Casualty series finale puts female relationships at the centre

Accident there are spoilers below.

AccidentThe network’s latest series of ‘Storm Damage’ has come to an end with a dramatic double episode (September 7) featuring births, deaths, an ambulance crash and a hospital closure.

As some of the show’s most important storylines reached their climax, the relationships between the female characters became a major focus throughout this run of episodes – especially in the gripping series finale.

One of the most gripping storylines is Stevie’s romance with Rich, who in a surprising twist turns out to be the husband of head doctor Siobhan.

Stevie broke up with Rich as soon as she discovered his relationship with Siobhan, but Rich didn’t give up that easily and ended their 25-year marriage.

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This intense tension continues throughout the series, and Stevie begins to struggle with her guilt, especially after Siobhan confides in her about the breakdown of her marriage.

When Siobhan got a text from Rich that was clearly intended for another woman, she told Stevie. Things then became even more tense when Rich arrived at the hospital with an injured work colleague, Brooke, and Siobhan suspected she was the person he was seeing.

Stevie also wondered about the nature of their relationship – but it turned out that Brooke saw Rich as a father figure, and he had been a mentor to her throughout her career.

However, Siobhan continued to believe otherwise and as she prepared to confront the innocent Brooke, Stevie finally decided to come clean and confess that Rich had been dating her.

Melanie Hill previously described Stevie and Rich’s romance as a “double betrayal” for her character Siobhan. Given that she already suspected her husband had been unfaithful, it’s likely Stevie’s reveal will go deeper – especially since the two women formed a close bond as colleagues.

As she took in the news, a distraught Siobhan looked at Rich with fury, but then looked at Stevie with absolute devastation. When Siobhan later told Faith about the situation, she quickly realized that Faith already knew, and was equally devastated to learn that another of her friends had kept such a big secret from her.

These scenes were difficult to watch because all three women are good people who found themselves in impossible situations that damaged their deep bonds, perhaps irreversibly.

Stevie tried to explain that she ended her relationship with Rich as soon as she found out who he really was, but Siobhan wasn’t ready to listen to her. She agreed to keep things professional at work, but made it clear to Stevie that they were no longer friends.

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Meanwhile, Nicole was going through a difficult time during her pregnancy – acting as a surrogate for her friend Rosie. When they learned that her baby would have Down syndrome, Rosie demanded that Nicole have an abortion. However, she decided to carry the pregnancy to full term, despite being torn by indecision.

Over the past two series, Nicole and Ngozi’s friendship has blossomed, with Ngozi providing Nicole with unwavering support throughout her surrogacy rollercoaster. However, things became much more complicated in recent weeks when the pair unexpectedly shared a kiss.

Things have been awkward between the two ever since – and in the first episode of tonight’s double feature, Nicole decided she didn’t want Ngozi to be her birthing partner, choosing her mum instead, much to Ngozi’s disappointment.

But Nicole was soon left with no choice when her water broke early while she was in the skills lab, and only Tariq was on hand to help her give birth. Although there were some complications after the birth, both Nicole and the baby were healthy, and Ngozi was on hand to provide support.

The couple spent some quality time with the newborn, but Rosie soon came with the bombshell that she was ready to become a mother of a child. Nicole was horrified and told Rosie everything she had done to her during the pregnancy, but she accepted her friend’s decision.

Nicole informed Ngozi of the situation and kept a brave face in front of Rosie. But as soon as they were alone, Nicole burst into tears, utterly devastated by what had been taken from her. Once again, Ngozi was there to comfort her.

It’s still unclear whether Nicole and Ngozi’s relationship will ever grow into anything more than a platonic one. But their dynamic was beautiful to watch on the show, and it’ll be fascinating to see where their connection goes next.

Of course, these are not the only stories covered in this series. AccidentMost importantly, Cam’s sexual harassment story is told carefully and sensitively, with an incredible performance from Barney Walsh at the helm.

There’s also Jacob’s relationship with his son Blake, Tariq and Rash’s conflict, Iain and Faith’s struggles with Luca, and of course, Dylan and Sophia’s budding romance.

Maybe Accident tried to do too much with this series — some of those compelling storylines weren’t given enough time to fully explore and, upon reflection, feel unfinished. But that also means there’s more opportunity to return to those stories when the show returns this winter.

As the series came to an end, Siobhan gave a moving speech of consolation to the staff, with Stevie unable to look her colleague in the eye. Meanwhile, Ngozi lay in a hospital bed, wiping away Nicole’s tears as she came to terms with her sudden loss.

Those were the last ones Accident episodes for a while, as the show takes its regular fall break before returning for a Christmas special in December. But there’s already excitement about what’s to come.

Will Siobhan and Stevie be able to mend their relationship? Will Nicole and Ngozi become more than friends? The only hope is that these powerful women continue to be the center of attention.

Accident airs on BBC One and now first on BBC iPlayer, where episodes are released at 6am on the day of transmission. It will return in December for a new series, opening with a special Christmas episode.

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