Seed Money

"Seed Money"

Season 4

Episode 4

Information

Airdate

October 12, 2021

Viewers

3.33 million

Written by

Erika Green Swafford

Directed by

Nestor Carbonell

Episode Chronology

Preceded by	Followed by
Same as It Ever Was	This Be the Verse

"Seed Money" is the fourth episode of the fourth season on NBC drama series New Amsterdam, and the fifty-eighth episode overall. It aired on October 12, 2021.

Synopsis[]

Max struggles with a new fiscal reality at the hospital. Dr. Sharpe is on a mission to provide follow-up cancer screenings for patients before it's too late. Bloom grapples with Dr. Shinwari's new overnight schedule. Reynolds has an intriguing conversation with Dr. Malvo about their future.

Plot[]

Max chases after Karen, begging her not to hire Dr. Veronica Fuentes as the new medical director of New Amsterdam. He feels she is ruthless, money-motivated, and lacks the “new Amsterdam” spirit. Max is not impressed with Veronica's reorganization of his office. Karen demands that he spend the next five weeks training her, but Max is adamant that this approach won't work. Karen shows them a generous donation from longtime owners that is worth 10 million dollars, and she wants them to agree on how to use it.

Lauren brings Leyla to the coffee and bagel in the linen closet, but finds Dr. Mark Walsh there instead. She sombrely eats the bagel as she walks into the ED, rearranging the schedule and having Leyla replace Mark. Meanwhile, Floyd is at the coffee truck with Lyn, joking with the woman serving them that she is not his wife but rather his lover in a polyamorous relationship. He kisses Lyn while expressing his inability to influence others' perceptions of their relationship.

Max confides in Helen, lamenting his symbiotic relationship with Veronica, dismissing her as a mere "corporate shill" in the dictionary. Helen perceives her as reticent, yet she effectively accomplishes her tasks, mocking Max for her intrusiveness as he frets about his limited time to make a lasting impact at the hospital. Helen gives him a kiss as she explains that she is making sure everything is in tip-top shape for the oncology department and rushes off, leaving Max frustrated.

Lauren pulls Dr. Iggy in to discuss how her relationship with Leyla is driving her insane, as she desperately needs her support. Iggy interrogates Lauren about her interactions with Leyla, cautioning her about the risky path she is taking, as Lauren acknowledges that Leyla has become her new addiction. He urges her to hash it out with her sponsor and focus on her triggers. She thanked him, saying he still has it if he wants to get back in the saddle.

Helen is shocked to discover that when she meets with a coworker who has been working in oncology for 15 years and has been ignoring her letter that encourages her to get scans on her breasts due to dense tissue, there are boxes of “patients” who have received these letters that the hospital has not followed up on. Their files are left in “limbo land.”.

Casey walks with Floyd, giving him an update on one of their newest ED patients, named Carrie, who is a gymnastics team member. She is having a very painful abdomen, and Floyd decides to take her for imaging, wondering if she has sickle cell disease, saying it is common among African Americans, but she stops him, insisting she is not black, causing him to look puzzled at the orderly.

Lauren and Max walk with Veronica while she apologises for having her bounced out of the ED; both Max and Veronica dispute who should be spoken to about the funding; suddenly, Iggy joins them, adding where he feels the money should go. Lyn and several other doctors come, and they are dropping ideas with Veronica as Max cuts them all off, reminding them they are doing it the New Amsterdam way, and Veronica finishes his sentence, saying it will be up to the community and where their needs need to be met. He mutters that this is exactly what he was going to say.

Max brings Iggy, Lauren, Veronica, and Casey out to the community and says this land may be their project, but the community is their focus, and they need to find out what they need. Domino interrupts them, saying he is from the neighborhood and offering them all water. Max explains who they are; Domino says he has been in this area his whole life, and whatever they need, he can help.

Lauren speaks to people, finding they need safer places for kids and people to gather. Iggy meets with the pastor from the First Christian Church of the Vall, and he learns they desperately want a homeless shelter as he and his wife were taking care of a fifth of the neighborhood. Casey helps at the laundrette, where he is told there is a huge line-up at the closest clinic, and it is a disaster; he finds several of the people have a bad cough there. Max walks with Veronica as they find 3 Chicken Clucks in 5 blocks, with him confronting her, saying he knows exactly who she is and she can’t fool him. Domino retrieves a chair for her, while his friends express their need for jobs, a gym, and even a strip club. When Max starts to limp, Domino tries to get him a chair. Meanwhile, one of his friends reveals that he has severe diabetes and his foot has been acting up for over a year. Max looks knowingly at Veronica.

Helen transports all the boxes onto a dolly and asks Dr. Kepner if he knows if any of their patients have received a vague letter indicating that they have dense breast tissue, and their mammogram may not be providing a complete picture. Helen says radiology is going to send them a full letter explaining what it really means. He is all for it, saying that insurance will be needed because it is a full diagnostic exam and insurance is required. Helen says, Sure, why draw a straight line when a crooked one is enough?

In the OR, Floyd discovers a stomach full of pills, leading them to conclude that Carrie was attempting suicide. When her parents arrive, they engage in a fight in front of the doctors. Carrie, aware of the situation, understands it's a lot to process, but Floyd believes a psychiatric evaluation is necessary. Carrie asserts that she was not attempting suicide or self-harm, to which Floyd responds, "I want to believe you, but this is not much to go on." She explains that the pills are “skin lighters,” and she wanted them to work faster, so she took a whole bunch. It is clear she wanted to look like her adopted parents, who are Caucasian.

Back at the empty lot, all the doctors are speaking at once to Veronica and Max about the community's needs; Max is deafeningly silent. Domino falls off his bike as he is riding past them; quickly, Lauren and Max find his foot is badly infected, and they are taking him to New Amsterdam. Max informs Veronica that the lack of healthy food options in the area contributes to the prevalence of chronic illnesses. Despite Veronica's doubts, Max reveals their plan to construct a grocery store. She shakes her head as Iggy welcomes her to the New Amsterdam!

Veronica and Max bicker, with him explaining how the government made it impossible for anyone but fast food joints to own any property in the area. She thinks putting a grocery store in an economically depressed area is the worst thing. He reveals that this is going to be a non-profit store, and this is not a joke; it is an opportunity to make a lasting difference in people’s lives. He says they are doing it. She stumps him and says they are not, as he says, “Watch me!”

Lauren attempts to clean Domino’s foot, but she quickly tells Casey to get the surgeon. She informs Domino that they cannot save his foot, and he is on his way to surgery, where they will amputate it. He is very distraught, causing her to lean on the door for a brief moment before she orders FDNY to go get Domino’s bike, and it better be in the ED by the time he wakes up. She is furious and orders her to go immediately.

Carrie’s parents tell her that her skin is beautiful, and they have always told her that being adopted chose her for who she is. When she is asked about where she got the pills, her sister says she probably got them on the internet. Floyd asks them to leave the room so he can do some tests. Once her parents leave, Floyd says he simply asked them to leave because it looked like she needed a break. He informs her that the way she is dealing with "race,” he still needs to order a psych veal. She knows she is of mixed race, and that is why she looks the way she does.

She expresses her dissatisfaction with her appearance only when it poses a problem, such as during family gatherings or dance events. She explains that during the changing process, she accidentally left her leggings in the van. Upon returning, one of the judges stopped her, making it impossible for her to join the dancing club. Her coach came out later and was mad at Carrie for taking so long. The lady only made a mistake, and it was no big deal, but it felt like one to her, and she simply wants to be like everyone else in her family.

Helen is pushing the boxes when one falls. She laments the fact that she is concerned about her legacy. She expresses her fondness for Max's ability to effortlessly handle challenges and move forward without hesitation. Iggy reminds her that in order for her to find out what she could have been if she wasn’t so terrified of the powers that would object, she needs to be that person who truly wants that legacy. She jumps up and tells Iggy, “It is time to make a big, messy mess!” leaving him to clean up the files on the floor.

Karen is objecting to Max's idea, leaving him stomping in the hallway as she tells him there will be no new hires, no new projects, and no grocery stores!

Lauren calls Leyla, saying she saw the census from the ED last night and is calling because she missed her. She admits she misses the smell of her fresh out of the shower, but before she can continue, the message hangs up. She continues, saying she can’t stand being away from her. Lauren looks out at the ED.

Iggy stops Floyd, who is destroying one of the vending machines, and explains Carrie's situation to Iggy. Iggy reminds Floyd that Carrie is only 13 years old, and that he is merely projecting his life experiences onto hers. She emphasizes that this is her journey, a time of personal struggle and boundary testing. She knows there is a difference in skin colour, explaining that she needs to be around another person of colour who can understand what she is going through and share experiences, but not him. Floyd feels a connection to his brother and walks away, while Iggy offers more assistance.

Karen pulls Helen away, insisting on a conversation. She is furious that Helen would email each of these women, claiming they may not have cancer. Karen asserts that they lack the necessary equipment to carry out this task, and Helen believes that they should dispatch scan vans immediately, without any delays or additional costs. Karen believes that this is a significant undertaking for her, given Helen's belief that she can initiate the process before her departure and hopes that her successor will prioritize it. Karen simply looks at her, suggesting that she is willing to accept more losses than wins, which leaves Helen in tears.

Veronica returns to the office and finds Max sitting in his chair, but the desk is still on her side. She explains that her hiring was based on her experience in building grocery stores, despite New Amsterdam currently experiencing a $21 million quarterly deficit. She believes that everything he has been doing for everyone else has been underserving his white patients, but there are many other things he can do. If money is all that matters to her, she should make the hospital private and close its doors to those who cannot afford it.

Max learns she has an offer for the property there from Chicken Cluck, as they want to build a factory on the lot. He insists he will not allow that to happen, but she slyly informs him that she won’t need his consent and that she will simply wait him out and then undo every programme he has built on very shaky ground, and it is all coming down. Max shares that all he did was want to create a place for people to heal in every sense of the word, and he feels he has been successful in that. Veronica says she has never, in her career, replaced a successful medical director.

Floyd tells Carrie's parents that she didn't suffer any long-term effects from the pills, but he would be amiss if he didn't address her identity situation. They believe they are not doing anything wrong, and they don't treat her any differently than the rest of her family. However, Floyd reminds them that she is very different, explains what happened at the dance tournament, and explains how Carrie was subjected to racial gaslighting by dismissive adults. Both parents believe Carrie can talk to them about anything and doesn't want to make mistakes, but Floyd believes they must make those mistakes and overcome their own discomfort for the sake of their daughter.

Domino is staring at his leg when Casey and Lauren arrive. They inform him that the ED has all his belongings, including a new set of ear buds. Lauren says he could have died on the streets, and they are going to help him recover. She gives She hands him a bag of seeds, encouraging him to plant them because his diabetes has gotten out of control and medication is only a temporary solution. She also emphasizes that he needs to change his eating habits. nges him as Casey and Lauren encourage him to plant vegetables on the land while everyone fights over land permits; Domino thanks them for the opportunity.

Lauren and Casey return to the ED, and she moves Mark and Leyla around again, with him yelling at Lauren, saying he made plans.

Max comes to see Iggy, wondering if they were doing the whole therapy thing. Iggy takes a seat on the couch while Max struggles to articulate his thoughts, questioning whether he could have caused the hospital's destruction. Iggy says there is no way he did it, and he wants to know why he would think that. In the meantime, Floyd tells Lyn she needs to go as they are playing by the rules; she thinks that since they are playing by the rules, she needs to tell Claude as she has fallen in love with Floyd.

Lauren pulls back her blanket to crawl into bed and finds Leyla’s t-shirt and a note that says, “I’m right here!”

Max feels Helen nailed it, but she is furious that this is not the legacy she had in mind. Max believes his legacy will be as the medical director who nearly bankrupted the public hospital. They both laugh, but Max frets over how Veronica is going to sell the place for parts until there is nothing left. Helen mentions that they still have five weeks left, and they both smile at each other. Max asks her if she wants to get into trouble, and she responds, "How much trouble?"