With every installment, New Amsterdam earns the title of one of the most beautiful and distinctly human series on the air.
Of course, New Amsterdam Season 2 Episode 11 was another exemplary hour confirming it. It was also directed by the incomprable Lucy Liu, and she did a phenomenal job.
How is it possible to enjoy a series that makes one this emotional without fail every time?
The doctors of New Amsterdam go above and beyond even when they're battling demons and overcoming obstacles of their own.
For most of them, the ones we hold dear, they share a quality of being earnest and genuine in their quest to heal, treat, and save the people they come into contact with mind, body, and soul.
They become attached to each case in such a real way because of how they take their time with their patients. It makes all of the doctors the best at their jobs, and the hour put that winning quality on display with Floyd, Lauren, Iggy, and Helen.
But the star of this installment was Helen Sharpe. We're at the midway point of the season, and Helen has had a rough go of it.
Her demotion broke her spirits in a manner we never could have expected, and the process of her getting a new badge and all and her expressing that she felt like a stranger in a hospital she once viewed as her home captured how upsetting recent events were for her.
But she came to life channeling Max. The partnership between the two of them remains the series in top form.
He trusts her implicitly. They work as one as if they're extensions of each other and offer one another a necessary balance that keeps everything in their universe in order.
Despite Helen's demotion, people still looked to her as second in command. She is Max's right hand, and when he is unavailable, she's who everyone turns to in their hour of need.
She has always served as a gateway in that manner, and the short montage of everyone coming to her with complaints and demands put that into perspective.
Helen taking the reins and not only doing as she imagined Max would do but what she wanted and hope to do too was exhilarating.
It was her reign at the hospital, and the best part about it was you knew Max would have her back no matter what. Hell, he was proud of her by the hour's end. Who wasn't?
She was a natural coming up with solutions to whatever problem she was presented and improving Max's idea that had everyone else in a tizzy.
The scene when she told the woman to turn around while she signed Max's signature was hilarious. It was a total boss move, too.
Helen was feeling herself in this position, and she got a taste of what it has been like for Max all this time.
Their final scene was another beautiful Sharpwin moment. The season has done a fantastic job touching on their respective roles in their relationship and also acknowledging all of the things Helen does for Max.
She was right when she said he was his safety net. She's always been that for him at the hospital, and now she wants to be unleashed and for him to return the favor, and he happily will.
Helen and Max are all the goals. Their friendship is evolving and deepening, and it's such a special bond.
But now, I have to ask. What do you guys think of Alice?
They say doctors make the worst patients, and it extends to them as parents of the patients, too. Max was beside himself with worry over Luna.
Given his experiences, it wasn't a surprise when he freaked out over the lump and thought she could have cancer.
Luna's doctor told him right in the end, and it's a relief Luna was OK. God knows the man can't take any more pain and neither can we.
But Alice made him feel better. They hit it off nicely, and they both understood what it was like to raise a kid on their own as widows.
Alice gave Max her number so the babies could have a play date, but it was as much for them as the kids.
New Amsterdam Fanatics have been so busy picking sides on whether or not Max and Helen could and should be something more, but not many people have broached the topic of Max dating someone else.
Would it be too soon for that?
It's doubtful Max and Alice will be anything more than a friendship. It's hard to imagine Max with anyone anytime soon, but Alice most likely has some people abuzz anyway.
The hour got more emotional from there with Trey's devastating case. The teen was braver than many adults.
He took the news that he was dying in stride and when he explained why he didn't want to tell his parents the truth, he made a strong enough case where you understood what he was coming from.
He was a very mature teen who thought things through, so it didn't take much prompting from Iggy for Trey to come around.
All it took was another string of dialogue -- or rather his monologue that was nothing if not a tearjerker. As he recalled fond memories of how much his parents loved and took care of him, he got choked up.
He knew he couldn't deprive his parents the truth and the chance to spend time with him before he died, and he realized he wanted to spend time with them too.
Is it an hour of New Amsterdam unless you're ugly crying?
It also applied to Lauren's case, where she decided what to do with her inheritance. After hearing and witnessing the struggles of her patient and realizing how little services there are to help seniors, she gave her money to him.
It was unthinkable and such a pure act, it left speechless. Lauren's growth during this season has been a real highlight.
And not to be outdone, Floyd was willing to do whatever it took to help his patient, who was in desperate need of blood.
It served as another great Helen moment too when Helen ignored Dragon Lady badgering her about what forging Max's signature, and she practically waved the woman away.
She and Floyd had a life to save, and they found a way to do it, and there were no apologies to be made about how they got there.
If it was one of the last cases Floyd could work on before attempting to move to San Francisco, it was a damn good one.
He should've known Max was not going to let him off easy, though. Max isn't willing to let him go.
It was some time since they had one of their fraternal moments, and it came with a reminder of how Max hired Floyd first. They had a special bond too, even if we don't see it nearly enough.
Do you think Floyd will make it to San Francisco? After a day like the one he had, he has to know how rewarding it is to stay at New Amsterdam. It's no way the hospital can lose their best cardio doctor.
Kapoor was bringing all the feelings too with welcoming Ella into his home. They are so precious and sweet together.
Kapoor needs Ella every bit as much as she needs him here. He hasn't moved on from his wife's death or his son's absence. His home felt like a shrine to them both.
By moving Ella into his space and working up the nerve to create a space just for her and the baby, he took a huge step.
Kapoor's ongoing grief and longing for a family has quietly been in the background of the series for a season and a half now, and it was a lovely way of putting it on display.
But then the series took us right back to concern and worry with Iggy. As expected, he's still reeling from Tabitha's statement about NPD.
Helen wasn't much help when he brought it up to her, and he hasn't had the chance to sit and go over it with anyone in detail.
He ended the hour with the DSM-V manual on his desk, which wasn't so bad, but when he went to his junk drawer and started binging on all of his sweets, that's when the concern grew.
He's a stress eater, and while it was amusing to see his special treat drawer (and a throwback to Brenda on The Closer), there's also a genuine fear of how affected he is by this news.
You don't want him to fall into bad habits. Oh, Iggy is about to break our hearts futher. You can already tell.
Can we please protect Iggy at all costs?!
It was another emotional hour of the series. What touched you the most? Sound off below with all of your reactions.
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