Some good news before we start the recap proper: New Amsterdam got a back nine order from NBC which brings our Season one episode total to sixteen! Very exciting! It’s especially great because it finally feels like we’re in a place where everyone has a handle on their character, their individual traits, and how they operate in relation to each other. For me New Amsterdam is now firing on all cylinders in a way that most other shows take a whole season to do.

Episode 4, Boundaries, is also delightfully contained plotwise! Aside from an opening and ending at Max and Georgia’s apartment the whole episode takes place in the relative confines of the hospital. New Amsterdam is taking on all the emergency patients from a nearby hospital who’s cardiothoracic surgeon needs emergency surgery from Dr. Floyd. It’s a pretty great premise for an episode because it stretches all our characters to their limits and makes them figure out how to keep doing their jobs despite not having everything they need. It’s also a wise idea to do it so soon in the show’s run. We’re able to get to know the characters a lot faster when they aren’t able to put up an artifice. Being overwhelmed naturally knocks that artifice down to give us an unfiltered look at everyone.

Let’s start at the top with Dr. Kapoor and Dr. Frome who are still the buddy comedy I want to watch for the rest of my life. Dr. Frome is super excited because a gardening program he’s been trying to get off the ground has finally been funded. Dr. Kapoor is planning to give Ella in the hospital cafe some fancy Indian sweets as a thank you for helping him with his “ghosting” problem last week. The rest of the episode is full of the other doctors weighing in on whether or not its appropriate for Dr. Kapoor to give anything to Ella. It’s hilarious and it brings a lot of depth to these doctors and their relationships. (He does not end up giving them to her.) It reminded me that Max is the new one, everyone else already knows each other. Dr. Kapoor also has a patient who refuses to tell him how she interprets being dizzy so he can’t admit her for hours until she does. It’s funny but also infuriating.

Dr. Frome, who was very excited about his garden program is horrified to learn that it’s being sponsored by Volt Cola and so has a crisis of conscience the whole episode about whether or not he should take the money. Once the psych ward is totally overwhelmed by emergencies from the other hospital he realizes having the garden is more important than who pays for it and the episode ends with all the doctors starting the garden on the roof. We also get another couple glimpses of Jemma from episode one! She’s still going through the process so she can go foster with Blanca, it’s just taking a while.

On to Dr. Lauren who is still eating pills like candy. She doesn’t do a whole lot this episode beyond lose her pills and be overwhelmed in the ER because none of the other doctors are getting patients admitted fast enough. We do find out that her pills are only Adderall, though it does seem like she’s still abusing them to get through her job. On the other hand, she’s not acting like an addict or anything so I’m going to say she’s fine for now.

Dr. Floyd takes the brunt of stress in this episode as he’s the only one able to perform most of the surgeries because every single other surgeon is at a conference in San Diego. He definitely steps up and does multiple surgeries. But he makes a misstep by not letting one of his residents, Tall Guy/Nottingham depending on who you talk to, help with any of the surgeries. At first it seems like Tall Guy is going to have a giant ego and end up doing a surgery he’s not ready for against Dr. Floyd’s wishes. Thankfully he doesn’t and is rewarded with Dr. Floyd letting him finish up a surgery, which he does with flying colors! At the end of the day Dr. Floyd and Dr. Lauren are walking along the river and Floyd tries to kiss her. She totally and rightfully rebuffs him saying not to start something he won’t finish and she jumped up the ladder of my favorite characters.

Dr. Helen has a rough episode this week with a little girl whose cancer has come back. It’s devastating watching her interact with the parents and even more so when she ends up being the one who has to tell the girl she’s dying. This is all after she has to fit Max for his radiation getup which looks totally horrifying.

Which brings us to Max. He’s living at home with Georgia again, but he’s still sleeping on the couch. In my opinion that’s rude. I mean I guess we still don’t know if he actually did anything like cheat on her, but it doesn’t seem like it. Also if I were having a high risk pregnancy I’d want my doctor husband in the bed with me in case anything went wrong, but that’s just me. I was also pleased to see that their apartment is not humongous and is decorated like actual human people actually live there. The episode ends with Max still sleeping on the couch having taken a day off to spend with Georgia after he put together all of her hard to assemble baby furniture. I have a suspicion that he’s going to be sleeping in the bed again in the near future.

 

Would you let your doctor husband back in bed with you?

How much Adderall is too much Adderall?

Is it a power imbalance for Dr. Kapoor to give the Ella Indian sweets?

 

NOW THAT THE OFFICIAL NEW AMSTERDAM REVIEW IS OUT OF THE WAY, FOLLOW MY STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS BULLET POINTS BELOW!

  • So he’s back home but sleeping on the couch?
  • Bedrest sounds legit…get a TV in there and binge some shows!
  • Damn homeless lady! New Amsterdam is free!
  • Dr. Kapoor is so cute giving little Indian sweets to the pastry shop lady.
  • Dr. Lauren is still eating pills like candy
  • jesus…Max is finally going to start getting radiation and there’s now an emergency downstairs
  • This radiation therapy seems horrific
  • This Dr. Fernandez is Dr. Floyd at another hospital so now they have to take all of the other hospitals emergency patients.
  • “Why do you keep choosing the hardest road at every opportunity?” Dr. Helen has a point
  • Yeah…Dr. Lauren…we all know that bottle is not ibuprofen
  • Tall guy looks like he’s going to be an ego problem
  • What kind of jerk can’t explain how feeling dizzy feels to them?
  • Little kids with cancer deserve some answers to questions. They are a lot more grown up than people think
  • I like Dr. Kapoor’s style. Patients need the right treatment not the fast treatment or they’ll be right back.
  • Jemma!!!
  • Take the cola money Dr. Frome. I know soda is bad but the garden will help.
  • Parents really need to tell their kids if they’re dying! Holy crap!
  • I can only imagine what coming to this homeless village is going to make Max do to cover homeless people.
    • Also, these homeless people are MEAN. Except Faye
  • Ok now I think Dr. Floyd is being too harsh on Tall Guy
  • LOL It’s like a MASH unit in here
  • I actually love this show so fucking much – everyone weighing in on Dr. Kapoor giving the coffee cart lady indian sweets.
  • I missed Jemma so much! I’m glad she’s still maybe getting placed with that lady from episode one!
  • This nurse who’s name I still don’t know is great.
  • Yes! Floyd…get Tall Guy to finish your surgery and then get downstairs and help the Homeless Vance
  • Yay Tall guy!
  • I guess Adderall isn’t as bad as whatever I thought Dr. Lauren was doing but it’s still not great.
  • Someone hug Dr. Helen please!
  • Yeah Dr. Floyd! Get some!
    • Yeah Dr. Lauren! Shut him down! (I can’t decide who I want to be right in this situation)
  • Max has a nice but not unrealistic apartment. I like it.