Spoilers ahead for the seventh episode of The Resident Season 5, called “Who Will You Be?”
The Resident has already delivered some of the biggest changes in show history in the first half of Season 5, thanks to Nic’s death, Conrad trying to process, the time jump, and Conrad moving on from the hospital. That said, considering Matt Czuchry is the leading man, it was only a matter of time before Conrad returned to Chastain, and he finally made the big decision in "Who Will You Be?" He weighed his options pretty carefully, and it wasn’t an easy choice to make. But The Resident definitely needs to commit and stick with his choice in Season 5.
Gigi was actually key to her dad deciding that it was time to return to his work at Chastain. Even though he missed his job at the hospital where he was saving lives instead of his lower-stakes work as a concierge doctor, he stuck to his intention to put his daughter first… up until Gigi spent the day at the hospital daycare and decided she wanted to come back rather than spend her days back at home.
All the stars have finally aligned for Conrad: the hospital is more than ready to take him back, he’s finally ready to come back full-time to where Nic died, and Gigi is old enough to want to spend her days with the other kids in the Chastain daycare, where Conrad can count on her safety rather than running home whenever she needs him. That’s not to say that Conrad’s problems are all over, but the next batch of problems that he encounters shouldn’t have to do with him waffling over his decision to return.
As much as I’ve appreciated The Resident taking its time both with Nic’s death and Conrad’s recovery, it’s time for the show to take big strides forward rather than letting the past dictate the present. Conrad can of course still miss his wife (although a new love interest is reportedly on the way) and Gigi can of course struggle with adjusting to daycare if that’s a storyline that the show wants to pursue, but the back-and-forth should be done. It was great and realistic while it lasted; it just doesn’t need to last any longer.
Plus, there are far more interesting storylines for Conrad being set up. Even though he clearly still has the edge that made him so valuable during his time at Chastain (and kept Bell, Devon, and others trying to get him back), spending years away from full-time hospital work could mean that he’s rusty when it comes to the routines and power structure. Four years is a long time, and a lot may have changed even beyond what has happened for the individual characters.
Throw in the fact that Conrad will be spending much more time with these characters who have changed, and this could be a whole new era of the show. Devon is in a position that Conrad once held, to name just one difference! See what’s in store for Conrad now that he’s back at Chastain with new episodes of The Resident on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox as the 2021 fall TV lineup winds down.
