The Resident Review: Run, Doctor, Run (Season 1 Episode 13)

The Resident Season 1 Episode 13, “Run, Doctor, Run,” makes me want to run away from this mess of an episode.

There are a couple bright spots, Nic’s sister Jess and Dr. Okafor, of course, are stand-outs. But overall the penultimate episode of the show’s pilot season is a toxic FLOP.

I am relieved The Resident got picked up for a Season 2 as it will have a chance to fix some of these first season mistakes.

It remains a show worth watching because of the important issues it tackles.

This episode, unfortunately, doesn’t even have a medical ethics lesson to teach us. There is merely a whisper of the issue of medication prices for rare diagnoses.

A focus on medication costs could have redeemed the episode, but the show doesn’t lean into this issue. It is overshadowed by the egregious medical show errors on “Run, Doctor, Run.”

CoNic- A Sinking Feeling

Let’s start with the heartbeat of the show: CoNic.

On The Resident Season 1, Episode 10, “Haunted” we’re gifted some glorious grief sex between Conrad and Nic.

It is quite clear that the pain of losing Lily is at the heart of the steamy event.

Now, I need to know where that leaves CoNic!

I want angst-filled groveling for a real relationship. I want a disagreement about what that night meant. I want an agreement about what that night meant.

I want CoNic sensual morning time in bed, and we KNOW that The Resident is open to giving us this because it was featured in The Resident Season 1 Episode 1.

I want development and passion for my ship CoNic!

What I get is nothing. A hand-holding session and a pat on the thigh to “get back to work” is not something. It is a crumb; I need a cake.

Apparently, CoNic are living together; they carpool after all.

But, it is completely unknown if Conrad is on the couch, if they brush their teeth together, or if they drink wine at the end of the night and relax by playing Xbox.

These are the details I crave. But “Run, Doctor, Run,” clarifies nothing.

In fact, Nic tells Jess that “nothing is happening” between her and Conrad.

What? Frankly, that is not good enough treatment for CoNic.

Conrad loves Nic. He already lost his mom, his other great love.

There is no universe in which he isn’t freaking out and blaming himself for every little bad thing that is happening to her. And, right now, all the bad things are happening to poor Nic!

She is being stalked by some goon. Her sister overdoses. She is going after The Huntress.

There is no chance he would be so unaffected.

I don’t need CoNic to be together. In fact, that’s not appropriate because, last time I checked, Conrad is still haunted by his emotional hang-ups.

But, the relationship deserves attention and development. “Run Doctor, Run,” does nothing to sate my craving for more CoNic.

The Fist Bump

‘Run, Doctor, Run” tries to reach outside the scope of its expertise to make social justice commentary. The attempt fails.

Like a fist bump that doesn’t land, the “gang members gone straight” storyline is awkward at best, blatantly racist at worst.

The hip-hop music is ridiculous. The gathering of ex-cons, nearly all of whom have tattoos and black hair is offensive.

A show can’t just paint with a wide stereotype brush, and then fist bump its way out of it by saying, the white woman saved all the brown folks with her catering business, so they’re all good now.

That painting is double disturbing as the men speak for the white woman savior.

The episode is awash in men. They are the ones who speak for and about the woman patient.

The Resident wants us to feel some kind of emotional hallelujah when Conrad walks up to the patient’s family and stalls in sharing the outcome of the high-risk procedure. He then lobs that information over to Pravesh, like it is a game.

This is not a gender reveal. This is a beloved woman’s life or death.

The fact that The Resident thinks that this moment is about Pravesh and his ability to share good news makes my skin crawl.

Being a doctor is about healing, not glory. Dr. Bell and Dr. Hunter are in it for the glory.

It can’t be both ways. Dr. Pravesh can’t be both horrific, petulant, and self-serving (which he is), and a great doctor.

He is not a hero, and if the writing team doesn’t see that, they have a deep issue to unpack before the next season.

The most disturbing scene for me is when Felix comes into the hospital room with the payment for the rare medicine. The white male doctor looks at Felix and horror fills his eyes.

Wait, what? What year is this?

From what I can tell, the ONLY reason the rare medicine doctor would have that horror is that Flix is clearly a person of color, he has a tattoo on his arm, and he has a chain around his neck.

Those character traits are scary because they are racially coded as “thug.” Not one of those traits is ACTUALLY scary.

Jewelry, tattoos (remember, Conrad has several), and skin tone do NOT make a person a criminal to be feared.

This interaction between the rare medicine doctor and Felix is perpetuating stereotypes that literally get people of color killed.

The Resident has much work to do to come back from those fist bumps.

Toxic Masculinity

The Raptor is an interesting character who brings a fascinating volatility to the Chastain team. However, his actions on “Run, Doctor, Run” tip well over into the toxic masculinity category.

In particular, his repeated use of the term “breeding” makes him into an aggressive, egocentric misanthrope. Those traits along with his expressed need to have zero empathy and emotional connection to patients inject a lethal dose of toxic masculinity to the episode.

When he brings in a male doctor to mansplain to the women in the room that The Raptor is boss, my eyes nearly roll out of my head.

We don’t need another character like that. We’ve already met him on other medical shows.

Mina herself is representing the tension between emotional connection and excellence. We don’t need two male doctors to come in and make the issue overwrought.

I miss Claire Thorpe. We need women to counter-balance the boy’s club coup that occurs on “Run, Doctor, Run.”

Sexual Shame

The Resident has a huge issue with sexual shaming. I don’t know who on the writing staff thinks that penises and colons are an endless source of derision and amusement, but that needs to be cut from the show immediately.

A sex-related issue has come up in nearly every episode.

On the pilot, Conrad demands that Devon put his finger up a patient’s rectum, like its a funny punishment. On The Resident Season 1 Episode 2, nurses put oven mitts on a patient, pointing and laughing at him while watching porn on his phone.

Then, there’s York. Then there’s the patient with a broken penis.

All of these patients are laughed at and treated like objects.

This is no laughing matter. Patients watch The Resident, including those who may struggle with porn addiction, sexually transmitted diseases, unhealthy kink practices, and sexual exploitation.

The message The Resident gives those patients is that doctors think they are gross.

The message “Run, Doctor, Run” gives is that doctors will pawn off such patients to other doctors as punishments or pranks, and it is hilarious! 

I am not laughing.

Sisterhood Overlooked

Perhaps the most frustrating thing about the needless sexual shame, fist bump, and toxic masculinity storylines are that they take time away from the far more compelling and important storyline of Nic’s sister Jess.

Nic’s discovery of her sister and her quick life-saving actions provide a new perspective on how Nic came to be who she is now. It adds a tender touch to a hectic and otherwise tone-deaf episode.

Jess’s character is excellent. She’s a good catalyst for some prodding about CoNic, which I love. She also genuinely presents the gray decision-making habits of someone battling addiction.

Sometimes, there is no real reason for a relapse.

I will admit, I also love the way Jess ribs Conrad for his low body fat physique. Unlike the shaming we see elsewhere, this is a more clever banter that is levied at the person, Conrad, who holds greater power in the relationship.

This is the kind of comic relief, based on a sensitivity to power and gender dynamics and that is actually funny, that The Resident needs.

It is also notable that this is the only storyline NOT dominated by men on “Run, Doctor, Run.”

It seems likely The Raptor will return for Season 2. It is my hope that Claire Thorpe and Jess Nevin will also become regulars at Chastain.

Doctors Notes

• I miss digging into the core question the series started with: what does it mean to do no harm?
• What is Conrad’s chest tattoo, and when can we see it again?
• I love how Conrad admits that he doesn’t eat simple carbs. He’s not going to lie about his strict regimen! Maybe an eating disorder could be part of his arc on Season 2? I’d be all in on that direction.
• Nic has some skeletons in her closet and that instantly makes me like her loads more.
• The random phone calling montage is a mismatch of tone for the episode and has literally already been done this season.
• Dr. Pravesh accidentally revealing York’s medical information to his mother is actionable. Just saying.
• That nurse is getting a bad rep for taking the selfie AND missing the “Awake Surgery” sign. Poor Jess!

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

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

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