Where the ‘New Amsterdam’ Finale Left Everyone & What Could Be Next

Ryan Eggold as Dr. Max Goodwin in New Amsterdam
Ralph Bavaro/NBC

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the New Amsterdam Season 4 finale “I’ll Be Your Shelter.”]

New Amsterdam shook things up in the Season 4 finale — the hospital itself with a hurricane that blew out the windows and led to Dr. Iggy Frome (Tyler Labine) and Dr. Elizabeth Wilder (Sandra Mae Frank) trying to find someplace safe for patients, and Dr. Max Goodwin’s (Ryan Eggold) life, with his and Dr. Helen Sharpe’s (Freema Agyeman) wedding.

As executive producer David Schulner told TV Insider before the finale, “it wouldn’t be New Amsterdam without a great cliffhanger,” and this episode had that for pretty much everyone. “We threw a hurricane in as a symbol that no one is on solid ground ever,” he added, and that’s true of where the episode left them, from the doctors’ relationships to even a key position at the hospital.

Below, we recap where the NBC medical drama left everyone heading into the final season and speculate as to what could be coming next.

New Amsterdam, Season 5, TBA, NBC

Freema Agyeman as Dr. Helen Sharpe, Ryan Eggold as Dr. Max Goodwin in New Amsterdam
Virginia Sherwood/NBC

Dr. Max Goodwin & Dr. Helen Sharpe

Where the finale left them: Once the hurricane had passed, Max was seemingly finally able to locate Helen following a notification that her plane landed. But when he texted her to see if she was OK, her response was ominous: “Today has been… I have no words. Will call you ASAP.” And while their original venue for the wedding fell through due to the hurricane, Dr. Floyd Reynolds (Jocko Sims) came up with a solution: the roof. “Our friends have turned this place into magic, which is fitting because this place has always been magic for us. It’s where we work and it’s where you and I became friends and it’s where we fell in love and it just makes sense that this would be the place we finally start forever,” Max said in a voicemail he left Helen. But when she called him, she was crying and still in London! “I can’t,” she told him. “I just can’t. I’m so sorry.”

What could be next: We have a feeling that something happened in Helen’s life that has nothing to do with the wedding. With the show set to finish, we think it’s safe to say that it will end with them together and married, but it might just be a bit of a long, sometimes painful journey to get there.

Mike Doyle as Martin McIntyre, Tyler Labine as Dr. Iggy Frome in New Amsterdam
Eric Liebowitz/NBC

Dr. Iggy Frome & Martin

Where the finale left them: Is this the end of Iggy and Martin’s (Mike Doyle) marriage?! After successfully leading the hospital during the hurricane, Iggy reunited with his husband, only for Martin to wonder why he risked himself. “Because I had something to prove,” Iggy told him. “The only reason I didn’t think I could do it, the only thing holding me back was this voice in my head, and Martin, the voice is you…  I can’t be who I am, I can’t be who I want to be with you.” Martin told him he should move out.

What could be next: It’s hard to imagine that the series would end without the couple that seemed the most stable when it began together, plus we love Iggy and Martin’s family so we hope they can work it out. But this does seem to be putting them on the path to figuring out how they can make their relationship work while addressing past issues and hopefully moving forward stronger than they were.

Janet Montgomery as Dr. Lauren Bloom, Shiva Kalaiselvan as Dr. Leyla Shinwari in New Amsterdam
Michael Greenberg/NBC

Dr. Lauren Bloom & Dr. Leyla Shinwari

Where the finale left them: Just as it seemed that Bloom (Janet Montgomery) and Leyla (Shiva Kalaiselvan) might be getting back together, the former made what was actually the most mature decision about their relationship. With Bloom helping Leyla get her visa — paying for her lawyer, giving her a permanent address — she knew that money would continue to affect their relationship. “What happens when we fight? You can’t win because I have all the power,” Bloom knew. “What if you want to break up with me? You can’t leave.” And so she gave Leyla her apartment until she gets her visa. “I can’t be there with you,” she explained.

What could be next: This is a tricky situation because it’s unclear how long it will take for Leyla to get her visa and then pay Bloom back. Can they make it work before the series ends? Will they truly be able to stay away from each other while working together? We wouldn’t be surprised if they hook up at least once or twice before everything is resolved.

Jocko Sims as Dr. Floyd Reynolds in New Amsterdam
Ralph Bavaro/NBC

Dr. Floyd Reynolds

Where the finale left him: Reynolds finally connected with his father, who at first brushed him after the two spent the hurricane together. “I need answers,” the doctor said, but “I don’t have any,” his father told him. However, he did ask for a recommendation for a doctor for his shoulder, and Reynolds said he’d call him with the number.

What could be next: It’s likely going to be a slow process for these two to near anything close to a father-son relationship, but given that Reynolds is about to be a father, we don’t think he’ll let this slip through the cracks.

Ryan Eggold as Dr. Max Goodwin in New Amsterdam
Virginia Sherwood/NBC

New Amsterdam's Medical Director

Where the finale left it: With Dr. Veronica Fuentes (Michelle Forbes) ousted, Dr. Langford was the new medical director in the finale, but he didn’t exactly seem qualified for the position during the hurricane. “I am open to ideas,” he told Bloom when she asked for his plan to save the hospital. “He’s not equipped” to lead the emergency response she told Reynolds after. “He literally asked me where the bathrooms are.”

What could be next: Can you imagine anyone but Max serving as the medical director right now? It’s hard to, and considering how the finale left Sharpwin, is it possible that Season 5 could at least start with Max back in his old job?




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  1. G

    GreenPalmtree

    I just want to know what caused Helen to leave Max at the alter like that. She loves him, why not tell me what happened? Oh that's right, had to leave us hanging.

    1. G

      GoldMustache

      I bet her mom died & that's what's keeping her there for right now.

  2. C

    CyanBasketball

    writers block? absolute slap in the face of dedicated fans. they've strung viewers along with max and helen for four seasons; and, the best they could end the season with is an intelligent lady sobbing into the phone across the atlantic to her fiance standing on the roof of new amsterdam with colleagues and friends who have apparently worked to ready the roof for their wedding -i'm sorry, i can't! extraordinarily undermining viewer intelligence. whatever the behind the scenes plot, the finale could not have ended on a worse note -especially in light of the fifth season being the final, which in itself is a letdown; but, understandable in light of the writing we've endured with the season finale.

    hope and intrique too much to look forward in anticipation of an outgoing season five -for instance -helen picking up luna after flight diversion and bringing her, her mom and niece unexpectedly to the wedding to max's surprise and delight! too light? ok, alternatively, if writers felt the need for anticipative drama -perhaps when picking up luna, helen discovers either of the grandparents fallen -a medical emergency -and, she has to get medical help; maybe find luna who may have wondered off during the incident; calling max to fill him in; and, ending episode with the wedding actually taking place later in the evening on the roof -a win for writers and dedicated, loyal fans -of course, of whom would return to see how the marriage and the show play out in season five...

  3. R

    RedSushi

    Totally ridiculous that Helen would leave Max at the altar. I don't care if it is her mother and this was an absolute terrible move on the part of the writer and the showrunner. Most fans are so disgusted they're not even going to watch the S5 and I'm wondering if I'm going to watch it either

  4. P

    PurpleScooter

    Poor Max, they never let him stay happy for long. He’s lost a wife, survived cancer, now this.

  5. C

    CyanTree

    I’m kind of glad it’s coming to an end. They’ve gone almost full Grey’s Anatomy with the ridiculous story lines.

    1. B

      BlueUmbrella

      We HAD a hurricane in NY, and they didn't move patients into stairwells. Also, if one hospital has problems, they transfer patients to nearby hospitals. The whole final was not believable.

  6. C

    CyanBucket

    I cant stand Helen. She is the most selfish and self centered person on this show and what Max sees in her is a complete mystery! She is constantly stringing him along, displacing Luna from a stable home and keeping Max from what he loves. I hope she stays in England and this is the last we see of her.

  7. G

    GoldBottleOpener

    why not Iggy as the new medical director? I could definately see it!

    1. P

      PurpleScooter

      I watched it tonight and I thought that is where they would go with it with Iggy. It is really weird that the cliffhanger was that between Max and Helen 🙄

  8. G

    GreenBowtie

    You neglected to consider the trauma max is under making it almost impossible for his character to return to MD and still end up with Helen as a wife. If she in fact has experienced a significant trauma then max must focus on her and her alone. So who does that lead as the next MD? What about the person referred to from day 1 as Max 2.0? The person that just got promoted to series regular? Why not Dr Wilder?

  9. P

    PurpleGlasses

    Terrible! Honestly, who wrote this mess? I was laughing at the hurricane storyline because it was totally unrealistic: windows blowing out in ICU but hey, let’s have a wedding on the undamaged roof; take shelter in the stairwell…oops, there’s a carbon monoxide leak; that after part of the ceiling on whatever floor they were on had collapsed and left them exposed to live wires! But wait, there’s more! Break up every relationship, too. I will not waste any more of my time on this show.

  10. B

    BlueGrapes

    The hour focused on Iggy. Martin was smart to ask "broken wings " Iggy

    to move out. After repeatedly lying and insulting Martin, who appears to

    be the caretaker for the family. I was so upset with the writers decided to

    toss the Sharpwin wedding out.Can't Helen and Max catch a break and

    be happy? Why was Helen's scenes and dialogue less than two minutes

    in the finale? NEW AM writers can do better. I am very disappointed

    in the Helen and Max storyline. After four years of cheering for this 

    wonderful couple (Sharpwin) , it was painful to watch.

  11. B

    BlueBoomerang

    This was a terrible ending for Season 4. I believe Helen has serious mommy issues; every time they are together she reverts to a little girl needing her mommy's approval. Their relationship is toxic and has been from the beginning; I hope that gets resolved. Bloom did the right thing; their relationship has turned to what she can do for Leyla. It's sad that in all the seasons that NA has been on TV there has never been any mention about Martin controlling Iggy. Reynolds and his father will eventually come to terms with their relationship. I'm glad Reynolds is out of the threesome relationship which made absolutely no sense in the first place. Max should go back to being the MD of NA; get the hospital back up. I believe he and Helen will get together sometime in Season 5; they are very much in love but she has some issues to resolve in her personal life. I would hate to see Max introduce another woman in his young daughter's life, that would be confusing to her. I love NA, but the writers get wacky at times, which is what writers do.

  12. P

    PurpleTeepee

    I am still team Sharpwin and hope they can still get married. I like the show and the different storylines.

  13. R

    RedSeahorse

    This show was so fantastic in the beginning and has gone down the tubes, the writers have gotten ridiculous with constant unrealistic events one after another. No longer a fan.

  14. G

    GoldPizza

    I think Iggy should be medical director, Bloom and Leyla should stay together, Max and Helen will marry followed by a permanent move to London. I think Helen's mom had something to do with her not coming to New York.

  15. R

    RedQuill

    Story lines are really getting ridiculous…time to stop watching.

  16. C

    CyanPopcorn

    The Martin/Iggy split is nothing more or less than idiot plotting. There was not an iota of foreshadowing that things were anything less than perfect between the two. It makes no sense.🤬

  17. C

    CyanPopcorn

    Helen is simply a failure of the writers to tell story. If it weren't the last season coming up, I would have them replace the entire writing staff.

  18. P

    PurpleBottleOpener

    I just want Max's and Helen to get married

  19. B

    BlueBullhorn

    I love this show but am reading mixed messages about it. Cancelled or not? I sure hope it will continue!

  20. O

    OrangePin

    I kept saying that, apparently when she was leaving the apt, her mom came and told her something really devastated, because remember she told her in the episode where they were dancing that she was her greatest pain. SERWA dismantled Helen and that's why they did not show Helen in between the episode and we hot this cliffhanger.

  21. O

    OrangeCandy

    The show has been canceled!

  22. B

    BlueGrapes

    remove the word pissed

  23. C

    CyanPumpkin

    What happens now that the show has been canceled?

    1. O

      OliveLocomotive

      hasn't been cancelled, season 5 will be the last one though.