New Amsterdam Review: A Seat at the Table (Season 1 Episode 11)
There is a lot to unpack on New Amsterdam Season 1 Episode 11, “A Seat at the Table.”
Let’s start with Ella. I’ve decided Gertie is a real chihuahua. She has to be. Otherwise, why suddenly put my girl in the middle of a familial love triangle?
If visits with Dr. Frome were in Ella’s future, we wouldn’t be wondering why on earth this innocent barista will soon find herself the rope in an awkward tug of war between father and son. Am I the only person who thinks that’s the direction this is going in? Please do let me know if you think I’m the one who should book an appointment with Iggy.
Also, I’m just a girl who writes about and loves TV. Why are all the characters I love involved in weird familial love triangles? It’s cruel. Ella’s (potential) situation is a step above the one on my mind, because no matter who she chooses she won’t be kissing anyone her daughter should be calling “Auntie.” But still… it’s just awkward.
Rohan seems like a cool guy, and he’s closer to Ella’s age… but poor Vijay! He has feelings for her. I’m not a neurosurgeon, but if I were, I’d like to think I’d only spend $2,000 on a dog I’ve never met if I loved her owner. If my child started dating said dog owner? That’s such a knife in the heart.
Ella has no idea what’s coming. Just spin her off. Give her her own show called “Cappuccino Confessions” and leave father and son to go have feelings for some other unsuspecting soul.
Speaking of characters who don’t deserve to be sucker punched, Floyd Reynolds can’t seem to escape white privilege. I do understand the journalist’s perspective: She found the mug shot, so she has to ask about the story behind it. Where she is wrong is in creating the story in her head before she asks.
After she hears it, she can (hopefully) determine that it’s irrelevant to the story about Floyd she’s trying to tell.
In fact, rather than analyze Floyd’s storyline this week, I’ll just let his words speak for themselves. I’m a wheelchair user and white-passing Latina woman. I can say with almost complete certainty that no cop will ever pull me over and arrest me just because he doesn’t like my “tone.”
Jocko Sims also gives the best performance of the episode in this scene. The line I love is simple but so important:
“I’m a good surgeon. Period. That’s your story.”
Lauren and Helen’s story right now is a bit more complicated. It’s going to explode on a future episode. But I’ve been wracking my brain to think of a situation in which digging through a co-worker’s bag as Helen does is acceptable. I’ve failed to come up with anything. Because there isn’t one. Even if Lauren has a drug problem.
Helen isn’t Lauren’s boss. If she has suspicions of a relapse, she should talk to Lauren, and then go to Max if she needs to.
A mistake many shows make is telling viewers that two characters are friends, but not having them earn it on screen. This is nowhere near a Meredith and Cristina Twisted Sisters situation. So, yes, Helen is a better choice than Lauren for Deputy Medical Director. But she makes the wrong choice here.
I wish someone would tell Max already. It might not help Lauren’s employment status, but at least we know Max would do his best to help her. Helping people is his favorite hobby, after all.
In other news, I absolutely love Andy. He seems sweet, and I love that Max understands his genuine love for being inside the hospital. But funding a homeless man’s apartment forever? No matter that Max’s logic seems sound based on how much Andy’s needless tests are costing the hospital, this seems like the show’s most ridiculous solution yet.
New Amsterdam is based on a book about a man’s actual experience. I forget that sometimes. But when Max’s solutions get this extreme, it makes me wonder just how much poetic license they’re taking.
The medical director of Bellvue Hospital had cancer. That’s about all that feels true on the show sometimes. That’s fine. But some of the cases seem so unrealistic, they just might be true.
Max often feels too “good” to me, and it does affect my opinion of the show. I do like watching his path to surrender to the fact that he needs that seat at the chemo table. I hope we learn more about everyone else at the table on future episodes.
What did you think of this episode of New Amsterdam? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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New Amsterdam airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on NBC.
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Esme Mazzeo
Esme Mazzeo is a lifestyle and entertainment journalist from Long Island. When she's not writing for work, she's writing for fun, or searching for something to satisfy her sweet tooth. She thinks rainy days are the best kind of days. Certified night owl.