The Resident Season 3 Episode 9 Review: Out For Blood
Jasmine Blu
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God, don't you love how The Resident can take you on an emotional ride with every installment?
Sometimes it's the equivalent of watching a sports game with the amount of swearing and cheering, and fist-pumping, and eye-rolling within one installment.
Fortunately, The Resident Season 3 Episode 9 didn't leave us with one of those edge-of-your-seat, nerve-racking cliffhangers leading into the midseason finale, but you better believe it still left us pumped.
The best thing about the hour was how it squashed the tension between Devon and Conrad. It was necessary due to it not working at all.
The degree to which Devon chose to have an issue with Conrad for doing what he's always done came out of nowhere. The disagreement was fine, but the weird animosity was absurd.
It was frustrating in its lack of nuance. Most of us tuned in to the series knowing damn well it was about a rulebreaking, renegade of a resident.
We expect nothing less from him, but it's also reasonable and realistic to have him at odds with those he's closest to because of his impulsivity and other traits.
It should be space for that without anyone becoming "the bad guy" in the narrative for challenging him. It requires actually painting both sides well enough where even if you prefer one over the other, both positions are understandable.
Bell: Why are you here?
Cain: For the meeting.
Bell: What meeting?
Logan: Dr. Bell, we have a problem. Chastain is getting sued.
Trying to view this storyline objectively and analytically was difficult in how imbalanced the primary issue (which should be anything but) came off.
They never gave Devon's position the weight it deserved, and it wasn't a wrong stance at all. From the time he took it, it was evident they needed to build enough tension between the two for the precise moment of Devon dancing on the line of perjury to cover for Conrad.
The way we got there was arduous, messy, and painted Devon as a villain for the majority of the season for no good reason.
Logan: Bell has no idea this gives us the perfect way to get rid of Hawkins.
Cain: Spiro's out for blood. We're going to give it to him.
Instead of exploring any number of reasons why Devon's position was reasonable for him, he would swerve into petty quibbles and bitchiness.
I'm well aware I'm an established Devon defender, even if I don't necessarily agree with him. But I also recognize I argued a much stronger case for his position than the series ever did, which is why this was a storyline I wanted to set on fire.
Nevertheless, it was still better than the incredibly tone-deaf "persecution of St. Meredith Grey" angle on Grey's Anatomy.
But Devon gave me the most tonal whiplash all season during this installment where I rotated between content and wanting to smack the crap out of him.
Because when you get one-dimensional bitchiness instead of actual nuance, you get scenes like Devon whining about his Princess to Conrad as if Conrad didn't have a clusterf*ck of other sh*t he was trying to juggle at the same time.
Devon: It's not my fault.
Conrad: What?
Devon: Rob Spiro. I tried to stop you.
Conrad: What does that have to do with anything?
Devon: Because you're taking it out on me, and Nadine will suffer because of it.
Conrad: I have other patients including ones in ICU, and you were the one who didn't want to work with me.
Devon: Because you tortured a man.
Conrad: Rob Spiro is a murderer.
Devon: And we're doctors. We're supposed to be the ones helping people.
Conrad: And I did.
Devon: You break rules you ignore protocol that is who you are and it is wrong.
Devon knew Spiro was there, and Conrad was being deposed in a malpractice case that could actually cost him his job, yet, somehow, his guilt, presumably, had him saying the Spiro lawsuit wasn't his fault, and also accusing Conrad of taking it out on him.
Um, what? When? Where? How?
He knew Conrad had a busy day and still had other patients to tend to, what the actual f**k was the point of such an asinine exchange? It was another missed opportunity to expound on his position in favor of Devon being an ass incapable of properly expressing himself.
It was an attempt to smooth it over, by making Conrad the gracious, forgiving mentor who showed Devon more understanding and consideration than anyone else..
Devon has to do what he feels is right no matter the consequences. That's what I tried to teach him. Now, we respect his choice.
Conrad
He was proud of him; you saw it in his response when Devon refused to leave Nadine. He could respect that Devon was being his own man even if no one else respected him for it.
They also had their heart to heart when it was over and Conrad wanted to know why Devon didn't turn him over. They're two different types of doctors and Chastain (and hospitals in general) need both.
Cool, great, but if this was the long path toward differentiating Devon from Conrad to stop any comparisons or what have you, it was a hell of a way to get there. It's frustrating how Devon had to be maligned in the process.
Mr. Spiro was in respiratory distress. Pain medication needed to be withheld; this man is alive today because of Dr. Hawkins.
Devon
Their issues lost something along the way when it became more personal than professional.
It lost something when it was never fairly presented, and while I adore Conrad to pieces, it's perfectly OK to show someone challenging him on unethical behavior without it devolving into this.
We know he's the hero of this story, and we won't stray from him. They can trust us to handle him getting called to the carpet sometimes; it is a natural, inevitable effect of his actions and choices.
Conrad: Why did you lie for me?
Devon: I didn't do it for you. These patients need you, and I had to make a decision I could live with.
Conrad: You and I are very different. I respect that.
Devon: Me too. And I think this hospital needs doctors like both of us.
Despite his actions and varying feelings on the matter, it's guaranteed most fans were giddy at how his colleagues covered for him during that sham of a deposition and were thrilled when Devon backed up his mentor too.
It may be the minority position, but there was never any doubt that Devon would cover for Conrad in the end. The most consistent Devon we know has always seen and respected how valuable Conrad is as a doctor, so him contributing in any way to Conrad losing his job was as unfathomable as it was a crappy position to be placed in.
Conrad is the best diagnostician at the hospital, and apparently, he's still not a chief resident but on his way. Are there any other residents outside of Conrad and Mina? It's amusing when you think about it.
Well, I saw him cut a line in the cafeteria once.
AJ
He's going to be the chief to whom?
Logan and Cain were eager to make good on their plans. They wanted to use Spiro to bury Conrad, and it was a mess for so many reasons.
For one, from a business perspective, it was unwise to sabotage their own people with a case like this. Bell was right.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, Spiro's word as a prisoner doesn't mean crap. Most cases do lean toward protecting the doctor during malpractice suits, which can be difficult to prove when there are so many extenuating circumstances.
You're going to perjure yourself? You little bitch.
Robert
They sure as hell wouldn't have taken the word of a prisoner over Conrad. Arguably, that's what does make the violation of people's rights, even the bad ones so disturbing, but we've long since beat that dead horse.
Red Rock dropping the ball on a case like this sets a precedent. They're capable of anything if they chose to bury Conrad with a case that never should've reached that point.
It was absurd too. The rest of the doctors were always going to back Conrad up. Spiro couldn't prove anything, and how would it have spared Red Rock the hassle of employing a whistleblower with reach?
Conrad has established himself as someone who speaks out, and they would've gotten rid of him for unproven accusations that have probably been lobbed at other doctors a dozen times over.
I want Hawkins gone, but we can't get rid of him without just cause. I want it done clean without any blowback from Marshall Winthrop.
Logan
It's also hard to say how they thought they would be out of Marshall's reach with this. He finessed the hell out of the situation the last time a patient tried to sue Conrad, and he's part of the board.
Marshall would come guns blazing either way.
Devon didn't turn on Conrad, which is awesome, but once again, AJ and Bell, especially, were the best.
AJ's quips during deposition were hilarious, and when he teamed up with Bell to crash Cain's surgery and let the OG docs work their magic, it was priceless.
But Bell has been KILLING IT.
Bell: You clearly still don't understand how things work around here.
Logan: You seem confused, so let me help. Red Rock gave me authority to do whatever necessary to protect Chastain's bottom line, so if Hawkins isn't gone by end of business then today will be your last as CEO. It's him or you.
He and Conrad have come such a long way in their relationship.
It was a time where Conrad would have reason to believe Bell wanted to bury him, but it's not the case anymore.
When Bell realized what Logan and Red Rock had planned for Conrad, he spent the rest of the time trying to figure out the best way to buy time until he figured a way out of it.
Bell: Hawkins, don't worry. You'll be fine. Red Rock's lawyers will be here soon.
Conrad: You haven't always been on my side.
Bell: I am this time.
He probably threw Devon's name out there, in part because of him knowing when push came to shove, Devon wouldn't turn on Conrad, but also, he wanted to buy time having legal eagle's pore over his ironclad contract.
It was high time the series did something about Bell operating two positions of power at Chastain. The irony of it, especially recently, is how it hasn't protected him from Red Rock.
Logan threatened Bell's job if Conrad survived the day, but he wasn't specific about which job he was angling for with Bell.
Bell was CEO and Chief of Surgery. He made a smart call resigning as CEO, but he packed his little box up and went down a floor.
My surgical contract is bulletproof. You just try and get rid of me.
Bell
Red Rock can't come after his position as Chief of Surgery, but after half the season of him rocking it in the OR, it's where he belongs.
He's wasting his skills sitting behind a desk in a suit. He's much cooler and more badass when he's down in the trenches.
The shifts in dynamics as this ragtag group of doctors have become a tribe, and family remains one of the best parts of this series.
Bell used to be on the outside, but now, he's one of them. He's such a delightfully cocky sh!t. When he tossed the keys on the desk and headed down to his new office, I giggled in glee.
Bell: Today Red Rock asked me to turn against one of my own doctors, and tomorrow they'll just ask me to do something worse. There's a bloodbath coming. I don't even want to be up there when that happens. But down here, I can survive.
Kit: What's going to happen to Conrad?
Bell: Red Rock has eyes and ears everywhere. Conrad still has a target on his back. As do we all.
And his final words exchanged with his trusty second, the effable Kit, set to another excellent song choice while CoNic was exiting the building had me hype.
He's right; Red Rock is coming for all of them. No one is safe, and it's about to get bloody. We have the A-team though, it's like the Avengers slowly assembling, and the takedown should be delicious.
Cases:
The one time Devon didn't get on my nerves during this installment was when he spoke to Nadine in Urdu. Yeah, that was hot.
Nadine: You speak Urdu?
Devon: Some. There's some overlap with Hindi.
He has a knack for connecting with his patients, so it wasn't a surprise when she wanted him to stay on her case.
She was sweet and understated despite her high-ranking position. She had a fascinating case of Moyamoya disease. The human brain is a wondrous organ; isn't it?
It had her reverting to her second-language and forgetting words for her first, losing sensation in her feet, and not able to breathe.
Her surgery was one of the most intense moments of the hour, and it was flashy too. Did you see all the tech they had going on? It was so cool!
Step aside two Chastain OGs to the rescue.
AJ
The creative ways they come up with saving patients, especially when they're right on the table is incredible. Cain wasn't as opposed or resistant to the group think-tank manner they were diagnosing her, nor did he put up a fight when the others crashed his surgery.
Was he keeping a low profile because of the plans to oust Conrad, or is he starting to get used to the team effort at Chastain?
Either way, thanks to everyone, a princess is alive and well, and she can pursue her deejay career. If all of her music was like what they played during her surgery, then we're going to need more tickets.
Bell: Dr. Pravesh, they've decided to depose you now.
Devon: She's my patient. I'm not going anywhere.
AJ and Mina gave us a small dose of Minator in action when they teamed up to diagnose and offer solutions to Adaku.
We knew she would have a troubled pregnancy. It was written in the stars.
She had dilated cardiomyopathy, and she needs surgery. They also suggested that her best solution was to induce labor and deliver little Michelle (for now) before her heart condition worsened.
Pregnancy is a lot of stress on the heart for both mom and the baby. Adaku had to pray about it, and she decided to carry out her pregnancy with no surgery or induction.
Adaku: I'm scared.
Mina: Me too.
Adaku is hard to connect to beyond caring about her as Mina's friend/sister.
The whole way she went about having this baby is frustrating, and the way she slips in and out of hiding behind her faith is, too.
Many can disagree, and they're entitled to their opinion, but you can be a person of faith and science at the same time. Technically, I consider myself a Christian, hell, even spent too many years at Catholic school (despite not being Catholic), but science and medicine are crucial.
Why can't she trust that God is using science and the brilliant minds of the doctors around her as vessels? What if this is the sign?
Surgeons or God, everyone needs something to believe in.
AJ
Adaku strikes me as the person who waits for some signal or message without considering that it's in front of her the whole time.
Why can't her faith be that she and the baby will survive if she does the necessary procedures?
Mina doesn't get it at all. She's not someone who believes in a higher power, but as AJ astutely pointed out in another great Raptor moment, she believes in surgeons and science.
Her faith looks different, and it does benefit people to have faith, belief, hope, whatever manifestation of it you choose to go with, it's positive thinking, it does help people heal.
OBGYN: You got a name?
Adaku: Not yet. For now, let's call her Michelle.
Mina: Obama?
Adaku: You know it.
They didn't rip the bandaid off with Adaku and resolve her storyline, so we're left hanging in limbo wondering how it's going to play out. The most unfortunate thing about it is most of our interest only lies in how it will affect Mina.
Will she be forced to take care of a child she didn't anticipate (or at least want this early in her life if at all) or not? We'll have to see.
Lynette's experience was utterly terrifying but familiar. An acquaintance had something similar happen while receiving an outpatient procedure elsewhere, and it still can give a person nightmares when she recounts her tale.
Lynette was close enough to Chastain to be brought in, and she received the best care from Kit, but what if she wasn't anywhere near a hospital?
Bloody hell, whatever they started to fix, they didn't finish.
Kit
She could've died. A simple, routine surgery and her life was in the hands of those ill-equipped to adjust to any scenario. It's a scary thought.
She was a lovely woman, though. She and Kyle formed a nice bond since he was assigned to her as an Angel.
He likes the job, and it's giving him something to do. He was cute asserting himself and trying to get someone to pay attention to Lynette.
It's messed up no one else was paying attention to her when her monitor went off, oh, it's the little things.
Kyle: We lost Jessie. I don't think I would've made it through without Nic. She's the best thing about Chastain.
Lynette: You sound so proud of her.
Kyle: Yeah, well , she's the best thing about me too.
Kyle's sweetest moment was telling Lynette about Jessie and then discussing how much he loves Nic.
It was a beautiful thing for Nic to overhear. Sometimes it seems like she doubts what he says to her at face-value.
We're starting to view Kyle as this sweet, charismatic man who is grieving one daughter and loves the other to pieces, and it's quaint.
However, again, it makes you wary of where this is headed.
The hour was packed with so much, and it left us eager for the winter finale.
But here's an unexpected burning question for you; if Bell isn't CEO anymore, does this mean no more scenes with Grayson as his assistant?
Bellson forever!
Over to you, Resident Fanatics. Are you glad the Conrad and Devon debacle is over? Did you expect Devon to turn on Conrad? Did you expect Bell to for the sake of saving himself?
What did you think of Bell's power move? Are you over the Adaku storyline? How can they take down Red Rock?
Hit the comments below with all of your thoughts.
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.
