The Resident Review: Pilot (Season 1 Episode 1)

The Resident is less a medical drama and more a medical ethics drama, and I could not be more pleased by the direction the pilot takes us viewers.

From the first selfie-ridden tense moment of The Resident Season 1 Episode 1 “Pilot,” to the final harrowing scene, The Resident asks what does it really mean to “do no harm.” Right off the bat, The Resident complicates the answer and the question itself.

“All we want to do is help our patients, but what they don’t teach us in medical school is that there are so many ways to do harm.” Dr. Conrad Hawkins

Each medical professional highlights the interwoven reality of care. If only it was as simple as life or death.

Let’s talk TATTOOS.

The first second we lay eyes on Dr. Conrad Hawkins, The Resident himself, it is on his forearm tattoo. The tattoo is the Rod of Asclepius, a symbol of Greek myth origin that is directly connected with medicine and the Hippocratic Oath, which calls upon doctors to first, do no harm.”

The message is a legacy, spanning centuries, of health and medicine. It is also placed on a very obvious part of his body, jutting out almost as a taunt to anyone who approaches him.

Indeed, the placement of the tattoo makes it more of a shield than a badge. I am intrigued to learn why and how Conrad hides behind the concept of “first, do no harm.”

Shortly thereafter, in a contrived scenario that I am nevertheless 100 percent on board for, Conrad takes off his shirt and we see a second tattoo. It spans his entire back and reads “Death Before Dishonor.”

Both tattoos carry messages that value deeply-rooted traditions and warn of impending destruction. It turns out that Dr. Hawkins is interested in more codes than the one that requires CPR.

I love that The Resident uses tattoos to provide us exposition. It allows for a complicated back story that likely includes the military (Death Before Dishonor is commonly associated with military service), some rebellion (those tattoos are very visible and that is still taboo in many medical professional spaces) and some serious conformity.

Also, tattoos are sexy.

“Pilot” smartly leaves more frayed edges that tied knots. In a break from more traditional medical dramas, there is no neatly packaged moral message at the end of the episode.

We as the audience are trusted to stay in the gray and travel with the characters of The Resident through a confounding environment without any moral absolutes to ground us.

The new series does take a stand on one issue: being nice. Dr. Pravesh, played by Manish Dayal, is disappointed when his first message from his lead resident is absent a single winkey face, smiley face or exclamation point.

Dr. Pravesh’s very first message on his first day of work is “Try not to be a dick.”

Dr. Pravesh is dismayed. But, look, THIS IS INCREDIBLE ADVICE. All of us would be a bit better off if we just followed this approach.

Dr. Pravesh continues to be surprised and dismayed by Conrad’s blunt and egocentric presentation. And it isn’t very believable.

While Dr. Pravesh is a new intern, he has been in medical school for the past four years at Harvard and Yale. To think that he would expect cuddly, humble or warm guidance doesn’t pass the sniff test.

Dr. Pravesh as the gullible, doe-eyed new intern also doesn’t do much for his character. Hopefully, that stereotypical role is coded and brought back to life as something more interesting on the episodes following The Resident Season 1 Episode 1 “Pilot.”

My favorite character on The Resident thus far, Dr. Mina Okafor played by Shaunette Renee Wilson, brings home the message that being nice isn’t the same as doing good.

She is an incredibly skilled doctor who is the best in her field. Dr. Okafor playing with the creepy peach slicing gadget is a highlight of the episode.

When called upon to use “bedside manner” and deliver updates regarding progress to her patients’ families, Dr. Okafor is direct, non-emotive, and awkward.

The Resident recognizes that manipulation is far worse than bluntness. In a culture that, especially for women, places niceness on a pedestal, it is refreshing to see a woman accepted for her talents, not her hospitality.

There are several areas where the pilot is over-written. The entire discussion between Emily VanCamp’s Nicolette Nevin and Devon Pravesh about the car mechanic you want versus the one who butters you up is inane.

The “Try not to be a dick” text message provides that information about Conrad’s character, without making Dr. Pravesh seem like he’s never been in a hospital before.

An intern would never besiege a nurse with a request for a change of lead resident. That’s not a thing.

The exclamation from Cara that “you saved her life” is unnecessary and too cheesy for the complex moral questioning that is also a part of the episode. That line in particular stands-out as one that would have been better expressed silently, with facial expressions.

The mismatch is a turn-off and the writing team would be wise to rely on the incredible acting of its cast to showcase the emotions and beliefs, rather than explicit dialogue.

Dr. Bell is a walking pile of hubris. At first glance it seems that The Resident is making it too easy to hate Dr. Bell and to cast him as irredeemable.

However, look again, and it starts to cast some reflective lights through Dr. Bell.

Matt Czuchry’s Dr. Hawkins expresses over and over that there is only one way to do things, his way. He literally thinks he can take life into his own hand because he knows best.

While his tattoos and charm may mask its darkness, that is the same hubris that has taken over Dr. Bell. Dr. Bell is so far gone that he is willing to blatantly lie to an entire live-streaming audience, just so he can be seen as the best.

Did Dr. Bell start off like Dr. Hawkins? How aware is Dr. Hawkins that when he tells Dr. Pravesh to blindly follow his orders, and then controls scenarios like a puppet master, that he is mimicking HODAD’s moves?

The fact that The Resident presents these intriguing and meaty questions is a testament to its strength. Life is complicated and so is saving it.

Doctors Notes

• In what world do doors lock from the outside with the push of a button?
• The episodes seemingly flippant attitude towards death is intriguing. This rings true to how people who see death on a day-to-day basis behave. I hope this posture towards death continues and the show doesn’t use live or die scenarios to play heart-strings like so many other medical dramas.
• The Bechtel Test though. I don’t think the episode EVER features two women talking to each other, much less about something other than men. The Resident needs to fix this IMMEDIATELY. Looking at the cast, I am hopeful.
• I feel strange about how much joy I got from seeing that toe pop right off.
• The harp playing at a hospital where someone died a bloody death just the scene before is one of the best, subtle uses of props/music I have seen in a pilot.
• I ship it. Please, The Resident, develop Nic’s character, but oh, how I ship it.

What did you think of this episode of The Resident? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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The Resident airs Mondays at 9/8c on FOX.

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