Chicago Med
Chicago Med Midseason Finale Review – This Could Be the Start of Something New (809)
The midseason finale of Chicago Med welcomed, and said goodbye to, Mr. and Mrs. Choi.
Chicago Med Season 8 Episode 9 marked the final episode for Brian Tee, who has portrayed Ethan Choi since the very first episode of the medical drama. Yaya DaCosta guest starred, reprising her role as April, Choi’s longtime love, who recently came back into his life. And a second chance led them down the aisle, which was a truly joyous moment for Med fans.
They’ve had their ups and downs throughout the seasons, but they’ve finally arrived at a place where they both want the same thing and are willing to put in the work to make it a success. Since their union has been a long time coming, it’s also the reason why it was so disappointing that the wedding was so short-lived. If my memory serves me correctly, this is one of the first Chicago Med weddings, so I wish it took up a larger chunk of the episode. I know the wedding couldn’t span the whole episode, but I think fans would all agree that it would be nice to see the setup of the wedding just as much as it would be to see all of Gaffney’s finest celebrating together at the reception after.
CHICAGO MED — “This Could Be The Start of Something New” Episode 809 — Pictured: (l-r) Yaya DaCosta as April Sexton, Brian Tee as Ethan Choi — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
Instead, the whole “big day,” which was so heavily hyped and promoted by NBC, was rushed and reduced to less than five minutes. Why did they bother bringing back Noah for the ceremony when we barely got any time with him?
And if Noah was back, why wasn’t there even a mention of Ethan’s sister, Emily, who, at one point, lived with him and April? They were one of the show’s most impactful siblings, so it just felt strange that Choi didn’t have any family there.
On the plus side, fans one final ED storyline with April and Ethan—where the romance began—as they treated her father for chest pain.
All these minor complaints aside, I couldn’t think of a better storyline to honor Ethan and April’s journey. There’s nothing more fitting than the two of them trying to change healthcare, one patient at a time from their Docs on Wheels mobile clinic. They have always gone above and beyond for patients, raising issues within the system and questioning how things are done, so their career move does justice to the characters we’ve come to know and love.
CHICAGO MED — “This Could Be The Start of Something New” Episode 809 — Pictured: (l-r) Brian Tee as Ethan Choi, Yaya DaCosta as April Sexton — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
I’ll truly miss Ethan Choi’s presence in the ED, but I’m happy he’s finally going to live his authentic life with his love by his side. Plus, since they are both staying in Chicago, there’s potential for a guest appearance down the line.
It was also heartwarming to see how supportive Sharon Goodwin was when he tended his resignation. Goodwin is an example of the kind of boss we all want to have—she knows she’s losing a good thing, but she couldn’t be happier for Choi’s professional development. We love to see it.
The rest of the episode focused heavily on the OR 2.o, funded completely by Jack Dayton, the man Crockett saved in the train derailment episode. While it seemed like a generous gift, the moment Goodwin said that there didn’t seem to be strings attached, you knew the other foot was going to drop.
There’s definitely an ego issue with Dayton, as evidenced by how he handled Crockett’s complaint about operating in front of an audience. Crockett was being cautious considering he wasn’t familiar with the tech, and he didn’t want to make a spectacle of someone’s life, but Dayton wasn’t interested in hearing any of it. He wanted the audience there so he could prove that his innovation worked and could change the future of medicine, thus putting Gaffney on the map as a cutting-edge hospital. While all of that is great, it mostly works in his favor as it allowed him to buy a controlling investment in the Gaffney Medical Group. The danger of taking handouts from a billionaire is that he has enough money to now own the whole hospital. And while there’s a small chance it might be a good thing, by the sheer horror on everyone’s face, it doesn’t seem to be.
CHICAGO MED — “This Could Be The Start of Something New” Episode 809 — Pictured: (l-r) Yaya DaCosta as April Sexton, Brian Tee as Ethan Choi — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
Dayton is very much a profits-over-people kind of guy. He doesn’t care about the outcome as much as he does about making money. The very accident with his supersonic train is proof that he launches things before they are ready or tested. And now that he’s the one calling the shots, they have no choice but to listen to him and meet all of his demands, even if it’s proven that the OR 2.0 isn’t entirely safe.
Dayton overlooked an issue that came up during Richard’s tumor retraction, and when Crockett brought it up, it was basically shrugged off, even though you’d think they’d want to do everything to make the system as good as it could be. What are they hiding?
While the OR 2.0’s technology is impressive and lightyears ahead of what they’ve been using, it’s not without flaws, and a manual override of a suggestion it made that could have killed the patient is definitely concerning. If a less seasoned doctor was operating and they listened to the AI’s advice, it may have been the patient’s life on the line.
All of this could blow back on Gaffney, and I don’t doubt that Dayton would let it in order to preserve the integrity of his name. And since Crockett is the face of it all, I feel like Dayton would be fine with making him the scapegoat. He can tear him down as quickly as he built him up, especially because it seems as though he feels like he owns him now.
CHICAGO MED — “This Could Be The Start of Something New” Episode 809 — Pictured: (l-r) Jessy Schram as Hannah Asher, Marlyne Barrett as Maggie Lockwood, Marc Grapey as Peter Kalmick, S. Epatha Merkerson as Sharon Goodwin, Oliver Platt as Daniel Charles, Dominic Rains as Crockett Marcel, Nick Gehlfuss as Will Halstead — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
The ED is always action-packed, and that was especially true during the midseason finale.
No one ever wants to deal with a parent’s ailing health, but April and Ethan were forced to when her dad began having chest pains the day before the wedding. Thankfully, it wasn’t a heart attack as previously believed, and Choi got to the bottom of the issue, noting that it wasn’t urgent and didn’t require surgery prior to the big day.
Charles treated an elderly patient that came into the ED after falling down the stairs. His daughter was terrified that her father had Alzheimer’s just like her late mother, but after having a brief chat with him, Charles wasn’t convinced. After being discharged, the man had a seizure, and a CT scan later revealed that it was a mystery illness that led to inflammation that was affecting the brain. The good news is that a round of steroids would clear it all up. Sometimes, there is a happy ending to a story!
Meanwhile, Dean and Asher helped Grant, Maggie’s ex and Vanessa’s dad, with a complication following the accident. While Maggie was in surgery with him, Ben stopped by with the cupcakes that she ordered for April and Choi’s wedding, and the new intern, Justin, blurted out all about the accident. Read the room, man!
Of course, Ben flipped out on her, assuming that she was having an affair. While Maggie swore that wasn’t the case, the fact that she withheld something so important from him was a breach of trust, and he suggested that they take time apart.
I feel for Maggie, I truly do, but she made some questionable decisions this season. And Ben’s character also seems so inconsistent—the jealousy over Grant from day one has been so strange—it almost doesn’t feel like it’s the same man she married. He has every right to be upset with her about the lying, but it just seems like the writers want us to all of a sudden hate Ben so that when she gets back together with Grant, we’re not upset about it. But let me remind you—Ben was a sweet and soft-spoken guy a few seasons ago, and that guy would’ve been much more understanding from the get-go when she first introduced him to Grant. It really doesn’t help that Maggie is being so weird and secretive the whole time, but I also wish Ben handled it better. Don’t ever underestimate the power of clear communication.
Archer also confided in Asher about his kidney disease, adding that if the renal diet wasn’t going to make everything better, the next step was dialysis. It was only a matter of time before she figured it out, and with Choi gone, it’s nice that Archer will have someone in his corner, even if he is asking her to keep it a secret from the other colleagues.
There’s also a new love interest brewing for Dr. Charles—Liliana, the woman who cleans his office. He happened to catch her incredible opera performance during an open mic night at the piano bar he frequents, and it completely caught him off guard. He went back and forth with himself about asking her out, as there is an unequal power dynamic between them, but he eventually mustered up the courage. And she was more than happy to grab coffee with him.
After everything that he’s been through in his romantic life, Charles more than deserves some happiness. I’m rooting for them. However, I was a little thrown off when he said that Lilliana is Polish. I only picked up on a handful of words in the song she sang, and truthfully, it sounded more Ukrainian to me. It’s entirely possible that I’m not familiar with the song, that it was in both languages, or even that it was just the way the actress pronounced the words—but it’s just a stray observation from a native speaker who was a little puzzled.
Regardless, I’m thrilled that the series is embracing the huge Polish population in Chicago and finding a way to work it into the plot.
Overall, the title, “This Could Be The Start of Something New,” applied to many aspects of the episode from April and Ethan’s marriage to their new business venture, the OR 2.0 and Gaffney’s new leadership, and even Charles’ relationship with Liliana.
What did you think of the episode? Were you happy with Choi and April’s sendoff? What was your favorite part of the midseason finale? Till next year, Cravers!
It’s the end of an era. The Chicago Med Season 8 finale saw Will Halstead saying his final goodbye to Gaffney Medical.
And the best part is that you don’t even have to wonder where he’s going!
After realizing that his time at the hospital had come to an end, Will thanked his colleagues and friends who have been like family for all these years and made a swift departure to Seattle to be with his one true love, Natalie Manning!
Chicago Med pulled off the ultimate surprise by bringing back Torrey Devito for a brief yet emotional cameo. She greeted Halstead outside of the airport along with her son, Owen, and they made it very clear that this time they were going to make things work. “I’m never letting you go,” Natalie told Halstead as they embarked on their new chapter together.
CHICAGO MED — “Does One Door Close and Another One Open?” Episode 822 — Pictured: (l-r) Ari Morgan as Owen, Torrey DeVitto as Natalie — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
While I usually wouldn’t recommend going back to a relationship that didn’t work in the past, in this case, it just makes sense. They both had a clean break to find themselves and figure things out and yet their paths crossed once again. Timing is everything, and without the setting of Gaffney, I think they may actually be able to work things out this time around.
And that’s a wrap on Will Halstead. Thank you so much to Nick Gehlfuss for bringing such an “irritating” yet “inspirational” character to life for eight seasons. Sharon Goodwin was right on the money with that comment.
He even went out in such Will style by going off the rails and doing something that only Will could ever justify as a good idea.
Halstead was very triggered by 2.0’s glitch, and when he realized no one was going to do anything about it, the took matters into his own hands without realizing the larger implications of his decision.
By reprogramming 2.0 to go completely haywire during Jack Dayton’s hernia resection, he not only destroyed the product by setting in plenty of doubt, but he also ensured that 2.0 would never see the light of day again as it tarnished Dayton’s reputation in the process.
Dayton could no longer go through with the IPO, which meant that he couldn’t secure the funding to make 2.0 a better and more reliable product, which in turn meant that Jack Dayton had to sell Med, putting everyone’s fate up in the air.
As much as I want to praise Halstead for trying to do the wrong thing, his decision was very costly, especially because, as Crockett pointed out, 2.0 did a lot of good. With the right improvements, it could be a very useful tool in the future, but Halstead ensured that said future would never happen.
However, on the other hand, maybe selling the hospital isn’t the worst idea as it will likely put the power back in the hands of someone who cares about the patients over profits. Turning Med into a for-profit hospital has not been a welcome change for the doctors as they are limited in who they can treat, and it’s also a terrible experience for patients who don’t have the best insurance and can’t pay exorbitant prices.
Turning away patients is never ideal, especially patients who need critical care. One of Archer’s patients, Rachel, was admitted to Med with terrible stomach pains, and by waiting for an ambo transfer to a hospital that would have accepted her insurance, she likely would’ve died in the process.
The doctors took it upon themselves to do the surgery under the radar so as to not put her in debt for life, but that was a risky move. If anyone from upper management found out, it would not be pretty. Though, it’s nice to see Archer coming around and doing what needs to be done to save lives.
CHICAGO MED — “Does One Door Close and Another One Open?” Episode 822 — Pictured: (l-r) Luigi Sottile as Sean Archer, Steven Weber as Dean Archer — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
During the surgery, which Hannah Asher assisted, Archer became very weak, and he realized he had another infection from his “DIY dialysis.” At this point, Asher insisted he start at a proper dialysis clinic, which he was against because of the time commitment, and when Sean suggested they just go through with the surgery as he was approved as his father’s donor, Archer and Asher had to inform him that he was no longer eligible after falling off the wagon.
It was honestly heartbreaking to see Sean come to terms with what his relapse meant. It was one misstep—that stemmed from a misunderstanding in the first place—and yet, it set back his plans to help his father for at least six months.
Hopefully, this doesn’t set Sean back even further because I can see how he’d deal with thinking that he’s a “disappointment” by turning to drugs and alcohol yet again.
CHICAGO MED — “Does One Door Close and Another One Open?” Episode 822 — Pictured: (l-r) Jessy Schram as Hannah Asher, Steven Weber as Dean Archer — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
Archer, however, cannot blame himself for what happened, nor can he blame the fact that he allowed his son to be a donor as the relapse had nothing to do with the pressure of the situation. Sean was set off after seeing his father and Hannah getting “close,” and while there may have been some flirtation happening, when he finally addressed it with the two of them, they were both quite shocked.
I honestly think that Asher and Archer are good friends, and though there may be underlying feelings there, they’ve never considered them because they’ve never thought about going there. Could this be what convinces them to give things a try? Or did it cement them in the friend’s zone forever? I’m not surprised the romance hasn’t gotten the spotlight as Archer’s health is definitely a priority.
Hannah also seems pretty adamant about keeping her personal life and professional life separate, so I could see her shutting any possibility of a romance with either of the Archer men down.
Dr. Charles dealt with two patients that Dr. Loren Johsnton brought in via ambo. There was also a misunderstanding there as the wife, Janice, thought her husband Fred was trying to kill her, when in reality, Fred was fighting with his body impulsively doing things he couldn’t control. Turns out, he had a small stroke that resulted in a rare neurological called alien hand syndrome. With everything cleared up, the couple was back on track, and it put Charles’ relationship with Liliana in perspective. He realized that he had to clear up the misunderstanding by simply being vulnerable and honest with her about his feelings—he didn’t think of her as a charity case, and just because he has a fancy title doesn’t mean he doesn’t share the same insecurities as other people.
And Liliana, for her part, realized she’d put up a wall because she’s so used to being independent. Of course, there’s still the issue of her overbearing brother Pawel, who, quite frankly, needs to be told to get his own life. I understand siblings being there for each other and helping each other out, but he’s constantly bossing her around, talking down to her, and being kind of emotionally abusive.
Also, I truly hope Dr. Loren becomes a new addition to Med next season!
With Maggie interviewing at other hospitals, I was certain she’d be the person leaving Med at the end of the season, but Halstead’s problematic heroics make so much more sense.
I’m just glad it isn’t Crockett because I was just getting invested in the character, while Archer and Asher have been the best duo this season.
What did you think of the Chicago Med Season 8 finale? Are you pleased with how Halstead’s storyline ended?
What do you want to see next season?
Chicago Med Season 8 Episode 21 mostly focused on Jack Dayton’s continuing efforts to ruin Gaffney at every turn.
It’s starting to become a little exhausting to constantly write about Jack, but he’s the main focus this season, with the latest storyline focused on the impending 2.0 IPO launch that would propel Med into a destination hospital, naturally, at the cost of all the other patients needing healthcare services.
But even more concerning and daunting is the last-minute revelation that 2.0 may have been the reason for killing a man. Richard’s death in the prior episode was weighing heavily on Crockett and Halstead. Neither of them could truly understand what went wrong, and when they went to look for the data from 2.0, it was nowhere to be found. Once Crockett confronted Jack, he was given a flash drive that detailed a mistake he made during the procedure that ended up being deadly.
However, once Halstead gave the drive to Grace, she found that it wasn’t Crockett’s fault at all. 2.0 showed Crockett a phantom lesion that was never actually there, and if it wasn’t for that display, Crockett would’ve never operated and Richard would’ve still been alive. The machine is faulty, which isn’t something that looks good when you’re about to go public. As of now, it seems as though Jack wasn’t aware of the glitch on 2.0 and assumed he was genuinely protecting his star doctor, though, I wouldn’t be surprised if that was his cover to protect the integrity of the product. But if Jack really knew that 2.0 glitched, I don’t think he would entrust his life to it, especially on live television with the whole world watching.
At this point, it’s clear that while machines and AI can be great tools, they should complement doctors and their skills rather than replace them.
We’ll see what comes of this development.
One of the more intriguing plots included Sam Abrams, who found out he was going to be a father despite having a vasectomy years ago. Sam’s shocked reaction likely wasn’t what Michelle wanted, but for someone who is an empty nester and never expected to have more kids, it was genuine.
Hannah was able to intervene with a cervix surgery that assisted in Michelle’s pregnancy, but more importantly, the writers were able to humanize Sam a little bit, which is always nice to see. He pops in and out, but he’s always so blunt and stoic, so it was nice to see him get a little personality. Plus, we got to see a little heart-to-heart with Hannah, who, while encouraging Sam to embrace this opportunity life handed him, also decided to put herself out there in the dating world again. Can you believe she hasn’t dated anyone since Halstead?
Meanwhile, Archer learned that Sean was a donor match, much to his dismay, but any moment of happiness was fleeting as he also found out his son missed work and wasn’t picking up any calls. Naturally, his mind went to the worst-case scenario that Sean relapsed, and boy, I’m hoping that isn’t the case. Things were going so well for Sean and he was doing so well in his recovery. However, seeing his father cozying up to Hannah may have put him over the edge, or he simply decided to distance himself from his father’s world as he felt betrayed. Either or, I think we’re going to see Sean and Neil’s relationships with Hannah come to a head.
Elsewhere, Maggie interviewed for a new job spearheading the ED at a local hospital. While Sharon Goodwin wasn’t pleased as Maggie’s employer since she didn’t want to lose her best people due to Jack’s poor decisions, she was personally happy for her friend for putting herself first. I hope Maggie doesn’t end up leaving because she makes this whole place function!
As for Dr. Charles and Cuevas, they helped their patient, David, who has been a recurring guest on the series this season, navigate the normal fears and complexities of being a teenager, which was refreshing for a change. David thought he was hearing voices again, but it was simply his inner monologue and he needed to understand how to live with it and alongside it.
As for Charles’ relationship with Liliana, well, it’s not going in the right direction and that’s mostly because she has a very codependent and toxic relationship with her brother, Pawel, who we now know has a gambling problem that she’s going to pay off at the expense of buying her own house because “that’s her brother.” I feel like Charles needs to make a run for it before he’s dragged down too much, but I understand it isn’t that easy since he really loves Liliana and wants to help her. When he learned that she still needed to move out of her place, he asked her to move in with him, but it only backfired as she saw it as Charles thinking he needed to rescue her. The whole “charity case” mindset simply stems from the difference in their positions—if they don’t get over it, it’s always going to drive a wedge between them.
What did you think of the episode? Are you excited for the season finale next week?
Everyone is starting to feel the brunt of Jack Dayton’s decision to turn Gaffney into a for-profit hospital.
When the board voted to support Dayton’s money-hungry decision, the writing was on the wall, but Chicago Med Season 8 Episode 20 honed in on the aftermath revealing that everyone is suffering–from patients seeking treatment to doctors wanting to help.
Halstead couldn’t fathom seeing uninsured patients get turned away, so he found a loophole (classic Halstead), meanwhile, Crockett decided to act first and apologize later by booking 2.0 for a prior patient whose cancer metastasized. If I’m being honest, Richard should’ve been a VIP member since he was the first person to use 2.0 and, essentially, a test dummy for the program.
Crockett made up his mind, and he was backed by Goodwin, who agreed that Richard was going for a “necessary follow-up” and that they would forgive the bill. Unfortunately, it seems as though Dayton didn’t exactly agree because 2.0 glitched halfway through the procedure and Richard didn’t wake up from the anesthesia, falling victim to a stroke despite showing absolutely no signs of distress.
Goodwin assured Crockett that these things happen, but he wasn’t convinced, and based on the teaser trailer for the upcoming episode, we can’t exclude the possibility that Dayton retaliated and purposefully glitched 2.0 to put Crockett’s patient in danger. If that’s the case, we’re talking about a much larger issue than just turning non-paying patients away. We’ll have to wait until next week to find out how this will pan out and if Dayton brings a new meaning to the word “villain.”
Dr. Charles and Maggie teamed up to deal with a paranoid patient with a phobia of hospitals. Jan was spewing all of the conspiracy theories she’d read online verbatim, which prompted her to refuse the necessary care following her car wreck. The dynamic duo did their best to quell Jan’s concerns and prove to her that they didn’t mean her any harm, but in the end, they couldn’t get through to her and she refused to provide any bloodwork so they could check out why she was experiencing jaundice.
This wasn’t a straightforward case for psychology because Jan was simply gullible and fearful as she experienced a traumatic incident where her sister walked into a hospital as a healthy person and was diagnosed with cancer that took her life in less than a month. Jan is still processing all that trauma, so Charles had to believe that she’d deal with it when she was ready and on her own terms. There’s no forcing someone to seek out help when they don’t want it, especially if they seem to be of sound mind. Hopefully, her storyline will circle back around in the future and they will be able to give her the proper care she needs.
Meanwhile, the Archer boys and Hannah Asher once again found themselves rotating in each other’s orbit. Dean came around to the idea of Sean donating a kidney to him, though he definitely chewed out Hannah for clueing his son in on his waning health.
Dean dealt with a patient with a 6-foot-long tapeworm in his intestines—yeah, suddenly, we’re not hungry either—while Hannah and Sean assisted the patient’s wife, who shockingly went into labor without even knowing she was pregnant. The two scenes mirrored each other in that Dean was removing the tapeworm while Hannah was removing a baby. Gruesome and brilliant at the same time! And Sean fit in perfectly by stepping in for the father to help Pam during the delivery process, which also gave him a front-row seat to Hannah’s skilled labor and delivery.
He was in awe seeing her in action, which just confirmed that he has feelings for her, but when he told his father, Dean shut it down by suggesting that it was too early to get into a relationship as they are both focusing on their recovery. Of course, the admission threw Dean off, especially because we know he has a soft spot for Hannah, which was evident when she trolled him in the doctor’s lounge and helped him clean up his coffee off of his medical coat. Sean witnessed the moment, and though it definitely looked more romantic than it was, you can’t deny there’s chemistry there. I smell a love triangle brewing—not a first for Med. And while I want Sean to find someone, I think it’s written in the stars for Hannah and Dean!
Lastly, and I won’t say much about this, I’m genuinely disliking the storyline between Dr. Charles and Lilliana’s brother, Pawel. I get that he’s going through a tough time in terms of finding himself in a new country, but I continue to cringe at the way immigrants are being represented on this show. We’ll see how things escalate and if the storyline can be salvaged in my eyes.
What did you think of the episode? Is Maggie really considering leaving Med? Are we on the brink of a Crockett and Dayton face-off? How will Sharon figure this out to once again save Med?
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