We got so many wins on this one!
Max and Helen have continued to hit every bump imaginable in their new relationship. Still, there was some sweet domesticity and payoff instead of a host of new problems on New Amsterdam Season 4 Episode 6, as well as delightful guest appearances by John Christopher Jones and Timothy Omundson.
And Wilder is here to stay!
The hour was exciting, especially when we saw most of our doctors coming together to perform multi-million dollar, unprecedented, risky surgery on Guillaume.
It’s not often that we get to witness Max in the operating room getting his hands dirty. The hour delivered that and some vulnerable conversations between him and Floyd while operating and Wilder as the ultimate rockstar.
It’s a great day when Veronica is out of town, and Max, hellbent on getting into the best kind of trouble, took her absence and ran with it. He was determined to do anything that would piss her off when she returned, and he found the best way to do it with Guillame’s surgery and Wilder’s addition to the hospital.
Can you imagine the conniption she’ll have when she learns how much money the hospital doled out for that surgical event? She’ll lose her mind!
It speaks volumes that Max went full-steam ahead with this plan before he ever understood who Guillaume was to Helen. But it was a bit awkward when he was damn near elbow deep in this man and learning from Floyd the full extent of his relationship with Helen.
Max: What was that about with Helen? Did she know him?
Floyd: Yeah, they dated. For a couple of years, when I first got here.
The Helen that Floyd described from her time with Guillaume is someone we don’t know much about either. The season has made its mission exploring new layers to Helen, and thus far, they’ve done it with each installment.
It’s crazy to think that Helen was this wild and carefree woman who jumped off bridges, built murals, and went to Cuba with someone on the third date.
Guillaume brought out this whole other side to Helen, and in addition to that, Max and anyone else could visibly see how worked up she was about Guillaume throughout the surgery.
She couldn’t keep her feelings under control, and in many ways, it had one wondering why she was allowed in the room in the first place. She was too close to him and the situation. There were a few moments when it felt detrimental, having her there.
Freema Agyeman is incredible, and a prime example of it is how much emotion she can express through her eyes alone. They’re so expressive; you can read and feel everything she’s trying to convey through them, and it was some fine work from her during the OR scenes.
Helen’s relationship with Guillaume filled the room. We had some much appreciated bromantic moments between Max and Floyd as they discussed it, and Max sorted through his feelings about the news. Helen spoke about him freely with Wilder, who picked up on Helen’s anxiousness and gave her the chance to talk about and humanize him.
The surgery was insane, and it was one of the most graphic ones they’ve done on the series thus far. It made you realize that we don’t often clock in a significant amount of OR time to this degree for a medical drama, so all of it was refreshing and exciting.
Hopefully, with Wilder there, we’ll have more time spent in the OR. It was also the best having so many characters working together in the same room like that.
It was touch and go, and we didn’t know for sure if Guillaume would live or die, so the entire case was enough to have you on the edge of your seat for that alone.
It was a stellar display of what Wilder is capable of as a doctor and addition to New Amsterdam. It’s no secret that most of the ‘Dam fandom is wild about Wilder, and it’s impressive how Sandra Mae Frank has won us over instantly in this role. She’s freaking magic!
Wilder’s badass walk down the hall with her team was one of her finest moments, and she was a consummate rockstar the entire hour. It’s a relief that she took Max up on his offer by the end of the installment.
She’s high in demand, but she has the New Amsterdam attitude and approach to practicing medicine and saving lives, but it probably helped that she got to work so closely with some of New Amsterdam’s finest, like some Dream Team, and you can’t forge that type of chemistry.
Also, Ben still kills it as her interpreter, and I love that he has his own vibrant personality that stands out, and he and Wilder play off each other so well. Can we keep them both forever?!
Strong and Black like your woman.
Helen
Fortunately, for Helen and New Amsterdam’s expense account, Guillaume survived the surgery, and there’s no denying that he and Helen still had chemistry.
However, the final Helen and Max scene quelled any concerns about Helen’s buyer’s remorse or her longing for the carefree, wild woman that she used to be.
The opening moments of the hour showed us the domesticated Sharpwin goodness that is catnip for any ‘shipper. They’ve settled into a quaint life together, even if it’s in this weird limbo as they’re still of the mind that they’re London-bound.
We still haven’t seen Helen interacting with Luna one-on-one, but she’s stepped into this role as a fellow caretaker now, and it makes you wonder if they’ll delve deeper into Helen adjusting to parenthood. She always wanted kids, and we saw how devastated she was upon learning she couldn’t have them.
I have hung from bridges, but what I have never done is be your partner. I never built a life with someone. And I certainly have never been a little girl’s parent.
Helen
It’s a storyline that always felt unfinished, so her relationship with Max, a single dad, helping him raise Luna is bound to bring some things up.
With the bridge scene, which wasn’t unlike a classic Sharpwin rooftop one, Helen alluded to some insecurities about taking care of Luna and doing things right.
But Helen mostly used that time to tell Max where she is now after everything he learned about her past. Max didn’t have any reason to feel insecure about Guillaume or that he couldn’t fulfill Helen’s needs and give her the type of excitement and adventure that her ex did.
Helen acknowledged that Max brings a different type of excitement and butterflies for her. People assume that adventure only comes in the form of outlandish things like jumping off of bridges, but Helen’s allowing herself to fall in love with Max and embark on new, uncharted territory as a partner and parent is a different type of thrill.
The intimacy of their scene, the open communication, and vulnerability — all of it was heartfelt, sweet, and genuinely their finest moments as a couple.
One odd thing about it was that it took until that moment, a week later, for Helen to bring up that she heard what Max said to Veronica. How long are we supposed to drag out this London thing?
On the one hand, Max said he wouldn’t leave in the heat of the moment as a way to stick it to Veronica, and it didn’t have to mean he was reconsidering the move. On the other hand, it doesn’t feel realistic if he leaves the hospital in Veronica’s hands.
Although, maybe with Wilder there, he’ll feel better about it, not by much, though.
Jones and Omundson’s guest-starring roles as Bob and Kit were pure entertainment. Unlike Lauren, it was hard not to laugh at everything that came out of their mouths.
They were such a fun, cute, and hilarious odd couple.
One minute, they would have you cracking up at their witty one-liners, banter, and bickering, and the next, they damn near had you in tears with their love for one another.
Both things can be true at once, and you knew Kit was right about Bob not wanting to go into some form of hospice care. He’s too lively a person to be stuck in one of those facilities for long-term care. But you also knew that Bob wasn’t wrong about how he kept Kit alive.
I’m his reason for living. I can’t take that away from him.
Bob
It sounded as though Kit had a rough time after his stroke, but Bob keeps him lively and himself. They were so much fun together, and truthfully, the gift that keeps on giving is Timothy Omundson making his rounds on NBC series. It’s so damn good to have him on our screens regularly.
The ongoing shtick that Lauren isn’t one for jokes and laughter felt a bit odd, but if she had to be the straight man to their comedic duo with the assists by Casey, then so be it. It was pure entertainment, and every time the hour segued back to their storyline, it was enough to put a smile on your face.
Thankfully, Lauren found a solution that worked for both men, and they could agree to it so that they both got the care they needed while sticking together like some flesh and blood Bert and Ernie or something.
It was also cute that Casey and Lauren’s dynamic friendship balanced with Kit and Bob’s, and we’ll keep putting out the plea that Casey gets more screentime and background.
If it’s not impossible, then it’s worth the risk.
Helen
Floyd’s love life continues to be the damper of the series. Although, at least this time around, the awkward moments led to some laughs.
It made no sense that Floyd and Lyn thought telling Claude about their relationship while they all were on shift was a good idea. Who does that at work?
But it was hilarious when the nurse asked if she should play their playlist during surgery, and both men declined with a resounding “no.”
Claude says he would’ve rather not known about Floyd and Lyn, but we didn’t get anything else about the storyline after that.
At least Iggy’s patients had a much better go at love.
In theory, the storyline had the potential to be more interesting. It would’ve been a great way to explore the ableism and other things that arise with conservatorships and how they strip people of some of the most basic things that make them feel human and alive.
We’ve seen how things have played out with the likes of Britney Spears.
Shane’s parents acted as if his BPD made him incapable of a healthy, loving romantic relationship, and Felicity’s parents were overbearing to the point of stifling her.
They did their whole Romeo and Juliet thing, and Iggy’s passion for their love story came through as someone who knows what it’s like when society tells you that your love isn’t valid.
Iggy and Gladys teaming up is always a delight. But the storyline never hit the most compelling notes it could’ve delivered and barely scratched the surface of its potential.
So overall, it was okay and entertaining, but that’s about it.
Over to you, ‘Dam Fanatics. Are you thrilled about Wilder taking the job? Did you enjoy learning more about Helen? How freaking awesome were Omundson and Jones? Hit the comments below!
If you want to relive this great hour, you can watch New Amsterdam 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.
