The Resident dedicated the season four premiere to all healthcare workers who are fighting for us every day. These fictional doctors and nurses showed what the real ones were going through at the beginning of the pandemic.
Dr. Randolph (Bruce Greenwood) and Dr. AJ Austin (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) chose to join the fight since they were useless in the OR. Nic Nevins (Emily VanCamp) and Dr. Conrad Hawkins (Matt Czuchry) were checking their masks to ensure they were secure. Nic had been wearing hers for five days. Dr. Kit Voss’s (Jane Leeves) mask broke, and she was exposed to Covid and got it. Luckily she survived. We don’t know how bad her condition got, but Nurse Ellen Hundley (Denitra Isler) was so bad she had to be put on a ventilator, back when it was more likely not to wake up. Also, luckily, she pulled through.
I’m glad The Resident didn’t ignore Covid-19, but I’m glad we only got an episode of it. I’m broken in every episode of Grey’s Anatomy and not sure I could handle it in another medical drama.
Dr. Devon Pravesh (Manish Dayal), Nic, and Conrad had to tell their parents to stay safe, and Devon’s dad wasn’t so lucky. He died. And wasn’t able to stand by Conrad on his wedding day.
He didn’t even get to say goodbye in person. He was doing a video chat as the doctors there were about to put him on a ventilator. They said what they needed to say to each other, and then his father was gone.
The Resident doctors and nurses are always fighting for their patients every episode, and this was no different. The actors had more weight on their shoulders, trying to tell real-life doctors and nurses’ stories, and they did it well. They stepped up and showed the dangers the healthcare workers were up against. And the toll it took on them.
When the episode started, Logan Kim (Rob Yang) was his ass-hole self, but he stepped up. He and Conrad had an intense conversation about him needing to protect the staff. Conrad told him he was sending his troops out to war with no protection. Let that sink it. It was a powerful moment.
And while Kim seemed like he cared more about the bottom line, even the pandemic had touched him. He was called a “bat eater” by a stranger. He was born in Savanah. These encounters should get more attention than they have.
I don’t know what Kim’s wake-up call was, but he got supplies from Korea. He spent the money to get what they needed, even though he wasn’t supposed to spend, which could end up being one of the many fallouts of the pandemic for these characters.
How do they imagine the world that is after we get through this? No one has any idea the fall out from this. Or when it is over. The Resident‘s storylines have always been working to fix the system, and if anything has proven that the system is broken and needs to change, it’s this pandemic. Maybe that’s the show’s way forward.
It wasn’t all gloom and doom. While Kit did get Covid, Bell was there for her. I do wish we could have seen that part. They’ve always had a great friendship. And it looks like it’s blossoming into something more. And it’s about time, too. I love these two together. I hated Bell in the first season. But he’s become a character to love and root for.
We also finally got our Dr. Mina Okafor (Shaunette Renée Wilson) and AJ kiss! While Mina says it changes nothing, of course, she did. It was a nice moment. I’m willing to wait until she’s ready. I love their chemistry together, whether they are kissing or operating. Just give me more!
And we finally got the CoNic wedding! It was more beautiful than I could ever imagine. Nic and Conrad fight fiercely for their patients. They fight for their colleagues. And they remembered their lost colleagues at their wedding. These are the people the world needs. They can find happiness with each other without forgetting the ones they lost in this crisis.
The Resident will have us imagining better days ahead this season. It will be a nice diversion, one we all need. But at 10 months into this, we are all ready to be at that undisclosed time in the future. Sometimes fictional worlds can be better right now, but The Resident takes on important healthcare topics that we need to continue to discuss.
Let’s see where The Resident takes us this season.
What did you think of the season four premiere? Tweet me @MandyTTCarr or comment below.
