Transplant (Wednesdays at 9/10MT on CTV) has spent the past two episodes truly solidifying itself as a voice for refugees, women and people of colour with its devotion to under reported narratives. Now with its third episode, it continues in the vein with squeamish, nail-biting scenes of trauma, triage, tracheotomies, and oddly enough, transcripts.When we last saw Dr. Bashir “Bash” Hamed (Hamza Haq), he was worried his brand new job as a trauma doctor in York Memorial’s ER might be ripped away because of some red tape. He can’t get his med school transcripts from Aleppo because of sectarian politics in Syria, so his new employer, York Memorial, might cut him loose. He manages to get some pretty convincing forgeries from his close friend Khaled (Fayçal Azzouz), an asylum seeker from Libya who is wanted by Canadian Immigration Services, but Bash is reticent to use them—especially when Dr. Bishop (John Hannah) has him sit in front of the hospital’s legal advisory board to prove he’s not a liability.

Bash’s vax stand

Turns out, there’s more to Bash’s transcript troubles than we thought.“They targeted doctors who brought in vaccines,” he blurts out during the meeting as he explains why he can’t get his real papers. He explains the state controls universities and hospitals, and his pro-vax stance makes him an enemy of the state. It’s a startling admission of how the civil war in Syria has divided the people and ruined lives, but it doesn’t put the legal advisory board at ease. Luckily, the decision on Bash’s fate is postponed as more immediate concerns at the hospital—like, you know, saving lives—take the focus.[video_embed id='1919619']A look at episode three of ‘Transplant’[/video_embed]As it turns out, Bash’s experience with vaccines (and lack thereof) in Syria comes in handy when a young boy named Tristan (Ever Taylor-Day) falls ill with a mysterious ailment none of the doctors have ever seen. When it's revealed that Tristan’s ill-informed father Mr. Abbott (Matthew Taylor) is an anti-vaxxer, and as such, Tristan has never received any inoculations in his entire life, Bash quickly deduces the poor kid has diphtheria. Since children in Canada receive diphtheria vaccinations as babies, the doctors note there are only one or two reported cases every decade, leaving them ill-equipped to treat it.“People are desperate for vaccines in Syria, we’re fighting to get them into the country,” Bash explains to Dr. Leblanc (Laurence LeBoeuf). It also explains his hard stance with Tristan's father. Bash loses his cool and downright admonishes Abbott for neglecting the needs of his son and putting him in real danger. Follow that up with a truly petrifying scene where Tristan’s airway is restricted because of the diphtheria lesions and it's a straight-up nightmare. The camera doesn’t turn away from the gritty, bloody tracheotomy Bash performs on Tristan’s throat to get him breathing again, reminding us just how dang intense and extreme the visuals in this show really are.

Which path will Bash choose to follow? Here's an exclusive sneak peek at the latest episode of #Transplant. Get into it Wednesday at 9/10mt on @CTV. pic.twitter.com/sQryTBgL8A

— Transplant (@TransplantCTV) March 10, 2020

Keeping it real

Luckily, Tristan makes a full recovery, but this is the first episode of Transplant where we actually see a patient die. And unfortunately, it’s another young person. A drunken fraternity bro comes into the ER with a head wound, but it’s his friend Ethan (Dale Whibley) who suddenly collapses and goes into cardiac arrest, having guzzled an entire bottle of soy sauce to impress the frat. Dr. Curtis (Ayisha Issa) and Bash jump into action and once again, we see just what the war-torn streets of Aleppo have done to Bash’s instincts. Even after it’s obvious Ethan has flatlined, the good doctor (that’s a different show, but still) continues chest compressions, going into a zen-like trance where everything but the rhythmic pumping fades away.Things get even more real when the doctors have to confront death for the first time together. Dr. Curtis, who spent some time chatting with Ethan earlier, exclaims, “It’s a stupid, meaningless way to die!” to which Bash counters, “It doesn’t make it any easier when they die for a reason.” This is a good time to remember that his parents, both doctors, died because of the war in Syria.[video_embed id='1909547']RELATED: ‘Transplant’ star Hamza Haq on how he traded his day job to become a leading man[/video_embed]Bash closes out the episode by taking a payday loan to help out his friend Khaled while in dire straits himself—his hospital paycheck hasn’t come in yet and he’s facing eviction for unpaid rent. He promises baby sister Amira (Sirena Gulamgaus) they'll be all right with a smile, but the minute she glances away, his face falls. Can this poor guy ever catch a break?Watch Transplant on CTV Wednesdays at 9/10MT.