When Cain tries to be a hero at a crash scene, he is struck by a car, causing Chastain's doctors to put aside their personal issues to try and save his life. Conrad and Nic team up to help one of the crash victims, whose secretive past makes it difficult to identify a diagnosis. Bell brings his TV crew to the hospital in hopes of garnering positive attention for Chastain. Mina opens up to Nic, only to find out that Nic is holding on to a secret of her own.
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 next episode of FOX's The Resident.
"The Accidental Patient" was written by Todd Harthan & Marc Halsey and directed by Rob Greenlea
Austin believes in the possible redemption of Cain. He holds onto that hope. It means interacting with him more consistently and hoping to engage with him on a deeper level. He sees that potential within him. And yet, Cain can counter that with the argument that bad things happen to him even when he does the noble and good thing. He pulls a woman out of a burning vehicle here. That is a heroic action. The basis of Cain's story in this episode though is about him being hit by a car. His injuries are extensive enough that they may jeopardize his surgical career. The story isn't framed around him grappling with that possibility. Instead, it's largely about him expecting the best and demanding all of the other doctors to be excellent despite the previous difficulties they've had with him over the past year. Many of them don't even know that Red Rock is selling the hospital. Cain is the poster boy for that organization. He goes wherever the executives want him. He is not attached and indebted to Chastain in some significant way. He has simply made an arrangement with the company that allows everyone to prosper as a result of his skills. Losing that could be absolutely devastating to him. The story is never about that though. As such, it doesn't ask the audience to have sympathy for Cain as he goes through this ordeal. In fact, it may only further highlight the damage he has long inflicted on the world. He wants to silence whichever doctor at the hospital is planning on testifying against him regarding his COVID-19 patient. Austin certainly wants Mina to reconsider that. He is motivated by his personal stake in believing Cain can be redeemed. He doesn't want the system to come crushing down because so much of the hospital's success is pinned to Cain's abilities. Austin wants the opportunity to exist in a world where his skills are equally recognized. He is pompous in that regard. However, he is noble and respectful to the staff around him as well. Austin has flourished because of his personal relationships at Chastain. His colleagues have helped him through some challenging times. And now, he feels more secure and willing to give back to the next person who needs that support. Right now, that is Cain because of the dire circumstances he is in. Tragedies keep befalling him though. He wants his residents in the room when Kitt is operating on him. Because she is running late from another surgery, they believe they can start without her. That's the way they have been taught by Cain. He has passed along all these bad habits to the next generation of surgeons. They make a critical mistake that may prove costly. They believe they were doing the right thing. They think Kitt operates in the same way. That's the leadership they have come to expect from this hospital. That's how Cain runs his department. He simply happens to be the victim of his own reckless nature. The show overdramatizes that point. He appears to be reacting to the entire surgery and the trauma his body is going through. It's not perfectly explained here. It probably will be because he's not out of the woods just yet. As such, it's unclear how the audience should be reacting to any of this. This could be a way to write him off the show. It could also be a grueling experience forced onto him to bring about an evolution of his character. It's heavy-handed no matter what. Plus, it's not the chief focus of the entire narrative. The other characters have their own stories as well. Conrad and Nic get the confirmation that they truly are pregnant. It's happy news. They haven't shared it with their colleagues yet. However, that has to be coming shortly. Devon's perspective as a doctor is still being shaped by his father's recent death. That manifests itself in a beneficial way that helps his patient cope with his terminal outlook. And finally, Bell hopes that by bringing the TV cameras into the operating room he can boost the profile of the hospital enough to make Red Rock's CEO reconsider selling the place. That's a secret only Kitt knows at first. Mina eventually sees what's going on. As such, this news is bound to spread like wildfire. She shares it with Austin. The hospital faces an uncertain future. Again, that's not exactly a new story. That means the execution has to offer something slightly different. That also infers the audience is largely waiting to have a firm reaction to all of this instead of feeling secure in the immediate impulse of our reactions to these events. That delayed satisfaction may be worth it. It just makes it a little tedious getting to that point.
Austin believes in the possible redemption of Cain. He holds onto that hope. It means interacting with him more consistently and hoping to engage with him on a deeper level. He sees that potential within him. And yet, Cain can counter that with the argument that bad things happen to him even when he does the noble and good thing. He pulls a woman out of a burning vehicle here. That is a heroic action. The basis of Cain's story in this episode though is about him being hit by a car. His injuries are extensive enough that they may jeopardize his surgical career. The story isn't framed around him grappling with that possibility. Instead, it's largely about him expecting the best and demanding all of the other doctors to be excellent despite the previous difficulties they've had with him over the past year. Many of them don't even know that Red Rock is selling the hospital. Cain is the poster boy for that organization. He goes wherever the executives want him. He is not attached and indebted to Chastain in some significant way. He has simply made an arrangement with the company that allows everyone to prosper as a result of his skills. Losing that could be absolutely devastating to him. The story is never about that though. As such, it doesn't ask the audience to have sympathy for Cain as he goes through this ordeal. In fact, it may only further highlight the damage he has long inflicted on the world. He wants to silence whichever doctor at the hospital is planning on testifying against him regarding his COVID-19 patient. Austin certainly wants Mina to reconsider that. He is motivated by his personal stake in believing Cain can be redeemed. He doesn't want the system to come crushing down because so much of the hospital's success is pinned to Cain's abilities. Austin wants the opportunity to exist in a world where his skills are equally recognized. He is pompous in that regard. However, he is noble and respectful to the staff around him as well. Austin has flourished because of his personal relationships at Chastain. His colleagues have helped him through some challenging times. And now, he feels more secure and willing to give back to the next person who needs that support. Right now, that is Cain because of the dire circumstances he is in. Tragedies keep befalling him though. He wants his residents in the room when Kitt is operating on him. Because she is running late from another surgery, they believe they can start without her. That's the way they have been taught by Cain. He has passed along all these bad habits to the next generation of surgeons. They make a critical mistake that may prove costly. They believe they were doing the right thing. They think Kitt operates in the same way. That's the leadership they have come to expect from this hospital. That's how Cain runs his department. He simply happens to be the victim of his own reckless nature. The show overdramatizes that point. He appears to be reacting to the entire surgery and the trauma his body is going through. It's not perfectly explained here. It probably will be because he's not out of the woods just yet. As such, it's unclear how the audience should be reacting to any of this. This could be a way to write him off the show. It could also be a grueling experience forced onto him to bring about an evolution of his character. It's heavy-handed no matter what. Plus, it's not the chief focus of the entire narrative. The other characters have their own stories as well. Conrad and Nic get the confirmation that they truly are pregnant. It's happy news. They haven't shared it with their colleagues yet. However, that has to be coming shortly. Devon's perspective as a doctor is still being shaped by his father's recent death. That manifests itself in a beneficial way that helps his patient cope with his terminal outlook. And finally, Bell hopes that by bringing the TV cameras into the operating room he can boost the profile of the hospital enough to make Red Rock's CEO reconsider selling the place. That's a secret only Kitt knows at first. Mina eventually sees what's going on. As such, this news is bound to spread like wildfire. She shares it with Austin. The hospital faces an uncertain future. Again, that's not exactly a new story. That means the execution has to offer something slightly different. That also infers the audience is largely waiting to have a firm reaction to all of this instead of feeling secure in the immediate impulse of our reactions to these events. That delayed satisfaction may be worth it. It just makes it a little tedious getting to that point.
