Chastain isn’t going down with a fight.
Boss Voss rallied the troops and had the fighter’s spirit we love about her by the end of The Resident Season 6 Episode 11, and if it’s anything we can collectively agree upon, it’s how that woman is a bloody force!
The hour took an even-keeled approach to the adrenaline it raised during The Resident Season 6 Episode 10; as Conrad and Billie tied up the loose ends of their previous relationships, Padma got the help she needed — and James, Chastain, and the medical field lost a legend.
The hour wasted no time getting into the after-effects of that kiss, which makes things a little better.
Cade was fresh off of standing up to her father, and you could see how she was still riding that liberation and feeling contrite about keeping such a major secret from Conrad.
As she spilled her guts about how secrets destroy the importance of honesty, and she apologized profusely for not telling him about Ian, all one could do was cringe and brace themself for Conrad ‘fessin’ up on the heels of that declaration.
The situation was generally messy. Cade was hurt, no doubt, and Conrad genuinely didn’t want to hurt her and told her how hard he tried to be with her and that he didn’t know about his feelings for Billie.
And it’s such a hard thing to grasp. As Cade and Devon pointed out, everyone could clearly see there was something there, and when it’s that obvious, it’s hard to fathom that at least one of the people involved is that oblivious. It’s Conrad Hawkins, after all.
It was also rough to hear Conrad say things like he “tried” to be with Cade as if it was a legitimate chore. All relationships take effort, which never stops, but when you phrase it like that, all one can surmise is that in the early stages, you shouldn’t have to try at all.
But essentially, that’s one of the biggest issues with the relationship from a viewer perspective. It mostly happened offscreen, and there was nothing effortless about their supposed romance that was convincing or natural. It shouldn‘t take that much work to feel real.
Cade was rightfully upset while also handling it maturely, so there are brownie points in them navigating this love triangle with some level of that.
Conrad: I haven’t been honest with myself or you about my feelings for Billie.
Cade: Did something happen?
Conrad: I kissed her.
Cade: Hm. Okay.
Conrad: Hang on; let’s talk about this.
Cade: There’s nothing to say. I just wish you were honest with me a long time ago.
Conrad: I was. I wanted things to work out with us. I didn’t know how I felt about Billie.
Cade: Well everybody else did. I mean literally everyone. You know this is why I could never fully be open with you. You’ve been half in from the start.
Conrad: Come on, that’s not true! I tried to make things work with us; you know that.
Cade: You tried!
Conrad: I never wanted to hurt you, and I’m sorry.
In some ways, you could appreciate James, as a newbie, entering the equation with Billie and being aware enough to understand that their relationship was casual.
He didn’t put too much stock in dating Billie because he could tell her heart belonged to Conrad. At least that’s what we can guess since we didn’t exactly see that relationship onscreen much either. He still deserved better than Conrad and Billie’s stolen moments before she broke the news to him later, but it is what it is.
I wish Cade had backed out a while ago or never got into something with Conrad in the first place. She, too, was at least vaguely aware that Billie had feelings for Conrad before all this, something she acknowledged when the two women finally spoke to each other.
And she also acknowledged that she and Conrad never said they loved one another, and she could never fully open up to Conrad the whole time anyway.
And again, so much of this makes you wonder why we ever needed a love triangle in the first place. Cade could’ve been better utilized in other story arcs and developed differently outside of a Billie placeholder.
It’s great that she and Billie could have a fair, honest conversation with one another, even though it was probably not the best time to discuss their boy problems at the hospital while working.
Cade: It’s fine. I will survive because I know what I deserve. I deserve someone who loves me, not someone who is working overtime to deny that they love you.
Billie: I’m sorry.
Cade: Don’t be. It’s pointless. Just so you know, Hawkins never said “I love you,” never once. Neither of us did.
That scene could’ve taken cliched or problematic routes; fortunately, both of these strong, talented, brilliant women could come out of it unscathed.
But again, that’s why it sucks that they fell into such a rudimentary plot in the first place. The Chastain women are better than and have more things to do than fail the Bechdel test talking about a boy.
Thank goodness for Kit.
Cade can move forward, and it’s hard to say where her story will go now since things are either wrapped up or unfinished with her father, and she’s not tied to Conrad anymore.
Conrad and Billie are genuinely content with each other. They’re both happy, and you can see it in both of them. Their handholding in the elevator at the end of the day was the cutest. It took them a while to get here, but they’re here, so good for them. I’ll be interested to see what other storylines can open up for them now as a couple.
Conrad: I don’t like how we got here, but I am so glad we’re here.
Billie: I know; me too.
We at least caught a glimpse of Billie’s struggles from the trauma of her attack. It took all her willpower to walk back into that hospital, and she was gunshy about losing Lillian during surgery.
I’m glad that Kit was there to encourage and support her. The friendship between those two is easily one of the most underrated of the past couple of seasons.
James took the news about Conrad and Billie better, but that was expected when they only just introduced him, and this is the most time we’ve spent with the character.
His final scene with Cade suggests that they can smooth things over with a “pair the spares” situation with those two, or they’ll at least be good friends.
It was nice to spend time with Yamada, though. It meant he didn’t have to come in on the back half of the season to keep Billie busy until she and Conrad got it together.
His case with Leonard was tragically beautiful. It isn’t the first time one of Chastain’s own had to treat their mentor, nor is it the only instance where they lost them.
Leonard Perry was a living legend, and from the moment he stepped foot into those doors, he commanded the room and garnered the respect of everyone.
Seeing A.J. and James working together on this case was special because you know how much it meant to each of them. They were fanboying the entire time while facing the difficulties of trying to save this man’s life.
And Leonard was all-in. One of many instances where the title of the episode signified the theme. Leonard didn’t hesitate to risk it all with that surgery.
It was touch and go on the table, and even though he made it out the O.R., his body was no match. His final scene was a tough one to witness.
On the one hand, it felt wrong to have an attending in there describing what was happening to Leonard as his body shut down on him, right in front of him as he listened and struggled to breathe.
But once Leonard started talking, it was apparent that he wouldn’t have it any other way. His final moments of explaining how James was doing everything right, using it as one last lesson, was touching, and so was his calling them his children.
It was a moving scene. Although, it would’ve had even more emotional gravitas if we knew Leonard and James better to grow invested in their bond and what Leonard’s death meant to the medical community.
With a few episodes remaining in the season, I’d like to know if we have time to spend with James any longer or if he’ll be a permanent figure if the series gets renewed.
Coming off that case, A.J. had to learn the truth about Padma, and even though he recognized that she would need their support, you can tell he’s still worried about the twins. Will we see some friction between A.J. and the others if he files for full custody?
Fortunately, Padma got Leela’s text, and it was enough for her to climb down and seek help. After such a nerve-wracking cliffhanger that was on the anticlimactic side.
As much as the other characters kept expressing how stunned they were by this development and how they couldn’t believe they missed the signs, I couldn’t help but wonder the same thing.
Devon’s supposed claim that they didn’t see the signs because Padma didn’t allow them to was laughable because it was clear to anyone with two eyes that Padma was showing signs of PPD. It’s simply unbelievable that three doctors couldn’t figure this out.
Padma: They deserve better than me. I can’t be there mother.
Leela: OK. We’re going to get you the help that you need, okay? It’s going to be fine.
The subject matter is so important, and I can appreciate their efforts to depict it. However, it feels like they should have gone all-in on it or handled it more carefully and thoughtfully.
Padma got put on a psych hold, and she’ll seek a psychologist, which is good. I’m glad she’s okay, even if it’s not necessarily a storyline I invested much this season.
Lillian was a spitfire, and one of the more consistent aspects of Devon’s arc, if you will, this season is how good he’s become at his job and following his gut.
It turned out Lillian wasn’t a dementia patient, and if they had played it safe, she would’ve gone the rest of her life with that bleed and neuro damage.
She was such a hoot and so feisty. Lillian handing out the candies was one of the most amusing moments of the hour.
And her fighting spirit inspired Kit. She’s not letting Chastain die a slow death without a fight. And she and the staff will help as many people as they can until they can’t anymore.
The budget cuts are taxing on the hospital and the staff. It’s only a matter of time before Kit gets to have her faceoff with the governor over this.
And something tells me that GSW that got rerouted to the Chastain might have something to do with that.
Over to you, Resident Fanatics. What do you want to see in the finale? Sound off below!
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Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.