The surgeons work together to save the life of AJ's old mentor, Abe, who is their only inside source to Quovadis. When Nic and Conrad take on a patient needing the hospital's only viable ECMO machine, they must decide between saving the life of Abe or saving the life of their younger, more stable patient. Marshall puts himself in serious danger to help take down Gordon Page once and for all.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of FOX's The Resident.
"Betrayal" was written by Andrew Chapman and directed by Robert Duncan McNeill
This season has certainly ascribed to the idea that the clear-cut antagonists need to die in order to make up for the crimes they have committed against the patients treated at Chastain. Dr. Hunter was arrested and imprisoned at the end of the first season. The storytelling made sure to point out that she couldn't escape justice. This season tried to further complicate that by saying that she could be released only to eventually be killed by the scorned family member of a patient of hers who died. In the end, death was the outcome for her that brought everything of intrigue to a close. That's the same exact outcome that occurs here with Gordon Page. It could be a little disappointing in that way. Sure, it can also be crazy just to see an epic shootout followed by a car crash that ends in a massive explosive on this show. That's not what this series is on an episodic basis. It's a different sort of action. But it also offers a clear and final resolution to all of this. Sure, there are some lingering questions especially as it pertains to Julian's fate. However, Devon appears to be the only person who cares about what happened to her. It should be interesting to see just how quickly the show resolves that final mystery pertaining to Quovadis. At the moment though, it's all about ensuring that Gordon Page simply can't rebuild his company by finding some new investor after the military pulled out. He doesn't trust Marshall because of his connections to Chastain. He can see through the illusion. The show confirms that Marshall wasn't making a deal behind Conrad's back. Conrad was fully aware of everything that was going on. That further enriches the dynamic between them. It makes it hit hard when Conrad is living in that ambiguity of not knowing if his father survived this final showdown with Gordon Page. Marshall was willing to work with the FBI who apparently had their own investigation this entire time. That is somewhat incredulous. Did no one in the office think of mentioning it to the military that Gordon Page may not be the best guy to be investing in? Or is the show trying to explain that the government operates completely separate from other portions of itself? Is that healthy or does it only create more chaos? It does mean that Gordon chooses to flea arrest instead of peacefully accept the consequences. He knows exactly what he has done. He is a despicable human being who delights in eliminating any threat that comes his way. He got rid of Julian and is now trying to do the some to Dr. Benedict. He doesn't succeed in that though even though the show doesn't offer much clarity as to what "sever" actually means. That's the clue that tips Gordon off that Marshall isn't bluffing during that final meeting. Abe really is still alive and talking. He is sharing every detail he knows about how this company was run. It means Gordon tries taking a hostage on his way out. He cannot outrun his fate. But again, his fate is death. That may be a too simplistic ending for a character who grew more broadly one-note and villainous as the season went on. His fall also sucks a lot of air out of the other medical storyline of the week. Nic is helping two best friend engineers who both have mono. One just happens to be worse off because he also has pneumonia. There is even a precarious moment when a choice has to be made between Evan and Abe over who can be saved with the one available device. It's a tense situation. One that puts things into context about how Sydney feels about him. And yet, the show just chooses never to follow up on them and provide an update over whether or not he survives this procedure. That's odd simply because the show had to tidy up some of its overarching plot threads of the season.
