‘The Resident’: How Worried Should We Be About Bell? (RECAP)

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for The Resident Season 5 Episode 9 “He’d Really Like to Put in a Central Line.”]

Dr. Randolph Bell (Bruce Greenwood) has come a looong way from the man he was back in Season 1 of The Resident. But just like he remembered that fatal appendectomy when he accidentally picked up a hitchhiking serial killer, he seems to be getting another blast from his not-so-nice past in Season 5.

Bell once again has a hand tremor, first seen in “He’d Really Like to Put in a Central Line” when he brings Dr. Kit Voss (Jane Leeves) coffee after one of her all-nighters. (It almost overshadows their sweet moment. Almost.) And it remains on his mind for the rest of the episode, especially when it rears its ugly head in the OR, this time accompanied by blurred vision. Then he does something that he wouldn’t have in Season 1: He removes himself from the situation, leaving Dr. Leela Devi (Anuja Joshi) to finish without his guidance. (She does so, successfully.)

After, he tells Leela it was just a pinched nerve and a bit of vertigo and he thinks he overreacted, but he’d worried if he’d stayed, she’d have two patients. He did the right thing, she says — which he turns back around on her, for her job well done — but he is still lying … or is he?

At the end of the episode, Bell checks on Dr. Conrad Hawkins (Matt Czuchry), whose patient refused a pacemaker and died. But Conrad knows there’s another reason for the chat. Bell has a favor to ask, but “before I even spell it out, can I count on you for full confidentiality?” Yes. “Something’s wrong with me. I’m not quite sure what. I think it may be serious,” Bell admits, wanting Conrad to examine him early the next day. But he needs everything to be kept under the radar. Conrad agrees.

Nathan Bolster/FOX

So while we wait to find out (and worry about) what’s going on with Bell, we have to say that at least he’s learned. He may be keeping it quiet, but he’s also turned to Conrad for help — and he knows that if it’s something that others need to know, the other doctor won’t let it stay a secret for long. Now, we just have to hope that Bell confides in Kit sooner rather than later. She may be CEO and he may be thinking about his career, but they’re also together and we waited long enough to see that happen that we don’t want to see anything break them up (especially that kind of drama).

Plus, who’s stretched far too thin? Let’s take a look at the candidates:

• Conrad is trying to juggle being back at Chastain (where he’s sort of taken Miles Fowler’s Trevor under his wing) with being a single father (and forgetting to buy milk).
• Kit is pulling all-nighters and falling asleep on the couch in her office, has way too many messages to read, and can’t even take a moment to go through one of Padma’s (Aneesha Joshi) sessions as part of her wellness program.

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• Dr. Devon Pravesh (Manish Dayal) was supposed to have a day off and work on his grant proposal, but he was called in to cover a shift in the ER then interview candidates to fill his spot as he focuses on clinical trials… and couldn’t find a single good replacement. Burnout is a real problem, he and Kit agree.
• Dr. AJ Austin (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) has a full surgical schedule and studio appearances due to his fame, and is taking care of his mother.

The Resident, Tuesdays, 9/8c, Fox