When Conrad gets a call from his former army commander who is stranded and wounded in the forest, the trip to save him brings lots of old emotions to the surface. Devon and Kit treat a patient who suffers from sickle cell anemia and encourage her to have a hip replacement to help treat her pain. When Austin is pulled away in the middle of an intense surgery, Mina is left to finish the surgery on her own. Bell works on reconnecting with his stepson after helping him get hired at the hospital.
In 2020, the television industry aired 493 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.
"Hero Moments" was written by Marc Halsey & Marqui Jackson and directed by Edward Ornelas
The drama hasn't told many stories about Conrad's past military service. It was introduced as part of his backstory. However, it has always been more important for his stories to be set in the present as he is trying to make a difference in the medical industry. He is always fighting to right injustices. That spirit has always compelled him. As such, it's fascinating to think of that through the context of his military service. This episode explains one incident in which his life was in danger. He has held onto that grief for over a decade now. He hasn't shared it with anyone either. He hasn't opened up to Nic. Nor is he close with his former commanding officer, Nate. It's surprising when Nate calls him out of the blue. It's an urgent exchange only because he's in a medical crisis. He needs to be rescued after going out for an adventure in the woods. Conrad is the first person he calls simply because he works alongside Search and Rescue all the time. That aspect of his life has been seen before. Conrad is very effective at that job. He knows how to keep his patients alive long enough so they can make the journey back to the hospital. They still have to be rushed to surgery. But that's all that is required of him. It's a way for him to be of service in numerous ways. That defines who Conrad is. That may all change at some point with the baby on the way. Nic wants to take a moment and embrace the quiet that will soon be gone from their lives. She is already worried about the future. Meanwhile, Conrad is forced to reflect on the past. He is personally connected to this case. Austin believes his judgment could be compromised as a result. He's not close enough to Nate to know whether or not a bullet was removed from his body. Conrad's instincts are still right though. That is never truly a question. It's not surprising when he is proven right. That's how the show typically depicts its stories. The same applies to Mina performing a high risk surgery by herself. The show has always presented her as a genius with a scalpel. When an emergency arises, she knows exactly how to address the problem and keep the patient alive. She can adapt. Everything she has learned has led to this moment. She succeeds. Her skills are proven once more. Austin recognizes that as well. They have always been treated as peers. That is more true now than ever before. He no longer wants to be seen as her mentor. She is more than capable of tackling these major cases that require risky maneuvers that invite crowds of people to watch and applaud. That's the trajectory she has always been on. As such, it's satisfying to see her in this moment. The same is true of Conrad. He gets this moment of clarity and saves a life. He repays Nate for the sacrifice he made all those years ago. They no longer have to be defined by the past. Again, this burden hasn't really been present in Conrad for years. That makes it difficult to buy into the idea that he can let go and feel unburdened in the future. It's mostly a symbolic gesture. It's still effective in the end though. Elsewhere, it's clear that this hour just wants to touch on all the various plots that are also happening this season. Cain is finally able to breathe on his own again. It's still somewhat a struggle and his medical career is still in jeopardy. However, progress is being made even though he still wants to expose and ruin the whistleblower testifying against him in his criminal case. So, not much may have changed at all from this experience. He is still connected to Chastain. He wants to meet with the new CEO. He just never envisioned Kitt in that role. She actually presents as someone willing to listen and find solutions to the problems that have arisen. That may make her the best CEO yet. It's still early in her time at the helm though. It's not a distraction from her surgical pursuits either. Of course, Devon is the one who has to carefully manage the complications of the patient. Doctors know so much. And yet, they can't know everything. Patients need to be their own advocates. That burden isn't exclusively on them. Devon sees the hip replacement as the best solution possible to give his patient a longer life free from pain. She knows the surgery has an increased chance of complications. That's exactly what occurs. Devon mourns that decision. But it's still a celebratory ending with the twists that come along to make it all work out in a sentimental way. That too represents the overall ambition and tone of stories in this world. A lot of the time they are reduced down to being important for an episode even though the issues they address are much more consequential and systemic than that. The characters have personal lives with intense drama that lingers. The cases they have each week have become a bit more cut and dry without the expectations that they are potentially building up something more to examine within the system like earlier in the show's run.
The drama hasn't told many stories about Conrad's past military service. It was introduced as part of his backstory. However, it has always been more important for his stories to be set in the present as he is trying to make a difference in the medical industry. He is always fighting to right injustices. That spirit has always compelled him. As such, it's fascinating to think of that through the context of his military service. This episode explains one incident in which his life was in danger. He has held onto that grief for over a decade now. He hasn't shared it with anyone either. He hasn't opened up to Nic. Nor is he close with his former commanding officer, Nate. It's surprising when Nate calls him out of the blue. It's an urgent exchange only because he's in a medical crisis. He needs to be rescued after going out for an adventure in the woods. Conrad is the first person he calls simply because he works alongside Search and Rescue all the time. That aspect of his life has been seen before. Conrad is very effective at that job. He knows how to keep his patients alive long enough so they can make the journey back to the hospital. They still have to be rushed to surgery. But that's all that is required of him. It's a way for him to be of service in numerous ways. That defines who Conrad is. That may all change at some point with the baby on the way. Nic wants to take a moment and embrace the quiet that will soon be gone from their lives. She is already worried about the future. Meanwhile, Conrad is forced to reflect on the past. He is personally connected to this case. Austin believes his judgment could be compromised as a result. He's not close enough to Nate to know whether or not a bullet was removed from his body. Conrad's instincts are still right though. That is never truly a question. It's not surprising when he is proven right. That's how the show typically depicts its stories. The same applies to Mina performing a high risk surgery by herself. The show has always presented her as a genius with a scalpel. When an emergency arises, she knows exactly how to address the problem and keep the patient alive. She can adapt. Everything she has learned has led to this moment. She succeeds. Her skills are proven once more. Austin recognizes that as well. They have always been treated as peers. That is more true now than ever before. He no longer wants to be seen as her mentor. She is more than capable of tackling these major cases that require risky maneuvers that invite crowds of people to watch and applaud. That's the trajectory she has always been on. As such, it's satisfying to see her in this moment. The same is true of Conrad. He gets this moment of clarity and saves a life. He repays Nate for the sacrifice he made all those years ago. They no longer have to be defined by the past. Again, this burden hasn't really been present in Conrad for years. That makes it difficult to buy into the idea that he can let go and feel unburdened in the future. It's mostly a symbolic gesture. It's still effective in the end though. Elsewhere, it's clear that this hour just wants to touch on all the various plots that are also happening this season. Cain is finally able to breathe on his own again. It's still somewhat a struggle and his medical career is still in jeopardy. However, progress is being made even though he still wants to expose and ruin the whistleblower testifying against him in his criminal case. So, not much may have changed at all from this experience. He is still connected to Chastain. He wants to meet with the new CEO. He just never envisioned Kitt in that role. She actually presents as someone willing to listen and find solutions to the problems that have arisen. That may make her the best CEO yet. It's still early in her time at the helm though. It's not a distraction from her surgical pursuits either. Of course, Devon is the one who has to carefully manage the complications of the patient. Doctors know so much. And yet, they can't know everything. Patients need to be their own advocates. That burden isn't exclusively on them. Devon sees the hip replacement as the best solution possible to give his patient a longer life free from pain. She knows the surgery has an increased chance of complications. That's exactly what occurs. Devon mourns that decision. But it's still a celebratory ending with the twists that come along to make it all work out in a sentimental way. That too represents the overall ambition and tone of stories in this world. A lot of the time they are reduced down to being important for an episode even though the issues they address are much more consequential and systemic than that. The characters have personal lives with intense drama that lingers. The cases they have each week have become a bit more cut and dry without the expectations that they are potentially building up something more to examine within the system like earlier in the show's run.
