The jury was out on Dr. Novak after Transplant Season 2 Episode 2, but after Transplant Season 2 Episode 3, the votes are in, and it is official: we hate that guy!
It’s hard to say which was worse: The way Dr. Novak went after Dr. Bishop, how he tried to manipulate/threaten Bash, or how he made Mags doubt herself. Add all these together, and I think we can agree that Dr. Novak is a total tool,
Let’s start with Mags. Poor, poor Mags. Dr. Novak won’t stop being a jerk to her, and there’s no apparent reason behind his ire. She has to deal with a dead mouse and a live rat.
Mags goes above and beyond for her patients. Yes, she’s a perfectionist, and yes, she craves approval, but she also genuinely cares about her patients.
She knows what it’s like to be on the other side due to her medical condition, and she prioritizes their health and comfort.
She often feels that nobody takes her seriously, and Dr. Novak is chipping away at her sense of self-worth.
When she told her sister (who it was lovely to meet) how hard it was when someone is offended by everything that makes you who you are, my heart went out to her. Poor Mags. For those keeping track, I am not shipping them anymore.
Camille: Since when can you not handle a boss?
Mags: Let’s just say he’s not charmed by me.
Camille: I know how much you need to be top of your class –
Mags: It’s just, you know when the entire essence of your being offends someone, It’s kind of hard not to start believing it, you know?
Then, we have the medical review, where Dr. Novak openly accused Dr. Bishop of knowing he was not fit to operate and operating anyway.
He posited that others were keeping quiet due to fear, but it wasn’t about fear. It was about trust and admiration.
Everybody loves Dr. Bishop, and they know how skilled he is as a doctor. They would all lay it on the line for him, especially Bash.
Bash was trying too hard to defend Dr. Bishop, which is the exact opposite of what Dr. Bishop wants.
Dr. Novak: What are the odds this was the first time he presented the symptom, and no one on his team raised any objection to him practicing? I mean, we’re not a shy bunch; why not speak up? People fear repercussions. Was there a culture of fear in our emergency department?
Bash: That’s not what happened. The Attending, and everyone knows you mean Dr. Bishop, fosters an environment of open communication. As the aforementioned Resident, in this case, I can confirm that he invites us to push back.
Dr. Novak: Then why didn’t you? How was it that a staff of fully-trained physicians who diagnose patients that they’ve just met every day couldn’t spot even the tiniest indication that something was wrong with him?
Dr. Malone: Because he was hiding it. He knew he wasn’t recovering properly from his head injury, though he didn’t know how bad it was, but that lack of judgment was his. No one else’s.
Dr. Bishop’s left-hand function doesn’t seem to be returning. If he doubts he’ll be able to operate again, Dr. Novak might be taking over for him permanently.
As much as that breaks his heart, he still wants to look out for Bash, who he owes for saving his life, and who he trusts and cares about.
Dr. Bishop knows Bash is a good doctor. He also knows how hard it is for Bash to get employment, given his lack of official records.
If he can’t operate, he can’t be in charge anymore. That means he can no longer protect Bash. He wants to make sure someone will.
Dr. Bishop: I told you this was not your fight!
Bash: I know. It’s yours. So why won’t you fight it?
Dr. Bishop is such a good guy, trying to do a good thing, but he’s also so scared about losing his ability to operate. You can see it in his eyes. The frustration and terror are palpable. He’s almost resigned to his fate, which is tragic.
Bash wants Dr. Bishop to fight, but Dr. Bishop sees the battle differently than Bash. If he can’t operate, it doesn’t matter what Dr. Novak does. He still can’t return to his former position.
Meanwhile, Dr. Novak is offering to rescue Bash from the big bad Bishop, thinking Bash’s loyalty is misplaced, born out of desperation and gratitude. He’s not wrong.
However, Dr. Bishop was and is excellent at what he does. It isn’t just how he operates. It’s how he teaches the residents. He connects with them, respects them, and brings out their best. Everybody in the hospital loves him, except for Dr. Novak.
Dr. Novak: Human fallibility, so, in other words, it’s pretty dull from a clinical perspective.
Dr. Atwater: Why then, Dr. Novak, did you want us taking up this case today?
Dr. Novak: You’re asking the right question, Wendy. We know how it happened, but not why, and when you tug at that particular thread, things get interesting. Systemic failure of leadership, lead to this entirely preventable incident.
Dr. Novak implied a potentially messy history between himself and Dr. Bishop, and this wasn’t the first time. He assumed it was fear that motivated people to follow Dr. Bishop, and he seems to be speaking from experience.
He also told Bash that he knows what it’s like to seek Dr. Bishop’s approval. There have been a lot of remarks like that.
This isn’t just a case of Dr. Novak wanting the job; this is personal. Something went down between Novak and Bishop back when Novak was a resident, and Novak holds a grudge. Now he’s a man on a mission, and we hate him for it.
The only person Novak had a relatively good relationship with at the hospital was June, as e helped her career. However, she is just as loyal to Dr. Bishop as anyone else, and he misjudges her if he thinks he can buy her off.
June: Did he really say all that stuff about Bishop?
Dr. Atwater: I just hate that man.
Speaking of June, she got promoted; she’s officially Chief Resident. Yea! Good for her.
I’m happy for June, but I felt like her plot didn’t fit this installment. Her promotion and transition to the new role should have been the central focus of an episode, but here, it just felt like an afterthought.
She didn’t interact significantly with any of the other leads (except an adorable hug between her and Mags), and she wasn’t working on any of the highlighted cases of the hour.
We saw her deal with some insecurities and some screw-ups. She knows those who work under her resent/don’t like her, so she tries to do everything on her own, which backfires. It’s not a bad plot, but not one that stood out.
They could have done more. It might have been a good idea to leave her promotion for a future episode where it had more of a chance to take center stage because it was relatively forgettable here, and June deserves better.
Theo’s plot didn’t have much to do with the Dr. Novak drama, but it was still significant and enjoyable. Mel left him, which we all knew was coming. While this was expected, it was still sad.
If that had been it for his plot, I would have said it was a waste like June’s plot. However, the writing team did an excellent job tying his patient into his current situation. His patient’s father was not in the picture, and the mom was haggard.
Little Eamonn has a heart problem caused by a dental abscess. It could have been prevented with an earlier trip to the dentist, but Poor Eamonn’s mother couldn’t afford that without taking money from her ex.
Christie: You think I’m a bad mom for leaving it so long.
Theo: I never meant to imply …
Christie: Maybe not but you did. Look. Eamonn’s dad was abusive and, uh, about 6 months ago it got really bad, so we got out. And I don’t want him to know where we are. Ever. But that also means not taking his money, so that means Eamonn has to live with less because I can’t give him everything he needs. And now my little boy’s heart … please help him.
She judges herself for not being able to provide, and she worries that she hurt her son.
Theo is the sweetest teddy bear, but his current situation had him looking at a mom keeping her ex out of their kid’s life with some judgment. He fears that will be his future because he knows what’s coming with him and Mel deep down.
Eamonn’s mom said him straight. Her ex was abusive. That’s why they had to get out. She would never put pride over her kid, but having her ex in their lives would be unsafe and toxic.
That isn’t Theo’s future. He’s a good dad who loves his kids, and Mel knows that. She said he could still be a good dad. He just can’t be her husband because she can’t live like that anymore. It’s too hard.
Melissa: I’m not happy, Theo.
Theo: No, Mel. I can fix that. I know I can.
Melissa: You can’t. Because when you chose this, you didn’t choose me.
It was predictable and fair, but our hearts go out to Theo and Mel, as well as Eamonn and his mom. Eamonn, thankfully, will be fine. His mom and Theo bond over regretting decisions, which was a very poignant scene.
Circling back around to Bash, while his career is a little at risk right now, his love life took quite a leap. He asked Raniya to move in with him, and they hooked up.
It was a lovely scene, but it’s unclear if Bash did that because he wants to be with Raniya or because he doesn’t want her living with a bunch of strangers in a lousy neighborhood.
Bash likes to save people. He spent years thinking he couldn’t save Raniya. Now she’s here, and he can. That’s not the same as wanting to live with her and be with her because he loves her. We’ll have to wait and see what happens on that front.
Camille: How’s work, dead rodents aside?
Mags: I’ll take a dead mouse over my new boss. According to him, everything I do is wrong.
Camille: But you’re always right, look ah, ah, ah. Just do things your own way. Who cares?
What do you think, Fanatics? Do you hate Dr. Novak as much as we do? Do you want a storyline more June-centric going forward? Do you believe Bash should have moved in Raniya?
Let us know in the comments, and remember, you can watch Transplant online at TV Fanatic.
Transplant airs at 10/9 on Sundays on NBC.
Leora W is a staff writer for TV Fanatic..