The Resident Season 5 Episode 15 Review: In For A Penny
Jasmine Blu
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We finally got to the bottom of Cade's backstory. Was it something you predicted?
In addition to some ConCade teases, The Resident Season 5 Episode 15, Devon and Leela's relationship may face yet another test, and he already has his hands full with a problematic clinical trial while Leela continues to thrive.
And poor Bell realized that the medical board isn't all it's cracked up to be.
After all those hurdles, we should've known that things wouldn't be any easier when Bell made it onto the board. However, they couldn't even give the man his first day to get acclimated.
Bell entered the meeting setting everyone off for having the gall to advocate on behalf of a paraplegic woman with a legitimate claim against Dr. Bosley.
Mariana: I thought I was about to die.
Hundley: You were dear, but Dr. Devi saved you like the boss she is.
He always knew going into it that he had his work cut out for him, but it was apparent that he assumed the medical board would be a valuable tool he could utilize to instill change. He didn't realize that the coveted change would have to start with the freaking board itself.
They barely wanted to listen to the cases that were in front of them, dismissing them and gathering their belongings to carry about their day. Almost everyone there looked inconvenienced by Bell attempting to discuss the paraplegic case.
And he learned that many of them were close to Bosley, so they wouldn't have bothered investigating the allegation in the first place. They then made Bell feel as if he was somehow naive and that he'd have to fall in line with the lot of them.
None of them wanted to do any actual work, so it's obvious why they got into this gig in the first place. Bell is the odd-man out, and he'll have to strike out on his own to be the change in that place.
He went to speak with the victim of Bosley's negligence, and her story supported her claim. But what can Bell do to help her out? He shared that he had a plan; the hour concluded before we could find out about it.
Devon's clinical trial is off to a stressful start. It was some of the most nerve-wracking content of the hour as we watched the lovable professor fade away in what must've been a few hours.
No way on earth Carol would've survived the first dose. Palliative care serves her well, and she and A.J. are better off getting to have these moments with one another.
Devon has a lot at stake here, and he genuinely wants to make a difference and save lives, but the reality of what that entails hit him hard. His analogy about being the General who has to watch his soldiers go into battle was apt.
The optimistic side of him looks at the life-changing results, but he wasn't prepared for what it takes to get there, and Albert's rapid decline with each dosage of the meds had Devon second-guessing everything and Grace fighting at every turn because of her husband.
Albert's decline in health was startling. He came into Chastain relatively "Normal' given the circumstances, and within hours, he was knocking on death's door, intubated, and requiring dialysis.
You couldn't blame Grace for spazzing out. She was watching her husband die in front of her eyes, and he was still insisting that he go through with the treatment.
It was a great opportunity for the bros to work together again, and Conrad assisted and provided Devon with some encouragement. Devon eked out a win, too.
However, it seemed he barely had time to bask in that small achievement before Leela walloped him with her admission about children.
Devon:I want to have a family one day, with you.
Leela: We need to talk about this. I don't know if I want kids, at least not now.
We knew it was coming and that Leela's ambitions would continue to impact her relationship with Devon. However, it was one of those instances where he wondered why they never had these types of discussions.
How do you get multiple years into a relationship and move in together without talking about kids?
Leela isn't making any promises beyond her decision to freeze her eggs "just in case." From her standpoint, she wants to reach new heights in her career, and her ambitions will require time and devotion that a child would only take away from.
Mariana was everything Leela aspired to be as this unapologetic career-woman with a go-getter husband like her.
It's the second time recently that a medical drama has touched on endometriosis, and it's so gratifying to have a women's health issue like that in the spotlight. They even mentioned how women aren't heard when they discuss things of that nature with medical professionals.
Devon: I know I don't have a say here, but I-
Leela: No, you don't. My body. My sister. My egg.
It speaks to how much pain comes with endometriosis that, in Mariana's rare case, that's what was causing her issues.
It's interesting as recent studies that mentioned that menstrual cramps are about as painful as some cardiac issues, and that's one of the reason why women's heart issues go undetected because women think nothing of a pain that's similar to what they deal with monthly.
Mariana didn't bat an eye over a surgery that could leave her infertile. Kids weren't a priority in her life and marriage. It felt good to see a storyline where they didn't spend a significant amount of time with a woman agonizing over the decision and the potential loss of that opportunity.
Leela's save was next level, and they routinely enforced the message that Leela is the brightest star and rising talent at Chastain.
She won't want to sacrifice any of that for anyone, including Devon. She wants to have all the options. It helped her understand what her sister desired, so it's not shocking that she agreed to the egg donation.
As the season progresses, it feels like Leela has outgrown Devon and has no space for romance in her life. It's perfectly okay, too. But it's almost uncomfortable witnessing a relationship slowly die while at least one of the individuals within it is thriving.
Did The Resident put the kibosh on whatever is happening with Cade and Conrad?
The two have had this chemistry between them, but it's been such a subtle, slow-burning type of thing that it was surprising when they admitted how much they liked each other, and Cade cut to the chase during their parking lot conversation.
Conrad: You should've told me. I get that you're in a tough spot.
Cade: Here's the thing, I like you.
Conrad: And I like you.
Cade: But it ends here. I don't get involved with anyone, Conrad. And no one should get involved with me, for a number of reasons, but the main one is that I will disappear.
Conrad: Well maybe you should stop running.
Cade: Trust me on this. You take care of people, and you want to take care of me, but you can't. I take care of myself.
The situation with the man who came into the hospital with prescriptions written in Conrad's name hurled us into some backstory about Cade.
Hopefully, this is only the beginning of the storyline about medicare fraud, pill mills, and the mafia's role in it. Conrad isn't the type who can sit back and watch others work to resolve something. He was wholly unsatisfied with the F.B.I. telling him their signature, "We'll take it from here."
Once Cade shared how she got into working as an asset along with the F.B.I., it was another reminder of how similar she and Conrad are.
She reported the fraudulent behavior she witnessed when she was a resident. She isn't wrong about how hospitals operate under the law when they're doing whatever they can to max out people's insurance with things they don't need.
Cade going after the mafia was huge, though. We can probably predict that despite her two-year good fortune of dodging them while staying on the run, the mafia will catch up to her this time.
When you didn't want to answer questions about your past, I didn't push. I respected your privacy, but it's off the table now. Talk to me.
Conrad [to Cade]
Cade also had a great read on Conrad as someone who tries to protect and save. I respect her for calling him out on that and affirming that this will always end with her leaving, so there's no reason to get attached or start something. She's a straight-shooter, just as A.J. said when he teased Conrad about it later.
Medicare fraud is an interesting development, and it's something worth digging into further. And Cade and Conrad's chemistry was at its best yet, so future scenes between them will be intriguing too.
Conrad is content with Gigi as the main girl in his life. Their scene with A.J. was the absolute cutest.
AJ: Do we need to talk about the new ER doc?
Conrad: Who, Cade?
AJ: Yes, I'm just saying. I like her. No BS. No sugar coating.
Conrad: She's definitely an interesting case.
AJ: Interesting, that sounds mysterious. Come on man, give me the backstory.
Conrad: No, I'm not going there.
AJ: You know something I don't I thought you two might have something going on.
Conrad: Just colleagues.
AJ: Yeah, for now.
Conrad: No, I already have one lady in my life.
Gigi: Meeeee!
We also got a brief mention that Trevor hasn't returned to work since Billie's hearing, and she took off to find him. Hopefully, we'll get some more on that too.
Over to you, Resident Fanatics. Were you surprised by Cade's mysterious background? Are Devon and Leela doomed? Hit the comments!
You can watch The Resident online here via T.V. 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.
