The Resident Season 3 Episode 18 Review: So Long, Dawn Long
Jasmine Blu
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WOW!
Most of The Resident Season 3 Episode 18 was business as usual with another day and another few cases, but the timeliness of that ending was eerie and exciting.
It's hard to focus on anything else but those last few moments.
Our beloved Kit returned (although, Mina was still missing), and she and Conrad worked together when her son-in-law came to Chastain seeking help after falling ill.
Derek and Molly were instantly likable, and your heart broke for them and Kit as Derek learned what was ailing him.
They had a plan set in motion. Molly was following her mother's footsteps and becoming a doctor, so Derek was taking the lead, raising their daughter while she went to medical school.
It was working nicely for them, but then Derek's cough and shortness of breath were concerning, and sure enough, Conrad discovered he had a mast in his chest. Derek had cancer, and their lives were about to change forever.
Except, Kit spent a significant amount of time trying to micromanage her daughter. She treated Molly as if she were fragile and made of glass.
Conrad: I'll try to filter any news through you first, so you can be the Molly whisperer, you're lucky I like you.
Kit: It's the accent.
Apparently, Molly has a history of anxiety, and she had previously fallen apart before Derek. Kit meant well, and her only intentions were to protect her daughter. She did it out of love and concern.
But Kit was in the way, and it was interfering with Conrad's ability to treat and speak to his patient, Derek, effectively because of Kit's need to put Molly's feelings ahead of everything.
It wasn't fair to either Molly or Derek. For Molly, Kit taking so much control over the situation and attempting to save her from her anxiety was, well, the term for it is ableist.
It was incredibly ableist.
Molly: Sometimes I think without him, I can't breathe. He's my rock.
Kit: You may not see this, but he's your rock too.
Molly is an adult. It doesn't matter what happened when she was 18 years old or if she's battling something like anxiety for the rest of her life. Kit can't protect her from it.
If anything, she made it worse since Molly knew her mother was keeping things from her and trying to spoon-feed her sunshine and rainbows. Molly knowing her mother was lying to her and cherry-picking what to say and how to say it only made Molly more anxious.
You can't tackle a problem without knowing all the details upfront, and if Molly is going into the medical field, and Kit is supportive of that, then she knows that Molly has to confront all sorts of things that will trigger her.
It's her battle to fight, and Kit can't do it for her. She also can't dictate how she can fight it or shield her from life and all of its curveballs.
Derek has an aggressive B cell lymphoma. I'm sorry, Kit.
Conrad
Conrad was as patient as ever, and you could tell it bothered him trying to filter information through Kit and watch what he said and how he said it.
He was also understanding, and he knew that Kit was scared for her family, so he didn't take offense when she lashed out at him for talking straight with Derek.
Family is allowed to do that from time to time. You're willing to put up with that from people you care about over those you don't.
While Kit has been absent for some time, the exchange between Kit, Conrad, and AJ as she thanked them both and they acknowledged that she's family, so they'd do anything for her warmed the heart.
Kit: We need something to go smoothly today. Thank you for being here, Conrad.
Conrad: You're family, of course.
Kit: Thank you for taking this, AJ.
AJ: Anything for you, Dr. V.
It came up again later when Nic agreed to be Derek's chemo nurse, even though it takes a lot out of the nurses administering the drugs and taking care of the patients.
For family, Nic could push past the discomfort or the memories it could conjure up of her mother. You have to love those reminders of how close these people are to one another.
When given a chance to react and pull herself together, Molly was right by her husband's side when he needed her the most. She was able to catch the potassium spike that could've cost him his life, too.
Molly needed that pep talk from her mother, and it was such a sweet moment. But Kit also needed to remind herself that her daughter is stronger than she was giving her credit, and it was OK for her to need a second to process.
Molly: Sometimes I think without him, I can't breathe. He's my rock.
Kit: You may not see this, but he's your rock too.
She's not some fragile woman; her marriage to Derek wasn't one-sided. Sure, he was her rock, but she was his support, too.
Molly could and would rise to the occasion for the man she loved; she needed the time and space to do so without Kit running interference.
It was nice to see Kit in "mom mode" with one of her actual children. Anything with Kit is golden.
As for Derek, the situation wasn't advantageous for him, either. Kit's obsession with coddling her daughter's feelings and mental health meant the current sick person came second.
He couldn't find out what was wrong with him in the manner that he needed. He needed the straightforward approach that Conrad could offer.
He was the one fighting cancer, so he deserved the chance to know about his survival rates or the seriousness of his condition or whatever else he needed to help him process the news and prepare for what's next.
Kit focusing on Molly left him neglected in that sense. A moment that should've been about him was about his wife, and while he didn't mind because he was used to it and loves his wife, it still sucked.
Derek made it through his first night of chemo, and hopefully, he'll beat this thing.
Conrad: You requested a top surgeon right? Dr. Austin is our finest.
AJ: Dr. Hawkins is too kind yet remarkably accurate.
Fortunately, Landry beat his issues, too. Bell and AJ are right, Atlanta would've had their heads if the owner of their prized soccer team died on their table.
They had fun dynamics again. We had some ConRaptor, some BellRaptor, and some HawkVoss. OK, some of those need work, but whatever.
Bell and AJ are a formidable team when they're in the OR together. They kick all kinds of ass. They have such a fun dynamic, and part of it is that they play seasoned surgeons, so they feed off each other that way.
AJ is the best for throwing Bell a bone after he got shut out of all of his surgeries and removed from the schedule.
That's what you will get when you tune in to the Dr. Bell show. I will bring my hospital into your living room. Real patients. Real stories which only an actively working doctor can bring you.
Bell
Bell is taking on the TV show for multiple reasons, but one of them is for the betterment of Chastain. It sucks that everyone was punishing him for it.
It's one thing to push back a few surgeries, not knowing when he was going to be back, but why wouldn't you contact him first to confirm?
Why get rid of all of his surgeries for the rest of the week? Bell was going stir-crazy.
I'm with Bell; why can't he have it all? From both ends, they were treating him as if he couldn't have both the TV show and practice surgery a the same time.
Dr. Pierce wanted him to put a personal spin on the series to make it his own. Bell bringing his real patient stories and surgeries to the table is how to do it.
It sure as hell beats cases of people who didn't realize they had Scurvy and audience plants chanting "Ring the Bell." Although, admittedly, that's rather catchy.
Surgery makes Bell glow, and if anyone escapes this season in a much better place than they've been in forever, it's Bell. He's found happiness amidst all of this chaos. Good for him.
Logan can suck it.
Don't be dramatic, Dr. Bell. I don't want you gone, I just don't care if you're here.
Logan
But credit where it's due, Logan isn't an idiot, and he knew damn well something was up with Dawn Long. Cain tried to distract him with the bottom-line numbers and figures.
They held onto Dawn long enough for the official paperwork to cover their asses. If she died after six months, it wouldn't go on record as being connected to the Mother of All Surgeries.
Logan was cool with all of it since he's an evil minion, but he also was side-eying Cain when Cain dismissed Dawn coming to the hospital FIVE times in six months, so they could treat her before they shipped her back to the vent farm.
Devon was appalled by his rotation at the Vent Farm. Everything about that place screams "death," from how dark and glum it is, to all the patients looking like corpses, and the apathy and coldness of the staff.
Nic: Dr. Cain, are her children aware that she's not going to be waking up?
Cain: Absolutely not. Because we don't know that for sure yet. The brain is an enigma, anything can happen.
I couldn't have been there, either. And Mina must've said, "eff that," since she was supposed to be there and never was according to the episode logline.
It's sickening how Cain handled Dawn. It makes my stomach turn, and yet this is the type of stuff that happens, and it's infuriating.
Nic and Devon were stuck trying to keep the woman alive when she was gone. She basically got tortured for six freaking months, and her kids were, too. Did they not visit their mother at the Vent Farm or something?
The ceremony they had for her broke my heart.
Logan: I just got a readmission notification in my email. Why is Dawn Long back in this hospital?
Cain: She's sick.
Logan: Is that supposed to be a joke? She's been back here five times since her operation. Her treatment costs are starting to add up. You're supposed to be making us money, not costing us. The woman is comatose. Why are we not letting her die?
Cain: We will. Tomorrow.
Logan: Care to elaborate. After six months, Dawn Long's survival statistic rates will no longer be tracked. Our famous mother of all surgeries will have an official survivor. It's one for the record books.
Logan: And that six-month mark is tomorrow.
Cain: If she lives through the night, then all the publicity we got from that surgery will not go to waste. We just need to keep her alive until then.
Logan: And the family is on board for that?
Cain: They will be.
Logan: OK. One more day then end this charade.
I have never in my life looked at Morris Chestnut's handsome face and wanted to punch him in it, but congratulations on his skill because it's where I am with Cain.
His fake sincerity about Dawn was enraging. Cain makes me swear profusely and loudly at the screen, and it's not something I do (often).
But then he did a lot of shady, sneaky, underhanded bull to get Dawn tested and have the results come to him only, and he FOUND OUT SHE HAD A SUPERBUG!
EVERYONE is at risk now! He stood there like a buffoon and watched in a sliver of horror and shock as many staff members cleaned her room and carried on with their daily routine.
Her kids were laying all over her and touched the machine. The machine went back to the room with all of the others and the medical supplies.
The nurses and orderlies have gone on to tend to other people and other places. He hasn't said sh*t to Devon and Nic, both of whom were taking care of Dawn, too.
The nurse he bullied in the room is God knows where. Everyone at the Vent Farm who has been taking care of Dawn. Her kids are God knows where, and they've seen whomever.
A superbug like this can destroy a hospital.
Lab Tech
Once something like that happens at a hospital, it's hard to contain, and bloody hell, it's about to get insane.
The timing of this storyline is surreal given half the globe is self-isolating, staving off, or afflicted by the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19.
The Resident got all too real, super fast. The Resident Season 3 Episode 19 should have us on the edge of our seats.
Over to you, Resident Fanatics. Let's discuss all the details below.
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.
