S03.E01: The New Normal

[LexieLily]

Quote

New Amsterdam is still reeling from the pandemic as a plane crash lands in the East River. When investigators come to interrogate the flight crew, Iggy fights against the clock to help the pilot uncover the truth. Max tracks down scarce medication after one of his own contracts COVID.

Original air date 3/2/21.

[ams1001]

Of course only Max can figure out that the copilot was trying to tell them something...just in time to catch them before they take the pilot away. (Also, he said she was awake and ready to talk...was she, though? If she was able to actually talk you'd think she'd have explained what happened or at least asked to see the authorities instead of just repeatedly mumbling a seemingly-unrelated flight number while the nurses just kept telling her she was in NY and not HI.)

I didn't know you could get medical ventilator tubing at Home Depot...

[hula-la]

I teared up at the beginning with all the images of health care workers and what they are continuing to deal with. I teared up at the end with Dr. Kapoor--don't die Dr. Kapoor!

[FnkyChkn34]

I liked how this show handled the pandemic:  A montage reference to all the main stages that New York went through, and then basically done with it.  It was a fitting tribute, but then also allowed a fictional show to entertain us in the real world without the constant in-your-face-reminder that we're not done with it yet.  But I liked that the doctors all got vaccinated and they can return to normal so that the viewers can be reminded of what that is, and that there's hope for us eventually too.  Big difference than the approach that Grey's Anatomy took, which is almost too depressing to watch.  

[DearEvette]

Yeah the opening montage was very well done.  Not only the obvious stuff with the shots of the people on the ventilators, the morgue trucks, the doctors only communicating with family through face time but also the little things.  Like the fact that they had to wear the face coverings for so long and so many hours in each day that they left marks in the skin.  Also a reminder that even if your survive the virus there are secondary problems that aren't talked about as much.

I also thought it was interesting that it was Bloom who had a hard time 'coming down' from the height of the crisis.

I assume that Daniel Dae Kim's character is not long for this show?  He just does not fit in with Max's 'How Can I Help You' ethos.  LOL. 

Not much else to say since outside of the opening this felt like it was establishing the world they are in now as set up from where they plan to go from here.

[circumvent]

30 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

Yeah the opening montage was very well done.  Not only the obvious stuff with the shots of the people on the ventilators, the morgue trucks, the doctors only communicating with family through face time but also the little things.  Like the fact that they had to wear the face coverings for so long and so many hours in each day that they left marks in the skin.  Also a reminder that even if your survive the virus there are secondary problems that aren't talked about as much.

That, exactly. Of all the shows I have seen and that addressed the pandemic heads on this one was the best one. Kappor's long lasting effects hit home. I know someone who is having some heart issues, not sure yet how serious, but it is scary. Their Covid wasn't as bad, they didn't have to go to the hospital, but for someone who is in their 70's and never had any health issues, it is pretty scary.

I missed this show, even if it can be so silly and unrealistic sometimes/almost always

[rove4]

As someone who works in a hospital (and has for 30 years now), the opening montage brought tears to my eyes but in a good, cleansing way.  2020 was a beast of a year.  I'm a huge bibliophile and usually read anywhere from 100 to 120 books a year.  Last year I managed four.  I just didn't have the mental energy to focus on much in my off time.  I'd work in Max's hospital any day. 

I'm happy to have the show back.  Hang in there, Kapoor.  Reynolds is on his way.  

While I generally like Daniel Dae Kim(I won't hold Lost against him), I'm not enamored of his character on this show.  He's not much of a team player.  He represents the old school medical model as opposed to the more systems based approach to healthcare.

[Kareny]

5 hours ago, circumvent said:

 

I missed this show, even if it can be so silly and unrealistic sometimes/almost always

If they were past the sourdough phase of the pandemic, every single one of those staffers should have had a surgical mask on.

I know they're trying to make it watchable, but I can't watch without cringing at the poor and unrealistic infection control. 

"I assume the Go Team tested negative?" Even if they did, you still mask them in a hospital! Have these people never heard of asymptomatic carriers and poor PCR results? It's like they're all screenwriters and not healthcare workers or something... 

Edited March 4, 2021 by Kareny

[LittleIggy]

The opening montage was nice (although nobody sings “What a Wonderful World” like Louie Armstrong), but I felt like a lot of stuff was cut out. I remember from the end of last season that TPTB decided not to show an episode(s) about a viral outbreak (not COVID) because they thought it would hit too close to home. They introduced DDK’s character a bit back then I guess because his into was cut with the episode(s), but I still don’t know who he is or how he knows Dr. Glamorous (it’s been so long I’ve forgotten her name!). Still can’t stand Bloom. Glad she got kicked out by the cardiology surgeon after she almost killed that woman. I liked the acerbic NTSB guy. Glad the show is back.

[rove4]

19 minutes ago, Kareny said:

"I assume the Go Team tested negative?" Even if they did, you still mask them in a hospital! Have these people never heard of asymptomatic carriers and poor PCR results? It's like they're all screenwriters and not healthcare workers or something... 

I'm sure they do.  It's probably just a concession to shooting a tv show and making sure the viewers can properly hear what the actors are saying. In my hospital everyone, staff and visitors alike, have to be masked up at all times but there is also a lot of people having to repeat themselves to be understood through masks and plexiglass dividers (at information desks and b/t scheduling clerks and visitors).  I can see how muffled voices  wouldn't play well for extended scenes on a tv show.  

[FnkyChkn34]

4 minutes ago, rove4 said:

I'm sure they do.  It's probably just a concession to shooting a tv show and making sure the viewers can properly hear what the actors are saying. In my hospital everyone, staff and visitors alike, have to be masked up at all times but there is also a lot of people having to repeat themselves to be understood through masks and plexiglass dividers (at information desks and b/t scheduling clerks and visitors).  I can see how muffled voices  wouldn't play well for extended scenes on a tv show.  

This.  Plus, it is just a fictional TV show, afterall.  Max asked them if they'd been tested and they said yes.  Also, Max was fully vaccinated, so when they were around only him, he wouldn't really care.

That's basically what I meant about how the show gave me hope - it showed the horrible realities of the pandemic, but then also showed what life can be like again on the other side.  Normal interactions?  Yes please.  (I'm definitely pro-mask, I'll keep wearing one as long as I have to, but it was nice to see that maybe the end is in sight, even if it's only through the minds of screenwriters.)  The shows that are completely ignoring it don't give me hope because they have never acknowledged it.  And the shows that only focus on the pandemic (Grey's Anatomy, at least), make me depressed.  

[Mia Nina]

The first 5 minutes choked me up, what a fantastic tribute, and those last few minutes with Reynolds were just wonderful. Seeing him slowly coming into frame and answering that phone call was amazing, I have to say. In fact, ever since the beginning of the show Reynolds has always felt and looked like a real doctor to me. He's the one who sells the show to me as far as the medical drama is concerned. When he's around I believe those are real patients and real cases.

Everything in between was so so (I especially disliked the airline investigation; felt completely unrealistic and the "bad guys" cartoonish), but those first five minutes and the last two were A+. 

Casey is a treasure of a character and I hope he gets more lines/scenes as the show progresses. 

 

 

 

Edited March 4, 2021 by Mia Nina

[LittleIggy]

Reynolds?

[txhorns79]

12 hours ago, rove4 said:

He's not much of a team player.  He represents the old school medical model as opposed to the more systems based approach to healthcare.

I mean, are any of these people really team players?  Just within this episode, you have Bloom going rogue, along with Max and Iggy doing whatever the heck they want. 

 

18 hours ago, DearEvette said:

 

I also thought it was interesting that it was Bloom who had a hard time 'coming down' from the height of the crisis.

I thought it was a little too on the nose to give the character another addiction she'll need to shake. 

[bros402]

Decent episode.

Why was Helen in the OR? She's a hem-onc.

They better not kill Kapoor, he's the best character.

I really hope they use this to drop some of the more ridiculous stuff from last season.

[jabRI]

What was up with Helen? it almost felt like she'd been in an abusive relationship during the pandemic? Or was it just pointing out that we've gotten so used to not being touched, etc. during the pandemic? Just seemed like odd writing for the character.

[Biggie B]

I was surprisingly glad to see this show return. I agree, the opening montage was well done and I felt as if a lot of careful thought went into how they portrayed the worst of it.

I also agree with the poster upthread who mentioned Bloom replacing one addiction with another. That's what I thought as well, when she said she missed the fight. I hope she doesn't relapse, but she does certainly need to somehow channel those feelings in a productive way. 

Having not seen the show in so long, I couldn't remember where things were left with Helen and Daniel Dae Kim (I can't recall his character's name) pre-Covid, so their initial interaction puzzled me - I guess they'd had an attraction to each other? But she turned him down? I simply can't recall, but it doesn't really matter, since she then seemed to want to move forward with him. Helen's over-zealous post-op scrubbing and her flinching away when DDK touched her, as well as her admission to Max on the rooftop about intimacy seeming wrong, felt like a PTSD-type of reaction to the horrors of the previous months. I've always liked Helen, and it would be nice to see her in a happy, healthy relationship, but alas, that doesn't make for compelling viewing!

I also couldn't recall if Reynolds - or rather, the actor who plays him - had actually left the show or not, so seeing him at the end was great! Had he moved to San Francisco or wherever his fiancée  was going? Again - can't recall.

Looks like Iggy has reconciled with his husband - good - and I sure hope Dr. Kapoor will make enough of a recovery to stay on the show fulltime. Overall, a solid start. I know they can't make all the Covid stuff 100% accurate but for the most part, I think this episode was a decent portrayal of what's going on at this point, at least up here in the Northeast. 

[circumvent]

7 minutes ago, Biggie B said:

I also agree with the poster upthread who mentioned Bloom replacing one addiction with another. That's what I thought as well, when she said she missed the fight. I hope she doesn't relapse, but she does certainly need to somehow channel those feelings in a productive way. 

At the same time, this would be a good example of a well written character. Replacing one addiction with another is what all addicts do, some in ways that are not harmful or self-destructive, some in ways that are still damaging in the long run. Of course, just that will not guarantee that the writing will be good, but in competent hands it would show a different approach to most stories about recovering addict doctors/first responders

[DearEvette]

1 hour ago, Biggie B said:

Having not seen the show in so long, I couldn't remember where things were left with Helen and Daniel Dae Kim (I can't recall his character's name) pre-Covid, so their initial interaction puzzled me - I guess they'd had an attraction to each other? But she turned him down? I simply can't recall, but it doesn't really matter, since she then seemed to want to move forward with him. Helen's over-zealous post-op scrubbing and her flinching away when DDK touched her, as well as her admission to Max on the rooftop about intimacy seeming wrong, felt like a PTSD-type of reaction to the horrors of the previous months. I've always liked Helen, and it would be nice to see her in a happy, healthy relationship, but alas, that doesn't make for compelling viewing!

I also couldn't recall if Reynolds - or rather, the actor who plays him - had actually left the show or not, so seeing him at the end was great! Had he moved to San Francisco or wherever his fiancée  was going? Again - can't recall.
 

At the very end of S2 cobbled together finale Helen and Shin went out on a date.  She had been pretty much his primary scene partner through the entire episode.  She took umbrage to his brash attitude while he kept nudging her about being so rigid.  He asked her out. I think it was more casual than romantic but we were supposed to read it as a start of something.

And I agree about her flinching/washing being both something rote because it had become so ingrained day after day and a PTSD type reaction.  They were probably so used to being fully covered in their protective gear that the idea of coming into contact with someone without it may take some time to reset.

Also, Reynolds left in the episode prior to the finale  There was a big party?  I just remember everyone was dressed up and hugging him.

[bros402]

12 hours ago, DearEvette said:

At the very end of S2 cobbled together finale Helen and Shin went out on a date.  She had been pretty much his primary scene partner through the entire episode.  She took umbrage to his brash attitude while he kept nudging her about being so rigid.  He asked her out. I think it was more casual than romantic but we were supposed to read it as a start of something.

And I agree about her flinching/washing being both something rote because it had become so ingrained day after day and a PTSD type reaction.  They were probably so used to being fully covered in their protective gear that the idea of coming into contact with someone without it may take some time to reset.

Also, Reynolds left in the episode prior to the finale  There was a big party?  I just remember everyone was dressed up and hugging him.

You can't forget Reynolds in the elevator shaft!

[jrzy]

On 3/3/2021 at 9:45 PM, LittleIggy said:

The opening montage was nice (although nobody sings “What a Wonderful World” like Louie Armstrong), but I felt like a lot of stuff was cut out. I remember from the end of last season that TPTB decided not to show an episode(s) about a viral outbreak (not COVID) because they thought it would hit too close to home. They introduced DDK’s character a bit back then I guess because his into was cut with the episode(s), but I still don’t know who he is or how he knows Dr. Glamorous (it’s been so long I’ve forgotten her name!). Still can’t stand Bloom. Glad she got kicked out by the cardiology surgeon after she almost killed that woman. I liked the acerbic NTSB guy. Glad the show is back.

I have no patience with Bloom,  Bloom's only reaction to almost killing a patient was to whine and sulk,  she is such a terrible character. 

Edited March 7, 2021 by jrzy

[DebbieM4]

On 3/3/2021 at 3:15 PM, hula-la said:

I teared up at the beginning with all the images of health care workers and what they are continuing to deal with. I teared up at the end with Dr. Kapoor--don't die Dr. Kapoor!

I thought the opening was beautiful and powerful.  It made me cry, but in a cleansing kind of way.  I actually watched just that part over and over a few times.  Beautifully done.

On 3/3/2021 at 11:09 PM, rove4 said:

I'm sure they do.  It's probably just a concession to shooting a tv show and making sure the viewers can properly hear what the actors are saying. In my hospital everyone, staff and visitors alike, have to be masked up at all times but there is also a lot of people having to repeat themselves to be understood through masks and plexiglass dividers (at information desks and b/t scheduling clerks and visitors).  I can see how muffled voices  wouldn't play well for extended scenes on a tv show.  

I agree.  And I don't need shows to be 100% accurate in this regard.  Even with giving a serious nod to the pandemic, it's still supposed to be entertaining, and I appreciate not getting bogged down in every nuance of proper protocol in the real world.  Out of all the shows I watch, this one really kept a nice balance.   (No medical shows ever show the mundane details that would make them more real.  I'm totally fine suspending disbelief.  It's a TV drama, not a documentary.  Some shows are ridiculous because of the glaringly obvious errors, but this was real enough for me that I didn't find myself eye-rolling throughout.)

 

[SnarkySheep]

On 3/4/2021 at 10:06 AM, circumvent said:

At the same time, this would be a good example of a well written character. Replacing one addiction with another is what all addicts do, some in ways that are not harmful or self-destructive, some in ways that are still damaging in the long run. Of course, just that will not guarantee that the writing will be good, but in competent hands it would show a different approach to most stories about recovering addict doctors/first responders

But realistically, couldn't it be said that in real life, just about everybody has some sort of addiction? We don't usually talk much about it, as smartphones have become an essential part of life, but there are loads of people who are totally obsessed with always being online or able to be online (I know I've read surveys where an alarming number of respondents said they feel they cannot be without their phones at hand for even a day). Other people are addicted to working or certain pastimes/hobbies. Then of course, we have people addicted to food, to shopping, to alcohol/drugs, etc. 

On this show, so far, we have seen Max addicted to work (or more accurately, Saving the World) to the point where his marriage fell apart. Iggy too could be classified similarly. Probably most of the others too, if I really thought about it.

[circumvent]

12 hours ago, SnarkySheep said:

But realistically, couldn't it be said that in real life, just about everybody has some sort of addiction?

As an absolute statement, yes. It might be that in the future some things we do today that, by force of demands of work and general societal rules, will be considered addiction that needs some form to treatment. Maybe I should have phrased my statement better: most addicts substitute one addiction to a set routine or something that is considered "safe" for the body and mind. So, not an addiction in the medical term, but something seemingly harmless that someone does to cope, to deal with what is like a missing part of their lives

I know a recovery alcoholic that carries a cup of coffee all the time, even tough what is consumed is just a regular amount. It is even a little irritating to someone who doesn't know the story, why prepare a full cup of coffee if it will go basically untouched? But it helps them and it's been working for decades.