The Resident Season 1 Episode 12 Review: Rude Awakenings and the Raptor
Jasmine Blu
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There were new beginnings and bittersweet endings as we welcomed a new cardiothoracic surgeon, and we bid adieu to an intern.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner made his debut on The Resident Season 1 Episode 12, and he left a heck of an impression.
Did you like what he brought to the table?
Malcolm-Jamal Warner has been making the rounds, and I could not be happier. Theo Huxtable has come a long way, hasn't he?
I enjoyed him on one of fall's earliest casualties Ten Days In the Valley, and he was also a great recurring character on the late Major Crimes. I'm beyond thrilled that he will be guest starring on this series as well.
AJ Austin is a character. He's what one would consider an acquired taste, but he was an entertaining as all hell, and I cannot wait to see what more he'll bring to the table.
Related: Ten Days In The Valley Series Premiere Review: Fade In
Speaking of tables, his sit down with Bell had to be the funniest scene of the night, and he (and Mina) gave us some funny scenes. There was so much shade throwing I glanced out the window to see if there was an eclipse. I loved the dig he made about not knowing about Bell's credentials and "stellar" reputation.
When he refused to shake the man's hand, I was tickled to death. AJ is an equal opportunity jackass to everyone around him, and it makes him a colorful and interesting character. It should be offputting or absurd, but it's hilarious. What is this man's damage?
I have no idea what his story is, but you can tell he has something going on as evidenced by his last exchange with Bell. He's an egotistical maniac who doesn't play well with others, which makes him a great addition to the hospital.
I couldn't get enough of his snark, snide remarks, and backhanded compliments. He may be the type of doctor who can get some of the others in shape. Poor Nolan can use someone like AJ kicking him in the ass.
Dr. Conrad Hawkins. I've heard some things, but it's cool.
AJ
AJ's personality is difficult to swallow, but he's good at what he does, and he may pull the best out of the people around him. His way of getting there is not everyone's cup of tea.
His antics in the OR were both amusing and disconcerting at the same time. I wasn't fond of the yelling and aggressive, boorish behavior he displayed, but I would be lying if I said he didn't make me laugh, too.
Mina was livid when Bell called her into his new office and gave her the assignment of babysitting AJ. It's hard to blame her when she would have preferred working on her colleague and friend.
Related: The Resident Season 1 Episode 11 Review: And the Nurses Get Screwed
Again, the unique relationship between Mina and Bell continues to be one of the best the series has to offer. Bell is fond of her and seems to trust her more than he lets on. It seemed like he would have his doubts after the incident with the fire in the OR, but he hasn't wavered in his fondness for her.
He admires in her the same things that AJ admires in Mina: her straightforwardness and talent. Bell knew what he was doing assigning AJ to Mina. In a way, they're similar.
AJ didn't want anyone blowing smoke up his ass, and Mina is not the type to do that. She wasn't concerned about him seeing the hospital, and he ended up following her to treat Steve. Mina isn't impressed nor is she intimidated by him, and he respects that. That makes Mina the only doctor at the hospital that he may genuinely like so far.
First off, Steve's disastrous tale of how he fractured his penis was beyond humorous. Mina's facial expressions when AJ was talking to him elicited uproarious laughter. Priceless.
Now, we are going to fix your thingie, and then we're going to find you another safer fetish.
AJ
The face-to-face bit AJ did was ludicrous but funny at the same time. This guy is so unlike anyone we've seen on the show so far. He's effective though. He rocked that surgery with Bradley though he may have bruised Nolan's ego and scarred the nurses. He also scared Steve straight.
I look forward to seeing AJ in the series. I especially look forward to him being paired up with Mina. It's funny that Mina was one of the only reasons he agreed to stay on with Chastain. It felt like Bell was gifting AJ his prized mentee because he knows he won't be able to do nearly as much as he used to as acting CEO.
It is odd that he is still maintaining the position of Chief of Surgery while being the CEO. However, it's not odd that Lane is using this to her advantage.
She has her claws firmly embedded in Bell, and he doesn't even know what's going on. It's rather sad when you think about it.
Lane was feeling herself during this hour because she thinks Nic won't be able to defeat her. Their cat and mouse exchanges weren't very intense because Lane believes she has won.
Nic is dedicated to her investigation, but it's getting hairy. The medical board canceling her appointment was shady as hell. It's like Lane has eyes and ears everywhere. It's crazy!
Nic may have stumbled upon something huge with Anthony, but I feel like he's going to end up dead. He has been hiding from Lane, and his advice was to let everything go and "run."
The best advice I can give you is run. Run away from Lane Hunter.
Anthony
Something tells me she won't be seeing him alive any time soon. Then, of course, there is the mysterious man who dropped off the groceries. Initially, it seemed like a possible red herring.
It felt like the bag would be filled with dirt on Lane or something, but nope. He was there to intimidate her and send a message. He's probably the same guy who was following her and the one outside of her home taking pictures of her and Conrad.
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This is so much bigger than Lily's death and Lane's studies and treatments. Lane has skeletons in her closest, and she's afraid Nic will stumble upon a few bones. But what are they? What else is Lane hiding?
Bradley's storyline was heartbreaking. It sucks that we didn't get to know his character until now. The camaraderie between him, Mina, and Conrad was sweet. It also would have been cool if we saw how close he and Devon were prior to this.
It worked regardless because I was invested in his character during the installment. Even though we knew it was coming, the way he crashed through the skyline was shocking!
Bell running through the statistics of depression and suicide rates among doctors was a nice touch. It sucks that his immediate response was to paint the picture that Bradley was attempting suicide. Devon was hell-bent on finding out what happened to his friend because he couldn't allow the defamation.
Devon and Conrad working together is always a treat, and when you throw in Mina, you can trust and believe I was ecstatic.
We only knew Bradley as the overworked doctor who passed out during surgery. It was a nice, albeit sad, twist that Bradley did have suicidal thoughts. He didn't act on it, but he thought about it often. He didn't have any passion for the career he was stuck in.
Based on the way his mother was behaving when she came into the hospital, Bradley was in his sister's shadow, and he only took up medicine because it was what he was expected to do.
Even just the thought of walking away from medicine brings this overwhelming sense of relief like a weight is lifted.
Bradley
It was a nice way for the series to touch upon stress, depression, and anxiety among doctors. Kudos to them for that.
Over to you, Resident Fanatics! What do you think Lane's hiding? Did you like AJ Austin? Do you sympathize with Bradley? Hit the comments.
The season is winding down, and we're still awaiting word of its renewal. If you'd like to catch up or experience it all over again, 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.
