Chicago Med
Chicago Med Review – Doctors Gone Rogue (6×04)
Doctors have gone rogue on Chicago Med Season 6 Episode 4!
And sometimes, going rogue seems to pay off!
Natalie and Crockett took a huge risk for their patient; it was a risk that almost cost them their lives. Isabella came into the hospital with stomach pain that couldn’t be explained.
She admitted to putting off treatment for months because she didn’t want to expose her family to COVID. She thought she was doing the right thing, but instead, she was one of the millions of people who was putting her life in more danger by avoiding hospitals.
It’s a trend that’s all too familiar for doctors these days, which is why Crockett and Natalie took such an impassioned stance on her case.
When the Head of Oncology said that Isabella’s cancer progressed too far, she was coming from a logical perspective. The surgery was risky, but what’s life without a little risk?
Basically, Isabella’s fate was to either get chemotherapy that would never work or trust a doctor who wanted to perform an experimental surgery with the hope that it would give her a second chance at life.
Anyone facing a death sentence would likely choose door number 2.
Unfortunately, a hospital would never sign off on such a risky procedure and thus, Crockett had to fly under the radar.
The thing about Crockett though is that he usually doesn’t take on situations he can’t handle. If he’s committed to something, it’s because he truly believes that he can get it done. And that’s why Natalie was so willing to follow him despite knowing that it could negatively impact her career.
Natalie is also smitten with Crockett so that may have played a role, but mostly, I think she just believed in him and wanted to help Isabella.
As the title emphasizes, it’s a case of “do first and ask for forgiveness later.”
And lucky for them, Goodwin was in a forgiving mood. As I said, hospitals won’t sign off on risky procedures, but they’ll gladly take the positive press from having a success story with an ex-vivo.
For this reason, Natalie and Crockett live to see another day. And they celebrated by hooking up. There’s been so much sexual tension between the two — so many flirtatious exchanges — that it was only a matter of time. The two of them are really in-sync in both their private and professional lives.
But did anyone else feel like this wasn’t their first time hooking up? They’ve definitely done this before, which would mean that Natalie was denying all those “moments” Maggie kept noticing and bringing up.
Regardless, I ship this couple way more than I ever shipped Manstead. Those two simply couldn’t get it right, and I will boycott the show if they ever decided to bring that pairing back together!
The doctors at Med are plagued by their need to save every patient. It’s an honorable trait, but it’s also destructive. Just look at what it’s doing to Dr. Choi.
Choi was desperately trying to establish control during a time where everything is out of control.
He wanted the ensure the ED was running smoothly and perfectly despite being short-staffed. He wasn’t happy when Charles challenged his assessment of Todd, a body dysmorphic patient who was operating on himself. And he was beyond himself that he had to watch a patient die of COVID when he likely could have been saved with compressions simply due to hospital protocol.
With Choi finding himself failing at every turn and feeling helpless, the pressure mounted and eventually became too much to handle. It was like a pressure cooker exploding and to be frank, I enjoyed seeing Choi snap in a fit of rage. It proves he’s human.
Plus, it helped him realize that continuing down this path wasn’t healthy. Confiding in Dr. Charles and taking a step back to assess his behavior and why he was feeling a certain way was the right move.
Med needs a leader that cares and will show up. That trumps a leader that’s perfect any day. Amid a pandemic, half the battle is simply showing up!
Doctors should want to save every patient, but they also need to acknowledge that it’s not possible.
Halstead kind of fell into the same category as he was trying to wrangle enough patients with heart failure for his clinical trial.
Halstead’s motivation stems from wanting to see the trial succeed because he truly believes it can save patients. But convincing patients to embrace an experimental trial without any data, especially amid a pandemic, isn’t as easy as it sounds.
Sadly, in order to meet his quota, Halstead had to make a deal with Dr. Mayfield, who essentially wanted kickbacks for providing patients. It’s a sad reality that not everyone is interested in helping others if there isn’t any incentive for them!
Will mentioned that this type of agreement was unethical. Could it get him in trouble? It sure seems like something that might come back to bite him.
Maggie was solely focused on saving one very important patient: her adoptive son, Auggie, who was in liver failure.
After Natalie told her that Auggie would have to be admitted, Maggie confided in Goodwin. As her friend, Goodwin informed her that the chances of Auggie finding a match and getting a kidney in time were slim. The system is greatly flawed when it comes to organ donations. Poor Auggie — a young boy with so much life ahead of him — needed to get sicker before they’d even look for a match. It’s frustrating and downright upsetting to see how the system repeatedly lets down those in need.
Instead, Maggie decided to do a DNA test to see if she could find any long-lost relatives that could potentially speed up the process. What a brilliant idea. There’s a reason they put Maggie in charge. I’m crossing all my fingers and toes that they are able to save Auggie!
In the words of the wise Crockett: “the world kind of sucks right now.” At least we have shows like Chicago Med to show us that we’re not alone in the battles we’re fighting.
Let’s all give a warm welcome to a new doctor coming to Gaffney!
Chicago Med is adding Luke Mitchell to the cast, according to Deadline.
The Originals and Blindspot actor will reportedly appear as a character named Dr. Mitch Ripley, described as an “early thirtysomething male Emergency Department doctor” with a past connection to Dr. Charles, played by Oliver Platt.
Word on the street is Ripley has a “troubled background,” which is why he crossed paths with Charles back in the day… and it seems like it might lead to some friction for the two.
He will recur on the medical drama with the potential of being upgraded to a series-regular come season 10, likely pending the reaction from fans.
The former Big Sky star is set to make his debut in the premiere episode of season 9 airing on January 17.
Of course, his addition is necessary as Chicago Med said goodbye to a handful of major cast members over the course of the previous seasons, including Brain Tee who played Ethan Choi, Nick Gehlfuss who starred as Will Halstead, Guy Lockard as Dr. Dylan Scott and Asjha Cooper in the role of Vanessa Taylor.
As of now, the returning cast includes S. Epatha Merkerson (hospital head Sharon Goodwin), Marlyne Barrett (charge nurse Maggie Lockwood), Dominic Rains (Dr. Crockett Marcel), Steven Weber (Dr. Dean Archer) and Jessy Schram (Dr. Hannah Asher).
Season 9 will consist of a 13-episode season, shortened due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
It’s finally happening—our favorite One Chicago shows are coming home to us!
Chihards, mark your calendars and get ready to sit down in front of the TV on January 17 because that’s when Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago PD will make their highly-anticipated and long-awaited premieres!
It’s truly beginning to feel a lot like Christmas… though I hope that turning around new episodes doesn’t mean that the actors will have to work through the holidays.
one chicago wednesdays return January 17 on @nbc and streaming on @peacock!!!
— Top 1% of Burzek shippers (@NBCOneChicago) November 20, 2023
Chicago Med returns for season 9, Fire for season 12, and Med for season 11.
Of course, the full NBC 2024 lineup will kick off on Jan 1 with America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League, which means they are wasting no time getting back into the swing of things following the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike delays.
Law & Order franchises will have their moment on Thursday, Jan 18 with Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime.
Part 1 of The Voice returns on Feb. 26, along with BC’s new Deal or No Deal spinoff, Deal or No Deal Island.
La Brea will air its final season on Jan 9, leading into the final two episodes of Found. The Irrational will also air its final four episodes starting Monday, Jan. 29.
Quantum Leap and Magnum P.I., Lopez vs. Lopez, The Weakest Link, Password, That’s My Jam and The Wall currently don’t have a premiere date.
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?
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