Chicago Med
Chicago Med – On Shaky Ground (3×09)
Chicago Med brought not one but four intense cases this week, but not even those could save the series from predictability.
Natalie and Will wrestled with ethics because Natalie isn’t able to not become attached to patients.
I feel like we’re constantly getting the variations of the same situation with her character.
This week, a woman that was 22-weeks pregnant went into labor and despite Nats better judgment — there was no way that baby was going to survive let alone thrive — she gave the family false hope.
Will has made questionable decisions regarding his patients, but there’s one thing I can agree with him on and that’s not making things harder on a patient when you know the outcome is anything but positive.
Natalie was holding out hope, for some idiotic reason, even though her experience and knowledge, in addition to a second opinion from an expert, would definitely confirm that the baby was not going to make it.
Why put the parents through something like that? Why let them get attached?
Maybe they appreciated the little time they had with the child, but it goes against all protocol. And I’m sure such a tiny baby suffered at the hands of all those tubes and compressions.
Sometimes, you CANNOT play God and it seems like all the doctors and residents at Med have one major God complex.
Even though Will knew better than to let Nat get away with it, when it was time to confront her, he simply said: “it’s okay.”
None of that was okay. Maybe letting couples be paired up together isn’t okay either.
April and Choi were once again at odds with April trying desperately to make him a more caring and emotionally in-tune person.
Seriously, how does one man go from being in the army and seeing unfathomable things to making decisions based on the “law” when it clearly isn’t in someone’s best interest?
Obviously, calling Child Services was not the best solution, even if the girls current living conditions were abysmal.
A cockroach up her nose is gross but broken bones and fractures from an abusive boyfriend that mom won’t force to leave trumps that. Especially since the next time around, she might not be lucky enough to leave with just some fractures.
And how are you so naive that you actually think the justice system works in favor of these kids?
That social services worker was a joke. He didn’t even know which girl he was coming to scoop up, she was just a number for him.
On one side, at least this couple is making progress. April was able to help him grow a bit by relying on his own sister as an example. Would he allow someone to send her back to a toxic environment?
Choi eventually came around and even went to visit his patient after April helped her run away. It was good for him to see the reality of these patients instead of walking around making noble decisions when he never has to deal with the repercussions.
At some point, the series became very focused on couples and since they work together, every issue they encounter puts them in the same dilemma. They aren’t learning or evolving, they’re simply running into same issues over and over again with their patients. It’s like Groundhog’s Day.
No wonder they are running out of funds, they’re letting the patients run things like Dr. Jaffrey, who came for an open heart surgery run by star pupil Dr. Bekker, and somehow convinced Dr. Latham to allow him to be awake for the procedure.
Sure, Connor and Bekker have a competitive spirit but, his hesitation to allow this procedure be done in such a dangerous way had nothing to do with winning.
It was all about survival.For him, his co-workers, and the hospital.
Someone really should have listened to Connor on this one.
There’s a reason patients are put under — they are a distraction. Especially when the patient is a doctor himself and is so intrigued, he begins calling the shots himself.
He also managed to tell Bekker, a woman physically holding his heart in her hand, that she was a disappointment. Brave man.
We haven’t seen anyone crack through her outer-defensive-shell until now.
She so desperately sought her former teacher’s approval, and Connor, who has dealt with operating on his own professor before, interjected.
He also had her back, which isn’t a first for these doctors, but surprising nonetheless.
Can these two just sleep together already?
Surprisingly, I enjoyed Reeses’ storyline a lot. She’s definitely lost her way this season and when she begged Dr. Charles for help last week, it worried me.
Would they be able to continue giving patients the type of care they needed while trying to fix her at the same time?
Ambitious doesn’t even begin to describe her desire to get over her fear of aggressive patients by literally putting herself in the line of fire at the jail.
Dr. Charles probably shouldn’t have allowed it, but it shows that he respects and believes in Sarah.
Eventually, with his guidance, she was able to figure out how to break through the inmate’s intimidation tactic and use it against him. The moment she showed that he didn’t dominate she wasn’t afraid, he cowered.
If she can take that mentality and apply it at Med, she’ll be unstoppable.
And hopefully, that means confident Reese will finally make a full recovery.
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?
Upload3 weeks agoUpload Season 3 Finale Recap Episodes 7 and 8 – Upload Day & Flesh and Blood
The Buccaneers2 weeks agoThe Buccaneers Season 1 Episode 4 Recap – Homecoming
Found2 weeks agoFound Season 1 Episode 7 Recap – Missing While Indigenous
Goosebumps3 weeks agoGoosebumps Season 1 Episode 9 Review – Night of the Living Dummy: Part 2
The Santa Clauses1 week agoThe Santa Clauses Season 2 Episode 4 Recap – Miracle on Dead Creek
The Santa Clauses2 weeks agoThe Santa Clauses Season 2 Episode 3 Review – No Magic at the Dinner Table!
Sullivan's Crossing2 weeks agoSullivan’s Crossing Season 1 Episode 7 Review – Second Chances
Goosebumps2 weeks agoGoosebumps Season Finale Review – Welcome to Horrorland (110)