The Resident Season 1 Episode 5 Review: None the Wiser
Jasmine Blu
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Wow. The break felt like an eternity, but it was well worth the wait.
The Resident Season 1 Episode 5, was one of if not the best installment of the series since the premiere. It was a well-balanced hour for both doctors and individual patients, it made progress in character development and plot development, and it left us with a shocking ending.
You can't ask for anything more.
The opening with Mina facing the mortality and morbidity conference was the best. Naysayers of the series focus on the ways the show is inaccurate or unrealistic, namely the fact that the doctors seemingly get away with unethical, immoral choices without any semblance of accountability.
It was a vital aspect of the hour having a doctor under such intense scrutiny from colleagues. What sucked is that the doctor in question was Mina.
Mina is bold, innovative, and a risk taker, but she's a calculated and controlled risk-taker in comparison to Conrad. When she takes risks, they are well within reason, so it's frustrating that she's the one held accountable at every turn.
She's a brilliant surgeon always caught in the middle of the worst situations, and typically it's not by her own doing. It has become a bit of a pattern, and I wonder if it's a deliberate choice by the writers.
Do they intend for this brilliant black, female immigrant in this competitive and at times prejudicial field to be hung out to dry, taken advantage of by her white male colleagues to this degree?
Related: The Resident Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Identity Crisis
Conrad is her closest work friend, and he isn't exempt from using her as his personal pawn when it suits him.
Though subtle, it happens with such frequency, that I wonder if it's simply a coincidence or an intentional dog whistle on a show that's going out of its way to make some commentary, controversial though it may be.
It's my duty to train the next generation of elite surgeons, and on this day, the one in question, I pushed Dr. Okafor to exceed my expectations, and sadly, on this day, she simply wasn't ready.
Bell
That's not to say that Bell's treatment of Mina is related to those factors.
Bell is a self-absorbed prick who will throw anyone under a train if it means saving himself. He left Mina out to dry when the fire was hot because it would reflect poorly on him if he took complete responsibility for what went down in those OR rooms.
But he also has a fondness for her and a softness towards her that further supports that Bell is a deeply complex character with depth. Devon's words may have made Bell feel guilty, but when given a real opportunity to screw her over further, he instead raved about her.
Yes, much of it is self-serving, but I think he has taken to the idea of having his very own protege, and he has a soft spot for Mina.
He's quite the conundrum. Because in the same breath he was willing to destroy Dr. Leonard for doing her job accordingly, and Claire was ready and willing to go right along with it.
Bell and his ego can easily affect the careers of women on a whim. Sleep-deprived Bradley never came up again, and as far as we know, he faced no consequences whatsoever.
Related: The Resident Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Comrades in Arms
Anyway, Mina is my everything, and it was a great hour for her. While I'm all for her outlandish hype, it's absurd that apparently, she's the only gifted surgical resident in the entire hospital.
Bell: When a doctor questions the practices and it's physicians to the extent that Dr. Leonard is doing, it has a detrimental effect. Wouldn't you agree?
Claire: Consider it handled.
Claire: And Dr. Okafor?
Bell: One of the most gifted surgical residents I've ever seen. She is invaluable.
Every second she spent running back and forth from one operating room to another and scrubbing in and out of multiple surgeries was ridiculous. I can't like though. It was also intense.
The hour started off by giving us the impression that one or all three of the patients died. Then, in the moments leading up the surgery, they introduced each of the patients and gave us enough character development for Ed, Christina, and York to be invested in their outcome.
I wanted nothing but success for all of them including York and his questionable anal fixation. He was good for a laugh, but he also served as a great teaching moment for Devon and more time for our favorite scene-stealer, Irving, to shine.
Ed's atrophic testicle was the saddest of the bunch because of the final result. He went in with one healthy testicle and a shot of having children. He left ball-less and infertile. That's a rough deal.
Christina's case was the most heart-warming because it led to Nic connecting with Christina's mature and wise-beyond-his-years son, Trevor.
Related: The Resident Season 1 Episode 2 Review: Independence Day
The entire time, I just did not want that poor kid to lose his mother. As I'm gathering, the oldest kid of a stressed out single-working mom he was already dealing with way too much responsibility.
It granted Nic the opportunity to focus on something other than Lane's cancer research and Lily. Yet, they still squeezed that in too, and it flowed nicely with the rest of the hour.
Nic hasn't taken the best approach with her Lane investigation, but it's enjoyable to watch. A large part of that is because of the scenes between her and Lane.
Lane is so deliciously villainous as she toggles between cold, ice queen and sickeningly, syrupy sweet. I love it!
That scene where she sweetly threatened to ruin Nic with a smile on her face and then flounced off, all bouncing curls and perfect white teeth the height of friendliness--it was fabulous!
Lane: I'm going to make this short and just as sweet as you. It turns out I don't have an appetite for a nurse snooping around my clinics, harassing my personnel, questioning my methods, making my most vulnerable patients paranoid...
Nic: I think that's a little extreme.
Lane: I didn't ask what you thought. As of this moment, you will no longer be assigned to any of my patients. And if you don't watch where you tread, you won't be anyone's nurse. And that's not a warning; it's not a threat; it's a promise.
Nic is on her own here because every time she approaches Conrad about it, he blows her off.
It's a character flaw our beloved Conrad needs to work on because he expects unwavering support from her all the time, but he's not the most reliable in this instance. He should give her the benefit of the doubt that she so often gives him.
Related: The Resident Season 1 Episode 1 Review: Conrad Is Never Wrong!
That's why, as much as I like the chemistry between Nic and Conrad, I'm OK with it taking some time. Conrad isn't emotionally ready for a serious relationship. It spoke volumes that Nic knows virtually nothing about him outside of work.
Their scene together where he vaguely spoke of his father and mother was a great one. Despite not revealing much, Conrad felt he was being emotionally vulnerable.
Nic accepted the little he gave because it's more than he would give anyone else. It's still not enough though, and I think she noticed that when she was standing face-to-face with Jude.
Unlike Conrad, Jude had no qualms about speaking on his feelings after the loss of his patient.
While he did appear distraught after his patient died (at the time I recall muttering that he should move his ass to the other surgery and postpone his feelings until after Christina was taken care of), I couldn't figure out if his talk with Nic was genuine or an attempt to appeal to her.
He knows Conrad better than most, and he knows that Conrad's inability to emotionally connect is what cost him Nic. He doesn't have the same affliction, or at the least can fake it better, so if it's "game on" he would appeal to her with the very thing that Conrad can't easily offer up.
Conrad and Nic are not ready to be together, and Warren Christie is devilishly handsome, but it hurt watching Conrad hurt when he witnessed Jude and Nic taking off together.
He is going to need to postpone all of that love triangle angst though because apparently, that guy who invested in Lane and wasn't the least impressed by Bell is Conrad's dad! I didn't see that coming!
I am here for this content. Family angst is the best kind of angst. Conrad has been an utter mystery so far, and I cannot wait to learn more about his background with his father.
Mina's display of left and right brain balance with her dexterous fingers not only being used for surgery but also being used for something as creative as sewing and dressmaking is a pleasant surprise. Rock on!
Irving was right, she looked stunning in her dress. Also, [cough] New 'Ship Alert [cough].
How much did you love this installment? Let us know in the comments below!
There's still no news about the show being picked up (Booo!), but until then, you can watch The Resident online right here at TV Fanatic!
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
