Max and Helen’s upcoming nuptials will be hit with a Level-5 crisis when an unexpected hurricane strikes New Amsterdam in Tuesday’s season finale (NBC, 10/9c).
“Obviously, no one was planning for this hurricane to hit. It was coming for the Carolinas and then changes directions pretty abruptly,” executive producer David Schulner previews. “So that’s really where everyone finds themselves, having to worry about something that, literally and figuratively, was not on their radar hours before.”
The storm also poses an unforeseen danger for Max’s fiancée Helen, who is on a plane traveling from London to New York for their wedding during most of the episode, Schulner reveals. “So the jeopardy on the ground is what’s happening in New Amsterdam. But because Helen is mid-Atlantic when the hurricane changes directions, there is some jeopardy in the air as well,” Schulner warns.
And how is Max dealing with his other half being mid-flight during the weather event? “Terribly! Horribly! It’s very anxiety-ridden,” Schulner says.
Read on as the EP talks Max and Helen’s future, teases what’s in store for Lauren/Leyla, Iggy/Martin and Reynolds, and hints at a cliffhanger ending.
TVLINE | Are they all external factors that Max and Helen are dealing with coming up to their wedding?
I don’t think there’s any internal factors from Max and Helen. At this point, I think it’s all external. The other couples are dealing with some pretty big internal stuff, however — Leyla and Bloom, and Iggy and Martin.
TVLINE | In the last episode, Max said to Helen, “You’re going to come home to New York” to get married, and I thought the use of the word “home” when referring to New York was kind of telling. Does he want them both to stay in New York, and what does that mean for her job in London, if so?
That’s for next season. This season, I think they’re just saying, “F–k it! Let’s just get married now. I don’t want to wait. I don’t want to deal with all the logistical stuff. I just want to commit,” and I think that’s where Max is coming from. Like, “We’ll figure the rest out. But I don’t want to wait another minute.”
TVLINE | Is Max having any second thoughts about not taking on the medical director job at New Amsterdam now that Veronica’s gone?
No, not at all. He’s just solely focused on Sharpe. I don’t think he has any second thoughts.
TVLINE | How will Lauren and Leyla sleeping together in the last episode, crossing that line change, their relationship?
That’s the big journey for them in the finale. And we’ll finally reveal where that relationship’s going to go by the end.
TVLINE | Now that Reynolds has found his dad, what is his next move in this finale?
Reynolds is on his way to confront his father when the hurricane hits. So it’s too late to back out now for him. This is something has been waiting his whole life to do. So when he finally gets to his father, a hurricane hits and his plans about reconciliation or confrontation, getting the answers he needs, are all thrown out the window by this.
TVLINE | Iggy came to a pretty big epiphany about Martin than in the last episode. Where does that leave them? Is that a good thing or a bad thing for them?
Whether Iggy’s right or wrong is what this episode is about for him. I know a lot of people were angry at Iggy for blaming Martin, and that Iggy’s mad at Iggy for blaming Martin. The whole episode is really about was he right or wrong?
TVLINE | How did knowing that next season is the last season shape your approach to this finale?
Let me think about when we found out… I’m hesitant to say it didn’t change anything, because I think the finale was already written. The finale is more reflective of [Episode] 401 than anything having to do with Season 5. You end where you begin. And so we wanted 401 to kind of set up this trajectory for Max and Sharpe, and this is clearly where it was leading to.
TVLINE | The theme of 401 was “more joy.” So does that mean fans will have something to be happy about at the end of this finale?
[Laughs] I don’t know. It’s so funny, I always hear that “more joy” thing as that’s what the characters want. That doesn’t mean I’m going to give it to anybody. But the characters are searching for joy, and it doesn’t come easy.
TVLINE | What kind of a cliffhanger are we in store for? How torturous is the wait going to be?
I can’t tell you that! [Laughs] Season 1, we got to do a great cliffhanger. Season 2 we were robbed of that because we didn’t get to finish filming our season because of COVID. Season 3 was Max and Sharpe finally getting together and us closing the door on the audience before they could see what happens next. So cliffhangers are something that we obviously love to do, and love to give our audience that kind of anticipation for next season, so you can definitely expect something.
