Code Black recap: Tragedy strikes a character in One of Our Own

Code Black delivers a Rox-centric episode that includes a major down note this week. Here’s what happened in Code Black season 3, episode 11.

A large portion of CBS‘s Code Black has focused on Rox Valenzuela this season, so it’s no surprise that she gets her own episode. “One of Our Own,” though, probably isn’t the kind of episode that Rox would want.

The episode opens with Angels Memorial Hospital busy as usual. Dr. Mario Savetti (Benjamin Hollingsworth) finds out that Dr. Leanne Rorish (Marcia Gay Harden) is recommending him for the hospital’s open attending position, which should be good news for him but isn’t … why?

Mario is called upstairs to check on Dominic, the would-be son of his BFF Dr. Angus Leighton (Harry Ford). He cautions Angus to get a paternity test again, but Angus points out that the kid needs a good doctor and the father part is irrelevant right now.

Plus, Leanne finds out that her adoption hearing is officially on the schedule, Dr. Will Campbell (Boris Kodjoe) is ducking his ex-wife’s new wedding, and then there’s Rox, who’s still fighting with Dr. Ethan Willis (Rob Lowe) because he wouldn’t open up to her about his family issues.

The duo are now on separate ambulances, but respond to the same call involving firefighters injured at a training facility. So Willis and Dr. Noa Kean (Emily Tyra) are both there when a drunk driver speeds through their scene and hits Rox, in a completely random moment.

Naturally, Willis wants all the resources he can get for Rox, who’s rushed back to the hospital while he panics a lot. While most of the team is focused on her, Dr. Diego Avila (Tyler Perez) and Dr. Rollie Guthrie (Wllliam Allen Young) are still treating the firefighter, too. And he may have an identical twin brother among the hospital’s existing patients!

But that also means they might have the same genetic disease.

Code Black segues back to Mario, who teams up with his girlfriend Noa to help a woman and her boyfriend, who were attacked by a trio of thugs when loading their band’s gear into their van. Noa jumps the gun on treating the boyfriend, causing Mario to finally step in and criticize her in front of everyone else.

"Mario: You don’t rush a procedure because you disagree with me."

Plus, the driver of the car that hit Rox has also turned up elsewhere in the ER. Leanne draws the ire of police officers when she refuses to provide a blood sample from the unconscious driver without a warrant, similar to what happened in the Chicago Med episode “Guilty,” except Code Black doesn’t have her arrested.

Upstairs, Rox finally regains consciousness to find Willis and her aunt Jae Eun (a returning Rosalind Chao) by her bedside. Willis tells her that while she lost a kidney, she will otherwise be fine, and he leaves because Rox still doesn’t want to see him.

Meanwhile, Rollie introduces the two brothers to each other. Frank and JT are stunned to see each other and can already finish each other’s sentences. Frank wants to donate part of his liver to his newfound sibling, but things get awkward when he reveals he was the sibling their mom didn’t put up for adoption — and that Mom has since died.

And Angus discloses Dominic’s potential paternity to Campbell, which promptly gets him kicked off the case. This is not a good time for Mario to step in and admit that he covertly checked blood types behind Angus’s back and in fact, he was right. The types don’t match; Dominic isn’t his son. Noa echoes Angus’s sentiments a few moments later:

"Noa: You always think you know better."

Yep, she’s still angry at him and looking at a job opportunity in Philadelphia to add possible injury to insult. She then tells Rox that the man who hit her has been found, and discovers that Rox can’t feel her hand. Of course she’s not fine. And when Angus comes to confront Yvonne about her lie, she insists that she honestly made a mistake; he’s not buying it, and coldly walks away.