The Resident S05E02 review: Devon’s out, Nic’s MIA and Billie’s son is here

Story: Devon’s hanging by a thread after inhaling a hazardous gas and an OD case sets up an ‘unpleasant encounter’ for Billie. Chastain’s docs need to put their best foot forward to power through.

Review: At the end of the season opener, the verdict was still out on whether Dr Devon Pravesh (Manish Dayal) would live to see another day, after being exposed to a hazardous gas. It was unlikely that they would get rid of another series regular after Dr Mina Okafor (Shaunette Renee Wilson) in Season 4 and Nic Nevin’s (Emily VanCamp) upcoming exit.

It’s only after fellow resident and Devon’s girlfriend Dr Leela (Anuja Joshi) sounded alarm bells, after not hearing from him through the night that the rest of the team springs into action to find him. And find they do, unconscious and with a head wound in the elevator. After a few tense moments and retracing Devon’s movements from the evening before to put him on the road to recovery, they also manage to rescue his visually-challenged patient, who was the first to be exposed to the gas. All’s well there!

The other big story arc on the episode was the entry of Dr Billie Sutton’s (Jessica Lucas) son Trevor (Miles Fowler). Although he’s been matter of fact been told to stay from her, Trevor lands up at Chastain and in Billie’s presence, when his friend Janie (Marnee Carpenter) ODs and requires urgent help. While Janie’s had a recurring problem with opioids, her bigger issue is that there’s an infection in her heart valve and its spreading to other parts, including her brain. Dr Austin (Malcom-Jamal Warner) has to repair her heart, but can Billie handle the aneurysm in the brain while still coming to terms with having Trevor around?

The sub-plot that should get more attention is the Dr Randolph Bell (Bruce Greenwood) -Dr Kit Voss (Jane Leeves) arc. Those two have chemistry, but they’ve never been the centre of attention, what with the younger lot, Conrad (Matt Czuchry) and Nic, Austin and Mina and now Devon and Leela, hogging the limelight. Kit’s doing a great job at running the hospital, but Randolph’s also stepping it up and supporting her all the way. This is a pair that ought to get more screen time.

That will have to wait, though. There’s still the issue of addressing Emily VanCamp’s absence from the show. They’ve gotten away with almost two episodes of saying her character Nic is on a well-deserved spa-cation, leaving Conrad in charge of baby Gigi. But it’s time to wrap this up!

Verdict: Episode 2 did not have too many intense, high-pressure moments, as if it is building up to a big eruption, most likely next week, when we find out more about ‘the accident’.