Casualty’s harrowing episode was left unresolved for a reason
Casualty spoilers follow.
Note: The following article contains discussion of themes including suicide and sexual assault.
Casualty’s latest series of episodes began with a candid exploration of Rash Masum’s mental health, following the death of his father. Viewers watched him have a breakdown at work, then begin counselling sessions after taking time off.
In other shows, this might have marked the end of this plot, but in Casualty, Rash’s story was far from over.
Over the following episodes, Rash made progress, but he ended up stopping his counselling sessions, claiming he didn’t need them any more.
Then came the Panorama-style documentary about the ED, with Patrick determined to find which member of the team had spoken out about the hospital’s failings. Rash became Patrick’s prime suspect, and while he in fact wasn’t responsible, the accusations led him to despair.
The search for the whistleblower was a clever distraction for both viewers and the other characters, while Rash became increasingly spaced-out and withdrawn at work, with Neet Mohan skilfully presenting his changed demeanour over time.
In tonight’s episode (June 8), Rida spotted that Rash had been worn down by Patrick, and decided to admit to her friend that she was the whistleblower.
But before Rida was able to come clean to Siobhan, Rash approached Patrick and took the blame himself, before resigning from his job.
When Rida found out what had happened, she confessed to Patrick herself, and in a heartwarming moment of solidarity, the team came together to ensure that Rash still had a job at the ED.
But it was too late, as while Tariq phoned Rash to tell him the good news, Rash was at home, preparing to take his own life. After his calls went unanswered, Tariq went to the house to see Rash, but froze when he saw a note on his bedroom door that said, "Don’t come in, call 999".
In a devastating performance by Manpreet Bachu, Tariq took a moment to compose himself before entering the room to find Rash on the floor, unresponsive.
Iain and another paramedic soon arrived to provide treatment, and what followed was a harrowing scene that lasted over five minutes, as they attempted to bring Rash back to life.
It was an intense and difficult watch, and a brave creative decision by Casualty, as the camera refused to cut away until the first responders eventually found a pulse.
Iain was particularly impacted by what happened, and his face was painted with horror as he arrived at the scene. And for good reason – Iain was once in the same position as Rash, as he attempted to take his own life five years ago.
Casualty provided a moving callback to that equally compelling episode; in 2019, Rash comforted Iain’s sister Gem while the team tried to restart Iain’s heart, and now it was Iain performing chest compressions on Rash, attempting to save his colleague’s life.
As Tariq struggled to cope with what his cousin had done, Iain was able to speak from experience and provide some much-needed support and advice. It was heartening to see how far Iain had come over the last five years, a powerful continuity that only soaps and continuing dramas can utilise.
The ED team had to pull together to save Rash at the hospital, while Rida was horrified when she found out who the patient was – with Sarah Seggari delivering a hugely compelling performance.
At the end of the episode, Rash was alive and in a stable condition but still in the intensive therapy unit, with Rida and Tariq praying at his bedside. It was a sombre end to this block of episodes, but a sudden resolution would have felt unrealistic.
In fact, none of the major stories from this series were resolved in the episode. Teddy is on long-term suspension following his assault on a patient, while Jacob is still adjusting to his new role as a primary caregiver for his grandson.
But that’s okay. Casualty has highlighted that there is no quick fix when it comes to the mental health struggles that have been explored during this series.
What matters is that they have learned to seek support from those around them: Teddy has opened up to Jodie about his sexual assault, while Jacob eventually decided to move in with Jan, who offered to help with his new responsibilities.
The shock of Rash’s suicide attempt has highlighted to the other characters – as well as to viewers – the danger of not reaching out to others, and a poignant scene between Teddy, Jacob and Jan showed that the tragic event had put things into perspective for all of them.
This episode marks the end of Casualty’s current box set, and from next week there will be a new focus, with new characters featured. But hopefully the show will continue to explore the aftermath of what happened to Rash in the weeks and months to come.
After a quality series, and an outstanding final episode, it is what these characters deserve.
Casualty airs on Saturday nights on BBC One and now streams first on BBC iPlayer, where episodes are released at 6am on the day of transmission.
Read more Casualty spoilers on our dedicated homepage
We encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to reach out. Information about how to access support is available via the NHS, and organisations who can offer help include Samaritans on 116 123 or Mind on 0300 123 3393.
Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
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