The Resident Review: The Prince & the Pauper (Season 2 Episode 2)

On The Resident Season 2 Episode 2, “The Prince & the Pauper,” it’s the little details coming together that make the episode work so well.

I’ll start with Jack, because there are a few elements that make him and his story so wonderful. I love that we meet him outside of the hospital first.

Seeing his accident tells us so much more about him than we would know if his story started when he landed at Chastain Park. That shouldn’t be just a “bonus” sometimes, as it has been throughout the history of the medical drama genre.

Seeing details makes it easier to care about characters. What are the details that help us see Jack’s character?

Well, he is kind — he helps the girl at the skate park up when she falls. This unfortunately leads to his accident, which we see.

His sequined rainbow jacket also shows us he’s gay. No one tells us this throughout the episode. So why does this matter? If the episode doesn’t make his sexuality a point, why am I?

Because Amy Holden Jones and her team at The Resident actually do something really powerful here. Jack’s sexuality is simply just a part of him, like the fact that he likes to roller dance, that he helped his parents get through his sister’s death, and that his family has a history of cancer.

So many TV shows try to do this. They have gay characters who are accepted by everyone and unapologetic about their sexuality. This is wonderful, but it’s usually part of an arc.

There are a few subtle hints that Jack is gay. But he has loving, rich parents. His sexuality is a complete non-issue. As such, it’s one of the most authentic representations of diversity I’ve seen on TV.

Another scene that does a great job of showing us what’s happening is when Abby is trying to inject herself with insulin. The viewer sees what’s happening through her eyes. The scene is blurry and the camera shakes.

I’m not usually one to pay too much attention to direction and camera work on a show, honestly. I’m usually too focused on the storyline and the acting. But watching The Resident  Season 2 Episode 2, “The Prince & the Pauper,” I can’t help but notice the brilliance of it.

Sometimes, show and tell are both necessary in a scene, and this episode does that wonderfully, too. In the scene where Drs. Pravesh, Hawkins, and Austin are explaining the surgical protocol of determining the margins of cancer to the intern, the viewer can easily understand what is happening because they’re being told.

But actually showing the procedure adds to the tension of the scene. We see the stakes, and we are invested in them too. Plus, the patient is Jack, someone who we’ve been growing to care about more and more as the episode proceeds.

I don’t know why, but all of these details combined build up to Bell doing the more extreme procedure on Jack perfectly. Even though he’s money hungry and morally corrupt, that scene helps me understand why he’s the only option to operate on Jack.

The Resident Season 2 Episode 2, “The Prince & the Pauper,” is the show at its best. I wish The Resident Season 2 Episode 1, “00:42:30,” flowed this well, but if this is the direction the season is headed, I’m happily along for the ride.

Doctor’s Notes:

• The Medevac helicopter wars are a great way to weave in the business element of running a hospital. I hope the thread continues.
• I also appreciate how Bell’s less than stellar history is being referenced in this arc. Or perhaps it’s just a continuing arc. Either way, it’s done well.
• The spark between Devon and Julian is surprising, to say the least. I like Priya, but I can buy this.
• I hope Julian’s history as a dancer somehow plays into her storyline.
• Not the biggest fan of the clinic storyline. I’m not convinced anything new and different can be done here.
• While interesting, Mina and Micah’s storyline is too predictable. The triangle forming with Dr. Austin is obvious from a mile away.
• Does anyone else want to know if there’s a reason both patients are/become diabetic?
• I still need Nic to be more than a side character in medically-focused stories. This season is struggling with that.

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 8/7c on FOX.

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