Chicago Med - Natural History - Review

“You have to do what makes you happy, even if some people think it’s strange.”

Success! This was a fantastic episode. Not to say the other episodes so far this season weren’t good, but they lacked the spark that drew me in last season. Thankfully, it seems they’ve found that spark again with the latest episode. Coincidence that it’s the episode focused on Maggie (finally!)? I think not.

The episode kicks off outside the hospital, scenes I always enjoy. I’m hoping Chicago Med can find a way to show more of the characters’ lives outside the hospital, much like they do on Chicago Fire. It’s the Lockwood family reunion, and Maggie brings Will along. Why? Who knows. But after this episode, I want more Maggie and Will. Before we dive into that relationship, it’s time to meet Maggie’s sister, Denise! Maggie hasn’t seen Denise in quite a while. Denise is a bit standoffish and declines Maggie’s offer to spend time together (as she is needed back in Dallas). But despite Denise’s efforts to get away, a crash after temporarily going bling keeps in her Chicago.

At Chicago Med, Denise’s vision returns so she’s set on leaving. Will wants to run additional tests, and you have to wonder, what in the world is going on with Denise? She’s definitely keeping something from Maggie and Will. Will continues to ask about previous illnesses, injuries, and medical history he should know about, but Denise doesn’t mention anything. That is, until an ultrasound reveals Denise’s prostate gland. Hold up. What now?

Now it all makes sense, the knowing looks between Denise and Maggie, Denise’s reservations about staying at the hospital…Denise tells Will she’s a transgender woman. Will’s dynamic with Maggie along with his handling of this case made me like him so much more. He’s upset, but only because as a doctor, he needs to know patient history to successfully do his job. But he’s understanding and compassionate with both Denise and Maggie.

Denise insists on leaving once again, as Will accidentally offended her. But there’s also still a lot of hurting between Denise and Maggie. “I miss my brother! Is that such a bad thing?” It was a powerful scene between the two. I can’t imagine how they feel—loving each other, but for Denise, feeling like her sister doesn’t like what she’s done and for Maggie, missing a brother who is still here, just not in the same way.

Denise does ultimately agree to stay and have the tests done. “I’ve spent nearly my entire life feeling at war with my gender. Figures the one piece I didn’t get rid of…that’s what’s going to kill me.” She does have prostate cancer, and Will suggests she stay and receive treatment in Chicago. She agrees! I hope we see more of Denise.

I love the decision the writers made with this story. It would have played out differently had Denise been just another patient, someone not related to any of the hospital staff. But by having Denise be Maggie’s sister, we not only see Denise’s struggle, but Maggie’s as well. It also allowed them to explore the relationship between Maggie and Will, which has the potential to be my favorite. At the end of the hour, she presents him with a Lockwood family T-shirt before preparing him to go talk to Nina. “You know when I think about Malcolm, it’s times like these that I miss the most.” Maggie’s relationship with her brother didn’t turn out the way she expected. But maybe, it can be even better. She’s embraced her sister like never before and will get to spend time with her, now that Denise will be treated in Chicago. And she’s found a brother in Will, a relationship I hope we continue to see develop.

Elsewhere…

“…Dashing young surgeon is poised to lead Chicago Med into the future.”

Since the death of renowned heart surgeon Dr. Downey, Chicago Med hasn’t brought in many cardio cases. So without any cardio cases on hand, Connor takes a shift as the attending trauma surgeon. It’s not long before he has a case, a man named Glenn Simon who has a stroke shortly after arriving at Chicago Med. Connor convinces Glenn’s wife he needs to have surgery, but it’s not the convincing itself that I was impressed with; it was the how. Connor is confident, direct, and caring as he talks with Glenn’s wife. I’d put my faith in him too!

In the short time he’s been at Chicago Med, Connor has grown quite a bit. He’s a great surgeon; he’s brilliant, caring, determined, and willing to take risks. Sure, sometimes those risks won’t pay off. And he does still have a lot to learn. Connor requires the assistance of Dr. Latham for the surgery, and Dr. Latham seems to be a different man from when we last saw him. He’s still difficult, but he’s calmer, patient, and a bit easier to like. I still don’t think he’ll have a relationship with Connor like Dr. Downey did, but he’s certainly an interesting character I’d like to see more of.

I’ve been wondering how Sharon will fit into the storylines of Chicago Med, as she’s not a doctor or practicing nurse. We might just have a piece of that answer, though, as she established herself in this episode as a mentor for Connor. She’s hard on him and tells him when he’s wrong, as she did by insisting he page Dr. Latham for assistance with Mr. Simon’s surgery. Later, Will, April, and Ethan tease Connor for being named one of Chicago’s rising stars, part of the “Forty Rising Stars Under Forty”, though Connor insists he knew nothing about it. He humbly apologizes to Sharon, saying he never would have signed off, only to find out Sharon’s the one who did it!

Sharon believes in Connor and knows his potential. And I know I sound like a broken record saying Connor is the breakout character of the show, but he is. And he certainly is poised to lead the show into the future.

Natalie is smitten. As April notices, “Something’s different. You look happy.” And no, it’s not the weekend shift. It is most definitely Jeff. And with Will off for the day, Jeff will be learning from Natalie. The two take on the case of sick man who doesn’t speak English. In fact, he speaks a very rare Indonesian dialect that no one is able to translate. After running test after test with no answers in sight, Natalie turns to Will for help. Thanks to his advice, Natalie is able to diagnose her patient with measles. Measles! Here they are, concerned the poor guy (whose name they finally discover is Pitopang) has some rare tropical disease and it turns out to be measles. Even better? He got it from an amusement park. The guy just wanted to ride thrill rides. The best? He’ll be just fine and he also picked up on the chemistry between Natalie and Jeff.

With the help of Sarah and Dr. Charles, Ethan treats a pregnant woman with a burn. To be safe, Ethan insists on running labs and performing an ultrasound. The ultrasound reveals there isn’t a baby. The woman didn’t miscarry; there was never a baby. As part of her training, Dr. Charles suggests Sarah break the news to the couple. She struggles, naturally, because how do you tell a woman there has never been a baby? Yes, Sarah needs to learn how to do this job. But, I feel like a case like this would have gone better as a “watch and learn” lesson. Dr. Charles does have a way with words, after all.

I’m having a crisis. I’ve been a fan of the Will and Natalie pairing from the beginning, but Dr. Nina Shore is making that more and more difficult. She’s just so adorable! You can’t help but smile when she’s on screen. Even better, she makes Will a better person. She asks Will at the end of the hour if he figure out what she wanted, referring to his earlier chip dilemma. But his, “Yeah. Yeah I think I did,” response was definitely not about the chips. Wait…am I completely on board with this pairing? Yeah. I think I am.


What did you think of the episode? Will Connor continue to lead Chicago Med? Will we see more of Denise? How do you feel about Will and Nina? 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, Blindspot, The Office, Veronica Mars, The 100, and Gilmore Girls. She reviews Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med for SpoilerTV.

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