The jury is out on Dr. Novack as of Transplant Season 2 Episode 2. Following Dr. Bishop’s stroke, Dr. Novak stepped up as acting chief.
Thankfully Dr. Bishop is okay, but he has a long road of recovery ahead of him. It looks like we need to get used to Dr. Novak, and I’m glad.
That doesn’t mean I like the new chief. Remember, I said the jury is out. However, I like how he interacts with our cast of characters and the new sides he brings out in them.
All but one of our favorite doctors interacted with Dr. Novak in this installment, with mixed results. So, let’s unpack that.
First, we have Bash, who had an impatient patient die on the table, only to come back to life a few minutes later. Navin Kutty experienced Lazarus Syndrome, AKA autoresuscitation.
Instead of being grateful, Navin blamed Bash for not saving him sooner and demanded to see the Dr. in charge, AKA Novak.
This was an opening for Novak to be an a$$hole and show he knew better. After all, the patient preferred him.
He didn’t go that route, deciding to encourage Bash to go back to the patient, showing faith in the younger resident’s capacity to handle the situation.
Despite this, something about Novak’s scientific approach to Navin’s case rubbed Bash the wrong way.
He checked in with Dr. Bishop, who responded in what Bash seemed to think was “the right way,” dubbing it a miracle over luck and a doctor’s effort over hard science.
Dr. Bishop did encourage Bash to trust his new superior for now. Was that how he genuinely felt? We’ll get back to that later.
Bash isn’t the only one with reservations when it comes to Novak. June made a point of inquiring why Dr. Novak, a man, was promoted over Dr. Atwater, the more obvious choice.
Dr. Atwater is competent and experienced.
She has been Dr. Bishop’s second for years, and on Transplant Season 2 Episode 1, Mags also told Bash that giving her the job would be the intelligent choice.
While they never outright said so, Atwater’s impression was that she was passed over due to her age, as opposed to her gender, as June assumed. Neither is okay. Sexism and Ageism are both problems when it comes to career advancement.
After seeing her perform well, Dr. Novak gives June a chance to get in on an operation she otherwise would not have. It could earn him her loyalty, as June is often overlooked.
Initially, she’s grateful, but she later decides that she doesn’t want it if “playing the game” got her the favor. She wants to earn her spots, and she doesn’t want to step on anyone on her way to the top.
Does that mean she’s still suspicious of Dr. Novak, or did his favor endear him to her? Only time will tell.
The one person who is listening to Dr. Novak is Mags, surprisingly. She respected Dr. Bishop and often felt she had something to prove, but it took a lot for him to get her to back down or take time off.
Dr. Novak bugs Mags. He questions her motives, which gets her back up, and she likes going head to head with him. However, by the end, she decided that maybe he was right.
Do we like someone who gets Mags to take a break and take care of herself? Maybe. Do we want someone who makes her question her motivation as a doctor, and whether it stems from altruism or ego? Less so.
Still, their dynamic is fascinating to explore. Okay, partially because I can see them as a ship down the road, but can you blame me?
The way he riles her up has definite potential, and with Bash reconnecting with Raniya, she has every right to find something all her own. He won’t be her boss forever.
He wants to keep the job forever, which makes sense. Even Dr. Bishop said so. It’s a great job. Yet, Dr. Bishop’s anger when he went in search of Dr. Novak was palpable.
Does he simply fear being replaced, or is there more to their history than either is saying? Could we see a new side of Dr. Bishop?
Theo was the only doctor who didn’t interact with Dr. Novak.
His storyline of trying to be a father and husband while also being a doctor far from home is building up to something, and we might not like it. This episode did offer a little hope for him, though.
He worked with Hannah, who had to make a significant medical decision for her sister because their parents couldn’t be reached. Theo was great at helping her through it, and you could tell what he was thinking.
It is a glimpse of how his girls might have to function if he, too, is always out of reach.
It’ll be hard and scary, but in the end, they will be okay. Hannah and Theo will take care of each other because they are strong and capable, and he taught them how to be.
He desperately wants to have this job he loves while still being the perfect husband and dad. That might not be possible. He may lose his wife, but his kids will always be his kids. Not having him around will affect them. There is no way around that.
However, proof that they might still be okay meant a lot to him at that moment. He needed to see it because it might be his daughters’ future.
As for the Rayina of it all, she is getting more comfortable, and she and Bash are trying to navigate where they are now that they are back in each other’s lives.
They’re so much history, and they care about each other, but is that enough, after all the time apart and all that has changed?
Bash’s friend back home thinks Bash should go full steam ahead with the wedding. Mags might not feel the same. Sure, she said she was happy for him, but something tells me she might have something to keep her mind off work now.
So, what do you think, TV Fanatics?
Can we trust Dr. Novak?
For that matter, does Dr. Bishop, June, Mags, or Bash?
And what of the love triangle? Is there a Transplant wedding in our future?
Let us know in the comments, and remember you can watch Transplant online right here on TV Fanatic.
Leora W is a staff writer for TV Fanatic..
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