Hello, and welcome back to The Resident! Let’s go ahead and dive right into the episode, though there is some great character growth, the story line doesn’t really progress- just strengthen the main plot.
It seems Atlanta has gotten the flu. Chastain is full, and it does show how airborne disease can be spread. I am glad we got to see Nurse Jessica. The problem is muscle memory and voices in your head. See, every time I see a sink, a voice in my head says ‘Wash ya damn hands’. This is just medical knowledge gained in high school, not career lessons or years of the importance of washing your hands. Even so, at like every corner in most hospitals is a hand sanitizer station, and when I walk by my fingers twitch. A nurse with multiple years of training probably would have washed her hands by now. Even when Dr. Nolan is touch a screen, I know they have wipes at most stations to keep them clean and germ free. Even Grayson has more common sense than anyone else.
Courtesy © 2019 FOX
Dr. Austin is still on the bench, giving away his surgeries, still feeling guilty about Bradley’s death, and his hand in things. Mina is not happy about it, and AJ makes her assist Dr. Nolan. Nolan’s not a bad doctor, just a brown noser. Nolan goes to Dr. Bell about elective surgeries being cancelled. Nolan begins a splenectomy, with Mina supporting him. He wants to do an open splenectomy, but Mina thinks a minimally invasive one would be better, easier recovery. Nolan mentions adequate facilities for the patient to rest after the open surgery, but Mina points out a stay is costly. Dr. Austin goes to mentor students, working on cadavers, teaching them about their first cuts. He is trying to learn humility. As he tries to show how to cut, AJ freezes. At Chastain, Mina has someone test 7 heart valves from QuoVadis. Suddenly, the valve breaks, revealing the valve is not strong enough for a younger, active patient. Mina goes to AJ, and calls him a God. She explains how she ran 7 valves through a pulse simulator, to see if it was mechanical, not operator error. AJ refuses to believe her, at first. He wants to believe his mentor, Benedict, who we know is in QuoVadis’ pocket, and recommended the Valve to AJ in the first place. Instead, he crashes Benedict’s dinner with Mina, and asks why he originally recommended the valve. AJ calls him out on the 1.5 million payout from QuoVadis, before mentioning he was disappointed, and leaves. Seems he got his MoJo back.
Courtesy © 2019 FOX
Dr. Bell decides to research into Gordon Page and QuoVadis, wanting to see who he dealt with before Chastain. He gives the task to Grayson, his slacking secretary, who reluctantly agrees. After a few hours and a few roadblocks, Grayson finds out the last hospital QuoVadis worked with was Jacksonville General. They ran some trials for back supports at the hospital, and the CEO is Ryan Kehoe. Dr. Bell wants Grayson to set up a meeting with Ryan, but sadly, he is dead, committed suicide by jumping off a bridge at the peak of the dealings with QuoVadis. This of course shakes Bell to the core, as he is questioning QuoVadis and Gordon’s dealings with each passing day.
A prison guard named Meg Mullins, that Nic met while in prison, is admitted with a rash and low blood platelets. Nic and Conrad run some tests, and call Dr. Shaw over. She has petechiae, or blood patches below the skin, and a rising fever. Nic mentions how she is worried it might be a new strand of flu. Because of the uncertainty, they decide to isolate her. Couple of things- jeans can absorb infectious material. You wear a full suit, not a mask, and gloves, and sleeves, but leave legs covered. Anyways, Conrad begins to treat Meg with broad spectrum antibodies while Nic and Alex go and visit the jail. Conrad is worried about Nic returning but she says she will be fine. Nic explains what happened to land her in jail, and Alex is impressed. While checking on the inmates, one mentioned how she and Meg fed pigeons. Conrad believes Meg might have a fungal infection. It is not, sadly.
Courtesy © 2019 FOX
A patient who has been quite talkative in the waiting room finally gets a bed, when Irving calls Devon over. See, Sam, he met Sue yesterday, and was madly in love. Had a bit of a cough, wanted to get checked out. He told everyone in the waiting room willing to listen about how wonderful Sue was. After being admitted, Irving noticed a rash, and so they began to quarantine him. Personally think she was a woman of the night, and drugged him. They put him with Meg. Sam begins to get worse than Meg, his O2 stats dropping. At the same time, Meg begins to seize. Nic goes into the isolation room without a safety suit. It is revealed that Sam has Black Death, a multi resistant strain of virus, and spread it to Meg, who has a weaken immune system from her career at the Jail. They find Sue, patient Zero, who most likely got the disease from Yosemite. The drugs begin to work, and everyone recovers.
Courtesy © 2019 FOX
Dr. Bell goes and talks to Dr. Shaw at the community clinic across the street, and asks for his help. Shaw agrees, if the clinic gets two ultrasound machines. Shaw goes to Chastain, and begins to set up the waiting room. He gives everyone who got a flu shot a care bag, to do self care at home and lower the chances of them catching something much worse by waiting to see a doctor. Then, the other half wait, just in case. He tells Devon and Irving to get creative about thinning the herd. Devon decides to push some of the waiting patients into VIP. Luckily, he somehow avoids being caught, and nothing comes from crowding waiting patients in the VIP area.
Conrad approaches Nic with the idea of moving into a house together. Nic seems hesitant, because moving in is a big step. Conrad mentions maybe checking out a few other places they could move into. Nic doesn’t want to, and needs a minute. Conrad lets the house go, much to Nic’s shock, but he says they can keep looking, if she wants to. At the end of the shift, Nic admits she like where they are, and doesn’t want to change anything right now. Conrad doesn’t want to dance around the issue, that they are in different places, once again. Nic explains that doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to move in with him, just not right now. Conrad calls out the fact she likes to fix people, and since he isn’t broken anymore… Nic of course cuts him off, saying that’s not fair. Conrad says it’s not fair, but it is his fear, his diagnosis. He asks Nic to be honest, and she just leaves.
And with that, we are done this episode. I feel like Conrad will catch Alex kissing Nic either late next episode, or the following episode, and throw a punch soon. I know Julian’s body, or amnesia will pop up soon, she has been missing far too long. That’s all, for now. Until next week- Stay Shiny!!!
