Stories are coming to a head and characters are set for big finale arcs in the latest episode of The Resident. This season so far has given us more depth in newer characters as old favorites take a back seat. Some choices aren’t working, as was made more clear in this episode, but we will take what we can get.
Since the midseason break, fans have been teased with a backstory for the mysterious Dr. Cade (Kaley Ronayne). This episode, we got it. It was an interesting choice to reveal that she’s an FBI informant in the middle of an ongoing investigation into Medicare fraud. It’s too bad Conrad (Matt Czuchry) got roped into this as well. As interesting as this story has potential to be, it was an odd choice to have it sidetracked with the tease that these two characters were possibly meant to be love interests. It will be interesting to see what else can be done with this storyline, since the options seem limited.
The star of this episode, as she has been in the entire series for some time, was Dr. Leela Devi (Anuja Joshi). Seriously, the show would be elevated to a whole other level if it made her the main focus going forward. Every episode, she establishes more and more that she’s the one we should be cheering for. It was so great to see her reminded by her patient that she should never apologize for her professionalism. She’s a boss, and we should all say so. It also becomes clearer each and every episode that she’s far too good for Dr. Devon Pravesh (Manish Dayal).
Devon used to be one of the best part of this series. It’s incredibly disappointing what this show has done with the character. This episode was a perfect example of how far this character has fallen. He treats his patient’s wife with dismissiveness and derision, a far cry from the doctor who always advocated for his patients regardless of the cost. Arguably the most satisfying moment of this episode came when Leela called Devon out and reminded him that any decision regarding donating or freezing her eggs is hers and hers alone.
Speaking of Devon, his main story this episode was about the ethics of drug trials. This story had so much potential to be handled in a compassionate and empathetic way. The science teacher was incredibly admirable in his willingness to be a part of an unproven clinical trial with no guarantee of success against his own cancer. Unfortunately, it dissolved into Devon’s borderline unprofessional behavior toward the patient’s wife, even though she only had her husband’s best interests at heart.
One storyline that was so incredibly endearing and surprising to see was the return of Dr. AJ Austin (Malcolm-Jamal Warner)’s mother. Seeing Denise Dowse as Carol is always a treat for fans. In this episode, it was so heartwarming to see the spotlight of her story on palliative care. Palliative care is so often misunderstood, and it was was touching to see it shown in this episode for this character as an opportunity for this patient to live life to the fullest.
Finally, there were remnants of the old Dr. Bell (Bruce Greenwood) in this episode, and it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. He had his eyes opened to the realities of being a member of the Georgia State Medical. In classic Bell fashion, he took matters into his own hands by visiting a patient who complained about their doctor by himself. It was bold, if ultimately (and sadly) ineffective, and exactly what we would expect from this character.
It’s clear from this episode that The Resident has plenty of stories left to tell, even though we have a few more episodes left before this season’s finale. This season has brought up a lot with these characters and can hopefully conclude in a satisfying way. Focuses need to shift though and hopefully we can get more of the stories that deserve the spotlight as the season draws to a close.
Other Things:
- Conrad as a dad will literally never get old, and the more we see of him and Gigi, the better. Gigi has a promising career as a writer of fanfiction, and nothing could be more perfect.
- AJ and Leela have such a beautiful friendship. AJ is exactly the kind of mentor Leela needs as she continues her quest to take over the world.
- Trevor (Miles Fowler) and Dr. Billie Sutton (Jessica Lucas) were absent this episode. It was mentioned that Trevor hadn’t been seen since testifying on behalf of his mother in the last episode and that Billie is currently looking for him. Clearly, this story isn’t over yet.
- “I thought I was about to die.”
- “You were dear, but Dr. Devi saved you like the boss she is.”
- “Devi, you just pulled off a Conrad Hawkins level diagnosis.”
- “Trust me on this. You take care of people, and you want to take care of me, but you can't. I take care of myself.”
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