New Amsterdam came to an end earlier than expected or planned last season, but not before setting up a love triangle for Season 3. Or at least, a dynamic some fans undoubtedly hope will turn into one. Now, New Amsterdam’s boss promises a “loaded” relationship when the medical drama returns.
New Amsterdam closed out its last season with Dr. Helen Sharpe entering into a relationship with Daniel Dae Kim’s new character, Dr. Cassian Shin. His approach readily clashed with Helen’s. To his massive credit, Cassian sprang into action, creating astonishing results. However, his “self-care” approach to getting there made waves between him and Helen. Suffice it say that Dr. Max Goodwin’s methods are incredibly different from Cassian’s.
Hence, that “loaded” dynamic. Yes, there will be more to the tension between Max and Cassian than the latter dating Helen. That not entirely surprising considering how drastically different their approaches are. New Amsterdam’s showrunner, David Schulner, teased that the men’s varying approaches to their jobs could lead to tension, telling TVLine:
It’s definitely going to be a loaded relationship. . . . Even if Sharpe wasn’t in the middle of it, their approach is completely opposite, and their philosophies about care are completely opposite. But [Dr. Shin] gets the job done, and it’s hard to argue with that.
This is interesting to hear from David Schulner for multiple reasons. That said, I do expect Max and Cassian to work things out fairly quickly. For one, as New Amsterdam’s showrunner points out, Max cannot argue with Cassian’s results. Secondly, Helen also clashed with Cassian’s technique at first, before finding her opinion soften.
Helen and Cassian met during the retooled version of the finale, which saw Cassian introduced during the opening minutes of New Amsterdam’s sendoff. The dueling doctors quickly hit turbulence. As I'd hoped, those sparks of heated conversation ignited into a romantic passion.
Thus, opening the door to Helen being the center of a love triangle between Cassian and Max. She and Max have shared an incredible amount of chemistry since New Amsterdam began. David Schulner did acknowledge that having Helen at the heart of the men’s dynamic would drive some portion of the wedge between them.
Let the love triangle and workplace conflict begin! Okay, in all seriousness, I hope that the tension between Max and Cassian does not last too long. At his core, Max has always wanted unity and peace between the doctors. So, I would hope he and Cassian find a way to work together.
Plus, let’s face it. If Max and Cassian become friends (which I hope they do), it would only add more drama to the love triangle. New Amsterdam knows what it is doing. As his debut episode showed, Cassian is an incredibly skilled doctor who thinks outside of the box. That attribute is one that Max should respect and admire.
Time will tell if New Amsterdam can arrive as one of this fall’s premieres. When it returns, new episodes of the medical drama will air Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.
