The Resident Season 2 Episode 15 Review: Queens

at .

If you're reading this, it's from beyond the grave. 

Just kidding, but the intensity and stress in those final moments of The Resident Season 2 Episode 15 are enough to fry everyone's nerves for a long while. No lie, my hands are shaking. 

This series continues to be a phenomenal rollercoaster ride of great storytelling, compelling characters, and exceptional performances, and if you disagree, then it's OK to be wrong. 

Queen Mother - The Resident Season 2 Episode 15

First off, this was an incredible hour for Mina. The second season has fleshed out our fearless warrior queen more than ever, and when she confided in AJ about the death of her sisters during The Resident Season 2 Episode 8, it was apparent that it would come up again in some way. 

The arrival of Mina's mother was the perfect opportunity to delve back into that as well as into Mina's background. It also provided us with the most stripped down, vulnerable version of Mina that we have ever witnessed. 

Related: The Resident Season 2 Episode 8 Review: Heart in A Box

Josephine Okeke is an icon and a legend. It was amusing when Bell and AJ were tripping over their feet and geeking out over meeting this prestigious surgeon. The funniest part of the hour was the utter shock on their faces when they realized that Josephine was Mina's mother. 

Escorting Legends - The Resident Season 2 Episode 15

Bell, of course, was thrilled to have someone of her caliber at Chastain. He was beside himself trying to impress the woman and shmooze her, and they got along swimmingly as they heaped praise upon one another. 

AJ, as usual, is a fanboy and already had a lunch lined up with her. What was interesting, however, was how quickly AJ caught on to Josephine. He pried a bit, as expected when he wondered how Mina could mention forging a legacy when he came from royalty in their profession.

It was innocent teasing, but by the time the four of them settled down for lunch, AJ knew something was up. He was the one who attempted to deflect when Josephine started to bring up the fire. Who does that? 

Mina: You are worthy of respect, as a doctor.
Josephine: But I'm not worthy of respect as a mother?

Initially, the tension between the women seemed to be the typical mother/daughter type of stuff. Josephine did those things that mothers do with being super critical (about her hair or career choices), or criticizing Mina's technique and trying to advise her. 

Related: A Million Little Things Round Table: Will Katherine and Eddie Reconcile? 

It was all annoying stuff, but it was still minor. The lunch was a game-changer. Who would bring up something so tragic? What did she hope to gain from that? 

It was as though she was gleeful at the prospect of exposing Mina and humiliating her in front of her colleagues. Was it that she knows Mina considers her job and some of the people there, in some way, her family? Did she think she could expose and humiliate her to change how her colleagues perceived her? 

Mina's Mother - Tall - The Resident Season 2 Episode 15

She even spent a significant amount of time downplaying Mina's talents and assuming that the high praise given about her daughter was fabrication or exaggeration. 

All of her cards were on the table when she threw a tantrum during surgery. It was shocking when she spazzed out on everyone and threw a scalpel. Who throws a scalpel in an OR filled with people?! 

Mina didn't flinch, which meant it's something she expected and knew about her mother. Josephine was very rude to all the nurses and techs in the room, too. It was disgusting. 

I hate charming people. Their main goal is to make you like them. They're narcissists, and once you see through them, the charm disappears they cut you and then move onto the next conquest.

AJ

Bell was surprised, but AJ was not, as he already read her number. The moments between Bell and AJ are some of the most cherished as those moments are when AJ is the snarkiest and the wisest.

AJ's assessment of Josephine as a gifted surgeon but a problematic person was astute, and it was one of his best quotes of the hour. 

His best scene, however, was when he comforted Mina, and it was her best scene as well. Regardless of how you feel about the potential of these two as a couple, their genuine connection is one of the best aspects of the series right now. 

AJ Consoles Mina

No one could have anticipated that these two would evolve into this special bond where Mina, a woman who keeps her emotions in check at all times to the point of coming across robotic and unfeeling, could break down in the arms of AJ, a man who used to come across abrasive and rough around the edges. 

Related: New Amsterdam Season 1 Episode 13 Review: The Blues

How many times can we gush about the insane chemistry between Shaunette Renee Wilson and Malcolm - Jamal Warner? I mean, they're enthralling when they are together, and it's in a way where it doesn't matter how they define their relationship down the road, it'll always be this magical thing. 

Also, Wilson was exceptional during this hour. Her performance was out of this world, and the buildup had the perfect amount of subtlety until that stunning breakdown.

Tense Lunch

Mina's breakdown was so painful it ached; when Mina cries, everyone cries with her. 

The case she was working on was emotional too. It isn't often that a series will tackle a storyline with someone who carries the BRACA gene, and every moment with Mina and her patient, or even Josephine and the patient were moving. It was a backdrop case to the mother-daughter issues, but it was no less emotional. 

The genuine fear of this young woman who lost her mother and grandmother in their 30's due to breast cancer was palpable. They covered the rawness of the situation and the standard fear of a double mastectomy being equated with a loss of femininity too. 

Showing She Cares - The Resident Season 2 Episode 15

Mina's comment about her scars making her a warrior was another powerful moment with its simplicity. 

The tension between Mina and Josephine was intense, but nothing touched the intensity of Henry's health situation. Since this is the hour filled with noteworthy performances, we must acknowledge the talent of Evan Whitten. That kid killed it during this hour. 

Related: Grey's Anatomy Season 15 Episode 13 Review: I Walk the Line 

The relationship between Henry and Conrad has been one of the most endearing of the season. It wasn't a surprise when Henry said he wished that Conrad was his dad. 

Henry - Tall - The Resident Season 2 Episode 15

It also made it more concerning that this new guy is in his life. Everyone had their suspicions that something was going on with Zoe's new boyfriend, and given the injuries that Henry was sustaining, and also how hands-off the boyfriend was, it was a fair assumption to make. 

Poor Henry was thinking about his mother's happiness and not wanting to be sick so that this guy didn't leave as his father did. That's a lot of weight on this child's shoulders when he's already dealing with so much. 

As if him being the poster child for QuoVadis sh*tty VNS wasn't enough. As if him dying and being revived multiple times due to this crappy device isn't enough. 

Healing Arms - Tall - The Resident Season 2 Episode 15

The Resident has killed off beloved characters and children before, so those final moments with Henry were high-stakes and intense enough to leave a person breathless until the credits rolled. 

There was a moment where the only thing you could hear was Conrad's panting as he ran like hell to get that wand. It's redundant, but Matt freaking Czuchry as Conrad Hawkins is ... what are the words? 

Conrad's softer moments with Henry were sweet, but nothing compared to when he jumped into action during those intense moments. 

It was an incredible moment when time stopped as Conrad ran to Henry. The scene of Conrad performing compressions on Henry was similar to those final Lily moments, and it was breathtaking. 

By Any Means

The adrenaline-fueled running as he resorted to breaking into somewhere to retrieve the wand and running back while Nic and Bell struggled to keep Henry alive as his mother sobbed, was a masterclass performance by all. 

For some reason, Bell still wanted to give Gordon the benefit of the doubt, but as sheisty as Bell can be, he drew the line at a child.

He watched that child die in front of his eyes before being revived due to that VNS. There was no way he could deny that QuoVadi's device wasn't the cause of that kid's death. 

Conrad Saves Henry - Tall - The Resident Season 2 Episode 15

Another person -- a child -- nearly lost his life due to QuoVadis' faulty equipment. Bell didn't even need Conrad telling it to him straight at the end. He already knew the truth deep down. 

The troops are assembled and properly motivated, and it's time to take down that bastard. Let's do this! 

Related: Get Comic Con HQ via Prime Video Channels to Stream Original Series, Past Comic-Con Panels & More!

Additional Notes: 

  • It's a sad state of affairs and reflection of the times that one twin almost died because he was so focused on using his brother's health insurance since he lacked it, that he didn't tell the truth about his medical condition. There was so much going on, but when you think about it, it's enraging! 
  • Lynn Whitfield is an icon, and the more we learned of Mina's mother, the more sense the casting made. She's so damn good at playing these type of roles, isn't she?! 
  • No disrespect to the actor who is killing this role, but every time we see Gordon now, I want to slap him. What a terrible person!
  • What happened to Julian?! 
  • First Irving was mean to Jessica on Valentines Day, and now Josephine almost bit Jessica's head off, and in this fandom, we treat Jessica with kindness, dammit! That goes for the lovely actress as well, so behave Resident fans! 
  • This episode is another example of why The Resident has one of the best casts on television. Seriously, this entire cast is incredible! It's mind-blowing. Give all of them the awards!
  • So Mina didn't answer Micah is thinking about this proposal, but she's probably going to say "no," isn't she? 

Is your heart still racing from that heart-pounding hour? What did you think of Mina's mother? Are you in awe of this cast and their incredible performances?  Hit the comments below!

The bad news is The Resident returns in two weeks. The good news is you can always watch The Resident online here via TV Fanatic if you need a fix!

Queens Review

Editor Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
  • 5.0 / 5.0
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
User Rating:

Rating: 4.7 / 5.0 (22 Votes)

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.

Show Comments
Tags: ,

The Resident Season 2 Episode 15 Quotes

Patients need warmth, Mina, but that's alright. Mother's here.

Josephine

AJ: Josephine Okeke is your mother?!
Mina: Yes, and I would appreciate it if you kept that to yourself.