A case becomes personal when Conrad and Bell treat a pregnant woman who is carrying Jake's future adopted child. Upon hearing surprising news from Princess Nadine, Devon contemplates the future of his love life. On the heels of meeting Austin's parents, Mina gets a call that causes her to make a bold decision about her future. Cain grows closer to Rose. Irving and Jessica tie the knot.
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.
"Doors Opening, Doors Closing" was written by Jen Klein & Joshua Troke and directed by Li Lu
The drama certainly has babies on its mind this season. Nic is pregnant. She has already dealt with complications from that. Princess Nadine returns to the hospital with a newborn child. That causes Devon to freak out for a moment. And now, Jake and Greg's surrogate experiences complications six weeks before she is due to give birth. Of course, the show really didn't need to feature yet another pregnancy that goes awry in a serious and life-threatening way. It even has a brief moment where the audience is left in the dark over who survived the emergency surgery. Bell had to act quickly to save both lives. That meant delivering the baby girl early. It was tense for a moment. All of this was effectively done. But again, it was reminiscent of a familiar pattern. Yes, tons of complications exist throughout pregnancy. However, it is so often the go to plot development for pregnancy stories on television. Conrad is even afraid to have Nic treating pregnant patients. He doesn't want anything to compromise her abilities. Of course, he's the one making that decision for her. It's played mostly as light teasing here. But again, that concern could quickly creep up to being something more significant later on. Plus, the show already has plenty of drama in these situations without putting lives in danger. The effective moments of this particular story come with Jake and Greg holding their baby and then having to fight with Tina's parents to keep her. It's all emotionally devastating. They have spent months carefully planning to expand their family. They cared for Tina during her pregnancy. They were with her every step of the way. She is grateful for that support. She knows just how conservative and closed-minded her parents are as well. She asks Jake and Greg to deny who they are just to trick them. That's something they can't do. Nor should they have to. They are just as deserving of love and family as anyone else. Bell saw them in the moment they became parents. It was beautiful to see. He can fight on their behalf as well. That too shows him stepping up as a parent after years of disappointing Jake in the past. This family unit is growing. It's all an extension of wanting to grow and spread love. And yet, the discrimination prevails at the end of the day. The adoption agency can't do anything to prevent Tina's parents from forcing their will onto her and the baby. This kind of hatred is seen as viable and reasonable. Tina loves her parents. She wants them in her life. They force their beliefs onto her. It's a worldview of hatred that amounts to more heartbreak. It's stunning and absolutely devastating. That is the effective story here. The nonsense leading up to that point was a little unnecessary. But again, it's clear the show is telling longterm stories that aren't always quick to develop. Sometimes, things do happen rapidly. That's on display with the quick friendship between Cain and Rose. That bond may end in tragedy because of her medical condition. It's still providing him with a new perspective as he tries to heal himself back to working at the hospital. That is still his ultimate goal. Meanwhile, Mina accepts that she may have to return to Nigeria for good. She doesn't want to be deported. The system is stacked against her though. She fought to expose injustices. She has now suffered the consequences. She has found a convincing argument to make this a noble decision. She is returning to care for her people. She will provide her life-changing services there where they are in constant and dire need. It's important to care about the places of the globe that don't have the luxury of expecting the best all the time. Mina can make a difference as a surgeon no matter where she operates. Austin can as well. He seems to be willing to go with her. That ensures that this isn't the end of their relationship. That's an enticing and intriguing note for that couple. Before he makes that decision, it felt like the show was writing Mina off for awhile. But now, it's clear that there will still be ongoing relevance. That's fascinating. It's something different and unique to them as well. That is very much appreciated. Of course, it's also paired in an episode where Devon's plot is incredibly obvious and he denies what is inevitably happening right in front of him for as long as possible. That's not great. But again, a suggestion is still present for more engaging developments shortly.
The drama certainly has babies on its mind this season. Nic is pregnant. She has already dealt with complications from that. Princess Nadine returns to the hospital with a newborn child. That causes Devon to freak out for a moment. And now, Jake and Greg's surrogate experiences complications six weeks before she is due to give birth. Of course, the show really didn't need to feature yet another pregnancy that goes awry in a serious and life-threatening way. It even has a brief moment where the audience is left in the dark over who survived the emergency surgery. Bell had to act quickly to save both lives. That meant delivering the baby girl early. It was tense for a moment. All of this was effectively done. But again, it was reminiscent of a familiar pattern. Yes, tons of complications exist throughout pregnancy. However, it is so often the go to plot development for pregnancy stories on television. Conrad is even afraid to have Nic treating pregnant patients. He doesn't want anything to compromise her abilities. Of course, he's the one making that decision for her. It's played mostly as light teasing here. But again, that concern could quickly creep up to being something more significant later on. Plus, the show already has plenty of drama in these situations without putting lives in danger. The effective moments of this particular story come with Jake and Greg holding their baby and then having to fight with Tina's parents to keep her. It's all emotionally devastating. They have spent months carefully planning to expand their family. They cared for Tina during her pregnancy. They were with her every step of the way. She is grateful for that support. She knows just how conservative and closed-minded her parents are as well. She asks Jake and Greg to deny who they are just to trick them. That's something they can't do. Nor should they have to. They are just as deserving of love and family as anyone else. Bell saw them in the moment they became parents. It was beautiful to see. He can fight on their behalf as well. That too shows him stepping up as a parent after years of disappointing Jake in the past. This family unit is growing. It's all an extension of wanting to grow and spread love. And yet, the discrimination prevails at the end of the day. The adoption agency can't do anything to prevent Tina's parents from forcing their will onto her and the baby. This kind of hatred is seen as viable and reasonable. Tina loves her parents. She wants them in her life. They force their beliefs onto her. It's a worldview of hatred that amounts to more heartbreak. It's stunning and absolutely devastating. That is the effective story here. The nonsense leading up to that point was a little unnecessary. But again, it's clear the show is telling longterm stories that aren't always quick to develop. Sometimes, things do happen rapidly. That's on display with the quick friendship between Cain and Rose. That bond may end in tragedy because of her medical condition. It's still providing him with a new perspective as he tries to heal himself back to working at the hospital. That is still his ultimate goal. Meanwhile, Mina accepts that she may have to return to Nigeria for good. She doesn't want to be deported. The system is stacked against her though. She fought to expose injustices. She has now suffered the consequences. She has found a convincing argument to make this a noble decision. She is returning to care for her people. She will provide her life-changing services there where they are in constant and dire need. It's important to care about the places of the globe that don't have the luxury of expecting the best all the time. Mina can make a difference as a surgeon no matter where she operates. Austin can as well. He seems to be willing to go with her. That ensures that this isn't the end of their relationship. That's an enticing and intriguing note for that couple. Before he makes that decision, it felt like the show was writing Mina off for awhile. But now, it's clear that there will still be ongoing relevance. That's fascinating. It's something different and unique to them as well. That is very much appreciated. Of course, it's also paired in an episode where Devon's plot is incredibly obvious and he denies what is inevitably happening right in front of him for as long as possible. That's not great. But again, a suggestion is still present for more engaging developments shortly.
