New Amsterdam: Season 1 – Episode 12 ‘Anima Sola’ REVIEW

New Amsterdam takes a different approach to the norm in “Anima Sola”. There are two main dilemmas that are the primary focus including Bloom and Helen’s fight translating into flawed patient care and Iggy identifying an ill physician. It brings to light some very important things when it comes to patient care, and it is something that other shows have reflected on. For example, Fox’s The Resident is essentially based on the premise of exposing the secrets behind hospital doors, which includes physicians who should not be practicing anymore. Touching upon a similar sentiment, “Anima Sola” points out a doctor that should no longer be practicing and the repercussions of dealing with it.

Iggy takes notice of a New Amsterdam veteran surgeon who seems to have a tremor but continues to operate. This is indeed an ethical dilemma and New Amsterdam handles it well, with a solution rather than a devastating turn of events. With much hesitation, Iggy reports the surgeon to Max. When the surgeon realizes what is going on, he’s frustrated to see what he deems as hypocrisy. Max is undergoing chemo treatment for cancer but is still working, but he wants this surgeon to stop working. It is actually quite an interesting predicament because both sides have solid points. During “Anima Sola” Max is dealing with chemo-induced nausea but is still present at the hospital working. He may not be performing surgery, but it still doesn’t exude confidence on his part. When looking at both situations, it certainly makes sense to pull the surgeon from the job because it would severely impact a patient if something went wrong.

What ends up being great about this situation is the solution that Iggy and Max come up with. This sort of storyline rarely ever exists in medical dramas, and it was such a pleasant change to see a horrible dilemma emerge on a more happy note. Instead of operating, Max created a position for the surgeon so he could handle Telemedicine for New Amsterdam, a role in which he would basically help doctors all over the world perform surgeries that he is an expert at. Through video chats and calls, he will guide others in third world countries, clinics, and their sister hospitals. It’s a wonderful solution that still gives this character purpose and doesn’t take away his life’s work from him completely.

Continuing down the path of patient care, Bloom and Helen butt heads in “Anima Sola” when a string of patients are brought in with the same symptoms. There is friction between the two because Helen went through Bloom’s things to see if she was still taking pills, and Bloom caught her. This animosity really impedes the emergency situation that is brought into New Amsterdam. They are not in agreement over diagnoses, treatment options, or anything else, and it almost costs patient lives. There have been similar situations in Grey’s Anatomy but it resulted in the characters making up at the end. However, this did not happen here. Instead of coming up with a diagnosis together, they argue with each other and contradict the other.

At the end of the day, it was Bloom who came up with the correct diagnosis and treatment, and it was Helen that confidently gave the wrong one. Seeing two empowered and strong female characters take their stand like was pretty inspiring. It also speaks volumes to the fact that Helen couldn’t take Bloom’s word for it, and she ended up proving her wrong. The lesson in all of this is, however, that whoever was right doesn’t matter, patient care does. New Amsterdam makes a strong point with this storyline that is often seen in real life. Nothing should get in the way of patient care, and they should always be the primary focus. When they’re not, people can die.

This arc between Helen and Bloom takes a horrendous turn as they realize that they cannot work together anymore. Moreover, Helen ends up reporting Bloom to Max which can only result in disastrous consequences going into the next episode. The ethical dilemma here is: was Helen justified in reporting Bloom or was she majorly overstepping the mark with minimal evidence?

Another question of ethics comes up in “Anima Sola” in Dr. Kapoor and Dr. Reynolds’s arc. In order to treat a patient of theirs, Dr. Reynolds has to pretend to be another doctor (the one that had his position before him) to use a machine that New Amsterdam didn’t have. Not to mention, no one had the credentials to be at the other hospital, but this other doctor did. When things went temporarily sideways, Dr. Kapoor had to perform his surgery at this hospital as well. There is a lot to take away from this whole situation and hard to gauge where the line is. By helping this patient, she’s able to regain her sight again and live a better quality of life. However, both doctors lied and cheated their way through the system. What is the boundary for helping a patient and should they actually be punished for trying to help someone? It’s ethical conundrums like this that make New Amsterdam such a thrilling watch. It’s not just the dramatic aspect of it but it’s the human aspect as well. If you strip away the red tape and rules, it’s about saving human life and not letting anything get in the way – and that is what doctors Reynolds and Kapoor did. Of course, one could very well argue that what they did is wrong. It’s commendable that New Amsterdam leaves that up to the viewer to decide without getting into the thick of it. Other medical dramas feed off drama and angst, but it’s a welcome change that New Amsterdam doesn’t.

Patient care and ethics is a big part of “Anima Sola” and there is a lot of focus on blurred lines. Did Sharpe overstep with Bloom? Did Iggy do the right thing? Should Dr. Reynolds and Dr. Kapoor get in trouble for helping their patient? Each character did something that may be perceived as immoral and wrong, but New Amsterdam gives us a different perspective and lens to see that there are two sides to each story, and we can choose how we want to interpret it.

Catch up on our previous New Amsterdam reviews here.