The Resident Review: Support System (Season 3 Episode 19)

Seriously, where is Dr. Mina Okafor?! 

Chastain is on the brink of a hospital-wide public health crisis on The Resident Season 3 Episode 19, “Support System,” and we’re feeling lost without the sharpest doctor on the block. 

The episode is solid, even without Mina. But, her absence remains a case that needs to be solved.

“Support System” is eerily topical as Cain’s ruthless decisions to keep people alive end up bringing a deadly virus to the hospital. 

That pink sticker is scarier than a ghost. 

The way that the episode informs us about the process of getting intubated with a ventilator is equal parts helpful and disturbing. Even though a shortage of ventilators is not at issue, the inclusion of the device and the process is an eery art imitating life aspect of the episode. 

The virus emergency is a great frame to explore Cain’s ethics and Ezra as a new character. We actually see a chink in Dr. Cain’s armor, especially when Conrad confronts him in his hiding spot. 

We don’t know which of the enumerated vices is the one for Cain, but we know that he indeed has trouble facing himself in the mirror. 

That’s the insight and nuance that we need to make Cain a compelling villain, as I brought up on The Resident Season 3 Episode 18, “So Long, Dawn Long.” 

The way Cain’s early mistake, one that didn’t come from malice or a desire for power, has snowballed into a wildly evil medical practice is a surprisingly effective illustration of the trajectory of a lie. 

Once an ethical line is crossed it is so much easier to keep on making the wrong choice to protect the initial lie. Cain crossed the line so long ago that what an ethical choice looks like is fuzzy in the distance.

Cain has ethical nearsightedness. 

Initially, Ezra seemed like a kind of throwaway, perfunctory character. The tide turns in a big way on “Support System,” when we get to see Ezra as a morally complex individual who walks the tightrope of “doing the right thing” alongside Conrad and Devon. 

Ezra is caught up in the web of Cain’s lie, but he still manages to spindle out a path forward. It is painful to see him use his OCD as a way to lie to Conrad and Devon, but it’s a good kind of pain.

We want characters who make questionable courses because it highlights the shades of grey in medical ethics. 

Ezra fits the bill and we look forward to more exploration of his character.

Just when I think I can’t love Nurse Nic Nevin any more, she goes and becomes a support system for a person in need of a lung transplant. 

The tears are flowing and they keep on going as Dr. Voss faces the terrible realities of her son-in-law’s cancer. 

Both arcs are sweet and emotional and they compliment the tense and frightening story in the hospital room next door. 

By the end of the episode, our worry for Derek and Issac becomes linked to the virus. That darn sticker! The episode sets us up nicely for a really devastating and impacting next episode. 

Doctors Notes

• Dr. Voss casually mentioning she’s not together with her daughter’s dad is VERY interesting. The ship is back!
• I’d like at least ten seconds an episode of CoNic wedding planning. 
• Logan Kim is a bad guy, but he had some good ideas in that morning meeting. 
• The Raptor is looking super fine on the episode and Mina isn’t even here to see it!
• The other resident assigned to Devon has just kind of disappeared and I am cool with that. 
• If we get a bottle episode of all these people quarantined, I will pass out from joy and fear.

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!

Esme’s 20 Most Influential Female TV Characters