New Amsterdam‘s “Happy Place” was great in the Sharpwin department but felt boring everywhere else. Don’t get me wrong, there were some nice moments that the show is becoming known for but nothing pulled me in. If anything, Helen, Max, Iggy, and Reynolds definitely stole the show this week. And with a show that has been excellent all season, with maybe just one other episode coming off as filler, don’t take “Happy Place as a true reflection of this season as a whole.
Let’s dive into New Amsterdam‘s “Happy Place”!
Reynolds and the Police Officer
Reynolds suffered a real blow when he lost the police officer he was performing surgery on. He was confident going into the case but things went badly quick. I really liked seeing this softer side of Reynolds though as he took time to comfort the officer as she was being taken to the OR. New Amsterdam doesn’t always let Jocko Sims show off his range as he did on The Last Ship, but as a fan of both, I’ve seen him perform some amazing emotional scenes.
Overall, I felt like the police officer story was somewhat compelling with the driver not really being drunk but very sick instead. The real highlight was Reynolds and we’ll get to see more next week when the hospital investigates the death because there’s a chance it could have been prevented.
Iggy, Kapoor, and the Cochlear Implant
I hate to say it but these scenes in the episode were the ones that really didn’t grab me. I feel like Kapoor is usually pretty important to each episode or he, at least, has a storyline specifically for him but this week he just seemed like an extra person that the writers didn’t know what to do with. And I love Kapoor so that’s one of the reasons this part of the episode was so hard to watch.
Iggy jumps into the rescue though after Kapoor asks him for help. I loved the way Iggy was able to break down the couple’s situation so they could figure out what was really going on and she decided to have it removed. While Kapoor was underutilized, Iggy’s scenes were definitely a great part of the episode. He really pulled at my heartstrings when he met with Jemma, from earlier this season, and they both shared a breakthrough: You can learn something new from anybody.
Sharpwin
Max begins the episode by complaining about the new doctor to Helen, which is reminiscent of last week. I, again, don’t like his new doctor. Don’t ask me why yet because I haven’t quite put my finger on it but there’s just something about her that I don’t trust. On a hugely positive note, Helen and Max worked closely together during “Happy Place” and there were sparks everywhere. Their chemistry is visible no matter what circumstances they’re in.
My absolute favorite scene was at the end when Max was getting his feeding tube. Helen surprised him but showing up to be by his side. My Sharpwin feels were through the roof during this entire sequence. It may have been brief but it was still everything. They grab on to each other’s hands and look at each other in comfortable silence. The writers are really playing with me by giving me excellent Sharpwin moments. But I’ll remain patient because somehow Max and Helen are endgame.
Check out the trailer for next week’s New Amsterdam titled “Preventable” on NBC, Tuesdays at 10/9c:
New Amsterdam airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on NBC.