New Amsterdam (2018–…): Season 2, Episode 7 - Good Soldiers - full transcript

Previously on "New Amsterdam"...

You should know that I have always

found you to be insufferable.

And I've seen 80-year-old stroke victims

improve their range of motion
faster than you.

The board's calling a vote
to terminate Fulton's contract.

It's done. I'm out.

Max. There was a brain bleed.

Georgia's in surgery with Hartman.

Let's keep dreaming.

I'd love to.



You could call in sick.

We could stay in bed all day.

I remember those days.

We were so bad.

It was so good.

I thought we'd have more of those days.

I thought we'd have so much time.

I would've done everything different.

If I knew.

Start now.

Stay here with me.

I gotta go to work.

Maybe I'll come with you.

It gets so lonely.



Excuse me. Helen, hey.

I happened to get you a cappuccino dry.

Thanks. Another $3 knocked off your debt.

How much do I have left?

For the insanely expensive
non-refundable cleaning service

that I graciously sent
to your home and you rejected?

- That's the one.
- About 112 cappuccinos more.

Well, what if I make it
a double or a triple?

I'm sorry, okay.

It was such a thoughtful gesture.

- Yes, it was.
- I appreciate it.

I'm very sorry,

and will you please accept my apology?

Oh, God.

- Accepted.
- Good.

Are you ever gonna tell me

why you threw my wildly
generous gift to the curb?

Oh, uh...

I just don't want strangers
in my house right now.

She's tachy.

70/30, 130.

Ms. Trombley, we've been expecting you.

I'm scared, Mama.

I know. It's okay, baby.

Septal Q waves in the lateral leads.

On my count. One, two, three.

Kayla, I'm Dr. Reynolds.
I'm gonna take care of you.

We gotta get her into surgery.

But now? What kind of surgery?

Mrs. Trombley, Kayla's got an overgrowth

of muscle tissue in her heart,

and we need to fix this now,
or her heart could stop again.

It's often genetic,

so we should get you checked, too.

If you need to contact
anyone, family, her father...

No, he's passed on.

Okay, she's all set.

- She's all I have.
- We've got her.

She's in good hands.

That's my baby.

Stay strong, okay?
You need to stay strong.

It has been my honor to assist you

in managing your physical issues, Nathan.

But for your emotional needs,

I can think of no one better
than Dr. Iggy Frome.

Hi, there. How you doing?
You must be Nate. -

- Sir.
- Yeah, nice to meet you.

So Dr. Kapoor tells me you would
like to join our merry band.

Well, he thinks it might be a good idea.

Nathan has done two tours in Afghanistan.

I believe your PTSD support group

can be the perfect medicine for him now.

I agree. So when did you get back?

A year ago July.

You know, a lot of our folks
were in Afghanistan.

Iraq, as well.

We have a colonel in there
who began his service

in the first Gulf War.

We have a captain from the second...

Sir, I'm not really clear why...

I mean, I appreciate what
you're trying to do here, but...

You're not alone here, Nathan.

No, not by a long shot.
We're all about support.

It's just a safe space
for you to share your truth

with folks who lead with love.

You call yourself a Marine?

Everything, everything you're saying,

complete betrayal of leadership.

My leadership betrayed me.

All I ever wanted was to be
a Marine like my dad.

I was a true believer,

but we were betrayed in Iraq, sir!

The purpose of our mission...

It wasn't your job
to question the purpose.

It was your job
to accomplish the mission.

The only reason, only reason
I came to this crap show

is 'cause my wife insisted,

but I don't have to stand here
and listen to this

sad sack Monday morning quarterback.

Okay, Quinn, take a breath.

Take a deep one. Okay?

We've talked about this, haven't we?

- Yeah.
- Yes.

Amalia has a different
experience than you.

That's it.

But you two fought for the same country.

That is what binds you.

That is such a load of crap.

Is it?

You don't know what you're talking about.

Oh.

You don't know our experience.
You don't know.

You don't know the pain
of losing a part of you...

while so many of your friends never...

No, there's no words.

Actually, there are.

And to give us those words...

we are gonna try something new,

and yet something
that is thousands of years old.

We're gonna put on a play.

Elizabeth, sorry to keep you.

No problem. I was just running laps.

Meet Dr. Juan Questa.

Juan, meet Elizabeth Archer,

my long-time patient and office Olympian.

Hello, Elizabeth.

Never a great sign
when a new doctor shows up.

Today is an exception.

Juan isn't an oncologist.

He's an orthopedic surgeon.

The back pain you're experiencing

is from where your osteosarcoma
was removed.

But this isn't a recurrence.
We've examined your PET scan,

and you are cancer-free.

Wow.

That's great.

So...

why two doctors?

Now when the tumor was taken out,

a metal plate
was installed for stability.

Unfortunately, it's moved.

That's what's causing your discomfort.

Fixing it will require another surgery.

But you are in great hands
with Dr. Questa.

Is this my fault?

Not at all.

Did I move in some way
that I shouldn't have?

I do a lot of stretching.

No, it's been 10 years.

Over time, the body shifts,
and hardware can shift with it.

But if I'd gone to the doctor sooner,

I might never have needed
the plate at all,

and maybe the tumor
wouldn't have grown so big.

Liz...

nothing that's happened is your fault.

We've talked about this.

And why ask why,
and, man, it's hard to stop.

Okay.

Let's do some surgery.

Ordering six units
of FFP to augment hemostasis.

Plate removed.

Diagrammatic exclusion normal.

Where is the scar tissue?

Excuse me?

Look.

Trish, number four should be
right on the tray.

Page Max.

This is the site of her previous surgery.

- Not a lot of damage.
- Exactly.

If a sizeable tumor had been
removed from this area,

a large chunk of spinal cord
would've been taken with it.

You'd see a ton of irregular scar tissue.

Instead, there's just one clean cut.

Cancer didn't put her
in a wheelchair, Max.

It looks like her surgeon did.

She must've had
multiple scans since then.

- Surely, someone would've seen...
- No, not with the plate.

The plate made it impossible
to give her an MRI

and created too much
artifact on a CT scan

to see the area clearly.

But there was a structural reason

for the plate to be there, right?

None that I can see.

So we did this.

A New Amsterdam doctor
cut her spinal cord.

And put a plate
inside her to cover it up.

She did have cancer. That was real.

Yeah, but that's not
Buswhat put her in the chair.

We did, and she deserves to know that.

She will.
We are absolutely gonna tell her.

- Now.
- Max,

we need to see the op report.

We need to speak
with the original surgeon.

There's no reason that
we can't tell her right now.

We don't have all the facts.

And if we're wrong about any of this,

if we give her more misinformation...

let's take the day.
24 hours to get at the truth,

and then we will talk to her together.

All right.

Septal wall muscular overgrowth
isolated and resected.

Ready for pathological confirmation.

Heart should be repaired now, Dr. Duke.

It's closing time.

5-0 Prolene on a stick?

That's right.

Got an IV of normal saline going.

Floyd, this is not cardiomyopathy.

But Makayla's heart was hypertrophied.

Absolutely,
and you were right to operate,

but it's because of an infiltration

of abnormal blood cells.

I'm afraid this girl has leukemia.

Leukemia.

Fortunately, we caught it early.

But she will need
a bone marrow transplant.

And I can't help her?

Well, your blood type isn't a match.

AB positive is pretty rare.

I did put Makayla
on the marrow donor registry,

but I gotta be honest with you.

It could take months.

So you need a blood relative?

If we can find someone that is a match,

the odds will be
much stronger than waiting.

You know, I've never been
the type of woman

to beg a man to be in his child's life.

Makayla's father is alive.

She doesn't know,
and I don't want her to.

If you need me to call him...

I'll find the strength.

Or I can do it.

I mean, yeah, if it...

if it helps.

Okay.

This is a play by Sophocles.

Phillock... tatas?

No. Close.

"Philoctetes."

It was written
during the Peloponnesian War,

and it focuses heavily
on themes of disability,

loyalty, and forgiveness
all within the military.

It is considered an ethical tragedy.

It was aimed to incite
a certain sense of duty

within the Greeks during a time of war.

Is it in English?

As a matter of fact,
we are using one of my favorite

translations of all time.

Mine. Hold your applause.

Amalia, you will be playing
the role of Neoptolemus.

Neo... what?

That's good. I like that.
We'll shorten it to Neo.

Neo was a once-dutiful soldier

who has a disagreement
with a ranking officer

and decides to finally
stand up and say something.

Colonel, you will be playing Odysseus,

our commander.

But for ease of use,
why don't we call you Otis?

Otis wants to march
his warriors onto victory,

but he is confronted
with the fallout of a choice

he's made to abandon
one of his best soldiers

after he's been badly injured.

Never abandoned anyone.

I didn't say you did.

Now, finally...

Nathan, you will be playing
our title role

of Philoctetes.

Okay, and your character,
after being badly injured,

is ejected from the military
and left on an island alone.

The rest of you will be my Greek chorus.

Hey!

I can't sing.

Oh, I highly doubt that,
but you won't have to.

How is this therapy?

That's a good question.

As Nathan wisely stated,

he does not have the words
to communicate how you feel.

This play can give them to you.

Okay? One last thing.

Curtain goes up at four.

Wait, we're doing this
in front of people?

Yes.

At the tone, please record your message.

Mr. Bell, this is Dr. Reynolds

from New Amsterdam Hospital.

I'm sorry to report that your daughter

has been diagnosed with leukemia.

Now she needs a bone marrow transplant,

and we are calling relatives
to see if we can find a match.

I know that you are estranged
from your daughter

and have been for a while,

but...

she needs you right now.

You could save her life.

Be a hero.

Just by showing up...

which is something...

I wish my father had done.

Pre-op labs, pathology.

Surgical report. Dr. was Gerald Tollman.

You know him?

Nope. He left in 2011.
That was before my time.

"During procedure, I discovered a tumor

"strangling the patient's spinal cord.

"It was impossible to remove
without transecting the spine.

Plate was necessary
to maintain stability."

That's a complete lie.

Based on what Questa said.
Based on what we saw.

Do you know who else was in the room?

Yes. We have Maxine West, anesthesia.

Joe McGrain, scrub nurse.

Easha Bashar, circulating nurse.

What?

Intern was...

Clint Hartman.

Max, Max... please,
whatever you're gonna do...

He deserves.

So I said watch it.

Jets tickets are what you get your doctor

- when you don't like him.
- Give us the room, please.

Max.

What is it?

You lied.

Max.

I've told you again and again

that there was nothing that I could do.

- Georgia...
- I'm not here...

to talk about her.

Okay, then, what?

Elizabeth Archer. Gerald Tollman.

You stood there while he put
her in a wheelchair for life.

Deny it?

I can't.

Dr. Tollman was the department chair.

It was my third surgery.

- He made a mistake.
- A mistake?

And you kept his secret.

He kept insisting that I forget...

what I'd seen.

That's what doctors do.

That's how we take care of each other.

I tried to believe him.
Wanted to believe him.

But I knew I'd never
be able to live with myself,

and so, unlike everybody else
in that room,

I reported him.

You reported him?

The next day.

There's no record of that.

I am not surprised.

Sorry.

You reported a doctor

who covered up a botched surgery,

and there is no record
of an investigation?

Who the hell did you report him to?

The dean of medicine.

Peter Fulton.

I told him everything.

Nothing happened.

Oh, whoa, whoa, Otis.

I want you coming
from stage left, remember?

Why do we have to move at all?

"Suit the action to the word,

and the word to the action."

It's "Hamlet."

Anybody?

Never mind.

From the same spot. Go ahead.

Up ahead, my lord.

Yonder is the cave we doth seek.

Do you I really have to say "doth?"

Yes, you "doth."

Just, uh...

carry on, guys.
I'll be back in a sec, okay?

I'm coming.

What do you think you're doing?

- Theater.
- A Greek tragedy?

"Philoctetes?"

Yeah. I think it'll be healing.

I think it's madness.

Why?

Iggy, Nathan cannot play a soldier

injured in the war
and cast off by the army.

- Why not?
- Because he is a soldier

injured in the war cast off by the army.

He was not cast off. He lost his leg.

But you cannot make him
relive that experience.

It's too painful.

What about some other play?
Something lighter?

Such as?

"Mamma Mia."

That's a musical.

Okay. "Mricchakatika."

I'm not familiar.

It's a Sanskrit play
written in 4th century B.C.

by Bhasa. It's a comedy, a joyful romp.

Okay, I'm not interested.
I want to stick with Sophocles.

I think it's a big mistake.

Why do you care so much?

I picked "Philoctetes" for a reason.

The text gives words to these soldiers'

deepest and most vulnerable
thoughts and feelings.

That is why I chose it,

because that's what
they need right now, all right?

Did Nathan say that he
doesn't want to do this?

No.

But he's my patient.

Yeah, but he's my patient, too.

Oh.

I understand it took quite a while

for you to get back on your
feet after your first surgery.

Yes, but that's because
I wasn't taking pain meds.

Yes, I spoke with your former
physical therapist, Dr. Ligon.

He's the worst, right?

Uh...

I don't really know him that well.

Well, you don't want to.

Well, he agreed that you were
ready for a second procedure.

Really? So I'm cleared?

Yes, but before we schedule,

we need to discuss your post-op care.

You may have opted out
of the meds before...

No, you know what?
I really don't need them.

Trust me. I've actually been
working on some mental exercises...

No.

No?

Dr. Bloom, I respect
your commitment to sobriety,

but won't be able to psych
your way through this.

But I've done it before.
I mean, it was tough...

This recovery will be far more painful.

And certainly more important.

If drawn out, your mobility
could be permanently impaired.

There's no way you can get
through this without painkillers.

So the question isn't whether
you will be taking medication,

but if you can find a way
to take it responsibly.

He's been waiting for you.

Can I help you?

Yeah, are you Dr. Reynolds?

Yes.

Um...

I'm Makayla's dad.

We'll need to keep the incision dry

for at least 48 hours.

- Yeah, of course.
- And when she wakes up...

I'm awake.

How'd it go?

Is the plate fixed?

It was removed.

I don't understand.

Dr. Questa took it out.

But if it's out, how will I sit up?

Well, as it turns out,
you may not actually need it.

This doesn't make sense.

I can't sit in my chair
without the plate.

I have to be able to sit,
because if I can't do that,

I can't do anything.

We'll have answers soon,
Elizabeth, I promise, but...

but for now, that's all
I'm at liberty to say.

Ah.

Right.

Come on in.

Uh, forgive the mess.

Had I known that
this was inquisition day,

I'd have tidied.

A woman's in a wheelchair.

And you think that I put her there.

The man you should talk to
is Dr. Gerald Tollman.

This isn't about a rogue doctor.

This was a cover-up.
You put the integrity of this hospital...

The word I'm thinking about
isn't integrity,

it's litigation.

Cases like this get hospitals shuttered.

So as I only have a few minutes

before I have to address our board,

let me get ahead of the 5,000 lawyers

who'll be coming for your scalp
by asking one question.

What the hell were you thinking?

Are you smiling, Peter?

I'm sorry. I was trying to
dredge up my ashamed face,

but it just wouldn't come.

Maybe you'd like to visit
Elizabeth's recovery room.

Okay.

I'll put aside my pique
at your moralizing

and just focus on New Amsterdam.

You're worried about lawsuits.

So if I had gone after Tollman's license,

not only would he have sued,
he'd have won.

Clint Hartman was ready to testify.

And who do you think
a jury would've believed, hmm?

Gerald Tollman, chair of neurosurgery

with a list of accolades
longer than your arm,

or his 28-year-old intern Clint?

So your answer was to do nothing?

Oh, no, my answer was
pulling him from rotation

and getting him the hell
out of the hospital

and making sure that
he doesn't hurt anyone else.

No lawsuits. No headlines.

The only trace is the grief
for Elizabeth Archer,

which by the way, I share.

And the knowledge that
because of my choices,

New Amsterdam
has a neurosurgery department

for you two to screw up.

You should've gone to the board.

Dilettantes? Billionaires?

They were your employers.

And not a doctor among the bunch.

Do you know any of these
doctors, Madame Brantley?

Do you?

The doctors who, if all this came out,

would've lost their jobs,
their professions?

I protected them.

I take care of my own,
and that is my legacy.

And man, I am proud of it.

Your legacy is a profound
error in judgment,

which I can relate to
as I made one myself

when I didn't fire your ass sooner.

Ah.

The wrong end of the Goodwin high horse.

Oh, how I missed it.

I looked up to you.

I know.

As a leader...

The only question worth asking...

Is if the cost
of protecting New Amsterdam

is your conscience, will your pay?

And if the answer is no...

You're not the leader you think you are.

St. Francis in Philadelphia,

Rose Hill in Portland,

County Children's in Chicago,

all hospitals Tollman has worked at

since he crippled Elizabeth Archer.

It makes you wonder

why he moves around so much, doesn't it?

Makes you wonder, how many more
Elizabeth Archers are there?

We do what we have to to survive.

You do.

I'm gonna make sure that man
never lifts another scalpel.

Max.

Leaders makes choices
that keep them up at night.

If you're sleeping well...

you're not doing your job.

Never really done anything
like this before.

It's actually a fairly simple procedure.

We'll give you regional anesthesia.

That way, you won't feel the needle.

Is that her?

She got so big.

I think we should keep it moving.

She was just a tiny little
thing the last time I saw her.

How long has it been?

I don't know.

11...

- 12 years.
- 12 years.

You...

you still think about her?

I mean, even though...

Your old man around?

No.

Maybe sometimes that's not a bad thing.

Hey.

Hey.

So, uh...

I got approved for my second surgery.

Gosh, that's...

that's great, isn't it?

Yeah, yeah, it's great.

But Dr. Handler says that
I need to take pain meds.

It's my only chance of a full recovery.

Being in the ED means
being quick on my feet.

I can't...

I can't risk my mobility.

But if I try to do this without meds...

I don't know. If...

if the pain is as extreme
as Handler says it is,

then...

Then I might relapse.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know

because, you know,
my pee tests and everything...

Lauren, we can modify

your workplace monitoring agreement

to allow for prescribed meds.

But more importantly, right now,

I think you need someone
who you can trust

and who can dole out
your medication responsibly...

and only when needed.

You're right. I'll call my mother.

I would like to be that person.

Trust me. You wouldn't.

Your friend.

We're doing it out here
in front of all the visitors?

Um, yeah, not just in front of visitors.

I invited staff, too.

Yes. Breaking out the uniform. Nice.

My wife brought it for me.

Um, okay, players, please.

Come into the round.

So...

when you are not up here

standing, delivering your lines,

I'd like you seated on the bench.

But most importantly,

remember that you need to stay open,

present, and let Sophocles
be your voice, okay?

Where's Nate?

Over there.

Oh.

Okay, why don't you guys
play in the space, okay?

Feel it out.

Nate. Hey, we're about to get started.

I can't do this, Dr. Frome.

Sure you can. You just gotta read.

No, I tried. I can't.

It's too much.

Well, we can't do this
without you, buddy.

I know, I know.

But the play is me.

Yeah.

It's my experience. It's my words.

I don't think I can say them.

I...

I could say them for you.

Vijay? What are you...

If you will have me...

I will assume Nathan's role.

In his honor.

That's... that's a real nice
offer, Vijay,

but this is kind of for the soldiers.

You know what I mean?

Vijay... oh, okay. Hang on.

My friends.

I am Vijay Kapoor.

I was in the 4th Indian infantry.

With your permission...

I would like to join your company.

Why are you telling me this now?

Because I've seen you
question yourself so many times.

And blame yourself.

Now you know that
none of this was your fault.

It was ours.

So everything
that happened to me was a lie.

The tumor was real, but...

you didn't need to end up
in a wheelchair because of it.

Every six months when I come to see you,

you'd check on me, do a scan,
tell me I was doing better.

And there's no way
that she could've seen this

without removing the plate.

So you want a gold star for
finally telling me the truth?

No.

No, we want...

I don't care what you want.

Here's what's gonna happen.

- Elizabeth...
- No.

I'm gonna get the most blood-thirsty

malpractice attorney I can find,

and I'm gonna sue this hospital
back to the Stone Age.

Where's Mr. Bell?

Finished his donation and left.

Hey, Dr. Reynolds.

Thanks for fixing my heart.

Anytime.

Was it hard to find a donor?

You know, sometimes it is,

but today, we got lucky.

Can I meet them?

They want to remain anonymous.

You know, some people

just figure that
they're better at a distance.

I'll be right back. Okay, babe?

- Okay.
- Right back.

So getting the marrow is the first step.

Now we have to use it, all right?

To do that,

I'm going to have to wipe out
her system with chemo,

and then rebuild it
with her father's stem cells.

Long road.

But she's got great odds.

Thank you for making
that call to her dad.

You were right about him.

I guess I just wish that he cared more.

You know?

That he'd hang around,

you know, and just do the right thing.

Well, he did.

He showed up.

We can all be grateful for that, right?

Hm.

Aww.

I knew you'd come limping...

Hose it down, and listen up.

After my surgery,

I'm gonna have to take pain pills.

And because I don't trust myself,

I need someone else
to be in charge of them,

someone who is gonna give me hell

if I ask for more than I'm prescribed.

Someone who understands that for addicts,

pain is safer than pleasure.

Someone who has a high
threshold for verbal abuse,

is unaffected by human suffering,

and who might sadistically

enjoy controlling my daily will to live.

What I don't need is a friend.

Am I crazy, or are you my guy?

Both, it seems.

- Good, so...
- Stop talking, Lauren.

Let me be clear.

I've been down the road
you're on several times,

so I know all the tricks,
all the excuses,

and all the lies.

You're not gonna get away with anything.

As the world's most pathologically

honorable doctor,

I assume you've already told
Elizabeth Archer the truth.

You assume correctly.

Probably smart. Too many people know.

It's bound to get out.
Better to get ahead of it.

It's a big number.

Big enough to convince her to settle?

Probably, but I hope she doesn't.

You want her to sue us?

You and Fulton fought
like you're on opposite sides,

but you're not.

You're both advocating for a cover-up.

The only difference
is you're writing a check.

Better than gaslighting the woman.

But not as good as going public.

I'm writing a new policy.

Total transparency.

I want to tell the world about Tollman,

and let the chips fall where they may.

It's the only way to prevent
another Tollman from happening.

Well, he'll sue us, too.

So let him.

You're not thinking this through, Max.

If we broadcast every subpar doctor

and corner-cutting nurse to the world,

our image will be in tatters.

We'll be the hospital
where you go to get killed.

No, we'll be the hospital
that holds doctors accountable.

And we'll be the hospital
that sides with their patients

no matter the price.

I know it's not a perfect solution,

and I know there will be consequences,

but...

this is the only way.

I hope so.

Our careers will be riding on it.

Soldier, do you dare defy me?

Do you not see my hand upon my sword?

I fear it not, sir.

Long have I marched under your standard,

but today...

you turned your back on one of our own.

Thus, you turned your back on us all.

My actions must consider
the many, soldier,

even at the expense of the few.

I stand by my choice,

for it is my charge and duty to do so.

Then I shall obey your command no longer.

And for your soul, I will pray.

I had grown accustomed
to my station here.

Enduring it as if lost in a dream.

Your medical records.

But today, my eyes have been opened.

Today, I awake.

Too long have I suffered adversity.

Pain from the actions of those
entrusted with protecting me.

Forging on, my past shall not define me,

even as I stand afeard a resurgence

of my true vulnerabilities.

The time has come
at last to abandon this isle.

To depart, never to return.

Fare thee well, O home.

Wait for my return no longer.

Onward I must proceed

with strength in each footfall...

Evermore haunted with the memories...

of the man I used to be.

For my old home...

is now behind me.

Faith is my new home.

Guys, my players, everybody.

What a performance.

Wow.

I never knew.

This wasn't something
I wish to speak about.

Until now.

Come here.

Who's there?

I'll be right back.

What are you guys doing here?

It was her idea.

I know that you said
you don't want strangers

in your house, but we're not strangers.

And I am fairly certain

that you have a sink
full of dirty dishes.

Just FYI, I don't do windows.

Lauren, you can barely stand.

True, but I'm good at giving orders.

It's okay to let people in.