Chicago Med
Chicago Med Review – Choi and April Call It Quits, But is It Really Over? (5×19)
These doctors need to learn how to compartmentalize on Chicago Med.
The amount of personal feelings and emotions that affect the ED at Gaffney is ridiculous.
How are these excellent doctors not able to separate their private lives from their professional lives and put forth what’s most important — saving patients?
Will Halstead used to be the biggest offender, and yet, the best thing the series could have done for him was to separate his fate from Natalie Manning’s.
The minute those two began steering clear of each other and cut all romantic ties, Halstead suddenly began thinking in a clear manner.
I mean, don’t get me wrong, he still makes questionable judgment calls, but at least he’s not leading from a place of personal benefit.
When he suggested Dr. Asher to help his patient with brain cancer, there was definitely a small part of him that wanted to help her and prove to everyone else that she’s a good doctor despite the drug addiction because he felt guilty for bringing it to light, but for the most part, he truly believes that she’s the best.
He believes in her skill, her knowledge, and that she’ll make the right calls. There’s no doubt about that.
Asher shouldn’t be shunned or demeaned because of her personal life, especially because she’s taken the necessary steps to get it in order and be the best version of herself that she can be when she steps into the hospital.
She also made the right choice, and Halstead’s decision to support her treatment plan had nothing to do with his feelings for her.
Marcie made it perfectly clear that she wanted to go through with the procedure. She was aware of the risks, and her desire to leave behind a child for her husband trumped the fear of dying.
Both Asher and Halstead honored her wishes and did their best to get the best outcome. Unfortunately, there are some cases you simply can’t win. Even Marcie’s husband understood that when he thanked Dr. Halstead for honoring his wife’s last wishes.
If anyone was blinded by feelings, it was Mrs. Curry, who we know had a thing for Halstead and previously tried to ask him out.
She thought less of Asher because of addiction and when she realized that Asher and Halstead were together, it bothered her.
We haven’t seen Dr. Asher’s post-addiction struggle play out on screen, but the series wanted us to understand that she’s been doing better thanks to Halstead.
Despite warnings that a relationship isn’t good for a recovering addict, Halstead seems to be Asher’s rock. He’s given her the confidence she needs to overcome this, which was obvious when she was vocal about her struggle and needing an NA meeting following the loss of her patient.
She’s on the right path by being able to acknowledge that she needs help.
With Halstead no longer leading with his feelings, Dr. Choi is the next in line, and he’s doing a horrible job of masking his insecurities and anger at Crockett.
The guy saw April and Crockett in the same room and almost flipped a lid.
Two separate yet connected patients were rushed into the hospital and forced Crockett, Choi, and April to all work together, and let’s say, it was an explosive combo.
Choi kept digging into Crockett and pretending that it was about his patient simply because he refused to acknowledge the real problem.
He wasn’t angry with Crockett (at least not fully), he was angry at April. He simply used Crockett as a punching bag.
Dr. Charles gave us some of his best work when he told Choi that it’s often easier to focus anxiety and anger elsewhere because it’s easier to face the pain of looking at the real issue.
Once Choi realized that he could throw a million punches at Crockett and it still wouldn’t make him feel better, he knew what he had to do, and it’s something that he should have done when he first found out about April’s cheating.
Instead, he went around acting petty and leading with anger which was a disturbance for staff and patients.
April seemed rather surprised by Choi’s decision to break up, but girl, what did you expect?
Choi could have forgiven the act of cheating and kissing another man, but he couldn’t forgive being lied to for weeks.
She tried to mask the problem by going all in on the IVF, but a baby, as we all should know by now, is never going to fix the problem.
Choi would never be able to trust April completely, and he’d never get over her fleeting fling with Crockett.
And while April might be distraught, she has to know that this is for the best because it gives her the opportunity to pursue her deeply repressed feelings for Crockett.
She didn’t just mess up during surgery because of Ethan, she messed up because getting so close to Crockett makes her nervous that she’s slip up again.
Crockett is a mystery wrapped inside a riddle that I very much want to unravel.
He’s the most composed of all of them, he takes risks, but most importantly, he’s able to own up to his mistakes. On the outside, he seems like a great guy, but there’s something bubbling inside, some darkness that we haven’t tapped into yet.
Natalie is seeing it because she questioned if he’s alright, but the fact that Crockett refused to talk about it says a lot.
And, of course, I still can’t shake the storyline where he wasn’t able to save a child and drowned his sorrow at the bottom of a bottle at the bar. I’m holding firm in my theory that he has experienced the loss of a child which ruined his relationship or marriage.
Dr. Choi’s patient, Zach, clearly wanted to commit suicide and was being coaxed by his father to say that a homeless man pushed him.
It was disturbing to see a father completely disregard his son’s issues and claim that depression was a sign of weakness. Yes, he was scared his son would get arrested and charged for vehicular manslaughter, but it was more than that. He was embarrassed and ashamed to acknowledge that his son had a legitimate problem. He felt it made him less of a man.
Our society needs to get to a point where people realize that matters of the mind are just as real of an issue as a heart attack or diabetes. The quicker we do that, the better for all children and adults suffering in silence.
Can you just imagine how bad it must be to live with someone like that that the kid tries to kill himself and the mother refused to say a word even though she knew that by not speaking up, she could lose her child for good?
It’s a heartbreaking realization made even more daunting when you realize it’s real life for some people.
Hopefully, the mother will find the courage to reach out to Charles and give her son a fighting chance.
Maggie and Ben are also giving Auggie a fighting chance.
We all saw the fostering (which will likely turn to adoption) storyline coming from a mile away, but it was still touching when it happened.
Maggie and Ben grew attached to Auggie while he was in the hospital, but more importantly, they were the only ones capable of offering him the kind of care that he truly needed.
Maggie knew everything from his favorite breakfast to what made him laugh to the kind of treatment he needed.
She didn’t have to prep for being his foster mom, she already was his foster mom with or without the paperwork.
The storyline was also able to briefly shine a light on how inequipped DCFS is to make choices for a child that could potentially save his life.
They wouldn’t sign off on a treatment deemed necessary by doctors because they thought it wasn’t necessary. Seriously, what?
Helping a child who feels like no one wants him is hard enough, it shouldn’t have to come with several hoops to jump in order to get him the proper care.
Speaking of parenthood, Sharon is concerned about her son. At first, finding out that Michael got a job at Med was music to her ears, but when he began trying to get personal information on her doctors and surgeons, she got a little worried.
Her radar really went off when Dr. Lanik told her that her son was a great salesman because he gifted him a bottle of scotch.
At that point, Sharon knew that Michael’s tactic was to bribe the staff into giving him their time and using Kender’s products.
As someone who advocates for her doctors and fights against the system on multiple occasions, you know she won’t stand for this in her OR, but she’s personally involved now.
How will she handle it?
For an impromptu penultimate episode, Chicago Med brought out some of their best work and set the stage for a promising early season finale. If it feels slightly premature, you’re right, next week is the last episode because coronavirus forced the series to shutter production so they have no episodes left in the reserve. Womp womp.
What did you think of the episode, Cravers? Did Choi do the right thing by ending things with April?
What’s Crockett’s big secret?
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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