New Amsterdam Review: Anima Sola (Season 1 Episode 12)
New Amsterdam Season 1 Episode 12, “Anima Sola,” is my favorite episode of the series thus far.
From the moment we enter Max and Georgia’s apartment and see the aftermath of their baby shower to the moment Max’s nausea stops the hospital tour he was assisting on (and “Walking on Sunshine” in the background) in its tracks. Essentially, it had me at hello.
The episode defies my expectations. Not only the ones I have for the series but the ones I have for medical dramas as a genre.
Other fictional hospitals don’t have such deeply rooted financial problems. So, a three-million-dollar machine to help a patient who needs heart surgery without anesthesia would just suddenly appear for the doctors like magic.
Knowing the show and Max, I half expect Max to pull that money out of the air. In the scene with Drs. Kapoor and Reynolds, when he laughs about the three million and starts talking about how University Hospital has the machine, I expect him to figure out a way to get his team over there.
But to suggest that Dr. Reynolds lie by omission and let everyone at University think he’s Dr. Merritt (the former head of cardiothoracic surgery?) As Reynolds says, “That’s crazy, even for you.”
It’s also a huge detail to make viewers believe that any medical personnel would ignore. So, I’m glad they address this. I’m conflicted about whether I like the way they handle it.
I know that our healthcare system is flawed. As scary as it is, doctors and nurses and everyone in between miss things. They make life-threatening mistakes and suffer consequences (or don’t.) As Max says,
“If the system can’t handle the little things, then it certainly won’t notice the big ones.”
I go back and forth about it. I don’t remember a storyline like it on another medical show.
So, it is fun to watch and I respect it. But this needs to be said: New Amsterdam hasn’t mastered keeping me on the edge of my seat. To be fair, I probably need more than half of a season to get to know the doctors more.
Surprisingly, I appreciate the fake-out we get when Maren can’t see her daughter Violet after surgery at first. Was sneaking into the hospital with the three million dollar machine completely pointless? Both Reynolds and Kapoor promise Maren so much.
But, I love the scene depicting the family’s sadness when she can’t see her daughter after surgery. Maren’s deep breath to prepare; her husband’s hopeful smile. Then watching Maren open her eyes and then turn her face away so Violet doesn’t see her pain. It’s heartbreaking, but a beautiful scene to watch.
And then, her words to Violet.
“It’s OK, baby. Because in my head and my heart I see you clearly, OK? I see you perfectly.”
It all ends with a family hug. And it’s perfect and heartbreaking. Then, I love that when she does see, it’s a flawed scene. Violet isn’t facing Maren. She is busy coloring, not squarely in front of her mom’s face like the first time. Her husband catches her eye first and they share tearful laughs.
It’s so clever to shoot a few seconds of film blurry so we can see everything from Maren’s point-of-view. Situations like that don’t always have the sweet ending. But on New Amsterdam they tend to. The whole arc is very well done.
The other story that makes this episode so good is the conflict between Drs. Bloom and Sharpe. First, as a part Puerto Rican woman living on Long Island who has family who experienced Hurricane Maria, I know that just mentioning it is important.
There are people still suffering. It still matters.
But to get into the meat of the storyline, the way they weave Ivan and Miguel’s story into Helen and Lauren’s is so smart.
I’m obviously caught up on the show, but I have to say I’m unsure about whether Lauren is actively addicted without seeking help or if she is getting help. That said, I trust her gut 100% throughout the episode, and Helen did not find pills in Lauren’s bag.
Helen’s mistrust of Lauren really is what put the patients from the vineyard in the most danger. So yes, I definitely agree with their assessment that they can’t work together. Sure, I was calling for someone to tell Max she needs help already in my review of New Amsterdam Season 1 Episode 11, “A Seat at the Table.”
But, while you’re treating patients and help your colleague and give her some time. I know Max makes the first “final” call. And locking doctors out of a room during medical treatment is a no no. But if Sharpe were in that room? I’m not confident the patients would get what they need.
So, Helen makes me uneasy right now.
I’m also worried about what’s to come for Lauren. I do love that Ivan gives her the Anima Sola statue for protection he doesn’t know she needs. I’m rooting for both of them and even their friendship. Lauren needs help more than anything.
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.