The Resident Review: Free Fall (Season 3 Episode 11)
The need for the snuggle is real.
Mina gets there with Adaku’s sweet baby and it is beyond heartwarming to watch.
In the case of The Resident Season 3 Episode 11, “Free Fall,” however, the provider needs to find the snuggle itself.
The winter premiere reflects a departure from the excellence of the rest of Season 3. It fails to do what Conrad does on “Free Fall:” check-in with its core identity and impact on viewers/patients before making final decisions.
It is a one-off comment, but Conrad’s confession that he won’t feel good enough for Nic (and therefore won’t propose!?) if he doesn’t find a job as a doctor undermines the unique strength of CoNic.
CoNic is the kind of ship we can rely on. The love is steadfast and certain.
Surely, a job loss that came directly from Conrad doing the right thing as a whistleblower would not lessen or threaten Nic’s admiration for Conrad.
If anything, it will enhance it as Nic gets to see some of Conrad’s vulnerabilities.
The Resident needs to show how Conrad can be hurt and be, ya know, human, and if he allows himself to be that, he will grow stronger.
Instead, Conrad recommits to his invincibility and vows to take on the giant.
This is the road most traveled for Conrad. Frankly, it is disappointing.
The way the episode portrays Duchennes, a degenerative disease that typically includes a life expectancy of about 18 years, is also disappointing.
The zero-G airplane ride story is very cool. It is inspired by Stephen Hawking who indeed took such a ride in his lifetime.
Unfortunately, “Free Fall” stumbles as it shares the exciting and fascinating floating technology.
The most pressing oversight on the story is having an able-bodied actor play the role of a disabled character.
The floating scenes may have been difficult or impossible for a wheelchair-using actor, but stunt doubles could have filled in the gaps.
All those bleeding organs aren’t really flesh, so The Resident team is clearly very capable of elaborate special effects. The Halloween episode was full of amazing and complex visuals!
Disabled people are drastically underrepresented on screen. I can count on one hand the number of disabled characters played by disabled actors.
The Resident is committed to telling the truth about profit-seeking hospitals. Disability is inextricably tied to hospital care. The intrigue and novelty of Stephen Hawking’s stunt should not be the priority, the disabled experience with hospital care should be.
To be true to its heart, to get in the snug zone, The Resident needs to be telling the truth about experiences with hospitals and medical care, including, of course, degenerative diseases and wheelchair use.
The name of the book “Light in the Darkness,” indicates that disabled life is a darkness that needs to be fixed. That is a harmful message.
People with disabilities don’t need to be fixed, they need the world to be accessible.
It is us abled people who need to look at the ways we have created barriers and marginalized disabled people.
This is a new frontier for representation on TV.
Inspiration porn, for example, having a character with Down Syndrome get asked to the prom and win Prom King for no reason other than their disability, is the norm.
The goal of authentic representation is to reflect real life. In real life, disabled people are as varied as abled people. Some are villains like Cain, some are sultry saints like Nic.
The underlying assumption of the imagery and zero-gravity experience on “Free Fall,” is that for Finn, being out of his wheelchair, either through this final life event or in death, will be the only “light” or freedom in his life.
That’s a big yikes for me.
The other issue that stands out from the zero-G storyline is the wealth factor. That experience has got to be wildly expensive. Stephen Hawking could afford to do that because of his immense wealth.
The folks on the airplane are all super-wealthy people.
Finn is given the experience by the company as a gift, but that is not really explained or treated as exceptional. It feels kind of like a “Make a Wish” experience.
As a result, this experience is provided as somewhat normal (Conrad could just join in at the last minute and save a life right quick) rather than the very privileged experience of someone whose degenerative disease did not manifest until adulthood.
Again, I enjoy the zero-gravity plot and it is very cool that it is based on a true story. The Resident is so good at bringing us those “ripped from the science journals,” stories.
But, it needs to use caution too.
Just like Devon explains to his new interns, to be great, to save lives, a show needs to accept their mistakes, have the humility to defer, and do better next time.
The Resident has proven that it can make a big impact with authentic representation. If the show snuggles in, we are confident it can learn from some of the mishaps on the winter premiere.
Doctors Notes
- I don’t care for the new interns. They feel too first season to me. Where is Eloise! I’d like her back, please.
- Conrad better beat this giant quickly – we need that proposal, STAT.
- There are fantastic lines on the episode. I especially love, “the best and hardest thing to do is often to do nothing.”
- AJ and Cain in that face to face confrontation is STIRRING. I have chills.
- The introductory montage is super melodramatic and doesn’t catch us up on Adaku, which is what I really needed to know. Then again, any chance to just watch Matt Czuchry’s face is pretty welcome.
- I appreciate that Logan Kim is so deeply dastardly and is an Asian American character. Often, Asian American men get stuck in the “nerdy, shy, and harmless,” trope. Letting the bad guys be diverse is just as important as letting the good guys be diverse!
What did you think of this episode of The Resident? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Resident airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on Fox.
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Janelle Ureta
Janelle Ureta is equal parts Veronica Mars, Raven Reyes, and Rebecca Bunch, but she aspires to add some Tammy Taylor to the mix. An attorney turned teacher, Janelle believes in the power of a well-told story. She is currently exploring how to tell short stories, 140 characters or less, on twitter. She loves to talk about TV, and right now she can't shut up about Timeless, Dear White People, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The 100, or Younger.
One thought on “The Resident Review: Free Fall (Season 3 Episode 11)”
Yes it was addressed as to how he got to do the zero g ride, he said that he used his disability and wrote the company asking for the ride before he died
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