The Resident Review: The Elopement (Season 1 Episode 8)
The Resident Season 1 Episode 8, “The Elopement” maintains the momentum from The Resident Season 1 Episode 7, “No Matter the Cost” and deepens our attachment to Conrad and Nic.
Once again, the most engaging and compelling character is Dr. Mina Okafor.
Dr. Okafor manages to deftly outplay Dr. Bell, without burning any of her other colleagues.
This is incredibly important.
Ambitious women are often shown as hostile, competitive and willing to back-stab in order to get what they want. Ambitious men, on the other hand, are often shown as sexy, driven, and devoted.
On “The Elopement,” Mina is cunning, but never cruel. She humbles herself and is willing to limit her cuts so she can rest the control of her life from Dr. Bell. Brilliantly, Mina lets Claire Thorpe know what’s up, without explicitly throwing Bell under the bus.
She is talking the language of an oppressed group. She has to be keen, precise, and quick, just like in surgery. She has to take risks and hope her meaning is understood.
Claire Thorpe speaks her language and I could not be happier.
Claire could be Mina’s mentor, just as I hoped for in my review, The Resident Season 1 Episode 7, “No Matter the Cost.”
The close-up shots of Mina are effective to convey her boldness and vibrancy. The talented doctor never loses her cool. In fact, she seems almost joyful, even as Dr. Bell threatens to take away her livelihood and dreams.
Shaunette Renée Wilson is crafting Dr. Mina Okafor as an enigmatic powerhouse and she is the best thing about The Resident.
Dr. Okafor is not the only good thing about “The Elopement,” though.
The medical ethics issue of the episode is doctors’ responsibility to inform and empower patients. The story unfolds at a deliberate pace which serves to enrich the viewer’s emotional connection with the patients.
“The Elopement” highlights an oft-overlooked aspect of medical care: quality of life. The eloping couple decides that cleaning out the garage is the priority, not survival at all costs.
The conflict reminds us of a central theme of The Resident: patients’ desire for good health is bastardized by the bottom-line mentality of an unregulated hospital.
Dr. Lane Hunter has a pecuniary interest in the eloping couple staying put. She seems to sincerely believe that the best choice for any patient is what her choice is. But, her choice is always to make more money.
Patients don’t know what they want. – Dr. Lane Hunter
“The Elopement” solidifies Dr. Lane Hunter as the most dastardly villain on The Resident.
Lane’s villainy, though, doesn’t dampen the romantic quality of the eloping couple’s story. It’s a lovely exploration of the importance of living well.
The writing is a bit overdone and cheesy, but, once again, the leads’ acting chops save the day.
The eloping patient asks Conrad what he would want to do with his time if he had only six weeks to live. Conrad turns to the other side of the hospital bed and responds, “I’d want to spend every minute I have left with her.”
The blocking of the scene makes it unclear if Conrad is talking about the eloping patient’s wife or Nic. It looks like he’s talking to Nic.
It’s Nic. He’s talking about Nic. If Conrad had only a few weeks left to live, he’s want to spend it cleaning out Nic’s garage.
Suddenly I want Conrad to have everything his broken little heart desires.
The strongest development of Conrad’s character on “The Elopement” is not in a ship interaction, but with his romantic rival, Jude.
Conrad goes looking for Jude, ready to burn him for his choice to do a biopsy for Dr. Hunter. That fire is instantly extinguished when Conrad walks into the sleepover room and sees Jude in despair.
Toxic masculinity values aggression and winning over all else. Here, Conrad rejects that approach and instead uses his empathy to understand Jude. He sees that Dr. Silva feels guilty and broken.
Conrad’s recognition of Jude’s emotional state and his ability to instantly change his behavior to help him is a needed glimpse into what makes Conrad an excellent doctor.
The choice to have Conrad be most guarded with the person he loves the most, Nic, is evolving from a trope to a complexity.
The small step of opening up about his rebound fling, coupled with his willingness to hear all of Nic’s concerns about Lane, provides hope for Conrad’s romantic identity.
Doctors Notes
- I do not miss Dr. Fledman. Bye, boy. Bye.
- Devon is a first-year resident. There is absolutely no way he is meeting up with his fiance for lunch.
- The pull-back-to-bed move is meant to be sexy, but it is not working. I still appreciate the sex appeal the show is giving to Dr. Pravesh, but that move comes off as sexist (she said she needs to get to work!) and selfish. Yuck.
- Conrad is unusually skilled in finding and sticking veins — I hope there is a reason for this that connects to his military experiences.
- Nicolette has a great Women’s History Month line, “And guys like you have to learn that sometimes we want to take care of ourselves.”
- The Resident is slowly draining itself of its toxic masculinity cancer. If the show takes Dr. Feldman to task for his poor behavior, it has a real chance of remission.
- I know I said I’m all for the slow burn, but, wow, I really want to see Conrad and Nic make-out. Like, NOW.
What did you think of this episode of The Resident? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Reviewer Rating:
User Rating:
The Resident airs Mondays at 9/8c on Fox.
Follow us on Twitter @telltaleTV_
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Janelle Ureta
Janelle Ureta is equal parts Veronica Mars, Raven Reyes, and Rebecca Bunch, but she aspires to add some Tammy Taylor to the mix. An attorney turned teacher, Janelle believes in the power of a well-told story. She is currently exploring how to tell short stories, 140 characters or less, on twitter. She loves to talk about TV, and right now she can't shut up about Timeless, Dear White People, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The 100, or Younger.