Another year in residency: Doctors return amid personal crises in new episodes of `The Resident'
As many worldwide are still living lives dictated by medical-grade masks and the fear of a virus that could lead to hospitalization, one medical show is doing its best to provide an escape from pandemic reality without losing sight of the hospital. “The Resident,” back from hiatus Tuesday, Feb. 1, on Fox, has left the pandemic behind to focus on a future that, while brighter medically, still hosts plenty of personal drama amid the doctors' daily slog of cases.
Now headed into the second part of its fifth season (beware of spoilers ahead), returning cast members include Matt Czuchry (“Gilmore Girls”) as Dr. Conrad Hawkins, a resourceful — if not arrogant — senior doctor at Chastain Park Memorial Hospital and still-fresh single father. Following the death of his wife and co-worker Dr. Nicolette “Nic” Nevin (formerly played by Emily VanCamp of “Revenge”) earlier this season, Conrad has spent the bulk of Season 5 struggling to make sense of Nic's death, often throwing himself deeper into work to avoid languishing in his painful emotions.
Thankfully, there is lots of work to be had at Chastain.
From grappling with the after effects of COVID-19 treatments, such as employee burnout, lingering illnesses and depleted medical supplies, to managing all manner of incoming patients, including a famous MMA fighter and a man who believes he is being haunted by ghosts, Chastain's doctors had not had a moment's rest until the winter break began following the Dec. 7 episode, “Unknown Origin.”
In that winter finale, viewers saw Conrad join a team of doctors from various hospitals that traded in their scrubs for flight suits and take to the outdoors as a part of Chastain CEO Dr. Kit Voss's (Jane Leeves, “Frasier”) Flight Go Team, designed as a field response unit — something Conrad excels at.
On the Go Team alongside him was, among others, newto-viewers Dr. Kincaid “Cade” Sullivan (Kaley Ronayne, “The Right Stuff”), a mysterious go-getter who seems to thrive in a field environment. Despite being introduced just once in the action-packed winter finale, Cade already has many viewers wondering what her involvement will be going forward in the series. From speaking fluent Creole to a patient to immediately hitting it off well as with nononsense Conrad, it seems likely fans will be seeing a lot more of Cade in the future. Perhaps she'll even make a move into Chastain's ER.
Another development in the previous episode was Trevor (Miles Fowler, “Women of the Movement”) getting his shining moment as an intern when he worked through various processes of deduction to solve a case concerning a patient with a mysterious fever. While he still no doubt has a long way to go before proving himself to be a full-fledged member of the team, viewers were able to enjoy his success alongside him in a truly wholesome way.
Now with the rest of Season 5 about to kick into high gear, “The Resident” has plenty in store for its characters — and by extension, its fans.
In this week's spring opener, titled “Her Heart,” Conrad is forced to face the emotions he has spent the last 10 episodes running away from when a patient admitted to Chastain turns out to be the recipient of Nic's heart. With his work and personal baggage now overlapping more than ever, it will be interesting (and likely extremely heartwrenching) to see how the young widowed doctor manages to move forward when he has nowhere left to run.
Things also get personal for Dr. Randolph Bell (Bruce Greenwood, “Gerald's Game,” 2017) in the second half of Season 5 as he receives a tough diagnosis that leaves him teetering on the brink of a very difficult decision. Something which executive producer Andrew Chapman (“Legends”) spoke to TV Line about in an interview during the mid-season break.
“How do you deal with your own diagnosis, your own illness, and your own ability to be a surgeon of a certain age?” Chapman asked before adding, “It's a great question, and we're going to dive into it headfirst.”
Throughout all this, Dr. A.J. “The Raptor” Austin (Malcolm-Jamal Warner, “The Cosby Show”) also crosses a professional boundary when he asks Dr. Devon Pravesh (Manish Dayal, “Holidate,” 2020) to include his mother in a clinical trial, leaving Devon in a tough situation and asking himself a difficult question: To favor the friendship, or trust in the system?
With so much still to come in the season, it's often hard to believe that the writers can cram so much action and information into each new episode. Despite the challenge, she show's creator Amy Holden Jones (“Black Box”) didn't feel any need to hold back when she tweeted that “Her Heart” is “one of our best episodes ever.”
Don't miss the explosive re-introduction to one of the most intense medical dramas on television when “The Resident” premieres following its mid-season hiatus Tuesday, Feb. 1, on Fox. And for those who bid adieu to their cable channels and now rely strictly on the internet, full episodes are also available online at Fox.com/the-resident.