The Resident Season 4 Episode 7 Review: Hero Moments
Jasmine Blu
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It was a lovely, illuminating hour.
We've always known that Conrad is a veteran, but it's something the series hasn't explore very much until now. But The Resident Season 4 Episode 7 introduced us to Conrad's former Captain, provided us with flashbacks, and in turn gave us a better understanding of a character we've known for four seasons.
Much of The Resident Season 4 is character study and development. It's satisfying when a series can still peel back layers and provide us with more in-depth peeks into characters we thought we knew everything about and love.
The hour did a great job of interweaving a theme of guilt throughout it, with Conrad, Bell, and Devon. Each of them was trying to make some form of amends or felt terrible for their role in something.
We knew very little about Conrad's experiences overseas outside of the fact that he was a medic and battled some PTSD upon his return -- something that did impact his relationship with Nic the first time around.
Nic: Hey, talk to me. What's wrong?
Conrad: It's just it shouldn't be clear.
Nic: Why?
Conrad: There should be a bullet next to his spine, and there isn't.
Nic: OK, so the bullet that you're talking about, you think it migrated to another part of his body?
Conrad: Yeah. And I need to help them find it because Hill got shot saving my life.
Unlike the Billie introduction and beef that took place pre-series that we saw on The Resident Season 4 Episode 6, bringing Captain Nate Hill back into Conrad's life a decade after they last saw each other was more organic.
The one phonecall affected Conrad so much, and before even hearing about the story or how close they were, you felt the weight of the bond between them as brothers in arms.
Conrad getting to dust off his safe and rescue gear took us away from the hospital, if only for a few moments. His quick-thinking and ingenuity at the scene as they awaited the airlift was a nice nod at the type of in-the-field medicine that is so distinctive of doctors with military experience, and it's always great to see it in action.
Conrad is usually so cool, calm, and collected, even when we know he has some demons, but through this case with this person, we got to see a vulnerable, rattled Conrad.
Rose: I'm not doing the surgery. The risks are too high.
Devon: I know it's scary, but a hip replacement is your best option, Rose.
Rose: Doctors never get it. You're the one with the medical degrees, but I have to school you on my disease. It's exhausting.
Devon: I know from personal experience that many patients of color aren't heard. Chastain is different. I'm different. Help me understand.
And while everyone enjoys his heroics and all-around badassery, it's those moments when he's the most vulnerable and decidedly human that are most endearing.
He harbored guilt for ten years because of Nate catching three bullets and nearly dying for him. As much as you can reason that it's what they all signed up for when they served, and it was a possibility, it didn't change the fact that Conrad blamed himself for ruining Nate's life and ending his military career.
The irony of it all was that Conrad felt guilty about disobeying direct orders, but his reputation is that he does it often if he feels it's for the greater good.
Conrad is the person who is willing to take all the risks and put himself in jeopardy, but he can't bear the thought of someone doing the same, especially if it's for his sake. He didn't consider how he risked his life and nearly died to rescue a fallen comrade, but he beat himself up for Nate choosing to do the same on his behalf.
Nic: I can't believe you kept this to yourself for so long.
Conrad: It wasn't my proudest moment. I disobeyed an order and it nearly cost my friend and commander his life. I was ashamed.
Nic: You were just doing your job, and so was Nate when he came back for you.
What was the difference? Nothing. And yet, that didn't stop him from beating himself up about it for a decade.
Worse yet, it's something he never shared with anyone, so he played this pummel game, harboring all this blame and guilt all by himself.
Nate's case was interesting in that the sole bullet that remained in him had migrated, and it caused a new set of issues that could've killed him. Conrad clung to that tightly because that incident served as the reason he felt indebted to Nate, and it did lead to some emotional responses.
As much as Conrad was livid about AJ's response, it wasn't a situation that came down to whether or not AJ could take him at his word. He didn't have any concrete reason beyond what Conrad said to perform a CT that soon on Nate's behalf without speaking to the man first.
AJ: I can't justify a CT on a post-op patient just to look for a bullet that might not be there.
Conrad: Since when does my word not carry weight with you?
AJ: Your word always carries weightt, Hawkins. But the event in question was a decade ago, and the patient is personal.
Conrad: My emotions are in check and my memory is just fine.
Nic: Austin is just doing his job.
Conrad: Nope, he's ignoring important information that could save his patient's life.
AJ: Nate is unconscious, it's my call. We will wait for the medical records to confirm what you're saying.
Conrad: If he codes while you're busy dotting your 'i's' and crossing your 't's'...
It wasn't even about whether or not Conrad was wrong about the bullet, but in the decade since they last saw each other, Nate could've had it removed.
After Conrad finally opening up to him about his near-death experience and Nate saving his life. She served as the Conrad whisperer and act as a bit of a buffer for Conrad or quietly advocate on his behalf.
But then, she always does. This incident aside, sometimes I do wonder what would happen if Conrad didn't have her softening, explaining, or advocating for him during his roughest moments?
One of the best scenes of the hour was the exchange between Conrad and Nate. Of course, Nate shared that they never removed the bullet, so they confirmed it did migrate, and after a scary stroke and surgery, he's fine.
I need this to sink in, OK? I'm good. I asked Austin to save it for me. This thing has been my constant companion, but I realize I wasn't the only one carrying it for all of these years. That's why I called you. What happened, the choice that I made, it's what we do for each other. You made the exact same choice, so, do me a favor, and throw this away, because when you toss it, I want you to toss away the guilt, and the shame, and anything else that you've been holding onto.
Nate
But I loved that Nate took that moment with Conrad to give the doc peace and absolution. Oh, Conrad, my love, you can't carry that kind of weight for so long. You have to let that sh*t go.
Czuchry gifted us with another quietly, subtle but emotional performance as Nate made it crystal clear that Conrad did nothing wrong that day. His advice of throwing away all of the guilt, blame, and hurt along with that bullet was so poignant.
Conrad couldn't even form the words to respond to it, but he found it in him to do as advised, and maybe he has a peace he didn't experience before, and it's a weight off of his shoulders that he needed.
Devon's guilt over what happened to his father is what is fueling him to become the best doctor he can be, and he's taken all of that to heart. With most things, it can be good and bad, depending on the situation.
My heart went out to Rose during this installment. I have a cousin who battles sickle-cell, and her frustration over walking doctors through it when she goes to the hospital was familiar while watching this.
Devon got straight to the point by empathizing with her and letting her know he's familiar with how too many doctors don't take the time to listen or understand their patients of color, and he isn't like them.
Rose's one issue was that she felt doctors often project their opinion without taking the time to understand. She and Devon had some bumpy moments.
On the surface, Devon's good intentions aside, she still felt as if he pushed her into things she didn't want, like the surgery. She was aware of the risks she faced as someone with sickle cell anemia during surgery, but Devon insisted it was her best and only real option.
Rose: I'm not doing the surgery. The risks are too high.
Devon: I know it's scary, but a hip replacement is your best option, Rose.
Rose: Doctors never get it. You're the one with the medical degrees, but I have to school you on my disease. It's exhausting.
Devon: I know from personal experience that many patients of color aren't heard. Chastain is different. I'm different. Help me understand.
Her hip replacement went well until it didn't, and it left her fighting for her life and nearly dying as her body rejected the blood they gave her.
Rose, at times, regretted ever listening to Devon when her life was on the line. Meanwhile, Devon was beating himself up about causing her more pain and jeopardizing her life.
His insistence was a lot, and he overstepped with his adamance. If Conrad has Nic, then he has Irving as his cheerleader.
Devon's goal was to really listen to Rose, and he did, and he fought like hell for her, which is probably more than any other physician has done.
You couldn't make the recital, so we brought the recital to you.
Devon
Devon needs to understand that his best efforts don't mean everything will work out according to plan. His pure intentions won't always look that way from his patients.
Nevertheless, his utter devotion to Rose and making sure she felt heard and doing everything he could for her was sweet. Devon has always cared about his patients, but it's coming from a deeper, more meaningful place, and it's enough to make you emotional at times.
Devon bringing her ballet students to her to perform their recital in the hallway was precious.
And then there's the Bell and Jake situation. Bell is also harboring some guilt and taking the blame for the past regarding his relationship with his stepson.
For what it's worth, I'm rooting for you.
Greg [to Bell]
Bless his heart; Bell is trying too hard at times. He's not the smoothest, and he requires more finesse and restraint, but Jake throws out potshots every chance he gets, and it's absurd.
I'd love to know how the conversation between Jake and his husband played out, leading to Jake confronting Bell about blindsiding Greg.
Based on the little we saw of Greg -- and what we know of Jake, it was probably along the lines of Greg saying Bell seemed pretty nice and friendly when he stopped by and said hello, and Jake flew off the handle about Bell overstepping.
I like Jake, and he's more than entitled to feel a certain way about his childhood and Bell abandoning him as a kid. During this installment, it reached new levels of juvenile and petty.
I have a family, and you are not in it.
Jake
The animosity he harbors feels excessive for what we know of their relationship. And didn't Bell say Jake's mother was the one who told him to stay away from Jake when they got divorced?
For the sake of transparency, someone needs to tell Jake that part of the story, too. Jake claims he and Greg are trying to adopt, so he doesn't want Bell to do to their kid what he did to him, but my God, buddy. Something has to give.
Perhaps it's the level of unprofessionalism and the fact that Jake was on the cusp of throwing away his new job at Chastain and dragged Kit into personal quibbles over all of this.
Maybe it's the fact that Jake hasn't even taken the time to get to know anything about Bell, even professionally, and is still holding on to the vision of the man who walked away when he was prepubescent.
Kit, forever the queen, did her part telling Jake that people are capable of change. But it's puzzling that Jake's feelings about Bell are so rooted in childlike hatred that he can't even separate his emotions enough to view Bell as an esteemed doctor and colleague.
Isn't the resentment in part because of Bell's dedication to his job over family? How doesn't he get grace in that capacity?
Nevertheless, I'm fine waiting for the inevitable moment when Jake caves to Bell's charms and their relationship takes off.
Mina flying solo for her first major surgery was quite the accomplishment for her, and she was extraordinary. It's impossible to avoid gushing about the nature of her relationship with AJ.
I'm sorry, but the chances of you regaining full-function of your hand are 50% at best.
Kit [to Cain]
They're the truest of partners and companions. He's a superb mentor who poured everything he could into her and taught her all he knew. The notion of losing her or letting her go never fazes him. AJ has never held back nor showed any interest that he wanted to hold her back.
Her greatness and accomplishment make him happy and proud, and her greatness doesn't threaten him in the least. He's even OK with her surpassing him.
I love that about their relationship. AJ never makes Mina feel bad for her ambitions and dreams; he never attempts to stifle them. Instead, he's right there encouraging her to fly, and she did.
He said she's no longer his mentee anymore, but they're still equal partners, lovers, and friends. AJ and Mina are everything Cristina Yang and Preston Burke could've been.
It's such a beautiful relationship. While Mina's immigration status is hanging over her head and the future is uncertain, Mina Okafor, the world-class surgeon, is not, and neither is the love they have for one another.
Cain poses a threat, though. Finally, we caught up with him, and they were still trying to keep him ventilated.
Cain's level of done with the people at the other hospital is hilarious. No one and nothing will silence him, and he was over how they shoved that damn tube down his throat every chance they got.
It was also hilarious when benevolent Kit went back to check on him but let him know that the new male CEO he was expecting is her. Oh, the sweet justice of it all.
Kit: I should get back to Chastain.
Cain: Tell the new CEO I want to talk to him.
Kit: You just did.
He was not ready to hear that he may not get full-function in his hands, let alone perform surgeries.
The lawsuit against him is still going strong, and the star whistleblower is testifying against him. He wants everything there is to know about that person.
Assuming it's Mina, this can make her immigration situation more complicated. Do you think he'll offer her some golden opportunity to help in exchange for her silence or something?
Over to you, The Resident Fanatics. Let's hear all of your thoughts 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.
