New Amsterdam Boss On Fall Finale's Surprise Return: 'We Wanted To Test Max's Feelings For Wilder'

Warning: The following contains major spoilers for Tuesday's New Amsterdam. Proceed at your own risk!

New Amsterdam's fall finale delivered on showrunner David Schulner's promise to TVLine that we hadn't seen the last of Freema Agyeman as Dr. Helen Sharpe.

The actress — who exited the NBC drama at the end of Season 4 but lent her voice to a breakup letter in the Season 5 opener — made an unexpectedly early return at the end of Tuesday's back-to-back episodes. (Raise your hand if you thought Helen wouldn't reappear until the series finale.)

Helen's appearance came at a crucial moment in the burgeoning relationship between her ex fiancé Max and his potential new love interest, Dr. Elizabeth Wilder. Needless to say, the shock of seeing Helen again, even just on a TV screen, will have big ramifications for Max's personal life.

"We knew we wanted to bring Helen Sharpe back to test Max's resolve. To test his feelings for Wilder. To test whether or not he's truly healed," showrunner David Schulner tells TVLine. "And we knew we wanted it to happen at the worst possible moment for him," when Elizabeth has finally changed her mind and come to Max to take the plunge, romantically.

Read on as we recap the episodes' biggest developments and get scoop from Schulner on what's in store when the series returns on Jan. 3. Then grade the fall finale via the poll below.

After she turned down the idea of going on a date with him last week, Max apologized to Elizabeth, while she suggested they act like it never happened. But Max could only do that for so long before he asked Elizabeth if he was wrong in thinking there was something between them. He was not, she assured him. Every time he looks at her with those eyes, she's a goner, she revealed. So why did she push him away? She wants him to really know her heart and soul, her thoughts and feelings, but she can't slow down for anyone who doesn't know her language, Elizabeth explained. So even though she feels there's something between them, she also feels the empty spaces between them with the language barrier.

Max being Max, he threw himself into his ASL lessons, even though Elizabeth told him not to do it for her. It wasn't until Elizabeth's mentor (guest star Marlee Matlin) offered her a job at the first medical school for the deaf and tried to convince her that she will never truly belong at New Amsterdam that Elizabeth started to realize just how wrong she'd been. When Elizabeth told Max about the job, he didn't try to change her mind about accepting it and instead explained that he wasn't learning ASL for her, but because of her. The lack was not with her, but with the hospital.

After that, Elizabeth turned down the job, telling her mentor that they see and hear her at New Amsterdam. She then rushed to catch Max. "Shut up and take me home," she signed. Max began to smile as his ears caught mention of Helen's name on the nearby TV. Both he and Elizabeth looked up at the screen in surprise as Helen appeared, representing the NHS's fight against cancer on a New York-based program.

Schulner confirms that "we will definitely see Helen in the next episode," but is mum on specifics, like whether there will be a face-to-face between Helen and Max.

The question now is, "Will [Max] run back to Sharpe? Will he double down on Wilder?" Schulner previews. "There are so many unanswered questions he has for Sharpe. Yet, at the same time, there's the promise of something new with Wilder. We're going to put Max through the ringer so whatever decision he makes is hard-earned."

As for Elizabeth, will that final moment change how she feels about Max and his readiness to move on to a new relationship? "It certainly will," Schulner says.

Following their mother's death, Lauren threatened to cut off Vanessa so she wouldn't be able to abuse drugs anymore. But Lauren got a nasty surprise when the lawyer announced that their mom left her estate to Vanessa, who later overdosed at a park across the street from New Amsterdam and ended up at the hospital. Lauren was convinced that Vanessa knew exactly what she was doing, going for maximum hurt to Lauren for leaving her. On top of that, Vanessa revealed to Lauren that she threw away an apology letter their mother wrote to Lauren, so mom died thinking Lauren hated her.

During an emotional moment by Vanessa's beside after another health scare, a tearful Lauren confessed to Floyd that part of her would be relieved if Vanessa never woke up. "Why can't I help her?" Lauren cried. An addict has to want help, Floyd replied. He then tried to convince Lauren that by leaving Vanessa when she was 18, Lauren was actually alive to help her sister.

When Vanessa did wake, Lauren wasn't there — but Floyd was. He handed Vanessa a card for Narcotics Anonymous and told her that Lauren would be there.

"I feel like Bloom, again, made a big and powerful and grown-up decision to not stay by her sister's side," Schulner says. "She was able to reframe the most impactful moment of her life and move forward from it. And the fallout is going to be exciting to watch."

Floyd's dad Horace made himself at home at his son's apartment, fixing (or breaking, depending on how you look at it) the faucet. Meanwhile, Floyd and Gabrielle were exchanging sexy texts, but they were ready to transition to in-person relations. When Horace accidentally saw their flirty messages, he realized it was time for him to move out now that he's in a good place with regards to his mental health. Horace then advised Floyd to pursue Gabrielle, who has repeatedly made it clear that will she be leaving town in a few weeks. So is Floyd setting himself up to get his heart broken?

"Floyd will indeed go for the girl. And there will indeed be heartache. But that doesn't mean that's the end of his story," Schulner teases.

After Iggy returned home and surprised Martin with a kiss, it certainly seemed like the couple was reuniting. There was even a cozy cuddle in bed with all the kids the next morning. But Martin later announced that they're not the same people anymore and can't wait for their problems to solve themselves, before declaring that it was time to finalize the divorce.

Schulner acknowledges that it seems like the marriage is officially over for Martin, and yet, "I don't think it is for Iggy," he says.