“The Resident: Season One” (2018 – present)
Drama
14 Episodes
Developed by: Amy Holden Jones, Hayley Schore and Roshan Sethi
Featuring: Matt Czuchry, Emily VanCamp, Manish Dayal, Shaunette, Renée Wilson, Bruce Greenwood, Moran Atias, Merrin Dungey, Melina Kanakaredes, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Glenn Morshower, Jane Leeves and Morris Chestnut
HODAD: “Hands of Death and Destruction.”
It seems at times that there are an endless number of hospital dramas, much like dramas based around the police and lawyers they have become a genre unto themselves which can be a good thing but more often than not after so many decades it becomes easier for audience to see through something that is far from original and not the least bit compelling.
Recently released on DVD “The Resident: Season One”, is the opposite of something even remotly original or even a series that could be considered a guilty pleasure, it takes much of what works elsewhere adding nothing to make it unique but yet another facsimile of something better. The entire premise of the series, as nurse Nic (Emily VanCamp) points out to new intern Dr. Devon Pravesh (Manish Dayal), is that “medical error is the third leading cause of death in the United States, after cancer and heart disease.”
There is the chief of surgery, Dr. Randolph Bell (Bruce Greenwod), who is way past being able to operate and suffers from Shaky Hand Syndrome. In the pilot’s opening moments, Dr. Bell kills someone during a routine appendectomy. And everyone in the operating room agrees to cover it up. “The Resident” could have been be an analysis of the hospital industry—if it were a good show. But it’s not.
The resident of the title is Dr. Conrad Hawkin, played by Matt Czuchry. We know Conrad is a rebel, he has tattoos. He’s also makes racist and vulgar comments. Like most hospital shows, “The Resident” has the old standby that is the patient of the week which is one way but not the one of constructing a narrative, but this for becomes tiring after a few episodes. The drama borrows from many medical show tropes, oh so tired.
A standout amidst all this rubble is Shaunette Renée Wilson as the no-nonsense but extremely skilled Dr. Mina Okafor. One can only hope Wilson quickly moves on to another project. Kanakaredes is one of the many characters who were added after the pilot. We still have yet to see Merrin Dungey, who apparently will show up soon as hospital CEO Claire Thorpe.
Episodes:
Pilot: On his first day as an intern, Dr. Devon Pravesh faces the harsh realities of medical care as third-year resident Dr. Conrad Hawkins takes him under his wing and teaches his unconventional ways for treating patients.
Independence Day: Conrad’s plans for a heart transplant patient are derailed; Conrad risks his job to rectify the situation; after a file goes missing, Nic grows suspicious of one of the doctors; Devon must make a split-second decision on a patient.
Comrades in Arms: An old army buddy and fellow surgeon visits Conrad at the hospital. Meanwhile, the team is put to the test when they have to save the life of an uninsured and undocumented patient, while simultaneously battling the hospital’s administrators, who fear the patient will cost millions. Also, Dr. Bell experiments with a new medication for his tremor and Nic swears to investigate the mystery surrounding missing medical records.
Identity Crisis: After a mix-up in the ER causes Conrad to deliver a death notification to the wrong family, he sets out to fix it. Meanwhile, Nic struggles to find a patient’s records who has been under Lane’s care, Devon forms a bond with an elderly patient and Mina is benched after overreaching in the surgical unit.
None the Wiser: Three concurrent surgeries at the hospital push its staff to the limits. Determined to ease the pressure, Nic requests Jude for one of the operations, making Conrad jealous. Meanwhile, Dr. Lane Hunter sets out to discredit Nic’s claims, Devon struggles with a patient who has an embarrassing problem and a charitable contributor comes to the hospital wanting to donate a lot of money to Dr. Lane’s oncology program.
No Matter the Cost: As Conrad battles a group of overly aggressive attending physicians on behalf of a patient with a mysterious chronic ailment, he also must face off against his father who has shown up at the hospital unannounced. When Mina goes out of her way to help a young man from her neighborhood who almost mugged her, Nic offers her assistance and discovers a secret that Mina has been keeping behind closed doors. While away from the hospital, Nic enlists the help of Devon to keep an eye on Lily, which leads him to an incredible find that has him questioning Dr. Lane’s motives. …
The Elopement: Conrad goes head-to-head with Lane when he disagrees with her over a treatment plan for a terminal cancer patient. Tensions rise when Jude inserts himself in the middle by offering to perform the invasive procedure Conrad is fighting against. When a VIP patient crosses the line with Nic, she must devise a strategy on how to stand her ground and combat the situation. Meanwhile, Bell realizes he’ll need Mina’s hands more than ever.
Family Affair: Much to Bell’s dismay, Nic and Conrad admit a homeless Jane Doe, whom they suspect was dumped off by another hospital during Chastain’s big Charity Ball. Elsewhere in the hospital, Devon and Irving care for a male escort who offers surprisingly good advice, Micah returns for a checkup and falls even harder for Mina, and Devon’s parents are in town.
Lost Love: Conrad’s ex-fiancé, Catherine, is admitted to the hospital with abdominal pain that proves to be quite the medical mystery. As Conrad doggedly tries to figure out her diagnosis and fights the idea of Bell performing her operation, Nic gets some insight into Conrad’s past. Meanwhile, Bell panics when Claire announces that she will be installing cameras in all operating rooms, Devon wracks his brain for the perfect birthday present for Priya and Lane realizes that Nic is suspicious about her clinic.
Haunted: Conrad is hit by a bike and badly sprains his ankle, but works through it when he takes the case of his old medical professor, who is hallucinating visions of her old patients. Devon is tasked with admitting Conrad, who refuses any sort of treatment. Nic tries to navigate her emotions while mourning the loss of a patient and Bell operates on a foreign dignitary with unforeseen complications. Meanwhile, Lane and Bell’s relationship grows closer.
And the Nurses Get Screwed: When Nic finds herself under investigation in Lily’s death, Conrad comes to her defense, but ends up making the situation worse. During a routine surgery, Bell’s patient accidentally catches fire, leaving the hospital to start an immediate investigation into his medical records. However, hospital CEO Claire Thorpe doesn’t realize what she’s up against when Bell plans a counter attack. Meanwhile, Devon deals with a series of ER patients, including a hypochondriac whom he fears could end up under Lane’s care.
Rude Awakenings and the Raptor: Conrad and Devon work tirelessly to save the life of Bradley, a fellow doctor who has fallen through the hospital skylight. As the team contemplates how and why he fell through in the first place, Dr. Bell looks back to when he benched Bradley for falling asleep during surgery. Amidst the madness, Mina is tasked with showing Chastain’s new star cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. AJ Austin (guest star Malcolm-Jamal Warner), around the hospital, but is caught off-guard by his volatile personality. Meanwhile, Nic finds renewed enthusiasm when she uncovers an oncologist who used…
Run, Doctor, Run: Conrad and Devon fight against time to save the life of a patient who is deteriorating fast from undetermined symptoms.
Total Eclipse of the Heart: Conrad turns to someone he thought he would never have to confront again to save Nic from being taking down by Lane.
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