It’s always sad when children are involved in medical dramas and “The Resident” was no exception with this week’s episode, “The Germ.” This season’s fifth episode, while essentially heartbreaking, did bring me joy. It made smile at the characters antics. They’re good people, and I love watching genuinely good people in action. Watching them interact with Jasper brought a warm felling within me; what a cutie that boy was.
Within the episode, the show managed to toy perfectly with the darkness of a sick child and with joy and kid-like innocence. When Conrad is assigned to a family he had treated in one of his pediatric rotations as an intern, he and Nic start to expect the worst. After having been cleared for two years, the youngest child’s leukemia is back with a vengeance. Jasper is no longer in remission, and there is nothing they can do except focus on his quality of life. That, in itself, can make for a very emotional episode. Conrad takes on the difficult task to break the news to the mother, and it’s heartbreaking, as it should be. The team then puts together a play for Jasper, where he gets to solve a crime, everyone getting involved. The episode really balanced out well, but I have to admit I did shed a tear when the boy passed. The emotionally charged scene was combined with incredible acting. It definitely did not fall flat.
The more administrative medical portion of the episode followed the aftermath of Bell’s deal with Gordon Page: a 25% discount on the medical devices in exchange for exclusivity at Chastain. That deal definitely did not make unanimity across the staff, causing two surgeries to be cancelled, on the spot. Dr Kitt Vass and Dr AJ Austin hatch up a plan to get their beloved medical devices back into their OR by getting their patients to demand them. While Vass’ tried to scare her patient with the fear unknown, AJ simply bullied his. I enjoyed the differences they brought to light between the two characters, from their approaches in the OR to their patient interactions, but I felt they were pushing it to the extremes to a point where it got almost ridiculous. Vass’ OR was a crime scene, that just can’t be right.
Ultimately both end up operating with the new devices. When her patient’s surgery becomes urgent, Vass must use the device she had already convinced her client not to use since it is what is readily available. AJ, on the other hand, went to his mentor who he learned uses the valve and was convinced to use the device in his operation. Is no one honest in this damn world?
The patients in this episode brought something more to the episode; I particularly loved their interactions with Mina. She is splitting her time between Ortho and Cardio so she gets to deal with both doctors and both patients. I enjoyed the back and forth between the woman with the tumor on her spine and Mina, I thought it brought the touch of humor the episode needed. The other patient is Bradley, who is coming in for his heart valve. I am a sucker for continuity. I love when shows follow through on a storyline, and this show is doing a great job at it, but his character is nothing special. He is now in medical marketing, and bringing in the big bucks. I don’t mind that he’s gone.
When it comes to interesting pairings, Vass and Bell definitely make the list. They have a weird relationship, and I love seeing her toy with him. He deserves it.
Julian continues to find her way into the hospital storylines, and I’m not particularly fond of it. I don’t feel like her introduction was organic at all, and it still feels forced. I’m with AJ, she shouldn’t be in the OR. I might not want her there, but I’m not the only one. From the first moments of the episode, it’s clear that Conrad also does not want her there, thinking it’s a conflict of interest to have her inside the hospital. Mina, doesn’t seem too keen to her charms either, I would even go as far as to say she doesn’t like her. I really don’t like where they are going with her and Devon.
The ending of the episode though, left me perplexed, like something was missing. Everyone dealt in their own way with Jasper’s illness: Mina and Nic sharing a cold one in the parking lot. It was an incredibly poignant scene, where my eyes stung. With Jasper’s passing Conrad stays alone with his thoughts and an abandoned baseball mitt. At one point Conrad seemed to have an epiphany, running towards something. Then, the episode ended, leaving us uncertain as to where or to whom he was running towards. I thought it was a pretty weird way to finish the episode. Maybe it will carry on to the next episode, but I doubt it. Was is to honor his promise? Was that were Conrad was going? I hate open ended endings.
I really enjoyed this episode, and the past few episodes. I give this one a 8/10.
Sorry I have been MIA for the past few episodes, I was in the land of no wifi for the past few weeks. (And it was absolutely great.)
