Chicago Med - Clarity - Review

I had a minor panic attack this week thinking Chicago Med might only have around fourteen episodes this season, meaning the end would be near. Yikes! But thankfully, there will be eight more! It’s really picking up, and the character development this week was phenomenal. Into the episode…

The main story this week features a seventeen-year-old hockey player, Brett, who comes into the ER after a nasty hit. Brett’s dad, Jack, is a retired professional hockey player and therefore the stereotypical overbearing, sports-crazed parent who wants nothing more than to see his child eat, breathe, and live the sport he played (Dan Scott, anyone? One Tree Hill throwback). While Ethan’s clash with Jack was expected, Sarah’s role in the case, or rather the case’s role in Sarah’s life, was the most interesting for me.

Sarah bonds with Bret, and I have a feeling Sarah will bond with a lot of her patients. There’s something about her personality that makes her approachable for patients, likely that she seems to see each case as a person, rather than just a case. There’s just something about Sarah that makes her want to connect with her patients. She’s on her way to becoming a wonderful doctor…or not…

It’s about time for Sarah to choose where she’ll do her residency. Chicago Med is in the running (and what do you want to bet it wins out?), and Sarah’s time there in the ER makes her rethink her original plan to go with pathology. But at the end of the hour, Brett chooses to ignore Sarah and Ethan’s recommendations.

“It’s the patients. They come in and you want to help them, you care about them, so you try to connect. And just when you think you’re getting through, they go back to what they were doing before and it’s like you were never even there, like everything you did was for nothing. And I can’t take a life of that.”

After many tests, the doctors discover Brett has something called HHT. Basically, if he continues hockey, one wrong hit could cause his death.

Everything sets Ethan on edge this episode, but nothing more than Jack. As expected, Ethan clashes with Jack over his dismissal of Brett’s condition. Not only that, but Jack has serious issues from years of playing hockey and refuses to tell his son. And though Jack deserved it, Ethan’s physical violence serves as a sort of breaking point. He’s been avoiding his therapy sessions with Dr. Charles, but I think after this outburst those will resume right away.

Much like we predicted, Ethan really hit things off with Dr. Vicki Glass from the previous episode. Though at the start of the episode, Ethan is closed off and pushes her away. But after the events of the hour, he opens up to Vicki. While I’m glad he opened up and that we are finally starting to see who Ethan is, I think there was nothing more telling than his commitment to the Navy, to serving and protecting our country.

Elsewhere…

Will is in hot water following his blatant dismissal of Jennifer Baker’s (the cancer patient from the previous episode) DNR. I’m glad the show is following through not only with severity of Will’s actions but also arching storylines over several episodes (unlike the unrealistic resolution to what should have been a career-ending move on Sharon’s part a few weeks back). I think it’s safe to say this will be a storyline for at least a few episodes to come. And though Sharon tells him his job is in jeopardy, he’s the lead on the show. I don’t expect him to be going anywhere.

Not Rachel McAdams is back this week, and I’m fairly certain she and Will hooked up. She’s no dummy though. Not Rachel McAdams notices pretty quickly the feelings Will has for Natalie and “rainchecks” their plans. Speaking of Natalie, yikes. When the patient she and Will were caring for dies, Will is quick to blame her. Someone please tell me why these two are sharing a case after the mess of last week! And no, “for the drama” is not an acceptable answer (I realize that’s probably the answer…I want a better one).

Will is downright nasty to Natalie this week, so much so that Natalie requests to be placed on a different shift (but is denied). Now, I am a Will supporter. He doesn’t always do the right thing and he’s been a jerk, but he is a polarizing character. He has a good heart, and I think part of his character development and growth will be overcoming the hot-headedness. That being said, I don’t blame Natalie for her request.

I am not just a Will supporter, but also a Will/Natalie supporter (has a shipper name been decided?). But that kiss scene was a mess. Will, who has been terrible to Natalie, handles it something like this:

“I’ve been an ass. Not just today, since last week. Before that. I should not have yelled at you.”
“Why do you always take things out on me? You invite me in and then push me back. You ask for my opinion and then completely ignore me. It hurts, Will. You wouldn’t treat anyone else like this, so why me?”
“Don’t you know?”
“No…”

Kiss attack! Okay, attack was a bit aggressive. But still. Will, get it together. That was not the right moment.

The bit with Connor sleeping in a trauma room, expertly hidden by Maggie was wonderful. In case you didn’t know, this is Maggie’s ER, and I love it. As Dr. Downey’s new protégé, Connor is overworked and exhausted. This week, a 9/11 first-responder firefighter in at Chicago Med for a lung transplant. There are some complications, but all ends up well.

The Downey/Connor pairing is fascinating. My hope is that we obviously see more of Connor’s character development through the pairing, but also perhaps more of his backstory reveal. Dr. Downey doesn’t have long to live, and that’s sure to be an emotional episode when the time comes.

Sam is crazy jealous of Connor, naturally. She backs off their relationship (or whatever you want to call it) and Connor seems pretty oblivious about it until the end. At Molly’s, he tells her he’ll choose Downey if she gives him an ultimatum. Surprisingly, she doesn’t. I just can’t figure this relationship out. I can’t figure my feelings toward this relationship out. Do I like it? I don’t know. Confusion all around!


What did you think of the episode? Will Sarah stay at Chicago Med? Will Sam and Connor last through his work with Downey? Share your thoughts below!

About the Author - Meghan Reynolds

A Colorado native, Meghan was born a raised a Denver Broncos fan. Aside from football, she loves television and some might say watches too much of it. Some of her favorite shows of the past and present include Galavant, The Blacklist, The Office, Veronica Mars, The 100, and Gilmore Girls. She reviews Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med for SpoilerTV.