Preventable

## Episode Chronology

**"Preventable"** is the twentieth episode of the first season on NBC drama series *New Amsterdam*. It was aired on April 30, 2019.

## Synopsis

Max wakes up miserable and realizes his hair has started to fall out, he goes in to work with a knit beanie to cover his head and starts having mood swings. Dr. Reynolds leads a morbidity and mortality (M&M) conference about the police officer that died in the previous episode. Max pushes the M&M conference too far and ends up insulting Dr. Reynolds in front of his colleagues and staff and a rift develops between the two. Dr. Sharpe sees Max's mood has changed and talks to Dr. Stauton and learns that Max's cancer is not responding to the chemo or radiation. Dr. Reynolds realizes that Max is having difficulty accepting that people can die for no reason and the two reconcile. He tells Max to fight for his life and Max agrees to do an experimental treatment that involves a double dosage of chemo. Dr. Kapoor deals with a patient leaving him poor reviews on a website and later works on the patient. Dr. Frome works with a patient whose mother has taken a new job in Missouri and is very reluctant to move back with her. The social worker assigned to the case believes that Dr. Frome's relationship with the boy and his other patients cross a line and files a formal complaint and investigation against him.

## Plot

A young girl crying and looking for her mother, when a woman spots her, telling Luna they will find her. Luna explains that her dad died; suddenly Max wakes up from his awful nightmare; looking up at his IV pole, quietly getting out of bed in order not to wake up Georgia. He puts his hands on his head and gets fists full of hair falling out.

Meanwhile, one of Iggy's patients shares his dream board, making everyone laugh. Iggy says it is great and he definitely followed the task at hand, joking that his future has a few more skimpy bathing suits than he anticipated. Avi does his presentation next, who reveals he just wants to see the world as Iggy tells him that is fantastic. It is okay to look forward to material things but sometimes goals are stronger when they affect who they are. Iggy is called out of the room for a visitor.

Tara Dobbs greets him, Avi’s social worker. She reveals Avi’s mother has been offered a job that she can’t pass up and is moving there next week. She can’t find any reason why Avi can’t transfer from in-patient care and wants to begin his official discharge procedure; Iggy hesitates, saying he had a huge breakthrough with him recently but believes Avi is ready for the next step.

Helen is laughing looking at her phone when Dr. Vijay Kapoor (Anupam Kher) asks her what is so funny. She shows him that New Amsterdam has a listing on Yelp, reading some of the comments from patients; suddenly Kapoor realizes she is talking about him. Helen apologizes to him, saying he shouldn’t worry about it. He feels he should do better than 1 star, walking away.

Max comes out of Dr. Virginia's office, with a hat on his head; he attempts to steady himself when Dora gives him today’s schedule, Max informing her that he is passing on everything on the list. She reminds him that the Police Commissioner called again and she is guessing it has to do with Officer MacNeil. Max feels all the meetings are arbitrary and he isn’t wasting his time on this. He wants to do something that matters, like life and death. Helen finds out from Dora that he is in a mood.

Iggy rushes into his room, demanding to know what happened and is pointed towards Avi. Iggy asks him what is going on and he says he isn’t going anywhere. Floyd walks with Ed Nottingham, who is nervous about leading a conference. Floyd reminds him that he is his chief resident now and he should get used to it. Ed promises not to throw Floyd under the bus but Floyd feels this isn’t a blaming thing, it is a teaching tool. Ed feels he never found any mistakes but Floyd says they need to review it to make sure they do better next time.

Nottingham begins his speech, but Max walks in, temporarily interrupting them. He sits down in the audience, asking if Officer MacNeil was on any medications. When he answers Max wants to know if she had any known heart disease. Max wants to know if there were any other signs that could have predicted her eventual death. Max is very demanding with his questions but Ed finally admits he wasn’t there; Max wants someone to present this case that was actually there, calling Dr. Reynolds to come forward as she was his patient and is better qualified to lead this discussion if it’s not too much trouble.

Floyd reviews the notes with Ed, showing everyone the chest x-ray that shows everything is normal; but Max disagrees making Floyd reveal all the other tests he performed. Max says he can’t know the results of the test were normal if they are not present. He stands up saying the whole purpose of an MNM is to analyze the data so that the hospital doesn’t make that mistake again, but they can’t review the data if it isn’t here. Max calls for a brief recess so Floyd can gather all the necessary data.

Kapoor pushes a patient in a wheelchair while Agnes walks with a lamp in her hand; Kapoor promising her a room with better lighting and a much softer bed. Max runs into them, as Kao explains they are moving the patient because they are trying to give her the most comfortable care because the patient comes first. Max believes Kapoor finally understands that they need to go the extra mile, as people put their lives in the New Amsterdam’s hands. Max wants to know if Ms. Nan wants to stay in the presidential suite, Kapoor racing there before he can change his mind.

Avi is frustrated that Mrs. Dobbs is there but Iggy tells him everyone is there to help his transition out of the hospital, but Avi feels he is too much of a freak to live in the real world with normal people. Iggy has a theory that he is breaking the rules on purpose so he can stop the changes from happening. Avi vents that when he was kicked out of school he didn’t care, but then things got better there, making sense and belongs there; now that he is getting the hang of it his mother is ruining it again. Iggy asks him to listen to him, promising Avi that he is ready for this.

Outside of the room, Iggy tells Mrs. Dobbs that he isn’t ready to leave; especially after his outburst about his mother. He came there after he was relentlessly teased at school for his learning disability and nothing to do with his mother. Whatever is going on with him was triggered when he learned he was leaving. She tells Iggy his discharge papers have been filed; he asks if he can talk to him alone to see if he can get through to him.

Ms. Nan is getting the best treatment, asking Dr. Kao how to spell her name as Kapoor looks on. Helen talks about how Thomas Jefferson stayed in that suite and now his patient is there. He insists this was Max’s idea and if this is something that will improve his online status than he is okay with it. Kapoor wonders if he should be worried about Max, Helen leaves as Kapoor watches his patient who is thrilled with her new room.

Ed brings in the rest of the scans to Floyd, who still feels his work on MacNeil is solid and all they have to do is present their case clearly. Evie worries that Floyd is putting himself on the line, but he thinks this is for internal use only. She reminds him that Max has been avoiding calls from everyone and since the officer died under his knife, they will be looking for someone to blame. Max returns as Evie hates to say it but it feels like Max is trying to make sure that person is him.

Floyd shows everyone the scans, and everything is normal. Max asks for a second opinion, questioning several of the doctors in the audience, who all see what Dr. Reynolds see. Max tells everyone they should take a trip to pathology as the real heart is still down there and have a closer look at the heart themselves; once they exam the heart they will know if these readings were normal. He orders everyone up and follows him.

Iggy tries to talk to Avi, who feels it will never be like before; but Iggy pushes him, saying he knows there is something in his life that he has locked away and he can help him manage his emotions. Avi doesn’t want to go with his mother, but rather stay there. He says his mother doesn’t know anything about this; he doesn’t want to face it, saying Iggy is supposed to be on his side. He throws several things, saying he can’t go back.

Helen comes to see Iggy, who says he has a tough case. Helen needs his professional opinion on Max. He says speculating on the boss’s health is not his favorite thing but Helen says he has been acting erratically. Iggy’s theory is that the problem is Helen. He respects Virginia but he has a relationship with Helen, believing in her. Kapoor calls Helen, saying he needs her help right away, talking about “Nancy Pants”, who wrote again about him and gave him a one star. Helen wonders if Nan has sensitive skin, making Kapoor think. Helen tries to stop Max to talk but he says he doesn’t have time as several staff members are following him to pathology.

Helen follows them, where the ME opens the heart, saying there are no abnormalities in it. Max knows for a fact that Floyd was distracted that day, recalling he spent the whole morning going over his budgets. Max harshly confronts Floyd, who bangs his hand on the table, ordering everyone out of the room, except for Max. Floyd chastises him for undermining his ability in front of his staff and colleagues. Max says the point of this exercise was to see if her death was preventable. Floyd says there is nothing else to investigate as Helen attempts to interrupt them.

Floyd shouts at Max, asking him in what world he would stick around for more of this. He was excited to run the department, in an environment based on mutual respect, but in one afternoon he tore that all down, proving he doesn’t trust him in front of everyone. Before Floyd leaves, he informs Max that he can expect his resignation. Helen asks Max what this is really about, but he brushes past her reminding her that she isn’t his doctor anymore.

Kapoor returns to Nan’s room, warning her that blue light upsets the melatonin in one’s body but they will talk about that later. He asks to see her legs as Kao explains that he believes her discomfort has nothing to do with the sheets. She pulls up her pant leg revealing a rash on her leg, something she never noticed before. Kapoor says they need to get her to the procedure room immediately as she has contracted meningitis and if she doesn’t get treated immediately or she could die.

Virginia walks out of her office, directly into Helen. She says she needs to talk to her about Max; she invites her into her office. Avi comes to see Iggy who reveals his mom is leaving and he just wanted to say “goodbye” really quick. Iggy says he can call him anytime as Avi thanks him for trying to fix him and he feels like a failure. Iggy says “fixed” isn’t a thing as no one who leaves this hospital is fixed, his job is to give him the tools to get through the day. Iggy is confident he will do okay, reminding him to climb to the top of that mountain, using the tools every day. They hug, Iggy telling him that he will do great; Mrs. Dobbs comes to retrieve him.

Kapoor does a spinal tap, telling Nan he is collecting fluid to find out what is making her so sick. She says she came in for a simple sleep study, but suddenly she is unresponsive, going into septic shock. Kao calls for emergency right away.

Evie tells Floyd that this doesn’t have to land on him as Max was out of control. She tells Floyd that he has legal recourse and has a friend who will take the case at a drop of a hat. Helen knocks on the door, telling Floyd they need to talk. Floyd doesn’t want her defending Max, but she tells him that Max has cancer and he isn’t responding to chemo nor radiation. Floyd sits on his desk learning it is really bad for Max and he only found out this morning. Max barges out of Virginia’s office.

Nan is completely unconscious as Kapoor finds out the infection is in the third ventricle trying to guide him as he is sure he can make it and if clip the spot she will never walk again; and he can imagine that review. He is able to place the needle in, making her heart rate and blood pressure stable. Kapoor says 43 years ago he decided to become a doctor and it was never about reviews. He gives Kao the needle and leaves the OR.

Max is in his office when Floyd arrives, saying he heard and gets why he pushed hard. He wants answers too as Max doesn’t know how they can accept anyone’s death as random. Max feels maybe there is something they missed or could have done differently. Max wishes he could have done a lot of things differently as Floyd says sometimes they do everything right and still get the same result. Max apologizes saying he doesn’t know who that was today. He looks in the mirror and doesn’t recognize that person. Floyd says what is happening to him isn’t fair, no answer to make it better. Max doesn’t want his life and death to be arbitrary. Floyd tells him he has a choice to let the random-ish of this to beat him down or he can pick himself up and keep fighting, endings be damned.

Helen finds Max on the roof, saying she likes his hat. Virginia says she has been sitting there all afternoon looking at alternative options, mentioning DDC. It is the same treatment he is on, except they double the dose, slowing down the rapid growth of his tumor cells; the catch is if he is experiencing side effects from his normal dose, this one will fry his organs. She wants him to think it over and let her know tomorrow, but Max wants to start tonight as he needs to keep fighting, endings are damned.

Iggy is putting files away when Mrs. Dobbs comes in; both admitting that a day like today hits them hard. Dobbs admits she wasn’t filling out paperwork for Avi, she was filing a formal complaint on him. She says what she witnessed today was a therapist acting and forming nontherapeutic alliances with his patients. He doesn’t think that is right, saying he overstepped with Avi, including the physical exchanges and emotional boundaries crossed a line. She hands him her official report as she wanted him to hear it from her, saying their patients must come first.

## Cast

* Janet Montgomery as Dr. Lauren Bloom (credit only)
* Freema Agyeman as Dr. Helen Sharpe
* Jocko Sims as Dr. Floyd Reynolds
* Tyler Labine as Dr. Iggy Frome
* Anupam Kher as Dr. Vijay Kapoor

Guest Starring* Zabryna Guevara as Dora Williams
* Margot Bingham as Evie Garrison
* Nana Mensah as Dr. Camila Candelario
* Megan Byrne as Gladys Miller
* Christine Chang as Dr. Agnes Kao
* Christopher Cassarino as Dr. Edward Nottingham
* Marinda Anderson as Dr. Valerie Jessup
* Keren Lugo as Dr. Diana Flores
* Judith Ivey as Dr. Virginia Stauton
* May Hong as Nancy Nan
* Elijah Richardson as Avi Mitchell
* Benim Foster as Dr. Gary Weiss
* Renata Friedman as Woman
* Casey Hilton as 6 Year Old Girl
* Jaden Jordan as Jeffrey

## Multimedia

### Videos

New Amsterdam 1x20 Promo "Preventable" (HD)