New Amsterdam Review: Same as it Ever Was (Season 4 Episode 3)

All of our doctors are realizing that they don’t have the answers they thought they did on New Amsterdam Season 4 Episode 3, “Same as it Ever Was.”

This is vindicating to watch, especially when it comes to Max and Iggy. 

Max’s optimism has often been New Amsterdam‘s fatal flaw. TV provides us with an escape, but even so, watching Max fix major issues within our medical system quickly is often maddening. Sometimes, Max’s solutions are too far from reality. 

Imani Moore is awesome and so is the fact that an 18-year-old created “smart” turnip sutures that don’t require technology. They are even necessary.

Still, a science fair project is not going to change the world because one doctor snaps his fingers. 

The whole situation is hard to buy into. But the legal pushback that Imani and Max face and the fact that Imani getting the rights to her sutures back is her only real win is at least a little bit grounded and is humbling for Max. 

Shifting to Iggy, even though he doesn’t have a narcissistic personality disorder, he has been a self-centered know-it-all for as long as we’ve known him.

Dr. Aguilar appears to be a little bit of a robotic sociopath when compared to her “boss.” But in the scene where Iggy forces Wandi to cry about her patient’s suicide, we see how ridiculous and emotional Iggy’s method is. 

There is a happy medium here that both Iggy and Wandi need to find. But it’s good to know that Wandi does have feelings. I wouldn’t want a psychiatric doctor who would not have empathy if I died. 

There is a version of New Amsterdam in which we meet Wandi’s suicidal patient and the story impacts us more. It’s a braver version and one I wish we could have back. 

But the pacing and content of these stories is better than we’ve seen all season. So, let’s just hope we keep seeing progress in this direction. 

If I’m being honest, Dr. Reynolds’ storyline is the only one I want to write about, and it proves that sometimes, medical stories are more powerful when we don’t meet the patients. 

The sentence above is not one I ever expected myself to type and definitely proves there are exceptions to most rules. 

Reynolds seeing different faces on mass shooting victims highlights the fact that these tragedies happen too often in the U.S. It’s also a very cinematic way to depict the emotional toll that mass shootings have on not just healthcare workers, but the entire population of the country. 

Sure, healthcare workers are heroes who see the effects of gun violence up close and save lives. I’m not trying to discount that. 

But it’s easy to relate to how desensitized Floyd is to the horror. Of course mass shootings are outrageous events that should never happen. It’s just hard to feel the outrage when it doesn’t appear like they’ll stop any time soon. 

Floyd really does need Lyn at the end of the day. The rules of their relationship would be difficult for anyone to handle. So, it’s good to see that she really does see him as a partner and will break her own rules for him from time to time. 

Shifting gears to Dr. Veronica Fuentes, I have never been happier to welcome a cliché villain onto a show that I expect more from. 

Her mere presence is indicating that Max will stay at New Amsterdam and that is what I want. No offense to Max and Helen’s relationship. It’s just that the faster we stop pretending Max is moving to London the better. 

Max’s quote du jour on “Same as it Ever Was,” is “It’s not about when they say ‘no.’ It’s about what you do next.”

Dr. Fuentes is likely the reason he knows this and it’s exciting that we are about to watch a deep-rooted rivalry unfold. 

Doctor’s Notes 

• The cold open is amazing. 
• I love watching Leyla put Lauren in her place, it’s exactly what she needs. 
• Helen appears to have given up her quest to become a mother. Seeing how much she hates things related to children…maybe that’s a good thing? 
• Casey deserves his own storyline. 
• Why is New Amsterdam pretending that Lauren and Floyd are a completely platonic version of Harry and Sally from “When Harry Met Sally”? As a former shipper of the pair who is okay with them never being together again — this is annoying. 

 

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

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