Chicago Med
Chicago Med Review – Crockett and Natalie Taken Hostage and Held at Gunpoint (5×16)
Alright, hear me out, Natalie and Crockett as hostages would’ve made for a good crossover episode. Right?
In a way, it sort of was a mini-crossover as Jay Halstead led the charge to find the two abducted doctor’s and bring them to safety on Chicago Med.
Their storyline consumed much of the hour and rightfully so as it was the storyline I was mostly invested in before being completely let down by the lack of cohesiveness. I’ll get to that in a moment.
Natalie and Crockett have been working pretty closely together lately, and some sparks were flying as she began to realize that he’s a thorough and compassionate doctor. His reputation precedes him, but once you get to know Crockett, you see a different side of him.
If Natalie wasn’t considering a relationship prior to this episode, the thought crossed her mind when she found out he was safe and latched onto him. The two of them are going to share a trauma bond, which may explain why she wanted to run back into the house after she heard the gunshot go off and why she held onto him for dear life when she saw he survived, but I think there are some genuine feelings there.
Crockett has been talked up as a player who “gets around” as the watercooler talk between the nurses indicated, but again, I think we haven’t dived into the character enough or his backstory. There was one shot in a previous episode where he felt the weight of losing a child and tried to drink those emotions away, so there must be something darker fueling him.
He’s also exceptionally skilled at staying calm in stressful situations. He remained composed the whole time they were held captive and despite his fear, he made sure to keep Nat safe, which says a lot about him.
The situation the doctors found themselves in was dangerous and not ideal, but there was never any doubt that their friends at Med and PD would come to their rescue. Unless you’re willing to kill off major characters every episode, there’s only so much suspense each scene can bring to the table.
I thought that the episode would focus more on April finding out that Crockett was kidnapped and realizing that she cared more about him then her feelings let on, especially once she found out that he may have been shot inside the house.
Aside from being at the scene when Crockett was released, there was no interaction between the two of them and it felt like such a missed opportunity given how the writers have been building up their relationship and April’s guilt.
Instead, April’s guilt was funneled into agreeing to implant the next round of embryos so she could try for a child with Ethan.
She’s been trying to ease her guilt by being the perfect woman — the woman she thinks he wants — and it’s only going to lead to disaster.
The teaser for the upcoming episode shows April falling incredibly sick and finally admitting the lie that she’s been harboring. Will it break up April and Choi? My guess is that he’ll be disappointed and betrayed that she kept this lie from him for so long and tried to pretend everything was okay.
CHICAGO MED — “Who Should Be The Judge” Episode 516 — Pictured: (l-r) Dominic Rains as Dr. Crockett Marcel, Torrey DeVitto as Dr. Natalie Manning — (Photo by: Elizabeth Sisson/NBC)Chica
While Natalie and Crockett’s kidnapping was intense and engaging (and likely necessary to make them a romantic pairing), the motivations from the Clemons brothers were a little hazy.
The scene with his mother was just plain weird. His brother just left after they stopped his leg from bleeding, and if Tyler didn’t want them to help his dying son, who we learned was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, why did he even bring them back to the house? What did he plan on doing with them?
Why put them through all that stress if he was so willing to shoot himself.
None of it really made all that much sense, and it was unfortunate because it took away from a storyline that could’ve been truly great.
Will Halstead’s crap decisions continued as he visited Hannah in her rehab. Will disregarded the rule that visitors should wait 48 hours because it’s Will and was appalled to see her suffering. Apparently, doctors who go through withdrawal are not allowed to ease off drugs using other drugs, and that felt inhumane to Will, so he, again, disregarded the rules and took it upon himself to help Hannah.
You’d think that rules are there for a reason, but even if we were to agree with Will that the rules suck, it still doesn’t excuse his trash idea of coming to visit Hannah mid-withdrawal and offering her pills.
Even Hannah knew it was a bad idea because she basically freaked out, threw the drugs, and told him to go. She also made a valid point — he put her in there to get off the drugs and now he was trying to sabotage her recovery by giving her drugs.
His intentions may have been in the right place, but Will’s an airhead most of the time. If Hannah had taken the drugs and they were found in her system, she would’ve lost her license for good. Honestly, Will’s gotten in way over his head here cause he clearly doesn’t know anything about dealing with addicts.
The teaser for next week shows Hannah back at work and doing much better, but of course, Will takes any opportunity to make a dumb decision and asks her out on a date. The guy just can’t help himself.
Next week is also the 100th episode of the series, so they have to bring out all the drama (courtesy of Will, April, and Choi) and the big guns like Maggie’s wedding.
You might be like, “say what, Maggie’s wedding,” but yes, Maggie and Ben are engaged.
It may be quick, but it was a spur-of-the-moment decision that came after Maggie learned that she’s officially in remission!
When you’ve gone through something as serious as cancer and then learn that you’ve got another shot at life, life kind of takes on a whole new meaning.
You tend to feel the finality of life and want to make the most of it, which is what Maggie and Ben are doing. They may both be in remission, but if I know anything about this show is that it doesn’t let its characters be happy for too long.
Even when she got the good news and then they got engaged, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
So, if they’re embracing the “life’s short, so why not” attitude, so am I.
And Maggie deserves every ounce of that happiness! She’s been the rock of Med, the best friend and support system, and the one who always puts others ahead of herself. It’s her time to shine!
Other Med Musings
- Family the most important. April and Choi saw that firsthand when a woman who was in dire need of a liver transplant lied to another woman about being her biological daughter. She and her friend basically scouted someone who was an organ match. The crazier part was that the woman knew it wasn’t her daughter, but she wanted a second chance so badly that she allowed herself to be preyed on. I guess no harm no foul if both of them are happy with the outcome, right?
- Dr. Charles’ case with his schizophrenic patient was tough because it was a lesson for parents. At some point, you have to allow your grown child to make their own decisions, even if that decision is to stop taking meds and losing to this illness.
What did you think of Chicago Med?
Are you excited for the 100th episode? Who is breaking up? Who is getting together?
Nobody Wants This Season 3 dropped on Netflix on Oct. 22.
While the season featured familiar faces like Kristen Bell as Joanne, Adam Brody as Noah, Justine Lupe as Morgan and Timothy Simons as Sasha, a newcomer was also introduced as Esther (Jackie Tohn) gets back out into the dating world.
After separating from Sasha, Esther gets her real estate license and meets Julian while showing him a property with an incredible view of the city.
Julian may look familiar to some audiences, especially fans of the One Chicago shows, as he’s played by Steven Weber, who has portrayed Dr. Archer on Chicago Med for several seasons.
During the house tour, Julian informs Esther that he has a chef who can whip them up a dinner while they wait for sunset to see the view in the evening. They share their first kiss, as he becomes her romantic prospect for the season.
At one point, Esther thinks Julian is seeing other people, but later learns that’s not the case when she tries to end things with him, as he informs her that he wants to be with her, and they declare each other boyfriend and girlfriend.
Of course, Sasha and Esther may be separated, but they end up falling into old habits and sleep together while she’s already involved with Julian.
Things are complicated—but one thing is for sure: Julian will likely return in Nobody Wants This Season 4.
Where Have You Seen Steven Weber Before? Here’s Why He Looks So Familiar
In addition to Chicago Med, he has appeared in The Shining, Single White Female, Hamburger Hill, 13 Reasons Why, NCIS: New Orleans, iZombie, 2 Broke Girls and Chasing Life.
Chicago Med returned for its 12th season with major changes on the horizon for all of the doctors at Gaffney.
And it wasted absolutely no time throwing us all back into the chaos of the E.D. with a mass shooting situation at a wedding that initially seemed random, before the bride revealed her jealous ex-boyfriend, Henry, was responsible.
The victims began overwhelming the E.D., which was already understaffed thanks to Sharon Goodwin’s (hopefully temporary) replacement, Ms. Sloane, who cut plenty of the staff due to budget constraints.
Since Goodwin was the heart and soul of Gaffney, it’s no surprise that not a single soul has taken kindly to Sloane’s arrival.
Audiences learn that Goodwin willingly stepped down after being accused of leaking Dr. Rabari’s medical records, though she’s not pleased about any of it, as a fight between her and Miranda heats up. Goodwin is encouraged to take a sizable payout with the promise that the hospital won’t press charges, but she assures them she’s not guilty, despite Miranda claiming to have evidence. We don’t know what that evidence is just yet, but she seems pretty confident that it’ll incriminate Goodwin, who also seems kind of nervous about everything. At first, I thought maybe that was an admission of guilt, but I think it’s just that everything she’s ever worked for is on the line, and she doesn’t have anyone from leadership in her corner.
The final few moments of the episode reveal Doris showing up at Sharon’s door and admitting that she was the one who leaked the records, which is a plot twist I didn’t see coming. Sweet Doris?! Of course, we know Sharon will always protect her own, so it’s possible she’ll take the plea deal to prevent this going to trial—or she’ll find another way out of it, since she, of all people, knows how to work the system in her favor. I know Sharon will not go down without a fight, and Miranda is absolutely naive to think otherwise.
And obviously, the hospital functions more smoothly when she’s in charge.
The mass shooting event ensured that it was an all-hands-on-deck situation, with Hannah even coming out of her maternity leave early to help the bride, who was 23 weeks pregnant and had a bullet lodged in her uterus. Thankfully, she was able to successfully remove it without having to deliver the baby early.
We also got to see Hannah and Archer’s baby girl, Mabel, as Doris asked the question we all wanted to know—are they “co-parents with benefits?” Obviously, new parents are extremely tired, but that is the elephant in the room after Archer declared his love for Hannah after Mabel was born. By the way they look at each other, there’s clearly something more there, even if she hasn’t admitted it yet.
The bride’s situation was taken straight out of a soap opera, as it was revealed that her fiancé, Dexter, didn’t know about the baby. And they couldn’t find him after the shooting, leaving her to believe the worst. On top of all of that, her ex was responsible for this disaster, and her soon-to-be mother-in-law was adamant that she was only marrying her son for money, which prompted Dexter to get cold feet and not even show up to the church where the tragedy occurred, ultimately saving his life but potentially putting his marriage in jeopardy.
When he finally got wind of what happened, he arrived at the hospital full of regret. Dr. Charles told him the best course of action was to apologize and come clean to Tamar. Dexter realized the root of all his problems was his mother, so he finally did the right thing and put his family—along with the unborn child he just found out about—ahead of whatever it is his mother was trying to do.
Their wedding day didn’t pan out as they expected it to, and came with plenty of hurt and loss, but the couple still managed to find a semblance of a happy ending.
The most heartbreaking plot, however, was with the flower girl, Dakota, who came to the hospital with a head wound after her mother pushed her under the pews when the shooting erupted. She couldn’t find her mom in the aftermath, but the wedding’s guitar player, Bruno, stayed by her side to make sure she was okay, and they formed a sweet little bond. The trauma of the day led to Dakota losing her eyesight temporarily, while everyone else searched for her mother, Edith.
Dr. Frost’s reaction to learning that both Edith and Bruno were dead mirrored mine because how could they put this little girl through so much pain? The nerve!
Not only do they have to tell her that her mom died, but Bruno, who survived a mass shooting event and walked away barely unscathed, was then killed while he was being discharged by the shooter as he drove his car through the reception area?
And this whole time, the shooter survived? Ripley was in sheer disbelief as Bruno’s body flew through the air on impact. And honestly, same.
CHICAGO MED — “Shots Fired” Episode 1201 — Pictured: (l-r) Luke Mitchell as Dr. Mitch Ripley, Michael Alix as Bruno — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
It’s a reminder that not only is life super fragile and unexpected, but it’s also completely unfair. Thankfully, Mitch Ripley later revealed that they got their wires crossed and Edith was actually alive, so at least the little girl didn’t have to grow up without a mother, and this tragic day didn’t put a permanent stain on her life. And she’ll always have Bruno as her guardian angel!
Ripley had a tough day, no doubt, as he also had to lay down the law with a new 4th-year resident, Anna Wu, who Archer described as “smart, cocky and a pain in the ass.” Sound familiar?
Why do I feel like those are the personality traits they give every single new character? There have been so many Wus throughout the years.
Ripley was pissed that she undermined his call with a patient, accusing her of deliberately making the shooter suffer, which she said wasn’t the case, as she did what she had to do to keep the patient alive. However, she then made another bold move and called Ripley out for projecting onto her, suggesting that maybe he enjoyed seeing him suffer after all the pain he’d caused.
Doctors take an oath, but they’re still human, and watching innocent people die all around you while the person responsible survives could take a toll on anyone, even if it’s only subconsciously.
Either way—it seems like Ripley and Wu are off to a rocky start, which may set a precedent for their working environment moving forward.
As for Caitlin Lennox’s absence, she’s on a “3-month sabbatical” for a drug trial for her prion disease, which will hopefully buy her some extra time, though, as Ripley noted, nothing is ever guaranteed, even with a clean bill of health.
What did you think of the premiere episode? Do you think Chicago Med has started veering too much into soap territory, or do you enjoy the overly dramatic storylines?
Chicago
One Chicago Shows Finally Get 2026 Fall Premiere Dates—Here’s When ‘Chicago Fire,’ ‘Chicago P.D.’, and ‘Chicago Med’ Return
Summer may have just started a few days ago, but NBC is already looking to the fall, specifically, its fall premieres.
On Wed, June 24, the network set return dates for its fan-favorite shows, including all of the One Chicago franchises.
When Will Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med Return for Fall 2026/2027
One Chicago will stick with its Wednesday night time slots, which is great for fans who have gotten used to the schedule.
The 2026/2027 Fall TV schedule will see all One Chicago shows returning with new seasons on Oct. 7, 2026.
Chicago Fire will return for Season 15, Chicago P.D. will kick off Season 14 and Chicago Med will be back for Season 12!
Full NBC Fall 2026/2027 Schedule
Wednesday, September 9
7-8:20 P.M. – Football Night In America
8:20-11:30 P.M. – NFL Kickoff Game (New England at Seattle)
Sunday, September 13
7-8:20 P.M. – Football Night In America
8:20-11:30 P.M. – Sunday Night Football (Dallas at N.Y. Giants)
Thursday, September 17
8-10 p.m. – THE TRAITORS: NEW BLOOD
Monday, September 21
8-10 p.m. – The Voice
10-11 p.m. – LINE OF FIRE
Tuesday, September 22
8-9 p.m. – The Voice
9-11 p.m. – America’s Got Talent
Wednesday, September 23
8-9 p.m. – The Voice
9-11 p.m. – America’s Got Talent season finale
Friday, September 25
9-11 p.m. – Dateline NBC
Wednesday, October 7
8-9 p.m. – Chicago Med
9-10 p.m. – Chicago Fire
10-11 p.m. – Chicago P.D.
Thursday, October 8
9-10 p.m. – Law & Order: SVU
10-11 p.m. – Law & Order
Friday, October 23
8-8:30 p.m. – Happy’s Place
8:30-9 p.m. – NEWLYWEDS
Monday, November 2
8-8:30 p.m. – St. Denis Medical
8:30-9 p.m. – The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins
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