We got another season of The Resident under our belts, and it has been picked up for another!
And The Resident Season 5 Episode 23 also gave us the Nic content we needed for closure while mostly giving everyone happy endings.
Join Carissa Pavlica, Leora W., Laura Nowak, and Meaghan Frey as they discuss everything.
The Resident is officially renewed! React.
Carissa: Thank goodness. It’s one of the only things I still watch on broadcast and brightens my weeks considerably. I’m not even close to ready to say goodbye.
Leora W: Mixed feelings? Sadly, many of the shows I like are done-zo, so I didn’t really want to lose another one, and I do like The Resident, but I haven’t enjoyed it as much since Nic left. Plus, certain stuff in my personal life makes watching medical shows a little much right now. So, yeah, mixed feelings.
Laura: Mixed Feelings? The only part of the Resident that truly interests me is Kitbell. The drama between the twins and the baby saga really exhausted me. I miss Nic and Mina and don’t feel like the Resident has indeed found another leading lady.
Meaghan: Ecstatic! While I agree that the series has lost some of its magic over the past season, that’s part of why I wanted it to get another season. I would have hated it if this had been the end. I’m also not even close to ready to say goodbye to this incredible cast yet.
What did you think about Nic’s return and how they did it?
Carissa: It worked much better than I anticipated. Recalling actual events is a good motivator, and there are plenty of scenes of their lives that we’ve never seen.
But it was a little bit awkward. Nic’s jealousy wasn’t like the Nic we knew. Heck, for years, she rebuffed him. But, it was nice to remember what was, if only for a little while.
Leora W: It was totally out of character. They had to make Conrad look like the good guy and Nic the villain.
They could have easily had that conversation without her acting jealous and like she didn’t trust him. Maybe they could have addressed her role as a nurse since she wasn’t just Conrad’s wife but a significant member of the cast and the catalyst for me to realize how amazing nurses are.
I get what they were going for, and it was lovely to see her, but it was poorly handled.
Also, that is NOT THEIR SONG! CoNic has a song from The Resident Season 1 Episode 2. They’re at the bar, and a song comes on; Conrad says, “Isn’t this our song?” Nic says, “We don’t have a song,” and Conrad says, “Let’s make it this one.”
It wasn’t Neon Moon. Neon Moon was a pretty song, and it was relevant to the current situation because it’s about getting over a loss, but who wants that to be their song? That is not their song!
Laura: Leora’s right. As a longtime CoNic fan, that was definitely not their song. Some of their scenes were sweet, but Nic usually does not appear jealous.
I just don’t see either side of Conrad’s current love triangle as being earned, though I do see where these flashbacks were important.
Meaghan: I agree that the jealousy Nic displayed was completely out of character for her, but that aside I loved seeing the two of them together again.
The problem is, this reminded me of how incredible the chemistry was between Matt Czuchry and Emily VanCamp. Unfortunately, the series hasn’t managed to find someone yet for Conrad that matches that chemistry.
If they really want to move forward with this love triangle, they will have to invest some time in it and explore what is working and what isn’t.
Devon is staying at Chastain, and he and Leela are back together. Thoughts?
Carissa: Uh, yay?
I really don’t like Leela. She’s never happy. She never smiles. She’s always down, and even when she was supposed to be fighting for Devon, she was depressing. Frankly, Devon deserves better, and it felt yucky.
Leora W: Yeah. It didn’t make sense. I got what they were going for, and it sort of worked, but it was really poorly handled. They should never have done that storyline.
Laura: I’m thrilled Devon is staying. I just wish it wasn’t based on Leela. That grated on me.
Meaghan: I used to love Leela, so I hate saying this, but I agree with everyone. Her character used to have more of a spark that has dulled this season, which has spilled over into her relationship with Devon. I’m not rooting for them the same way that I was anymore.
Also, while I understand how Devon got to where he did with his feelings about having a baby, I hate that Leela tried to get him back without anything changing for her.
That kind of leads me to believe that she assumed she could get him to compromise. It would have been much easier for me to swallow had Devon been the one who approached her first.
Was Ian’s apology to Cade sincere? Do you think they made amends too fast, or do you anticipate more issues for them?
Carissa: Yes, his apology was sincere, but he will fall into old patterns soon after recovery. It gives you clarity when you see your life hurtling past your eyes.
He finally saw his relationship with her for what it could and should be and his part in why it wasn’t that. Cade got to hear the words and feel the emotion, which will help her understand him better when he goes back to his old self.
Leora W: I agree with Carissa, though I’ll add that him knowing what she needed to hear kind of came out of nowhere. I also agree with a commenter (V) that not every “bad dad” needs a redemption arc. I look forward to seeing what they do with the two of them next season.
Laura: I wish I cared about Ian. The actor has charisma, but it’s hard to connect with him since not every “bad dad” needs a redemption arc.
Meaghan: Carissa said it perfectly. At this moment, Ian does mean what he is saying, but that doesn’t guarantee that anything will change moving forward.
AJ and Padma are having twins. What’s your reaction?
Carissa: I wish I cared, but I don’t. At all. I don’t like Padma much more than Leela, which is a darn shame for Anuja Joshi. I could happily not see much of either of them. It seems I’m getting the opposite of that.
And, like Devon, AJ deserves better than to be starting a family with a virtual stranger. He had a great love with Mina and should have looked for that again. Now he’ll be tied to Padma forever.
Leora W: I don’t care much either, except I think AJ will make a great dad. And the different parenting styles could be interesting to watch, if bad for the child, because parents need to be on the same page.
Regarding what Carissa said, seriously, when his mom died, it would have made sense for him to go be with Mina.
I didn’t want him too because it would mean him leaving the show, but it would have made sense. Nobody will top Mina. I’m on board with him as a dad, but I’m not into him and Padma as a couple.
Laura: I don’t care about them having twins either. It was my least favorite storyline of the season. I’m sure AJ will be a wonderful dad, but I don’t care about Padma.
Meaghan: While I’m not super invested in the storyline, I was willing to put that aside and really try. However, there was such a lack of sincerity when Padma delivered the news to AJ that it completely threw me off. It felt like the actors were phoning in the scene a bit.
What are your thoughts on Bell’s flare-up, Kitbell’s engagement party, and Bell taking Leela as his mentee/professional legacy?
Carissa: When Bell fell to the floor on The Resident Season 5 Episode 22, I thought he was in grave danger. Of course, the trailer proved otherwise, but I would have at least expected more than we got.
Their engagement party was nice, but there wasn’t enough of them as a couple. It focused more on their guests.
And don’t be shocked, but I don’t like Leela’s sudden shift to general surgery. Unless she left out that seeing Padma carrying her baby has changed her outlook in that area, I don’t understand how she scuttled not one but both of her specialties.
Leora W: I like Leela as Bell’s legacy. Her most likable moments lately are when he’s mentoring her. I’m glad Bell’s OK, though I’m always torn on how they’re interpreting the severeness of MS. The party was fine, but yes, it wasn’t super on them.
Laura: I agree there wasn’t enough focus on Kitbell at their own party. I’m relieved that Bell wasn’t in grave danger. I hope next season focuses more on planning their wedding. I do like Bell mentoring Leela.
Meaghan: I’m thinking that Leela’s shift came less from Padma’s pregnancy and more from her realizing that trying to be double board certified wasn’t making her a better doctor but instead making her more prone to mistakes. Leela is a perfectionist at her core, and I don’t think she is willing to let go of that.
Switching it up and focusing on general surgery will allow her to be amazing at one specialty rather than mediocre at two. Kitbell’s engagement party didn’t quite hit the mark for me.
As I said in my last answer about the actors phoning it in for the AJ and Padma scene, I also felt like that about pretty much the entire cast when it came to the engagement party. The dialog delivery felt so off to me, and I couldn’t see past that. I am super relieved that Bell is OK for now. We don’t need anything getting in the way of a Kitbell happy ending right now.
Discuss your final thoughts on the Conrad, Cade, Billie love triangle and that cliffhanger.
Carissa: Again, I don’t care. I was embarrassed for Billie, who came away from her “for now” comment looking like a drunk middle-aged fool, and she was neither.
A commenter (kate277) thought maybe they ‘were steering toward a friendship between Billie and Cade more than a romantic triangle, and I hope that’s it.
Conrad did feel something when hugging Cade, but it doesn’t mean he was feeling something for Cade. It was also a stretch that Cade told Billie she thought maybe they were something. Perhaps a lot of applicable content fell to the cutting room floor.
Leora W: I’m obviously rooting for Billie, but Cade is the most likely option at this point. I’m excited that they left it open, though. It gives me a smidge of hope.
Laura: I’m not crazy about either option. In all honesty, I see more chemistry between Billie and AJ than Billie and Conrad.
Meaghan: It was such a bizarre scene. As this round table has said multiple times, the love triangle has not been earned.
Aside from AJ, no one has any reason to believe that Billie has feelings for Conrad. Hell, if they didn’t blatantly spell it out for us, I don’t think the audience would even be 100% sure she does.
Yes, the writers have been shoving Cade and Conrad down our throats, but it still doesn’t feel like anything is organically there. It honestly feels like Cade and Billie have started a love triangle, and no one has informed Conrad.
Even with the flashbacks to CoNic serving as a reminder for Conrad that it is OK to move on, it didn’t seem as if he was thinking about that because he had someone in particular in mind. It just felt like he realized it was time.
The writers need to take some time going into next season and really figure out this love triangle. If they insist on pushing forward with it, they will have to spend more time actually developing it so we can get invested in at least one side of it; otherwise, what’s the point? Conrad is the series’ best character and deserves more than a half-assed love story.
What was your favorite moment from the hour? What was your favorite part of the season?
Carissa: I don’t have the brain for that question. I watch so much TV that I can’t recall even things that I love too far after they’ve occurred.
I can tell you what I didn’t like about this episode, though. Devon and AJ suddenly don’t have the cowboy spirit when a woman and her baby’s lives are in jeopardy, but he wouldn’t give up when Devon was faced with a near-impossible rabies case.
It felt like some off-kilter political message that an unborn baby wasn’t as worthy as the woman carrying it.
And while I’m pro-choice, that choice is not only to terminate but to carry a child to life and to believe in that life with every fiber of your being. So, yeah. Annoying.
Leora W: Strangely, my favorite part wasn’t seeing Nic because she acted so out of character, which I found grating and insulting.
I enjoyed Gigi’s interaction with Cade. It was adorable. And Cade and Billie were both likable in this episode.
As for the season, probably the progression of Kitbell? It’s hard to remember everything, and many plotlines had good and bad, like Billie and Trevor, which was good, but then just sort of dropped, or Cade’s introduction, followed by them forgetting her every other episode.
Laura: I wasn’t crazy about this episode, except I’m delighted Devon decided to stay. My favorite part of the season was the progression of Kitbell and all the Conrad and Gigi moments.
Meaghan: My favorite part of this episode was CoNic. I hated that we never really got a chance to say goodbye to Nic, and their scene together in bed felt like that moment we never got. I do miss Nic more than ever now, though.
As far as the season as a whole goes, Kitbell was by far the brightest spot. We’ve waited so long for these two to work it out and get together, and this season has been the perfect payoff.
What’s your season six wishlist?
Carissa: I don’t have one. I’m ready for whatever comes our way.
Leora W: I want them to find balance and stop dropping storylines. I want more Jessica and Irving. I want them to bring back Mina. (And Nic, but I know it’s impossible since she’s dead.)
I want whoever Conrad chooses to make him less paternalistic. I want Trevor to come back. I want Cade to be a fully-formed character, not just a love interest, and I want to see her face off with her dad.
I want the show to … be better, I guess. And I want all the Kitbell!
Laura: Kitbell wedding! More Jake and Sammie visits.
Meaghan: I need them to stick to what they do best: grounded storytelling that highlights the deficiencies of the medical community.
I don’t need another plotline like the mob storyline. It threw off the tone of the series and was executed so poorly. Those types of storylines worked so well when the series started, but the series has grown past that. It doesn’t need to rely on that to be a great exciting series.
Aside from that, the only two things I need are Kitbell to get to their wedding without any last-minute hiccups and for the writers to fix the love triangle mess they have started. I’m willing to get on board with the love triangle, but the writers have to give me a reason.
Over to you, Resident Fanatics. Do you agree with our round table? Discuss below.
The Resident will return Tuesdays this Fall on FOX.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.