When it comes to shocking twists, Casualty isn't sparing the horses.
In recent episodes Robyn passed away and David and Marty quit. Last week Jacob suddenly resigned and viewers discovered that ED stalwart Faith Cadogan (Kirsty Mitchell) is secretly addicted to diazepam.
And the plot surprises keep coming…
In Casualty episode Baby, I Don’t Care (BBC One, Saturday, April 1, 2023) two forceful characters made a reappearance in nurse Faith Cadogan’s life. Call the Midwife star Jack Ashton returned as dodgy Angus — Faith's thieving one-night stand from last year — and troubled drug addict Kerrel Jones (Eiry Hughes) turned up with one thing on her mind.
*Warning — major spoilers for Casualty episode Baby, I Don’t Care ahead*
Faith’s secrets revealed
In this latest nail-biting instalment of Casualty the origins of Faith’s addiction are explored in distressing flashbacks, triggered by the admittance of Angus to the ED — the same Angus who stole from her while she slept last year. Adding fire to Faith's day from hell, drug addict Kerrel also started blackmailing Faith into stealing medication from the hospital!
The episode opened with Faith being accompanied by two police officers in the ED looking very scared. By the time it ended, there’d been an attack on Faith, a shock death, and an arrest.
Faith's secret dates back to last year
Flashbacks to the night Faith spent with Angus — or Warren, as he’s now calling himself — revealed how the vulnerable nurse accepted drugs from him in a bid to prove to herself that she was over her husband Lev Malinovsky (Uriel Emil). Horrifyingly, however, while Faith was passed out, Angus sexually assaulted her.
Since then the memory of that night has haunted Faith, who has been taking diazepam to cope. During the episode, it became apparent that off-screen Faith’s life has been falling apart since that moment.
Viewers discover that the trauma of being raped and Faith's subsequent diazepam dependence resulted in the struggling medic lashing out and slapping her son Luka (Tom Mulheron) in a moment of extreme duress. It’s also the reason why she failed to collect him from football practice, which resulted in him being abducted.
Right here, right now
In the present day, by the time the credits rolled, Faith had been attacked by Kerrel — who later died — and opened up to her paramedic boyfriend Iain Dean (Michael Stevenson) about that terrible night with Angus. Kindly Iain (Michael Stevenson) persuaded Faith to report Angus to the police and he was arrested.
Sadly, however, Faith’s addiction remains a secret from those closest to her, as Kerrel has taken what she knows to the grave.
That said, the cracks are beginning to show. Dylan Keogh, Max Cristie and Iain Dean all have Faith’s welfare on their mind after Kerrel’s attack and death, and Angus’ arrest.
Consultant Dylan (William Beck) is a recovering alcoholic and aware of the signs of addiction. Will he begin to realise Faith has a lonely problem?
Clinical lead Max (Nigel Harman) considers Faith one of the most trustworthy staff members in the ED, but of late has borne the brunt of her occasional outbursts. Working as closely as he does with Faith, will Max discover her secret?
And Faith’s boyfriend Iain Dean (Michael Stevenson) is no stranger to dealing with people who have addictions — will he spot the signs?
Then there's Faith's best friend, consultant Stevie Nash (Elinor Lawless). Stevie was there for part of the night that Faith met Angus and recognised him when he was admitted to the ED.
Undoubtedly Stevie been having a hellish time of it herself. But recently seems to have returned to form and really cares about Faith.
As Faith and Stevie continue to repair their friendship, will they ultimately end up supporting each other?
A matter of time...
With Faith using hospital resources to gain prescription drugs, surely it’s only a matter of time before the painful truth is revealed to her nearest and dearest.
In the meantime, there’s no denying Faith is in the grip of dependency and needs help and support. At the very end of this episode, she slipped away to the hospital toilets before her date with Iain to feed her addiction…
The consequences of her secret being discovered by the wrong person could have catastrophic consequences for the widowed mother-of-three, both personally and professionally.
