The cancer subplot is not more or less "crisis" than the blindness subplot, the death-by-sex subplot, the prison subplot, the terrible wife subplot, the miscarriage subplot, etc, etc, etc.
Cancer is serious, though, and I respect that it may seem as though it's treated very lightly by someone who has had cancer or has had a loved one die due to the disease. I'm sure the miscarriage affected those who have had to deal with that personal tragedy in a similar manner.
The show is all about "how do these people react and adapt - or not - to changing society, circumstances, events, and crisis, and how does their reaction help or hurt them in the long run."
The nice valet helps the hated servant, and then that servant gets a position above the nice valet. He didn't mean to help him that much, but that's how the chips fell due to external circumstances he didn't fully comprehend. How does that change their relationship? Does it make the valet less likely to help next time, does he give up on ousting the bad guy? Does the bad guy turn over a new leaf?
That's what's interesting to me. Without crisis, no one would change, and without change, there's no point in watching more than an episode or two because after that you understand everyone's personality, motives, and relationships.
