New Amsterdam Review: The Island (Season 2 Episode 9)

The title of New Amsterdam Season 2 Episode 9, “The Island,” refers to more than just the prison the doctors visit on the episode.

Everyone is very much alone at the end — on their own islands. It’s absolutely shattering and difficult to know where to start, especially considering what’s coming next. 

It’s a good episode of TV, but the most tension comes within the last 10 minutes. The storylines that take place at Rikers are meant to fill time or get the prisoners to a specific destination.

For example, I like Pearl and Sanchez as characters — but Iggy is a psychiatrist in an ill-founded jail for goodness sake; there are so many better things he could’ve been doing with his time than helping a guard and an inmate make peace with their past friendship. 

Iggy arrived on his island last episode, but that storyline, in particular, is so much useless filler. 

So let’s start with Dr. Bloom and Ligon. I have never liked Zach and I believe he takes Lauren’s pain pill. Remember, he’s also an addict. And while we solved the doctor issue a few reviews ago, he’s not a medical doctor. He’s a physical therapist. 

To be very clear, physical therapists might know about different medications, but they do not dispense them. This is why I’ve never agreed with New Amsterdam referring to Zach as a “doctor.” 

Lauren asks him to monitor her medication intake as a friend. So, right now he smells foul.

There is definitely tension between the two in the final scene they have together, but it’s hard to hear what Zach is saying. It’s a shame that poor enunciation affects that last second of the scene. 

Death by toxic shock syndrome is real and needs to be taken seriously. But as we said above, all of the women from Rikers have very specific purposes. 

I wish I cared more about them. But Vijay’s patient is just a way to show viewers how much he cares about family and how he’s going to be an amazing Grandpa.

She almost died and deserves to see her kids, but only a really dedicated person would do the work to get her family there and lie to guards to make those hugs happen. 

Dr. Kapoor’s been reading blogs for Ella, how much more dedicated can you get? 

So, Ella’s OCD and the move back to Idaho that may result is absolutely soul-crushing from Vijay’s perspective. It’s his lonely island from hell. 

I trust New Amsterdam with the OCD story, but the reveal structure is disappointing. 

There was at least one scene cut from “What The Heart Wants” between Iggy and Ella that may have given fans more of a clue than writers wanted about her health (there is a promo picture of it). 

That’s just proof that at least Ella’s initial disclosure is meant to shock, and this show is best when it rises above any manipulation and trusts a story’s natural flow. 

I can’t exactly process that Ella might be leaving (but yay for doing what’s best for the baby….also if it comes to this I would watch a spinoff set in Idaho). So let’s move on to the next shock. 

Dr. Sharpe’s career at New Amsterdam is not just in danger anymore — it’s done. I see a theme here because this is definitely her island from hell. 

If being a doctor were all about being a good person, Helen wouldn’t deserve her consequences. But it’s not. 

Healthcare is a business. As much as Max and company try, they can’t always rebel against that and win. Dr. Sharpe definitely didn’t act business-like. So, while I’m rooting for Helen to prevail, her situation is understandable. 

She may not make it to her desk to clear her things, though, because Rikers inmates are poised to take over the hospital in the last second of the episode. 

Perhaps Helen is going to save Karen’s life and her job in the process. 

I was under the impression that Max had to say “goodbye” to Georgia before she would leave him. Those words do not come out of his mouth. 

So, perhaps he’ll have an angel helping him through the siege. If not, he’s definitely on the worst, loneliest island of all right now. 

This takeover is more contrived than the show usually opts for and gives me Orange Is the New Black vibes, but I don’t remember prisoners ever taking over another TV hospital, so I’ll watch. 

The last few minutes of the episode are rushed on purpose. It should be clearer why this is happening. Inmates are trying to kill a state’s witness, but they’ve already drugged her. 

Are they trying to take over the hospital for a longer amount of time or is this murder their sole mission? We’ll just have to wait and see, but for the record, I’m not emotionally capable of handling another death right now. 

What did you think of this episode of New Amsterdam? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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New Amsterdam airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on NBC.

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