The Resident Season 5 Episode 11 Review: Her Heart
Jasmine Blu
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What is one supposed to do with all of these "feels?"
It seems the powers that be chose violence for The Resident's return as The Resident Season 5 Episode 11 was the epitome of a tearjerker.
From the start of the hour to the end, they played with our emotions like a world-class pianist.
Can we officially call this the Bruce Greenwood era of The Resident?
He's a veteran actor and one who's been part of this series from the beginning. But the work he's put out, the arcs he's carried, and the performances he blesses us with these days are the best work for both actor and character.
Somewhere along the way, Bell blossomed into one of the most beloved characters in the series. The thought of anything happening to him is devastating.
They wasted no time getting to the truth of the matter and what was happening to him. For those of you who guessed it was MS, you're correct.
I'm proud of Bell for not wasting any time informing Kit and Jake about his diagnosis once he learned what it was. Typically, you see the storyline where the person tries to keep it hidden as they process it or grapple with burdening their loved ones.
The gravitas of the situation hit so much harder with Jake and Sammi's return. Over the time jump, they've only gotten much closer, and it warmed the heart when running and jumping into Bell's arms while yelling, "Grandpa."
Finally, Bell is in the best possible place with genuine love, happiness in his personal life and at work, and this family with his stepson and granddaughter.
It's a beautiful sight to behold, so of course, life had to kick him in the teeth! While he was ready to tell the news, you could see most of the hour that he didn't want to look into the next steps just yet.
He was wallowing and catastrophizing, thinking about the worst-case scenarios and what the rest of his life could look like battling MS.
It's in those moments that it's gratifying to be a Kitbell fangirl. In the darkness, Kit is Bell's light, and that's something he can and should lean into as he embarks on this battle.
Bell: I have Multiple Sclerosis.
Kit: Oh, darling I'm so sorry.
Jake: We're here for you.
Bell: Yeah, I know. I just learned this morning, so I'm just still processing. To be honest I'm reeling.
He loves Kit so much that he doesn't want to burden her with his condition and whatever the future holds for him. And as much as you understood his state of mind and why he thought he would hang his stethoscope up and accept the worst, it's Kit's faith that can provide him hope and ground him.
They're better together than they are apart, and if he loves her so much that he'd consider ending things to spare her, he must know that her feelings are equally as strong, which means she'll never abandon him.
They're in it for the freaking long-haul, and deep down, Bell needed to know and hear that. You can tell that Bell, to this day, doesn't think he's worthy of Kit's love.
His admission to her that she made him want to become a better man, and that's what he did, had me jumping up from my couch. We're in the era of Kitbell being the love story of The Resident, and they're giving us their all with it.
Kit: You can run, but you can't hide. I will find you. Wherever you go, I will follow. We will go to the Mayo Clinic together, and wherever the road leads after that, but it will lead back here to Chastain because you will get better. You will operate again, and you will save lives as you have before.
Bell: You don't know that.
Kit: I do know that whatever complications may be ahead, we will face them together because you are the great love of my life, and I'm pretty sure I'm the great love of yours.
It's upsetting that Bell is facing this, but the angst of it all also could lead to some more profound and cherishable moments between Bell and Kit, his family, and the other characters.
The prospect of Bell giving up surgery is a lot, but there's no reason to write him off just yet. It's concerning that he feels his condition is deteriorating rapidly, but there's still ample time, and a plethora of treatments he can turn to that could have him in peak condition.
Multiple Sclerosis doesn't have to be a death sentence for Bell, and he, as a medical professional, should know that better than most.
It hurts to see him like this, but if anyone can take us on a journey with this arc, it's The Resident writers and Bruce Greenwood.
Bell: You fell in love with the man that I wanted to be, and I became him because of you.
Kit: What are you saying?
Bell: I love you, and I will not saddle you with this.
Everything is hitting close to home for Chastain's finest. AJ reached a turning point coping with Carol's cancer fight, and it got shockingly explosive.
AJ has proven time and again that he'd scorch the earth and do anything for his mother. It wasn't that surprising that he approached Devon about his clinical trial.
Devon and Leela have found their respective grooves in their fields, and the excitement, mutual respect, and encouragement are sweet.
It feels like there is a possibility that their jobs will affect their relationship down the road, though. It's promising that Billie is mentoring Leela, and she wants her to get into Neuro.
Leela's connection to it as someone battling Dyslexia does make her more driven, and it would suggest she's in it for the right reasons. But everyone often notes that Leela is so committed to medicine that it comes at the expense of her personal life.
It's something Padma had to remind her of, and if she goes into Neuro, and it's as demanding as Billie implies, then it could take a toll on her relationship with Devon.
She mentioned that she wasn't interested in starting a family anytime soon or at all, and it made you wonder if that's something she and Devon have discussed before.
Devon is following his passion with these trials, but it's also something that doesn't take away from his personal time as much as his chief resident gig.
Billie: How are you holding up?
Conrad: Keeping perspective. The heart is a muscle.
Billie: Hey, this is me, Conrad. Inside this woman who walked into our ER is a part of someone we both love. That means something.
Conrad: After Nic died, I kept seeing things that made me feel she was still with me. A song we love would suddenly come on the radio. A woman in the park with her laugh. Finding a note she left for me in the drawer, that kind of thing. And eventually, it faded.
Billie: But now a small part of her, a real part of her is here, alive.
Knowing how passionate Devon is about finding his niche and starting his first trial made you proud of him for kicking things off, but it also made things difficult when AJ and Carol entered the equation.
It was wild that both AJ and Conrad casually accused Devon of caring more about the numbers and messing up his study than the patient. The way both men jumped to that immediately was jarring.
It also seemed crazy that they would even hint at getting upset with him for the whole rule-following thing when they've already established Devon's stance on rules and where he falls in previous scenarios.
Why would it be shocking anymore if Devon insisted on sticking closer to the rules than not after what he's done before?
It was evident from the beginning that Devon's concern for Carol was genuine and that he didn't want to put her through something that would only cause her more pain.
It wasn't about whether or not she would meet the correct percentage during one test when he had reservations about allowing her in before that, and for a good reason.
AJ thinking he could bully Devon into changing his mind and siccing Conrad on him was a lot to witness.
You sympathized for AJ, no doubt, but of all the years they've all known each other, it never should've been a question if one of their own wouldn't bend the rules if it called for it for one of their own.
AJ: Not sure doesn't cut it when we're talking about my mother's life!
Devon: I'm sorry, but these criteria exist for a reason.
AJ: Who are you? I mean really, is this who you really are? A numbers dude who blocks a desperate woman's last hope?
They're all family. To imply that after losing his father and Nic, Devon would approach AJ's situation with his mother as if it was some other cause not worth getting attached to was insulting.
And Conrad weaponizing the death of Devon's father to guilt Devon into changing his mind was unfair, too. I'm proud of Devon for standing his ground on the issue no matter how much his friends pushed, doubted, or questioned him.
The filming of that scene in the stairwell between Devon and Conrad was gorgeous, though. I loved how they had one of these passionate moral disagreements with the Lunar New Year celebration, with presumably fireworks illuminating them in blues, greens, reds, and purples.
Devon spent years under Conrad's tutelage, and it hasn't gone in vain. When Conrad reminded Devon of what he taught him, Devon quickly proved that he was following his mentor's teachings.
Devon has found a way to carry on what Conrad taught him and find his way as a doctor, and it's little moments like that, years later, when it hits you how these two best friends are peers now.
And Conrad understood that he let his emotions get the better of him, too, realizing that Devon was making the right call. They all were thinking about what was best for Carol.
In the end, Carol was tired and relieved that she didn't have to go through all of that. Palliative care is the best thing for her, and she can spend her time doing what she plans with AJ.
It's honorable and noble that she wanted to go through with this for her son and help out the study, but she wouldn't have contributed to the trial, and the best thing for AJ is doing what's best for Carol.
Conrad: Carol is off the criteria by one percent?
Devon: Those are the rules. My hands are tied. Rules exist for a reason.
Conrad: I taught you to break the rules for the patient.
Devon: You taught me to also follow the science, and what you're saying now is to ignore it.
I can appreciate these moments of pure humanity even in all of its imperfections from AJ, Conrad, and Devon during this storyline.
Conrad was in a state with Hannah's case. Again with Czuchry and his performances, man. Sure, you could see those moments with the others as he learned who Hannah was, and you sensed it stirred up feelings about Nic.
But it was the quieter moments with Hannah that were the most evocative. His tone would turn softer when he spoke directly to her, and he had this gleam in his eyes every time that showed how he was reining in his emotions at seeing and talking to her.
He practically held back tears when he listened to her heart, and you saw that sad smile on his face. Every time he looked at her, you felt how much she made him think about Nic and understood his determination to save Hannah and Nic's heart.
It was a moving way to showcase loved ones' connection with the recipients of their long-gone ones' organs. It was complicated, messy, and beautiful.
It was a puzzle getting to the bottom of what was wrong with Hannah, and everyone around was motivated almost as much as Conrad to figure out because they knew what was at stake.
Even newbie Cade understood the significance and did her best. She remains an enigma, something that Irving and Hundley hilariously pointed out at the top of the hour.
But she had no qualms about extending her condolences in a candid moment with Conrad. It served as a nice parallel to Billie having that special scene with Conrad, too.
She knows him well, better than many, and their continued connection through their mutual loss has strengthened their bond. You can sense that they've become family in the years since Nic's passing.
She even got her moment to save Hannah in Nic's honor essentially, and you could tell how meaningful that was for her.
It was such a relief that they could determine Hannah's issue was neurological rather than due to the heart. It worked nicely with Billie's comments about the significance of the brain over the heart.
As a result, it meant that they could save both Hannah and Nic's heart, so it could still live on, and that piece of Nic could still be out there.
Conrad: I wasn't sure if I was going to tell you this, but my wife was an organ donor, and she saved a lot of lives, including yours.
Hannah: What? I have your wife's heart? Can I see her picture?
Conrad: I do have a favor to ask.
Hannah: Anything.
Conrad: Can I introduce you to my daughter?
Hannah: Of course.
I thought Nic's farewell with baby Gigi saying, "mama," would be the most memorable, gut-wrenching scene of the season. They went ahead and gave us Gigi listening to Nic's heart, beating through Hannah's chest, using her father's stethoscope, followed by that, "Hi, Mommy."
Dear, The Resident Writers, why are you guys like this? If reducing someone to a puddle of feels was the goal, congratulations on succeeding!
Gigi and Sammi's sweet friendship also added some cuteness to the hour because Gigi makes everything better basically.
Over to you, Resident Fanatics.
How many times did you cry? How do you feel about that Bell diagnosis? Were you happy to see Jake and Sammi back?
Hit that big old blue Show Comments button below, and let's discuss everything.
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.
