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New Amsterdam Finale Makes Penultimate Episode Plot Twist Pointless

New Amsterdam Finale Makes Penultimate Episode Plot Twist Pointless
Image credit: NBC

The finale of New Amsterdam left fans with mixed emotions as they watched Dr. Max Goodwin say goodbye to both his job as medical director and his romance with Dr. Elizabeth Wilder.

In a shocking twist, Max announced that he would be leaving New Amsterdam to work for the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, with the promise to make his daughter Luna his top priority.

Many fans were disappointed to see Max and Elizabeth's relationship come to an abrupt end, with one fan stating, "I would have loved to see him and Elizabeth have more time; that seemed rushed."

Others, however, felt that it was a fitting end for the character, with one fan saying, "Okay guys, I finally got what I wanted to see, which was Max having his moment of reckoning and realizing that his kid should be a priority over his work and messed up love life."

The worst thing about that ending is that it makes the penultimate episode plot twist, where Max decided not to meet with Helen and instead showed up at Elizabeth's door, choosing her, somewhat pointless. With the season building up the Max and Elizabeth pairing, and Max finally choosing Elizabeth only to break up with her in the next episode, fans were left feeling unsatisfied.

The breakup itself is left somewhat unresolved: there's still a hint, a possibility that Max and Elizabeth would end up together. However, will they or won't they – that's a question the New Amsterdam showrunners deliberately chose not to answer.

"We actually filmed an answer. And then we were like, 'It's so much better for you to be asking that question, for you to be able to participate, to still have a want'," said executive producer David Schulner in an interview with HollywoodLife.