New Amsterdam Season 2 Episode 3 Review: Replacement
Jasmine Blu
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Will we get to see more of Todd?
On a series filled to the brim with likable characters, they always find a way to introduce someone new who wins you over.
Todd was a pleasant addition to New Amsterdam Season 2 Episode 3
It's a series that hinges with an unmistakable leaning toward socialized healthcare, but it manages to appeal to all sorts of individuals beautifully.
Despite its theme, the series does know how to portray different opinions and people without coming across as though they're denigrating them.
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Todd was a perfect example of this. He and Max couldn't be more different. They disagreed on how to achieve specific goals, but their shared interest in doing what was best and helping others is what connected them.
Sometimes, especially during turbulent times, it's easy to forget that many of us may have different methodologies but a similar goal.
He stood out from the rest of the pack vying for a job as Max's new assistant. He wasn't the best fit, but he had a certain quality Max could appreciate, and he was a veteran.
Todd: Are you rich?
Max: Me, no not by a long shot?
Todd: Are you debt-free and making six figures a year?
Max: Well.
Todd: Then you're rich.
Their interactions were beyond amusing. It was a constant clash of Max's idealistic liberalism versus Todd's pragmatic conservatism.
It was hilarious when Todd pointed out that Max's passion for fighting for the little people, didn't mean he was one. He went to an Ivy League school, has a six-figure salary, and no debt.
We've seen the pitfalls to Max's proposals too. He's an out-of-the-box thinker, but sometimes his plans are grandiose and unconscionable.
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Max's annoyance over Todd opposing any of Max's ideas regarding post-op care for Renee was reasonable. It's bothersome when someone can pick apart suggestions but don't have a solution.
Dr. Goodwin's characteristically uplifting yet exorbitantly priced proposal is rejected.
Susan
But then, Todd came up with a practical, cost-efficient solution for Renee's specific situation. The benefits of this lonely senior-aged woman having a dog of her own are plentiful, but the dog walker idea meant she would have someone around to find her if she fell again.
It doesn't address all of her problems, but it's a duct-tape fix.
Todd has the type of thinking that suits the board, and he's not one to be swayed by anyone when it comes to giving his opinions. Max was also right about the board containing one layman who can speak for the people whom the board is making decisions.
Todd was a great addition. Max will have to fly solo without an assistant, but it was worth it to have someone balanced on the board.
Helen: I thought I was your first choice.
Max: First in my heart.
Max's struggles are present. He took a moment in the hall, and it appeared as though he lost track of time, twisting his wedding band and thinking about Georgia.
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It's the quiet moments when he can't keep himself busy that probably gets to him the most. He's functioning, but if there was any doubt he's suffering, he admitted to it when he spoke to Helen.
It was the most vocal and raw he had been with her in some time. She called him out on it too.
Helen's willingness to risk it all for the sake of her patient terrified him. He couldn't imagine running the hospital without her.
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He must still consider her his second and deputy, and she's a grounding force for him. He couldn't bear the thought of her losing her career.
Max: This will end your career, and I can't do this without you. I'm not fully here. Part of me is still in that ambulance.
Helen: You push me away and you expect me to understand and then you need me and you use your feelings as leverage?
Max: You think I'm using Georgia to manipulate you.
Helen: I don't know what you're doing because you don't talk to me.
Max: I can't talk to you.
Helen: Why?
Max: Because I'm trying to spare you. I don't want you to feel this. I don't want you to experience this. It's not fair.
They may not have been speaking intimately the way they used to, but he still relies on her a great deal.
Helen assumed he was using his feelings and grief to manipulate her. It was emotionally manipulative, but it didn't come across intentional.
He acknowledges he had been pushing her away, and he didn't want her dragged into his feelings. He didn't wish it on anyone.
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Helen's response was appropriate, though. She would be there for him no matter what, but she's not putting her patient's safety and well-being ahead of him.
Max, when you need me. I am here for you. For all of it, but not at the expense of my patient.
Helen
Deep down, you know Max respected it. He was worried when she went on a talk show to reveal the truth about the medical company that made the faulty hip equipment.
He was also proud of her too. Helen has found her passion as a doctor, so she spends more time with her patients now. However, the enthusiasm she has for helping patients has spilled into her strong sense of advocacy in the public forum too.
They wanted the famous Dr. Helen Sharpe who rounded the TV circuit, and she gave it to them; she used her celebrity for good.
At first, I wondered if the company caved or if Max lied about it to keep Helen from outing them publicly. But Max wouldn't violate her trust in that way.
Helen had every right to be livid. We have seen some of the awful things that happen with medical devices on The Resident, and it was no less enraging here.
Mr. Martinelli could have died because of that hip part. The company wasn't thinking about the repercussions of getting it replaced again or how it would affect him.
He couldn't afford another surgery, or to take time off for multiple weeks to recover.
Mr. Martinelli, you are being posioned by your artificial hip.
Lauren
It looked like Martinelli feared the worse when Helen pivoted the conversation to a call to action for citizens against the FDA.
They met Helen's demands, though, and it's a win for Martinelli even if the fight for others will be a long one.
Helen's friendship with Max is back on track, but so is the one with Lauren. The opening scene of the two of them in the bathroom while Helen monitored Lauren's drug test showed how far the two ladies have come.
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They've gone through hell and back, so their friendship is a relief. Helen shared some of her insecurities, and it seems we can expect her to throw her all into work these days.
She and Lauren have different ways of coping in the aftermath of the accident. Lauren confided in Helen about her sexy arrangement with Zach.
Zach: Dr. Bloom, we don't have a session today.
Lauren: We do, for the next seven minutes.
It's working for her, and she doesn't plan on stopping based on the seven minutes in heaven she proposed when she knocked on his door.
Someone who didn't change and grow from his experiences is Rohan. It was shocking when Ella revealed she was pregnant, but more disappointing than anything when Rohan bailed on her.
It was evident he was up to something when he approached Kapoor looking for money. Rohan left Ella high and dry, but Kapoor is right there waiting for her.
He's the supportive figure she needs and deserves. Kapoor values family, and he craves it too. He's going to become attached to the idea of having a grandchild.
Emily: Do they hate me now?
Iggy: No, it means that you're not alone. That we're all connected.
He's the best with children. We saw that when he helped Iggy with the mass hysteria.
One of the funniest moments of the hour was when Iggy treated the kids with Mike & Ike candies while pretending they were real medicine.
The majority of the children saw Emily getting sick, and they worked themselves up in a tizzy. It was an unusual case for Iggy, but he always has intriguing cases.
Over to you, New Amsterdam Fanatics!
Did you like Todd? Did Max make the right choice nominating him to the board?
Were you, like me, annoyed that Evie and Floyd wasted perfectly good cake?
Hit the comments below!
You can watch New Amsterdam online here via TV Fanatic!
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.
