In The Graveyard

## Episode Chronology

**"In The Graveyard"** is the thirteenth episode of the second season on NBC drama series *New Amsterdam*, and the thirty-fifth episode overall. It aired on February 11, 2020.

## Synopsis

The doctors stop at nothing to help their patients, following a shocking realization that prompts a change in the hospital. Meanwhile, Reynolds must make an important decision in his career.

## Plot

A woman who is having difficulty breathing is dropped off outside by University Hospital’s limo. Lauren informs Max that their patient is rejecting a heart transplant. Max asks Ms. Harris why she was dropped off at New Amsterdam and she reveals that she was told the hospital would be more equipped for her needs. Max and Lauren are forced to reveal they were lying and her body is rejecting her heart and they sent her there to keep the hospital’s mortality rates low. She is upset that they sent her there to die.

Max goes to find Karen who is in the middle of a meeting. She makes Max sit down, introducing him to Ozzie Cobb who is donating five million dollars to the hospital over the next quarter. Max excuses him and Karen, explaining what University did and she has not been the only one. She says New Amsterdam even dumps patients, something he had no idea about. Meanwhile, Iggy is supposed to be listening to his son’s piano practice but he is too busy on the phone. Vijay greets Ella in the morning, telling her no box cereal for her, only fresh food for her and the baby. He questions her about coming home late, suggesting she comes home earlier so he doesn’t have to wait up for her. He packs her a lunch for work.

Floyd is on the phone, officially being offered the position of new chair of cardio out in San Francisco. He feels it is great news, but still needs a few days to square things up at New Amsterdam. Max struggles with the knowledge that his hospital dumps over 30 patients a year that are in hospice condition and tells Helen about it. She is shocked that happens in 6 months and it is horrific. She doesn’t want Max favoring her over Valentina Castro; but he tells her that he favors her and if Castro has a problem with it, he is favoring their patients and Castro can come to talk to him if she has an issue.

Max goes to the hospice and informs them they got some of New Amsterdam’s patients by mistake and he is there to take them back; when asked which patients, he looks at the overrun room and says, “All of them!” Back at New Amsterdam, he speaks with the heads of each department, explaining how they are failing their patients and have been passing the buck. He demands that they are going to change the end of care for the patients and introduces them to the New Amsterdam palliative care unit. The patients are in the hallway and Max informs them that each of them is getting a patient and they are to stay with them until the end, relying on their residents to take care of all their other patients; wanting their full attention there. This is about care and to make sure they get it, he tells them not to worry about cost and do anything for them.

They all meet their individual patients, patients knowing they will be dead within a few days. They all seem to be very sarcastic and bitter as they are dying, angry that people want to make them comfortable. Floyd deals with Regina Harris Shipley, the very pregnant daughter of Ms. Harris, who is furious that the hospital threw her out like garbage and demands for Floyd to save her; but he is adamant that he cannot do that. Helen speaks to her patient who was a professor in mathematics and he feels what he is facing is something that is unknowable; yet death is a certainty. He suggests if she really wants to help him, she can solve the death equation. Iggy’s patient, Peter wants to see his father; someone he hasn’t spoken to in 12 years.

Floyd feels there is no excuse for what happened and will try to keep her comfortable. Regina breaks down, saying he needs to make her better and he is just as bad as University Hospital, who are just giving up on her and what good are they. Regina’s water broke and she is only 34 weeks, terrifying her mother. Ms. Harris is thrilled that she might actually be able to see her grandchild. Max is talking to his patient when Karen comes barging down the hallway. He introduces his patient as his new assistant, Adele who swoons about Karen, saying Dr. Goodwin is too busy sorting out the hallways before people start dying there. Karen likes Adele, hoping she will stick around, although Adele says she is only temporary. Max takes her through the hospital, bringing her to different floors, calling the one section of the hospital, “the graveyard”. Adele is shocked as max says this place is perfect for the patients.

Max welcomes everyone to the graveyard, promising to change the name as this will be the home to the new palliative wing; a place to call their own. He suggests they find a room for them, whatever calls their name. He sits with Adele who feels it looks like a hospital as he is only looking for a comfortable place for people to kick the bucket. She reminds him that no one wants to die and when people know their time is short, they look at things a little differently. She says they don’t want to live in a place to die, they want to live; and who wants to live in a hospital? Max can totally relate.

Helen asks Iggy if they can swap patients, but he says he is too connected to Peter; someone who is estranged with his father, something Iggy can understand as it resembles his own family. She reveals she is supposed to solve the meaning of the universe. He suggests giving him shrooms. Vijay then begs Iggy to swap with him as Debra is refusing anything he suggests. He doesn’t understand why Debra doesn’t want to have a living wake. Iggy reminds him that he once told him that listening is a vital tool to figuring out why people think the things they do.

Helen meets with Castro who quickly shuts down her prescribing shrooms to an end of life patient. She mocks Helen, saying she can feel free and go over her head to Max as this is how things work there; she walks off leaving Helen upset.

Vijay returns to Debra, saying he is there to listen as she is in charge of how the next few days go. She initially doesn’t say anything, but he suggests she has so much to say to her friends and relatives. She admits she hasn’t seen anyone since things got bad and only wants to be alone; even giving away Beverly, her dog. She reveals she doesn’t want to share this with anyone, kept her feelings to herself her whole life, so why should her death be any different. It would upset people if they saw her like that. She doesn’t want a living wake as she is trying to protect other people. He feels she needs to have a living wake, but she gets angry. He rushes out of the room, despite her protests.

Iggy wakes up Peter, saying his dad is there to see him. His father immediately sits with him, taking his arms as Peter tells his father that he has always hated him; something that startles Iggy. Peter lays back down.

Lauren comes to see Floyd’s patient Ms. Harris, who has a bad cut on her forehead when she fell trying to be at Regina’s bedside for the delivery. She doesn’t want the stitches, she wants to be there for the delivery of the baby, saying she is at the time of her life where every second counts. She tells Lauren how she always wished to be a grandmother and would have loved to have more time. Marianne Harris, collapses on the bed. She has no pulse but has a DNR. Lauren doesn’t want to let her go but Floyd stops her, saying she made her wishes clear, it is legal and binding. Lauren is told that she cannot touch her or she will be violating her rights; when Floyd turns his back Lauren runs back in and calls for the crash cart; determined for Marianne to be there for the birth of her grandbaby.

Casey chops up the shrooms, making a tea for Helen’s patient. Helen thanks him, but he plays dumb as if he wasn’t even there. Max meets with the other patients in a lounge set up for them, revealing that he knows it was not to feel like a hospital, bringing in acupuncturists, masseurs and yoga instructors. He even brought in some dogs. Adele is impressed as he says he needs to change the name. Adele wants to know how he is paying for this and he promises he is working on it.

Kapoor goes to see Ella at the cafe, asking her what was the favorite part of her lunch, knowing she gave away the food he just made for her. She tells him it is too much and he is smothering her. She feels he is stressing her out and if this is going to work, there need to be boundaries and she tells him what her rules will be. He is disappointed, but says he will see her later; she reminds him not to wait up for her.

Iggy returns to Peter’s room. His father feels he will never get his words out of his head, causing Iggy to confess he said those words to his father and has hated his father; but he never stopped loving him ever and cares what he thinks about him. His father admits he was never there for Peter, but Iggy reminds him that his dying wish was to see his father. It may have been ugly and rough but Iggy promises that it wasn’t just hate. His father feels it is over, but Iggy says it may be for Peter, but not for him and he should finish the conversation.

Helen sits with her patient, who feels things are not working. She says that death is not a vanishing but an expansion. He feels poetic treatment won’t solve a concrete problem. She admits to her that numbers are not concrete at all and neither is death. He wants her to make her case and she sits with him, asking him what the highest number or how many snowflakes in a blizzard. She feels when it comes to the end of life they need to count on experience not numbers. He says, *“nothing is very easy to count!”* He lays back down, causing Helen to ponder things.

Marianne is stable and mentally intact, Floyd leaves the room shaking his head making Lauren chase after him. She feels he cannot punish her as now Marianne is going to be able to see her grandchild before she dies. He reminds Lauren that their job was to give Marianne a good death and Lauren took that away from her. She feels all the doctors would have done the exact same thing as everyone bends the rules, except for him. If he wants to find someone to shame or doesn’t fit in there, he is looking at the wrong person.

Debra has her living wake with Vijay performing it, asking anyone if they want to say something, now is the time. He asks Debra to express what she is feeling, asking her to open up. She sees a couple walk in with her Beverly. She crouches down and hugs her dog, talking about how her health affected her dog, experiencing the illness with her. She gave the dog to her sister Anna and Frank, the rock since she was born. Debra is able to open up, telling people she loves them; thanking them for being there. She expressed her love to Jeremy but Kapoor cuts her off, ending the wake and telling Debra they need to go as she isn’t dying.

Karen demands to know if Max kept the receipts for everything in the graveyard. He says it looks expensive but it is the right thing to do. He says everything is paid for, thanks to the donation from Ozzie Cobb. Karen reveals that Ozzie is a tight ass who pledges millions every year and never donates a damn thing. She was hoping to get him on the hook, but since Max didn’t show up to reel him in, he is off the hook again and it is too late. She demands Max to save it, as he just spent a million dollars the hospital doesn’t have and he needs to get everyone out of the hospital today!

Dr. Kapoor reveals to Debra that she has an illness she shares with her dog and probably got it on one of her walks with the dog. He says he knew what was wrong with her because he listened to her and with antibiotics, her and the dog will make a full recovery. Debra breaks down in tears, feeling once you start with the emotions it is hard to stop. She is devastated that she told all those people how she feels. He apologizes as the living wake was not the best thing for her, but she tells him it was the best day of her life.

Peter’s dad kneels beside his bed, telling his dead son that he was his baby boy and he wishes he could have shown how much he loved him. He tells him that his dad is there now and he isn’t leaving. Iggy looks away as his eyes well up with tears.

Max finds Ozzie, pulling him into the graveyard, where there is the media is. He unveils the palliative care wing to the media, saying it was all made possible by the last minute donation from Ozzy Cobb. He names it the Ozzie Cobb Palliative Care wing. He is utterly shocked as Max tells him he can sign the big check in front of everyone as Karen mouths that he is on the hook now. He signs it reluctantly.

Max sits with Adele as Jeremy comes to see Debra with her pooch and flowers. Marianne gets to see her baby grandson for the first time as she lay dying in bed; something Lauren smiles over. Floyd returns the phone call to San Francisco and informs them that his answer is yes and he would love to come work there. Iggy is at home playing the piano with his son, ignoring any calls that come in on his phone. Ella returns home to see a box of Corn Flakes on the table, she smiles. Vijay is in bed, staying awake until Ella comes home. She messages him to let him know she is home, so he takes off his glasses to sleep.

Max walks the halls of the palliative care, looking in at one of the patients when Helen finds him. She tells him to burden her. He says he didn’t even know what Georgia wanted, they were so busy with his cancer and trying to save their marriage that he didn’t even ask her. He feels that he got the flowers wrong for the funeral as Helen says they were beautiful. Helen tells him he needs to forgive himself for Georgia’s death. She asks him what he wants when the time comes as someone should know. Max says he wants Luna by his side, singing to him; even if he can’t hear it. He just wants to feel she is there. Helen promises to tell her. He asks Helen the same question and she suggests they throw a big party and just call it a day; they joke about the party, dancing. He wants specific, so he can be in charge as someone should be.

As they talk, Helen’s patient sees snow falling all around him and he spins his chair smiling before he takes his last breath and passes on peacefully, imagining he is in a snowstorm.

## Cast

* Janet Montgomery as Dr. Lauren Bloom
* 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* Marylouise Burke as Adele Eisenbaum
* Dierdre Friel as Ella
* Alejandro Hernandez as Casey Acosta
* Ana Villafañe as Dr. Valentina Castro
* Debra Monk as Karen Brantley
* Francis Jue as Zeke Meredith
* Chris McKinney as Peter's Father
* Portia as Marianne Harris
* Daniel Danielson as Hospice Nurse
* Steve Blanchard as Ozzie Cobb
* George Deihl Jr. as Jeremy (credited as George Diehl)
* Cheryse Dyllan as Regina Harris-Shipley
* Jery Hewitt as Black Car Driver
* Nirvaan Pal as Salem
* Gilbert D. Sanchez as Peter (credited as Gilbert Sanchez)

## Multimedia

### Videos

New Amsterdam 2x13 Promo "In The Graveyard" (HD)
## References

1. ↑ https://www.tvmaze.com/episodes/1781363/new-amsterdam-2x13-a-good-death