FOX's The Resident - Episode 2.11 "Operator Error"
When a medical device fails on a former Chastain employee, an investigation is opened up, which pits Dr. Austin against Quovadis. As Mina and Bell work to get to the bottom of what went wrong, Devon distracts himself with another patient who's experiencing mysterious stomach pains. Nic forms a bond with her new partner at the clinic. Conrad's relationship with the Barnett family continues to grow.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. Premieres and finales may feature longer reviews. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of FOX's The Resident.
"Operator Error" was written by Elizabeth J.B. Klaviter & Emily Pressley and directed by Timothy A. Good
There is nothing all that legitimate or transparent about the hospital's investigation into Bradley's death. The act itself is incredibly shocking because the character has already endured so much. His death could be completely tied to what goes on behind-the-scenes at Chastain in numerous ways. His family certainly could build a legal case against the hospital. However, everything in the immediate aftermath of his death is about the heart valve from QuoVadis that was implanted by Dr. Austin earlier this season. There was always the fear that something like this was going to happen because the show has made the audience very suspicious of every QuoVadis device. There still hasn't been an update as to what's happened to Julian or if the police have launched any kind of investigation. That leaves Gordon Page in a position of power. There is no reason he should be alongside Bell as the investigators of what went wrong in this specific case. Bell feels the pressure from all angles. He wants to remain loyal to Gordon because of the partnership between the hospital and QuoVadis. However, he also has a responsibility to his surgeons and ensuring the hospital isn't found at fault. For the majority of the hour, it's presented as if he has to make a choice between the two sides. He can either go with Gordon who is steering the investigation solely as being surgical error instead of a faulty device. Or he can trust that Austin is the best surgeon who would never make a mistake like this. A case is certainly built against Austin. A big deal is made about how arrogant he can be. He refused to listen to the device representative during the surgery even though he had never worked with this product before. He made a big deal about not wanting to work exclusively with QuoVadis. He didn't see the data that proved it was better than the products he frequently uses during surgery. He still performed the surgery as told. There was only one minor mishap. If a case can be made against him for that, then that may prove that QuoVadis has a substandard product that can't handle even the slightest deviations from what it is designed to do. Picking it up incorrectly is all the proof Gordon needs to condemn Austin as the party to blame. That doesn't sit well with anyone. And yet, there is no other angle to this investigation. Bell doesn't go to QuoVadis to see how this product was made. He doesn't know if it could have been altered before the surgery somehow. That's not the point of this investigation. Instead, it's about Bell not making any choice by just forcing the coroner to say that it was the underlying disease that killed Bradley. That's tragic because it could make life even harder for the family. But it's also a bittersweet victory because it means the surgeons all survive knowing that Austin won't become a scapegoat. Of course, it's only a matter of time before QuoVadis needs to be exposed for the crimes it has committed. That too could be very dangerous to Chastain - especially on the heels of the scandal with Lane Hunter. It may ultimately revolve around what's happening with Henry. Conrad continues to get very close to that family. So much in fact that he is mistaken as Henry's father. That could be a foreboding sign of where those personal dynamics are heading. But it's much more important to note that Henry has developed a new facial tick. Conrad believes it's nothing and runs the tests to confirm as much. But the audience should still have a sinking feeling because of the QuoVadis device in Henry's head - even though it would be tragic for Zoey to lose both of her sons.
