New Amsterdam Season 2 Episode 6 Review: Righteous Right Hand
Jasmine Blu
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The woman who wrote New Amsterdam Season 2 Episode 6 said she wanted it to be a love letter to black women's health.
It touched on a plethora of issues to coincide with her intentions, and it was a heavy hour.
It is something people either loved or not.
The hour kicked off with the teased "oner." The filming of the first seven minutes was one take with no cutaways and a single camera from the looks of things.
It's a bold and arduous technique that takes a lot of work and effort to nail, and the series did it. It captured the hectic ER vibe and how everything can be chaotic.
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Bloom was in her element limping from patient to patient, barking out orders, and treating others. The adrenaline was pulsating, and she managed to hobble around and do her best without an assist from her cane or a boost from her coffee.
It's a general rule that you never comment on how quiet an ER is unless you want to invite maximum chaos, and she jinxed it, but she was also thriving during the moment.
A gaggle of church ladies was rushed to the hospital after a car accident, and from then on, the hour revolved around these women and the effects on the 'Dam staff.
This is not wet 'n wild hair.
Patient
They all were characters with vibrant personalities.
It was a peek into how bad things are for low-income people from small rural towns who can't afford co-payments and healthcare.
Kay thought she was doing the Lord's work by renting a van, and paying for coverage for the women while they were within it.
She got initiated a car accident so women with pre-existing conditions could be treated at New Amsterdam.
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It didn't take long for Max to figure out what happened, and it took less time for police to want to come around searching for answers.
I do have a question for her. How did things get so bad that she had to crash a van to save her friends?
Max
With the healthcare coverage provided, everyone was treated for several issues. Some needed treatment for diabetes, and others had heart conditions and other things that required an organ transplant.
The list was long, and it was a hell of a risk Kay took getting into the accident.
She didn't have regrets.
It was a heavy religious theme throughout the hour, and with a show like this, it's not uncommon to find some religious components weaved into an episode here and there.
Sometimes you wait for the right hand of God, but sometimes the hand is you.
Woman
It's an inevitability when it comes to medical dramas, but there was also a chance the heavy religious themes were too much for some viewers.
It was filled to the brim with prayers, chapels, and gospel hymns. Kay was reciting Bible verses at every turn.
It captured a specific experience, particularly for religious, southern, black women, and it was an hour where culture was given its due.
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Kay wasn't inclined to lie about the accident if asked, but there was no way in heck Max would allow her to go down for the insurance fraud upon other things she committed by causing the accident.
Kaye, the police are here to speak to you, and you understand there will be repercussions if they find out the truth.
Max
He understood the impulse she had to save her friends the best way she learned how. The system is broken, and people like Kay and her friends are the ones who fall through the cracks and suffer.
He didn't hesitate to protect her the best way he knew how -- himself.
Kay wanted to help her friends, but she also was caught off guard by her niece, Chante, finding out she was pregnant.
Too often works of fiction have a horrible habit of infantilizing those with certain conditions, like Down-Syndrome.
Chante: I want an abortion.
Ms. Henry: Did you put her up to this?
Iggy: No, she has clearly articulated her feelings.
New Amsterdam didn't do that at all, and it was refreshing.
Chante was a young, sex-positive woman who happened to have Down-Syndrome. They didn't turn it into a case of her being sexually abused.
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She willingly had sex with her boyfriend and exclaimed how fun and awesome sex is to Iggy and even inquired about his sex life too.
She was spunky and spirited.
Kay: I crashed the van. God had nothing to do with it.
Chante: Is God in you?
She also understood her pregnancy, and she wanted an abortion. She knew she didn't want a child.
Abortions depicted on television are still controversial, but the series delved right into it regardless.
Chante's primary issue was not disappointing her aunt by getting one. Kay was religious and didn't condone abortions.
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She had an incredible line she worked in capturing how pro-choice people often inflict their beliefs on others and have no respect for someone's religious beliefs, and pro-life individuals only care about life until it's born, not so much after that.
For a while now, I really thought I was doing God's will, but this and Chante, I was wrong.
Kay
It was a way for the series to get a bit political without outright diving into the bipartisan issues. It hinted at how polarizing something like abortion can be for many.
A moment that elicited a chuckle was when Chante suggested her abortion was part of some divine intervention. When Kay admitted she caused the accident, not God, Chante asked her if God was in her.
Kay raised her to be a woman of faith, and part of that was believing God was in all of them, so it was a reasonable question.
It's always amusing when someone uses what you taught them against you as a reminder.
I continue to be thrilled that I am an only child.
Helen
Kay was telling Max how sometimes a person is the righteous hand of God, and hours later Chante reminded her of the same thing.
Helen is trying to be a righteous hand to Max, but he refuses to let her help. He's running hot and cold with her, and it's enough to give a person whiplash.
It's unfortunate how we get glimpses of their bond we love so much, and then Max remembers he's supposed to be sad and in mourning, so they're snatched away just as quick.
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He cannot continue to use Helen as an emotional punching bag; it's not fair to her. He apologizes and does it again.
I continue to be thrilled that I am an only child.
Helen
It's like he's pushing her away and taking for granted she'll be there when he apologizes, but what if he does it and she steps back for good?
He's embarrassed about the Georgia slip-up. It was a close call, and he feels like he revealed too much, so he's back to shutting Helen out.
It's not healthy. For someone whose catchphrase is "how can I help," he's sure as heck resentful of Helen for wanting to assist him.
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He can offer and extend help, but he can't take it.
The final scene of Max in his apartment was heartbreaking. It's enough to wish he found a new place and moved.
He's in the same apartment he shared with Georgia. It's where Luna was born, and Georgia's bloodstain remains on the floor.
The last remnants of Georgia linger, and he can't let go. He couldn't bear the thought of the cleaning women washing away what's left of Georgia.
Maybe Helen should've started with the diaper service. At least it would've been a direct service for Luna.
He has people worried, Helen, in particular. If she visits him, it wouldn't be a surprise. He's alienating himself from others off the clock.
He needs support; he has to let people help him.
The Max angst is painful to experience. The episodic cases are emotional enough!
Also, is anyone wondering when he'll face the doctor who worked on Georgia? They teased the tension between them but haven't explored it yet, and it's been a while.
At least Max has reasons for his behavior.
However, Floyd was an ass. His patient sang her spirituals, and it led to Duke wanting to bond with Floyd and speak about his life, but Floyd was not receptive.
He was also doing the thing where he was almost condescending about other people's faith.
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His mother was on his mind, and he reached out to her by the hour's end, but it would've been better if we found out more about his patient and her recovery.
Helen and Kapoor's case with the sisters was funny, though.
Bless Helen; she couldn't make sense of the sisters and their antics, since she's an only child.
Little did she know, Kapoor was in full-force treating her like a younger sister the whole time.
Speaking of siblings, what the hell does Iggy think he's doing not talking to Martin about adopting another kid?
He's better than this! How does he think he can make it through the adoption process without Martin being none the wiser?
What's the gameplan here? Does he hope he can spring a kid on him and force Martin to accept it without a choice?
Iggy, babe, this is not good.
Over to you, 'Dam Fanatics. How can anyone help Max if he won't let them? Do you think Helen will reach a breaking point with Max?
What do you think will happen when Martin finds out the truth? Hit the comments below!
You can watch New Amsterdam online here via TV Fanatic!
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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.
