The Resident season six finale felt more like a series finale than a season finale. FOX has yet to renew the medical drama. So it could be over, or maybe the writers gave us an ending because they weren’t sure if the show would get renewed.
Most of the episode felt like season finale level. We had Sammie (Chedi Chang) and Dr. Jake Wong (Conrad Ricamora) back, even though we were yet again worried about the young girl living. Luckily the cancer wasn’t back, but she still had a severe condition that Dr. Ian Sullivan (Andrew McCarthy) had to take care of, despite trying to stay away from operating to support his recovery. It was intense a couple of seasons ago when they gave us this storyline, and it was intense again. Although, if it wasn’t for all the GiGi (Remington Blaire Evans) moments, I might not have been happy with them repeating this storyline.
Dr. AJ Austin (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) was also trying to save Governor Betz (Steven Culp), so they could save the hospital. The heart surgery went as planned, but how ironic is it that he needed the same surgery he got Dr. Randolph Bell (Bruce Greenwood) sued over? And that surgery was happening at the same time as Sammie’s. Austin was pulled off Betz’s surgery to help with Sammie. On top of that, Bell had an episode in the middle of the surgery, so Dr. Leela Devi (Anuja Joshi) had to step in as the lead surgeon.
AJ told Leela earlier in the episode that he was Michael Jordan, that he thrives under pressure, and Leela said she wanted to be like that. And this surgery gave her just the chance. She performed an emergent part of the surgery so well that Bell left her to it.
This storyline was one of the things that made it feel like a series finale. The writers were hinting at the conclusion of her residency. Bell gave her the stethoscope that his teacher gave him when he became an attending. I wouldn’t say Bell was her mentor. That was more Austin and Dr. Billie Sutton (Jessica Lucas), but it was still a nice moment. Even better, Dr. Devon Pravesh (Manish Dayal) proposed right after that.
Pravesh also had a moment with Bell where he told Pravesh he was happy that his life was in his hands.
The first moment in the finale that made it feel like the end was coming was when Dr. Conrad Hawksins (Matt Czuchry) and Pravesh were working on the mystery cases for the week, which were Sammie and Governor Betz. They figured it out for both, and Conrad told Devon he was his best intern, and Pravesh said he was his best teacher. It was such a sweet moment. It turned the season finale into a series finale.
At the very end, Gigi had her birthday party in the hospital with Sammie and her dads, Conrad and Billie. It was such a great family moment, with Conrad telling Billie he loved her, and she said it back. There was something that felt final about this moment. The slow-burn couple was about to live happily ever after, and Gigi had a mother again.
The Originals and One Tree Hill had season finales that felt like series finales, but they went on for one more season. The Originals season four finale could have served as a series finale. It sure felt like one, with Hope starting the Salvatore school and the rest of the originals living their lives apart. The same thing happened with the One Tree Hill season eight finale. Brooke and Haley re-open Karen’s Cafe, Alex and Chase are together when he gets home from the Air Force, and Brooke and Julian have twins. It’s happily ever after for the characters.
So The Resident could live on for another season, but it is probably coming to its end. If this wasn’t the end, it probably only has another season. Seven seasons would be a solid run. Sure, Grey’s Anatomy is on its nineteenth season and Chicago Med is on its eighth season. And ER lasted 15. So medical dramas can run a long time. I can’t speak for Chicago Med, but ER and Grey’s Anatomy have had much bigger casts — always bringing in new characters to refresh the show. The Resident has had some of that, but not as much as those. And Grey’s Anatomy is also probably closer to the end at this point.
Hopefully, FOX will give us one more season of The Resident. I like to know when I’m saying goodbye to a show, and I still feel like it has one more in it.
