THE RESIDENT is the New Amazing Series from Fox with Season One on DVD

Jeri Jacquin

Just in time for the new season, on DVD this week from 20^th Century Fox Home Entertainment is THE RESIDENTS: Complete Season One.

Chastain Park Memorial Hospital is just like any other complicated hospital filled with patients looking for help and staff trying to provide it. Into the fray is new resident intern Devon Pravesh (Manish Dayal) who comes in with fresh energy. Assigned to third year resident Conrad Hawkins (Matt Czuchry) they both see to leukemia patient Lily (Violett Beane). Hawkins likes Lily and continues to help her with recurring problems. Also caring is Nicolette ‘Nic’ (Emily VanCamp), a no-nonsense nurse practioner that Hawkins seems to have an eye for.

Watching over them is narcissistic Chief of Surgery Randolph Bell (Bruce Greenwood) or, as the staff refers to him as “Hodad” (Hands of Death and Destruction) who is in under the gun for an incident during surgery. Hawkins gets the opportunity to talk with kids about being a doctor when the teacher collapses. Needing a transplant, the first of many conflicts with Bell about who can afford treatment comes into play. To make things happen, Hawkins has to leave Devon to swim in the ER alone.

Head of the hospitals oncology department, Lane Hunter (Melina Kanakaredes) visits Lily and to the dismay of the staff, discharges the young woman. Bell is coming to terms with a condition he has recently discovered that could stop him from performing surgery. Putting his needs before the patients, he quickly decides he isn’t about to help an undocumented immigrant with a procedure she needs.

Mina (Shaunette Wilson) is a young surgeon who doesn’t have the best bedside manner but is brilliant in the operating room. Constantly up against Bell’s ego, she knows that there is something wrong with him that is putting patience in jeopardy. Nic begins to suspect that Dr. Lane’s clinic where Lily has been suggested to go is a problem, especially when she sees an overcrowded treatment room.

When Nic shares her suspicions with Devon and Hawkins, Dr. Lane makes sure that she doesn’t have any more contact with her patience. With money for the hospital in short supply, a new investor makes himself known to Dr. Bell. Marshall Winthrop (Glenn Morshower) wants the hospital to get back on a paying basis but looks for suggestions in the most unlikely place.

Lily is back in the hospital much to the dismay of Hawkins, Devon and Nic, especially when it’s discovered that her functions are failing. As if she doesn’t have enough to deal with, Nic also suspects that Mina is doing something wrong that could put her career at an end and a athlete decides he can have his way with her.

Devon’s and Priya (Tasie Lawrence) welcome his parents to discuss upcoming nuptials but the problem is that the family is from India that still has the caste system. When the hospital decides to put cameras in the operating room, Bell becomes even more nervous, especially since his medicine isn’t working any longer.

Lily comes back to the hospital again for a reaction to medication and Lane is upset that the young girl has sought other medical advice with the support of Nic. After a dose of medicine ordered by Lane, Nic receives some devastating news.

Lane and Bell, both hungry for power in their own way are hooking up. Lane has woven her magic spell around him and he loves the pep talks she gives. Especially the pep talk suggesting that Bell replace the current hospital CEO and willing to help make that happen.

Lily’s parents decide that they want the hospital held responsible for everything their daughter went through. Dr. Lane, being quick on the draw, decides to lay the blame at Nic’s feet. That doesn’t sit well with Hawkins and Devon who immediately begin to look at the history of Dr. Lane’s other patients. Yet in the board room, Bell becomes the new hospital CEO and his first duty is to fire Nic.

Mina meets cardiothoracic surgeon AJ ‘The Raptor’ Austin (Malcolm Jamal Warner) who is almost as arrogant as Dr. Bell. Quietly and without a job, Nic begins searching the back history of Dr. Lane and it brings physical danger. Getting help from a friend from nursing school, Nic is mysteriously arrested and put in jail.

Hawkins knows there is a link and isn’t about to give up looking for it. Especially when Dr. Lane is recruiting more patients and Devon knows she is fudging the medical records. Once they have proof, they immediately go to the FBI. Now Bell must make the decision as to what to do next and plays right into the hands of the government and Bell’s new superior!

Czuchry as Hawkins portrays his character who never takes his eyes off the patient. A former soldiers, he came to understand that if you are going to help people – you have to be all in. That’s what Hawkins does at Chastain; he goes all in and isn’t about to let anyone, especially Dr. Bell, take health care away from people because it doesn’t fit the bottom line. I like Czuchry’s portrayal of this character because it’s strong, unexpected at times but always with the belief that the patient comes first.

Dayal as Devon is a resident who trusts Hawkins and the way he believes in the staff. He is also keenly aware that residents are not always looked upon favorably but it doesn’t stop what he also knows – that this is the only profession he wants to be part of. I am a Dayal fan so having him on a series means I just get to watch his performance grow and grow.

VanCamp as Nic is a nurse practioner who loves her job, has a thing for Hawkins and will do just about anything to protect the rights of her patience – even go to jail. VanCamp gives her character strength in many ways that equals the residents and even doctors who may want to challenge her ability to stand strong. I enjoy her performance and it’s not just a woman thing, it’s a do what is right by the jobs these professionals chose making their characters believable and powerful.

Greenwood as Bell is absolutely amazing. Trust me when I say that I wasn’t sure I’d be too thrilled about him playing what could only be considered a douchy-character roll. Instead, I am watching this stellar actor ride the razor leaning on the narcissist side to occasionally dip back onto the human side of life. He jumps from one disaster to another like a gazelle and I kinda dig it.

Wilson as Mina is a woman who has done everything right by her education and equally right by the gift she obviously has for healing. She has found her friendships with Nic, Devon and Hawkins but also with AJ. Warner as AJ doesn’t have a problem saying exactly what he’s thinking but can back it up. Being at Chastain tests everyone but there are beautiful moments when he’s not being ‘The Raptor’.

Kanakaredes as Hunter is just the worst character anyone wants to see on a medical television show but there it is. Watching Kanakaredes waltz into Chastain and feel bulletproof, there are moments where I am stunned at the nerve and a cheer section for those who are not going to let her get away with it.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment brings award-winning global product and new entertainment to DVD, Bluray, and Digital HD. There amazing collection offers fans an opportunity to expand their own home libraries with the best films. To discover what other titles they have please visit www.fox.com.

The three-disc DVD includes the Pilot episode as well as Independence Day, Comrades in Arms, Identity Crisis, None the Wiser, No Matter the Cost, The Elopement, Family Affair, Lost Love, Haunted, And the Nurses Get Screwed, Rude Awakenings and the Raptor, Run Doctor Run, and Total Eclipse of the Heart.

This series broke the ground running last year and hasn’t stopped for a moment. Dealing with the struggles of patience who need help and the bureaucracy that keeps the doctors and staff fighting are what the series is about. Of course there is intense drama and conflict that one could find in any hospital on any given day.

The cast brings the drama on strong yet lets us know the characters they portray also have all the human frailties. Even though Dr. Bell would like to think he’s one step above everyone at Chastain, I can over look him with people like Hawkins, Devon and Nic fighting the good fight.

This is a series that I see so much potential for in the stories that they tell. As a huge fan of the successful series E.R. from 1994, THE RESIDENT takes it all a step further and I can’t wait to see where it leads. Fox has given us another amazing series so if you happened to miss the first season, now you can binge quickly and catch up because the first two episodes of the new season are loaded!

The new second season of THE RESIDENT has begun and airs on Fox every Monday at 8/7c. Be there to see the staff, residents and patients work to make Chastain work for all.

In the end – it is the good and the bad behind hospital doors!

THE POST will be in the Oscar Race!

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres this Friday from director Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks and 20th Century Fox is a story of dedication to the truth in print from THE POST.

It is the 1970's and Kay Graham (Meryl Streep) is the woman who owns and runs The Washington Post with Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) as her editor. Knowing that there are those who don't support or trust her running of the paper, Kay takes in what is happening around her to find her voice.

When it comes to their attention that there is someone who has documents that expose the governments plans in Vietnam, The Post wants them. There is a problem, the man who photocopied the papers, Daniel Ellsberg (Matthew Rhys) has gone into hiding and slivers of the information have also been shared with The New York Times.

What is in the papers? That the United States government was not being truthful to the American public about involvement in the Vietnam War. The papers also show the level of involvement went through Robert McNamara (Bruce Greenwood) all the way up to the president.

The New York Times looks for advice about publishing the Pentagon Papers and the government wants an injunction against any further papers be published. In the meantime, reporter Ben Bagdikian (Bob Odenkirk) from the Post finds Ellsberg and is given boxes of papers and Kay must decide whether to go forward before they are also stopped by the courts.

Bradlee gathers his writers and the clock is set to beat anything or anyone that wants to get in their way. Kay begins to feel the weight of what she is up against and realizes that she knows people that are involved and now must decide what the right thing is. Pressed by the papers all-male board, she realizes that the paper her father build is now
Kay digs in deep and knows that Bradlee will follow her lead.

The truth is worth fighting for!

Streep as Kay Graham once again turns in a performance of a woman who is seen as a lovely decoration to the Post with men telling her what is important and what isn't for the paper. Of course her insecurities are clear and Streep portrays the era with perfection. Gaining strength throughout the film, I cheer the hardest when she realizes that if the board of the paper wants to play tough - then she must learn to as well. Nothing wrong with telling the good ole' boys club that it is 'her' paper and that's how she is going to run it. Streep always gives everything to these roles and makes them not only believable but exceptional.

Hanks as Ben Bradlee is perfection and yes I'm being hugely Hanks-struck. I adore this actor and find him to be the absolute best of Hollywood and that includes the much misunderstood film TURNER AND HOOCH! Of course I wondered how he was going to portray this character since I do have Jason Robards' version of Bradlee from the 1976 film ALL THE PRESIDENTS MEN stuck in my head. I had no reason to worry! THE POST is a perfect film to watch first and then take on the 1976 film because it is a history lesson about the government's shenanigans from The Washington Post's articles portrayed by two amazing actors.

Odenkirk as Bagdikian is on it to find the man with the papers. Knowing that this is the most important thing he will work toward, there is a moment where all of it might fall apart and Odenkirk keeps it straight. Rhys as Ellsberg has the worst case of paranoia I've ever seen and with good reason. He has what the government is looking for so he's not about to let go if the information isn't made public.

Greenwood as McNamara is a man trying to keep his head above water yet Greenwood makes it look smooth and controlled. That's what I love about Greenwood, whether he portrays a good, bad or indifferent character, he makes it look ridiculously smooth. The scene between Greenwood and Streep is hard to watch and strong for both of them in the scheme of the storyline.

Other cast include: Sarah Paulson as Tony Bradlee, Tracy Letts as Fritz Beebe, David Cross as Howard Simons, Zach Woods as Anthony Essaye, Bradley Whitford as Arthur Parsons, Alison Brie as Lally Graham, Carrie Coon as Meg Greenfield, and Jesse Plemons as Roger Clark.

THE POST is already high on the nominations for awards and deservedly so. This is a story that needed to be told for so many reasons especially with what is going on in government now. I am an avid watcher of films based on history and THE POST
not only falls into that category but totally served me up a history lesson.

The caliber of actors and actresses in this film make it extraordinary bringing it to a level that can't be touched. That is what makes this film for me - a cast that seems to dive right in and take no prisoners mixed in with totally absorbing the time period of the 1970's.

Watching each character take on their own beliefs about why they do what they do comes into play and it can't be hidden in the film. Spielberg takes his own risk bringing the real news story to the attention of a fake-news world. He keeps the storyline crisp and doesn't sugar coast anything about what it takes to hold the government accountable when caught lying to its own people.

What this should do for the press is remind them that people do want to know the truth about their government and that not only is that government accountable but so is the press that reports it. I can't imagine that anyone who reports the news of the world not finding an amazing place in their hearts for the papers/editors and reporters who came before.

In the end – truth be told!