Between high-stakes cases and moral and ethical conflicts among the characters, the hour felt more like old-school The Resident than it has in some time.
We got the return of Conrad, the Bad Boy of Chastain, with an assist and push from AJ on The Resident Season 6 Episode 12. And our beloved characters nearly all found themselves weighing what the greater good is and entails.
The storylines and all the characters were balanced well too.
This would have served well as the first part of a two-hour finale, but the split may not have been so bad.
Unlike The Resident Season 6 Episode 11, where there wasn’t much momentum built, and it was hard to say where the finale could’ve possibly gone or what it would’ve explored, this installment is enough to hook you for an exciting finale.
And while we still don’t know how the season’s final installment will play out, there was also a bit of finality in the tone of the hour.
It’s not to say that The Resident doesn’t stand a chance at renewal, but if this hour was any indication, the finale might not leave us feeling as if we didn’t get something akin to closure if another season doesn’t pan out.
Conrad: Last night was amazing.
Billie: It was.
Conrad: And so are you. And we should do it again.
In this day and age, when even veteran series can get blindsided and leave a devoted fandom shortchanged with closure, one can appreciate the consideration that may have gone into making this a flexible final two installment.
The cast felt the most cohesive all season. Thankfully, everyone was back and for their respective cameos where needed. Some people who aren’t the most compelling didn’t monopolize too much screen time or detract from everything else happening.
The story dictated that we check in on Padma, if only for a second, and they delivered just enough to whet the whistle and shape her storyline without it taking away from everything else happening.
She is doing well, which is good. It’s still a pity this PPD storyline didn’t get explored the way the subject matter deserves, but that’s been said a dozen times.
She felt guilty and thought AJ blamed her, but Leela reassured and comforted her. The twins had their sweet bonding moment, and for once, you could not only feel the connection between them, but it was endearing to see it too.
After a rocky season with this side quest addiction arc, Ian was back for what could be his farewell. His addiction storyline was another one of those arcs that barely worked well or garnered interest, and it wasted McCarthy.
And after how they left things, it was surprising that Cade was so warm and supportive of Ian, and he wasn’t manipulating her with his charms. It was hard to believe that he succeeded in getting help when they last showed him in The Resident Season 6 Episode 10, but he’s believable now.
The arrogance and bluster were noticeably absent. Perhaps he excelled at all the work he needed to do while in rehab after Cade’s visit. They rushed this storyline than wrapped it up as an afterthought, pulling a Trevor on Ian.
Ian: The minute I tel Voss, the stigma of addiction is on me forever, could end my career.
Cade: I’m sure people will understand. I did.
Ian: And that means so much to me.
Cade: So, will you tell her. Ian: I will. I need to.
He wanted to tell Kit the truth but opted to resign instead of having the stigma of addiction follow him around. On the one hand, you can understand the rationale behind that. Once it’s out there, you can’t put the genie back in the bottle.
People would’ve treated him differently. Even though he enjoyed his time at Chastain with Cade, mainly since he didn’t get to shine too much with anyone else, he felt it was best to move on.
In a way, he should give Cade space, and part of showcasing his growth is to recognize Chastain as HERS and not someplace for the both of them.
But it coincided with other questions of what is morally or ethically right. Did Kit have the right to know that she had a barely functioning addict on her staff?
If Ian is working the program, should honesty with Kit be part of making amends? Where does the line between privacy and discretion and secrecy and lies fall?
And when the hospital is already falling apart and short-staffed, wouldn’t Ian blindsiding Kit with an abrupt resignation cause more harm? What’s his obligation to uphold the culture of Chastain by doing what’s best for the patients?
He and Cade are in a better place within their relationship. I can’t fully retain how they got to that place, but it’s great that they have for closure.
And Cade has also managed to land in a better place with Billie and find something with James. It wasn’t surprising that they opted for the “pair the spares” route with Cade and James.
They say the best way to get over a person is to get under another one, but good grief.
It was one of the few moments from the installment that prompted an eye roll, not because they don’t look great together, but because it’s a neat little bow beyond realism.
Suddenly, Cade is just entirely over Conrad and what happened with Billie, and she’s with James, and James, because he’s a character we’ve rarely seen, comes across as someone who falls too hard and fast for anyone.
He’s already in full pursuit of Cade, hasn’t batted an eye over his breakup, and alluded to AJ that things worked out perfectly. And yeah, that attempt to assuage viewers and throw a bow on the messiness of the love triangle fiasco is so transparent it’s laughable.
It’s like musical chairs around here.
Feldman
Although Irving’s line about musical chairs was perfectly timed and delivered, so they get kudos for some self-awareness with that.
They also leaned in heavily with the “women supporting women” narrative, with Cade and Billie working together, in awe of this badass pilot they were trying to save as well as one another.
It’s actually too bad we didn’t get more of Cade and Sullivan’s friendship before all of this. They’re great together, and Billie pulled some of the personality out of Cade that doesn’t always shine through.
It’s too bad that they didn’t devote more time to developing these types of dynamics with Cade because serving as Conrad’s love interest with whom he barely had chemistry and Ian’s emotionally spent daughter didn’t serve the actress or character well.
Cade: You were good today.
Billie: Thanks. Lost a lot of patients the last few, I was starting to feel like I couldn’t help anyone anymore. Not sure why I pinned my hopes on Thea.
Cade: It’s hard to predict which patients we’ll get attached to, but you know, a lady chopper pilot, that’s pretty badass.
Billie: Says the resident badass.
The quest to save Thea was harrowing, and with each second of it, you wished for the best possible outcome. It would’ve been heartbreaking and unfair if she died because of Betz, but he got to live because of her heart.
I loved the case and how devoted Billie was to it. It was hard not to feel for her when she had to take a moment and got emotional upon hearing that Thea opened her eyes.
It seemed that she’d be a goner for a while, and it would’ve been heartbreaking. Her case was worth investment even in a busy installment covering so much.
Thea stood a real chance of becoming collateral damage because of Betz, yes, but also AJ and Conrad’s thoughts on the greater good.
Betz was the most annoying person amid all this. He showed his entire behind with the tantrums he threw about Chastain.
After all the attacks against them and badmouthing, he was terrified that they’d behave every bit like those who weren’t professional and kill him.
He still wouldn’t listen to them when they spoke about the issues with budget cutting and so forth. And he had his chief of staff lying to the public at every turn.
Betz wouldn’t give his whole health plan to others, so the idea that he’s had multiple heart surgeries and deliberately kept it out of his medical file wasn’t much of a surprise.
But if this can’t get worse, it’s him making side deals to get pushed up the organ donation list. Betz’s offer to AJ was sickening because you knew he only made it because of what was in his own best self-interest.
Suddenly, he can get all the funds he needs from his own account to save Chastain after spending months crushing them to oblivion.
Sadly, Chastain is in such a bad way that AJ considering the offer felt realistic enough. Getting AJ to challenge his ethics and risk his career would take a lot.
I appreciated Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s work in those scenes, from the inflection in his voice to how he carried himself after listening to Betz’s offer and then presenting it to Conrad.
He was one of the few who could appeal to Conrad’s old rebel with a cause nature to get him on board. It wasn’t until that precise moment that it hit how much Bad Boy Conrad was missed.
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen that side of him at front and center, and that’s why the moment took us back to the earlier seasons excitingly and entertainingly.
He and AJ were partners in crime, asking forgiveness rather than for permission — not addressing the issue until after it was already done and Kit called them into her office.
The ConRaptor partnership has been one of the strongest dynamics of the later years. The penultimate episode of the season playing with that more, especially in this way, imbued some drama and stakes into all of this and set up the finale nicely.
AJ: I don’t like any of it, but we have a chance to do a whole lot of good by doing just a little bit of bad, right? C’mon think about the Hawkins who used to break all the rules. Tell me what that guy would say.
Conrad: He’d say go for it.
Now, we have to see if this ethically compromised gamble that both of them took with Betz will pay off or if Betz will screw them over.
He’s not trustworthy, so a betrayal could be imminent, assuming he makes it through surgery.
Conrad and AJ both feel that their choice is something they can live with because striking this deal with the devil could save more lives in the end. Who knows if it’ll work to their advantage, but one could appreciate their defiance and unity in the face of Kit and Bell, who seemed like exasperated parents with two unruly sons.
The family dynamic interplay throughout the installment in moments like that, the sisterhood among the female doctors, and so forth were genuinely fun.
Devon also tested his ethics in the name of family by agreeing to work with Marco, the age-obsessed millionaire. It was a great way to bring whatever passes as Devon’s storyline full circle this season.
The problem is that they’ve been so inconsistent with Devon’s arc outside of Leela and Padma that I just remembered about Marco and how it could help Bell somehow.
In the end, Devon’s ethical quandary with this was of a different caliber than the others. He didn’t want to fake the funk with Marco for something he didn’t believe in, but people have to do things like that daily with much smaller stakes.
It’s cute that they let Leela be his voice of reason in support of the situation, and the sparks of their relationship felt alive again in a way they haven’t since the time jump.
Devon: You always make complicated things seem simple.
Leela: You always make simple things complicated.
Devon: That’s why we’re a perfect fit.
If Devon proposes to Leela by the end of the finale, it wouldn’t be a shock.
When it comes down to it, Devon could set aside his personal feelings about Marco’s quest if he can get the second stage of his trial off the ground and provide Bell with a shot at combatting his MS that works better than his current regimen.
These are the things we do for family, and I appreciated that Devon could read between the lines and make this move in Bell’s best interest. The only shame was that it was offscreen when he told him the news.
It was so good to have Bell back again, and Kitbell remains elite and the cutest and most pleasurable pairing on the series. They’re the groundwork for love stories these days.
At the top of the hour, there was an ominous tone when it seemed Bell was withholding things from Kit about his health. But this news about Devon’s trial eases some of the tension on that front.
Of course, now they’ll direct all their attention to whatever is happening to poor Sammie.
It’s cute that the girls are close enough that Sammie’s fathers will hop on a flight and bring her there for a visit to celebrate Gigi’s sixth birthday.
And the timing couldn’t be better since she’ll require Chastain’s finest to help her out.
But hopefully, that won’t put a damper on Gigi’s day as that poor girl can’t bear to lose her best friend.
We didn’t get any indication that she’s aware of the shift in Conrad and Billie’s relationship, but at least we know she wouldn’t care regardless.
Speaking of that relationship, they opened the hour with some serious steam. Conrad caressing Billie in bed was undoubtedly hot, and the two seemed to be in bliss together and also in awe that they’d made it to this place.
They really seem devoted to one another, and I’m happy for them in that regard. I’m glad we can put the romantic entanglements to bed, pardon the pun, and have a more settled approach to things for both characters.
Billie: It feels weird to say it, but this, us, feels so…
Conrad: Feels right.
Over to you, Resident Fanatics. Did you love the tone of this installment? Will Betz keep his word? Sound off below!
You can catch up ahead of the season finale here when you watch The Resident online via TV Fanatic.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.