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The hour found a way to continue its theme of finding a new normal.
The series has found a sweet spot in covering the pandemic and lingering effects of it without bogging the series or viewers down with the worst of it, and New Amsterdam Season 3 Episode 3 was another hour that showcased that.
Everyone is still afraid, overwhelmed, and uncertain about what the future holds, but life is still going on. It has to keep trudging along, and so do we.
In one of the most surprising moves, depending on your stance, Floyd is back in New York, but he and Evie are no more.
He was on his way back to San Francisco when his mother fell ill. Mrs. Reynold’s whirlwind trip to New Amsterdam meant even Max took time out of his day to make sure Mrs. Reynolds was OK.
Floyd: You ready to go home?
Evie: I think you already are.
Fortunately, she mostly was, but they determined she has diabetes and needs to take insulin. Mrs. Reynold’s diabetes and the neuropathy that rendered her incapable of administering the medicine herself drudged up some of the tensions that still exist among Floyd, his sisters and mother, and Evie.
None of the women in Floyd’s family took it well when he chose to relocate across the country to be with Evie, and one can imagine that the pandemic only exacerbated some ill feelings. Floyd wasn’t there at the height of the pandemic, so it fell on his sisters to take care of their mother as best as they could during the lockdown.
So it had to be difficult on all of them when Floyd came into town, namely for an urgent work-related matter, not even a familial one, and decided that the best move was for their mother to relocate to San Francisco to be with him and Evie.
It came across as if what his sisters were doing wasn’t sufficient enough, and there were the same issues about Evie’s job and how much money she has. It almost got ugly, and it’s quite sad that there was no resolution on that matter.
Stop this! I am not dead, so stop talking about me like I am.
Mrs. Reynolds
Maybe it was that moment that Evie decided there was no way she’d fit into that family. Floyd only moved to be with her, and now that his mother needs tending to, in Evie’s mind, she could remove herself from the equation so that he’d prioritize the most important woman in his life.
Evie let him go, and Floyd didn’t even argue against it. She gave him the engagement ring back, so does that mean they’re over? Regardless of how you feel about this romance, Evie was reduced to a loose end that had to be tied up so Floyd could return.
In hindsight, it’s hard not to wonder what was the point of any of their relationship if it was ending in such an anti-climatic, half-hearted way. The goal to get Floyd back to NYC was clear, and the method of cutting ties with Evie to do it was contrived.
But, hey, Floyd’s back. We spent time on this, so we didn’t get to see or learn much about Kapoor or even his new granddaughter.
We did, however, get an introduction to an interesting new character in the form of Leyla, the Driver Doctor from Pakistan.
Do you think we’ll see her again, or was it a one-off thing?
The irony of Bloom getting worked up about this woman wasn’t lost, and kudos to Casey for attempting to say what we were all thinking. Leyla is the equivalent of Bloom. Everything she did was something Lauren would do herself, so it was a bit amusing when Lauren took such an issue with her.
The amusement became annoyance when Lauren’s hypocrisy also came with a heaping dose of classism? Elitism? Some combination of it all?
Lauren: I’m trying to say I’m sorry.
Leyla: Then you should know you’re not very good at it.
Lauren: Yeah, I know.
From the moment Leyla described the extent of Riley’s wrist fracture, it was evident that she was more than some Uber driver. She had extensive medical knowledge, and she showed that off when she saved Riley in the nick of time when in a moment of pure plot conveniences, no one was around to respond to Riley’s needs.
It was a scene completely designed to show off Leyla’s skills, but nevertheless, it’s hard not to appreciate her badassery during that moment. She was also right about what was ailing Riley, and Lauren was too stubborn to see that until much later.
Her apology needed some work, but we did find out that Leyla is a doctor from Pakistan who is homeless and living in her car.
Leyla’s story is not a new one; countless immigrants from countries all over who were doctors, engineers, lawyers, and other “respectable” positions come to the States and end up having to do what society deems menial jobs to get by.
It’s odd that this didn’t even cross Lauren’s mind. Her snide commentary about and assumptions of Leyla’s knowledge as a driver was especially harsh, given Lauren is still adapting after a time when labels meant nothing at the height of the pandemic.
Medical staff members were heroes and essential workers, yes, but in some ways, so were other jobs often looked down upon that suddenly we saw value in, like grocers, cashiers, food deliverers, and so much more.
Lauren extended her version of an apology to Leyla via a hot shower in the doctors’ bathroom, but I hope that’s not the end of Leyla.
Also, tossing out there that Leyla and Lauren could potentially have some fun and possibly shippery chemistry.
The only reference to Iggy’s eating disorder during this installment was him almost joining a zoom support group and backing out. He came close to it, and he’ll hopefully take that step forward in time.
For now, it hasn’t affected his ability to help others and know the best way to do it.
Iggy always knows how to pinpoint what someone needs and how to guide them to what’s best. His patient June was having such a difficult time, and who can blame her?
Kids and teens are naturally social creatures, humans are in general, but this is probably the hardest on younger people who thrive on interaction with their peers.
How often do you get to see anybody who’s not stuck inside of this box?
Iggy
It’s so crucial to their development. Screens aren’t enough, and we saw that when June and Iggy couldn’t even make it through a therapy session without technological difficulties.
June’s hardship was more pronounced because she was immunocompromised. Her parents wouldn’t ease up at all when it came to her socializing and leaving the house.
They didn’t want to put her at risk of contracting the virus and dying, but they failed to realize she was slowly doing that by staying inside and falling into a deep depression.
Depression and loneliness can kill.
By essentially holding her hostage in the house, it led to her jeopardizing her health by running away.
A group meet with other immunocompromised patients was smart. It gives her a chance to be around peers who are in a similar predicament, and it allowed her parents to find support and kinship with others who know what they’re dealing with, too.
And now that the hospital is opening back up again, Iggy can eventually start seeing some of his patients face-to-face. Some of them will need that a lot.
Helen faced similar issues, albeit with more tragic results, when one of her cancer patients returned, and Helen had to deliver the news that Millie’s cancer returned.
Millie: Dr. Sharpe, it’s back, isn’t it?
Helen: The cancer has metastasized.
Millie: Is there anything we can do?
Helen: I’m so sorry, Millie.
New Amsterdam limiting itself to COVID patients and emergencies meant cancer patients like Millie were too afraid to step foot inside a hospital for chemo treatments.
She enjoyed quarantine with her family because of how much closer they became and how normal it felt, but it came with a price. Millie’s cancer metastasized.
The news wrecked Helen, and it made her prime for that hospital PSA. It’s no secret that hospitals rely on elective surgeries to keep them afloat. A hospital couldn’t sustain itself by not operating at a fuller capacity with surgeries and things of that nature.
Dora graced our screens again, and her chemistry with Max is still as fun as ever, but her willingness to push the message that New Amsterdam was safe with 100% certainty felt like a stretch coming from her.
If you want a tagline, how about “Come back to New Amsterdam, because if you’re not dead yet, we can finish the job.”
Max
She should’ve known Max wouldn’t lie about anything like that, and he couldn’t bring himself to look into that camera and reassure people that the risks were all gone when it’s untrue.
He and Helen clashed about it at first, especially with her fresh off of the Millie situation. She saw a larger picture, and Max, who was likely still reeling from how his quest to help some can do damage to others after his drug policy, was quick to remind her that patients like Millie weren’t the only ones.
He didn’t want to risk getting hundreds of others sick and exposing them to something that isn’t over.
But Helen couldn’t bring herself to speak with such positivity and optimism when it wasn’t the reality of the situation, and her vulnerable, heartfelt speech about how the best we can do is live with what’s happening and the knowledge that it may never go away.
Dora: People need reassurance.
Helen: Do they? Because the people I know want to stop feeling scared, and they want to stay alive, and I can’t reassure them of that, no one can because the world is not safe. So you can’t expect me to stand there and say I’m confident and there’s nothing to be afraid of when everyone should be afraid!
Max: So what do we do.
Helen: We can tell people the truth that we may never get away with this virus, so we have to find a way to live with it because even if we vaccinate every single American there’s going to be another virus around the corner, and another one after that, and we can’t stop living! We can’t barricade ourselves in because that is when you give up things that you never can get back.
Everything has changed, and there’s no pretending that it hasn’t or that there’s a normal that we can get back to, but life can’t stop either. It was such a resonant, genuine, truthful statement, and it was effective, too.
Helen’s moment of honesty and vulnerability garnered more attention and was a more realistic outlook than anything the PSA would’ve been, and it worked to their advantage. Helen still carries much of the pandemic with her; it spills out in all of these messy, human ways.
Freema Agyeman s excelling this season in capturing all of that. It also inspired Max to contact Georgia’s parents and tell them he’s ready for her to come home. No, it’s not safe, and who’s to say it ever will be? But as he said, it’s safe enough.
Max missed out on so much of his daughter’s life, and he’s been in denial about it, but you know it’s painful for him.
Yeah, but I missed her first birthday, and I missed her first steps. I just don’t want to miss anything else. It’s safe enough.
Max
He missed her first birthday and steps; those are milestones for any first-time parent. He needs this, and she certainly needs her dad.
Over to you, New Amsterdam Fanatics. Let’s discuss everything in the Show Comments below!
You can watch New Amsterdam online here via TV Fanatic.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.