When a lottery winner is admitted to the hospital, Bell turns to him as a potential solution to Chastain's financial problems. Nic becomes infuriated when Alec suggests she meet with an organ broker in hopes of saving Jessie's life. After her other ideas fail, she brings the idea to Conrad. Devon and Irving help Mina piece together details from her night out after The Raptor sidelines her for an upcoming surgery.
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.
"Broker and Broker" was written by Todd Harthan & Elizabeth J.B. Klaviter and directed by Jann Turner
Jessie is dying. This episode fully establishes that she can't wait several more months in order to get on the transplant list. She has to receive an organ soon otherwise she will die. Nic doesn't want her sister to die waiting for an organ. She desperately wanted to be a match. She wants their father to be here and willing to give his kidney. But the show mostly just wants Nic to be at the end of her ropes and willing to do absolutely anything in order to help her sister. Now, that is absolutely an earned moment. The whole detour with the organ broker though seems a little oddly paced. It's Alec's suggestion. He believes that Nic would be totally open to the idea despite not knowing just how high her values are. She sees it as an illegal business of people buying organs. Conrad rightfully points out that Nic shouldn't have to risk her own freedom in order to save her sister's life. Of course, Nic also has a point when she says that Conrad constantly breaks the rules in order to help total strangers in the hospital. That makes it meaningful when he sacrifices something to help Jessie get what she needs in this moment. She is on the transplant list by the conclusion of this hour. It's unclear what Conrad gave Bell in order to change his mind though. That's a narrative thread left dangling for the finale. In fact, this entire storyline feels like it needs to be wrapped up by the conclusion of the season. That urgency has been apparent even though it has still suffered from pacing issues. The need for her to get on the transplant list basically ensures that her donor will be someone outside the family. But it also wouldn't be out of the question if Kyle suddenly returns to his daughters' lives to save the day at the last possible moment. But again, that's ambiguity for the future. Right now, it's clear that the show's exploration of the black market for organs is the only plot of relative substance. Sure, it's still thin by not really offering much of a nuanced argument that could explain why Nic would possibly do this besides desperation. It does mean that Alec leaves the show without ever having more of a personal relationship with her despite his many efforts to do so. Elsewhere, there are comedic hijinks aplenty with Mina as she tries to piece together her night after blacking out and waking up on a golf course. That is such a strange storyline that doesn't feel like it belongs with what the show usually does. Sure, it has told comedic-based stories before. But this one felt more like keeping those characters busy and enjoying the idea of Mina being on brain rest. It's mostly just used to prove to her and the audience that she has feelings for AJ as well despite how inappropriate that would seem. Plus, there is never the suggestion that something more sinister happened to her that would explain why she blacked out. Instead, it was simply her partying too hard to forget something vague. And finally, it's meaningful that Bell is dealing with financial pressure after all of the scandals that have rocked Chastain as of late. It wouldn't be right if the hospital continued to function like it always has. But it mostly appears to be pressure on whether or not Bell will keep his job as CEO. He took that title at the conclusion of the first season. He has been a reluctant ally in the position at some points while a fierce roadblock in others. He is loyal to the administration. But now, his best efforts to land more money from donors doesn't seem to be working despite how amusing it is to see him dancing in a club.
