The Resident Review: The Flea (Season 3 Episode 14)
Conrad is BACK and so is Season 3’s super strength!
The Resident Season 3 Episode 14, “The Flea,” is a well-paced thrill, punctuated by intense moments of character introspection.
It’s kind of like the season has gone through major surgery and this episode is the recovery and healing phase where cut parts are re-fused.
“The Flea,” confirms that Devon as a character is strong when work is the core aspect of his story. Romantic relationships don’t highlight his character and never seem to really fit in the overall arc of his moral development.
It is refreshing to see him working with Levi to figure out the big mystery. Not every character needs a romance plot at all times. Dev is an example of a character who does best when he doesn’t have a love interest at all.
Mina and AJ, Minator, on the other hand, are enhanced as characters by the romantic storyline that is explored on “The Flea.”
Jealous Mina would have been a great thing to behold, but that’s not actually true to who she is.
Mina is an enigma. She doesn’t date or play or work like other people. She would never give someone her number and then ask a love interest’s best friend for red flag info. Never.
Mina loves AJ. He’s her best friend and perfect partner. Dr. Voss knows it too!
As a best friend, she would never threaten AJ’s happiness by something as relatively small as her own jealousy.
It hurts so good to see the two dance around the clear reality that they are soul mates. Importantly, it is not that Mina is being dishonest about her feelings or hiding them. She is just not ready yet for the type of perfect love that would be there between her and AJ.
She is growing, but until she has really developed her trust and ability to handle vulnerability, she is going to be on the sidelines, supporting The Raptor through whatever.
Mina’s ability to put aside her own needs for the benefit of the people she loves is really beautiful. She did that for Adaku on The Resident Season 3 Episode 13, “Conrad Gets His Groove Back,” and for AJ on “The Flea.”
She is on a journey of how to let people in to love her.
She’s clearly not there yet as she is deprioritizing/burying her own emotional desires. BUT, there is something almost magical about the fact that we get to see these baby steps in the right direction through her cute loving acts towards The Raptor.
Can you tell that I LOVE MINATOR!?
“The Flea,” also delivers great CoNic content and it is very focused on Conrad’s internal development.
HALLELUJAH! Yes, thank you, more, please!
Conrad explaining to Logan Kim how Dr. Cain is doing an amazing job and his patient is lucky to have him is a huge deal for Conrad.
Humility is simply not his thing. However, throughout Season 3 Conrad has been learning that his way is not the only way to excel at being a doctor. It is also not the only ethical way to be a doctor.
To let Cain be his teacher, a person who is quite evil, Conrad has to really put aside his own ego and recognize he is teachable.
That is huge growth.
It is absolutely brilliant that this growth and development is tied to how strong and safe Conrad feels in his relationship with Nic.
I guess it would be terrible timing considering Nic just puked her guts out, but oh my sweet shipping goodness, I want Conrad to propose right before he big spoons his love.
Matt Czuchry has his strongest episode on “The Flea.” He plays the whole episode with an uneasy countenance. He seems afraid.
Czuchry knows his character so well that he can imbue Conrad with this very subtle fear of vulnerability. It comes across in the supply closet, in the surgery bay, and finally at home with Nic.
Czuchry’s excellence as an actor is not heralded enough, possibly because he is also a heartthrob, but it is certainly warranted.
No one is more surprised than me that I’m about to write this, but here it goes. Dr. Bell deserves to have good things happen for him and I want to protect him at all costs.
How did we get here?!
Dr. Bell is becoming a good person. What a testament to how people can change. But, it is also a tension-building device as we all are just waiting to see what happens when his newfound morality is tested.
It is a thrilling miracle that The Resident is back on track and delivering the high-quality content we crave.
Doctors Notes
- Jane Leeves makes every episode better. Kit Voss is BOSS.
- The twitching calf is next level disturbing. Love it!
- I am so glad Nic said it – not every couple wants to spend every night together! A handful apart is a good thing for most of us.
- The interns are gone. Good. They aren’t adding anything.
- Nic could still be pregnant. Just saying.
- What does The Flea reference?
What did you think of this episode of The Resident? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
The Resident airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on Fox.
Follow us on Twitter and on 
Instagram!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
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.