New Amsterdam Character Review: Karen Brantley

*For the foreseeable future, some Character Review posts may not be published every Thursday as they have in the past.

*Warning: This post contains spoilers about the characters from the television series New Amsterdam. Read at your own risk if you have not watched the show.

There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front of us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.

Managing a large organization is not easy. It requires negotiation, patience, and the ability to make tough decisions. But that does not mean that those decisions will always go over well.

On New Amsterdam, Karen Brantley (Debra Monk) is a wealthy businesswoman and the Chair of the Board of Directors at New Amsterdam Medical Center. Her business perspective often clashes with Medical Director Max Goodwin (Ryan Eggold). His point of view is that the patients come first and the business side of running the hospital comes second. Even if that means stepping out of the box. The problem with this is that Karen is often left cleaning up the mess of Max’s unorthodox choices.

But Karen is not all work and no play. When a impromptu memorial is put up in memory of those who were lost to drug abuse, Karen reveals a part of her life that no one knew up to that point. She includes an image of her daughter, who died from her addiction.

In a light-heartened moment that surprised both the audience and the characters, Karen receives a flirty text from Vijay Kapoor (Anupan Kher). She responds in kind.

To sum it up: A full character is one in which the audience sees the whole person and not just one aspect of their lives. A good writer knows how to slowly reveal who the character is outside of the initial introduction to the audience. The revelations of Karen Brantley outside of her role within the hospital gives both the audience and the other characters a chance to know her and have a complete understanding of her motivations.

Which is why she is a memorable character.

This will be the last New Amsterdam Character Review post. The next group of characters I will be reviewing are…will be revealed next week.

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New Amsterdam Character Review: Rohan Kapoor

*For the foreseeable future, some Character Review posts may not be published every Thursday as they have in the past.

*Warning: This post contains spoilers about the characters from the television series New Amsterdam. Read at your own risk if you have not watched the show.

There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front of us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.

One of the core aspects of being an adult is taking responsibility for your actions, good or bad. However, not every adult is willing or able to do that.

On New Amsterdam, Rohan Kapoor (Vandit Bhatt) is the estranged son of Vijay Kapoor (Anupam Kher). Their attempt at a brief reunion is complicated by Rohan’s romance with Ella (Deirdre Friel). That relationship ends when Rohan runs away, leaving his father flabbergasted and Ella pregnant.

To sum it up: Unfortunately, Rohan’s choices are nothing new. There are many people who may appear to be grown, but whose reaction are far from grown. As a character, Rohan stands out because his actions force his father and Ella together in ways that are unexpected.

That is why he is a memorable character.

New Amsterdam Character Review: Ella

*For the foreseeable future, some Character Review posts may not be published every Thursday as they have in the past.

*Warning: This post contains spoilers about the characters from the television series New Amsterdam. Read at your own risk if you have not watched the show.

There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front of us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.

Human beings were not meant to be alone. The need to be around others is built into the DNA of our species. We need each other if we are going to not just survive, but thrive.

On New Amsterdam, Ella (Dierdre Friel) is in a jam.

After briefly dating Rohan Kapoor (Vandit Bhatt), Ella has discovered that she is pregnant, but the father of her child is nowhere to be found. What makes her situation more complicated is that Rohan’s father is Vijay Kapoor (Anupam Kher). Ella and Vijay almost did the will they/wont they dance, but that ended when Ella started seeing Rohan.

Unable to support herself, Ella is about to leave New York. Knowing that if this happens, he may never see his grandchild, Vijay proposes that Ella move in with him. Though it takes sometime for them to work out the kinks in their unorthodox relationship, Ella and Vijay eventually meet in the middle. Which comes in handy when Ella reveals that she has OCD and Vijay is the one to help her relax.

To sum it up: As much as we may pretend that we can do it alone, the truth is that we can’t. In Ella’s situation, it would be easy to put up a wall and pretend that she does not need help. In accepting Vijay’s offer, she is not only willing to bring her guard down, she recognizes that their need for support and connection is mutual.

Which is why she is a memorable character.

New Amsterdam Character Review: Vijay Kapoor

*For the foreseeable future, some Character Review posts may not be published every Thursday as they have in the past.

*Warning: This post contains spoilers about the characters from the television series New Amsterdam. Read at your own risk if you have not watched the show.

There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front of us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.

Life gets busy. We have work, we have school, we have families, etc. But what happens when one dominates the other and we begin to lose touch with what is important? On New Amsterdam, Vijay Kapoor (Anupam Kher), is the head of Neurology. Though he is a respected member of his field, his personal life is as much of a mess as his professional life is clean.

A widower with a grown son, Vijay has not had a relationship with Rohan (Vandit Bhatt) since his late wife’s passing. After plunging himself into work, Vijay tries to rebuild his relationship with his son. But even with all of the effort he puts in, the tentative new bond with his son fades. But there is one thing that will always keep the door open.

His son has a brief relationship with Ella (Dierdre Friel), who works in the hospital cafeteria. Ella is pregnant, but Rohan is nowhere to be found. Though his attempted romantic relationship with Ella died on the vine, Vijay recognizes the opportunity he has with his future grandchild. When her finances begin to run dry, Ella takes him up on his offer to move in together. They have some initial issues (as new roommates sometimes do), but in the end, Ella and Vijay come together, knowing that a new life will soon come into the world.

To sum it up: Ideally, we would all be able to maintain a work/life balance. But that is not always possible. Especially when emotions and complicated family dynamics come unto play. A man like Vijay would find it easy to bury himself in work and use it to mask his personal problems. But the fact that he is willing to face his past and learn from it shows that he is capable of moving forward.

That makes him a memorable character.