The Resident Season 4 Episode 9 Review: Doors Opening, Doors Closing
Jasmine Blu
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We started the hour wondering if Devon spawned a little prince, and we ended it wondering if The Resident is really losing not one but two of its best characters.
The mindf*ckery of The Resident Season 4 Episode 9 is enough to make a person spiral.
The hour was great for the personal elements and storylines and even some of the cultural incorporation. But also, what the hell is happening right now?!
Kit and Bell reign supreme, so you can never go wrong with an hour that showcases both of them prominently. I love that they're essentially a married couple right now, but neither of them has voiced it.
Do they know they're in a full-blown relationship right now? It almost feels as if one day they'll wake up in bed together years down the line, and it'll hit them that they are, in fact, a couple. Whatever the case may be, I'm here for it.
The two of them having dinner with Jake and Greg was cute, and the only downside to it was that we didn't see much of it. They could've dedicated half an hour to the Jake/Bell/Kit and CoNic/Minator/Austin dinners.
It felt as if we were dropped in the middle of these scenes and had no idea how anything went.
As much as we love the medical cases and the hospital goodness, we've come to know and love these characters so much that the series can get away with personal time without jumping right to the hospital.
Nevertheless, the hour had so many personal elements, and it felt like an extended installment.
Jake warmed up to Bell at some point, and their dinner went well. Bell saw how excited Jake and his husband were about their baby coming, and you could see that glint in his eye.
So, I put the baby in danger to save myself or myself in danger to save the baby? What do I do?
Tina
You knew that something would happen, and Bell would do whatever was possible to ensure his stepson stayed happy.
It does feel as if a significant part of the breakthrough happened offscreen, and now, after everything they've endured with Tina, losing their baby, and Bell sticking up for them against homophobia, whatever resentment Jake still harbored against Bell has dissipated.
Jake must've called Bell when he thought Tina went into labor, right? Bell arrived first with a gift in hand. Clearly, the two are on the mend, even if we missed out on some of how they got to that point.
But Tina wasn't in labor; it was an infected gallbladder instead. Conrad responding to her case first was another way to showcase how protective Conrad is of Nic.
Understandably, with Nic's previous pregnancy issues, he doesn't want her to get involved with expectant mother cases if they don't have happy endings.
It's both sweet and yet another sign of Conrad's lowkey controlling and micromanaging of Nic during this pregnancy. The majority of you will agree with the former and contest the latter, but Conrad's overprotectiveness reads both ways often.
Tina's case almost wasn't a healthy ending -- the happy one is subjective here given the circumstances.
As often the case when expectant mothers face a medical crisis, it came down to a situation where either she or her baby could've died. Jake and Greg's position was difficult, as they wanted every measure taken to save this baby, but of course, it couldn't be at the expense of the young and sweet Tina.
Bell: Wow, I hope that little girl realizes how lucky she is.
Kit: She won't. They never do.
Jake: Her name's Lucy.
Kit: Look who just became Gramps.
Bell: I think I like it.
They seemed to have developed a lovely rapport with her, offering her the support and love she wasn't getting from her parents.
Naturally, Bell immersed himself in this situation, and it's so good when he gets his moments to shine. He excelled in nearly every aspect of things, and he went above and beyond to save this woman and the baby.
He's a great doctor who does care about his patients, it was personal because of his stepson, and it also allowed him (though I doubt it was a conscious thought for him) to show Jake how good of a person and doctor he is.
Fortunately, Jake got to see what we've seen and known of Bell, and that's a bittersweet result of this situation.
Bell is such a badass for successfully saving them both, and despite the baby arriving six weeks early, her prospects were promising.
It's why it was such a blow when Tina's parents came into the picture and mucked all the happiness with their homophobia masquerading as "family values."
We're often asked to respect everyone's beliefs, but when it comes to these levels of ignorance, it's so hard to, and when it comes across illogical, it's hard to grasp.
Tina's parents were nowhere around for her pregnancy because of their disapproval that she got knocked up at 19, but they also wanted her to have the baby instead of an abortion, and they wanted to have a say in who she gave the baby to for adoption.
You can't cherry-pick which aspects of a person's life you want to be bothered with, and there's nothing they could say that didn't make them sound illogical and sucky.
You can't stand in this concept of traditional family values while simultaneously dangling disownment over your child's head for anything they do to piss you off or go against you.
Tina's parents thought that their values were superior -- when they were threatening to disown their child and willing to deny a guaranteed happy, loving home for the less-certain shot of the baby going to a similar family.
If they weren't planning on taking care of "Lucy" themselves, then what difference did it make to them where a child they would never see again went?
Let love be what guides you and let that little girl go home to the family that already loves her and the parents that already want her.
Bell
Their inability to concede with anything was annoying. It was also frustrating that Tina never shared with Jake and Greg that this could be an issue.
She knew her parents' expectations and bigotry, and she didn't give them the heads up, so they could prepare themselves in the event this scenario happened.
And then she wanted them to lie about their identity when her parents arrived, not fully understanding the significance of begging someone who probably took years to live out loud to force themselves into the closet again.
However, while Bell's impassioned speech was the Gospel truth, and it was lovely that he was an ally, it was dicey that it came at the expense of Tina.
Tina was his patient, and at that moment, when he told her parents who Jake and Greg were before they or Tina could, he prioritized his stepson over his patient.
Tina is a 19-year-old seemingly sheltered girl who ironically was terrified of her parents and family disowning her. She's still young enough for them to have influence and control.
It was a genuine fear of hers that she, as a teenager, could be left without family and support in all of its forms before she could prepare for it, and to call her parents out for their ignorance, Bell hung her out to dry after everything she said.
The gratification from Bell sticking up for his son and anyone's ability to exist and love had that discomforting aspect accompany it.
Their baby is out there somewhere, and I do hope they find it, but Jake and Bell have made amends, and that's a beautiful thing.
Devon is not the father, and that's not that much of a surprise. It's interesting that they're going into this direction of a stubborn and far from traditional Devon opening himself up to an arranged marriage.
Nadine is stunning, and it was lovely to have her back, even if it was for her to play supportive ex who wanted Devon to find love and happiness as she did.
She was able to be living proof of what arranged marriages look like in the modern-day era. The influx of series exploring this topic from a non-Western viewpoint is fascinating; 9-1-1 Lone Star is another series that recently explored it.
Jessica, Irving, Nadine, and Myra poking fun at Devon's love life was fun and lighthearted. While I disagree that he was longing for a baby, he is surrounded by love and happiness, and it makes sense that he longs for that too.
Myra: What's your type?
Devon: I don't have a type.
Jessica: Yes, he has a type. Dr. Pravesh's type is unavailable, either emotionally, geographically, or both.
Myra: Interesting. Next question, when your last relationship ended, what did you feel you were missing out on?
Jessica: I have this one. A baby. I'm sorry, Irving tells me everything.
Myra was adorable, and she could probably find a successful love match for Devon. His mother will be thrilled. The potential of this storyline is surprisingly not that bad, given Devon's track record with relationships.
Devon deserves some happiness, especially after this tough year, and it could be fun, assuming they stick with all of this.
Irving and Jessica's meddling was cute too, and it was precious how they stuck to their guns about their private wedding. They were so adorable at the aquarium, and while I wish for more onscreen celebration for this couple, this wedding suited them.
Cain's love life may heat up, too, because of Rose. But it's also one that can only end in tragedy, right?
Rose apologized for being too hard on Cain, for which she had nothing to apologize for, and he did the same. From then on, they formed a bond that, to Conrad and Hundley's surprise, Rose deemed a friendship.
Her latest health scare included some acute chest issues that led to an epic (and final?) surgery between Mina and AJ, as AJ smirked at Conrad's challenge of performing surgery without spilling much blood.
Cain's redemption continues, and in this case, Rose is the vehicle to endear him to audiences and other characters. Despite their rough start, Cain gravitated to Rose because of how much she reminded him of a friend he lost to Sickle Cell.
I notice that much of the attempts to round out and soften Cain's hard edges hinges on eluding to these deep connections he had in the past. But maybe this dynamic with Rose will be the thing that does the trick. Who knows?
AJ: You're giving me a patient who needs an extremely bloody surgery and asking me not to spill any blood?
Conrad: Yup.
AJ: Got it.
She's a take-no-shit woman on borrowed time with no family who isn't put off by him, and he has responded to that in a better light than anything else.
Their scenes were enjoyable, even if it makes you wonder how things will turn out if Rose passes away after Cain grew attached and let his guard down.
He's trying to worm his way back into Chastain, and it seems like he's a free agent without Red Rock to lean on, and he's prime for finding a place there.
Even his admission to Conrad that he bore responsibility for Mina was meant to be a step in the right direction. We know he tried to call things off, and there was nothing he could do.
I don't know if there's any other way for him to pull something out of his hat, and based on that ending, it doesn't sound as if it would matter.
Do Mina and Billie live in the same timeline? We have yet to see the two of them interact, and all this installment did was further fuel the speculation that Billie is supposed to be Mina's replacement in their lives.
Conic's confoundingly brief dinner with the Austin family and Mina was cute from what we saw of it, and as someone fond of a time when it felt like Conrad and Mina were best friends before that shifted to Mina and Nic, anytime you get them in the same scene in a casual environment is a rare treat.
It felt as if we missed out on some conversations pertaining to Mina's immigration status when everyone mentioned it here and there, and I wondered when the rest of them found out the truth.
Mina: My attorney filed for an appeal, but it will be months before a decision is made either way. The Visa expires next week.
Nic: So we fight, and we continue to fight.
Mina: If it doesn't work I'll be deported, and it will be very unlikely for me to be able to return to the country. If I go to Nigeria on my own accord, I can apply to return in the future.
Nic: But it's not guaranteed.
Mina: No, it's not, which is why I need you to prepare for the worst.
Their involvement at the end of it feels like some last-minute Hail Mary, and it only highlighted how disconnected Mina has felt from many of her core relationships outside of AJ.
Mina's scene with Nic was heartbreaking. She considered herself preparing Nic for the worst, but the ominous and hint of finality in her tone suggested that she already knew what would happen as Nic clung to futile hope.
But this hour, in conjunction with the trajectory of Mina's fading presence and storylines for multiple seasons, left me wondering if Shaunette Renée Wilson wanted off the series or something.
It's hard to pinpoint the specifics of how and why the Mina situation feels so off or, dare I say, offputting.
But Mina's conversation with Nic left a sinking feeling, and then the OR scene with AJ made the pit in the stomach larger, and by the end of the hour, it was unsettling in ways that I can't put into words.
The highs of the rest of the hour contrasted with Mina's storyline, and the potential of this being a goodbye was conflicting.
The immigration storyline never felt like the series devoted much time to it, and they abruptly sprinkled it into an installment here and there in the background. However, it never felt as if the series was committed to it.
It felt like half-arsed throwing of a bone to appease, but most of what Mina is going through happened offscreen. We didn't follow Mina home as she fretted about her future. We never saw her in a lawyer's office.
It never felt like a fully-developed storyline for the character.
Mina: I spoke to my mother too.
AJ: Finally. Great, what did she say?
Mina: She had been working the OR for hours today. There aren't enough Nigerian surgeons. The system is crumbling and people are dying.
AJ: Yeah, it's terrible.
Mina: It's because good Nigerian surgeons leave, come to America. Like me. I am part of the problem. I thought about sending supplies and starting a program, but none of it is enough. My mother will not always be able to sustain this many surgeries a day. She needs help.
AJ: Mina, we'll get her help. We'll find mentors in the area. We'll find.
Mina: No, AJ, no. This is the answer to my visa problem. It's the answer to everything. I don't want to fight anymore. Leave on my own before I can get deported. I'm going back to Nigeria.
AJ: I'm coming with you.
Now, offscreen, Mina has talked to her mother and done some thinking, and she gives this seemingly out of the blue line about how her purpose is returning to Nigeria as a valuable resource to save a crumbling system.
It would take another thousand words to delve into the poor African country narrative undertones of that.
They're barely managing to pull this specific storyline off by relying on Bell threatening her status back in The Resident Season 1 and what we know of Mina's relationship with her mother from The Resident Season 2 Episode 15, but it's not enough nor convincing.
It's felt as if Mina was slipping away from us for a while, the beauty of Minator notwithstanding. So it's believable that this very well could be the character preparing to exit the series.
But I can't pretend as if this feels right; it doesn't.
In all of his love and devotion, AJ is ready to follow her to the ends of the Earth, or in this case, Nigeria, but something tells me that won't happen.
It's a hell of a cliffhanger, and it'll spark some shock and theories, so please, hit the comments below, and let's discuss all of this!
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.
