Ryan Eggold and Jocko Sims talk New Amsterdam season 3, Sharpwin and more
By Sabrina Reed
Attention, Dam Fam! This just in, we have a treat for you! FanSided’s own, Cody Schultz, sat down with Ryan Eggold and Jocko Sims–as part of an NBC press junket–to get the inside scoop on what to expect from New Amsterdam season 3 for their characters, Max Goodwin and Floyd Reynolds. We’re talking personal growth and romance, y’all. Yes, that means we got the goods on both Sharpwin and Evie/Reynolds (what’s their ship name, by the way?).
This season is set to shake up the ground for these two doctors and friends, in ways some fans have been waiting for and others will be surprised by. And, at least for Sims, this comes on the heels of an extended stay that wasn’t initial planned for in the original imagining of New Amsterdam season 3.
During the press junket, Sims said, “I was excited by that whole comeback. It was planned to just be a couple of episodes but because of the pandemic it turned into a very long time,” which explains Reynolds’ precarious footing now that the initial surprise of his return has worn off.
Not that Sims is complaining. In his words, “…it’s great to see [Reynolds] fumble a little bit.”
Ryan Eggold and Jocko Sims talk New Amsterdam season 3
His character, after all, is very put together. Reynolds is a man with a plan…or he was before settling back at New Amsterdam without his department and sans his former fiancée, Evie. Now, he’s figuring himself out and what direction his life is meant to take next.
If it were up to Sims, Reynolds would use this opportunity to “evolve a little bit more as a man. Make some decisions, stick to it,” and down the line start a family.
But for now, he says, “[Reynolds is] ready to work, be of assistance, and help as much as he can,” taking a moment to address his character’s guilt about not being at New Amsterdam during the COVID-19 surge. It’s a narrative beat Sims states that Reynolds has reflected on, moved past, and then refocused himself toward what he can do now that he’s there.
One person that Reynolds can lean on is Max. Their friendship is a relationship Eggold hopes to see more of on the show. He describes the bond between the two men as sincere and fun, touching on Max’s lack of real friendship at New Amsterdam.
Not discounting Sharpe, of course, but while she’s his confidante “and perhaps something other or more,” Reynolds is his buddy. He’s someone, as Eggold puts it, “[Max] can talk to when he’s having a crap day,” and vice versa as we saw in season 3, episode 4, “This is All I Need.”
Max’s story this season is no heavier than previous ones, but it’s also no less difficult. At the top of the season, we saw him declare to Sharpe that he’s going to build a better healthcare system for her, for Luna, and for everyone one else.
As always, those weren’t simply pretty words coming from Max’s mouth. He meant them, but Eggold thinks, “…going forward it might require more than, ‘How can I help?’ It might require taking a look at ‘How do we ensure that the next time something like this happens, we’re actually ready?'”
From not running out of supplies to providing care equally to everyone who needs it, this is what’s on Max’s mind, and it’s going to push him to grow as a character, too.
Max has always been characterized as a person who wants to help people but who doesn’t accept help easily himself. Usually, he has to be worn down before he admits that he can’t do something on his own, but Eggold teased that one of Max’s big lesson’s this season is learning not to do that.
As he says, “I think, if this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we need each other. We need help, we need people. We need to depend on each other,” and Max is internalizing that same lesson.
But New Amsterdam isn’t the only place where Max is going to struggle and grow. We can’t forget about his single father arc this season now that Ms. Luna is back in New York.
After months apart due to the pandemic, the father-daughter duo is finally reunited, but things aren’t going to be smooth sailing. Eggold teased that in an upcoming episode (he’s 90% sure it’s the seventh episode of the season), Max will be dealing with Luna troubles.
Eggold says:
"[Luna’s] teething, and she’s biting people. She’s getting kicked out of daycare. [Max] is having a bad day, and he’s trying to juggle everything that’s happening in the hospital. His wife is gone and he’s doing it alone. There’s a lot of humor, and there’s a lot of heartbreak. It’s really fun stuff figuring out how to be a dad and be a medical director at the same time."
For the Sharpwin inclined, this may be an opportunity for the pair to grow professionally together. Sharpe is Max’s deputy medical director. Her job is to be there when he can’t. If Max is realizing that he can’t do everything on his own, then he could lean on her.
At least, that’s what I’d be hoping for, though I may be jumping the gun considering episode 5 of this season, “Blood, Sweat, & Tears,” is set to knock Max for a loop in the Helen department.
Eggold spoke to Sharpwin’s relationship, saying, “There’s a certain degree of intimacy, of trust, of sharing secrets, of truths about ourselves [and] vulnerable moments,” and touched on “the will they-won’t they” aspect of their partnership.
In his words, “…seeing [Helen] with this handsome, talented surgeon, that Daniel Dae Kim plays, shakes some of that stuff up and makes you ask yourself, ‘What are we doing here?'”
So, he’s excited to be confronting what’s going on between Max and Sharpe. Honestly, we are, too. It’s about time! We certainly haven’t forgotten that almost-maybe love confession from Max last season when Sharpe finally admitted she gave up half her department to Castro for him and his cancer recovery.
Eggold also hopes he and Sims will get a scene with their characters commiserating over the state of their romantic lives. Sims agreed, stating, “Yeah, we need that,” co-signing on a desire for a scene we didn’t know we needed, too, until the co-stars talked about it.
This brings us to Evie. That’s right, Reynolds/Evie fans, Evie gave her ring back, but that doesn’t mean these two are over. According to Sims:
"You haven’t seen the last of Evie. It’s a long-distance relationship. It’s a relationship where the two people are married to their careers as well, and [there’s] going to be ups and downs. [Evie returning her ring] might be a low point in their relationship, but I will say it gets really interesting with Reynolds in the love department further down the line. He might be falling deeply, deeply in love with Evie…"
Sims also joked about the love connection being between him and Max, which has us hoping that the two actually do have more scenes highlighting their friendship in New Amsterdam season 3. In either case, there’s a lot to look forward to this season, and we can’t wait to see what happens next.
Catch you later, Dam Fam! We’re in for quite a ride.
Next. New Amsterdam season 3: Here’s what to expect. dark