The Resident Season 4 Episode 11 Review: After the Storm
Carissa Pavlica
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Nothing like a raging tornado to throw people together!
On The Resident Season 4 Episode 11, when the going got tough, the Chastain docs dove in to manage the situation. They didn't have a perfect score saving those in need, but they sure managed to score points in our hearts.
Let's get into the literal and figurative tornados that hit our favorite hospital.
But wait, hold on. We have more personal business to address first.
We know how much you enjoy Jasmine's coverage of The Resident (and every other show she covers!), but she's got a lot on her plate, so I'm lending a hand for this outing. I hope I manage to stimulate at least a little conversation!
OK. Now that we set that straight, there was a mighty big storm bearing down on Atlanta. It was the kind that can scare the pants off of regular folk like you and me.
As usual, the heroism of our regulars was matched by engaging characters in need of their assistance.
There was Ted the repairman, Wes and Piper the EMTs, and little Sammi (whose real name, I believe, was Xiao An), and all of them put their lives into the hands of Chastain's finest.
Probably the most surprising storyline of the hour involved Bell's case with Sammi. My reasoning for that award is that despite what looked like an F5 (big Twister fan here) walloping Chastian, the most difficult thing about Sammi's surgery was the operation itself.
As a huge Bell fan, it warms my heart when he wears his on his sleeve, and by allowing people like Kit into his life and reconnecting with his stepson, Jake, Bell's heart grows with every new installment.
Of course, there was a little bit of ego involved with Sammi's case. Grey's Anatomy fans know from the Christina years that finding a needle-in-a-haystack surgery is the stuff of dreams.
You want to take out off of her abdominal organs, extract the tumors, and then put the organs back in her body?
AJ
Bell was singing AJ's tune at a time he needed the distraction. AJ wasn't hiding his feelings about Mina's departure, and he did a great job of summing it up for the audience.
It hurts -- a lot. Long-distance and emojis aren't going to cut it. Since we know that Shaunette Wilson isn't returning, removing himself from her love is the best thing to do. Let's cut the ties so that nobody suffers.
Jessica: Dr. Austin, are you OK?
AJ: What about me suggests that I'm not OK, Jessica? Am I not elbow-deep in a child's abdominal cavity doing the work of gods? Am I sad? Yes. Do I feel as empty as this poor child? Yes. Do I need people constantly reminding me that I've been mortally wounded by the loss of love? No! My bad. I'm fine.
Jake, too, needed to take his mind off of things, and what better than helping a recently adopted girl who speaks his language?
If Jake was mostly interacting with Bell and Kit in recent episodes, putting him with Bell and AJ did wonders for the character. AJ needs a new friend as much as Jake needs something other than the job and Bell to tie him to Chastain.
It feels like the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Why not? Working together under those conditions will bring out the best in everyone, and these doctors are at the pinnacle of the profession.
I know as a surgeon, we're supposed to play it cool, but this is insane.
Jake
It's awe-inspiring what crafted surgeons can accomplish and what the human body will withstand when put to the test. The Resident decided that we needed to see as much of the operation as possible, which didn't disappoint.
It's hard to imagine anyone undergoing that procedure and surviving, so it's no surprise that Sammi has many more surgeries in her future and years of rehabilitation.
Her adoptive parents weren't up for the challenge. It's easy to pass judgment on someone in this situation, but doing what is right for all parties involved isn't always palatable. Faced with such an enormous responsibility, they decided to relinquish Sammi.
While we didn't confirm this yet, if Jake doesn't adopt Sammi, it will be the surprise of the century. All three men were distraught at the notion of Sammi going back into the system, and after Jake promises her before surgery that he wouldn't leave her, there's no doubt in my mind he's found a daughter.
But it was when Bell questioned the couple about giving up their daughter with the same veracity that he championed Jake and his husband with the infant's grandparents that I knew it would happen.
They saved her life. What better men to become her family?
But dang, Sammi's surgery was just one of many edge-of-your-seat procedures.
It didn't take long for us to start rooting for Devon and Leela after discovering their similar situations, and when they were barricaded behind the tornado refuse, working together to save a life, that pairing began resembling Conrad and Nic with their shared passion and expertise.
Who doesn't need more couples like CoNic?
If I thought pulling the organs out of someone and carrying them across the room to clean away tumors was grizzly, well, MacGyvering neurosurgery with a drill, pliers, an Exacto knife, and a soldering iron topped it.
It's too bad Leela's dad didn't respond appropriately to her stunning work in a pinch because the man needs to know his daughter is capable of a very successful career.
I loved how she and Devon worked together, with Devon's care for how she learns, verbally painting pictures for her so that she could successfully remove a metal rod from Ted's head. She may need time to learn several new concepts, but with Devon's help, she did it in minutes.
Even better, Devon trusted her expertise implicitly, never trying to overtake what she was doing. He knows his limitations, and surgery isn't his forte.
But even as I typed that, I had to wonder... did Devon ever perform surgery while at Chastain? After dealing with a deathly ill cat this week, my mind is a wreck, so bear with me, please. The Resident has been pretty good at sticking to specialties, right?
Conrad does diagnostics, Bell general surgery, Kit orthopedics. I'm just checking myself to make sure that Devon giving Leela the space she needs is true to The Resident's form. I think it is.
Leela even got props from Cain, who is, very annoyingly so, being thrust into situations that are aiding in his overall redemption package.
Bet you didn't expect to perform brain surgery with power tools when you woke up this morning.
Cain
He doesn't deserve redemption, but damn if he doesn't get some of the best one-liners. It's hard not to respect him for being an ass on every level, never giving up the gauntlet to become a better person without a fight.
The tornado came crashing down on Kit's meeting that created a working relationship between Cain and Billie that he wanted no part of.
Kit: Dr. Sutton is your new resident.
Cain: No she isn't. I work alone.
Kit: It's my call. You've had residents before.
Cain: Yes, and they almost killed me on the table. Now you want me to mentor someone who's gunning for my job. No thank you.
Billie: There's a lot I can learn from you. I'm not looking to take your job.
Cain: Either you're lying or you lack ambition. Either way, PASS.
And he was right, of course. Billie was saying what he wanted to hear to get their relationship started on decent footing. Of course, she wants his job. Anybody in her position would.
Whether their partnership is one for the ages or not remains to be seen, but she doesn't pull any punches, either, and it makes their pairing interesting. She has a question, and she asks it without concern about what someone might think.
Billie almost decided against forging forward with her observations about Cain and Rose, but by sticking to her guns, she got him to reveal how much losing his ex-girlfriend on his operating table affected him. I'd go so far as to say Cain desperately wants to be involved with Rose, but fear is holding him back.
Just don't tell him I said that.
By confiding in Billie, he may find a way to address his fears. Billie wasn't kidding when she said he was living dangerously. Nobody wants to be alone at the bar, no matter how cool they think they look, avoiding human contact.
There is still one more heartbreaking and nerve-wracking case to discuss, and this one was attended to by Conrad and Nic.
Had Wes and Piper been at the Chastain ER bay before? It's too bad we didn't have more time with them because their relationship fit in perfectly. Piper embodied everything I love in a person, self-deprecating until the bitter end.
Wes: You are now, officially, the most needy patient I've ever had.
Piper: The last thing I wanted to do was die needy.
Wes: Not gonna happen, Pipe.
We see it with everyone at Chastain. Nobody wants to be a burden, and imagining yourself on the receiving end of care you administer all day isn't how you want to imagine your last moments.
Conrad, Nic, Kit, and Billie all fought valiantly to save Piper, but when you're trapped under a heavy object and have your leg removed with a hand saw after bleeding out for what felt like hours doesn't give you much room to suggest her body gave up without a fight any more than her mind did.
She saw the world as it is. I saw like I wished it was. We were two halves of a piece that were better than either of us alone.
Wes
That didn't make telling Wes any easier, and he put the icing on top of their guest-starring cake with that moving sentiment summing up their partnership.
It really tore at Conrad and Nic, who have battled a lot as they bear down on their impending parenthood. It's about time for them to get a break, right?
We got a much-needed inside look at the welfare of CoNic's chickens, and it turns out they don't need to count their eggs before they're hatched! They're already proving what great parents they will be by caring for chicks before a storm.
Collective awwwws may commence!
So it's no surprise that the harrowing day they had pushed Nic over the edge and into a little rest and relaxation before the baby arrives.
Enjoying the very last of their relationship as a married couple without the baby on board is the least they can expect after everything they do on behalf of others. If only we could believe that Nic would really take the R&R to heart.
With their busy schedules, it's hard to imagine how they're going to retain their heroic status and raise a darling baby girl, but I'm looking forward to seeing them in action.
We don't get to see the entire gang out celebrating very often, but there wasn't a single person who didn't want to let their hair down after the storm.
Their time at the bar cemented old friendships and encouraged new ones and might have even lit the match for a new romance. Devon and Leela have felt the pressure to settle down from their parents, but they haven't found the right people yet.
They're slowly discovering that they have a lot more in common than working at Chastain and joining an arranged marriage site against their better judgment, and their chemistry is natural.
It seems like they've fallen prey to the romantic allusions that Chastain offers. Conrad and Nic, Irving and Jessica, Kit and Bell (yep), Cain and Rose, and now Devon and Leela. Make it so!
Alright, The Resident fanatics, tell me what you thought of the episode. Again, I'm sorry Jasmine wasn't here to entertain you, but let's work with what we've got!
Hit the comments below and share your thoughts on this adrenaline-filled hour of TV, and don't forget that you can watch The Resident online right here via TV Fanatic!
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
