Trust was at the core of The Resident Season 5 Episode 9. 

Some patients trust their doctors wholeheartedly, while others don’t seem to trust them at all. 

Dr. Devi, Conrad, and Trevor had patients who both trusted and distrusted them, and it was a teachable moment all around. 

Conrad once again took Trevor under his wing to show him the ropes. It’s not really surprising that he’s taken on the role of a mentor to Trevor since he also mentored Pravesh and, well, look how well that turned out. 

But Trevor is also very similar to a young Conrad — you know, the one from the early seasons of The Resident. He’s confident, passionate, outspoken, and doesn’t show nearly enough restraint as he should much like Conrad.

That just means there’s room to learn and grow. Trevor has good instincts, but he needs to learn how to reign them in. 

And who better to learn it from than Conrad?

The case was tough. Their patient, Wyatt, was sick but he wasn’t a lost cause. His heart failure could easily be reversed with a pacemaker, and yet, Wyatt, who genuinely believed he was like a cat with nine lives, didn’t want to intervene. 

He refused the pacemaker at every turn despite all their efforts to convince him. And you can’t say they didn’t try. They brought in a psychologist, Conrad tried to reason with him, then he tried to level with him, and finally, he opted for reverse psychology to suggest that maybe the Lord wanted them to save him. 

None of it worked. 

Wyatt was set in his ways, and he was prepared to die. 

And eventually, his luck ran out. 

It was a heartbreaking case because it was easily preventable. And it speaks volumes to the restraint that Conrad has built up over the years. 

It would’ve been easy to disregard the patient’s wishes and put the pacemaker in. It would’ve been easy to break the rules. It would’ve been easy to justify doing the wrong thing. 

And it’s twisted to think that saving a life is considering doing the wrong thing, but in this case, it is. 

In this instance, the patient’s wishes needed to be respected even if no one agreed with them. At the end of the day, that’s their obligation as doctors. 

It may be the most important lesson Trevor ever learns. Losing a patient is never easy, but it’s hard to rationalize when you could’ve done more. 

Some days, you fight like hell to save your patient, and other days, you have to sit back and accept that your hands are tied. 

Trevor is never going to forget this case, especially because it was also the first patient he’s ever lost.

Trevor meant well. He advocated for his patient. He didn’t give up. He wanted to find a way to ensure his survival. 

If he only learns how to take a step back when necessary (and also, how to speak to patients), he has all the makings of a doctor. 

As Conrad put it, he cares deeply. 

Wyatt’s case was also upsetting because his reasoning for refusing the pacemaker stemmed from being spoonfed misinformation. 

Wyatt was part of a Facebook group that spread blatant lies and politicized medicine thus making the job harder for doctors. He wanted to form his own opinions rather than trust science, and while having your own opinions is always welcomed,  those opinions should be formed using credible information. 

Conrad summed it up nicely — fear and misinformation are dangerous, and they are a hard condition to cure. 

On the other hand, Dr. Devi’s patient, Brit, put all of her faith in the medical experts. 

She needed surgery, but it wasn’t without risk. Despite always looking on the humorous side of things, she was unable to make the best medical decision for herself, so she asked Dr. Devi to do it for her. 

Devi is a brilliant doctor, but her self-doubt gets in the way all too often. 

I love that she has Bell in her corner encouraging her, but hopefully, after successfully completing Brit’s surgery all on her own, she starts to believe it more. 

Devi was a beast in the surgery room when Bell left. She took charge, made the calls, and stuck by them because she knew that she was right. 

It was impressive. She proved that she can handle anything. 

Of course, seeing Bell’s hand tense up and tremble brings it back to the earlier seasons. 

His character has come a long way, however. The old Bell would’ve continued on with the surgery because he had an inflated ego. The new and improved Bell took a step back and excused himself knowing that it would be too much for Devi. He didn’t want to be her patient on top of an already complex surgery. 

Bell also reached out to Conrad to ask him if he’d run some confidential tests on him to see what was causing the tremors and vertigo. 

It’s understandable that Bell wants to keep this on the down-low. Even if all his tests came back fine, if anyone were to find out, it would cast doubt on his ability to continue doing the job. 

Plus, he’s dating Kit, so she would be worried unnecessarily. 

If the test results uncover something major, I know Bell will make it known, but I can’t help the guy for wanting to find out without making a huge spectacle of it and potentially sabotaging his whole career. 

It also speaks volumes to his character growth that he’s entrusting Conrad with running the tests. There was a time where Bell refused to acknowledge that Conrad was a good doctor. 

Elsewhere — Kit hired Padma to teach a yoga class to help the doctor’s zen out. I know they are all really busy — those pagers don’t stop — but honestly, they all need it. It should be a mandatory part of their day, at least for a few minutes. 

It’s also a sweet way to bring her into everyone’s orbit a bit more. 

Pravesh spent the episode interviewing potential candidates to take his place in the ER and realized that there was no one that was in it for the love of medicine. I know he wanted to pursue clinical research, but let’s not deny that he is absolutely incredible at his job and Chastain can’t lose him. 

Also, I love that the series is leaning into Conrad as a father. Some shows just ignore the parental aspect because it’s easier than trying to weave it into the narrative, but while we see him spending most of his time at the hospital, Gigi is still a huge part of his life and constantly makes appearances!

What did you think of the episode?

Is it just me or is The Resident really thriving this season?

The lesson from The Resident Season 5 Episode 8? It’s never too late to change. 

And change came for Chastain’s best in a variety of different ways. 

Dr. Pravesh dealt with a corrupt system that wouldn’t offer help to a retired couple struggling to take care of themselves. 

Pravesh has always wanted to change the system, but now, more than ever, he wants to do something meaningful. 

It’s what pushed him to talk to Kit Voss about embracing clinical trials. 

He wants to be part of the solution that ensures there is adequate treatment for those who really need it. 

George and Celeste were a sweet couple, but it was clear the weight of taking care of her husband was getting to her. Eventually, it was important for Celeste to prioritize her own health in order to ensure that he would also be taken care of in the long run. 

I’m always supportive of a woman advocating for herself. Though I’ll be honest, I love that we also got to see the other side of the coin with George explaining that he hates that his needs made his wife sick. I’m sure it’s not easy for a man, who is always considered the caretaker, to put all that pressure solely on his wife. 

Kit hired DeSoto to coach Chastain’s self-proclaimed Kings of Surgery, and their egos were definitely a little bruised. 

Bell and AJ spent much of the surgery gassing themselves up, so it was definitely painful to learn that Kit thought they could use coaching. 

Even worse — DeSoto had a lot of notes about how they could improve, which meant that their technique wasn’t flawless after all. 

While Bell was a little more adaptive, AJ pushed back on a lot of DeSoto’s suggestions because he felt he knew better. 

However, once Bell applied the notes and excelled in surgery, AJ acknowledged that he probably could be more strategic in surgery.

And, if I’m interpreting the situation correctly, he also asked DeSoto to stick around to continue challenging him because he has a huge crush on her, right?

There was also Dr. Conrad better known as the hospital’s most eligible bachelor.

All the nurses were fawning over him, and while he definitely noticed, he wasn’t really comfortable with it.

It’s been years since Nic’s death, but Conrad still doesn’t feel like it’s the right time to move on.

However, with Billie’s blessing, he did indulge Marion, a daycare worker that Gigi loved.

Am I crazy or did it seem like Billie regretted giving Conrad the green light to move on from Nic because she has feelings for him?

That would be complicated. But she’s right that Nic wouldn’t want Conrad to be alone forever — she would want him and Gigi to find someone that could make them complete again.

Plus, I love how he manages to keep Nic’s memory alive. Gigi may not have known her mother, but you’d never tell by the way she talks about her mommy.

Admittedly, I don’t know if I’m ready for Conrad to move on mainly because I was so devoted to his relationship with Nic, but Marion seems like a really great person with a good heart.

If Conrad is going to move on, it better be with someone worthy of his and Gigi’s heart!

What did you think about the episode? Let us know in the comments below! 

Dr. Hawkins is back, baby!

It took him a while to take the plunge back to Chastain, but Dr. Hawkins has returned to serve Atlanta!

And it was all part of a calculated effort by his former colleagues, who knew that there was nowhere he belonged more than in the midst of all the action. 

However, I don’t think that proving to Hawkins just how much he missed the hospital would’ve sufficed on its own. 

Hawkins has never shied away from the fact that he misses the thrill of it all, but he simply made due with the fact that his priorities shifted and he had to put miss Gigi first. 

The real dealbreaker was when he had a heart-to-heart with Carol and she asked him the number one question: are you happy. 

Conrad loves being a dad, but Conrad isn’t a fully realized Conrad when he’s not at Chastain. 

Children always pick up on whether or not a parent is happy. They sense these things. While they need you, they also need to see their parent pursuing the things that interest them. 

In this case, Conrad realized that by coming back to work, he wasn’t just doing it for himself, he was doing it for Gigi. 

She would finally see the man that everyone at Chastain raves about. 

And hey, it didn’t hurt that she loves Auntie Kit’s daycare program. 

Honestly, who wouldn’t?

The fact that more companies don’t offer in-house daycare boggles my mind. Do you know how many problems it would solve? Do you know how much productivity would skyrocket. 

It prevents parents from feeling guilty about pursuing careers!

Dr. Pravesh welcomed the new interns, and if you had a case of deja vu when Trevor misstepped, well, you weren’t the only one. 

Pravesh was hard on Trevor — it almost seemed personal. 

Yes, Trevore messed up royally. He gave a recovering addict beer. And worse, he did it to prove a point. 

He sabotaged a patient’s wellbeing for his own selfish reasons; a doctor should never put his own interests first.

However, Trevor’s arrogance and ego is a symptom of not wanting to fail or admit to failure. 

When he realized that everything he worked for could disappear in a blink, he admitted that med school was a challenge and Chastain was the only hospital to accept him as an intern. 

Sometimes, you just have to say it how it is. 

Conrad gave Trevor another shot — which came with quite a stern warning — and reminded Pravesh that everyone deserves a second chance. 

After all, Pravesh’s first day of being an intern wasn’t exactly peachy either. 

Trevor lives to see another day at Chastain, and while he seems to be much more knowledgable in comparison to the  other interns, he can’t screw this up. 

Hopefully, he’ll learn to play the game, or next time, Billie won’t be able to sweep in with the save. 

I’m a little shocked that Billie was the one who wrote Trevor the glowing letter instead of AJ, who is supposed to be his mentor. 

Billie tried to play tough, but I guess maternal insticts won over. Even if she doesn’t have that motherly connection to Trevor, she’s still his mom and wants to see his succeed. 

It’s only a matter of time before everyone finds out the truth about his connection to Billie. 

AJ’s mother found herself at a crossroads with her recent diagnosis, which was a double-edged sword. 

The treatment that was curing her cancer was simultaenously causing her body to attack itself. 

Some might call that a sick joke. 

It was a hard pill to swallow for both her and AJ, but it led to some pretty great dialouge between Carol, the Raptor, Trevor, and Hawkins about making the best choice that ensured a quality of life. 

There’s no outrunning death, but at least there’s finding a solution that allows you to squeeze out as much time as you possibly can. 

The Raptor has seemingly come to terms with the fact that his mother was living on borrowed time, and that’s time that they’re both very thankful for, but they always knew it wouldn’t last forever. 

Leela and Padma’s storyline is one of the first that takes place completely away from Chastain, but I’m totally invested. 

I love how supportive they are of each other, particularly when their parents came down harshly on Leela’s career choice and suggested that her job was dangerous because of her dyslexia and not a good fit for someone who wants to have children. 

Both of their viewpoints were rather outdated, a point which Leela had no problem emphasizing. 

Leela is definitely the meek sister, but it was awesome to stand up for herself and for the life she’s chosen for herself. 

It was the moment that her parents no longer had any control over her actions or decisions. 

Also, as she pointed out, it’s the 21st century; women (and men) can have a career and a family. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. I mean, have they seen that onsite daycare? Leela should give them a tour.

And though it was brief, we got a little more insight into Padma’s character and found out that she’s more of the carefree spirit because she was diagnosed with leukemia as a child and isn’t able to have children. 

Are you enjoying this storyline?

Are you happy Conrad is back at Chastain?

Share your thoughts on the episode below!