'New Amsterdam' Season 2 Episode 2: As Max struggles to overcome his psychological trauma, who can he turn to for support?
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Season 2 Episode 1 of 'New Amsterdam'
There are two things we knew deep in our hearts even before 'New Amsterdam' premiered on Tuesday night—the first being the death of Georgia (Lisa O'Hare) and the second being Max (Ryan Eggold) going through hell after her passing. Our fears came true when 'Your Turn' aired on NBC on September 24. However, watching Eggold go through the motions was truly heartbreaking.
Even though the showrunners tried to throw us off by featuring Georgia in the very first scene of Season 2, we immediately knew what was going to happen when Max said, "It's always my turn", in response to picking up Luna when she cries. Georgia is no longer around—at least physically. Over the course of the episode, we saw him trying really hard to be the medical director he used to be, but he certainly seems to be struggling with PTSD since the accident.
When we are re-introduced to Helen (Freema Agyeman) and Lauren (Janet Montgomery), and we see Max's reactions to them, it becomes even more evident that he can barely stand to look at them. It is only natural that he finds it difficult to face them because both Helen and Lauren came out alive from the same accident that proved fatal for his wife.
Max had nearly lost her after the birth of Luna, but he managed to revive her, only to lose her to the accident. He is visibly shaken by everything, but everyone seems to think that it can be business as usual with him pretending everything is back to normal just three months after he lost Georgia.
Meanwhile, we visit New Amsterdam on the same day that Lauren and Helen are back at work. They too are still suffering due to what happened and are clearly shaken up about it. Even so, Helen tries to make it evident to Max that she is there for him, but he doesn't seem to be ready for it. We are sure to see him hit a personal rock bottom this season before his friends recognize that he needs help, much like what happened with Lauren in Season 1 when it came to her Adderall addiction.
Thankfully, though, his cancer seems to be very much under control, thanks to the new treatment prescribed by Dr. Valentina Castro (Ana Villafañe). He is doing well physically, and he seems to be taking it very seriously for the sake of his daughter. Hopefully, his mental health will follow suit.
We will see in Season 2 Episode 2 of 'New Amsterdam' what the new normal is like for Max. So, don't forget to catch 'The Picture' when it airs on NBC on Tuesday, October 1.