This is the type of episode that makes shows worth watching. I’m so pleased New Amsterdam is leaning into what works – the character dynamics. On most shows it would take a season or two to get all our heroes dressed up in fancy clothes at some kind of party but here we are, episode six at a benefit for New Amsterdam!
The reason these episodes are so great is because they get the characters out of their comfort zones and into situations where they can’t fall back on their medical/legal/whatever training and they have to be actual human people. Anthropocene is no exception. The main action of the episode takes place at a fundraising benefit for New Amsterdam. All the characters end up there eventually bringing all their own personal baggage, and we end the evening having met the fundraising goal.
Let’s start with Max. Georgia is finally off bed rest (yay?) and they decide to celebrate, but first Max has to deal with some hospital stuff including his own cancer. When it becomes clear Max will never stop being busy Georgia decides to show up at the fundraiser to spend time with him. She looks great in a really pretty dress and they have a couple nice moments but Max is naturally caught up with patients. He’s meant to be charming rich dudes for donations but he keeps leaving to actually perform medicine. It’s not hard to guess that that attitude is going to be what gets him the donations at the end of the day.
One of the cases Max can’t stop going to check on is Floyd’s Rikers patient who it seems has been dosed with Ketamine. At first it seems like he probably found a hookup in the prison and overdosed on his own, but there is a very sketchy looking CO hanging around the whole time. Max helps Floyd prove that the CO has been dosing many inmates and she’s promptly fired. It’s nice to watch Floyd excel in a field of medicine that’s not strictly surgery.
The other big patient storyline is a father and son who have been in a car accident. They’re bickering quite a lot to the amusement of Dr. Helen and Dr. Kapoor until they both strangely start seizing at the same time. That’s when it turns into a race against the clock to find out what they might be suffering from before it’s too late. One of their ideas is that they’ve contracted some crazy ancient disease from the thawing permafrost in Canada where they were hiking before they got sick. That would have been so over the top so it’s nice that it turns out they’ve really got just an old strain of a real disease and the treatment is relatively easy after that.
Between all the medical drama we get some more emotional interpersonal drama, the least of which is Helen’s continued struggle to have a baby. The best thing about this plotline is that we get some much needed interaction between Helen and Lauren. This is a dynamic I could use more of as we continue through this first season. They definitely both need a girlfriend and from their limited time together it’s clear they’re already friendly.
Dr. Kapoor also has a pretty funny little beat with Ella, the lady at the lobby coffee shop. He approaches her and offers her his tickets for the benefit but she misunderstands and thinks he’s asking her to go as his date. It’s very awkward. It’s decidedly less awkward when Dr. Kapoor shows up at the benefit and they both come clean about the situation. Turns out Dr. Kapoor used to go to the benefit with his wife and he didn’t want to go at all but he realized it might be fun to just hang out with Ella.
Dr. Frome’s story has the most emotional punch of the episode. It turns out his parents do not support his life with his husband and their three adorable kiddos. They are all trying to keep the peace as much as possible because their daughter specifically loves her grandparents but when they bitch out of coming to the benefit Iggy has had enough. He has to come clean to his daughter that his parents don’t approve of them but that’s their own problem. It’s a great scene and Iggy continues to be my favorite character in the show.
Through the whole episode Lauren is also trying to figure out what to do with Floyd. Should she forgive him and try to make a go of it like he seems to want or should she move on? At one point she gets the Dean of medicine to weigh in which is hilarious. She also gets some advice from her cool lawyer friend Evie who we’ve never met but is sure to be recurring at least for a little while. When Floyd finally shows up at the benefit Lauren knocks back the rest of her drink and determinedly grabs Floyd. It seems like she’s going to say she wants to give their relationship a shot but instead she introduces him to her friend Evie and says she thinks they’ll really hit it off. Floyd seems disappointed but accepts it when he sees Lauren literally get her groove back in front of his eyes by dancing surrounded by at least eight dudes.
Finally, we get a scene of Max and Georgia dancing. The benefit is over, they’ve raised more than enough money and Georgia wants Max to move back into their bedroom. Max decides this is the perfect time to finally tell Georgia he has cancer. (I have my doubts, but no one asked me…) The episode ends with Max supporting Georgia in the middle of the empty dance floor as she cries. Kind of a bummer ending for what was actually a super great episode, but at least he finally came clean about his illness. I’m sure the fallout from this revelation and the Floyd, Lauren, Evie triangle will pay dividends for many future episodes but for now it’s just nice everything is out in the open.
Which ancient disease would you prefer to contract?
How many times have you accidentally asked someone on a date?
How long would you keep your cancer secret from your estranged spouse?
NOW THAT THE OFFICIAL NEW AMSTERDAM REVIEW IS OUT OF THE WAY, FOLLOW MY STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS BULLET POINTS BELOW!
- Georgia is off bed rest – good I guess…
- Max still hasn’t told her about the cancer
- Helen is right
- So Dr. Frome’s parents are super rich – but they’re not helpful with him and his family
- I LOVE Helen and Lauren together. More please!!
- Dr. Kapoor just got himself a date by COMPLETE accident! I love it!
- As anticipated, Max grew his hair out two inches and I find him infinitely more attractive.
- I dig the serialization of this show – Lauren is not letting Floyd off the hook for last week
- I want this fundraiser to be like a straight up soap opera
- Georgia does look very pretty – but I still don’t care like at all
- Yes! Lauren and Helen deserve SO MUCH FUN! Go to the fundraiser together!
- Yeah I suspect that sketchy guard dosed this poor inmate with ketamine
- Dr. Floyd is on the case!
- Dr. Frome’s family is the cutest!!!
- His parents don’t deserve him
- LOL “Avoid her until you die”
- How many billionaires are going to be charmed by Max putting medicine before fundraising?
- Holy crap! Lauren cleans up nice with a BOLD LIP!
- Who’s this lawyer friend Evie? I dig her! Though I’m certain she’s going to be competition for Floyd
- Poor Max…jesus…he can’t do anything with his wife. This is why they’re going to still get divorced.
- I was not aware until this show that Rikers was in the city. I thought it was upstate like Sing Sing
- Oh man…the dad offered to go first with this dangerous treatment but they have to do it to the son…
- This is a terrible father/son trip
- Iggy you are a child psychologist – you should know how to talk to your own child.
- Though I get the aggressive nature of your family drama
- This father/son situation is getting to Dr. Kapoor
- This is why billionaires suck – they need the smoke blown up their asses before they’ll give money
- Dr. Lauren…the dean of medicine is not the right person to give you love advice!
- In other news that headband is WORKING for her
- Another code for the Rikers patient….methinks it’s for sure that guard
- Yeah this CO is fucked up! You can’t just dose people with Ketamine!
- Is the curse of the formal wear going to hit Lauren and Floyd?
- Oh Lauren! That was very big of you! And adorable and Floyd is not going to go for it is he?
- Damn Lauren – Get your groove back girl!
- Now is not the moment to tell her you have nutella my dude…
