New Amsterdam Season 5 Episode 3 Review: Big Day
New Amsterdam Season 5 Episode 3, “Big Day,” doubles down on the mess that the show’s final season has been so far. There’s no stopping this train wreck in motion.
If there’s one word, one feeling that could describe this episode, it’s icky. Everything about the story is so viscerally uncomfortable as it’s revealed. As has been the trend lately, the execution leaves much to be desired.
New Amsterdam remains committed to setting up Max and Elizabeth as a thing, and it’s not working. If anything, this episode proves there’s just no time to develop these two as a couple.
The way that these two fly to Bermuda and demand information about a blood donor is these two at their ugliest, frankly. They would have been better off harassing the Toronto General Hospital for the blood they need.
There’s just so much to unpack about the history of white people using Black bodies without consent to aid in medical advancement and development. The fact that the full story was withheld from this blood donor just makes everything worse.
New Amsterdam has always been about raising ethical and moral questions, and not necessarily giving viewers easy answers. How far we have fallen.
With how disgusting the rest of this story became, it can be easy to brush the story of the Black woman who was coerced into donating her rare blood by two white medical professionals.
The fact that the blood donor just decides to listen to the two white doctors asking for her blood out of nowhere not only doesn’t make sense, but it also leads to a very gross feeling of paternalism that never leaves.
New Amsterdam has had fans believe that this group of characters understand the systemic issues that plague western medicine to this day. This episode does nothing to convince anyone that this is still the case.
New Amsterdam is also committed to Floyd’s bizarre story, which is really about his father. Again, as a reminder, diagnosing someone in absentia without consent is incredibly unethical.
It’s also uncomfortable that the show’s choice is to have his father express glee and see himself as not responsible for anything upon having Floyd tell him bipolar is a possible diagnosis.
This feels like a man who’s eager to have anything to blame for his past actions. While it may be daunting for him to accept the diagnosis and seek treatment, it feels dishonest to have his first reaction be to absolve himself of all responsibility.
It’s not that the idea of Floyd re-connecting with his father is in itself a bad idea. It’s actually fairly solid. By only showing Floyd in relation to other characters there is no chance for him to grow on his own.
The shade thrown at Floyd just might be the best part of this episode. Seriously, if we need to keep seeing Floyd’s family, having his mom and sister keep dragging him for dating a married woman is a welcome distraction from everything else.
The main medical storyline is among the most disturbing story New Amsterdam has tackled in a long time. It’s honestly difficult to watch, even knowing that child marriage is an issue in almost every U.S. state.
The worst part about this story is that there is no resolution. As the characters each realize, there will be no punishment for anyone involved in this wedding. In fact, there’s every possibility that the wedding will continue in some capacity.
This story is all too true to life. The statistics on child marriage are alarming. If there’s anything effective about this episode, it’s that it captures the visceral disgust everyone should feel at the prospect of a child being married off to an adult.
Ultimately, this could have been a compelling way to address the very real issue of child marriage in the United States. It comes across as a stilted PSA. It could have been commentary on how we still assume that this doesn’t happen in the U.S.
The other disturbing story on this episode of New Amsterdam is Lauren’s jeopardized addiction recovery. It’s commendable that the show is trying to flesh out, and conclude this story arc.
Unfortunately, this is yet another example of the show doing too little, too late. There is clearly a lot to unpack between Lauren and her sister Vanessa, and there is precious little time to do it.
It could be interesting to see how Lauren navigates her sobriety while her sister is still in the midst of active addiction. However, with the way character development has been handled so far, there’s little reason to be optimistic.
The benefit of this storyline is that Casey isn’t here to see this disaster unfold. He really looked the mess that the DamFam has become and said, “I’ve seen enough”. He manages to be the most relatable character associated with this show.
New Amsterdam continues its fall from grace, and further proves to audiences that it’s no longer equipped to handle real-world issues sensitively and in a compelling way.
If there’s anything redeeming left about New Amsterdam at this point, it’s that there are a mere ten episodes for us to suffer through.
What did you think of this episode of New Amsterdam? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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New Amsterdam airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on NBC.
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Justine Kraemer
Justine is an unashamed fan of too many TV shows and movies with a particular love of all things Marvel. She balances her love of massive massively popular shows with hidden gems that are just waiting to be discovered.
One thought on “New Amsterdam Season 5 Episode 3 Review: Big Day”
I disagree with most of your critique. I do agree about the racist issue of two white doctors chasing down a black donor in the Bahamas for a transfusion, but not much else. While some of the things you cite do resonate, I feel that your review of the episode has an agenda–a dissing agenda.
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