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Sunday, October 30, 2022

The Resident 6x06 Review: “For Better or Worse” (Milestone Alert) [Contributor: Justine]


“For Better or Worse”
Original Airdate: October 25, 2022

The 100th episode of The Resident is here, and it’s exceeding all expectations. Such a milestone is an opportunity to reflect on the legacy of the series so far and take stock as the show continues into the future. This episode highlights just how far all of these characters have come. For some, it’s a genuine surprise and delight that they have ended up where they have. Surprising though it may be, everything somehow falls into place. 

Let’s begin with that KitBell wedding, one of the most anticipated network weddings this season. Kit and Bell have come so far individually. Who would have thought that when this series began, Bell would be the one to cheer for as he found true love? Color this fan truly surprised in the best possible way. It’s true, this is a love story worth waiting for. The Resident needs to be commended for making a love story between two people of a certain age the one that receives the most attention. Finding love later in life rarely gets the affection it deserves. 

Kit’s story, with her going up against the governor of Georgia, is just getting started. This remains a story ripped right from the headlines. The increased privatization of healthcare and lack of government funding continues to wreak havoc on an already strained healthcare system. It is good that The Resident continues to highlight this, as the show's characters strive to provide the best patient care possible. Kit Voss demonstrates why she is the perfect candidate to lead the charge to do right by patients across her state. 

Bell also is given a chance to shine; he is back to providing surgical heroics to save a young patient with idiopathic liver disease. It’s also a testament to the fact that he and Kit are well-matched when she immediately understands Bell’s need to see his surgery through. Bell’s story this season has been set up as being in the shadow of his M.S. diagnosis. It’s great to see him back at the height of his surgical powers, while he feels his best. It’s great to see them in the spotlight. 

Billie and Gigi getting to spend time together is the heartwarming throwback everyone needed. One of this show’s strengths is its ability to continue weaving in stories of grief with stories happening in the present. Nic will never be forgotten, and her legacy is her incredible daughter Gigi. This is a chance for Billie to shine and remind everyone of what a great friend she was to Nic. The pain of losing someone never fades; it only evolves with time. 

Ian’s addiction is barreling toward disaster. It’s incredibly effective for the show to keep showing near-misses. The reality is that many people who live with addictions continue living their lives as usual while turmoil brews within. By continuing to show Ian nearly causing disaster for his patients, it keeps everyone on the edge of their seats. We know the disaster is coming if he doesn’t get help. It may not be tomorrow or the next day, but it’s coming. 

Finally, Manish Dayal deserves to be commended for directing such a brilliant episode. He has proven his directorial prowess many times before. However, this is the pinnacle of his directorial achievement for The Resident. His vision is stunning. The fact that he’s able to draw a direct parallel from this episode with Ian demanding music in the O.R. while spiraling out of control with the premiere episode featuring Bell blaring music as he caused a patient’s death is art. It’s only unfortunate that with his directing, Dayal can’t devote as much time to playing Devon.

The Resident’s 100th episode is a triumph for a series that has not always been able to find its way. This is the best of what the medical drama can be; the balance between character stories and commentary on real-world issues is not something that has always been done effectively. This episode brings the Chastain family back together in a way that they haven’t been in a long time. KitBell’s wedding was absolutely worth waiting for. Hopefully, the next 100 episodes of The Resident can live up to this legacy. 

Other Things:

  • I’m still not sold on the Cade/Conrad/Billie love triangle. Personally if I absolutely had to choose one pairing to cheer for, I’m a sucker for a good friends-to-lovers story, so I have to back Billie and Conrad.
  • Jake being an all-purpose wedding professional, including officiant and musician, is exactly what he deserves. Hopefully this isn’t the last we’ll see of Jake for the rest of the season. 
  • Sammie is incredibly adorable. It’s a stroke of genius for Kit to tap into this cuteness to make her appeal for greater funding for Chastain. Never underestimate the power of an adorable child with a message. 
  • “When I first met you, I thought you were a bit of an arrogant sod. But I never expected you'd make me feel so happy, so loved. And I never, ever thought you'd be my forever. But Randolph, you are. And I've never been so glad to be so wrong.”
  • “Kit, thank you for waiting for me to become the man I am now. I've made some mistakes. Most of you can name a few, and then I met someone who believed I could be better. A better surgeon. A better father. A better person. All I can do is try and become the man that somehow you knew I could be. Kit, everything that's good in me is because of you.”
  • “I am so proud of you, Mrs. Bell.” “And I of you, Mr. Voss.”

Friday, October 21, 2022

Grey’s Anatomy 19x03 Recap: “Let’s Talk About Sex” (The Prodigal Daughter Returns Again) [Contributor: Julia Siegel]


“Let’s Talk About Sex”
Original Airdate: October 20, 2022

Grey’s Anatomy is known for its social commentary and not backing away from the issues. And in this hour, the overturning of Roe v. Wade takes center stage. We should expect the show to continue to address topics like these throughout the season, just as it has done so many times in the past. And hopefully viewers enjoy the lighter-hearted take on sex education in this episode to balance out the heavier themes. 

NEW ASSIGNMENT

The episode begins early in the morning with the doctors arriving at Grey Sloan Memorial. Luke skateboards to work as Simone walks and talks to her grandmother on the phone. Amelia is FaceTiming with Kai as she approaches the hospital. The on-and-off-again couple are still together and are trying to find time in their busy schedules to see each other. Kai turns up right behind Amelia, leaving the latter thrilled with the surprise visit. Zola has come to work with Meredith because she had a panic attack. Mer makes a comment about how Zola has missed a few days of school for the same reason. Zola wants to watch Mer’s bowel resection, but Mer sends her daughter to her office to work on her homework. Mer then catches up with Nick and Maggie, and the three doctors are excited to see Bailey come walking down the hall. She is there for the day to help Jo with a special project. Nick has given them the surgical interns for the day, and their new assignment is not one they would have picked.

In the interns’ locker room, Schmitt is still doing his best Season 1 Bailey impression and being harsh to the interns. He wants them to sign release forms, but won’t field questions on why. Bailey walks in with Jo and tells the interns to follow. She gives a passionate speech as the group walks about how the female body is now a warzone in this country due to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Bailey has been working with Jo to create a sex education program for teens, and they are enlisting the interns to help create sex ed. videos that they hope will go viral on social media to spread the word about safe sex. Naturally, none of the interns want to help and are less than thrilled about the day’s work.

When the group gets to their presentation room headquarters, they find out that they will also be working with the one and only Addison Montgomery for the day. It’s always a pleasure to have Kate Walsh come back, and it really is time for her to come back to Grey’s Anatomy as a series regular. In typical Addison fashion, her first line to the interns is, “Don’t look so miserable. You are getting paid to talk about sex today!” Richard is in the room to help, but he too appears to not want to be there. Bailey is grateful that Addison came to help, and Addison is more than happy to lend a hand because she also can’t stand what is happening. She talks about the many 18-year-old women that have come to her office asking to have their tubes tied because they don’t want to risk having an unwanted pregnancy at college in a state that doesn’t allow abortions anymore. 

Jo comes over to reintroduce herself to Addison and reminds her that they met during grand rounds last season. Addison tells Jo that she has heard great things about her, which makes the younger doctor’s day. Then, Addison spots Luke across the room and goes up to talk to him. Luke looks like a deer caught in headlights as his aunt (yes, there is a comment that Luke still considers Addison his aunt) comes up to him and Simone. He tries to quickly interrupt her before she can give away his identity and plays off their interaction as if they are meeting for the first time. Addison is visibly confused at Luke’s behavior, and Simone catches on even though she is super thrilled to meet the legendary Addison.

Over in the ER, Teddy is complaining to Owen that they have no interns to help them. It’s worth mentioning that Owen and Teddy are still bickering a lot. Right on cue, Luke walks up to Teddy and asks her if he can help out in the pit and will do whatever is needed. Teddy’s anger only slightly wanes as she gains a helper. Luke is happy to get away from Addison, but it really is only a matter of time before everyone will know his true identity. 

Back in the presentation room, Bailey and Jo give the interns pre-written scripts for the videos they want to film. Richard decides he doesn’t want to take part in the videos and leaves. Blue tries to bail too, but Bailey puts a stop to the interns complaining by saying that this is their assignment and they have to do it. Addison reminds the group that young people across the country are attempting their own unsafe abortions since, in some places, they can’t get help medically. She wants to save lives with the videos and specifically help teenagers get safe sex education. This gets the interns attention, and they begrudgingly agree to help out. However, they are less than thrilled when Bailey brings in about 100 teens from Tuck’s high school, that way the interns have an audience to teach. It’s quite a funny moment to see the looks on the young doctors’ faces. 

A HELPING HAND

Schmitt is working in the pit and is approached by Simone’s grandma, who asks if he has seen her daughter, Denise. Her dementia has taken over, and she thinks Denise is at the hospital and is in labor. Schmitt summons Luke to help her find her daughter, but neither of them know that they are talking to Simone’s grandma, or that Denise died giving birth to Simone. In another hall, Winston finds Nick to ask if he gave up the surgical interns for the day. Winston isn’t happy that he has to do rounds for his and Maggie’s patients since there aren’t any interns to help out. Nick tells Winston what the interns are working on, and Winston understands the importance of the project and agrees to start his rounds. Nick walks away and finds Zola meandering around the hospital. She admits that she wants to find a gallery to watch a surgery and doesn’t want to do her boring history homework. Nick tells her they can go see something cool and leads her to the skills lab.

Back in the presentation room, the teenagers are bored by the droll speeches the interns are giving. They are so bad at public speaking; even Jo and Bailey know it’s going terribly. The look on Bailey’s face is hilarious, especially as Blue struggles to say more than a few words of his speech. Addison leaves the room to take a phone call in a nearby stairwell. One of the teens, Lucia, also leaves the presentation and finds her way to the same stairwell. Addison sees Lucia in tears and asks the girl if she is okay. Lucia answers that her period is late, and she is scared that she is pregnant. Addison says that she can take her for a blood test and won’t tell her parents. Lucia agrees, so Addison walks her out.

Nick and Zola go to the skills lab, where Zola gets to play around with laparoscopic surgery tools. Zola is a natural and aces using the instruments on her first try. Nick is beyond impressed to say the least. Zola asks him if he always knew he wanted to be a doctor. Nick replies that he wanted to be many things before being a doctor, including the Flash, a professional baseball player, a science teacher, and an astronaut. He decided to be a doctor after his mother died.

Bailey rounds up the interns and asks them where their passion is. She tells them they need to put more effort and emotion into the videos and not simply read the facts. Mika blurts out that the facts are boring, so it’s not their fault that they aren’t inspiring their students. One student, a girl named Diamond, starts to have a medical emergency, so Jo and Bailey call for a gurney to help her out.

Over in the skills lab, Zola is playing a video game-like program. Kai walks in and asks to use a table to do some data analysis while Amelia is working. They tell Nick that the next phase of the Parkinson’s trial is going to start soon, which Nick is happy about. Kai asks how Nick is doing with his new position, and Nick says he really likes his new job and thinks he is doing well with it. Kai then spots Zola completing a cognitive puzzle and notices that she finished it much faster than adults typically do, which intrigues both doctors.

Elsewhere, Luke walks Simone’s grandma to the maternity ward. He looks up Denise’s name and finds her file in the hospital system. He quickly learns Simone’s connection to the hospital and is sobered by what he reads. Over in the imaging suite, Bailey and Jo wait for MRI results for Diamond. They discover that she has a large cyst in her abdomen and ovarian torsion, which will require immediate surgery. Jo is worried because she has never done this type of surgery on her own and Carina is busy in another surgery. Bailey tells Jo to find Addison to help out in the surgery and to get her privileges. Jo reminds Bailey that she needs privileges also to operate since she isn’t currently working at Grey Sloan Memorial.

NEW APPROACH

While attempting to record yet another take of her video, Simone gets a page to go to the pit. She is more than happy to leave Blue, Jules, and Mika with the students. The three remaining interns huddle up to discuss the assignment. Blue only wants to operate and has no interest in helping the teens, and Jules decides to switch it up and give it one last try. She goes off-script by giving the teens sex advice. This immediately garners the audience’s attention, and the interns begin to care more too. The students are finally learning and even have questions for the eager interns to answer.

Elsewhere, Addison finds Schmitt, who begs her to let him out of teaching the sex education class. Instead, Addison asks for his help with Lucia’s pregnancy test because she needs to go to Diamond’s surgery. We then see Bailey and Richard walking through the halls as the former asks the latter for privileges to join Jo and Addison’s surgery. Richard ribs Bailey a bit before granting the privileges, and it’s fun to see these two get right back into their familiar dynamic.

Simone arrives at the ER waiting room and is surprised to find her grandma and Luke waiting for her. Her grandma thinks that she is Denise and asks to go home. Simone tries to remind her grandma that Denise is dead and that she is her granddaughter. Unfortunately, Simone’s grandma doesn’t understand and starts to panic because she only wants her daughter. Mer walks over at the perfect time and asks Simone’s grandma how she can help while taking her hand and telling her to take a few deep breaths. Simone’s grandma asks Mer to help her find her daughter, and Mer calmly replies that she would love to help her. Simone starts to cry at the overwhelming situation unfolding in front of her.

Back in the skills lab, Nick and Kai paged Maggie and Amelia to show them Zola completing cognitive puzzles at incredible rates. The aunts are shocked, as they too have never seen anyone finish the puzzles that fast. Nick asks them what they should do next and whether Zola should skip high school and go straight to college. All four adults are highly impressed at Zola’s newfound aptitude to say the least.

The episode then turns back into being a comedy when Jules finds Link in the pit and asks him to help out with the sex ed class for half an hour. Link is alarmed by Jules’ request, quips that he doesn’t want to lose his job, and tells her to find a couple to help out. As he walks away, Jules spots Winston. She asks him if he and Maggie can demonstrate sexual consent to a room full of teens. Without even thinking, Winston says no and walks away. The scene cuts back to the presentation room, where Teddy and Owen are talking to the group about consensual sex. It’s hilarious that the only couple willing to help is the one that currently can’t stand each other. It gets even funnier when Teddy starts describing the 11 erogenous zones, most of which even Owen didn’t know. She has a captive audience in her husband, the interns, and the teens. 

PROBLEM SOLVING

In the OR, Jo, Addison, and Bailey operate on Diamond. Addison mentions that everything has felt like a worst case scenario since Roe v. Wade was overturned. Jo adds that she switched specialties to OB to find joy and is now seeing teenagers die while attempting unsafe abortions. The discussion is cut short when Diamond starts excessively bleeding and crashes.

Schmitt goes to tell Lucia that she is in fact pregnant. Lucia freaks out because she only had sex one time and didn’t think she would get pregnant from her first time. Schmitt asks if she would like to keep the fetus, and Lucia doesn’t hesitate to say no. She doesn’t want her life to end as she starts her senior year of high school and thinks her parents will be furious when they find out. Schmitt tells her that her parents don’t have to know because as long as the fetus is under three weeks, they can medically abort with pills. Lucia agrees, so he goes to get an ultrasound machine to find out how far along Lucia is. 

Mer finds Simone sitting on a bench outside the hospital and tells the intern that her grandma has calmed down. Mer asks how long she has had dementia, and Simone replies that it has been two years, but her grandma has gotten significantly worse over the last six months. Mer tells Simone about her mom’s Alzheimer’s and recalls how she would act. Simone confides in Mer about her mom’s death and how she doesn’t think she can watch her grandma deteriorate further. She states that she put every effort into matching with a residency program across the country, and now she’s still in Seattle. Simone loves her grandma and knows she is the reason that she has made it this far in life, but Simone doesn’t know how to handle the current situation. Mer tells her not to keep telling her grandma that Denise is dead in order to make things easier for everyone. Simone asks if she can stay outside a little longer, which Mer agrees to. Mer also tells Simone that she really does feel her pain and that her door is always open if she needs someone to talk to. It is a nice moment between the two generations of surgeons, and it would be interesting to see that relationship develop, since I think Simone will be the strongest resident in her class.

Mer goes back inside and is paged to the skills lab, where she finds Kai, Maggie, and Nick watching Zola and Amelia from outside the room. They tell Mer that Zola aced every test much faster than adults, but Mer is mad that they are testing Zola without her consent. Mer already knew that Zola is smart and also wants to know why her daughter isn’t in her office completing her homework. Nick admits that the tests were an accident, and Maggie calmly says that Zola’s panic attacks can be explained by being gifted. Maggie knows firsthand that being gifted can contribute to mental health problems because she too didn’t think the same way as other kids and standing out that much was difficult to deal with. The group thinks that Zola needs to be around other kids who think the way she does, but Mer doesn’t want to hear it.

At the presentation hall, Bailey and Jo have come back after their surgery to find Jules still going way off-script. They are stunned at the response the new material is getting from the students. Jo knows that the videos will definitely go viral now and sees several students filming the interns. Jules says that they need to add dancing and music to the videos to have a further reach on social media.

In a quiet part of the hospital, Luke plays a round of cards with Simone’s grandma. She asks Luke where he is from, and he replies that he is from Connecticut but his dad is from Barbados. Simone walks in, and her grandma immediately thinks she is Denise again. Simone decides to pretend she is Denise, which keeps her grandma calm. Luke gets paged away, so Simone takes his place and plays cards with her grandma.

We then get to check in on the two patients of the episode. Jo and Bailey tell Diamond’s mom that the surgery was successful, but there were complications. The mom thinks it’s her fault for not seeing the signs of a problem, but Bailey assures her that she isn’t to blame for knowing that Diamond had an underlying problem. Addison and Schmitt give Lucia pills to medically abort her pregnancy. They explain the process and what will happen. Lucia is a bit nervous, so Addison gives the girl her personal phone number in case she needs to call if something is wrong.

INSPIRATION

The episode starts to wrap up with a montage of the interns and attendings recording hilarious dance videos to incorporate into the sex ed videos. It’s a highly entertaining minute or two, and it’s even better when they show Bailey and Richard watching it back in a conference room. Richard doesn’t get it, so Bailey explains that they have to speak the younger generations’ language to get the point across. He asks when he will see her again, and Bailey asks, “How does tomorrow sound?” She has decided that she doesn’t want to sit idly by while everything is crashing down and instead would like to reopen the clinic and center it around reproductive health. Bailey proposes that she will run the clinic for 20 hours a week and the rest of the time she will be an attending to teach and cut. Then she will have plenty of time to go home and be with her family without a massive amount of stress. Richard accepts her terms and welcomes her back to Grey Sloan Memorial.

Simone finds Luke treating a patient in the pit and thanks him for staying with her grandma. She also asks him to not tell anyone because she doesn’t want anyone’s pity. Simone then reveals that she knows Luke is a Shepherd. Luke is beyond surprised, so Simone explains that she knew the interaction he had with Addison was weird, which made her look him up. She hasn’t told anyone and is willing to keep his secret as long as he keeps hers. They agree, and it’s clear that Simone and Luke would make a good pair down the line.

Amelia finds Maggie doing a cognitive puzzle in the skills lab. Maggie discusses having to do the puzzles all the time as a kid and how she too had panic attacks caused by not being like everyone else. Amelia thinks that Maggie is reliving her childhood memories after seeing Zola, but Maggie says that she isn’t reliving it and is instead not sure how she completely missed that Zola is like her. Amelia assures Maggie that they will all make sure Zola gets the tools she needs to help her.

It’s the end of the day, and Richard invites Addison over for dinner as they walk out. Addison feels she should keep working, but Richard doesn’t want to see his friend run herself ragged. She is so upset with the world and feels erased due to her profession. Richard understands and explains that even if she spends every day fighting the good fight, she still needs to live and can come over to spend time with old friends. Addison accepts the invite, and it would have been nice to actually see the get together. 

Mer, Nick, and Zola leave together, and Nick wants to know how long Mer will be mad at him. Mer isn’t sure and feels lost with Zola. She is mad that everyone she loves went behind her back and broke her rules. Nick knows that Zola is a special kid, which makes Mer flash a smile at him. Nick cheekily says that he knew Mer couldn’t stay mad at him for long. 

We are then treated to some racy old school Grey’s Anatomy content. Owen gets home and finds Teddy on her laptop in their bed. He kisses her hard and they start having sex. Amelia and Kai are at what appears to be a hotel room. They make out and eventually sleep together. Link and Jo are at home hanging out on the couch together. Link gives Jo a foot massage, which leads Jo to say she learned about erogenous zones. He asks if he should stop, and Jo says, “It’s just a foot rub, right?” Link keeps going, but the sexual undertones are very strong. These two will be hooking up again soon.

Back at the hospital, Luke and Simone are working on tying knots together, while Blue and Jules look at each other with lingering stares in the locker room. They walk out together and go straight to an on-call room. Jules locks the door, and they immediately start making out. Jules tells Blue that this is a one-time thing and they agree that there will be no feelings involved. She says that she doesn’t even like him, and Blue quips that he isn’t for everyone. We get glimpses of the Owen and Teddy, Amelia and Kai, and Jules and Blue having sex, while Luke and Simone and Jo and Link give each other looks. 

The episode satisfyingly ends with Mer, Nick, and Zola arriving at Mer’s house. Mer sends Zola inside, closes the door, and passionately makes out with Nick on the porch. The show hasn’t gotten this steamy in a while, so it will be interesting to see if they keep this tone throughout the season or not. 

Thursday, October 20, 2022

The Resident 6x05 Review: “A River in Egypt” (All About Denial) [Contributor: Justine]


“A River in Egypt”
Original Airdate: October 18, 2022

The next episode of The Resident will be the 100th episode of the series. “A River in Egypt” could have very easily been a filler episode, holding fans over until the big event. Instead, this entry is a surprisingly deep and poignant meditation on denial and its impact on everyone’s daily life. While not every storyline gets a chance to move forward, there’s plenty of set-up that is sure to pay off as the season continues. 

It seems like everyone is in denial about something. Even the main medical storyline is a man who just can’t accept the aging process and the inevitability of death. It has to be said that it’s refreshing to see a man struggle with this rather than a woman. Women are so often sold the lie that the aging process can be defied and it was a nice change to see a man fall for this lie. This story is also an effective commentary on how dangerous a lot of snake oil treatments are. Aging and death come for us all.

Props to Cade for bringing in what she’s learned from Al Anon. This is an excellent resource for anyone supporting a loved one living with addiction. It’s been a seemingly long road for Cade to fully accept the extent of her father’s illness. It’s good that she has a community supporting her as the child of a parent with an addiction. This continued focus on recovery for herself may be what finally makes this character three dimensional. Until now, a lot of her character development has seemingly happened off-screen. Now, we get to see her work through this struggle in real time. There’s clearly more to her than meets the eye.

There’s been a spotlight on Kit as a caregiver so far this season. MS truly is a devastating illness. Anyone who’s loved someone with such a complex chronic illness will recognize the struggle and joy that Kit embodies. So often, caregiving is a lonely road. However Kit is fortunate to be supported by those who love her and Bell most. KitBell fans get the briefest of moments seeing these two before their wedding. Their reunion is a reminder of how strong their love is. Their wedding, low-key as it looks like it will be, can’t come soon enough. This will be the start of a whole new chapter for these two. 

The fact that Conrad has mainly taken a back seat in the last season or so has not necessarily been a bad change. This has given other characters a chance in the spotlight. However, it’s an interesting twist to have Conrad be the focus as a doctor this episode. His patient’s denial of his health condition is heartbreakingly relatable. Conrad also clearly has difficulty facing the reality that, even though he has seen this patient through so much, it’s just not enough. Delaying the inevitable is such a deeply human strategy to handle emotionally overwhelming situations. 

Finally, Padma still can’t catch a break. The babies are here, they’re healthy, and by all accounts, they’re out of the woods medically. I appreciate when shows like The Resident continue telling stories about the realities of postpartum depression, which is still stigmatized. But in this episode, her storyline just feels like another chance to get a dig in at Padma. Why does this show have such a problem with this character? She’s delightful and honestly deserves so much better. Here’s hoping A.J., Leela, and Devon can step up and give Padma the support she needs. 

The Resident puts in a surprisingly strong episode just before a big event. While not all of the character choices may work yet, the groundwork is being prepared for something hopefully bigger. Denial is such an integral part of the human experience, and The Resident does a fantastic job of showing this with empathy and compassion. Leaning into these characters and their humanity is always the right choice. 

Other Things:

  • Irving and Jessica content is the best. Seriously, we don’t see enough of these two. Maybe that’s why Irving has been so upset recently.
  • Must we rehash Devon and Leela’s ongoing disagreement about having kids? It didn’t add anything to the story last time.
  • I hope Billie gets more time in the spotlight. This character keeps getting pushed out and it’s a shame. Of course, if Jessica Lucas wants to cut back, that’s understandable. But Billie is such a great character. 
  • “It's complicated. Sometimes you need a dose of denial to have hope.”
  • “I'll never get used to this.”
  • “One moment a person is there and the next it's just dead flesh. Empty eyes, heavy limbs, absence. When I almost lost Jessica, it got personal. I realized it could happen to us at any time.”

Grey’s Anatomy 19x02 Recap: “Wasn’t Expecting That” (New) [Contributor: Julia Siegel]


“Wasn’t Expecting That”
Original Airdate: October 13, 2022

Last week’s season premiere of Grey’s Anatomy introduced new characters and new roles for the returning doctors. The second episode is much of the same, as a lot of focus is put on the new core interns. New roles this time around include Nick accepting Meredith’s offer to become the new residency director and Schmitt starting his reign as hardcore chief resident. If Grey’s Anatomy feels different to you this fall, that’s because it very much is. It’ll be an adjustment, but changes like this are nothing new to the longtime medical drama.

NO GOOD ASSIGNMENT

The theme of the season thus far is “new.” Everything is new on the show, so it’s fitting that the episode begins with showing how each of the new interns arrives at work while simultaneously giving more background details on them. Simone lives in a house with her grandma, who has memory problems shown by packing a lunch for her granddaughter with everyday objects like a television remote control. Jules walks through the parking garage at the hospital and finds Mika living in her first place of her own: a modified camping van rigged with a wifi hotspot. It’s not fully clear, but Mika may be living in the parking garage.

Luke is practically living at the hospital too, but he at least has claimed an on-call room as his own. All his personal belongings are thrown around the small room, and Aunt Amelia comes a-knocking. She isn’t thrilled to find her nephew living at Grey Sloan Memorial and offers to have him stay at Mer’s house for a few days. Luke refuses and tells her that his situation is temporary until he finds a place of his own. They had agreed that there would be no special favors from any member of the family in Seattle. Amelia casually says his mother wouldn’t like this, but they still haven’t said which Shepherd sister is Luke’s mother. I’m not sure what the secret is, but maybe they haven’t booked one of the past actresses to reprise their role yet and whoever agrees will wind up being Luke’s mom.

Luke walks out of the room and almost gets run over by Blue, who says they are late. The two interns go running off, so Amelia catches up with Mer and Maggie in the halls. Mer is discussing Nick’s email with his ideas of how to change up the residency program now that he is the director. She complains that he hasn’t called, seen her, or talked to her at all. Mer seems to refuse to make a move, so it’s really her own fault. Mer asks her sisters if they will be at Zola’s presentation for a paper she wrote on Ellis for a scholarship later that evening.

In the interns’ locker room, Nick greets the group and introduces them to their chief resident, Schmitt, who will be in charge of scheduling. Blue tries to find any way to scrub into a surgery, but gets shut down by Nick. Schmitt gives Luke, Mika, and Blue individual doctors to work with and assigns Jules and Simone to the same case in the ER. They complain that they don’t get to work on their own, so Schmitt quips that two interns make one whole doctor. He tells the group to not embarrass him or drop anything inside a patient (or as the audience knows, don’t be like Schmitt was when he started). Schmitt’s whole demeanor has changed since he took on his new position and it’s a good look for the usually timid character.

Blue meets up with Winston to be on his service, and Winston’s day is quickly ruined by Maggie coming over to change up his schedule. Maggie moved his surgeries to allow Winston to do the work that the residents typically would, and it’s clear he is over being treated lowly by his wife/boss. Luke is on Maggie’s service and is given scut work since he isn’t to be given special favors. We now know that at least Mer, Amelia, and Maggie are aware of the truth about Luke, so it’ll be interesting to see who else may or may not know.

Mika arrives in the ER to work with Owen and finds him arguing with his wife. Teddy laughs that Owen has an intern when he can’t do anything on his own. She is now the chief of trauma since Owen doesn’t fully have his medical license and gives Mika a list of things that Owen needs supervision to do. She warns her husband that if he does anything on his own, he will lose his license again. We also see Jules and Simone meeting their patients in the ER. They are looking after two young men who are vomiting from supposed food poisoning. Jules reveals she plays video games when talking to the guys about their college lifestyle. The one patient starts having trouble breathing; the interns find an odd rash on his abdomen and instantly panic.

NEW ROLES

After getting slightly more acquainted with the interns, we get a look at the new roles the returning characters are in this season. Jo and Luna meet Bailey and Pru at the park for a mom and baby group. Jo is thrilled that Bailey called her and that she gets to do something other than working and watching Link bring home half the women in Seattle. Back at the hospital, Mer and Richard are paged to the ER by Jules and Simone respectively. The newbies didn’t consult each other before reaching out for help, which is slightly comical. They explain how their patient presented with food poisoning symptoms, then had a rash and shortness of breath. He is continuing to deteriorate, so Mer wants him brought to the ICU and orders a battery of tests. His roommate doesn’t have any non-food poisoning symptoms yet, which is the only bright spot.

Owen and Mika consult on a patient named Harold who presents with abdominal discomfort. Harold’s wife comes into the room and immediately starts nagging. Owen needs to do an ultrasound, so Teddy has to come supervise. The instant hostility they have toward one another almost borders on comical when they start having a personal argument while attempting to treat the patient. Harold wonders aloud why he needs three doctors in the room. Mika spots Schmitt in the hall and runs out to catch him. She states she can’t work for Owen or Teddy because they are velociraptors and requests to be on Schmitt’s service instead. The overworked Schmitt snaps that he doesn’t want to be interrupted and shuts down her help.

Maggie and Luke are waiting for MRI images on their patient when Amelia arrives to ask if she can borrow Winston to assist on one of her upcoming surgeries. Amelia kicks Luke out of the room when Maggie tries to refuse and asks if her marriage is okay. Maggie knows Winston is mad at her, but she needs Winston to be perfect and help her. She knows this annoys him, and Amelia really doesn’t know what to say about that. Over in the ICU, the college student is crashing, so Jules and Simone page Mer. The chief of surgery arrives and declares that they need to intubate their patient. Mer does the intubation and has Jules and Simone watch her technique. As the patient stabilizes and Mer thinks she can leave, the interns notice that he is bleeding out of his chest tube site, which causes further confusion as to what the diagnosis is.

Schmitt takes a break from his busy schedule to go across the street to Joe’s Bar. It seems like a surprising move until the real surprise that Helm is working there as a bartender is revealed. Schmitt asks his best friend to come back to Grey Sloan Memorial, but she is enjoying her less stressful life. She seems to be a completely different person now and has a certain confidence about her. Schmitt tells her that he is now chief resident of general surgery and that he needs her help. Helm remarks that he is only chief resident because she isn’t coming back. Schmitt tries a different tactic and tells her that Mer wants her back. Helm knows that she can’t chase after Mer and knows she isn’t interested in her. Schmitt gets paged by Maggie and leaves Helm in her new life. Whether Helm decides to stay where she is in life is still up in the air. I’m sure this won’t be the last we see of her though.

UNNECESSARY INFORMATION

Mer, Richard, Teddy, Jules, and Simone work together to run a differential diagnosis on their patient, who is now in septic shock. Time is running out, and they can’t figure out what is wrong with him. Mer suggests that the interns band together to research possibilities and find the right disease before it’s too late. The patient needs reinforcements, so Jules and Simone go find their colleagues. 

Richard catches up with Teddy afterwards and says he is glad to see her and Owen back. The very mention of Owen triggers Teddy to go into an epic rant. She immediately suspects that Owen told Richard that she is drinking too much and asked him to check on her. Teddy is mad that she’s had to work incredibly hard to only have no money and a bad life for the past six months. She vents about how she hates Owen for it, but she doesn’t want to leave him because deep down, she still loves him. Wine helps her remember her true feelings, so she has a few glasses every night to unwind. Richard can only be silently stunned and watch as Teddy completely unravels in front of him. He lets her walk away into an elevator, whose doors close before Teddy is done with her thoughts.

Amelia finds Luke and Blue and asks to speak with Luke alone about a patient. It would be a totally normal thing to ask of another doctor, if she didn’t say it so awkwardly. Amelia found some apartments for Luke to look at, and the best one is close to Mer’s house. She suggests it that way her nephew can come over whenever he wants and visit the kids and have dinner with his aunts. Luke is appreciative, but asks Amelia not to hover. He doesn’t want anyone to know that they are related because it will only make things harder for him.

The group of five interns meet up somewhere in the hospital to research potential diagnoses together. They run through several possibilities and shoot each one down. Mika gets paged to find an attending to supervise Owen, which she believes means she will never learn anything. She leaves and joins Owen in Harold’s room. They tell the patient that he needs a CT scan since the ultrasound didn’t show the problem. Harold’s wife can’t find her missing phone, so she takes Harold’s phone to call hers. It starts vibrating loudly, and they all learn that Harold stuck his wife’s phone up his butt because she is always glued to social media and he couldn’t stand it anymore. It is nice to have a lighter story mixed in with the tenser ones, and this is a particularly funny case.

Back at the park, Bailey asks Jo how things are at Grey Sloan Memorial. Instead of answering, Jo asks Bailey how she isn’t throwing fits and screaming when she looks around at the world Pru is living in. Bailey says she constantly reminds herself that if she did and got arrested, Pru would lose another parent, which isn’t fair to the little girl. Satisfied by the response, Jo answers Bailey’s question and talks about how she and Carina have extended their OB clinic hours. Bailey asks if Jo is doing fewer hours in surgery now that there are interns again, and Jo realizes that Bailey only wants to get hospital information out of her instead of being a mom friend. Jo is a bit offended, but she shouldn’t be surprised by Bailey’s classic behavior.

CONTENTIOUS WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT

The workplace environment doesn’t get any better when Owen and Mika remove the phone from Harold with Teddy watching in the corner. Harold’s wife sneaks a peek through the blinds from outside of the room, while Owen and Teddy quibble the whole time until the phone is removed. In the ER, Simone takes great initiative by checking on the other college student, who is very worried about his friend. Simone asks him to tell her anything he can about his roommate’s health and lifestyle. He brings up that his friend once had syphilis, and Simone tries to get as much of a comprehensive history as possible. 

Nick finds Mer and comes up behind her to say hello. Mer jumps and tries to compose herself by asking how the program is going. Nick says things are on par and that he likes his new position. There’s an awkward tension between the two made worse by Mer asking where Nick is staying. Nick actually says that she is acting weird, and they are interrupted by Jules running up to get Mer’s help with their patient. They arrive in the ICU to find Link announcing that the patient’s foot is cold and that he has no blood flow below his knee. Link says they need to amputate the leg, and he is going to let a nervous and surprised Jules do the surgery. They need to act quickly if they want to save the patient, who is continually getting worse.

In the cath lab, Schmitt helps Maggie with a procedure. Winston charges into the room and yells at Schmitt for not being in the OR with him. Schmitt was supposed to scrub in with Winston and had done a lot of research and practice for the big surgery, but he followed hierarchy and picked Maggie’s surgery when she asked for help. Winston is really mad that he has to reschedule his surgery yet again because he doesn’t have any help and storms out.

Nick walks past Richard in the hallway, only to be stopped for questioning. Richard asks what mini grand rounds are and why he was invited to participate. Nick explains that it was something they did in Minnesota and had interns present cases. He wants Richard to be involved to give the interns feedback. Nick wants to know if he will be questioned every time he makes a change and seems a little over it already. Richard explains that he tried to save the program and did the best he could, but he did blame Mer and Nick’s relationship for causing it to come crashing down. He already apologized to Mer for the misguided blame and apologizes to Nick as well. Nick appreciates it, but feels like there is more to the conversation. Richard says Mer is worth taking this new job for, if that’s even the reason why he took it. He also says he will join the mini grand rounds for feedback and declares that the program is Nick’s now.

In the OR, Link and Jules scrub in to amputate their patient’s leg while Blue and Mika watch from the gallery. Blue is mad that he didn’t get to scrub in on a surgery thanks to Maggie and Winston’s marital problems. Mika is having the same problem with Owen and Teddy, and Blue wonders aloud why everyone in the hospital is married to each other. The outsider point of view is funny, and Mika explains, in the same fashion that a fan of the show would, that doctors have no lives and no time for regular people. It’s almost a comment on what avid viewers versus first-time watchers might talk about. Before they start the surgery, Jules notices writing on the patient’s legs about which leg to cut off and which to not touch. She thinks Link is flirting with her with the writing, but he explains that it’s encouragement to not cut off the wrong leg. It’s also standard practice in the real world, not just on TV. Jules starts the amputation while Link observes.

END THE DAY BETTER THAN IT STARTED

Elsewhere, Owen finds Mika performing CPR on Harold, who has gone into cardiac arrest. Owen knows they need to intubate him, but there isn’t time to call for Teddy. He decides to walk Mika through the steps of intubation and takes over CPR. Owen does a great job teaching, and Mika rises to the occasion to save their patient.

Simone is still talking to her patient’s roommate. He mentions that they are good friends, have had all the same illnesses together, and live in a cluttered dorm. The mention of a dorm triggers Simone to ask if the dying patient has had all his childhood vaccinations. The roommate didn’t know, so Simone goes running off to check an idea. When she arrives in the OR, she announces that the patient has meningococcus. She checked his records and found that he wasn’t vaccinated for it. The leg starts bleeding too much and won’t clot, which causes Jules to panic. Link jumps in to take over and attempt to stop the patient from bleeding out.

At the park, Jo talks about the rumors and new perks of the residency program. Bailey doesn’t get all the nice stuff the interns are getting. She thinks the program is heading in the right direction, but she’s mad because she had previously tried to implement similar changes and was faced with resistance. Jo tells her that she can come back, so Bailey tells her that she isn’t quite ready yet. Bailey also says that she does count Jo as a mom friend, making Jo smile.

Richard is paged to a room where Owen needs supervision to place a central line, and Owen takes the opportunity to rant like his wife did. Owen explains how he was miserable for the past six months. He is wired to work and surfed to distract himself. He entertained his kids with sand castles and chose the most expensive attorney he could find to get his career back. He listened to Teddy when she said they should run, which he might resent. He doesn’t like that Teddy keeps reminding him of how broke they are by highlighting their credit card balances and putting it on the fridge. He feels resented at home and work, so Richard suggests he finds some physical space. Owen asks for suggestions, but the scene is cut short before we hear the answer.

Maggie goes to Winston to apologize for messing up his schedule. She explains that she has leaned on him because he is incredibly talented and she needs to trust the person standing next to her. They only have interns and no residents to help her out. Winston wants to know why she keeps treating him like a resident and says that he is only talented because she was a good teacher. He states that no one can be good surgeons like them without being taught. He can’t teach if he keeps getting pulled off cases. Maggie agrees and is full of herself for being a good teacher.

Mer and Simone bring their patient’s friend to the ICU to see him. He is still alive and survived the amputation. They can now treat the disease since Simone figured out what it was. Mer explains to the young doctor that everyone on the case will need to take four days of antibiotics due to the exposure. She notices that Jules is struggling and tells Simone to be there for her because when she eventually makes a mistake, the other interns will be the only people who understand. Simone says she won’t make a mistake, and Mer calmly says that she will and advises the intern to not go numb. Simone takes Jules to the gift shop, as it is the only place in the hospital that smells good.

Nick is paged to Mer’s office, and she wants to go over his budget request for lunch. He explains that he wants rotating attendings to lecture at lunches once a week for the interns. Nick asks Mer why she is mad at him, so Mer says that he hasn’t said two words to her since he took the job. Owen walks in declaring that he can’t work for Teddy. He wants to be a teacher for the next six months to be helpful. He will teach anything because he can’t work in the ER with his wife. He begs Nick to save him and his marriage, so Nick and Mer agree to let Owen be the interns’ newest mentor. After Owen leaves, Nick tells Mer to let him know if she disagrees with any of his changes and goes to leave himself. 

Mer stops Nick by saying that she went numb after things took a turn for the worst at GSM and he didn’t have her back. She’s lost too many people and thought she had lost him too. So, she went numb and didn’t call him for six months. When she saw him in the surgical hallway in the previous episode, Mer says she could feel again. She reveals that she is still in love with Nick and knows that her life is crazy. She says that if he needs to hear her say that she loves him, she will say it as many times as he needs to hear it. Nick immediately warms up and asks if he can take her to dinner. Mer says no, but he can take her to Zola’s presentation instead. Nick agrees, and it appears the former couple may have a second chance, or third chance if you count their initial meeting as the first chance.

Jules and Simone join the other three interns in the basement where they are hanging out on the gurneys again. Jules bought each of them a stuffed animal to help with anxiety, which was a sweet gesture. Blue thinks that Luke is sleeping with Amelia because he saw them come out of an on-call room together and whispering in the hallway. He asks for another explanation, but Luke doesn’t say a word and is frozen. Jules asks everyone for $12 each for the stuffed animals, and Mika trades her cat with Blue because she isn’t a cat person, which gives off major Cristina vibes.

The episode ends with Mer, Nick, Maggie, Winston, and Amelia watching Zola’s speech. Zola talks about her grandma Ellis’ battle with early onset Alzheimer’s and freezes up a few lines into the speech. She starts crying on stage and says that she thinks Mer and Maggie will get the disease too, die from it, and she will have no one. Mer runs up on stage to comfort her daughter. It’s a rather odd ending to what was an otherwise nicely wrapped up episode. It makes me wonder whether this is a heaping bowl of foreshadowing, which would be the exact opposite route fans would want to see the show go down.

Sunday, October 16, 2022

The Resident 6x04 Review: “It Won't Be Like This for Long” (Take a Breath) [Contributor: Justine]


“It Won't Be Like This for Long”
Original Airdate: October 11, 2022

The Resident is back with some strange character choices and some hit-or-miss storytelling. It feels like this episode is a bridge between the phenomenal “One Bullet” storyline and the upcoming 100th episode. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps The Resident is taking a much-needed breather between two intense storylines. This may work in the long term and ensure that stories aren’t spread too thin. 

Conrad as a dad is the best Conrad, and that is a fact. Any time he spends with Gigi is time well-spent. This episode is the perfect opportunity to showcase what a great father Conrad is when he’s at his best. The best part is that he’s not just given accolades for doing the bare minimum. It’s clear he’s actually making an effort to raise his daughter and be an integral part of her life. He takes the time to actually listen to her concerns. So many parents would have heard the tell-tale fake cough and sent their child about their day; Conrad takes that extra step to listen to what has Gigi so anxious. 

I’m honestly conflicted with where Leela’s character is going. As time goes on, it seems as though she’s consistently pushed further and further into the background. It’s a shame because she is arguably the character with the most potential. It’s the little moments that are the worst, seeing how so many characters around her invalidate her. Sitting at the table with Devon, watching him wrapped up in his work, just to have him blow Leela off is a sting to her fans. Hopefully her story won’t become solely wrapped up in her getting back together with Devon. There is a lot more she has to offer.

Feldman clearly has something happening in his life to make him this miserable. His conflict with Devon makes absolutely no sense. There could have been a compelling story, centering on Devon’s challenges re-integrating into a previous role after having moved on to research. However, Feldman just seems to want to fight for the sake of fighting. These two were mostly on friendly terms but it’s as if something happened off screen that has caused this rift in their relationship. Nothing about this situation is compelling. 

Ian’s storyline is heading nowhere good any time soon. Every time he handles an infant, I honestly expect the worst. It’s clear that this man is suffering: addiction is an illness, and anyone who lives with it will go to extensive lengths to get any kind of relief. Andrew McCarthy does a phenomenal job of showing this desperation for relief. This story could either be very compelling or very dishonest if done incorrectly. Addiction is so often misunderstood in the media but hopefully The Resident doesn’t drop the ball.

Relatedly, Cade is probably the most relatable she’s been, with Kaley Ronayne giving a heartbreaking performance. While it’s good to see this character outside of the continued romantic relationship that this show is insistent on setting up, it’s still too bad that viewers only know this character in the context of her relationship with another man. Being the child of a parent with addiction is a heavy burden to bear. If Ian’s story needs to be done right, so does Cade’s. 

This was a possibly inevitable misstep in what’s been a strong start to this season for The Resident. With all of the effort going into the upcoming 100th episode, it’s too bad some of the star power couldn’t be expended here. There are still interesting stories being set up and the staff at Chastain clearly have a lot more coming their way. They deserve nothing but the best. 

Other Things:

  • The Resident is still holding back on the KitBell content. I guess they want fans to get the full effect during the wedding in the 100th episode.
  • Daddy. Raptor. Seriously, there has rarely been a man so suited to fatherhood as A.J. is. Those twins don’t know how lucky they are.
  • Maya is going to be a fantastic doctor. Hopefully we get to spend more time with her as the season continues, and we can watch her shine. 
  • ”My cousin, his eyes used to be dilated like that. It turns out he was in withdrawal at the time. You're not in withdrawal are you, Dr. Sullivan?”
  • “Hold up, you're saying dozens of neurologists who all diagnosed her with myasthenia gravis are wrong, all because you have spidey sense?”
  • “I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment to you, Ian.”

Sunday, October 9, 2022

Grey’s Anatomy 19x01 Recap: “Everything Has Changed” (Reboot?) [Contributor: Julia Siegel]



“Everything Has Changed”
Original Airdate: October 6, 2022

There may never have been a more appropriately titled episode than Grey’s Anatomy’s season 19 premiere, “Everything Has Changed.” Six months have passed since the season 18 finale, where the surgical residency program imploded and was shut down, Bailey and Richard took leaves of absence, Teddy and Owen were on the run from the police, Meredith was named interim chief of surgery, and Nick left for Minnesota after one bad day ruined his relationship with Meredith. Now, the staff of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital continues to pick up the pieces of the wreckage and start anew with mixed results. This premiere also doubles as a soft reboot/retooling of the show that is likely to create mixed feelings for longtime fans. 

FIRST DAY JITTERS

The episode opens on the first day of the new surgical residency program. A tornado swept through Seattle the day before and has left some irreparable damage in its wake, as seen in Station 19’s season six premiere. It’s interesting that a literal tornado opens this season when a figurative tornado closed the previous one. We are immediately introduced to the five new interns who have joined the cast as series regulars, and much of the hour revolves around getting to know the rookies. Up first is Simone Griffith, who keeps getting lost and flustered on her way into and through the hospital, causing her to be late. Then, Jules Millin awkwardly runs into Link inside the hospital. It turns out they met a few nights prior at a bar and slept together. Link tells Jules he knows he hasn’t called yet, which doesn’t bother her in the slightest. Jules asks where to find scrubs and reveals she works at Grey Sloan Memorial now, which throws Link for a loop.

Jules runs off to meet Mika Yasuda, who she recognizes from the interview process. They go into the intern locker room to get ready for the day. Joining them, along with a slew of other unnamed interns, are Benson “Blue” Kwan and Lucas “Luke” Adams. Luke is nervous and asks the group to not call him Skywalker, which was his first mistake and prompts him to be ribbed with the nickname all day. Wide-eyed Simone is running through the halls looking for the locker room and is caught by Richard, who tells her to slow down. She makes it right as everyone is on their way out.

The group is brought into the OR by Mer in a carbon copy scene of the pilot where Richard does the same with Mer’s intern class. The new group is in awe of the high-tech equipment and receives a welcome speech from Mer. The highlights include how the OR technology is useless without the surgeons and that each intern was picked for their fight and is being given a second chance. Simone comes flying into the OR, interrupting the chief’s speech, for which Mer wants an explanation. Other attendings, including Amelia and Richard, are watching from the gallery. Bailey walks into the gallery in street clothes, which excites the attendings. Bailey announces that she isn’t back to work, but she wanted to see the new interns for herself. She is dismayed to see that they have no senior residents, and Richard explains that their previous residents are settled in new programs now.

Cut to Schmitt working with Jo to deliver a baby. He is now an OB resident and wearing the pink scrubs. It’s clear from his facial expressions that he isn’t thrilled with his current position. Bailey and Richard walk through the halls together and have a typical conversation. Bailey complains that Richard went around the world with Catherine and opened the residency program six months too soon. She even manages to throw shade about Catherine spending money on new surgical equipment. Bailey doesn’t understand why they made a residency class from the bottom of the barrel reject doctors. Richard fends for the youngsters by saying that there were hundreds of applicants and he and Mer carefully selected the best. He knows this class might not have had straight A’s in med school, but they do have heart, empathy, and stories to help them succeed. His highly optimistic viewpoint is courtesy of his trip, which he claims gave him a new way of thinking. Schmitt interrupts the conversation to talk to Richard. He knows he is risking his job and friendship with Jo to get his surgical residency job back, but he hates OB so much that it is worth it. Schmitt even wants to be chief resident and knows the job is open. Bailey chuckles and wishes Richard luck before walking out the door. Richard tells Schmitt he will need to talk to Chief Grey about switching residencies. 

After Mer’s OR trip, the interns are handed off to Amelia, who will be supervising them for the day. They are immediately being thrown to the trenches with their day one assignment. Amelia brings the group outside to talk about the tornado dropping a bus off a cliff. There are many brain injuries, and Amelia asks the interns what the steps to declare brain death are. Several interns raise their hands, and Amelia picks Blue, who answers correctly. Luke speaks up to ask a question, and Amelia snaps at him that they all need to raise their hands before speaking. She calls on Luke, who wants to know how many patients they have. Amelia reveals there are fourteen potential brain dead patients and nine of them are potential organ donors. Mika makes a snarky, inappropriate comments under her breath, so Amelia demands that Mika not talk for the rest of the day. 

Amelia tells the group that transplant surgeons from across the country are in the building to aid in organ retrieval surgeries before bringing them inside to a ward of patients on life support with their families at their sides. The job instantly becomes real for the once excited interns, as they realize they are in over their heads. The interns start assessing their patients for brain death, with Amelia doing the final tests and signing off on the diagnoses. Amelia gives some of the interns an even tougher first day assignment: telling the families that their loved one is brain dead.

IT'S ALL ABOUT PERSPECTIVE

Maggie is pacing in the hallway, and Winston finds her to give updates on the rounds of her patients. She is excited because she might have a transplant match for her patient Howard, who has been waiting a long time for a new heart. Jules pops into the scene and comes up to Maggie as a total fangirl. She has read Maggie’s articles and is a huge fan. Jules also has good news, as UNOS has a heart for Howard. Maggie and Winston are excited, and the latter goes to start filling out paperwork. Jules asks Maggie if she can join her in the OR, and Maggie nods approvingly. 

Back in the other ward, Mika tells the mother of her young patient, Marina, that her daughter has some brain activity and might live. Marina’s eyes are tracking movement, which is a good sign. The mother is too afraid to hope after seeing all the other families get bad news. Mika tells the mother that she has seven sisters and one is around the age of Marina, so she will hope for Marina as she would her own sister. It is a nice moment of warmth from the otherwise standoffish character and shows there is some depth there.

We then see Maggie, with Jules in tow, telling Howard and his husband the good news about the heart transplant. Howard’s husband can’t stop crying happy tears. Maggie asks Jules to take Howard’s blood pressure, which prompts the older gentlemen to comment that Jules looks like she is twelve years old. 

Elsewhere, Jo happily gets a package of black scrubs for the OB department and Link happens to be there too. He questions the black scrubs and Jo explains that pink is a peaceful color, but women’s bodies are now a war zone in this country. She decided to make a statement by changing the color of the scrubs; this will likely be an ongoing story and not the only time we will hear about the overturning of Roe v. Wade on the show. As a resident, it’s unclear how Jo had the power to change the scrubs, but the show does not go into it. Link asks Jo if she remembers the girl he brought home the other night, and Jo makes it clear that Link has been sleeping around a lot. Link tells her that Jules is now a surgical intern at Grey Sloan Memorial, causing Jo to laugh a lot at him. She says he will be fine because he didn’t know Jules would be working at the hospital. Link is worried he will get fired and doesn’t know what to do, so Jo tells him to go talk to Mer.

Winston is walking through the hall and sees the transplant specialists lining the walls ready to operate when called upon. He comes upon Nick, and the two men are genuinely happy to see each other after six months. Blue and Luke bring their brain dead patients down for organ retrieval, so Blue takes the opportunity to ask Winston if he can scrub in to see a transplant procurement. Luke piggybacks and asks if he can also join. Winston agrees to have both of them in the surgery, so they wait in line with the other doctors. It is good to see these interns immediately taking initiative and wanting to get as much experience as possible on day one.

The doctors talk about how bleak the day is with all the deaths, but Nick jumps in to say that the eight deaths can save forty lives with organ donation. Those donors can also give their skin and corneas to help countless other patients. Nick tells them that transplant surgeons spin the viewpoint that way to keep themselves from getting too depressed with their job, and Luke says that the thought process is comforting, even though Nick was really just talking to Winston. Nick asks Winston how things have been at the hospital. Winston replies that it has been awful because the junior attendings, like him, have had to act like residents, and he is no longer enjoying having Maggie as his boss. Since Winston didn’t bring it up, Nick asks how Mer is. Winston confirms what we all knew, that Mer is doing well and makes a great chief of surgery. He goes on to say that Mer is still the interim chief, but after six months, it seems pretty official that she is staying in that role to him. Maggie rounds the corner and spots Nick and quickly runs away before she is noticed. 

Mer is on the phone with UNOS in her office with Link patiently sitting in a chair waiting to talk to her. Maggie runs into the office without knocking on the closed door and asks to speak to Mer alone. Mer gets put on hold and tells her sister that Link was there first. Link blurts out that he slept with an intern, but that it occurred before she started working there and he didn’t know her position. It’s super awkward, but without missing a beat, Mer says that she is in no position to judge him and advises him to stay away from elevators for the foreseeable future. It’s a hilarious callback that works perfectly. Mer tells Link to go to HR because they have paperwork for this kind of thing and he leaves. 

Maggie tells Mer that Nick is at Grey Sloan Memorial, and Mer shows no reaction and isn’t surprised given that all the transplant surgeons are there. Maggie wants Mer to immediately go talk to Nick, but Mer is on a call still. Maggie argues that Mer has been sad for six months and it’s so obvious that her children know it. Zola noticed and asked Maggie for Nick’s phone number the week before to call Nick and explain why Mer didn’t go to Minnesota in hopes of making him understand and convince him to come visit. Maggie tells her sister to not be an idiot and go see the man she loves. Mer, in classic stubborn Mer fashion, is more focused on the fact that Maggie hadn’t told her that story. Schmitt runs into the office right as Mer gets off the phone with good news. She immediately knows why he is there and guesses that he hates OB and wants his old job back. Schmitt quips that he hates OB more than war. Mer says that he would make a good chief resident, much to Schmitt’s surprise. And to no one’s surprise, Schmitt is back as the only senior resident and is now chief resident. 

Mer and Maggie then walk through the halls where the transplant teams are waiting. Mer sees Nick and stops to say hi. He says hi back sheepishly. Mer is all business and asks Luke if he brought his patient down. She then tells Nick that UNOS has approved a triple transplant for one of her patients. She asks Nick if he would stay and do the 25-hour surgery since it would be too hard for her to jump into the OR for that long on the first day of the new residency program. Nick asks his assistant if he can bring their assigned organ back to Minnesota, which that guy agrees to allowing Nick to agree to do Mer’s transplant. The two doctors walk off together to go meet the patient and her family. Maggie tells Winston that the reunion wasn’t how she thought it would go and Winston agrees. Simone comes running over to ask Luke where a patient named Liam Collins is, so Luke says he is being prepped for organ retrieval. She wants to know why he didn’t speak to Liam’s family and that his mom is screaming at Amelia in the ICU. Luke remembers talking to somebody’s mother and the two go running off. 

FIXING YOUR OWN MISTAKES

Amelia is apologizing the best she can to Mrs. Collins and knows their mistake can’t be fixed. She apologizes that her intern gave the news to the wrong family and assures Mrs. Collins that she did the final tests herself and that Liam is in fact brain dead. The mother can’t trust Amelia and is terribly upset that she didn’t get to say goodbye to her son. Luke and some other doctors wheel Liam back to the ICU, and Luke sincerely apologizes to Mrs. Collins. Amelia asks if she would like the last test run again, and Mrs. Collins decides that she wants all the tests run again. Luke pulls Amelia to the side and tells her that Liam is the donor for Mer’s triple transplant. Amelia very sternly tells the intern to go talk to Mer and instructs Simone to go with him to ensure that he doesn’t screw up again.

Nick and Mer give the good news about the triple transplant to their patient and her family. Luke taps on the glass of the room to get their attention, so Mer and Nick leave the room. Mer makes Luke explain what happened twice and looks like she is ready to pounce on him. Nick tells Luke to hold his shame spiral until after his shift because they need to focus on the patient. Simone tells Mer that Mrs. Collins wanted Amelia to run all the tests again before they can get the organ donation. Nick wants to know if Liam was stable, and Mer clarifies that if Liam codes and his heart fails before the tests are done, Luke gets to tell the family that their one-in-a-million match was wasted by his error. Mer tells them to go help Amelia, so the interns run off.  Luke stops after a few steps to puke in a garbage can along the way.

When they get back, Amelia pulls Luke and Simone aside to tell them that Mrs. Collins has her family physician at the hospital now to sign off on the tests because she no longer trusts them. Luke explains that two patient’s moms had the same first name, and he didn’t check the last name with them. He wanted to use their first name to be more personable with such bad news, but now he knows why doctors don’t only use first names. Luke checked and the woman he told her child was brain dead is actually brain dead, so there was not a second foul.

Simone goes to find Mrs. Collins and her doctor at Liam’s bedside. The family doctor is an older gentleman who can’t walk well and moves very slowly. He knows time is of the essence, and Simone has the brilliant idea of putting him in a wheelchair and running him back to the scan room to meet up with Amelia to sign off on the tests, which is another example of great initiative. Simone runs back to the ICU and gets lost along the way. When she finds Mrs. Collins, she gives her the bad news and tells her that the family doctor has confirmed Liam is brain dead. When he sees Simone struggling with the distraught mother, Blue comes over from across the room to talk to Mrs. Collins. He tells a moving story about losing his brother in an accident as a teenager and that his brother saved a lot of lives by donating organs. He thinks about it a lot, believes that the act gave his brother’s death meaning, and clings to that still. Mrs. Collins consents to the organ donation, so Blue and Simone go to give Mer the good news. Simone thanks Blue for the help, and he reveals that the story was a lie. He never had a brother and also wants in on the triple transplant. 

GO TIME

Mer and Nick anxiously await news on whether their transplant is a go. She wants to know what his gut says, and Nick feels the patient will get the organs. Mer blurts out that she shouldn’t have told him to go back to Minnesota and she called back for him but he didn’t hear her. He said he heard her, which surprises Mer. Nick was hurt and wanted her to do more than call his name: he wanted more effort. Mer says it was a bad day, and Nick counters that it has been six months. Mer informs him that it has been a very difficult six months, and they know that they are both stubborn and proud. Simone and Blue interrupt the moment to say they got the approval for the surgery. Mer says they both can be in the surgery, and since Nick is still the lead surgeon, he agrees to let them in too. The interns go prep the patient, who tells her family that she wants her body turned into a pod after she’s gone to cut down on pollution and become a tree for her family to eventually sit under, so that way she can watch over the family forever.

In the OR, Maggie, Schmitt, and Jules operate to retrieve the heart for Howard. Maggie declares that the heart has too many hematomas and is not suitable for transplant. Maggie tells Jules to close up, and Jules panics and wants to know what will happen to Howard. Maggie tells her that they will tell him that it wasn’t his day and that he will stay on the transplant list. Maggie knows that it sucks, but they have to take the good with the bad in this job. She leaves and tells Schmitt to watch over the intern.

In another OR, Nick is getting ready to scrub in for the triple transplant and finds Luke in the scrub room. Luke wanted to check in on his screw up and thinks he is going to get fired. Nick invites him to scrub in and advises the young doctor to learn from his mistakes and to end the day better than it started. Luke excitedly scrubs in with Nick, Richard, and Winston. Before they start operating, Nick tells the team about Liam and the patient receiving the organs. Luke quietly says, “It’s a beautiful day to save lives,” then repeats himself. Richard crinkles his brow in surprise and looks up into the gallery at Mer and Amelia. 

The unexpected moment becomes even more shocking when Amelia tells Mer, “Derek was a god to him,” and Mer smiles and warmly says, “I know.” Amelia reveals that Luke was Derek’s favorite nephew, and she hates to say it, but she isn’t sure her nephew has what it takes to be a surgeon. Amelia continues to say that Luke is a mess, doesn’t follow instructions, and has to do everything his own way. She asks if Mer hired him because of Derek, but Mer had other reasons for the hire. She knows Luke is a mess and needs to do things his own way, but he also has a stroke of the Shepherd family genius. He’s a bit of a black sheep and knows that he is like Amelia. Mer knows he has the spark and needed a chance, so she gave it to him. Amelia reminds her that she needed a lot of supervision at that age, and Mer asks Amelia to mentor their nephew. This reveal was quite unexpected and brings a very interesting twist to this season. It also explains Mer and Amelia’s behavior towards Luke in this episode. Two big questions remain: when will the other interns learn of Luke’s identity, and which Shepherd sister is Luke’s mom?

NOT BAD AFTER ALL

We get a montage of the triple transplant surgery, which shows Blue and Simone watching to take notes and give regular updates to the family. The other interns and attendings come and go from the gallery to watch. The surgery winds up being a success, and the gallery applauds. Simone gets to give the family the good news.

Link waits in the hall outside the intern locker room after the surgery to talk to Jules. He asks how her first shift is going. She replies that it is endless and devastating, but she already loves the job. He wants her to sign a piece of paper from HR that says their relationship predates her employment there. Jules tells Link that he is nice and they had fun, but they don’t have a relationship. Link doesn’t want a relationship with her either. Jules sort of calls Link a stalker for waiting for her outside the locker room and tells him they should be friends. Link has no idea what just happened and walks off semi-stunned.

Mika is still watching over Marina and is shocked when Marina moves her hand and wakes up. Mika wakes up the mother to tell her Marina is awake. The mom can’t believe the good news either, and Amelia quietly arrives to see the moment from the background. The triple transplant recipient also wakes up and asks if she is a tree. All the doctors are there and tell her that she can see her family in a few days after she recovers enough. She wants to thank the donor’s family because she knows a child died to save her. Simone leaves the hospital room after becoming emotional and goes outside for some fresh air. Richard finds her and asks if she is okay. Simone reveals that her mom died giving birth to her at GSM and that she hadn’t been to the hospital since. She also says that she wasn’t late due to the tornado but because she had a panic attack. She had been picturing the hospital her whole life and found it disorienting to be there. She apologizes for being late and lying and says it won’t happen again.

Link walks out of the hospital to go home and with Jo in her black scrubs by his side. She’s laughing at him again after hearing his latest Jules story. Schmitt walks up to them, and Jo gets super serious instantly and tells him to keep walking and that they aren’t on speaking terms before the poor guy can even say a word. Jo goes right back to laughing at Link after Schmitt leaves.

Back inside, Nick goes to Mer’s office to talk. He thanks her for the surgery and says he had never done a triple transplant before. The patient is doing well and is grateful, so he is ready to leave. Mer asks him to stay because she needs a residency director, and Nick is the best teacher she knows. She explains that this intern class is a lot like Nick was at that age and says they didn’t match anywhere else or got kicked out of their previous programs. She reveals she wouldn’t have hired the interns if she didn’t know Nick and his story and believes that he inspired the hires. She tempts him by again saying she needs a residency director, it offers great pay, he wouldn’t travel as much, and she would love it if he would consider the offer. Nick smiles and they are again interrupted. This time it’s Teddy and Owen knocking on Mer’s door. 

Mer is happy to see her friends. She called them three weeks ago and is confused why they are showing up now. Owen says he couldn’t work three weeks ago, but he can now. Teddy quickly adds that Owen can only work if supervised. Teddy spitefully goes on to say that Owen is very tan from surfing all day every day while they spent all their money on an expensive attorney. Owen rebuffs that Teddy is angrily drinking wine all day but you don’t see him criticizing her. Things are clearly great for this married couple. Nick tries to escape the awkwardness by saying he is leaving and will consider Mer’s offer. Mer asks Teddy and Owen to sit down and talk and wants to know the full situation. Owen reveals that their attorney got all the charges against him dropped... for the low cost of $250,000, Teddy reminds him. His medical license is still suspended, so he has to be supervised for the next six months. Teddy is very bitter about the whole situation, and it will definitely be an interesting storyline throughout the season.

The episode ends on another scene that will be very familiar to diehard Grey’s Anatomy fans. After a long day, the five interns are laying on gurneys in a hallway in the basement having a conversation that sounds eerily similar to ones had in the early episodes of the show. Luke is on an adrenaline high from operating while everyone else is beat. Luke asks Simone if she has a nickname, which she doesn’t. Blue tells the group that people call him Blue like the ribbon because he always wins. Simone quips that he clearly doesn’t always win since this is a program for rejects and losers. None of them say they identify that way, except for Luke, who wants to prove himself wrong. Blue wants to know what Simone did to get in here with a quippy jail reference. Simone answers, “Wouldn’t you like to know,” as all their pagers go off and they go running to help more patients. 

What do you think of the rebooted, or should I say retooled, Grey’s Anatomy? It certainly feels different and a bit odd with so many new characters being the focus of the episode and the regular characters all in new roles but relegated to the background. It will be interesting to see how the show winds up balancing the new and returning characters from here on out. Even more interesting will be whether these five interns become the reincarnations of the original five Grey’s Anatomy interns. At the moment, there aren’t clear-cut copies in my mind. Luke most certainly is George, Mika might be in the Alex role, Blue is more than likely Cristina, and it’s a toss-up between Simone and Jules for Meredith and Izzy. It will be a difficult transition, but time will tell if this new storytelling will work or not.

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

The Resident 6x02 Review: “Peek and Shriek” (Preparing for the Future) [Contributor: Justine]


“Peek and Shriek”
Original Date: September 27, 2022

The Resident is desperately trying to convince us all to care about the Cade/Conrad/Billie triangle, and it’s not working. The continued focus on Conrad’s inability to choose between two amazing women is a distraction from everything that makes this show great. These are still early days in the season, so there is still ample time to correct course. If the focus of the series is meant to be on relationships, there are many more that could take center stage. 

Conrad spent so much of last season in the background, being a father as he grieved Nic’s loss. It suited him, frankly, and it allowed for more fulsome development of other characters. There’s absolutely a way to bring this character back into the spotlight, if that is the intention. It’s commendable that the show is still allowing him to grieve his wife’s loss. However, it’s unwise to make this character simply a man who has to choose between two women. He deserves better and so do Cade and Billie. 

Ian’s storyline is going nowhere good but it will be interesting to see how it evolves. On one hand, there’s authenticity in Cade seeing her loved one in the middle of acute addiction and being in denial about that fact. This is the lived reality of many people who have watched a family member live with addiction. On the other hand, Cade has already expressed a mistrust in her father, and initially seemed at least somewhat aware of how her father hid parts of himself. It makes little sense then that she now seems to mostly trust him, but just can’t put the pieces together about what is going on.

The main medical drama in this episode revolves around a brawl that breaks out in a line of people waiting to vote. This was compelling but the ultimate resolution was both devastating and also pretty aggravating. The white man who pushes a Latino man and injures him ends up getting a free pass because, surprise, all of his aggression was caused by medication he was taking to quit smoking. There was definitely more to unpack here, but everything is rushed along and there’s not a lot of accountability.

This episode also gives a heartbreaking look at Kit as Bell’s caregiver. She’s always so strong, so it’s humanizing to see this character struggle as she watches the man she loves battle against MS every day. The fact that her personal situation is impacting the advice she gives patients is a sign of how overwhelmed she is, caring for Bell in his hour of need. This is going to be a difficult topic to handle as the season continues.

Leela’s imperfections are also on display this episode. It’s well-established that her strengths lie in the operating rooms, making incredible surgical saves. She has always found it difficult to speak to patients when they are awake. It seems like rather than moving forward and identifying where she can be more compassionate with her patients, though, she’s back to her old self. Perhaps this was a venue to introduce Kitty as Leela’s mentee. It feels unfair to have Leela undo all the work she has done to get her to this point in her story. 

Padma is still not having an easy time with her pregnancy. It’s so sweet watching her try absolutely everything to distract herself from the feeling of doom. This is also a great opportunity for Leela and A.J. to show just how supportive they are, even when Padma’s requests become more outlandish. These babies can’t come soon enough. They’re stressing everyone out, and they have people who are waiting to love them fiercely. 

The Resident still has decisions to make even though it’s early in the season. The terrible governor has been elected, and this is an opportunity for the show to return to its roots. Perhaps this will be the grounding force that brings everyone at Chastain together so they can fight as one. If done right, this could be the story that brings out the best in all of the characters fans have come to love. They are all capable of much more than what we’ve seen so far this season. 

Other Things:

  • We don’t see a lot of Conrad and his military past since it’s rarely brought up. He should get a chance to reflect on it more and use it to provide better care to his patients. 
  • Nurse Hundley is a national treasure and needs to be protected at all costs. She needs her own episode immediately.
  • A.J. remains an underrated BFF, and it’s a great lookthat he’s allowed to show this part of himself. 10/10, no notes.
  • “MS is such a bastard. You think you're on a plateau, and then it just crumbles.” 
  • “Maybe it's nothing. The other day I saw him take a pill. I don't know what it was, I didn't ask. But then today he had this bruise on this forehead and he said it was nothing but he seemed jittery.” 
  • “Maybe stay off Twitter too; that can also cause aggression and mood swings.”