completes the procedure. Charlie has a CT scan so Zoe and Dylan can assess his injuries. Zoe reveals that she has been offered a job in Manchester working as the director of the trauma network. The scan reveals injuries to Charlie's liver and gall bladder and Zoe declares Charlie needs emergency surgery. Zoe is angry that the hospital does not have a surgical theatre vacant or enough staff to help. She contemplates Stevie's treatment plan being the correct course of action and argues that a long-serving NHS staff member such as Charlie deserves better care.

Charlie dream about a meeting with a young Stevie, who nervously awaits while her father is being treated. He gives her his headphones to keep her occupied. Charlie treats a patient named Mikey who has been injured by shrapnel. Despite having a nail embedded in his head, Shirley insists general surgery is better than neuro surgery because the nail did not kill him instantly. With no scanner, Shirley performs a rare procedure to prove he is bleeding internally.

In present day, Iain takes Mel into resus where Dylan and Zoe treat her. Faith goes to check on Stevie who says she is going to leave her job. Jan continues to support Teddy as he discusses Len's final wishes. The pair reconcile after becoming estranged after his uncle Gethin West's (Robert Pugh) euthanasia. Teddy reveals his landlord is selling his flat so Jan invites him to move in with her.

Charlie begins to deteriorate and ST1 nurse Cameron Mickelthwaite (Barney Walsh) intervenes and asks Stevie for help. She checks his condition and determines he is bleeding into his thorax and preps him for a chest drain, without confirming via an x-ray due to his deterioration. Stevie continues with her treatment plan and saves Charlie's life. Dylan and Zoe arrive confused but Stevie explains that the bleed did not show on the CT scan but with the high NR and the bleeding, it tensioned.

Via unconscious Charlie, Mikey dies despite efforts to save him. Charlie struggles with is death, a young Stevie notices this and gives him the headphones back to comfort him. He takes Stevie to see her father, who has survived. It is revealed by Eoghan's medical records his daughter Stevie is the same person treating him in present day. Charlie hands Shirley his resignation, who makes him reconsider. He tells Shirley that he wishes she was not leaving. Charlie then discovers Shirley dead in the staff room.

In present day, Charlie wakes up to Josh Griffiths (Ian Bleasdale) by his bedside. Stevie later visits Charlie and reveals that Mel recovered but Harry died. Charlie thanks Stevie for saving his life and announces his retirement, which upsets Stevie. Charlie comforts her and tells her to not leave her job. Charlie is discharged from hospital and is reflective as he walks through the Emergency Department. He walks out to his colleagues' cheers. As a leaving gift, Charlie receives a yellow car identical to the one he arrived into the series driving. With the hospital staff waving them off, Charlie and Josh drive away.