The Resident Season 1 Episode 13 Review: Run, Doctor, Run
Jasmine Blu
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First thing first, Resident fanatics. We're coming back for a second season!
It was easier to enjoy The Resident Season 1 Episode 13 once the renewal news came out. In the event the season ends with a cliffhanger, we don't have to worry about the story being unresolved. That's a relief.
The penultimate episode also happens to be a pretty great one, and that was like a cherry on top.
There was so much to love about this installment. For one, it had Devon and Conrad working together, and it speaks to their journey as individual characters but also as partners that they work so well together now.
Their relationship had its ups and downs, and sometimes it took a back seat, particularly in the middle of the season, but it has evolved since the early days when they didn't understand nor care very much for one another. Now, they barely have to say anything to one another. They have entire conversations with a single look.
They have reached an understanding, and they know each other, so they have come to realize how formidable of a team they are. It may have been a short season, but the two have gone through hell and back together.
Claudia's case was a heartening one. Her case may have been the blame for my sudden allergy flare up that consisted of watery eyes and lots of sniffing. Allergies are the worst.
This woman is saintly, and while we barely spent time with her while she was awake and in her right mind, I found myself fiercely protective and as enamored by this woman as her unorthodox family. Here's a tiny confession, I am a sucker for eccentric families and friends.
If you give me unlikely individuals coming together to form a deep bond akin to family, I will eat it up with a spoon. I love it in fiction, and I love it in life. It's like catnip.
Claudia: Whatever happens, look how far you've come. I am so proud of you.
Felix: Don't talk like that. You're going to be fine. I love you. Everyone loves you.
Felix was abrasive, aggressive, and misunderstood, but I instantly "got" his overwhelming personality. I'm happy Conrad did as well. It may have required all of that macho face-to-face talking that can make a girl cringe, but Felix had the right doctors on his case.
I loved that the entire hour was about perception and misperceptions. It was about judgment and not judging a book by its cover. It was about people not being as they appear.
Related: The Resident Renewed for Season 2!
To everyone else, Felix was an aggressive, ill-tempered ex-con. His display would have had him booted from most hospitals. Conrad and Devon saw what he was -- a passionate, protective, emotional man who was worried about the woman who was like a mother to him.
The turning point in the way they viewed him was when the cop came to the hospital looking for Claudia, and they Conrad, our resident rabble-rouser attempted to keep Felix away fearing the worse, only to discover that Felix and the officer were friends who bother cared about Claudia.
This woman touched so many lives. She gave second chances to those who don't typically get them, and she saw beyond their records, tattoos, and pasts. She had such a way of aiding reformed ex-cons that the police department adored her too. It takes a special person to be universally revered by all.
I didn't want Claudia to die, not just because Felix would have lost his shiitake mushrooms at the hospital and landed himself in prison again but because she truly inspired. She had an entire community -- a family -- depending on her. It was touch and go for a bit because she was uninsured and the hospital is currently on Bell's reign.
That's not a winning combination at all. Bell would have kicked her to curb. Bell would kick out Mother Teresa if it came down to it.
Devon dedicating so much of his time calling around for the drug to treat a deadly disease was inspiring. Devon warms my heart and has been for the past few installments. His persistence paid off because he reached Kevin.
Kevin's story was brief but just as inspiration in a way. He got of working for Big Pharma because he could no longer stomach profit being placed over people. It turns out the $48K he demanded wasn't for selfish reasons.
He uses the money so he can keep doing what he's doing, helping people. His intentions are good and pure, and for a case that was giving warm, fuzzies left and right, that was icing on the cake. It was also an opportunity for the show to address yet another despicable aspect of the system.
Related: The Resident Season 1 Episode 12 Review: Rude Awakenings and The Raptor
All of the ex-cons showing up at the hospital and bringing money to help pay for Claudia's medicine hit me in the feels. Then Mambo approached Nic, and I couldn't stop laughing because I knew where it was headed. That creepy dude got what he deserved. He wasn't letting up on the stalking.
Mambo: 'Sup, man.
Mystery Man: Can I help you with something?
Mambo: Yeah, my little sister Nic, wanted me to return the favor. [hands him a bag of groceries].
Nic had her hands full with her sister, and they had a nice scene where Nic reminded her sister that she's not a liability. It was sweet and touching, but I do wish they had more time together. There is so much we don't know about Nic's past: Jessie alluded to that.
For a moment, I thought Lane was behind Jessie overdosing. Instead, it was poor timing that Jessie had a relapse while her sister is battling against evil forces.
Do you think Jessie will be sticking around? She and Conrad have an intriguing relationship that should be explored. She was fond of Conrad, but she also didn't hesitate to lash out at him when he told her he was checking her into rehab.
So, are we to believe that Allie set Nic up or did Lane get to Allie and shut her down? It could go either way. I'd like to think that it's the latter because Allie sounded genuinely afraid, and she also sounded as though she were done with the Lane situation.
Whatever happened, Nic is in jail now, and I have no idea how this will play out from here! I can't wait to see it though.
The other case involving York's mother was amusing. York spent a great deal of time trying to hide the fact that he has this weird anal fixation, but Yvonne was hiding the fact that she has Chlymadia, so I guess they're even.
Once again, Bell showed how much he values MIna by making her the Austin whisperer. He may have overestimated her abilities. Then again, maybe not.
Mina did manage to get some of his life story out of him, and as much as he was annoyed by the way she was handling him like a zookeeper wrangling an unpredictable and wild animal, he's responsive to her.
He went along with her awake surgery despite not being a fan of the idea. He tried to keep his temper in check and mind his tongue while in surgery with Yvonne. He was visibly restraining himself while Yvonne was incessantly babbling on to his utter annoyance because of what Mina said to him.
He does listen to her, but he resents that he listens to her.
He respects her and sees himself in her, but he also goads her and wants to lash out at her like a child does their parent. It's a fascinating push-pull relationship. It's not the least bit surprising that Mina is part of two of the most fascinating mentor/mentee relationships of the series.
AJ is a work in progress, but he did better than I expected during that surgery. Ironically, Bell was concerned about York's reviews, but Yvonne loved him.
The combination of the music, Yvonne's talking, Jessica's blunder, and the increasingly entertaining Nolan pushed him over the edge. The poor guy. Ha!
Some of you find AJ to be over the top, obnoxious, and offputting, but I'm rather fond of the character, and I love his addition to the show. I hope he's a permanent fixture next season as well.
Alright my lovely Resident Fanatics, what's your impression of Jessie? Did Claudia and her eccentric family warm your heart? Are you coming around to AJ Austin? Hit the comments with your thoughts.
Now that we know the series is sticking around, you can watch The Resident online here at TV Fanatic if you'd like to catch up and see what all the fuss is about.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
