This week Max’s big attempt to help is focused on the doctors that work for him. He requests that everyone takes a day to check on their health and the order isn’t well received by the doctors.
Another Perspective
While getting her ordered check-up, the doctor tells Lauren that she’s underweight, so he can’t prescribe her more Adderall for her ADHD. She takes the news hard because she knows how she is without taking her medicine.
The emergency department is packed throughout the day. Lauren rushes to take care of all the patients while also trying to eat as many calories as possible. She struggles to keep up with everything happening around her and is clearly overstimulated. When a woman goes into labor, and she’s the only one that can help, she’s forced to push past it all.
After the chaotic day, she goes back to the doctor to show that she’s gained the weight back, only to learn that she lost another pound. Defeated when the doctor won’t budge, she sits and just lets herself calm down. The doctor asks if she’s okay, and after a moment, she responds to her surprise that she is. They talk about keeping her off the meds longer.
Doing What Feels Impossible
When Elizabeth doesn’t jump to follow Max’s request, Max pushes that she needs to take the day. He’s made aware at that moment that Elizabeth has carpal tunnel and needs surgery but has been putting it off. Max and Ben push her to get the surgery, but she refuses.
In an attempt to help, Max sets her up with a surgeon behind her back. She tells Max that he crossed the line doing that, and he points out how much pain she’s in and how necessary the surgery is. She puts up more of a fight and explains that it’s not just that she can’t do her job if she gets the surgery; she also can’t talk. She can’t sign, write, or text, so she can’t communicate, and she also can’t do anything for herself.
She does reveal to Max later when he tries to convince her again that she’s set up the surgery. Max and Ben watch from the observing area while she gets it done, and Ben thanks him for convincing her to get it done because she wouldn’t have otherwise. He makes it clear to Max that no one else would have been able to convince her.
When she’s out of surgery, Max is there to help Elizabeth. He has a board with basic things she could need written on it and explains that he’ll run through the words, and she can confirm or deny if that’s what she needs. They sit on the bed for a moment after he helps her drink and Elizabeth leans her forehead on his chest as they do, clearly becoming comfortable with the situation and accepting the help.
A Scare for Max
While trying to convince Elizabeth to get her surgery, Max explains to her that he’s doing all of this because he found a lump on his neck that morning. The lump scared him, considering he’s a single dad and has a history of cancer, so he got an MRI first thing. The MRI confirmed that there is a growth, and they do a biopsy to see if it’s cancerous or not. He gets a call with the results, which aren’t revealed to the audience. Max does tell Elizabeth that “he’s healed” when she asks him if he got the results.
Iggy’s Problem
Iggy takes an unusual approach to Max’s order and uses his time to go on a date with someone he had been talking to on a dating site. The date doesn’t go as he expects when his date is more forward, and he wants to leave early so they can hook up.
Back at the hospital after it, Iggy talks to a fellow psychiatrist and gay man about it all. He vents that gay culture is all about sex nowadays, which the other doctor disagrees with. When pushed further on the matter, the other doctor realizes that Iggy is struggling because his sexual experience didn’t go well. Iggy hesitantly admits that he couldn’t get it up.
He talks it through with the other doctor. Iggy insists that it’s because it was his first time having sex with someone after he and Martin split up. The other doctor doesn’t buy it and pushes for more. After some digging, it’s revealed that the situation felt like a repeat of when Iggy and Martin got together, and that’s what caused it.
Being On The Other Side
Upon Max’s request, Floyd gets himself checked out with the plan of doing it and then going back to doing his job. This is made hard when he’s diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome. He tries to brush it off for his next day off, but Max and the doctor who was treating him won’t let him.
Floyd is awake during the procedure but starts causing problems when he tells the surgeon how to do her job. They get into a fight about it all before he tells them to just knock him out so he isn’t causing problems and can let them do their job. After the surgery, he properly meets the surgeon, who is new to New Amsterdam.
New Amsterdam is back on Tuesday, October 18 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC. Until then, check out our other coverage of the show here!