The first season of The Resident is almost over, but there is still plenty of time to catch up on this series!
The Resident has garnered a devoted fan base, plenty of discourse, and some ire as a result of its subject matter. The series takes on all aspects of the American Healthcare, and it’s not always pretty.
Check out our list of reasons why you should give the series a chance.
If you want to see what all the fuss is about, you can watch The Resident online here via TV Fanatic. Then you can check out our The Resident Reviews and give us your take on the series in the lively comment section.
Matt Czuchry’s Impressive Performance
The most notable roles on Matt Czuchry’s résumé are as Logan on Gilmore Girls and Cary Agos on The Good Wife. On both shows, he put forth memorable performances and won over fans with his talent. Conrad Hawkins is arguably his best role to date. After years of supportive roles, Czuchry finally stepped into his rightful place as the star of his own series. It was long over-due.
Conrad Hawkins is rough around the edges character who is brilliant but flawed. He’s a layered individual, arrogant but compassionate, honorable but ornery, and closed off while simultaneously wearing his heart on his sleeve. Czuchry captures the contradictory and complex nature of this character with such nuance and finesse. It’s some of his best work and worthy of a view.
It’s Brutally Honest about American Healthcare
Medical dramas are a dime a dozen. Audiences adore them. However, most series fail to capture the growing sense of disillusionment Americans have towards the healthcare system. It’s a hot-button issue that is at the forefront of social movements and politics. It’s a system not without flaws and pitfalls. The Resident is not only a compelling medical drama that wades into territory other series dare not enter, but it’s a crusade that gives voice to the unheard who fall through the cracks of a broken system.
The series takes a novel albeit controversial approach by exploring the business and financial aspects of healthcare and how they trickle down to the patient. The series has taken on upcoding, patient dumping, incentivized treatment, the alarming medical error rate and much more. It’s controversial, and it makes people uncomfortable, but it’s honest. The Resident unapologetically tackles the less pretty sides of an intricate system, and that separates it from the pack.
Devon Pravesh – The Importance of Manish Dayal’s Quietly Profound Performance and Representation
Asian and Southeast Asian doctors are number one of minorities and the second largest racial/ethnic group of American doctors. They make up about 20% of the field, but that’s rarely reflected in medical shows, including those who pride themselves on having a diverse cast. Devon Pravesh as the star of a primetime medical drama is an accomplishment. Devon’s race factors into the show, but it’s not the only important aspect of his character. He’s a doctor who happens to be of Indian descent, but he’s not ” the Indian doctor.”
The show understands the importance of his racial identity, but they don’t use it as his primary storyline. The series also avoids some of the problematic depictions of those of Indian descent. Devon is smart, capable, introspective, kind, intuitive, handsome, and he’s shown as the object of desire. Manish Dayal’s performance is the most understated of the series. He consistently puts out a fantastic performance with each installment, and Devon’s growth throughout the series is heartening.
Moral and Ethical Quandaries
The series not only focuses on the darker parts of the healthcare system but it explores the moral and ethical dilemmas that arise. What’s right isn’t always legal. What’s legal isn’t always what is moral. What’s ethical isn’t always what is right. The exploration of all of this is what makes the storytelling so rich.
Mina Okafor
Dr. Mina Okafor is one of the best characters in the series. That’s not an opinion; that’s a fact. She’s a brilliant, badass surgical resident with the gifted hands of a goddess. She’s confident to the point of arrogant, but as her attending once said: “she has every right to be.” She’s straightforward and blunt at any given time, including when she’s making death notifications.
Mina is the best doctor on the series, and the others don’t hesitate to acknowledge that. She is admittedly better with technology than she is with people, but that’s part of her charm. Her deadpan humor has led to some of the funniest quotes of the series thus far. She’s loyal, focused, and she typically tries to stay out of all of the hospital politics, but she cares about her patients, and like Conrad, she’s not above cutting corners to treat them.
The Medical Dream Team
Conrad, Devon, and Nic are a trio who gets sh!t done. If you think these characters kick butt individually, you should see what happens when they work together. They are an unstoppable force, and they have learned over the season how to aide one another for the greater good. They all share a quality of wanting to do what’s best for their patients, no matter the cost, thus they’re bonded by their willingness to break a few rules.
An Ambivalent Antagonist
Oh, Dr. Randolph Bell is a sight to behold. His introduction was shocking and grotesque, but he has since become the character most difficult to place and categorize. He’s charming and magnetic but also manipulative. He’s reprehensible but also rational. He’s self-serving, vain and egotistical, but there is something decidedly human and relatable about his compulsive need to hold on to the remnants of his declining career. Bruce Greenwood excels at making this character one you love to hate but also hate to love.
Hawkfor
Conrad and Mina’s friendship is one of the best of the series. They have a mutual respect for one another, and they respect each other’s talents. They bond over how great they are in their fields, their confidence bordering on arrogance, and their drive to help others. Mina is one of the first people Conrad comes to when he’s in need, and Conrad is Mina’s closest friend at the hospital. There is never enough Hawkfor.
The Bromance
You can’t have a series without a good bromance, right?! Conrad and Devon didn’t start off on the best foot, but they quickly moved past that. They balance each other out and challenge one another in the best possible ways. Devon is headstrong, but it’s funny watching Conrad’s influence affect his character. Some days, it’s as if Devon has become a mini-Conrad.
Patients and Medical Cases You’re Invested In
The Resident understands that the story is about the medical staff and the patients they treat. So you can expect the patients to be fully developed characters too. When you connect with the patients, it makes the cases all the more interesting. There are many fun, gross, heartbreaking, shocking, and unusual medical cases throughout the series. The show also does a great job of depicting rare, lesser known, or underrepresented medical ailments, disorders, and diseases. No matter the case of the week, you’ll be invested in it.
Irving Feldman
Every show needs a good scene-stealer, and Dr. Feldman is that guy. Irving is the show’s quirky character who serves as the human ray of sunshine. He’s funny, dorky, and sweet. He’s less inclined to break or bend the rules as his colleagues, but that’s part of his charm. Irving’s crush on Mina is adorable and endearing. Irving is the best!
CoNic Feels
Conrad and Nic is a ‘ship that will have everyone invested. Trust me, I can take or leave ‘ships the majority of the time, but Emily Vancamp and Matt Czuchry have electric chemistry. They are captivating to watch on screen together. Conrad and Nic have a rocky romantic past, but that hasn’t kept them from being supportive, genuine friends. The second half of the season expounds on their deep bond and balances out their relationship. Conrad’s feelings for Nic are more than just love, but reverence and Nic is in love with Conrad and pulls the best out of him.
Strong, Assertive Female Characters
The show may primarily revolve around the boys, but the women on this show are a force. The show’s female lead, Emily Vancamp, brings heart and passion to Nic. She’s a much warmer and emotionally open character than Vancamp’s previous role as Amanda Clark on Revenge. Nic is arguably the character that has improved the most since the beginning of the series, and she’s not reduced to love interest. Of course, the show also has a strong-willed and determined fan-favorite Mina. A headstrong and powerful woman in charge with Claire Thorpe. Lane is terrifying but fascinating. There are no simpering women lacking depth in this series, and it’s refreshing.
Exploration of the Doctor/Patient Bond
Sometimes medical shows fall into the habit of having one off patients and doctors who only fix them up and ship them out with no sense of bonding or a connection. Many of the doctors on The Resident form bonds, connections, and friendships with their patients, and it’s refreshing to watch those type of relationships explored.
A Delicously Good Villainess
Female villains are underrated. It’s difficult to portray them with the necessary layers that make them as intriguing as any male but with femininity that doesn’t slip into sexist, one-note portrayals that are far from empowering or compelling. Lane Hunter does not have that problem. She’s affluent, powerful, and intelligent. She’s cunning and manipulative.
Lane is both sickeningly sweet and icy, which prevents her from being the standard “Ice Queen” trope. She’s seductive and alluring, and she uses her intellect more than her sexuality, but she’s perfectly OK using that too. Lane Hunter is one of the best female villains on air, and Melina Kanakeredes is exceptional in the role. You will hate her while being awestruck by her at the same time.
Bell and Mina’s Unusual Mentor/Mentee Relationship
As established, Bell is not the best person out there, and he’s a total opportunist, but somehow, the relationship he formed with Mina is utterly fascinating. He has a history of not treating her well and throwing her under the bus, but he seems to genuinely respect her and her abilities. He has taken Mina under his tutelage. It may be a sense of vanity on his part where he can take the credit for teaching one of the best residents in the hospital. His motivations are never clear, but he certainly has a soft spot for her.
Nurse Appreciation
Everyone knows that the nurses are the unsung heroes of the hospital. The Resident does its part of showing their importance. The series captures the relationship between nurses and doctors and nurses and patients quite well. The distinction between what nurses do and what doctors do is established early on in the series. The series treats the field with respect and reverence.
Fun Dialogue
The Resident is serious, exciting, and dramatic, but it’s funny, too. When everything is going to hell sometimes humor is the only way to get through the day. You can’t go an episode without chuckling at a funny quip made or amusing exchanges between characters. Nurse Jessica is almost as much of a scene-stealer as Irving because of her sense of humor. A little sarcasm, wit, and silliness can go a long way.
Dark, Gripping, Angsty Storytelling
It’s a medical show, you guys! You can’t escape angst. The Resident can be dark, but it will also leave you on the edge of your seats. Each episode is better than the last, and the second half of the season is evidence that the series has found it’s groove. You want feels? Expect all the feels!
