S03.E14 Death Begins in Radiology

[Whimsy]

Quote

Reynolds receives a dramatic offer. Max scours the hospital after he misplaces his wedding ring. Iggy contemplates a serious life change. Bloom learns some potentially life-changing news about Leyla.

Original air date 6/8/2021

[needschocolate]

I wonder what social issue "looking for his wedding ring" will tie into - or maybe Max will only be looking for his wedding ring without trying to save the world.  That would be a welcome change.  Then again, how long will the hospital board keep max around when he spends so much time doing things that aren't his job.

My prediction for the serious life change Iggy is contemplating - stop being a psychiatrist and become a oncologist so he can hang out in the ER with the other oncologist and the surgeon (Yeah, that isn't really my prediction.  I actually don't have one because I don't care much about Iggy anymore). 

[JayDub1987]

So is this the season finale?

[Clare]

I didn't like they way the broke up everyone's stories.  Felt strange.  This was not my favourite episode and really low key for a season finale. 

I did enjoy the last 5 minutes though.  Finally, Max is only tolerable with Helen. 

I think Vijay was a big loss to this season.  Iggy feels disjointed from the rest of the cast.  

I don't know if it was the music on this episode or my TV but the dialogue was really hard to hear.  Sound mixing seemed off. 

[ams1001]

8 hours ago, JayDub1987 said:

So is this the season finale?

Yes. I think we all need a break by now....

[SunnyBeBe]

Why is a coughing person allowed into a medical office with no mask or temp check? Hmmmm.....

[ams1001]

I assume there has been a time jump since the last episode? Did they say how long it's been? I missed the very beginning.

[LexieLily]

8 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

I assume there has been a time jump since the last episode? Did they say how long it's been? I missed the very beginning.

I think it was a month time jump?

I do wish that Reynolds hadn't hooked up with the married woman after all, and how did the wife never feel the need to bring up the fact that her husband is also a surgeon at New Amsterdam? That's another level of shady and now I'm wondering just how much of an 'open relationship' this actually is if she is actively choosing to date/hook-up with a colleague that also works at the hospital, in front of her husband. If Wife is just using Reynolds to brazenly cheat on her husband and dragging him into the middle of something personal related to their marriage, that's unfair.  

Edited June 9, 2021 by LexieLily

[ams1001]

So what is Iggy going to do..? Be a stay at home dad? (Is he leaving the show?) Or is there another job he can do at the hospital that doesn't involve seeing patients?

[SunnyBeBe]

Where was Luna?
 

Iggy’s daughter walking off was too contrived. I wouldn’t have remained as calm as Iggy did.  Scare me like that on purpose? Omg....

So how did that special 5th spot become available? Was it purchased?

Max annoyed me looking for the ring.  I hope he’s moved on. 
 

 

[ams1001]

6 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

So how did that special 5th spot become available? Was it purchased?

The other doctor told Lauren the director of the program (or whoever) is known to make exceptions for the right price, she got mad and said bribery is a federal offense and she could lose her license and go to jail and of course she wasn't going to do that...so of course she did that.

Edited June 9, 2021 by ams1001

[Madding crowd]

The whole Iggy segment was strange. The kids yelling like they were dying over a splinter and Iggy running around calling his daughters name. I thought the scene at the British clinic was going to mean Helen would be leaving the show to go there. Why else would it be mentioned that they need a medical director?

I did like the end with Max and Helen but I also wondered where Luna was. Reynolds didn’t have to pretend he never met the married doctor, they work in the same hospital. Do people really hand out jobs like that? I would think it would have to go through Human Resources and the hospital director. I did like that this was different than the usual episode.

[SunnyBeBe]

I see.  And of course she lied about helping. That will lead to her finding out and mistrust will result.  

[ams1001]

1 minute ago, Madding crowd said:

Reynolds didn’t have to pretend he never met the married doctor, they work in the same hospital. Do people really hand out jobs like that? I would think it would have to go through Human Resources and the hospital director. I did like that this was different than the usual episode.

I had the same question. Say, wouldn't that be that part of Max's job?

And what's her angle in not telling Reynolds that her husband was working there? Did she really think they he wouldn't meet him and figure it out?

2 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I see.  And of course she lied about helping. That will lead to her finding out and mistrust will result.  

Yeah, when they were hugging after the phone call I said, "this can't end well."

5 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

The whole Iggy segment was strange.

And why were they allowed to be jumping around like that in a moving vehicle? 

[SunnyBeBe]

Yeah, that entire thing with Iggy and his family was odd.  The screaming in the RV was too fake, the splinter injury overdone, the lost kid too contrived and to me Iggy under reacted to that intentional risky behavior of Samera. ( I have a friend with that name.) Then he just says he’s not going to practice psychiatry anymore. Ok, There are probably a lot of other options like teaching, administrative, Etc.  

[Cloud9Shopper]

My early prediction for this episode was that Iggy would want to end up not practicing anymore. I wonder what else he would do if he decides to stop seeing patients? I don’t work in medicine so I have no idea about what his job could be from here besides admin.

Why was the Luna/grandparents thing not brought up? Do we have to wait until S4 to get that resolution? Did the grandparents just give up? I’m surprised it wasn’t even mentioned in the span of making up an event that occurred offscreen. 

When Floyd found out his fling was the other surgeon’s wife I was reminded of “that awkward moment when...”

Good casting for Helen’s mom. I thought Helen would’ve wanted to spend extra time over there and would find out her mom was really sick.

The way the time jump was hyped I’m surprised/disappointed it was only a month.

Why does every medical show I’ve seen in recent memory act like residencies can just be switched like it’s NBD? Again this is not my field at all but I’ve seen ER and Chicago Med do this too and from what I read, residencies are binding contracts, right? How does Leyla just suddenly get a spot? I know Lauren probably paid the bribe but still! It seems hospitals only have a certain number of slots available from what I have read. 

Thank God Helen and Max finally ripped off the Band-Aid and kissed. I couldn’t have stood waiting all summer for that! 

[Driad]

IIRC, Lauren Bloom has lots of money. Maybe a directed donation to the hospital could be legitimate, although Leyla could still find out.

Floyd Reynolds should think with the brain in his head now, and relegate his boss's wife to the acquaintance zone.

What does Helen Sharpe see in Max?  What happened to her former boyfriend?

[SunnyBeBe]

I thought they showed a quick flashback of Max in a room with the grandparents that looked like a deposition.  It was towards the beginning of the show.  Or, it might have been a mediation. 
 

Dr. Shin....I don’t recall seeing him.  It says he was in 6 episodes. Helen broke it off to care for her teen niece, who didn’t want anything to do with her.  Seems she and niece worked it out.

Edited June 9, 2021 by SunnyBeBe

[LexieLily]

12 minutes ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

Why was the Luna/grandparents thing not brought up? Do we have to wait until S4 to get that resolution? Did the grandparents just give up? I’m surprised it wasn’t even mentioned in the span of making up an event that occurred offscreen. 

I wondered that, too, and with the time jump especially. I'm going to be disappointed if there aren't consequences for the grandparents, tbh.

[Cloud9Shopper]

14 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I thought they showed a quick flashback of Max in a room with the grandparents that looked like a deposition.  It was towards the beginning of the show.  Or, it might have been a mediation. 
 

Dr. Shin....I don’t recall seeing him.  It says he was in 6 episodes. Helen broke it off to care for her teen niece, who didn’t want anything to do with her.  Seems she and niece worked it out.

I think the first flashback was a board meeting where Max is zoned out. The blonde board lady (Karen?) is in the scene. I liked the nice moment she had with Max about his ring too. 

[ams1001]

1 minute ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

I think the first flashback was a board meeting where Max is zoned out. The blonde board lady (Karen?) is in the scene. I liked the nice moment she had with Max about his ring too. 

That explains her comment about him not liking board meetings when she found him under the table.

[SunnyBeBe]

7 minutes ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

I think the first flashback was a board meeting where Max is zoned out. The blonde board lady (Karen?) is in the scene. I liked the nice moment she had with Max about his ring too. 

Oh.....I see....then I have no idea what happened. I guess that was meant to be a cliffhanger.  

Edited June 9, 2021 by SunnyBeBe

[Brian Cronin]

36 minutes ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

Why was the Luna/grandparents thing not brought up? Do we have to wait until S4 to get that resolution? Did the grandparents just give up? I’m surprised it wasn’t even mentioned in the span of making up an event that occurred offscreen. 

The resolution was the ending of last episode where Max told them he would fight them. Remember, last episode basically said that they had no chance. Their only shot was him conceding to it and it seemed like he was headed that way, but by the end of the episode, he clearly wasn't going to do that, so it was over. I imagine that was also part of the reason for doing the time jump, to skip over the logistics of that thing being wrapped up. 

[statsgirl]

Iggy saying that he did everything he could for Chance still bothers me a lot because no, he didnt.

Why did Reynolds and that woman doctor pretend that they had never met when they actually met on a case? Even if the writer forgot it, the actors shouldn't have.

Now that Max has won his crusade to ensure that Luna will be raised by nannies and daycare, I don't expect to see her again till she's the flower girl at Max's wedding.

How did Helen get Mina a place in King's College in one month when she would have needed to apply 6 months earlier? And why not a university in the US?

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

I had the same question. Say, wouldn't that be that part of Max's job?

Matching is done by an algorithm matching the resident's preferences with the hospital's following interviews and other factors like grades, awards etc. Since each specialty has its own lists and they interview 14 - 20 students for each position, there would be too many for Max to sit in on them all.

I suppose that Lauren could have donated to the hospital to pay for a new residency position that her girlfriend could have. But putting her in the ER working under Lauren is even more unethical.

Match Day is typically in the third week of March so that they residents can pack up and move to start work in June or July, which means Mina would start in the middle of a term.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Resident_Matching_Program

[Frisky Wig]

I’m 10 minutes into the episode and I feel like I’ve skipped a few episodes. Mina’s going to college? And she’s not an awful, ungrateful brat? Max and Helen are madly in love after all they’ve done was tease us for multiple seasons? 
 

Huh? 

[3 is enough]

So. Much. Bullshit.

My daughter and son-in-law are both doctors.  I am familiar with the match process.  As @statsgirl pointed out, Match Day is the third Friday in March.  At the beginning of the week the medical students get an email telling them they have matched, (or not), but they don’t find out where until Friday. For those who did not match there is a scramble to find programs with unfilled positions, often not in their preferred specialty.  No one who matches gets another offer after the fact.  All matches are binding. Not everyone gets their first or even second or third choice. 

Edited June 9, 2021 by 3 is enough

[Rammchick]

I know.  This show is crazy improbable and full of plot holes you could drive a tractor trailer through.  But yet, I still love it.  I practically cheered when Helen and Max finally kissed, and I couldn't be further from a hopeless romantic.

Sigh.  Such an uncertain time we've had of it.  It's nice to have had this wonderful awful show to look forward to.

[Leeds]

8 hours ago, statsgirl said:

 

How did Helen get Mina a place in King's College in one month when she would have needed to apply 6 months earlier? And why not a university in the US?

 

In a show full of ludicrous this took the biscuit.

The process of applying to and getting accepted to Oxbridge (Oxford and Cambridge) takes a year, and includes standardized testing, exams administered by the university, interviews, personal essays, demonstrable interest in whatever subject you're applying for, etc, etc, etc.

You don't just waltz up and say, "My utterly unqualified Syrian niece, who is here on a tourist visa (by the way, how did they manage even that in a couple of weeks?), who dropped out of high school and thus has zero recommendations from any teacher, who has demonstrated no interest in academia or anything in the wider world, wants to start your incredibly rigourous, highly sought after programme next week.  We'll get the initial $30,000 to you tomorrow."

[DearEvette]

I think the show has been off kilter this season.  But I actually did like this episode gaping plot holes and all.

I am not a fan of the Bloom/Leyla pairing mainly because of their power imbalance and this is yet another example of that that does not sit right with me.  But besides all of that -- how does Bloom know that Leyla is such a great doctor?  She saw her in action once.  I don't know that I'd stake my own professional reputation on a person I've known for a minute even if I am mad in love with them.  Like they say in the Godfather 'It's not personal, it's business.'  And now we are supposed to infer that Bloom paid for her a place.  If it was that easy then why the closed door?  How many people did Dr. Placement give that little speech to if he gave up the goodies to Lauren so quickly.  Also her reaction -- going into the supply room and having a tv tantrum and throwing things around?  Really, girl?  Now some long suffering nurse or orderly is gonna have to clean that up.

I agree Iggy's storyline was just weird.  Everything was presented as over the top or hyper-realistic.  The kid got a splinter and that ges that scream?  The girl wanders off alone leaving her jacket behind to sit and pout.  Gah.  It could have been a nice family outing without all the dramatics.  TBH, I find Iggy's storylines the weakest of the episodes and have for some time.  If he did go, I would not miss him.

I am so disappointed that Floyd got involved with that doctor.  I get that she and hubby have this thing but you don't involved someone in a poly that really doesn't understand what they are getting into.  It gets messy.  This is the second show I've watched this season that has done this 'try it on for kicks" approach and you can tell that they either don't understand the dynamics and rules of poly relationships or  else they are deliberately  ignoring them (and not explaining to the newbie) for heightened drama.  I knew the minute that guy showed up and took over the patient that he was her husband.  I was just wondering how they'd reveal it.  I agree with was stupid for them to not acknowledge they had already worked together.  Also, I guess because we don't need to see Shin anymore we just won't because he is still the head of cardio, I guess, and he becomes one of the many invisible doctors we just never see.

I am glad about Helen and Max.  Sincerely.  Freema and Ryan are honestly what keeps me coming back to the show.  I enjoy their scene chemistry whatever form it takes.  I do think the minute the writers decided to put them together finally, they decided to consciously fuck with the shippers in the execution.  There is no other explanation for how it all played out.  Do two grown ass people who have already acknowledged they feel some type of way about each other really act like that?  And not even show the kiss? 

Anyway, I am happy this very weird, disjointed often infuriating season is over.  I hope they can plan and execute better next season.  I am hopeful.

[KittenPokerCheater]

14 hours ago, Clare said:

Sound mixing seemed off. 

Sound mixing has been off and subpar for a lot of the season.  I don’t know if it’s the on set recorder or in post (I suspect the former).  I read they had to scrap the sound in the shower scene because it didn’t work, and rather spend the money looping/fixing it all in post,, they went with the “it worked much better without sound.”  Which it did, ultimately, but still, it didn’t sound like they had good options

Disjointed episode, but it was a neat way to write off her niece, and I was surprised they didn’t write off Lauren’s girlfriend too.  The Iggy plotline was confusing as hell.  I don’t know that the writers know what they are going to do with the character.  I miss Vijay, but it’s important the actor be with his wife.

I long ago stopped worrying about medicine/inner workings of a hospital because: plot. /shrug.

But I LOVED thes last five minutes because it showed how NYC is coming back to life post covid (although the theaters are not open yet.  And yes, I loved the actors work at the door, and I squared at the kiss.  I just wish there had been a way for Helen to see he was not longer wearing the wedding ring before they kissed each other. 

[SunnyBeBe]

The hold back with Max and Helen had gotten to be too much of a manipulation by writers to me.  On and on and.......I sort of gave up and said to Helen, move on, he’s an idiot. That sounds insensitive to his fictional dead wife, but still.  His blurting out about his wedding band when he runs into her at the hospital.....talk about saying the wrong thing. By the time he was walking from her doorstep.......I had lost my interest in him.  😆

Edited June 9, 2021 by SunnyBeBe

[cathmed]

I was extremely disappointed in the writers makin the decision for Reynold's character to go down this path.  He has too much self-respect and integrity to even consider something such as this polyamorous affair.  Guess they felt there needed to be some drama for next season.  BTW, I didn't like her character from the beginning and she's  just proven how deceitful she can be.

I could care less about Iggy7  His storyline has never been of interest to me.

Bloom needs to be fired.  I hope someone holds her accountable for this.

Sharpwin -First, I hated the time jump.   BTW - with the profound statement of having "lost the medical director" and situation with her mom, I, too, thought that perhaps Helen was going to stay in London--at first.   Second:  This is television - SHOW us what transpired these last several weeks--not make us guess they've taken the relationship tot he next level with flirty texts, phone calls, etc.  I also thought Max might have surprised Helen and flown to London to be with her.  I mean after all this time of long yearning and a smoldering, passionate undercurrent, it was a bit of a letdown/anti-climatic with their "union" and it definitely wasn't long enough, i.e., couple of seconds before the door closed.   This is one fan who certainly expected and deserved more.  I hope we see more in E1 of S4.

Things seemed a bit disjointed for a season finale spotlighting each lead character.  I hope they can flesh out some of these storylines/characters to make S4 better.

[SunnyBeBe]

Why do the major networks struggle with getting competent writers for their tv dramas?  Those positions aren’t very plentiful, so only the best should be employed. Yet, most of the major dramas have writing that is very frustrating to the viewer. It’s like they don’t think things through, don’t get technical advice on the subject matter, don’t know their characters very well and generally drop the ball a lot.  I’m referring to not only these writers, but those for Chicago Med, The Good Doctor, Blue Bloods, The Black List, and others.  I suppose they don’t read or pay much attention to viewer response.

Edited June 9, 2021 by SunnyBeBe

[circumvent]

43 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Why do the major networks struggle with getting competent writers for their tv dramas?  Those positions aren’t very plentiful, so only the best should be employed. Yet, most of the major dramas have writing that is very frustrating to the viewer. It’s like they don’t think things through, don’t get technical advice on the subject matter, don’t know their characters very well and generally drop the ball a lot.  I’m referring to not only these writers, but those for Chicago Med, The Good Doctor, Blue Bloods, The Black List, and others.  I suppose they don’t read or pay much attention to viewer response.

I think that there are two possibilities, or maybe both are true. The writers are not so great, not creative, and don't care much about the craft. The other is that TPTB only care about the returns, so they overwork the writers, demand the final product in a timeframe that doesn't allow for a  lot of thinking and discussing, so the writers feel like they are not recognized enough and, in turn, stopping caring about quality and just go though the motions. It is a vicious cycle. I would like to know how the contracts are drafted. I am guessing her: One lead writer and several low ranking writers, and the lead is the one getting a better pay, ignoring any hones attempt of the lower ranking ones to write a decent script, or fix the holes in the plots. I also have a feeling that there is a high initial investment in pilots and maybe a couple of seasons, not much if the show gets a level of success, when they will hire people who will just follow the lead in an attempt to improve their resumes. I think it is a complete failure of how the industry works, not as much the writers themselves - although some of them should just give up.

I had the privilege to get to know (and know of) writers in a Canadian show and understand how they work. There was a quality to the writing rarely seen and they made an artistic decision to end the show after three seasons, instead of trying to push through for the money.

[SunnyBeBe]

8 minutes ago, circumvent said:

I think that there are two possibilities, or maybe both are true. The writers are not so great, not creative, and don't care much about the craft. The other is that TPTB only care about the returns, so they overwork the writers, demand the final product in a timeframe that doesn't allow for a  lot of thinking and discussing, so the writers feel like they are not recognized enough and, in turn, stopping caring about quality and just go though the motions. It is a vicious cycle. I would like to know how the contracts are drafted. I am guessing her: One lead writer and several low ranking writers, and the lead is the one getting a better pay, ignoring any hones attempt of the lower ranking ones to write a decent script, or fix the holes in the plots. I also have a feeling that there is a high initial investment in pilots and maybe a couple of seasons, not much if the show gets a level of success, when they will hire people who will just follow the lead in an attempt to improve their resumes. I think it is a complete failure of how the industry works, not as much the writers themselves - although some of them should just give up.

I had the privilege to get to know (and know of) writers in a Canadian show and understand how they work. There was a quality to the writing rarely seen and they made an artistic decision to end the show after three seasons, instead of trying to push through for the money.

I appreciate that perspective. I had no idea how it worked.   If TPTB could understand what’s needed, they could really have a quality product.  It seems there would be more money for them if they did it better.  

[Cloud9Shopper]

1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Why do the major networks struggle with getting competent writers for their tv dramas?  Those positions aren’t very plentiful, so only the best should be employed. Yet, most of the major dramas have writing that is very frustrating to the viewer. It’s like they don’t think things through, don’t get technical advice on the subject matter, don’t know their characters very well and generally drop the ball a lot.  I’m referring to not only these writers, but those for Chicago Med, The Good Doctor, Blue Bloods, The Black List, and others.  I suppose they don’t read or pay much attention to viewer response.

I’ve read fanfic that’s better than what the NA writers did overall in S3. It was so...neurotic? I’m writing a fic myself in the ER fandom and at least wanted to look passable so I did some basic research. It seems like the people legit paid to do this were on something for a lot of the season. 

[DearEvette]

1 hour ago, cathmed said:

I was extremely disappointed in the writers makin the decision for Reynold's character to go down this path.  He has too much self-respect and integrity to even consider something such as this polyamorous affair.  Guess they felt there needed to be some drama for next season.  BTW, I didn't like her character from the beginning and she's  just proven how deceitful she can be.

I don't think she is deceitful.  I think this is where the writing fails her and the story.  The only way she would have been is if she isn't really in a poly relationship and is just flat out cheating on her husband.  Otherwise, she was upfront about being married and about being in a open/poly relationship.  We are to infer that she and Floyd have established some ground rules, but we never hear what they are.  IIRC, she did mention she and her husband were in the 'don't tell who it is' sort of agreement. But that only applies to them.  The only thing about this that really doesn't work for me (other than Floyd participating because this is completely OOC of what we know about him and what has been firmly established) is that she should have given Floyd a heads up about who her husband was since they all work in the same workplace.  It isn't outside the realm of possibility (as we saw) for them to work together at some point.  It is one thing if she and her husband have a rule they aren't to know who the other is doing, but it isn't fair to a person in the situation like Floyd where he can get blindside,  And doubly not fair to a newbie to that sort of relationship dynamic.

 

21 minutes ago, circumvent said:

I think that there are two possibilities, or maybe both are true. The writers are not so great, not creative, and don't care much about the craft. The other is that TPTB only care about the returns, so they overwork the writers, demand the final product in a timeframe that doesn't allow for a  lot of thinking and discussing, so the writers feel like they are not recognized enough and, in turn, stopping caring about quality and just go though the motions. It is a vicious cycle. I would like to know how the contracts are drafted. I am guessing her: One lead writer and several low ranking writers, and the lead is the one getting a better pay, ignoring any hones attempt of the lower ranking ones to write a decent script, or fix the holes in the plots. I also have a feeling that there is a high initial investment in pilots and maybe a couple of seasons, not much if the show gets a level of success, when they will hire people who will just follow the lead in an attempt to improve their resumes. I think it is a complete failure of how the industry works, not as much the writers themselves - although some of them should just give up.

I follow a fair number of writers on twitter and some of them do a great job of demystifying what goes on in a writers' room. The bottom line is that each room is different.  They have a showrunner or EP who is really the person who is in charge of the stories.  Some rooms are highly collaborative where writers can pitch ideas.  Some are not.  But in all cases it comes from the top down and how succcessful the writing is on a show all about the showrunner.  Some writers are given the responsibility of writing for a particular character within the larger story, IIRC there is an african american woman writer on This Is Us who would polish some of Beth's dialogue.  Tyler Perry doesn't even have a writer's room.  He writes everything himself (and it shows... Lord it shows...).  But a good, functional writing team led by a showrunner who knows how to tell stories (and not just trying to go for shocking moments) becomes readily apparent in the end result.  So when the show chemistry in the writing seems off then it is a good indicator something happened behind the scenes. The showrunner may have handed more story responsibility to their second in command and that person doesn't have quite the grasp of storytelling as the runner does.

Industry wide though it is highly political.  Like many areas in Hollywood it is incredibly hard to break into and is hidebound in a lot of ways.  "This is the way it has always been done" attitude.  Also the more powerful the showrunner, the less they have to worry about network interference.  When it comes of inaccuracies in job portrayls (law, police, medicine) I think it is more a case of they are banking on the fact that the vast majority of viewers are simply ignorant of how these jobs really work.  Also they'll use the old "dramatic license" excuse.

[statsgirl]

This episode was written by David Foster, one of New Amersterdam's executive producers (and one of my favourite House writers) along with Aaron Ginsburg. It was directed by Peter Horton, also one of the show's executive producers.

Quote

Foster graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1995. He attended school with Neal Baer, a pediatrician who would eventually become the executive producer of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. As a doctor he worked at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Harvard School of Public Health listening to patient's stories and diagnose uncommon illnesses, a skill which he would later utilize as a writer on House.

In 2010, Foster won a Writers Guild of America Award for "Broken", an episode of House, which he shared with Russel Friend, Garrett Lerner and David Shore

So honestly, I don't know where this went wrong.

How old is Helen supposed to be? Mina is 16 so her father would have to be at least 35. Helen remembers her father leaving her and her mother to marry Mina's grandmother so at least 40?  (Freema herself is 42 and looks amazing.)

1 hour ago, DearEvette said:

what has been firmly established) is that she should have given Floyd a heads up about who her husband was since they all work in the same workplace

It should have been part of the arrangement with her husband that they don't sleep with anyone in the hospital where they both work. But more than that, she shouldn't have picked up someone who doesn't know the rules.

It was dark when Max walked Helen home after spending all day at the hospital so it had to be at least 9 p.m. at night. Who is looking after Luna and putting her to bed? Tuesday's nanny?

[Madding crowd]

We need to see Max doing other things that playing with Luna so I’m fine with assuming he found a live in nanny and perhaps saw Luna before she went to sleep. It bothered me at first but in the end I want to see the medical and relationship drama and that can’t happen if  Max has to be home by 5 PM. 
 

I did like the end scene with Helen. I don’t care about Bloom’s romance because it came out of nowhere and Floyd’s romance doesn’t fit who he is as a person, so I’m happy Max is moving on.

Edited June 10, 2021 by Madding crowd

[Cloud9Shopper]

2 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

We need to see Mac doing other things that playing with Luna so I’m fine with assuming he found a live in nanny and perhaps saw Luna before she went to sleep. It bothered me at first but in the end I want to see the medical and relationship drama and that can’t happen if  Max has to be home by 5 PM. 
 

I did like the end scene with Helen. I don’t care about Bloom’s romance because it came out of nowhere and Floyd’s romance doesn’t fit who he is as a person, so I’m happy Max is moving on.

I’m fine with assuming as such about Max. Shows aren’t supposed to explain every little detail about the characters’ lives. Like just assume he got a nanny or worked something else out, folks. (Although that said, I wish the custody thing had come up this episode. I got the sense it wasn’t resolved and Grandma didn’t want to give up.) 

Edited June 9, 2021 by Cloud9Shopper

[yourmomiseasy]

Dividing the show up by character was kind of weird, but in theory it made it easier to just fast forward through those you don't care about.  I say in theory because I'm too lazy to do it.

[catrice2]

I can't believed they hyped this episode as if it would be satisfying! 

Iggy- No one cares and I hope this episode means that the writers realized this and he is going bye bye.  I don't know what they were aiming for with his family scenes, but they didn't achieve it. 

Reynolds- Another no one cares.  It was obvious to me that was her husband as soon as he entered the scene.  Just ridiculous for them to pretend that they didn't know each other, and even more ridiculous that she would not have mentioned that her husband was working at the hospital, no matter what the "rules" were.   Reynolds has always been a blah character to me, with Bloom, with Evie, with anybody....Evie made him mildly interesting and I wish they would have explored HER more

Bloom Another barely interesting character.   The only thing I like about her is the guy Casey that works with her.  I like Leyla more than Bloom and she has barely been on the show.  Shouldn't she be more concerned with reporting that someone is taking bribes?  Maybe coming forth with that information would have helped her case to get Leyla hired more than anything else.  I also agree with someone upthread,...how does she know the extent of her proficiency as a doctor based upon a couple of interactions?  I also don't like that they introduced Layla as an immigrant in need of saving .   Couldn't they have just had a story where she was working at the hospital and they crossed paths? Maybe disagreed on a case or something?  She could have still had visa problems. 

I don't even know where to start with the poor writing for Helen and Max.  First, let me disclose that I am fine if they don't get together.  I saw chemistry at first, but they dragged it out so long that I, and I am sure many like me, lost interest.   That and the fact that they started writing him more and more erratically and less and less as a man a  sane competent woman would be interested in.  I personally wish they had cast Ian Anthony Dale  or Laz Alonzo or someone like that for a love interest for Helen.  The two she had she lacked chemistry with. I would also like to see her with a man that doesn't have her acting like she is dealing with an exasperating child all the time reacting to his antics.  It puts her more in the stern motherly role as opposed to an attractive woman interested in a man.   Max is written as a disorganized mess rather than the intelligent and caring person who we are supposed to believe is so passionate that he is willing to make risks to help others. 

The writers missed the opportunity to have MAX go to HELEN.  She has supported him through everything and stood in the wings, but they have her coming back, cutting her time short with her mother and her niece (even after a health scare with the mom) on the strength of what we are left to assume are multiple flirty messages, and the first thing he talks about is his WEDDING ring?  It would have been much stronger if he had went to London and possibly been there to support her while they were waiting for her mother's results.  

Then we are able to see Bloom kiss Leyla, Iggy and his husband, and Reynolds being a side piece in bed with his love interest, but the one couple some people have waited for get a silent walk and a door closed so that you can't even see the kiss?  It makes me wonder if there is some behind the scenes tension with the actors or something, because, come on!  Who thought this was the way to go?  Also, they should have made it clear that she realized he had given up his wedding ring before the kiss, instead of making it appear that after all this, she was still willing to take whatever he was willing to offer, including competing with the memory of his dead wife.   Why have him banging on the door as if he had lost his mind?  If someone came to my door like that, they would still be on the other side. Especially if they had just walked away from a potential start to us AGAIN.   He would have at least waited until the next day for me to acknowledge him. 

 

  Also the actor makes some interesting choices with the facial tics, etc. that are so annoying. 

Love Freema, but I don't know if I can hate watch next year.  

 

Edited June 10, 2021 by catrice2

[LexieLily]

23 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

Why was the Luna/grandparents thing not brought up? Do we have to wait until S4 to get that resolution? Did the grandparents just give up? I’m surprised it wasn’t even mentioned in the span of making up an event that occurred offscreen. 

I thought about it some more and now that Max is sort-of-dating Helen I can see the whole grandparents/custody storyline coming back with a vengeance, now that there is a woman in Max's life and the potential for a new "Mommy."

[Cloud9Shopper]

44 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

I thought about it some more and now that Max is sort-of-dating Helen I can see the whole grandparents/custody storyline coming back with a vengeance, now that there is a woman in Max's life and the potential for a new "Mommy."

That’s a good point! I was thinking about Helen’s fertility storyline from S1 and wondering if we’d see that come back in some form again with her and Max eventually wanting a family. (She probably will end up pregnant at some point by him because it’s TV and I’ve seen this on ER before where the widower gets with another woman and they have a baby together, so I don’t doubt that NA will do this.) 

[LexieLily]

21 minutes ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

That’s a good point! I was thinking about Helen’s fertility storyline from S1 and wondering if we’d see that come back in some form again with her and Max eventually wanting a family. (She probably will end up pregnant at some point by him because it’s TV and I’ve seen this on ER before where the widower gets with another woman and they have a baby together, so I don’t doubt that NA will do this.) 

Mark and Elizabeth having Ella? That is the example that immediately came to mind but I don't remember Mark's ex-wife dying. Though it has been years since I watched ER, lol. 

How old is Helen supposed to be? Is she in the age-range for that to be a possibly? Not that something like whether or not a woman is of a childbearing age has stopped shows like Grey's Anatomy before...

Edited June 10, 2021 by LexieLily

[LittleIggy]

On 6/8/2021 at 11:02 PM, ams1001 said:

So what is Iggy going to do..? Be a stay at home dad? (Is he leaving the show?) Or is there another job he can do at the hospital that doesn't involve seeing patients?

Janitor?

[LittleIggy]

I’m totally with Helen’s mum re: Mina. Why should she give a 💩 about her ex-husband’s second family? And Helen has the nerve to put her down as Mina’s local contact. 🖕🏻

When I was a kid, if I had acted like Iggy’s kid over that splinter, I would have been in big trouble. Same for the one who ran off to pout. 
First JJ Feild, then Daniel Dae Kim. NA sure knows how to squander hot, talented actors. 🙄

[Snazzy Daisy]

Iggy and Lauren’s stories are mehhh.

Floyd succumbed to that tarantula is unbelievable and so out of character. He’s a man of integrity and self-pride. She’s shady. Don’t really like about how Floyd is being written. Floyd should be with Lauren and they can do boring things together, offscreen!

Helen’s storyline in London, it feels rushed. I like her mum and agree with her re “the other family”. Mina, please stay there forever ok!

I lost interest in SharpWin a long time ago, but I like their friendship. Their kissing scene is so-so, the song doesn’t help either. I think their shower scene is much more intense and dramatic. TBH, I like Helen’s bf in season 1 (Dr Panthaki) more than Max, he’s way hotter. I don’t think the show will finally make Helen & Max an item by the beginning of season 4. Both of them love sabotaging their romantic connections for no apparent reason. 🙄

[bros402]

This was a very lowkey episode. Just odd.

Okay, it's time for WORST DOCTOR OF THE EPISODE: I got to skip chemo this week because of low hemoglobin SEASON FINALE EDITION

 

oh no one month later and slow piano music with no audible talking, max just drifting through life

 

if max couldn't get her out of her head does that mean NA had a whole month without a Max crusade? that must've been heavenly

 

why does max get changed in the locker room with everyone else? he probably has a place in or near his office he could use, or maybe he's doing it to be NEAR THE COMMON DOCTOR or something? but even then he could store his stuff in his office and not in the docker room

 

hey look max is getting a ct or pet for his cancer, too bad they aren't saying he is just going through the motions because of his scanxiety, since that would make a lot of sense

 

how would they get results on the spot, well he is the medical director so he probably just had a radiologist right there to look at it which is a pretty gross misuse of hospital resources, wait he's waiting 6 months before the next scan? he has squamous cell carcinoma, i believe that is like most other cancers and it's every 3 months for the first 2 years, then it goes to every 6 months, and luna isn't two yet.

 

uh oh max can't find his wedding ring, is this the crusade of the episode? or did max forget to put it on this morning and he will feel bad and then go "wait this means I am ready to move on hey sharpe let's do the dirty"

 

oh no we're going with this are we? part of the episode with different characters? now that we know sharpe is first, I am going to guess the order is: Bloom, Reynolds, Iggy, Max, then some/all converge

 

um sharpe you should not leave sexual sounding voicemails in the middle of a store when your niece is within earshot, or at least start to leave one

 

so wait it only took a month for Sharpe to completely establish and repair her relationship with her niece that she didn't know before now? this feels more like it would be one year, not one month

 

uh oh, sharpe's mom is coughing, that's TV for cancer.

 

ew sharpe you left that blood spotted napkin on the table for the staff to clean up

 

i hope sharpe pulling the "oh i used to work here" card just ends what "lolno she can wait like everyone else"

 

wow the receptionist is going to move people around that sucks for the patients waiting

 

oh no this place sounds like it is in dire financial straits, is sharpe gonna leave to become the medical director, or just toss her Famous Doctor Money at the clinic to help fund it?

 

wow that was the worlds quickest appointment for sharpe's mom (or, well, mum as they say across the pond)

 

oh hey it's Bloom next - I wonder if the rest of my guesses are right

 

um max wouldn't you have heard from Iggy since you care so much about your staff

 

well that cosplay sword looks super cheap - from afar I thought it was a super cheap Master Sword, but up close wow that looks cheap

 

woohoo situs inversus, medical shows love that

 

um reynolds shouldn't you be automatically stopping for a head CT for this patient and Bloom wouldn't need to tell you that

 

hey bloom's girlfriend got a residency... in a month? don't you find out if you match one day, then learn where you matched later that week????

 

so he's telling the rich Dr. Bloom to make a donation to get her girlfriend a residency? i mean you think it'd be something someone could do legally - make a big donation to the hospital, say "hey board member look at this donation, maybe you could get this person a residency spot"

 

uh oh, bloom's sad, hopefully they don't use this to make her fall off the wagon

 

oh no did bloom make a donation bribe to New Amsterdam get a fifth spot? i will be shocked if Bloom didn't have something to do with her girlfriend getting a spot & how is it ethical to have her girlfriend work under her? answer: it isn't

 

now it's reynolds turn

 

ew reynolds did you just eat a piece of bacon that she bit into

 

you're still in the pandemic reynolds, you might be vaccinated but everyone isn't, that was disgusting

 

and now you're kissing and bacon swapping? wtf

 

can the drummer playing this beat just stop, this music is annoying

 

um did that doctor pronounce hemorrhagic as heam orr agick? is that a proper pronunciation?

 

wait what did he say with situs inversus you have small mini spleens throughout the abdomen? pretty sure it's just the organs are mirrored 

 

ha ha reynolds you got brushed off because you didn't do all of the imaging you should've because with something like this you can't just dive in, nothing is where you are expecting it to be

 

reynolds: wedding ring watcher

 

one time my dad lost his wedding ring in the yard doing yardwork, he couldn't find it even though his hand was rather bloody from it coming off. 6 months later the dog pointed it out to him, it was still in the yard

 

wedding rings are weird

 

hey look reynolds is wanted back in the OR while Max sits in the locker room in the clothes pile of despair

 

and reynolds saves the day in the OR, i bet head surgeon guy is gonna have some negative words for him

 

um reynolds you can't nonverball signal you will see him after the surgery, he is looking into a body

 

oh hey that's a nice promotion for floyd, and he isn't being given it by Max

 

aaand of course he's the husband of the woman he swapped bacon this that morning

 

hey look, trees and i'm thinking they are implying it is remote, is this Iggy time? if this is iggy time, then I am 3/3 for my guess at the start

 

oh god no that song never ends please stop singing it

 

wow that was a lot of screaming for a splinter

 

how far could that kid go in a minute, what did she go like 50 feet and fall down a cliff or something?

 

hey look i was sorta right, it was a steep hill

 

now iggy you should know to tell someone before you go down a steep hill

 

hey look he found the kid without injuring himself, but he should text his husband saying he found the kid

 

Iggy doesn't want to see patients anymore? Maybe he'll do stuff a head of his department would do, like paperwork. I see a doctor who is the head of his department at a well known cancer center - he only sees patients twice a week, the rest of the time, he is in meetings and doing whatever else he does

 

I bet Iggy could just see the inpatient kids in the hospital, none of those will stalk him and break into his home.

 

 

and now we're back on Max! holy crap i'm 4/4? 

 

max i'm still betting you took the ring off at home and didn't realize it because you are subconsciously ready to move on

 

hey look he didn't take it off at home

 

wait Sharpe was on a plane for 6 hours?

 

googling, it looks like it is a 7 hr 40 minute flight

 

sharpe did you teleport

 

and hey sharpe's mom doesn't have cancer!

 

max you are clingy wanting to walk with sharpe after she said she was tired out

 

stop staring at each other and just kiss already and get it over with

 

max stop staring at her and use your words

 

hey they didn't jump each others bones in the doorway

 

aaand there we go, he took off the ring

 

and commence bone jumping

 

so, not a whole lot of medicine in this episode - but I think the worst doctor award goes to The Doctor Who Reynolds Swapped Bacon With, since she is making Reynolds act like they never met before

Now, for WORST DOCTOR OF THE SEASON...

THAT PRESTIGIOUS AWARD GOES TO...

 

The Crusader, DR. MAX GOODWIN

[circumvent]

Was this the finale? Pretty weak.

Like others, I don't care about Iggy. I didn't mind the kid overreaction to a splinter, some kids are just like that and the moment was a really family bonding moment. The other kid vanishing and leaving the sweater behind was just silly. It was like they wanted to build some suspenseful moment but the kid was found so fast, the sweater was unnecessary, there was no time to "freak out".

Lauren's reaction to Layla not getting the spot was way too dramatic. Peeve: people throwing stuff around when they are frustrated. Such a cliche on TV shows. I could sympathize more if she had suffered quietly. But the meltdown, plus the outrage about the bribe, just to capitulate was too much. Of course, we will see Layla being offended by her intervention, then leave to Spokane, and a long plot of Lauren dealing with her addiction, being alone, another one of those plots they pull out of the Overused Plots The Audience Hates But Writers Love.

Mina: needless character, bad story, meh acting. Glad it is over.

Why weren't people in London even hinting at some concern about Covid? I don't really understand the timeline of this show. Yes, they had vaccines "last month" in the hospital, many people vaccinated, but the crowd in London seemed pretty relaxed. I don't think in real life they were ahead of the US in vaccinations. And when did it become fall in upstate NT? Iggy and family were traveling in this beautiful road and the mountains were so colorful and pretty!

Don't care about Floyd's plot.