Did Helen get her voice back in New Amsterdam?

New Amsterdam Season 4, Episode 18 saw Helen Sharpe struggle with the loss of her voice. Did she manage to get it back by the end of the episode?

Caution: There are spoilers from New Amsterdam Season 4, Episode 18 in this post.

At the end of the previous episode, we found out that Helen suffered a massive stroke during emergency surgery. She woke up unable to speak. She knew what she wanted to say, but she couldn’t make her voice sound out the words.

I just want to say that Freema Agyeman was outstanding during New Amsterdam Season 4, Episode 18. She captured so much with just her facial expressions, and it couldn’t have been easy having to struggle to say words. It felt like we were there with her frustrations and fears of never being able to speak again.

During one of her speech therapy sessions, her therapist suggested that she get Max to come with her. There is a good chance of Helen getting her voice back, and previous patients found that having partners there for support helped them. However, Helen wasn’t too sure about that. When Max found out, he was going to be there, but Helen didn’t want him around.

Helen gets her voice back in New Amsterdam

In the end, Max wouldn’t give up. He could see Helen, and he wanted to be there in sickness and in health. These are the promises he is going to make when it comes to marriage, and he will be there every step of the way with recovery. He will even make speech therapy at home fun.

And so, at the very end, he encourages Helen to say the phrase her speech therapist is working on. “No ifs, ands, or buts.” Once Helen can say this, the words will start to flow back. At least, that’s what the therapist says.

By the end of the episode, Max helps Helen say the words. He does make it fun, even when she struggles at first. And as she gets the phrase right, he celebrates it and keeps her going. She manages to say the phrase successfully a few times before the episode ends. It looks like Helen’s voice is coming back, especially based on the promo for the new episode.

In a way, it’s disappointing that Helen got her voice back right away. There could have been an excellent storyline in Helen focusing on therapy for a couple of episodes. I’m sure we’ll see that she isn’t suddenly just back to normal, but this whole thing felt rushed. However, I am glad to see we should have the same Helen and Max for the final season of New Amsterdam.

What did you think of Helen’s recovery process in New Amsterdam? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

New Amsterdam airs on Tuesdays at 10/9c on NBC. Catch up the following day on Hulu and Peacock.