New Amsterdam Review: The Blues (Season 1 Episode 13)

Lauren’s employment fate is decided on New Amsterdam Season 1 Episode 13, “The Blues,” and what makes the journey truly unique to watch is the road she takes before choosing it for herself.

Janet Montgomery and Tyler Labine do wonderful work together. The whole intervention story is executed very differently than how TV usually does it. Some may even consider it difficult to watch.

It’s not different because of Lauren recalling her childhood traumas, but because of the content and pace of the scenes.

Interventions on Season 1 of a TV show are rare. But no matter the season the show is in, a typical TV drama intervention is a group event.

People gather and confront the addicted character, and there is the denial stage and maybe a bit of running and some monologues from one or more characters about how much they care about the addict.

I DVR the A&E show, and I know that this formula is sometimes reality; so is running away from the intervention.  But it would not have worked in this case, and I’m glad the team at New Amsterdam realizes that.

The reason it may have been hard to watch is that while this plot does not lack drama, the drama does not come with a side of action. Iggy and Lauren’s scenes take place in one room.

Iggy does care about Lauren, but I appreciate the fact that the show does not retcon a previous closeness between the characters that viewers haven’t seen. Iggy is being as objective as possible when determining Lauren’s fate.

He has to take her history; he doesn’t just automatically know what viewers don’t. If we’re being very honest, perhaps there is a better person to evaluate Lauren than Iggy, as well as it is done in the end.

Child and adult psychology are different fields. I’m a bit confused about the specialization Iggy has. It’s either child psychology or both, maybe?

As the episode progresses, it becomes clear why (no matter what the situation would be in real life), for entertainment purposes, Iggy is a better choice to evaluate Lauren than a random psychiatrist we (and probably Lauren) have never met.

One of the most hard-hitting lines of the episode happens when Lauren is unable to see the emotional damage her father has done to her.

Iggy: You just described him as an emotionally closed-off workaholic who was in complete denial that his personal life was on fire. Who does that sound like?

I almost felt that line slap me through the screen. So imagine what Lauren feels!

If the person saying that were a stranger and not Iggy, she would’ve walked out and never come back. I doubt many people would blame her.

Pride is real, friends. But Lauren needs to hear it. She seems to have been completely clueless about her dad’s behavior being part of the reason why she runs away from what is hard and is an addict.

It’s quite interesting to stop and think about the relationship between genetics and psychologically-based behavior.

Iggy takes a risk when he “clears” Lauren, trusting that she will come back to him having realized she can’t practice medicine right now.

As a viewer, I would not have been ready to take that risk on her. She has been mostly aloof and hard to understand all season. Then again, viewers only know her as an addict.

Hopefully, we’ll get to meet the real Lauren Bloom soon. She should not be faulted for protecting herself in the “survival of the fittest” environment she grew up in.

But when she gets back from rehab herself, we now know that there is a family of addicts she has the desire to return to and help.

Speaking of Lauren leaving, the directorial decisions and camera work in the scene between her and Max are beautiful to watch.

Initially, one of the topics I thought I might discuss in this review is how annoying it sometimes is when Max’s cancer seems to be ignored on an episode. But it’s not ignored here.

Lauren: My job means everything to me, Max.
Max: I know the feeling.

But he also promises her the job will be there for her when she is ready and gives her a heartfelt nod, because he means everything he is saying. We know he means it because we know who Max is at this point.

As Lauren’s limo drives away, the camera zooms in (very shakily, I couldn’t help but notice) on Max’s face.

Seeing how Max’s story on the episode revolves around making people and their jobs feel valuable, the touch of sadness in his eyes may have been for Lauren — or it may have been fear that cancer will take his job from him whether he likes it or not.

Either way, this last scene is a perfect end to the episode, from the song that plays over it to the last shot of Lauren in tears.

Doctors Notes:

• Every character’s storyline on the episode is so fulfilling to watch. That might be because the creator wrote it, but it’s always a great sign when you notice the quality work done by the “writer in charge.”
• Even though Ella is coming from a place of anger, her speech to Vijay about why he feels he needs to protect her from Rohan is so empowering.
• It doesn’t seem like Vijay is coming from a bad place at all. But no matter what, it’s becoming frustrating that as a viewer I’m unclear as to whether he wants friendship or romance. The character may not know, but this love triangle is too familial for me. Ella doesn’t deserve to be caught between a father and son romantically. It makes me very uneasy.
• Poor Vijay! It’s so important to write vulnerable men, men who are not afraid to show their feelings and cry. It’s VERY hard to tell if he knows what his feelings for Ella are. If he truly doesn’t — yes, what he does to Rohan is shady. But he truly is worried about Ella. It’s heartbreaking.
• It’s important that Iggy tells Lauren he knows what he was doing when he fake “clears” her. Viewers need to hear that, too.
• Can Max really just decide to open a new clinic on his own? I follow how he gave people more meaningful jobs, and though I truly believe these people would’ve been fired long before now in reality, I like the way the story is told. I’m just sure he needs approval first. I just want this point mentioned.
• Helen’s love story is so sweet. New Amsterdam does a wonderful job with the pacing of big storylines, weaving them in and out of episodes as needed. I can’t wait to see her journey next week.

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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New Amsterdam Renewed for Season 2