The Resident Season 6 Episode 5 Review: A River in Egypt
Before diving into all the juicy aspects of the episode, how great is it seeing Randolph Bell back on The Resident Season 6 Episode 5, “A River in Egypt”? We missed having him around and watching him interact with everyone — particularly Kit Voss.
His return goes hand-in-hand with the battle between being rational and emotional when facing a case, patient, or situation at work. Unfortunately, that’s precisely what Voss has to meet with Devon’s newest research proposal.
The Resident tests the doctors, making them face their biggest fears and traumas as they continue to save lives and do their best to honor their patients.
Devon, Irving, and Immortality
When a new patient reaches out to Devon to fund his recent research, the doctor has to decide whether to give in to the patient’s delusion or stick to his knowledge.
However, the case opens the floor for Irving and Devon to face certain fears and doubts. On the one hand, we have Devon, who is 100% rational and bases his decisions on facts and knowledge.
He knows immortality is impossible, so his immediate reaction is to dismiss the patient’s dream of slowing down time. But that is when Irving’s more idealistic and emotional persona comes in.
Irving adds a twist to the case by speaking about his fear of death. He is the one who makes this patient and his issues more relatable to the audience. After all, aren’t most of us afraid of dying?
The Resident manages to give us a balance between these two characters and their very distinct differences. As a result, we have a rational doctor who explains the case to us and an emotional one who makes us connect with the patient even if he is so far from reality.
But this immortality-believer doesn’t only make Devon and Irving compare rationality to emotions. It does the same thing for Kit Voss.
From the beginning of Season 6, Kit has been trying to find a way to keep funding coming into Chastain while the new Governor isn’t supportive of healthcare. Devon brings the solution to this.
With a new patient who wants to invest his money in Pravesh’s research, the money issue should be resolved, but think again.
Voss is afraid this man trying to slow down time will bring the bad press into what they are trying to do with the research. But when Devon mentions the investment will benefit every research they do (including MS), Kit becomes emotional.
As we witnessed on The Resident Season 6 Episode 2, “Peek and Shriek,” she is still struggling with Bell’s diagnosis. Rationally, she knows the investment might not be the best for Chastain, given the client’s dream of immortality. But, emotionally, she needs the funding to keep exploring the illness that affects her soon-to-be husband.
Conrad, Cade, Billie, and a Dying Patient
When a patient returns to Chastain, reminding Conrad of his first successful case as an intern, things turn for the worst.
The patient’s illness, secretive behavior, and sad death make the doctors work together and consequentially connect with feelings they have all been trying to keep at bay.
To continue with this rationality versus emotions theme that “A River in Egypt” brings to the scene, we have Conrad and the patient’s girlfriend. She takes notes and analyzes everything the doctors are saying while Conrad thinks about the patient’s life and how hard it must have been to keep his struggle a secret for so long.
But when it comes to his conversation with Cade, Conrad becomes the rational one. He talks about how important it is to go to the doctor and keep up with follow-up appointments. On the contrary, Cade speaks about the necessity of avoiding trauma.
In both instances, we have a contrast that The Resident manages perfectly. This is represented physically when Conrad and Cade are conversing in the OR gallery. There is a window that separates them from the chaos of surgery.
On one side is the practical part of the conversations — surgeons operating, trying to save the patient’s life. On the other side, Conrad and Cade talk about feelings, emotions, and trauma.
This is done throughout the episode when Billie is working on the patient. Conrad and Billie are very comfortable with each other, so it’s common for them to have different conversations while at work.
As Billie starts talking more about her feelings, the patient deteriorates. The more Conrad tries to pry information out of her, the worse the patient gets.
This correlation between the patients’ and the doctor’s personal lives is something The Resident has always done. We should applaud it as it keeps continuity on the show and reminds the fans of essential details that have occurred throughout the seasons.
The Raptor and Padma
Throughout “A River in Egypt,” we see The Raptor struggling to be in the hospital without thinking back on Padma and the twins.
Rationally, he is back at work and knows he needs to focus. He knows Padma chose to be a mother and wanted it so badly. That new moms take some time to adjust to their new reality.
As much as he confirms his doubts with Leela — who guarantees Padma is okay — his gut is telling him there is something wrong. His feelings tell him Padma isn’t as okay as she seems.
This time around, it is evident that emotions are the winners. Toward the end of the episode, AJ finds Padma crying in the bathroom.
This storyline will be an interesting one to follow. Hopefully, The Resident will explore it further and touch upon a mother’s feelings after giving birth.
Stray Observations
- It was nice not to see Ian and his drug abuse for a change. It felt like the entire season up until now had revolved around this issue, and as much as we love drama, a change was needed.
- This episode proves Irving is the glue that holds Chastain together. Both cases end up connected to him. Conrad’s patient starts in the ER with him, while Devon invites him to be a part of his case. It is exciting to see his character explored, and hopefully, they continue doing so.
- Bell’s return is overdue, and we are happy to see him back! Even though his scene is short, the chemistry with Kit Voss is undeniable, and the shippers are glad to see them together again. The wedding bells are getting louder and louder now.
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What did you think of this episode of The Resident? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Resident airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on FOX.
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Lara Rosales
By day, Lara Rosales (she/her) is a solo mom by choice and a bilingual writer with a BA in Latin-American Literature known as a Media Relations Expert. By night, she is a TV enjoyer who used to host a podcast (Cats, Milfs & Lesbian Things). You can find her work published on Eulalie Magazine, Geek Girl Authority, W Spotlight, Collider, USA Wire, Mentors Collective, Instelite, Noodle, Dear Movies, Nicki Swift, and Flip Screened.