The Resident Season 3 Episode 3 Review: Saints & Sinners
Jasmine Blu
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What an eventful hour.
This reviewer had to fight off an unexpected power outage to get here, but let's see how it goes. The Resident Season 3 Episode 3 was an illuminating hour.
Kyle was right!
The hour provided us with many things, but one of the shockers was that Chastain's dialysis department has lost five patients recently to pulmonary embolisms.
Kyle may have a lawsuit on his hands after all. It was easy to dismiss the man as working an angle, but he had reason to believe there was more to Jessie's death, and he was right.
Nic was busy blaming herself for forcing her sister to get the surgery. We assumed that Jessie's involvement in the drug trial, which was also an issue that fell on Chastain was the only screwed up thing about her death.
But now there is an epidemic of patients dying of pulmonary embolisms, and they all happen to be dialysis patients. Why is no one else paying attention to this but the medical examiner?
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Shouldn't Bell know what's going, at this rate? Who is the person in charge of this department, and what is causing all of these deaths?
The series gets kudos; they didn't drag out any of the secrecy. Conrad found out the truth, and he was ready to tell Nic right away.
Conrad: Jessie died of a pulmonary embolism.
Nic: A complication from surgery.
Conrad: Five other patients at Chastain died of pulmonary embolisms in the past few weeks.
He shared the news with her at home, and now they can look into this together. I guess CoNic is in the best possible place in their relationship, and his promise to Kyle to look into Jessie's death didn't hurt his relationship with Nic.
Chastain has some of the best doctors, but they have so many issues it's scary. Would you want to take a chance there knowing all of the problems they face?
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It didn't seem like they had anything left to squeeze out of Jessie's storyline, but now there's a new threat in a different department of the hospital that needs addressing.
Nic and Conrad are the perfect pair to do it. In an unfortunate way, Nic has some solace in knowing she isn't to blame for her sister's death.
She was blaming herself for it no matter what anyone else said, and that didn't go away. However, she knows now that someone or something murdered her sister and a handful of other patients.
And whatever is going on, it's continuing.
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Lane was a despicable character, but her storyline was fascinating. If this is another way for the series to explore this angle again, then so be it.
It makes you wonder if Devon will be joining Conrad and Nic on this venture this time around. He invested in taking down Lane, but he and Conrad may find themselves at odds more.
Devon has gradually established himself as a moral, ethical doctor. He does what's right, and it's admirable. He's at his most attractive when he's laying down the law. Hell, AJ even acknowledged the badass, no-nonsense side of Devon.
He's right. As a doctor, it's not up to him to separate the saints from the sinners. He doesn't get to play judge, jury, and executioner, and despite the God complexes flowing freely in the halls of Chastain, he doesn't get to play God either.
You're blaming the victim. You're a cop. Aren't you supposed to do the exact opposite?
Devon
He faced an ethical quandary when Conrad wanted to cut off Rob's morphine to interrogate him. It's a good thing we didn't see how the scene played out. Maybe if we did, it would make us look at Conrad differently.
He's no stranger to bending and breaking the rules to do what he thinks is right. It's one of the things that makes him so lovable.
However, there are boundaries. It gets murky when you cross them. They exist for a reason.
Conrad connected to his detective patient because of a similar drive to do what's right by any means necessary. They both looked at the bottom line. Another life, a seemingly innocent one, needed to be saved.
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Conrad understood the detective's drive, and he knew what it was like to find his calling in his job. Did you catch Conrad's facial expression when the cop asked him what his backup plan was if he couldn't be a doctor?
Detective: If I can't be a cop, life's not worth living.
Conrad: Let's not go there.
Detective: What was your backup plan? If you couldn't be a doctor what was your backup plan?
Matt Czuchry's face can tell stories on its own without dialogue. He didn't need to respond; we knew what it was anyway.
Conrad cannot imagine what his life would be like if he couldn't practice medicine. It would end him.
It was a positive outcome, and you can tell Conrad didn't regret his decision when he was watching the news. Did the ends justify the means?
It's a hard call to make. I couldn't figure out how I felt about or whether I would've done what Conrad did or stuck with Devon.
Both of them were right in their way, and it's this type of gray area explored, which makes this series so delicious.
Devon: We're doctors. We save lives.
Conrad: We already saved Rob's life, now we make him a little bit uncomfortable to save another.
Devon respects Conrad, and there's no denying it, but now that he's coming into his own as a doctor, he's noticing how they are different.
It's refreshing. It wouldn't be as entertaining if Devon was "Conrad-Lite." He has to stand on his own.
Meanwhile, the highly anticipated showdown between Cain and the Raptor was worth the wait. They were mesmerizing onscreen together.
The tension was so thick, and Nolan was the most relatable as he stood between them awkwardly washing his hands and listening to these two esteemed-surgeons exchange barbs.
Intern don't play!
AJ
It was a clash of the egos, and it's a wonder Nolan didn't suffocate under the weight of both of them. It was all fun and games when these two were having a scalpel measuring contest.
It's nothing like an adrenaline rush and the near-death of a patient to bring the two of them together. By the end of the surgery, it almost seemed like the two of them would get along well now.
Did they get it out of their system? The only thing missing was Mina watching this display and rolling her eyes.
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Cain continues to be as confusing as hell. He may have won AJ over, or at least led to him putting his guards down, but Cain is still Cain.
Bell: Why didn't you tell me you reconciled with your husband?
Grayson's Mom: It happened three weeks ago. Besides we're keeping things open.
Bell: Does he know that?
His shocking move was inviting Nic to be his nurse practitioner on his service exclusively. He and Nic butted heads, but he loved it.
Their differences are what made him respect her as a nurse practitioner. She doesn't take any of his crap, and he likes it.
Cain has an appreciation for fiery women. One minute, Cain was lamenting the loss of money after Nic spared their patient an unnecessary surgery, and the next he was offering her a position.
Will we ever be able to figure this man out? It's maddening!
Bell likes to play both sides of his morality too. He's easier to figure out, and more often than not, we know he's in a better state than he was when we first met him.
It was surprising when Bell gave the supplement woman the rundown and didn't mince words. Is Bell a better person? Yes, but in business, when does he look after someone unless he has something to gain?
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As a businessman, Bell is unscrupulous. He's also impulsive and runs into decisions without thinking them through.
How many times is he going to jump into bed with someone without getting a feel for things? Some of the issues Chastain has now is due to him making short-sight decisions.
He wants to get into the supplement game for attention. Bell has always had the vibe of needing a specific legacy. He wants to be known for something. His reputation is something he has dear and clings to as if it's all he has.
He wants to be a household name. Bless your heart, Bell. For us, you already are.
Bell wants fame and feels as if this is something he can get via his investment in this supplement business.
The Bell and Grayson (Bellson?) dynamic remain a thrill. Grayson is a hoot, and it was hilarious when Bell had to spell it out for him.
He needed to go to Grayson's dad to get him to invest in the medical supplement plan. How these wealthy guys get business done over golf, sharing drinks, and sharing women is beyond me.
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How did he not know that man was aware of his wife's infidelity? The scene at the dinner table was awkward and amusing. Bell lands himself in some of the weirdest situations, but Bruce Greenwood's facial expressions are the best.
You would never expect someone who appears so straightlaced could convey the humor the way he does.
How is the medical supplement angle going to bite him in and Chastain in the ass, though? That's the real question.
Over to you, Resident Fanatics!
Were you more aligned with Conrad or Devon during their ethical quandary? What the heck is going on in the dialysis department at Chastain?
Are you surprised there was more to Jessie's death and that Kyle was right?
Did you love the AJ versus Cain showdown? What do you think about Cain's work proposal to Nic?
Did you miss Mina? Hit the comments below!
You can watch The Resident online here via 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.
