The Resident Season 6 Episode 6 Review: For Better Or Worse
Jasmine Blu
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The hour was pure perfection.
To celebrate a milestone in 100 episodes of the series, The Resident Season 6 Episode 6 did a tremendous job of marking the occasion with the long-awaited wedding for Kit and Bell and a beautiful display of these characters we love and adore simply doing what they do best.
From the heartrending and emotional medical case with Max and Tracy to the family feels of the gang coming together to celebrate Kitbell to the recognition of Bell's growth -- cleverly juxtaposed with Ian Sullivan's continued descent, the hour felt like appreciation for the fans who have tuned in for six seasons.
It wasn't a shadow of a doubt that we'd get our happy wedding ceremony with Kit and Bell, but it wouldn't be The Resident if it weren't dramatic and kept us on edge until the blissful payoff in those final moments.
Manish Dayal took another spin in the director's chair for this one, which also made the commemorative installment feel special. And he did a lovely job.
The entire cast was stellar and what we come to expect from the series. We weren't bogged down with some of the more polarizing arcs, and while some of the ongoing plots were referenced and had a thread way throughout the hour, the more insular focus made this installment the strongest of the season.
Everyone was gearing up for Kit and Bell's big day, doing whatever they could to ensure it happened without a hitch, but they still showed their character by exercising just as much devotion to their jobs as healers as they were friends.
Whether it was Bell risking missing his wedding by performing surgery, AJ pushing himself past his comfort zone by going to such lengths to honor Tracy's wishes, Conrad doggedly searching for a cause behind Max's liver failure -- or Cade sacrificing an evening that meant so much to her to stay behind for a sweet little girl, the beauty of these characters was on full display.
If she needs a liver. I can give her a part of mine.
Tracy
The case was a compelling one that had you invested in the outcome from the opening moments. It even personally tugged at my heartstrings as someone whose sibling experienced hearing loss because of hospital oversight.
Tracy is a massive success and a significant donor to the hospital, and as a result, most would expect the hospital to bend over backward for her because of what she has to offer. She had those thoughts, too, assuming that everything that Bell and the others did was tinged or influenced by what she could provide them.
But she learned quickly that it's far from the case, and at Chastain, they offer this much devotion to all of their patients because they genuinely care.
AJ: Aren't you marrying that woman later, Bell?
Bell: I certainly hope so.
Tracy's reasoning behind starting her company and where she chooses to donate her money, focusing on hospitals that are in need, is sound. After her horrific experience with her daughter, understandably, she doesn't want others to endure what she did and wants to be part of fixing the healthcare system in that regard.
But her level of distance from the whole ordeal got challenged when she got to the hospital. It was too easy for her to assume that a public hospital in financial need is somehow low-tier and wouldn't have the competent world-renowned individuals it does.
But Chastain has many of the best doctors in the country.
Its status as a public hospital in no way reflects the pedigree of its surgeons, whether it's AJ as the leading cardio god in his field, Billie who has made an indelible mark, Bell, who's a straight-up celebrity in his own right, or more importantly for the case, Ian, the leading peds surgeon in the country.
The scene where she was on her way out of the hospital, adamant about finding the best despite the risk it posed to Max, only to discover that the man she was calling was right down the hall, was amusing.
Conrad: I thought you said you weren't a wedding kind of girl? I believe your words were, "Weddings are a special kind of torture."
Cade: I'm looking forward to this one. Bell and Kit invited me, not just as your plus one. Like I'm finally part of the group. It means a lot to me.
The situation was one of many that seemed to change Tracy's perspective on what she was dealing with and how her investments go. I wouldn't be surprised if we revisit Tracy and Max down the line, and Tracy is one of Chastain's biggest advocates and defenders if things get rough with the governor.
At the end of the day, Tracy was just a terrified mom who wanted the best and was willing to risk everything to save her beautiful little girl. And you can't blame her for any of that.
I appreciated that we simply never found out what was the cause of Max's liver failure. No matter how great Conrad is or how useful Devon's assistance is, sometimes there aren't any answers.
And the nature of the case caused for quick measures. I suppose even if they could try to find another match for Max's liver, it would've been too timely.
Nevertheless, it was a harrowing ordeal that Tracy was Max's only solution when she herself had some health problems. It added some high stakes to the situation when we saw that in order for Tracy to donate to Max, she needed a valve replacement, but she could've died on that table if they had gone in to retrieve her liver too soon after all of that.
AJ had a rough call to make, and there were no good outcomes with it. Either he had to watch a child die on his watch, or he risked the mother dying to save her child. And he was right about the guilt that Max would live with if that turned out to be the case.
Fortunately, things worked out as they should have, and the ideal outcome got reached. It would've been too much to bear if either mother or daughter died on Kitbell's wedding day.
But it wasn't without its close calls, thanks to Ian and his bullshit. The second he snapped open that mint container, and it was empty, it was apparent we'd have to deal with some more extra Ian behavior.
And nobody had time for this man nearly killing a damn child again. Not on Kitbell's wedding day, dammit.
It's become more obvious that he's not well. It's the umpteenth time that Jessica was there to witness Ian not acting right, and while I can forgive them for not allowing her to say anything within this installment if no one else raises some red flags by the next ones, then they all need their heads on a pike.
There isn't enough headbanging techno music in the world to get Ian in the right headspace to perform surgeries if he's battling an addiction like this. The man was shooting up in the OR before surgery. It's insane!
Bell had a damn good reason for showing up late to his wedding, but Boss Voss was on her Queen sh*t her entire wedding day. Of course, Kit would trend online for her attempts to hound the governor into meeting with her. It's simply what she does!
The number of things she succeeded at doing on her day off shows how amazing Kit is as a boss and a person. And I loved that she tugged at the heartstrings of America by having Sammie share her story during the interview.
Kit got her meeting, and there's too much build-up for this to go smoothly and without a hitch, but Kit is not one that you want to count out, ever.
Kit and Bell are such a power couple, and that's part of why their wedding was effortlessly one of the best things ever.
The location was lovely. Everyone showing up for them made you emotional. And they all looked so good. With the cultural garments for the occasion, Devon and Leela made me genuinely smile, and Kit looked so beautiful in her dress!
Bell: I am so proud of you, Mrs. Bell.
Kit: And I of you, Mr. Voss.
It went off without a hitch, and it was hard not to get emotional when they both recited their vows.
They were beautiful and truly fit the characters. Bell truly has become the best version of himself, mainly because the woman he loves wouldn't have it any other way.
And I don't think anyone could ever love Kit the way she deserves to be loved, like Bell. Plus, it will always warm the cockles of my heart that a second-change romance is the most elite ship of the series these days and at the center of the show.
You don't age out of love.
Kit: Randolph, you know how I like to be right.
Bell: Mmhmm.
Kit: When I first met you, I thought you were a bit of an arrogant sod. But I never expected you'd make me feel so happy, so love. And I never, ever thought you'd be my forever. But Randolph, you are. And I've never been so glad to be so wrong. Bell: Kit, thank you for waiting for me to become the man I am now. I've made some mistakes. Most of you can name a few, and then I met someone who believed I could be better. A better surgeon. A better father. A better person. All I can do is try and become the man that somehow you knew I could be. Kit, everything that's good in me is because of you.
Sammie and Gigi were the cutest, sweetest flower girls and looked precious in their gowns with fairy wings.
And Aunt Billie spending the day with the girls is the type of quality content that makes you happy that we've spent enough time with these characters to be part of their personal lives too.
She's such a natural with the girls, and the fondness for this life she could have is abundantly clear without her ever giving a voice to it.
It comes with a bit of sadness when you hear about how Gigi continues to struggle with Nic's absence. It's a unique kind of grief when you miss and long for someone you don't remember and rarely get to know.
It's like Gigi knows the love and feels it. Nic is such an integral part of her life, and Conrad and Billie keep her alive in Gigi's life, but it doesn't make up for the lack of her own memories.
And there's something sad about that because there's nothing one can do to rectify it. Sammie sharing how much she liked Nic made Gigi feel good, and it's nice that she has this relationship with another child who can guide her through some of that.
But I felt for Billie, too, eavesdropping on that conversation and everything that came with it. I wonder if it's something she'll talk to Conrad about later.
Of course, it probably stirred up a lot of feelings for her as well, missing her best friend, aching for this young girl she adores with her whole heart, and adding to the conflicted feelings she has for Conrad and her role in their lives.
Interestingly, Gigi didn't express any issue with Cade, but you can tell she doesn't love the woman either. It doesn't feel right because Cade isn't her mother, and it's likely because she doesn't have her own unique relationship with Cade either.
It's interesting how Cade expressed how she typically felt like an extension of Conrad, and Gigi likely feels the same regarding Cade.
But my goodness, are they doing the work with the Conrad and Billie content now. Whenever I think I have a favorite moment for them, they manage to top it with something new as things get deeper.
Their slow dance at the wedding was filled with so much unspoken tension. And it's to be expected. Weddings can have that effect on people.
Conrad acknowledged how thankful he was that Billie was helping him out with Gigi, and it's something he keeps reiterating even though he claims he doesn't say it nearly enough.
But it also seems like this fixed point that he uses to hide how he really feels. Billie often does the same. When she told him that she loves them both, it was this way of her expressing her feelings for Conrad, being truthful about them, while also the safety of Gigi in the mix, not to make it weird or too revealing.
The two of them slow dancing as they had the conversation suited them since they'd been dancing around each other for a minute now.
I'm used to Conrad being a more forward person, and these days, we're seeing glimpses of how he feels about Billie, too, but he hasn't been ready to make the moves he needs to do yet.
Conrad: Thank you for taking Gigi.
Billie: Of course.
Conrad: No, I don't say it enough. I am very grateful. I know it's a lot, and you're always there for us.
Billie: It's nothing. I love you guys.
And it's up to him to make them. I can appreciate that, in this instance, Conrad is the one who has to do the work here. It cuts back on the uncomfortable pining they had Billie doing for a bit and levels things out better.
I loved the shot of him dancing with her, his hands sliding further down to the small of her back as the camera panned out of that gorgeous window, framing them in a beautiful shot with warm, romantic lighting.
It was the perfect ending to a perfect installment.
Happy 100 episodes, Resident Fanatics. It's been a pleasure to cover them here at TV Fanatic, and hopefully, we'll cover another 100 more for you.
Over to you! Did you love the Kitbell wedding? How do you feel about Ian's issues? Are you fully aboard the ConBillie train? Sound off 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.
