FOX's The Resident - Episode 3.20 "Burn It All Down"
Just when Derek's condition seems to be improving, a severe complication arises, causing Kit to fear that he may be the latest victim of Cain's cover-up. When Cain's former girlfriend is admitted to the hospital for surgery, the doctors finally get a glimpse into his personal life. Conrad fills in Marshall on the emergency situation facing the hospital. Mina and Austin work on saving the heart of a salsa dancer.
In 2019, the television industry aired 532 scripted shows across numerous outlets. The way people consume content now is different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, it's less necessary to provide ample coverage of each episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site provides shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the season finale of FOX's The Resident.
"Burn It All Down" was written by Tianna Majumdar-Langham, Chris Bessounian & Daniela Lamas and directed by Edward Ornelas
For a makeshift season finale, this episode actually does a solid job in offering a fair amount of resolution. Sure, the focus on Red Rock as the ongoing antagonist is still prominent. However, that narrative may be upended at some point because of the scandal created by the cover-up of the infectious disease that has ravaged the hospital. Logan Kim wanted to avoid alerting the state health officials. He believed his staff could effectively eliminate the virus from the hospital. That wasn't the case though. All it took was human error for the spread to continue. It was because people didn't know they had to be extra careful and considerate that the situation grew more dire. Again, it's a fine parallel to what's happening in real life at the moment. Of course, the show offers a simple conclusion in the end. In reality, it may be much more complex than that. It's unclear when life will begin to resemble something of normalcy. That extends to television productions as well. The Resident had to shut down because of the coronavirus outbreak. This episode became the finale. The show was fortunate that this hour concluded the infectious outbreak. It worked because it centered the story around Kit. She has often been an underutilized character. She is incredibly active here because she fights back against Cain because he allowed this outbreak to spread which is now putting her family in jeopardy. She once thought that she could keep an eye on him to ensure that the way he practiced medicine wouldn't harm many lives. That was an impossible task though. Red Rock sees him as a rainmaker. He brought so much money into the hospital not really caring about the morality of his actions. It was just beneficial to the lifestyle he grew accustomed to. Conrad and Marshall have a talk near the end of this episode about the need to hold onto one's morals. The moment those are gone the corruption consumes an individual. That happened early in Cain's career. And now, he essentially goes along with whatever Red Rock orders him to do because of the leverage they have over him. He is complicit too though. He knows what is expected of him and no longer pushes back. He sees the benefits for him. Him acting that way for so long means it's impossible for him to maintain his godly status in this moment. He thinks he can save two lives. He has to operate on Derek as a way to make up for the pain and suffering he has caused Kit's family. He just isn't there to perform the surgery that his former love needs in order to survive. She dies and he is absolutely devastated. That may dramatically reshape the way he views his relationship with Red Rock. He may already be seeing the benefits of getting this story to the press while ensuring he isn't the scapegoat. That may unfortunately be his curse as Logan sees him as the one who can truly carry the blame. Logan still protects himself first and foremost. Going to Conrad with a job offer for more power within the hospital may not work out in the long run. However, Logan sees it as a smart move right now to ensure that the public doesn't lose trust in this company. He cares about the bottom line. That's it. It doesn't matter which lives are saved and which die. Conrad is the one who makes the miraculous discovery that allows Kit's family to remain together. He is a hero in that way. Austin is as well because he allows a man to continue his love of salsa dancing. Austin and Mina are largely off in their separate story. That's unfortunate. Meanwhile, the cliffhanger mostly seems tacked on to create some dramatic intrigue for whenever the show comes back. The exact job position is a little too vaguely defined at this point. Conrad is always hoping to improve the hospital system he works within because he loves the ideals of Chastain so much. It just may not be the kind of cliffhanger that leaves the viewer excited. That is to be expected though because of the circumstances behind-the-scenes. Hopefully, a return can create new stories that continue sending these characters on complex journeys through the system of essential healthcare workers.
