New Amsterdam Season 1 Episode 7 Review: Domino Effect
Jasmine Blu
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If you aren't watching New Amsterdam by now, please know that you are missing out on some of the most beautiful, heartwarming programming on the air.
If you ever struggled to explain the nature of this show and everything that it embodies, look no further than New Amsterdam Season 1 Episode 7. It was the perfect installment to air on World Kindness Day.
The hour was New Amsterdam at its best. It was magnificent and emotional, and that has become a staple for the series.
It was apparent the domino surgery would fall apart the moment it was introduced. Those procedures can never go smoothly because of the complexity of humans and relationships are heightened.
With a domino surgery, you have to consider many factors. You have to guarantee that everyone involved in it is doing so of their own free will. You have to make sure the people involved check out mentally. You have to guarantee there wasn't an exchange of money.
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It's a house of cards, or rather dominos, hence the name. If one part falls through, all of it does. It's complicated, messy, and risky because so many lives are at stake.
Aminah was the primary reason Helen orchestrated the procedure, but Tonya was the reason the whole thing fell apart. It was difficult because you wanted to sympathize with this mother of two who freaked out at the last minute, but you also were disappointed in her for leaving her brother and everyone else on the hook.
Max: We will find Aninah a donor just not today.
Kapoor: Will Tariq agree to donate without Aminah having a donor?
Max: It's the right thing to do.
Helen: The right thing to do? That he should give up a piece of himself while we take away his wife's hope?
Max: It's the best option we have.
Kapoor couldn't fathom bailing on family like that. A part of his strong feelings on the matter was due to his strained relationship with his son, and also his culture, but it was a study of human behavior, belief systems, and morality.
What would you have done? Tonya was terrified, and it is significant when you have to give a piece of your body to someone else. It's a long recovery process, and she had kids and a life to live, and it's time-consuming and costly.
It's not easy, and her rocky relationship with her brother was the final nail in the coffin. Tonya thought her brother wouldn't do the same for her if she needed it. That is heavy and sad.
But then, it also meant damning her brother to die. The issue with a domino surgery is that no matter what your feelings are about the person you intend to help, there are other lives, and they depend on you too.
That is a lot of pressure on one person, but that is also more reason to go through with it. Tonya's brother may or may not suck, but after agreeing to do it in the first place, I couldn't walk away leaving so many other people to die.
Maybe it's a matter of looking at the bigger picture and knowing that your actions are affecting more than you and even the person who asked for your help. I don't know what it says about me, but I would feel compelled to do it for the sake of the others.
Tonya could have done it and never spoken to her brother again, and while it can be a sad realization knowing that people, even those who are meant to be close to you, probably won't do as much for you as you do for them, that's a reflection of them, not you. If it's in your true nature to give, or whatever, you shouldn't have to change that.
Tonya: Do you have a brother, Dr. Frome?
Iggy: I did yes. He passed away.
Tonya: Would you have given him a part of yourself to save him?
Iggy: Yeah, but you don't get do-overs right?
It has to be difficult watching something like that unravel before your eyes because as Iggy said, he couldn't do but so much without crossing into coercion territory.
Tonya was not in the right mind frame to participate in the surgery. Maybe you related to Tonya, even if you found her actions unforgivable.
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Or, maybe you related most to Tariq. He was all in to donate a piece of his liver to save his dying wife, but when Tonya pulled out, he didn't have reason to remain. Sure, an ideal man would stay in the chain and save the other lives. His mother gently reminded him of that when she brought up the teachings of the Quran.
But, the majority of the time, most people need something in return. How could you expect a man to give up a piece of himself to save five other people when it also meant his wife would die? She was the reason he volunteered to do the surgery.
Max insisted that there was a chance that he would because Max is idealistic and believes in the goodness of humans. Helen was more realistic about it. While Tonya may have stirred up feelings and made you judge her, Tariq was harder to judge because his position made sense.
Then, the MVP of the hour came in the form of Diego. Diego was the type of man that Max, with all of his idealism, believes exists everywhere. Diego embodied al the goodness and hope that makes the world a beautiful place during the bleakest of times.
Diego was a beautiful soul and contributed to most of the tears that poured out like a waterfall during this hour. Admit it, if you didn't sob at least once you at least felt like sobbing.
New Amsterdam takes on so many social issues however political, but the best times are when they're so subtle it doesn't detract from the story but still makes you think. There was something poignant about Diego, the undocumented immigrant who fled the horrors of Guatemala saving them all.
At a time when people wonder if immigrants or the undocumented contribute anything to American society, there was something remarkable about the former Guatemalan police officer and devoted beyond belief father giving of himself even after the chance of his daughter surviving was non-existent.
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Diego stuck with it because it was the right thing to do. It never crossed his mind to back out of donating part of his liver to Aminah because, in his mind, it's what anyone would and should do, and he knew that because 12 strangers to him were willing to donate part of their lung to save Gianna.
Diego: May I still give to the chain?
Max: Diego, you will be giving a part of your liver and getting nothing in return. Nothing ... and Gianna may never get her lung.
I understand. Completely. But if all those people wanted to help my Gianna, then how could I not help them?
New Amsterdam went above and beyond treating Gianna because they treat everyone and don't let legal status interfere with healthcare. It's one of the many reasons the hospital is incredible and also a haven.
Unfortunately, some things are out of their control. They couldn't put an undocumented person on a transplant list and hope that she could receive a liver, not even a sweet 12-year-old girl who loves reading comics. She could only benefit from a direct transplant.
Diego displayed the unconditional love of a father because there wasn't a moment throughout the entire process where he hesitated or flinched. He volunteered for the domino surgery without needing to know all the details because it would mean his daughter would live.
Diego: Thank you. Thank you, doctor.
Floyd: No. I only saved one life today. You saved six.
He still was willing to stay in the surgery after Gianna's heart issues affected her chance of surviving her transplant because hope is powerful, and he could always hope she had a shot of being stabilized and that someone else would still go through with it after their loved one got what they needed.
He also couldn't take that hope away from anyone else.
If the tears weren't falling when Max told Diego that 12 people were willing to save his daughter, they were for sure falling when he came out of surgery and learned that Gianna had her transplant too.
In a way, in the best possible way, Diego was rewarded for his selflessness, and Gianna was right about getting her strength from her father.
Floyd has his fair share of emotional cases too. I'm glad he and Lauren set aside their awkwardness long enough to work together on such a moving one. Dr. Flores is happy as well. That poor woman was getting sick of being caught in the middle of their avoidance.
Floyd felt weird being around Lauren because he's happy (for now) with Evie, and he didn't want things to be awkward between him and Lauren. That's fair, but they also had to be professional, and they were friends, and Lauren did set him up with Evie, so that ship has sailed.
Lauren claims that she's OK, but I think we all knew better. She's hiding it well, though. It works because Lauren is more enjoyable in professional mode. Her connection with Gianna was one of the sweetest of the hour.
I'm also more interested in learning about Lauren's past. The cases of the hour, well, the entire hour, had a strong theme of family woven throughout it, and Lauren's final scene in front of that fancy hotel piqued my interest.
Gianna: I'm scared. I don't like being alone.
Lauren: You want to know a secret. I don't like being alone either. What do you say you and I we keep each other company until your dad gets back?
It appears that Lauren maybe comes from a well-off family, and she doesn't go home very often. It's going to be good when we learn more about that.
Speaking of characters that are improving, it looks as though Georgia's personality change will be sticking. She must have pulled herself together after that devastating scene where Max told her about his cancer, and she's in full caretaker mode.
It's refreshing because the caretakers need someone taking care of them. Georgia knows that she's the only person who can get through to Max and force him to stay vigilant with his treatment.
Honestly, the combined forces of Georgia and Helen are too much for Max to handle. Helen seems amused and grateful that she has someone on her side to gang up on Max for his benefit.
Max and Georgia's marriage feels real and something worth rooting for now. Their chemistry was off before, so it wasn't something that was remotely interesting. The turnaround helps, and their marriage and their love are believable now.
It still doesn't change the fact that Max and Helen have an irresistible, insane chemistry that is often one of the highlights of every installment, but whether it's a romantic 'ship or a kickass friendship, it's a win regardless. #SharpwinForever
The fact of the matter is everyone benefits from Georgia and Helen being #TeamMax. Max is taking care of himself for a change. Georgia has backed off of nagging and guilting him about his devotion to his job, and she's on the path to accepting it, supporting him, but also reminding him to take care of himself.
Max's treatment plan sounds promising, but this show has proven that they aren't afraid to leave you drowning in a pool of your tears, so there is still reason to be cautious here.
Gemma and Iggy brought the tears as well. It was heartbreaking that Gemma is so unaccustomed to getting good things out of life that she was willing to self-sabotage.
She felt that Blanca would give up on her in a matter of time anyway, so why not blow it all to hell before it even happened? It was Gemma's way of protecting herself, and this poor girl deserves the world and more.
Everyone needs an Iggy in their lives. He always knows the right thing to say. Someone needs to compile a list of Iggy quotes and Iggy-isms and etch them on a plaque.
The entire cast is magical, but Labine is such a talent during every hour, and Iggy is one of the best characters.
That bond between him and Gemma has been one of the most beautiful, and the show deserves accolades for taking time with Gemma's story and letting it unfold. She reminds me so much of Deja on This is Us.
Gemma: No one wants me.
Iggy: Why would I say that? It's not true.
Gemma: Yes it is.
Iggy: No, it's not. Blanca wants you.
Gemma: Yeah, today she does. Someday she won't. Look I'm going to mess it up. I always do.
Iggy: I know that trusting people it's scary. That's the scariest thing but when it comes to family that's just the price of admission. That's the way it goes and nobody deserves a family more than you. Nobody. Trust me. You don't have to go, but if you do decide to take that leap of faith, I'll be there with you.
By the time she stepped into her room at Blanca's house, you wanted to reach through the screen and hug her because you were invested in her story and wanted nothing but good things for her.
New Amsterdams's ability to tell such beautiful, real, heartwarming stories is what makes them one of the best offerings of the new season. If you still aren't watching, I strongly urge you to catch up during the holiday season. You won't be disappointed.
OK, New Amsterdam Fanatics, how did you feel about this emotional hour? Which character moved you the most? Don't be shy, hit the comments below!
You can watch New Amsterdam online here at TV Fanatic anytime!
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.
