Jocko Sims Previews ‘New Amsterdam’s Fall Finale: ‘No One’s Quite Safe’
Q&A
New Amsterdam is going to Rikers Island in the fall finale.
And if you’re just getting over the devastation of the Season 1 finale and the tragedy that befell Max (Ryan Eggold), brace yourself. “Much like the season finale, in this fall finale and the episodes after, people are in jeopardy and no one’s quite safe,” Jocko Sims told TV Insider.
But at least there’s good news, like an upcoming wedding for Reynolds (Sims) and Evie (Margot Bingham)… right? Hopefully. First, they have to navigate the struggle of long-distance and another significant relationship in both of their lives.
Here, Sims previews “The Island” and discusses Reynolds’ relationships with Evie and Bloom (Janet Montgomery).
What can you preview about what brings the doctors to Rikers and the potential cliffhanger?
Jocko Sims: They shot that stuff at a prison here in New York, and I gotta tell you the stuff was so realistic. It was really tough. It was a difficult location to shoot in. There was a point where the producers didn’t even know how they were going to get it done. … They put their blood, sweat, and tears into this episode. The fans are really going to appreciate seeing it. There definitely is a cliffhanger.
Even though Reynolds isn’t going, will he be part of the resolution of the cliffhanger?
Reynolds will definitely be heavily involved in what happens in Episodes 9 and 10.
(Eric Liebowitz/NBC)
The logline for this episode teases that he “gets news that could change his life.” Is this news of a personal or professional nature?
It’s both. He’ll get some news in his personal life and it would affect his professional life.
How is Evie and Reynolds’ relationship going into this episode?
It is long-distance. It’s difficult. From a fan perspective, you see that the relationship with Bloom and Reynolds — or the potential for one or whatever Reynolds was going through and decided he wasn’t going to pursue that with her — fans keep bringing that up and they wanted that. Here, we see that this guy made a choice, he seems to be happy with the choice he made, except for she’s now never there.
With Evie and Reynolds, they’re planning a wedding, but they’re already married — to their careers. That’s definitely putting a strain on both their jobs and on the relationship itself.
Through that relationship, you get to see a softer side of Reynolds.
Reynolds is a softie for her. He’s madly in love with Evie, and he’s committed — to a point where he goes against his family, he proposes without a ring, he attempts to maintain this long-distance relationship, he starts to plan a wedding on his own. What appeals to me about his relationship with Evie is his commitment to the relationship and to keep it moving forward.
(Virginia Sherwood/NBC)
We saw Reynolds be there for Bloom in the last episode, and now we’re going to see her struggling with her recovery. What is Reynolds seeing in her at the moment and will we continue to see him by her side?
He’s always had a soft spot for her. When she’s like, “go away,” he obviously doesn’t listen. She’s going under the knife, and they put her under, he’s right there by her side and she doesn’t even know. He even tells her surgeon, “don’t tell Bloom I was here.” I love that line because he says, “you don’t want her to know you care.” “No, no, she knows I care, she just doesn’t like it when I do.” Then he shows up at the end. I foresee that he would always be by her side and never abandon her as a friend.
Reynolds had a bit of a problem with Duke (Ian Duff) in the last episode, and it’s clear that Duke still has a long way to go. Is Reynolds starting to regret giving him a second chance?
That’s the fragility of the healthcare industry. Of course in this country, we already have enough problems to deal with in our healthcare system, as far as the bureaucratic hurdles, to say the least.
It’s so fragile because you have these young people who are coming in [and] along with youth comes mistakes, comes inexperience. Those are the opposite types of words you want to think of when you think of yourself being in a position of needing healthcare. You don’t want inexperience, you don’t want mistakes, but the only way that you’re going to have those doctors who are great is that they make those mistakes and they go in and they [gain] experience.
Reynolds as a result of that alone is stuck. It’s ultimately going to be more about Duke than Reynolds’ view of Duke. Duke’s going to have to make a decision if he is willing to commit to his life to moving forward with this career path, with this career choice.
Helen’s in a bit of trouble after last week’s episode and her arrest. What can you preview about what’s next and will we see the other doctors getting involved?
She’s in a little trouble. Much like Reynolds is there for Bloom, we’re all there for each other. It’s going to get a little complicated and sticky.
(Virginia Sherwood/NBC)
A couple episodes ago, we saw Reynolds text Evie that he wants to invite his father to the wedding. Might we be getting an episode with the entire Reynolds family this season?
At the very least, there have been some talks and plans of a wedding. You go in with a plan at the beginning of the season, and that changes. I don’t know where we’ll end up, but either way, it’s going to be entertaining when it comes to Reynolds and Evie.
New Amsterdam, Tuesdays, 10/9c, NBC
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