New Amsterdam Review: The Kármán Line (Season 2 Episode 5)
New Amsterdam Season 2 Episode 5, “The Kármán Line,” features one of the most emotionally intense scenes on the show so far.
The game Iggy plays with his callous-unemotional patient, Juliet (Emma Ming Hong), is very difficult to watch. As she deliberately hurts him to make fake apologies and “earn” a reward, Iggy can’t hold back his emotional response.
It’s jarring to watch a child spit in an adult’s face just to earn the reward she is promised based on the only system she understands.
It’s also amazing acting on Hong’s part, especially considering how young she is.
Tyler Labine is equally formidable in the scene. I imagine deeply controlled discomfort is very hard to portray when someone spits on you, even though both Labine and Dr. Frome are in a professional setting.
Julliette’s storyline makes clear just how difficult Iggy’s job is and helps defines his character outside of that job.
It’s clear from the scene where Juliet is pretending to care about Calvin in order to get his phone that her diagnosis is correct and she’s going to be a difficult patient to treat.
Replacing emotions and a moral code with a reward system may be behavioral therapy, but it isn’t a cure.
Yet, life as a patient at New Amsterdam will arguably be better for Juliet than life inside a correctional facility.
Iggy could have given up on Juliet. She’s not going to learn empathy. Instead, he sees her fate as the reason he has to treat her.
New Amsterdam is great at balancing serious plots with light-hearted ones and crafting an extremely enjoyable episode.
But Juliet’s storyline made me realize that she show should begin considering centric episodes.
None of the other storylines take away from Iggy and Julliette, but I want more of that story alone — and most of the other stories would not suffer if they were pushed to a later episode.
There is no urgent, earthshattering reveal.
The intensity of that one storyline makes it very hard to shift the discussion onto everyone else.
However, it’s exciting that Lauren realizes that her sex with Dr. Ligon is just replacing her other addiction. It would have been hard to handle if the show kept treating it as a joke.
Hopefully, Lauren’s sexcapades end.
Floyd’s relationship with Evie is going so strong that he’s loving her by letting her go. Or, he’s at least loving her by letting her keep working instead of helping him plan their wedding.
I’m all about a woman valuing her job over her wedding, but something still feels off with this story.
It’s not going to be smooth sailing now that Evie doesn’t have to feel guilty for being away from Floyd. Nor should it be, because I’m probably not the only viewer who isn’t exactly convinced that they love each other enough to be together forever.
No matter what happens there, the lesson Floyd learns from Makenzie and her husband is pretty awesome.
The scene where Makenzie is having the stress test on her heart done and pictures herself in space is visually stunning.
There is an entirely different kind of beauty watching Vijay try to respect Ella and allow her to make her abortion decision alone.
At one point on this show, it appeared as if the two of them were going to be together romantically, but whatever this other relationship they’re building is — it’s so much more satisfying to watch.
This episode packs so much good in, and none of the stories suffer for it. But hopefully, the New Amsterdam team knows they can slow down a bit and it might result in more impactful episodes.
Doctor’s Notes
- Max’s approach of helping one patient at a time this season is less frustrating to watch, but still unrealistic.
- I want Max to do whatever he needs to heal, but let’s just write it down — his visions of Georgia are officially worrisome. It could realistically be his cancer getting aggressive again, but I hope not. That’s so predictable.
- Pet Peeve: Physical therapists are rarely doctors, even though they sometimes work in hospitals.
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.
2 comments
Physical therapists ALL graduate with a Doctorate degree now, and therefore, if they choose, they can use their Doctor title proudly, as they have earned it through very tough courses of study. Please respect the profession. That being said, I do agree with the rest of the article and your thoughts and observations!
This was the BEST episode, covering new ground, making advancements. Of utmost importance was Julliette’s storyline- she is the sister who choked her brother simply because she wanted his phone. She is missing “empathy.” She manipulates to get what she wants or else. Parents should be on high alert if their child is like this! If they are in denial, they can not prevent possible mass shootings. My friend has a son like this. He steals from them, & gets aggressive & violent if they try even to take away his computer time. Logic & loving words don’t reach him. I told her to watch this episode to see the truth about her son, in Julliette. She thanked me.
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