How 'The Resident' Season 5 Premiere Dealt With Emily VanCamp Leaving
The Resident lost a major character this year as Nic Nevin actor Emily VanCamp announced she was moving onto new projects (including possibly a much bigger role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe).
In the Season 5, Episode 1 premiere, VanCamp did not appear, but the Fox show still featured her as a character. She 'appeared' via a call to her new husband Conrad Hawkins (played by Matt Czuchry), who was left alone with their baby for the first time.
With Nic not set to return to the Chastain Park Memorial, however, and the trailers and poster for the show hinting at upcoming tragedy for Conrad, it seems that The Resident is planning a sad end for VanCamp's character.
Here's how the show's Season 5 premiere dealt with VanCamp's absence, and everything we know about how the show intended to write off Nic.
Where was Nic in The Resident Season 5 premiere?
In Episode 1, titled "Da Da," Nic is at a spa retreat, getting some rest after a few months of being a new mom.
Though VanCamp does not appear in the episode, she did record some audio so that we hear her voice on the phone as she reassured Conrad about his first time being left alone with the baby.
By the end of the episode, she is on her way home from the spa, with her husband texting her to say he, "can't wait to see you tomorrow."
We know that the actor is not returning to the show, and so it seems unlikely that she will make it back to Atlanta – after all, the show would then have to explain why we never see her at the hospital and/or the home she shares with Conrad and baby Gigi.
How will The Resident write off Emily VanCamp?
In the trailer for Season 5, Episode 2, we see police arrive at Conrad's door to seemingly give him some sad news. The voiceover in this promo also suggests that the doctor's life is about to be turned upside down: "This season, lives change forever."
The poster for the season also features the caption "healing starts within" alongside an image of Conrad with his back to the camera. If that was not enough portent, Episode 1 was all about the unexpected loss of a family member.
This all seems to suggest that an accident is going to befall Nic on her way back into Atlanta.
In an interview with Deadline, Fox boss Michael Thorn teased of her exit: "The audience is going to be surprised and emotionally engaged with how we handle Emily's departure and the way that it affects all of the other characters."
He added to The Wrap, "As far as Emily's departure, what I will say is the writers have something planned for the first several episodes of the season."
Why is Emily VanCamp leaving The Resident?
News of the actor leaving the show broke days after she gave birth to daughter Iris. Prior to that, she had asked Fox to be let out of her contract in May following the end of Season 4.
VanCamp's decision to exit the show also came a few weeks after The Falcon and the Winter Soldier ended with hints that her character Sharon Carter will have a larger role in Season 2 – and in the MCU as a whole going forward.
The Resident Season 5 airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT on Fox.
