A Matter of Seconds

## Episode Chronology

**"A Matter of Seconds"** is the eighteenth episode of the second season finale on NBC drama series *New Amsterdam*, and the fortieth episode overall. It aired on April 14, 2020.

## Synopsis

When multiple patients begin to show similar alarming symptoms, Sharpe and Bloom scramble to figure out the issue's root; Max works to get a child with a rare muscular disease into the country's only clinical trial that could extend his life.

## Plot

Max and Alice Healy are talking to another couple and they ask how they met. Max says he is the General Manager of the Yankees. Max and Alice are joking around. The couple tells Max and Alice they are the perfect couple.

Later Max is walking in his park and a young boy falls into the stroller with his daughter. Max asks the couple if their son often has difficulty standing. He asks if they have a pediatrician. Max asks if he gets tired easily. The couple is concerned with his questions. Max asks them to come to New Amsterdam for tests they agree.

Dr. Laura Bloom is running down the hall and crashes into her Mom. Dr. Bloom is not happy her mother just showed up, she says they need boundaries. Her Mom tells her she is not there to see her. She glimpses her Mom hugging one of the male nurses and wants to know what she is up too.

Dr. Bloom gets a patient that comes in with multiple burns. Dr. Shin walks by and Dr. Bloom asks if anything interests him today he walks in looks says NO and leaves.

Max sees Helen and tells him he has the boring Application for the State Hospital Review and although they have a year to do it he thinks they should do it now.  He feels if he waits for it won’t get done.

Dr. Vijay Kapoor has a patient he is going through an autoimmune process. The patient’s wife takes Dr. Kapoor aside and says there is something different about Dr. Kapoor she tells him whatever he is doing it is working for him and she grabs his butt.

Dr. Helene is checking on one of her cancer patients and she tells Helene her husband has been her rock. The patient has a small cut on her leg and it has become infected.

Meanwhile, in court, a judge orders Brenden to be evaluated. Dr. Frome walks over to Brenden and he is shocked that the judge ordered his guns be taken away and he is evaluated. Dr. Frome asks Brenden why his wife thinks he is so dangerous, he replies, *“Because I almost killed her.”*

In another room, Max tells the parents of the boy from the park they have determined the cause of the mobility issues. Their son has DMD it is a muscular dystrophy decease.  The father asks if his son will be okay. Max tells him there is no cure and he will eventually be in a wheelchair and in his 20’s die from it. Max tells them it is an inherited disease from the mother. The mother blames herself. Max tells her it is not her fault.

Dr. Helen brings his patient for a test and in the emergency room, all the patients are crashing. No one understands what is happening but it is everyone who came in from the scaffolding accident.

Dr. Shin walks in and Dr. Bloom asks him what they owe the honor too.  An ambulance comes in with a man impaled in his stomach. Dr. Shin goes to take care of the man.  Meanwhile, Dr. Kapoor tells another female doctor about his patient’s wife who grabbed his butt. The doctor finds it hard to believe because at the patient, Walter’s last session the couple kept going on and on about renewing their wedding vows. She asks him if it possible it is in his head. Meanwhile, the wife comes and hugs Dr. Kapoor and tells him her husband is ready for the next round then she flirty says, *“the question is are you?”*

Max tells the patient of the boy that there are gene therapy treatments but there are requirements.

Brenden is talking to Dr. Frome and tells him he was at home and someone broke in and he grabbed his gun. He was protecting his home and he does not have a record. At his home, he saw someone in the dark thought they were breaking in, he raised his gun he thought the person was breaking in but it was his wife. His wife and he are getting a divorce and she says she was coming back to get the rest of her things. Brenden accuses Dr. Frome of being against guns.

Max comes to see a doctor that is having clinical trials that might help the young boy he is treating.  The doctor asks if the boy submitted an application. Max tells the doctor the boy is 6 1/2 and he is the perfect candidate.  Max tells the doctor that his hospital dumps patience on them so he should have. a favor. The doctor says OKAY but the boy needs to pass 2 things: A Psych Evaluation and he needs to pass a physical fitness test.

Dr. Sharpe’s patient’s heart rate drops just like the patients from the Scaffolding accident. Dr. Bloom comes over and says it must be them causing the problems.

Dr. Frome tells Max he might be biased. Max asks Dr. Frome to sign off on a Psych Evaluation for a 6 1/2-year-old boy Dr. Foote agrees. Dr. Kapoor comes to tell Dr. Frome that he is being sexually harassed by his patient’s wife. He wants to know what to do. Dr. Frome thinks the wife is redirecting her emotions to Dr. Kapoor and he should talk to her.

Dr. Sharpe suggests her patient’s husband go and take a walk, he refuses. Dr. Sharpe asks if they have help. He tells her no he is handling it all. He tells Dr. Sharpe his focus is his wife she is all that matters.

Dr. Frome tells Brenden he owns a gun his father gave it to him. Dr. Frome tells Brenden guns are no longer has guns but he has no problem with the second amendment.

Dr. Bloom says they have 14 patients that have crashed. They are trying to find what is common. Another patient is crashing. They are thinking it might be the injecting system. Dr. Sharpe suspects what inside the injections is not morphine.

Max’s patient, the young boy is lying down the doctor tells the mom and dad the boy has to get up in 10 seconds to qualify. If he cannot get up it indicates muscle damage. The boy gets up in 12 seconds. The doctor tells them he is sorry. The father asks to give it another try. He asks his son to do it faster. The boy lies on his back and starts again. He once again goes over the 10 seconds. The doctor tells Max he is sorry and leaves.

Max found a tier 2 trial that has found mild success in slowing down the degeneration. Max tells the mother and father that their son is in. The father is happy because they would try this and then if something else comes up to try that. Max tells them once they try this their son’s body builds antibodies and any other trial would not work. The father does not want to try but the mother wants to try it even though there is only mild success.

Dr. Frome talks to Brenden and asks who wanted the divorce. He says his wife said they grew apart. Dr. Frome asks if the night he heard someone break-in what did he feel. He said he felt like a man. Dr. Frome asks if when he realized it was his wife did he lower the gun. Brenden said NO. Although, Brenden says he did not consider pulling the trigger but he did want to scare her to make her feel powerless.

Walter’s wife comes into Dr. Kapoor’s office. Dr. Kapoor asks her to leave the door open and she closes it. The wife starts to hug and rub her hands up Dr. Kapoor’s body. Then Dr. Kapoor says, *“your eyes, come with me!.”* He does a test and finds she has a tumor that has been pushing up against her pleasure center and that is why she has been acting the way she is.  She needs surgery right away. He tells the female doctor, she is impressed he figured it out.

Max comes over to the young boy’s Mom and asks, *“How Can I help?”* She doesn’t think Max can help because her husband wants something different.  Because she passed the disease on to her some she feels she has to do something, anything. Max tells her she and her husband Jeremy have time.

Dr. Sharpe tells Dr. Bloom and Dr. Shim she sent the syringes for tests but it will take one hour. Dr. Bloom takes matters into her own hands.  She takes the syringe and put some of the liquid in her mouth and confirms what is in the syringes is morphine. They realize that is not why their patience is crashing.

Dr. Shin is about to operate on his patient and Dr. Sharpe screams wait she gives the patient Narcan. She tells Dr. Bloom and Dr. Shin that the prefilled cartridges with Morphine were wrong and they had 5 times the does they thought.  Dr. Shin says other hospitals have to have the same syringes with the wrong does. Dr. Sharpe is going to sound the alarm.

Back in court, the judge asks Dr. Frome if Brenden is a threat to himself. Dr. Frome replies no. The judge asks if he is a threat to others. Dr. Frome reports he intentionally tried to scare his wife. The judge tells him it is not therapy sessions. The judge asks again if Brenden is an immediate threat to others. Dr. Frome says not. The judge rules Brenden’s gun can be restored to him immediately.

Brenden’s wife tells Dr. Frome that she knew nothing would happen. She tells Dr. Frome Brenden is not the only one armed she bought herself a gun.

Dr. Sharpe tells her cancer patient that her heart rate is normal and she could release her but there is a nursing home that could take her and there is a unit at New Amsterdam where he could visit each day and they both could get a break. She tells them they both can recharge. They agree.

The young boy’s mother comes to see Max to tell him they have discussed their options and they would rather spend the time together as a family and hope a better option comes for their son. Max tells them there is no guarantee. They tell him they don’t want to waste their time together. Max tells them he is always there.

Does Dr. Kapoor gets into the elevator with the Chairwoman, Karen  Karen asks Dr. Kapoor if he had a tough case?  Dr. Kapoor replies*, “As a woman who has lived a full life who is vital and attractive you understand how at a certain age people stop seeing you as a person with wants and desires and passions we are not invisible.”* Karen takes her phone from her purse and texts someone and Dr. Kapoor apologizes for speaking out of turn.  She says, *“Goodnight Dr. Kapoor.* She leaves the elevator and Dr. Kapoor gets a message from Karen that says, *“CALL ME SOMETIME!”* The elevator closes and Dr. Kapoor has a shocked look on his face.

Dr. Bloom walks into the ER and the doctors and nurses have flowers and a cake and are singing. Dr. Bloom says it is not my birthday. Her Mom asks, *“I got the wrong date?”* Dr. Bloom says you got the season wrong. Not even close.  Her Mom says, well it is someone’s birthday. Dr. Bloom realizes that is why her Mom was chatting to everyone. They get forks to eat.

Dr. Sharpe sends Max a message she cannot do paperwork that night. Then we see Dr. Sharpe out with Dr. Shin and they are walking and laughing obviously on a date.

Meanwhile, Max is out with Alice. She asks him if everything is okay. He tells her things are so far from perfect. She tells him she likes pretending that her and Max are a family. Max says he likes pretending that Luna has a Mom. Alice says it is not fair and she wishes she met him in a few years and then maybe..., then Max tells her he had so much fun and did not think he could anymore. Alice tells him he should go. He says OKAY, Alice says Bye, Max says Bye. Alice leaves. Alice turns around and says, Max, see you at the next general manager’s convention...

## Cast

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

Guest Starring* Christine Chang as Dr. Agnes Kao
* Alejandro Hernandez as Casey Acosta
* Alison Luff as Alice Healy
* Gina Gershon as Jeanie Bloom
* Jenna Bosco as Paramedic Herrera
* Emma Ramos as ED Resident Mariana
* Stacey Raymond as Paramedic Kerry Whitaker
* Em Grosland as Nurse Kai Brunstetter
* Matthew Jeffers as ED Resident Mark Walsh
* Catherine Mary Stewart as Robin Kent
* Joel de la Fuente as Dr. Gene Cholokian
* David Furr as Jeremy Cafferty
* Natalie Gold as Gretchen Cafferty
* Jojo Gonzalez as Oliver Luzon
* Alex Hurt as Brendan Philips
* Cindy Cheung as Judge Hayashi
* Deja Blaise as Museum Mom
* Kersti Bryan as Ellie Phillips
* Briana Cortesiano as Victim #2
* Neil Dawson as Museum Dad
* Andrew Frace as Leonard James
* Robert Gomes as Walter Kent
* Starmya Howard as Museum Kid
* Jequan Jackson as Victim #1
* Harlin C. Kearsley as Defense Lawyer
* Pat Labez as Lena Luzon
* Guy LeMonnier as Brendan's Lawyer
* Nicholas and Noah Piccolo as Liam
* Lamar Richardson as Victim #4
* Audrey Wang as Victim #3

## Trivia

* This episode starts with a video message from Ryan Eggold and then one from Daniel Dae Kim explaining the delay of the "Pandemic" episode airing due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.
* As of the end of season two filming, this is the only episode that displays the episode title (in quotation marks).