The third season of New Amsterdam is nearly at an end, but there are still plenty of stories that could use at least a little bit of resolution for fans facing a hiatus. Season 3 has been building on the dynamic between Max and Helen in particular in recent episodes, climaxing with a decontamination shower scene that really took them past a point of no return. Fortunately, stars Ryan Eggold and Freema Agyeman have opened up about what to expect next from Max and Helen heading into the June 8 finale.
Ryan Eggold and Freema Agyeman spoke with CinemaBlend and other outlets ahead of the June 8 finale of New Amsterdam Season 3. The finale will pick up after an episode that seemingly wrapped some of their biggest conflicts of the season, with Helen and Mina coming to finally understand each other and Max taking a stand against his in-laws when it comes to Luna. What the characters didn't address was their intense exchange after the shower, but that doesn't mean everything is going to remain unsaid.
When asked what kind of obstacles Max and Helen are still facing heading into the finale, called "Death Begins In Radiology," Ryan Eggold previewed:
This show often deals with social issues and these bigger themes. And this finale episode is really about the personal. It's really about the characters. And so, as you said, I think there were a lot of storylines that we've been struggling with the whole season that were sort of getting wrapped up in a sense, or at least sort of for now. And there are those lingering deeper questions within the characters' minds or hearts, in their own lives, in their relationship to other people, or in their relationship to themselves that I think is really what we delve into in the finale. And [executive producers] David [Schulner] and Peter [Horton] structured it in this really cool way where each character is sort of devoted their own act. So each chunk just lives with one character and really dives into their world, what they're thinking and feeling. Yeah, it's a lot of personal battles, I think, in the final episode.
The "personal battles" aren't finished just because Max and Helen made some progress with Luna and Mina. Coming at the end of a season that started with fear and heartbreak and guilt due to their work at the hospital during the height of the pandemic in New York, characters having some "lingering" questions heading into the finale isn't too surprising! Based on Ryan Eggold's comments, the structure of the finale will shed some light on where Max and Helen stand with each other, while also showcasing other characters in their own acts.
Whether they get their acts together in the finale to finally confess their feelings or at least make an overt move toward each other remains to be seen. Fans are undoubtedly dying for some developments on the Sharpwin front after New Amsterdam held off on anything too big in the penultimate episode, even though it followed the big shower episode. Freema Agyeman opened up about what fans could see next for Max and Helen now that there's no turning back:
With the stuff that's going on with Luna and the stuff that's going on with Mina, they've both been embroiled in a lot of family drama at the moment and I think that they obviously have their feelings for each other and want that to go ahead, but sometimes, other things in life just kind of take precedence. And I think family is definitely one of those things in the category where you could say, 'I can put my own feelings on a back-burner for a minute.' I mean, few things would make me go, 'I'm going to put the brakes on,' but family would probably be one of them just because I think it helps to, if you're in a funk and there's so much going on that... these characters are trying to work out who they are and I think we often can work out who we are reflexively in terms of the people around us and in context to our loved ones and how we are with other people.
The arrival of Mina completely turned Helen's life upside down, and for all of her brilliance as a doctor, Helen had some learning to do about caring for a teenager mourning everything she lost and had to leave behind. Mina also didn't really have anywhere else to go, so it was only natural that she become Helen's priority. Besides, Max was already constantly busy before Georgia's parents decided to complicate things even further by seeking custody of their granddaughter. Now that those stories are settled a bit, could Helen and Max work out who they are together as well as individually? Freema Agyeman continued:
And I think that Sharpe is very... like, there's a layer around there, a force field a little bit, and I think Mina is chipping away at that which might lead to her being a little bit more effusive because I don't think she would ever initiate anything with Max. So then Max has to go through his stuff before he has the courage to initiate anything with her. So I don't know, I think it's a convoluted way of saying they have stuff to deal with. Maybe when they clear that out the way they can see each other clearly.
The good ship Sharpwin comes with plenty of room for baggage! Helen made some strides in opening up this season, starting with her brief relationship with Daniel Dae Kim's Dr. Cassian Shin, and then of course Mina, but Freema Agyeman is of the mindset that Helen would never make the first move to initiate something with Max. The ball is in Max's court.
Still, things rarely go 100% according to plan when it comes to the doctors of New Amsterdam, so it's hard to say with any certainty how much the show will deliver in the Season 3 finale. Ryan Eggold shared his perspective on the idea of New Amsterdam not really acknowledging everything that changed after the shower episode with the penultimate installment, saying:
Well, it's funny, I had a similar thought, actually. I just watched the most recent episode last night, and I had a similar thought. Like, that shower business should have been in that episode, and vice versa. But I think it was also nice to see, Freema had the line. 'Everything's a fight. Even us.' That moment on the roof, which was not a huge step forward in the development of their relationship. It was just nice to see them acknowledging something between them for the first time since the whole season. And regarding the finale, yeah, there's some really great stuff between them. I mean, what do you say? It's time. I think they both know that it's time to look whatever it is in the face, whatever it means. Whether it means they love each other, hate each other, are buddies, or are going to move to Bali and start a commune, that could happen too. Whatever it is between them that is unspoken needs to be spoken, and it will be. It's coming.
I'm going to go ahead and guess that New Amsterdam isn't going to end Season 3 on the reveal of Max and Helen moving to Bali with plans for their commune, but it's easy to imagine the show going in a number of different directions with them. After all, it's pretty clear that they love each other – it's just a question of how they love each other, and whether those feelings are worth changing their entire friendship. However it all goes down, at least Ryan Eggold promised some "really great stuff" between the characters!
See what New Amsterdam has in store for Max and Helen in the Season 3 finale, airing on Tuesday, June 8 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC. New Amsterdam was renewed for a whopping three more seasons last year, so the show is guaranteed to continue through to at least Season 5. Fans will find out what happens following however the finale ends; they'll just have to wait out a hiatus beforehand.
To help pass the time during the wait for New Amsterdam Season 4, be sure to check out our 2021 summer TV premiere schedule for some viewing options.
