New Amsterdam Review: Disconnected (Season 3 Episode 9)

At its core, New Amsterdam Season 3 Episode 9, “Disconnected,” deals with the dangerous effects of falsities disguised as facts.

It accomplishes its goal by using such polarizing political and social justice issues that it’s understandable if you need a minute of meditation at the end of the hour like Iggy’s patients. 

Quite frankly, after dealing with Allison’s parents, Dr. Reynolds deserves a whole week off. 

Let’s be clear. They are racist because they weaponize Blackness as a way to excuse themselves for the accident that happens to their daughter because of the fear that institutionalized racism perpetuates in society.

Their misunderstanding of the terms “Black lives matter” and “defund the police” is just a side effect of institutionalized racism, but they are definitely racist because of the many actions they take to prove as much. 

To put it in Floyd’s words: 

“You panic bought a firearm and left it loaded and unlocked in the proximity of your daughter. And when she got hurt, you tried to cover it up by filing a false police report based on race — a felony in New York…I’m not done. Because then, y’all had the audacity to claim that all lives matter while the police were combing the streets profiling Black and brown faces — faces like mine, which apparently don’t matter enough to you….”

Allison’s parents are lucky that Floyd is mature enough to focus on his job and save Allison’s life. 

I don’t say that to suggest he would in any way take his anger out on Allison. But the episode is triggering as a viewer.

So, it’s an absolute accomplishment that he is able to focus on his job while part of that includes enduring such blatant ignorance. Anger or anxiety would be valid here. But as a Black man, Dr. Reynolds has undoubtedly had a lot of practice restraining himself. 

New Amsterdam reminds us of the hardships we as a society force Black people to deal with every day. They are deep and complex, and it’s about time we see these articulately and consistently told on TV. 

The plot about the apartment complex that gets hoodwinked by “Rona Vax” is equally as important because false information does not discriminate.

We see through Allison’s parents and the residents of the low-income housing building that no matter your income or race, you are susceptible to poor quality information. 

Of course, without the internet, the building residents have less of a choice in the information they choose to believe than someone who has the world wide web at their fingertips.

But it’s important for Max to see that the problem of misinformation is not solved by giving someone access to the internet. In fact, without creating N.A.T.H.N. for people, Max may have exacerbated the problem. 

Even though the telehealth network is essential, it’s becoming frustrating watching him solve every problem so quickly and completely at the end of an hour. 

One can’t watch New Amsterdam anymore without giving the doctors passes for their quick, brilliant fixes. But doing it episode after episode starts to take the power away from all of the brilliant solutions. 

Speaking of losing power, Dr. Kao takes it away from herself by not getting any information at all from Romy before hiring her. 

In fairness to Agnes, she is not asking for the jobs she is being given. But the speed at which she is willing to hire her idol is absurd. 

Is talking to Dr. Kao the only step in the hiring process? Are there backsies allowed? Because if not, Agnes is adding a new layer to the term “don’t meet your idol.” It’s more like “Don’t meet your idol and don’t hire them without making them speak first.” 

It all ties back to the theme of the quality of information we receive. Agnes teaches us that we need to get the information in the first place. Apparently, that’s not common knowledge. 

But, just for good measure once you get the information, please weigh it against other reliable sources to learn real facts. 

Perhaps the deeper lesson here is that no human being is made to be idolized and blindly followed. We are all flawed. So, the best we can do is surround ourselves with people who don’t use their flaws as weapons against others. 

Doctor’s Notes 

• The whole “internet” theme is convenient but the title of the episode also refers to our characters’ disconnection from others. Wow, is it hard to see Max struggling to find time for Luna. 
• I absolutely love the tree in Bloom and Leyla’s apartment. 
• If Bloom really thinks she’s bad with living things, why does she save human lives for a living? 
• Chance is still annoying but he might be around for a while. He’ll grow on me, the story is more complicated than I thought. 
• I really hope we see Ella again soon. What is that baby’s name? 
• This episode should have a Black director. 
• My bar for New Amsterdam is so high now, I have no idea when I’ll give five stars again. 

What did you think of this episode of New Amsterdam? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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New Amsterdam airs Tuesday at 10/9c on NBC.

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