Do you know what’s cruel? It’s ending the hour similarly to how we started it, wondering what’s happening with our beloved Bell!
We have no answers! If anything, by the end of The Resident Season 5 Episode 10, we have more questions than ever.
And aside from the credits rolling before Conrad, with his stupid, handsome, concerned face giving it to us straight about the fate of Bell’s health, topping the list is pondering, “Who Is Kincade Sullivan?”
Despite those frustrations that will have viewers theorizing until the series returns from break, the hour was an exciting, case-heavy one. In many ways, it was nice to set aside personal arcs for action, especially what took place outside the wall of Chastain.
Kit Voss continues to prove why she’s the superior CEO. Her Go-Flight team is inspired, and with the addition of new daredevil Cade and Conrad carving out a new place for himself at Chastain, it’s something the series could make use of often in the future.
Some of Conrad’s best medical moments are when he’s out in the field, and they remind us of his skill set as a doctor who also happens to be a veteran.
Their suits were fabulous, and the accident scene and sequences felt like something from an action movie, which is right up this girl’s alley.
“Unknown origin” applied to two different things during this installment. It was a reference to Jerome’s mysterious fever, but it also referred to Cade.
We got our first impression of Cade right away, and she was exactly as many of the descriptors teased. She’s a go-getter, and she had no qualms about throwing herself into the fray and taking over calling the shots. She knows her stuff, and you could tell she’s damn good at her job.
Conrad: Does every day on the job with you go like this? Just one surprise after another?
Cade: No, thank God. Today was particularly intense.
Conrad: I still don’t know your name.
Cade: I don’t know yours either, although “Hey, you” worked surprisingly well.
Conrad: Conrad Hawkins.
Cade: Kincaid Sullivan. Cade to friend and foe alike..
Most of the hour served as a solid introduction to this character, so you can tell that she’ll be integral to the rest of the season. The moment she dropped into that vehicle to the end, it was an audition on what this character has to offer to Chastain and its crew.
I have no strong feelings for her either way yet, though she is a total badass. But there’s a mild curiosity about her background and why she’s such an enigma. We probably won’t get a better feel for her until we see her more interaction with the other characters.
She hit it off with Conrad quickly enough, and they worked well as a team together while having this competitive edge to their dynamic, too. She seems likely to challenge him sometimes or give him a run for his money, and he liked that and her.
And she was unfazed by Devon’s near territorial hesitancy to turn things over to her, but we know that his response was short-lived since he was one of the first to talk to Kit about adding her on at Chastain to fill his slot in the ER.
Interestingly enough, Cade seems like someone who excels better in the field without getting tied down to the emergency room. Still, she’s certified in multiple areas, which means we can see her bouncing around in different avenues. It could be intriguing on that front.
As they fill in more of her background, she has the bones to become a fascinating character. We saw how fearless she was when she went right into the action at the accident and waited for no one. And most of the time, she was subtly testing Conrad to see if he could keep up with her in the field.
She even saved his and the cat’s life before the gas leak caused an explosion. And she patched him up as well.
She seemed to get a thrill out of the other challenges they faced on their way to Chastain and revealed a bit of her skill and past when she spoke Creole fluently to the expectant mother.
Yes, Cade is The Resident’s shiny, new toy, and inquiring minds want to know how you all feel about her?
Also, did her instantly good rapport with Conrad make her more endearing and put those of you fretting about his love life at ease? If she’s his new romantic interest, what’s your first reaction to the possibility of them?
Ironically, they introduced her in the same hour they put Marion to bed, pardon the pun. Obviously, she and Conrad had a great night together, and they enjoyed themselves. But based on Marion’s conversation that morning, she’s not looking for anything serious at all.
Casual sex is fine, but didn’t it seem like a one-and-done?
Marion’s more invested in Gigi, which is fantastic. At least we can tell that nothing will interfere with Gigi and Marion’s relationship since Marion sneaked back around the house later to take Gigi to the aquarium. Maybe it’s best if Gigi has that solid nurturing figure in her life unhindered.
Marion and Conrad were relatively cute, though. Right now, Cade is too mysterious, and it’s more intriguing than her getting entangled with Conrad.
The series has opened this door for Cade’s backstory, so at least it’s apparent that her romantic prospects with Conrad are far down on the list of things they intend to explore with her.
What is her deal, though? The revelation that she spent time in Haiti wasn’t abnormal, and ironically, it felt reminiscent of Billie’s background, so it’d be interesting when those two interact for many reasons.
Conrad: That’s weird.
Devon: Given that she’s not an 80 year old with a flip phone, yeah. It’s like somebody scrubbed her entire online presence.
But Devon is 100% right about how odd it is that a professional young woman of her age doesn’t have a digital footprint. It’s damn near impossible to pull that off at all these days. At best, you can hope for a minimal one if you play your cards right.
But Devon can’t find anything on her at all, which is puzzling. It immediately makes you think of things like WITSEC or a woman on the run.
They all noticed how cagey and vague she is when she’s answering questions, and it raises a few flags or all of them, despite how impressed they are and how much they need her.
Cade not spending much time in one place speaks volumes, too. Assuming she entertains any job offer, there’s the concern that she won’t be sticking around as long as they need her to, and it’s okay if she has something to hide, but hopefully, it doesn’t pose any problems down the road.
She came in the nick of time to help Devon and Trevor with Jerome, but surprisingly, Trevor saved the day.
He was at his mellowest during this installment, a bit too invested in the case, and more than ever before, he was genuinely concerned to the point of panicking about Jerome’s health. Sometimes it feels like they swing wildly from one version of Trevor to the next.
Here, he was the guy who froze more than once, seemed terrified that he would lose Jerome, and was receptive to anything his superiors told him without giving them a hard time. He seemed more humble than arrogant.
You got the sense that if he lost this patient, it would’ve crushed him.
AJ: Ohh, I smell panic. I’d rather smell a warm muffin. What’s going on?
Trevor: We have a patient who started off with a fervor of unknown origin, he’s not the sickest patient in the unit, and if we don’t figure out what’s wrong with him, he’s going to die.
Trevor had moments where he looked every bit the lost puppy as the service pooch he was clutching, who was absolutely precious!
They were on one working the differentials, and I loved that they brought out a good, old-fashioned whiteboard with all of their theories and worked tirelessly to strike as many possibilities off as they could.
It was a case that tested Trevor’s patience the way he needed. He has such a green outlook on medicine and treatment. He’s still naive enough to believe that there’s always an answer for everything, and saving lives comes down to whether or not the healthcare providers have tried too hard enough.
Jerome’s decline was so puzzling, but I adored watching Devon; namely, Trevor, go through the process of elimination and work through the basics to figure it out.
Sometimes the appeal of the cases is in the doctors brainstorming on the prognosis. A particularly puzzling case that challenges them can be as exciting as the flashiness of surgeries and such.
Cade: Who was that kid, an intern?
Conrad: He’s going to be one of our best.
Sometimes the most insignificant break can be pure luck, and that was the case with Trevor piecing together a rare tick-borne disease from a map in the dog’s carrier.
Both Devon and Billie were right to point out that it was a lucky break. The likelihood of them figuring out what happened before Jerome died was slim, and even if it didn’t result in a happy ending, Trevor did everything right, and it wouldn’t have been a reflection of their hard work.
They’re still testing the waters with Trevor and Billie’s relationship. She observed him fondly with Jerome, and she didn’t hesitate to give him compliments that also served as advice and told him she was proud of him. Therapy must be working wonders with her.
It’s hard to place their relationship in this state, especially when both characters’ personalities seem to shift around a lot, but they’re settling into something.
And AJ got a minute or so with his mentee, too.
Trevor’s position as an intern puts him in unusual spots. They introduced AJ as his mentor, but that’s more personal than a professional one. He wouldn’t cross paths with AJ as much when you think about it. In that sense, I get how Devon has become his mentor, too, and Conrad.
Whatever is going on, they all are invested in Trevor’s potential, and during this installment, he lived up to it.
It was also a reminder that Leela is AJ’s mentee, too, and while she had limited presence during this finale, she continues to thrive in surgery. She’s becoming one of the best of them, too, under AJ and Bell’s tutelage.
Billie: How does it feel making a diagnosis that no one else could make?
Trevor: It feels good.
Billie: It was one of the good days. We live for these. You were the hero, and I’m proud of what you did.
Trevor: Thanks.
Billie: We have to care about our patients, Trevor, but this could’ve gone the other way. If it had, it would not have been your fault.
Bell did the smartest, safest thing by erasing himself off the surgical board until he figured out what was wrong with him. His initial scans didn’t show anything, but they had to wait for more, and that was nerve-wracking on such a hectic day where it was all hands on deck.
It also proved irritating when someone like Billie noticed and didn’t hesitate to bring it up to Kit, inquiring about it and putting Kit on alert. I know they had to find a way to tip Kit of, but the way that happened was incredibly annoying and did Billie no favors.
She’s a private person, and she does not gossip, so why would she, of all people, pry into whatever she feels is going on with Bell to his girlfriend and boss during surgery?
It wasn’t any of her business. Jessica’s presence and silence as someone who knows more than either woman made Billie’s faux pas more pronounced during the scene.
Billie: Banner day for the Go-team. Quick question. Is Bell OK?
Kit: What do you mean?
Billie: He’s a surgeon, not emergency. Pulled himself from the board for the entire day. Ross is taking a surgery from him in Trauma One.
Kit: I did not know that.
Bille: Well, I’m not one to tattle. Something’s up.
Kit handled it well enough. My heart swelled when she gently tested the waters, gave him space, but also told him that she’s ready to know whatever is going on with him when he’s willing to share it. The forehead kiss was the sweetest.
Kit does deserve to know what’s happening with Bell, but one can understand him wanting a better idea of what he’s facing before he confides in anyone about it.
He was still massaging at his hands, but his vertigo was off the charts more concerningly. Jessica picked up on things during surgery, but you could tell AJ suspected something was up, too, when Bell sat in on his surgery and gave input.
The anxiety ratcheted up to new heights when Conrad asked to meet with Bell and told him to sit down. He seems genuinely concerned. If it’s nothing, he wouldn’t have told him to sit, right?
I think I know what’s going on. Well, sit down.
Conrad
What the hell is wrong with Bell? Not knowing is worse than whatever the truth is right now!
Over to you, Resident Fanatics. What do you think is wrong with Bell? What are your Cade impressions and theories? Did you like Trevor this time around? Hit the comments.
If you want to binge the season over break, you can watch The Resident online here via TV Fanatic.
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Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
You can view the original article HERE.
