The Resident Round Table: Did AJ Make the Right Decision with Dr. Brown?
Jasmine Blu
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It was an hour that celebrated the Queen of Country but also gave us a lesson in compassion.
OnThe Resident Season 3 Episode 17, Bell treated a popular drag queen/ Dolly Parton impersonator, Devon and Nadine parted ways, and Nic and Conrad rescued a sex trafficking victim.
Join TV Fanatics Rachel Foertsch, Meaghan Frey, Carissa Pavlica as they discuss the hour.
Do you enjoy it when Bell spends quality time with his patients? Are you pleased that he is getting to show off his bedside manner more often?
Rachel: Absolutely. I was just thinking about that. I miss having him in charge, but I do love that we're getting to see how his newfound compassion goes beyond just the doctors in the hospital.
We never saw this side of him on The Resident Season 1, and I genuinely enjoyed it. His interaction with his patient was incredible, and their heart-to-heart was one of the most beautiful moments of the episode.
Meaghan: Yes. I think he needed to take a step back from his leadership role in order for him to get back to what made him want to be a doctor in the first place.
He didn't do it to make money, be the face of a company or sit behind a big desk. He did it because he wanted to help people.
Now he can make a real difference in people's lives, both from a medical standpoint and by the support he is giving them.
Carissa: Who? Me? Enjoy anything Bell does? No.
OF COURSE! The way he gets a wry smile on his face these days suits him so well. Caring for patients, caring for his coworkers, it's so lovely.
And the way he connected with Doll E Wood painted him in a very positive light. He was really pulling for him to live and want to live. And Bell's care helped him see the light.
Bell mentioned his father again. Do you suspect there will be a familial/personal storyline for Bell soon or it just a coincidence?
Rachel: I think it's a coincidence, but I would love to see that for Bell. The show hasn't explored Bell's personal life as much as I'd hoped, and it would be satisfying for Bell to have a plot that's more personal for him. If they want to bring Kit back in from wherever she's disappeared to, I'd be here for that relationship, as well.
Bell: I wish you'd reconsider.
Joe: You're a dear, but I will take whatever time I have left as the full and complete Doll E. If I die young like my daddy. Well So be it.
Meaghan: Usually with TV shows when they repeatedly bring up a person we have never met before, my spidey sense starts tingling.
For some reason with Bell and his father, it hasn't. I'm with Rachel, as much as I would love to delve deeper into Bell's personal life, I don't see it happening anytime soon.
Carissa: I would love to know more about Bell. We've only ever seen him through the eyes of his coworkers or in the hospital. Well, he did have trysts here and there, but nothing lasts. At least let him get invited to a cozy game night with the gang in the future!
Conrad beat up a sex trafficker and helped Yvette reunite her with her mom. React.
Rachel: I cheered. In complete honesty, I jumped up and clapped. The moment the trafficker attacked Conrad, I knew who was going to win that fight.
That entire story was emotional, but I feel like it was one that needed to be told. Sex trafficking is all too common, and it's not something that people talk about as much as they should.
I'm not surprised that The Resident handled it with such grace. The show does a great job of addressing important issues and reacting to them appropriately.
Yvette: Marcus said that I was ruined and that I belonged to him. He said that no one would ever love me except him.
Nic: You know none of that is true, right? And you are not ruined.
Conrad: And you're safe now, and you don't have to do that anymore.
Yvette: I hate it. I hate all of it. He said he'd kill me. He'd kill my whole family if I ever told anyone.
Meaghan: This storyline was beyond intense, and I loved every single aspect of it. From Yvette breaking down when she realized that Conrad and Nic were actually trying to help her and revealing her tattoo to them, to Conrad beating the crap out of Marcus, to Yvette getting a long-overdue reunion with her mom.
This story was so powerful. This is a far too common danger that faces both men and women of all ages every single day. It needs to be given time on television so that people can fully understand the dangers and impact of it.
Carissa: Nobody is really surprised about that, right? We've seen Conrad's temper in memories with Nic. He cares almost as much about his patients and doing what's right for the world as he does for Nic, so pounding a baddie to the ground is in line with my expectations.
It's so awful when a girl who has been trafficked feels guilty. I can't even imagine.
Will Devon reconsider Nadine and the king's offer? Is this the last of Devon and Nadine?
Rachel: I can't see him taking the king's offer. You could tell from his face that he never even considered it. I think it's the last of Devon and Nadine for now, but I'm sure she'll come back sometime in the future.
The Resident has a way of ending Devon's romances on a very ambiguous note. His last love interest was supposed to come back to him at some point, too. What would happen if they both showed up at the same time?
I just want Devon to have a steady romance for once, rather than someone who's always in and out.
Meaghan: Devon isn't going anywhere. Nadine needs to decide to get out from under her father's thumb and come back to America to pursue her dreams as she had planned.
Devon shouldn't have to leave his whole life because she is too scared to. As cute as they were together, and as much as I was rooting for them, they were not together long enough for decisions that major to be made.
If the writers could please just give Devon a break and give him a healthy and sustainable relationship, I would very much appreciate that.
Nadine: This isn't over.
Devon: I know.
Carissa: I don't think that he'll take the King's offer. But I don't think it's the last we've seen of Nadine, either. Their short union was powerful, and since they promised it won't be the last they'll see of each other, I believe she will ultimately return to the US and Devon.
What are your thoughts on Dr. Brown and how the Raptor handled her alcoholism?
Rachel: I have a lot of mixed emotions, and to be honest, I'm not sure if I understood Dr. Brown's condition well enough to comment one way or the other.
But there were no other options at that point, and I think AJ made the right call. The baby would have died if they did nothing, so it didn't seem like there was much to lose.
Meaghan: AJ made the call he needed to. He had no other options. If he had let Dr. Brown operate herself, that would be a different story.
Letting her consult, though was morally questionable but necessary. Dr. Brown is despicable for walking into that OR intoxicated. She acts as if her addiction doesn't get in the way of her job, but clearly, she was too drunk to function when she started performing the surgery.
Healthcare has very good programs in place to help healthcare providers with addiction in a way that protects their privacy. There is no excuse for not seeking help.
Devon: Is it me, or is she a little off?
AJ: It's not the surgical star Torres led us to believe.
Carissa: I love it when physicians are shown to be fallible. Brown's story was so much more compelling than Cain's, for instance, but they both do bad things.
I wouldn't have wanted to make the call that AJ had to make, but it's the same one I would have made. She was walking him through the procedure, so he ensured the safety of the baby at all times once he assessed the situation.
I'm grateful for your help, Dr. Brown. But surgeon to surgeon, I really hope you seek help yourself. I don't have to tell you that alcoholism is a disease, but there are treatment programs for doctors. I know our system looks away. We live in a culture that discourages asking for help and speaking up. It makes it very easy to self-destruct, but you have a gift, and you have patients who need you.
AJ
And Rachel, I don't think Dr. Brown was wasted when she arrived on the scene. She was already in withdrawal for whatever reason.
Maybe she was trying to quit cold turkey. But the problem was that she wasn't alcohol-fueled, and without it, she cannot function on the level she needed. Either way, not a good place for a doctor, especially a surgeon, to be.
What was your favorite moment from the hour?
Rachel: The drag show! The beginning and end scenes were both great. I know I say this way too often, but I'll never tire of seeing Conrad happy.
It's just great to see him thriving outside his work environment. And I love that they brought Bell along, and he was able to witness his patient onstage.
Meaghan: The doctors watching Doll E. perform at the end. Seeing Doll E. in their element bringing down the house was a great end to the case.
Carissa: I agree with Meaghan. Watching them all at the end was sweet. Conrad and Nic finally got to celebrate, and even Bell was with them. Awwww.
Over to you, Resident Fanatics! Do you agree with our round table? Hit the comments below.
The Resident returns Tuesdays on FOX.
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.
