New Amsterdam Season 2 Episode 5 Review: The Karman Line
Jasmine Blu
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Iggy had one of his most fascinating cases to date, and finally, New Amsterdam Season 2 Episode 5 gave us more than one Helen and Max scene.
It was a bold hour that tackled something controversial with the exploration of a child psychopath.
It was the case that held one's attention the most during the hour, that's for sure.
First, Emma Hong is the young girl who played Juliette Kimura, and she's an exceptional talent. She was beyond sinister and creepy, and her performance was quite nuanced, given the subject matter.
She was chilling.
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The case itself was disturbing on multiple levels, and it may include how they handled and wrapped it up by the hour's end.
You cannot diagnose a child with psychopathy or Anti-social personality disorder. It doesn't matter if they exhibit concerning signs, there's no official diagnosis of it until they're at least 18 years old.
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Juliette was a danger to everyone in her household. It was distressing to see little Calvin wheeled into the ER with those bruises around his neck.
The marks on Calvin's neck are not abrasions. They're bruises. It was not a cord, they were hands.
Social Worker
His sister violently choked the heck out of him, and his parents tried to cover it up. You don't want to judge the Kimuras, because of how difficult it is to live in a household with a child with Juliette's issues.
However, the cost of protecting her could have been their other child's life or one of theirs. She's a danger to them and poses a threat, and if they spent any longer sweeping that under the rug, someone could end up dead.
Juliette wouldn't bat an eye about it either.
Their attempts at protecting Juliette came at the expense of their other child's safety, and to be frank, they should be under review.
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It's negligence and child endangerment; point blank and a period.
Bloom: What happened to your brother, Juliette?
Juliette: I wanted his phone, so I took it.
They fell to the wayside, though, and the focus became Iggy, our favorite Psychiatrist, trying to take on manipulative, little Juliette.
Their scenes were tantalizing, to say the least. Iggy was outmatched and outwitted by this child, and he was the only one who didn't see it coming at first.
The counselor wanted Juliette to be committed to a psychiatric facility for her safety and that of everyone around her, and Iggy wanted to give Juliette another option.
It may be one of the few times Iggy wasn't correct. Juliette didn't get her feet wet plucking the legs off of an insect; nor did she do something unspeakable to a neighbor's cat.
Iggy: Why do you want to hurt them?
Juliette: Because I can.
She jumped right into choking her brother out for his phone. It doesn't get better from here.
Iggy wanted to come up with something creative to help her, but there is no help or treatment for a psychopath. The only thing to come to mind when he suggested it was some form of behavioral modification.
It was evident early on that he had his work cut out for him. Juliette got the upper hand. Iggy meant well, but his solution is flawed.
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He gets brownie points for trying and putting up with Juliette berating his child and him and spitting on him too. On a reflex, I probably would've smacked her and sent her sailing across the room, myself.
Empathy, she'll never have it, so we have to have it for her.
Iggy
Spitting is one of the foulest things a person can do to another person, and being on the receiving end of it is not pleasant. Iggy pushed past it anyway, so kudos to him.
However, his reward system is ineffective. It's not a long-term solution. It would require an endless stream of rewards worthy of Juliette's interest, and she would have to find a way to self-reward and sustain it for years to come.
She's not capable of that. It's not a matter of standard conditioning where it's ingrained in her, and she learns to course-correct.
Calvin: I thought you hated me.
Juliette: I hate that I"m different from you.
She's never going to course-correct. She's not capable of it.
He taught her how to be a better manipulator, and it's fine if she can manipulate others and learns how to mimic concern and other emotions, but you see how easily she flew off the handle when she was trying to play his Expert game.
Juliette is a ticking time bomb. Everything she told Calvin and her family was a lie, and she couldn't make it through without getting close to violent again.
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She's a hazard to her family, and she should be in a facility somewhere. He's sending her home with her family with the bare minimum concept of a reward system and positive reinforcement, and it's ludicrous.
In expert level, you have to win without the other person never having to know they lost.
Iggy
It was probably one of the first times where the psychology of the series felt at its weakest. We sacrificed it for an eye-catching case and performance.
It's one time where wrapping it up in 45 minutes or less wasn't satisfying.
Helen and Max's moments together were satisfying and emotional. Our 'Dam fanatics were vocal about how much they missed the show covering its best dynamic.
It doesn't matter what your thoughts are on the nature of their relationship, that dynamic is the best of the series.
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It's the series at its best. No sense in putting it on the backburner or benching it, or whatever the series has done this season.
I want to be a mum, but then I realized I don't want to do it alone.
Helen
Paz's surrogacy case hit close to home for Helen due to her fertility journey. She was passionate about the case and helping Paz and Jasmine.
Paz deserved to have her dream come true, and it was disheartening to see a door shut in her face.
Helen enlisted Max's help, and he was moving heaven and earth to reach a positive outcome. Nothing was more relatable than Max throwing his phone after being given the runaround and put on hold.
Also, his quest to go higher up the chain of command and speak to someone who would tell him what he wanted to hear was something else too.
Luna, was that your first laugh. We have to show mommy that life.
Max
They say never accept a "no" from someone who isn't in the position to tell you "yes." Max takes that to heart.
The case itself didn't pop as much as Iggy's. The sisters were lovely, and it's nice that the insurance guy was able to pull a win out for them in the end.
It was something nice that brought Helen and Max together again more than anything else. It also meant no Castro. Thank the heavens.
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Helen broke our hearts again by confiding in Max and telling him she tried to go through the invitro process in the aftermath of the accident, but it didn't take.
Even though it's something she's wanted her entire life, she was relieved. She admitted she doesn't want to have a baby and go through the process alone.
It was a vulnerable and raw moment for her. Their pain was tangible and complementary.
She's a woman who wants a child and doesn't want to have one alone. He's a widow who's raising a baby alone.
Luna, was that your first laugh. We have to show mommy that life.
Max
It's not what either of them had envisioned, and it's heartbreaking.
Nothing compared to Max's slip-up.
Luna, much like the rest of us, loves Helen Sharpe. She laughed and smiled for the first time in front of Helen, and can you blame her?
She couldn't crack a smile at her dad's silly dances, but Helen made Luna's face light up like the Sun. Max couldn't wait to tell Georgia about it.
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You could see the moment he regretted what he said aloud, and how he struggled to walk it back. It was such a punch to the gut.
Seeing Georgia must be part of his grieving process, but hopefully, it's nothing more serious.
It's funny; it's like we're seeing more of Georgia now than we did when she was alive. No disrespect to her memory or Lisa O'Hare, but it's something the show could do without them.
It has the Denny/Izzie vibe from Grey's Anatomy. If the show wanted to kill off one of the women, then they should commit to it. Let her go.
It's something Floyd may end up doing too. His case with the woman who would rather risk her life to go into Space rather than have her heart taken care of was meant to reflect on Floyd's relationship with Evie.
Floyd: Can I ask you something?
Patient's Husband: How can I be married to someone who loves Space more than she loves me?
Floyd: I wasn't going to put it like that.
They're on opposite coast; it's been an eternity since they've been apart. Floyd is trying to plan their wedding on his own.
Evie is always working, but she also keeps acting flaky. It just feels like she's never coming back or something. Floyd learned from the case to support her.
But it seems like he's the one doing all the compromising, so it isn't fair.
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Lauren's love life is more intriguing. She and Zach's physical therapy sessions were troubling in some ways.
However, they were making a real connection, and now it can blossom into something.
She needed to go to an NA meeting. Meditation served her well, and it opened her eyes to the things she needs to do to improve her life.
Those new, healthier choices led her back to Zack. He's a recovering addict too. This new development has livened up her storyline a bit since it has been falling to the wayside some.
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Rohan is a disappointment. For so long, I wanted to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, but he fooled around with Ella to get back at his father.
He only wanted her because of the interest Kapoor showed in Ella. Now he left them both.
Kapoor had a lot of feelings about Ella considering her options. He wanted to tell her about them, but thankfully, Iggy discouraged him from it.
It's not his body or his decision. It's not up to him.
He found a way to support her in the end, though. He doesn't know if Rohan will return or not. He's unaware of what's at stake, but he promised to be Ella's family anyway.
Their relationship has not gone in the direction one would've expected at all, but it's better this way.
Over to you, 'Dam Fanatics.
What did you think of Iggy's case with Juliette? Should they have committed her?
Is there more to Max seeing his wife? Are you surprised Helen tried to go through her in-vitro process, and it didn't work?
Will Floyd and Evie last? What about Lauren and Zach? Hit the comments below!
You can watch New Amsterdam online here via TV Fanatic.
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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.
