Spoilers ahead for Episode 4 of New Amsterdam Season 5, called “Heal Thyself.”
After New Amsterdam ended on an incredibly dark note last week, the medical drama initially didn’t seem to be lightening up much in “Heal Thyself.” Max was facing the possibility that his cancer had returned, Bloom’s doctor took her off the prescription that was controlling her anxiety, Iggy was confused about his erectile dysfunction, Reynolds was facing surgery for a medical problem he hadn’t even known about the day before, and Wilder was facing surgery that would leave her unable to use her hands for several weeks. The episode ended on an emotional moment between Max and Wilder, and based on the promo for the next episode, it seems that New Amsterdam is delivering a time jump.
After most of the main characters had some breakthroughs (including Max learning that his cancer hadn’t come back after all), Wilder still had to go through with her surgery, which meant that not only could she not do her job while she recovered, but she also couldn’t sign, write, or text. Max made the pretty grand gesture of promising to be her hands while she couldn’t use her own, and made a board to help her communicate.
It was a sweet moment that ended in as much of a tender embrace as possible in a hospital bed with one person’s hands bound in bandages, even though I for one still have Sharpwin on my mind whenever New Amsterdam starts to play up the romance between them. I've loved Wilder since her debut, but it hasn’t been that long since Helen ended things for Max’s healing process to begin. Based on the promo for the next episode, however, fans will be getting a time jump.
In the footage for the episode that will air on October 18 (called “Grabby Hands”), Dr. Wilder is briefly featured. Notably, the oncologist is seen signing at a very fast pace, with Ben interpreting for her. She’s dressed in scrubs, and all signs suggest that she’s all healed up and back at work in the operating room. While speaking to Max in this week’s “Heal Thyself,” she informed him that having the hand surgery meant she wouldn’t “be able to communicate for weeks.”
While that’s not enough information to say exactly how much time has passed between Episode 4 and Episode 5, it will be at least multiple weeks for Wilder to be back to signing as usual. Whether or not New Amsterdam actually comments on the passage of time remains to be seen; if mention is made of the weeks since “Heal Thyself,” it could help any faithful Sharpwin fans to come around to Wilder and Max.
The only sticky issue for me with Max and Wilder has been that New Amsterdam – now in its shortened fifth and final season – doesn’t have the time to build up a new romance for Max on the same scale as what he had with Helen over four years. A little bit of extra time passing could be a good thing, whether or not anybody acknowledges her surgery next week. Take a look at the promo for yourself:
Tune in to NBC on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET for new episodes of New Amsterdam Season 5 in the 2022 TV schedule. Episodes are also available streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription, as well as the first four seasons if you want to revisit days gone by. Even though the medical drama will end at the conclusion of the current fifth season, there's clearly still a lot to love and to look forward to.
