This week’s The Resident tackles guilt as Conrad deals with the aftermath of Lily’s death

Before the hiatus, The Resident left us with a brutal, heartbreaking episode centered on the death of Chastain’s beloved patient, Lily. This week handles the aftermath of her death and how each character is dealing with it–mainly, Conrad (Matt Czuchry). Riddled with guilt for not listening to Nic (Emily VanCamp) sooner, he torments himself with guilt. He even ignores his physical pain after running into a cyclist and refuses to get treated as a form of a punishment. Things take an interesting turn when his old medical school professor shows up as a patient claiming she sees ghosts of her past dead patients. This sets an interesting tone for an episode revolving around guilt and forgiveness. After learning about Lily’s death, Nic is devastated over what happened and what went wrong, completely unaware that Dr. Hunter (Melina Kanakaredes) played a role in Lily’s death.

This week is not all sadness and gloom, thanks to Dr. Mina Okafor (Shaunette Renee Wilson), who is overjoyed at Conrad’s professor being a patient. She insists on meeting her to convey just how big of a role she has played in shaping Mina into the doctor she is today. Nic, Conrad, and Devon (Manish Dayal) are called into Claire’s (Merrin Dungey) office to go over the details of Lily’s death. Much to their surprise, Lane is there as well, sobbing over the loss and even agreeing to a full autopsy of Lily’s body. As viewers, we know exactly where this situation is heading and aren’t ready to see Nic go down for it!

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This week someone finally calls out Dr. Bell (Bruce Greenwood) for his hand tremors and gives him a temporary solution to handle it. That wasn’t the only thing that worked in his favor this week, as an intimate moment between him and Dr. Hunter turned into a passionate kiss. Not sure if we are shipping them or not, but we are interested to see how this plays out (considering she is definitely using him to hide her crimes). Things get heated between Dr. Bell and Dr. Silva (Warren Christie) when Dr. Bell makes a mistake in the operating room, and it results in him firing Dr. Silva.

The episode ends on an exciting note when Nic and Conrad finally hook up! While it is under stressful and sad circumstances, seeing the two come together makes for some amazing moments in The Resident. As the episode closes out, Conrad sees a past dead patient of his own–Lily.

A lot went down in this week’s episode of The Resident, right? Here to talk about Conrad/Nic hooking up, Dr. Lane and Dr. Bell’s kiss, and Mina’s unexpected enthusiasm is our The Resident roundtable!

Carlynn (@UpsteadRheese25)– I watch too much TV, and sometimes I live-tweet

Jess (@mattczuchryff)– TV Nerd, Matt Czuchry FanForum Moderator since 2005

Amanda (@dudeamanda)– Writer, reader, and full-time TV watcher

Ariba (@WatchWithReebs)– Optometrist, Writer, and Senior Editor for TVAD

Meli (@Melikeit70)– Lawyer, music addict, and avid reader

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1. So, Dr. Bell and Dr. Hunter locked lips this episode! Did you see that coming or were you shocked?

Carlynn (@UpsteadRheese25): I saw it coming based on episode 9.

Jess (@mattczuchryff): I think we reached a point where Lane is going to do anything to secure her position. He’s already her alibi for the night of Lily’s death and I guess she is taking it a step further.

Amanda (@dudeamanda): I was not surprised at all, I had a feeling for a few episodes that this was coming. However, I think Hunter has something else in mind & is using Bell, so I’m excited to see how this plays out.

Ariba (@WatchWithReebs): Honestly, I was shocked! I knew she was definitely using him as an alibi for the night that Lily died but I did not see them getting together! It will be interesting to see where this situation goes and how it plays into the story as Nic gets blamed for Lily dying.

Meli (@Melikeit70): A match made in hell, for sure, which, oddly, didn’t surprise me at all. Anyways, she’s going to eat him alive when she won’t need him anymore.

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2. Dr. Silva and Dr. Bell got in an argument that led to Jude’s privileges being revoked. How did you feel about Dr. Bell’s decision?

Carlynn: I felt mad and even sad for Dr. Silva. He didn’t deserve this! What will it take to get Dr. Bell fired?

Jess: I expected Jude’s exit for a few weeks now because it was rather obvious that working in that hospital just wasn’t what he wanted. Kind of fitting that a confrontation with Dr. Bell would give him the final push to move on.

Amanda: I think it was an overreaction, but one I knew was coming. Bell doesn’t like anyone questioning him, and since he knew he made a mistake, he needed to push it off on someone else, and Jude was that person.

Ariba: Ugh, I was so annoyed! I’m not a huge fan of Jude just because I want Nic and Conrad to be together but he didn’t deserve to be treated like that. Someone needs to handle Dr. Bell STAT!!

Meli: That’s how it works in Bell’s world. And it’s not the first time he got rid of someone who dared to question him. I’m so used to this that I’m not even angry anymore. I just wonder if we’ll ever able to witness the day when Dr. Bell will finally be caught and benched for good. Anyway, I’ll miss Jude.

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3. Conrad is carrying around a lot of guilt since Lily died and regrets not listening to Nic earlier. Do you like Conrad’s approach to dealing with this? Why or why not?

Carlynn: I didn’t like it because he should have dealt with his hurt ankle sooner but I understand why he didn’t.

Jess: I can see both sides. I get that he feels guilty, I would too in his position, but Lane was his mentor, the woman he looked up to and hearing that she apparently was messing with the dosage of the drugs just sounded unbelievable to him. I can’t really blame him there, even if it was Nic that gave him the information. In the end, he did everything in his power to save her and failed. Not sure if anyone else noticed it but in this episode he mentioned running the code too long, something Devon did in the pilot episode. Back then Conrad disagreed with what Devon did because the girl’s brain was without oxygen too long. Him doing the same now shows how much he cared about Lily and that he just wasn’t ready to give up on her.

Amanda: I personally wouldn’t act like Conrad, but his approach is 100% him. He was punishing himself because he couldn’t save her. It was interesting to see how he handled the guilt and the stages of guilt he went through in this episode.

Ariba: I’m not a fan of how he’s choosing to deal with. It feels like he is ignoring the situation and needs to face it head-on. It was a big loss and there wasn’t much he could do. By ignoring his health and his pain, he’s only making things worse!

Meli: I don’t know how to answer that question because I think everyone has their way to deal with sorrow and often it’s not something you choose to do but just what you do instinctively. I can say that I liked that last scene with Nic.

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4. Finally, Conrad and Nic hooked up! Where do you see their relationship going from here?

Carlynn: I hope it will lead to them working things out and getting back together. I just love Conrad and Nic so much.

Jess: I want them to take it slow. They are both a mess right now and it won’t magically repair the damage that was done in the past. They both love each other though and that is something they can build on. For now, I just want them to support each other because they are going to need it.

Amanda: I think Conrad is going to do anything possible to protect Nic. He realizes he let her down, and he will make sure he doesn’t do it again. I think they’ll still not be 100% together, but by the end of the season, I could see that changing!

Ariba: I am such a fan of Conrad and Nic being together and totally ship them. I think their relationship is super complicated and sleeping together one night isn’t going to fix everything that’s wrong. But I do hope the night of intimacy is a step in the right direction, especially with Dr. Silva gone. I hope they can work on their issues and move forward.

Meli: I hope whatever will happen with Lane and Lily’s case won’t hurt their relationship again and they’ll be able to face everything together.

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5. Dr. Okafor was super excited to meet her idol, Dr. Jacoby. How did you like seeing this excited, giddy side of her?

Carlynn: I liked seeing her excited and giddy. I love Dr. Okafar so much.

Jess: It was a fun side to see because everyone ‘fangirls’ while meeting their idol, even someone like Mina ‘tough love’ Okafor.

Amanda: This was hands down one of my favorite parts of the episode! It’s so fun seeing a different side of Mina, one that makes her a little more human! The best was when her & Dr. Jacoby were bonding over the machines! I hope we continue to see different sides of Mina!

Ariba: She was so cute!! I loved seeing this side of her because it gave her character the opportunity to show a side we haven’t really seen of her. She is always closed off and keeps to herself so it was nice to see her fangirl over an idol of hers.

Meli: The last character I expected to see fangirling about “someone” was Mina. It was amusing.

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6. This episode spent some time reflecting on forgiving oneself, especially when dealing with patient death. How did you like this theme of the episode as it applied to Conrad and Dr. Jacoby?

Carlynn: I liked it. I think Dr. Jacoby helped Conrad forgive himself.

Jess: I liked the storyline and I think it was something Conrad needed to hear, especially from someone like Dr. Jacoby. Everyone makes mistakes, we are human after all, but forgiving yourself is one of the hardest tasks you will ever face in life especially if it is a situation like the one Conrad has to deal with right now. There is always the possibility that Lily could still be alive if Conrad had listened to Nic right from the beginning and that is something he sadly has to live with it. Now he just needs to find a way to make peace with it.

Amanda: I really enjoyed the themes in this episode. Not only was it important for Conrad & Dr. Jacoby, it was important for us as viewers. We may not have ghosts from our past patients, but we all have our own ghosts from the past, and it was important to listen to the messages from this episode. It was nice to see Jacoby let go of her ghosts, and I cannot wait to see how Conrad handles his ghost.

Ariba: I think it was a great theme to focus on for this week’s episode. There was so much depth to the idea of forgiving yourself and for moving forward. Conrad was struggling with Lily’s death and he chose to punish himself by ignoring his physical pain while Dr. Jacoby was haunted by her past dead patients. It wasn’t until she chose to forgive herself that they disappeared. Forgiveness is a beautiful and important thing and I love the way they represented it in this episode with Dr. Jacoby and Conrad. I wonder how Conrad will deal with Lily’s ghost!

Meli: I liked how the show tried to explain that every good doctor has to deal with those kinds of things and cope with guilt and sorrow but in the end, they need to move on. For the record, I don’t think Conrad moved on. I think he wants to find out why Lily died and that’s the meaning of that last scene where he saw Lily’s “ghost”. She still needs justice.

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7. Based on next week’s promo, things are getting complicated for Nic. What are your predictions on what will happen?

Carlynn: I think she will get suspended or fired and sued.

Jess: From the moment Dr. Hunter stepped into Lily’s room after Nic had left the hospital I knew that whatever would happen it would fall back on Nic. I really hope that Conrad and the rest of the team will uncover the truth. Hopefully sooner rather than later. But I have a feeling we’ll have to buckle up. We are in for a wild ride.

Amanda: I think Lane set Nic up and is going to make sure Nic isn’t allowed at Chastain ever again. However, she’s not going to go down without a fight, and I think Conrad & Devon are going to do everything they can to get the truth out!

Ariba: It seems like she will get reprimanded for something she didn’t do and the hospital will punish her by firing her and sending her to jail. This is uber frustrating because it means Dr. Hunter is getting away with something she orchestrated so I hope that she gets caught and identified as the traitor she really is!

Meli: Nic will be blamed for Lily’s death because it’s her word against Lane’s word and because Lane is spinning a web to protect herself against whoever will try to attack her.

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Final Verdict: Dr. Hunter’s dirty tricks set the stage for Nic’s downfall

Based on next week’s promo, things aren’t looking too great for Nic–no thanks to Dr. Hunter. Losing Lily is a great loss for Chastain Park Memorial and underneath all that pain lies more troubles ahead. While we didn’t actually see Dr. Hunter do anything to Lily, her shady presence outside of Lily’s room moments before she coded tells us everything we need to know. This week Dr. Hunter strategically set herself up in a position with Dr. Bell so she as not to be targeted for Lily’s death. It doesn’t help that she had Nic sign in for the potassium that night either. Once Lily’s autopsy is complete, we know exactly where the story is going.

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Nic and Conrad finally connect in this week’s episode, and while things are still complicated, it’s nice to see them depend on one another through this difficult time–especially now that Dr. Silva is gone! And then there’s Dr. Bell. After one of his colleagues called him out about his hand tremor, it appears he got some help to cope with it. But with it being temporary, how long can he truly keep up the ruse?

The writing for this week’s narrative is very emotional and touching because it deals with forgiveness and guilt. Seeing Dr. Jacoby forgive herself for the death of her patients is a really strong and gripping moment and is executed perfectly by the writing, acting, and production of that scene. Kudos to the creative team for tackling such a heavy, emotional topic with such grace. Now, as much as we can’t wait for next week’s episode, we are so nervous about what it means for Nic! Here’s to hoping the team finds a way to save her!

The Resident will return Monday, April 23rd at 10/9c on Fox!