The Raptor is back! 

I'm just going to throw it out there. The Resident Season 2 Episode 13 was more exciting than the Superbowl, Halftime show, and commercials combined. I'm just saying. 

Teamwork made the dreamwork throughout the hour, and AJ, Conrad, Kit, Mina, and even Bell made a hell of a team. With all of these kickass combinations of characters, it's starting to become difficult to find cute names for them all. 

The Resident gets credit for being one of the handfuls of medical shows that know how to get you invested in each case and patient. Eloise was a sweet and delightful character, and it would have been devastating if she didn't survive her insane triple-organ surgery. 

The most exciting aspect of the hour was this particular case. First, it meant the return of our Ortho Queen, Kit Voss. This series has a knack for introducing us to likable recurring characters whom we miss when they aren't around. 

You felt the absence of Kit Voss in the latest installments. She has a certain quality that one respects and adores. It could be the fact that she seems to have Bell wrapped around her finger, but I digress. 

I remember a surgeon who took on the toughest surgeries in the sate of George. Who gave hope to people who had none. Who had no fear. He would have jumped at the chance.

Kit

• Permalink: I remember a surgeon who took on the toughest surgeries in the sate of George. Who gave hope...

For the record, Marshall's absence is noticeable too. Is he OK?!! How is his health?!  We need an update, dammit! 

Kit's utter devotion to Eloise and this particular case was enough to get anyone just as invested as her. It made her pairing up with Conrad all the better. Have they known one another long? 

Related: The Resident Season 2 Episode 12 Review: Fear Finds A Way

Conrad was so attuned to Kit's frame of mind during the case, as though they've known each other for decades. Don't even get me started on their celebratory and tearful hug upon Eloise's successful surgery. 

It felt like the dynamic that Conrad thought he had with Lane before he realized she was evil as the dickens. 

Eloise made it easy to fall for her. She was passionate about medicine, and she was such an optimistic person who didn't let her Cystic Fibrosis get her down. All the doctors were charmed by her. 

The proposal to do a triple-organ transplant led to some great moments, including Conrad knowing just which doctor to ask to perform it. Conrad and Kit's passionate plea to get the ethics board to sign off their risky surgery was fantastic as well.

Who would ever imagine Bell of all people being the deciding vote on an Ethics council? Fortunately, Kit is persuasive, and he agreed to it. I loved Eloise, but if I separated feelings from the case, I understood where the opposing members were coming from when they declined. 

Everything about that surgery was intense. I was on the edge of my seat similar to the students watching the Livestream. There were nothing but pulse-racing, heart in your throat moments throughout the entire surgery.

Not only was Eloise's outcome concerning, but so was her parents' health since they had to go under the knife when the organs she needed the most, the lungs, weren't viable. 

That's where our boy AJ comes in. I'm calling it early. Malcolm-Jamal Warner has stolen the season. AJ's arc has been incredible during the sophomore season, and he's without a doubt one of the best characters of the series. 

Anyone who ever questioned or expressed displeasure in AJ being so arrogant got to see why the man has earned the damn right. Is it cocky if it's true?! The man is a BAMF!

AJ went into beast mode and kicked all kinds of ass by saving all of them, and it's so great that he's returned to the OR and is not playing it safe as Bell advised. 

The relationship between AJ and Mina continues to be a highlight of the season. The two of them thrive together. They're an untouchable, dynamic duo, and there is nothing like watching the two of the work together in and outside of the OR. 

They get each other now, and they are the best partnership. It doesn't matter what direction this bond goes romantically because of how they fit together like peanut butter and jelly -- it's Mina and the Raptor. 

It's always entertaining when they tag-team Bell. He probably never expected however long ago when he paired the two of them up, that they would be the best surgeons that his hospital has to offer and a constant thorn in his side by ganging up on him. It's hilarious when you think about it. 

They were able to convince him to pull the QuoVadis devices, but a lot needs to happen before Chastain and Bell can extricate themselves from Gordon and his company. 

So, does this mean AJ and Mina didn't see that Bell was on that list when they were checking up on Benedict? How long can Bell go on keeping this under wraps? He has a knack for getting into trouble without others realizing how deep in it he is. 

It was another strong hour for Bell, but his interactions with Gordon are concerning. Gordon was about to go nuts again talking about loyalty, and the last CEO of a hospital didn't fare well. Bell is a pain in the ass, but he's our pain in the ass, so by extension, no one is allowed to screw with him or jeopardize his life. 

I made an investment in you. Earn it.

Gordon

• Permalink: I made an investment in you. Earn it.

For those of you who were itching to learn more about Julian's fate, there was traction with that storyline as well. Julian's car was discovered, but her body was not. 

What does this mean?! Did she escape and she's on the run, or did she die, and they didn't find her body? 

Finally, this is enough to tip Devon off, although it's curious that the police never went to speak to him after Gordon dropped his name. 

Devon is still a mess after his failed wedding, and I remembered how angry I was at him when he returned home and saw the cute message Priya left him on the mirror.

Now, he's on a mission to figure out what happened to that woman he fell in love with after 10 seconds.

It's scary that he was able to enter her apartment with such ease, thanks to her landlord. However, at least if anyone asks questions about his presence there or the fingerprints he left everywhere, he can use that cat excuse.

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Devon's focus on Julian would be annoying, but fortunately, the ties to QuoVadis makes it work. Plus, with Mina already looking into QuoVadis and on high alert, and Conrad and Nic being willing to help, the Scooby-Doo gang are together again and ready to dive into another investigation. 

No way you can complain about that. It's too awesome. 

Nic: Pack your bags, you're going to rehab.
Jessie: I'm not going anywhere.
Nic: Then get out. Get out. I'm done.

• Permalink: Then get out. Get out. I'm done.

Jessie's relapse is the opposite of awesome. She was so erratic and euphoric that it was evident she was on something, but Nic didn't want to see it at first. It led to Nic snapping at Conrad, but deep down, I think she knew he was right about Jessie. 

I wonder if that meant Jessie took those drugs she had at the party and spiraled from there? It's difficult when a recovering addict relapses. Its a draining, exhausting ordeal for the addict and their loved ones. 

The only thing that rivaled the intensity of Eloise's surgery was the blowout between the sisters. It was painful. Jessie lashed out, and it was straight from the addict's handbook.

She blamed Nic for everything without taking accountability, and she refused to go to rehab. Jessie's desperate scramble to collect all the pills that spilled over the floor was when it hit how far she had fallen. 

Nic didn't have a choice. For her well-being and mental health, and for Jessie's sake, she had to kick her out. She cannot help Jessie if she isn't ready for it. 

Maybe she saw the error of her ways and is ready though. It looked like Jessie was headed into their home, but it could be a fakeout, and she could be going somewhere for more drugs. 

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Either way, the last thing Nic needs is to come home to a sister who has overdosed in their home. It's too much. 

Um, so what is going on with CoNic? I thought they would be on a break from their relationship based on how things ended after their dispute. Nic was cold and distant for a while, but by the end of the hour, she was cuddling on the couch with him as though nothing happened. 

Are they going to leave things unresolved and act as if nothing happened? It seems that way, and frankly, I'm not a fan. Oddly enough, I welcomed the idea of them having a break. 

Over to you, Resident Fanatics! Is Julian still alive?! How badass is AJ Austin? Are you confused about CoNic? 

Hit the comments below with 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.