With the New Amsterdam series finale finally here, we can free ourselves of this once-great show. No longer will we be held by Max’s, “How can I help?” or sit on the edge of our seats waiting to see what happens to Sharpwin. Because at the end of the day, this was a story about a hospital and all the patients that came through it. There’s no denying that. But New Amsterdam was also a love story between two people who wanted to do the right thing.
Unfortunately, New Amsterdam as a whole absolutely lost it all with the loss of Helen Sharpe. Whether it be a personal decision because she missed home or there was something internally going on that she couldn’t stand anymore, the New Amsterdam knew that Freema Agyeman was leaving. And instead of giving us something that made sense as to the distance between Max and Helen, the show decided to tarnish Helen’s reputation, turn all her friends against her, and put Max up on a pedestal.
Max Goodwin is not the highlight of this show. Sorry, not sorry. The highlight of this show is the way that Helen and Max would work together to create better lives for themselves and for those around them. It is not a show where Helen gets framed as a racist or a drug. It’s about hope, love, and doing the right thing, even when things get hard. And we weren’t expecting much from the series finale. We were just expecting some sort of closure. Something where Helen and Max made peace. Instead, we got this hot mess where Max suddenly decides to move away.
And we’re not the only ones who think that the New Amsterdam series finale was a hot mess for all the characters.
Many were relieved that the end was finally here, making it so they were finally free. And the actors of course.
There were others who agreed with Luna. We also hate New Amsterdam.
Most people were disgusted with the way that the New Amsterdam series finale tried to paint Helen. The same Helen who saved tons of lives, was the female lead for seasons, and who all of these people were friends with before Max came along.
Some pointed out the fact that if Max was always going to leave, then what was all the drama for?
And others, like myself, are just in denial and writing our own endings.
Begrudgingly, we’re willing to admit that New Amsterdam had us in a chokehold for a while with the way that it put people first and how it lifted up Black stories. But they absolutely lost their way towards the end and made decisions that showed that they never really knew the fandom. They didn’t know what we were asking for (aka good writing) and that we watch because we see parts of ourselves in these characters. It’s that simple. And when you show that the cheater gets to be happy while a brilliant woman gets painted as the worst of the worst, you leave behind a legacy of disappointment and not hope, like they initially wanted this all to be about.
Hated it!