Chicago Med
Chicago Med Review – Halstead Undermines Dr. Charles and Makes a Bad Call (5×18)
Before I go into this review, I have to say that seeing the credits roll out at the end of Chicago Med emphasized just how deeply coronavirus is going to impact the television landscape. We know that Med shuttered production on season 5 prematurely, and it’s bound to affect episode count, however, for now, the series clarified that it’ll be back in two weeks on April 8.
https://twitter.com/NBCChicagoMed/status/1242980185978232834?s=20
“In the Name of Love” proved that Halstead continues to be his own worst enemy. That guy can’t get it right if his life depended on it.
He constantly makes terrible decisions that are usually driven by his own ego and need to be right.
Dr. Charles made it very clear (very clear) that his patient with Alzheimer’s was not in the right frame of mind to make decisions or override a previous advanced directive she signed off on before the disease took control, and yet, he still undermined him and chose to save her.
Sure, she verbally expressed her desire to be saved, but as Charles pointed out, a brief fluctuation in cognition should not be assumed as a breakthrough.
Halstead didn’t just undermine Charles, he disregarded the patient’s final act of self-determination and caused an abundance of suffering for a family who was simply acting on her previously disclosed wishes.
None of this is surprising, however. Not with Will Halstead.
Goodwin said it right that with Halstead, it’s a case of deja vu that’s all too familiar. How does he never learn?
It seemed like he may have had a moment of clarity when Charles advised him against pursuing a relationship with Hannah because it would be detrimental to her recovery.
He said it’s common for someone to have blinders to something they don’t want to hear, and it seemed like the message came across loud and clear to Halstead.
He even informed Hannah that they should stay clear of anything romantic to give her time to recover, but she didn’t have to do more than bat her eyelashes and his mind changed completely.
Honestly, Halstead, stand your ground and make the right choice once in your life.
Hannah has proven over and over that she knows what to say to get her way, but she’s not going to cope well when things hit the fan and it’ll be his fault.
Nat and Crockett have an interesting professional relationship. They both want more, but they’re quick to turn on each other when they disagree on patient care, which happened when he convinced her patient to undergo an extremely radical surgery that could result in death.
Natalie thought his decisions were biased and motivated by professional advancement, but Crockett stood his ground because it was the best course of treatment. Plus, he was confident in himself.
Initially, the surgery was a massive success, but as Crockett, Nick, and Alice were celebrating, Nick lost consciousness and died thus proving Natalie right.
It would have been so easy for her to say “I told you so,” but Nat was thoroughly impressed by Crockett’s motivation.
After talking with Alice, she also realized she was focusing solely on this one patient while Crockett was viewing the bigger picture and making leaps to perfect the procedure for future patients including Nick’s son.
Of course, Nick was terrified, but he was already terminal, so his decision prioritized others who could still have a fighting chance. It may be the biggest sacrifice he’s ever given his son, and I wish that we could get a follow-up to this storyline somewhere down the line.
CHICAGO MED — “In The Name Of Love” Episode 518 — Pictured: (l-r) S. Epatha Merkerson as Sharon Goodwin, Hampton Fluker as Michael Goodwin — (Photo by: Elizabeth Sisson/NBC)
There was definitely a moment between Nat and Crockett, which was interrupted by some new chick he was seeing. It’s unclear why he wants to maintain an image of a playboy when he very clearly is a good man and a good doctor.
I’m patiently waiting for the episode that gives us more insight into his past.
Tensions were high between April and Choi after he found out that she cheated with him on Season 5 Episode 17.
For much of the episode, Choi was projecting his own fears, insecurities, and anger at his patient, a woman who almost died because she was ingesting too much protein that was harming her.
Choi didn’t believe her and said that she was either lying or in denial, which applied perfectly to April. I assumed the culprit was her smoothies and was shocked that her boyfriend was essentially drugging her to prevent her from losing weight because he was scared that if she did, she’d leave him.
The woman was pretty calm about the situation after finding out the truth because “his heart was in the right place,” but let’s not shy away from the very real problem that this man has a boatload of insecurities that he has to work through and that might potentially be dangerous to others.
Choi was just as shocked as I was at her nonchalant reaction, but April pointed out that he’s basically been acting like that towards her about her cheating slip-up.
Of course, April wants him to be angry because it’ll justify the anger she herself feels. And Choi did get a little worked up, but made a good point — why are they talking about it if she doesn’t have feelings for him?
April’s consumed by guilt largely because she still feels something for Crockett. Even now, she’s not being honest with herself.
She may love Ethan and want to be with him, but she’s always going to have this part of herself that’s drawn to Crockett.
The best thing they can do right now is to take a break and get some space.
Goodwin had a rough day. In addition to dealing with Halstead’s mess, again, she also had to come clean about her relationship with Burt and confront what it meant for the family.
While I’ve never been fond of her taking back the cheater, I have to admit Goodwin framed it in a valid way when she explained it to her equally-as-upset son, Michael.
Burt may have been the catalyst, but they both contributed to the fallout of their 35-year marriage. Burt has attempted to atone for his mistakes and there’s no point in living in the past, pointing fingers, or focusing on those mistakes.
Their primary focus should be on the future and while it’s unclear if they’ll get back together, they are all still a family and need to start acting like one and healing.
Michael didn’t want to hear it, but it was necessary. If his mother can get over it, so can he.
Maggie and Ben helped treat one of his students, a sick boy named Auggie, whose foster care mother gave him up because it was too much to handle and she wasn’t equipped.
It’s incredibly sad to see someone crumble under the pressures of not being able to take care of a special needs child. It’s her responsibility to get him to necessary appointments yet she gets absolutely no help to make it happen and struggles to find the time because she’s working.
Of course, this led Auggie to believe no one wanted him, and as he stayed the night at the hospital while they contacted social services, Maggie and Ben canceled their honeymoon to be with him.
We all know they’re going to attempt to legally adopt Auggie, and can I just say, out of all the storylines on this series, the writers have nailed Maggie’s.
Maggie and Ben love helping people, they know what it’s like to be sick and need someone to rely on, and they both found each other while battling cancer — there’s no one more equipped for this role.
What did you like about the episode? What were you not a fan of?
Share your thoughts now!
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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