Spoilers ahead for Episode 7 of The Resident Season 6, called “The Chimera.”
The Resident tackled some of the most dramatic cases of the sixth season so far in “The Chimera,” with one ending in heartbreaking tragedy and the other leading to a man on death row being exonerated after nearly two decades behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit. Between all of the medical twists, Conrad and Billie (and by extension Cade) were dealing with the aftermath of their sweet moment at Kit and Bell’s wedding. It now seems that the medical drama may be giving Billie the love interest she deserves… and it's not Conrad!
As somebody who has been more Team Billie than Team Cade, I was almost surprised by how happy I was to see Billie not only being asked out by the new cardiologist, but accepting. Newcomer James Yamada asked her out to a restaurant so exclusive that it’s “harder than getting tickets to the Super Bowl.” She clearly had her reservations (with Conrad looking on), but accepted as soon as James asked if she had something going on with Dr. Hawkins.
She wasn’t exactly overflowing with confidence in her decision after accepting, and seemed to feel pretty awkward when James suggested going for drinks before dinner in front of Conrad and A.J., but she was all set for the date, and I would say that that’s a good thing. While there’s no guarantee that James will be a love interest for very long and it was clear that she still has feelings for Conrad, she deserves to have somebody showing interest in her, and to have a chance to be happy rather than just pining for a man in a relationship with another woman. Plus, she had a pretty hellish Season 5, so she deserves a break from all the heaviness!
She and Conrad were surprisingly candid with each other about their confusion following their intimate dance at the wedding (which you can revisit streaming with a Hulu subscription), with Billie stating that she was no longer confused after Conrad said that he and Cade were happy together. (Cade wasn’t too happy in “The Chimera,” though.) It is worth noting that Conrad wasn’t jumping for joy at seeing James cozy up to Billie, and his comment after A.J asked if he was cool with them together was simply that “she could do better.” A.J. seemed satisfied with that, which is saying something since he’s been the #1 supporter of Team Billie!
On the whole, James asking Billie out could be the start of something new for her… or just a sign that she’s ready to move forward in life rather than wishing that she could be with her friend who says that he’s happy in his relationship with another woman. Dwelling on her feelings for Conrad wasn’t going to do her any good; maybe stepping back into the dating pool will be a positive for her. I know I was happy to see her make that step. Whatever happens next, she’s not just waiting around. If something happens between her and Conrad, it might be up to him to be proactive about it.
All of this said, I hope that Cade gets to be proactive too, whatever her future with Conrad looks like. She’s a great character who's already dealing with enough with her father and his drug issues without any extra stress. We’ll just have to wait and see if James becomes Billie’s love interest beyond just “The Chimera,” and how that affects other characters. Tune in to Fox on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET for new episodes of The Resident in what remains of the 2022 TV schedule. If you’re ready to start planning ahead for TV in the new year (including when The Resident returns), check out our 2023 premiere schedule.
