Chicago Med – If You Love Someone, Set Them Free – Review

First an apology to Chicago Med fans…in the last few articles, the character that Dylan Scott believed to be a drug dealer and who turned out to be an undercover cop was referred to in these review as Lelana…the characters correct name is Milena. My sincerest apologies for this oversight. We are carrying on with the storyline of Stefan, her CI who arrived shot at the end of the last episode.

Dr. Scott, Dr. Taylor, Goodwin, Maggie, Stefan, Milena and Lieutenant Regina Jeffords

Milena approaches Dylan on his way into the hospital and asks about the status of Stefan. Dylan says he was shot, and he is going to check on him now. She asks if he can give her a ring when he does, and Dr. Scott says he never should have listened to her and that if he had stuck to his guns about the surgery, Stefan would not have been shot. Milena says that they got the jump on them, but with people like Stefan it is part of the life, and eventually they are arrested or shot.

Dylan goes to see Stefan and asks what happened while Vanessa is examining him. He says he just heard shots and felt pain. Dylan asks Vanessa what she thinks and they agree on Stefan getting a chest CT. Maggie tells Vanessa that she thinks she should take her off his case as there is something about him, but Vanessa says she is his doctor and it is fine.

Paramedics bring in another gunshot wound and Dr. Scott and Dr. Taylor take it. It is a 27 year old man with a gunshot wound to the shoulder, whose name is Hector. They see Stefan be wheeled by, and Hector signals to the man with him and he walks away texting on his phone. Dylan makes sure Vanessa is okay and he runs outside to Milena and says he believes there has been a retaliation shooting and Hector recognized Stefan and sent a message out. Milena asks him if he thinks they are bringing the war to the hospital and he says yes. Milena then makes a call to her Lieutenant.

Dr. Charles and Goodwin are walking along talking about Goodwin’s daughter and her pregnancy. They discuss that the song “Hard Headed Woman” is perfect for their daughters, and then Goodwin gets and message and tells Daniel she has to go.

Dylan and Lieutenant Jeffords are filling Sharon in and she says that she has staff and patients to protect. They explain that there are two rival gang members in the hospital and this is part of an undercover operation that has been going on for 3 years. She also says if their undercover officers get made, they could be in significant danger. She says she will have plain-clothes officers at every entrance, but they are hoping for Goodwin’s help. Dr. Scott reassures her that he thinks they can accommodate Stefan, and Goodwin says if they cannot handle things, she will call the 21st for uniform officers right away. She also asks security to check everyone’s hospital ID.

Vanessa meets Dylan in CT and she tells him Stefan has a small hemothorax, and she will monitor his output in the ED. Dylan tells her that he is taking him to the ICU due to a police matter, and that with the risk involved, he is taking her off the case. She says if Stefan gets worse, he will need another pair of hands and she is going with him and Dylan agrees.

Vanessa comes to the ED to pick up Stefan’s belongings and Maggie questions her about it, but Vanessa tells her it is no big deal and not to worry. Maggie goes to see Goodwin, and she explains to Maggie what is going on.

Dr. Scott is concerned that Stefan has a bleed and so they want to take him for an angiogram so he lets Goodwin know. Goodwin notices a man waiting in the angio department hallway, and she asks the police to ID him and he is a known gang member. She asks if any security officers are nearby and if they are to get over there. Dylan and Vanessa arrive on the elevator, but as they go down the hall, Dylan sees the gang member and they turn around and get back on the elevator before he can get to them.

Goodwin talks to Dr. Scott and tells him to take Stefan to PICU and hold him there. Security approaches the man and he takes a nurse hostage, and then goes to run and is tackled by a plain-clothes officer.

Milena calls and says there is likely someone on the inside and she says she is willing to pull the plug if needed. He says no, and she thanks him for going to bat for them with Goodwin. Vanessa comes to tell him Stefan’s blood pressure is dropping and they adjust his fluids and medications.

Maggie comes looking for Vanessa and is worried about where she is. She asks the other staff if they have seen her and they say no.

Stefan’s blood pressure is dropping and his chest tube is not putting out any blood and they realize he is bleeding into the sac around his heart. He begins to arrest and Dr. Scott calls Goodwin to say that they need to go to the OR and will need a police escort, and then Dylan says he will have to drain the tamponade right there and go in blind as there is no time and they do not have an ultrasound.

Goodwin has them to clear a path to OR 12, and Dylan drains some blood from the heart sac with a needle and says the escort is waiting at the PICU doors. A man approaches in scrubs and says he will give them a hand and Vanessa recognizes that it is Hectors friend and he tries to stab Stefan and cuts Dylan but Dylan takes him down and the police apprehend him and they head to the OR.

Back in the ED, Dr. Archer is suturing Dr. Scott’s arm and Goodwin comes in and says she will do the dressing. She tells him that Stefan’s surgery is going well, and that she does not need the details but has a feeling it is not a coincidence he was involved in this case. She tells him he needs to remember his coat these days is white, not blue. Vanessa arrives back to the ED, and goes and hugs Maggie.

Dylan is at home and has a knock on the door and it is Milena. She asks how his arm is and he says it is nothing serious. She tells him none of the undercover officers were compromised and she is sorry for putting him in that situation. He asks if she meant that she would blow the whole operation for him, and she says yes. They start to kiss and he pulls away and says it could be dangerous, and she says she is okay with dangerous. After the love that One Chicago has for Dr. Scott, it is nice for our writers to find some love for him, and this should prove to be an interesting relationship indeed.

Dr. Halstead, Dr. Charles and the Clark Family

The nurse comes to let Will know his patient is leaving. Ivy Clark, age 16, was brought in after having a seizure that morning. Will speaks to her family and he says that seizures can have a lot of causes, and Ivy says she knows why, it is a Stage 2 Glioma. Will offers to call her oncologist if they are at Med and her family says she is not seeing an oncologist and has opted for Palliative Care, and not to treat it.

Will discusses with Dr. Charles what just happened, and they are discussing a teenager not wanting to treat their cancer, when Will is called to the waiting room. As they are going to leave, Ivy has another seizure in the lobby. Will gives her Ativan to stop the seizure and the parents agree to a CT scan to make sure they are not missing anything.

Dr. Charles asks Will how his patient is, and he says she is just back from radiology and he needs to go to speak with the family. Dr. Charles asks if he can tag along as dealing with a palliative diagnosis is hard enough, let alone with a minor and he wants to see how everyone is doing. Dr. Halstead agrees to have him come along.

Will speaks to her parents, and introduces them to Dr. Charles. They are a bit taken aback by the fact that Daniel is a psychiatrist, but he tells them that he knows they are going through a difficult time and he wants them to know everyone is there to help.

Dr. Halstead says Ivy is very sick and the best course of treatment is chemo, and since she is a minor he needs to know how they want to proceed. Mr. and Mrs. Clark tell him that they support Ivy’s decision as the side effects from the chemo and radiation last time were horrific, and she only has a year to live, and they do not want it to be spent that way as she has already suffered enough. They only want palliative care for her.

Mrs. Clark asks about hot water for some tea, and tells them it is something her boyfriend Ben found and it is the only think she will let them give her. Will is upset as the tea they are giving her is a folk remedy and he feels there may be medical neglect and they might need a court order to treat her, and Daniel says to let him talk to mom first. He checks in on her and says he knows it has been a rough day. She says that the tea doesn’t likely do anything but it is the only thing she will agree to and it makes her feel better to at least be doing something. She says she needs to honor her wishes, but it is hard. She then goes to take the tea to Ivy.

Daniel goes to talk to Will and says it is definitely not medical neglect, and Will says he has to let her go home then. Will looks at Ivy’s old scans and they realize her tumor is shrinking. She is vomiting, and Will offers her more anti-nauseant and the family thinks it is the tea that is helping the tumor but Will says not to jump to conclusions. She begins vomiting blood and Will gets consent to take her to endoscopy to cauterize the bleeding vessels. Ben says she has to keep taking the tea because it is working.

Will goes to talk to Daniel and says he got the lab analysis of the tea and there is nothing that would cause what they are seeing and Daniel says he added another test and shows Will the results. She is showing levels of chemotherapy drugs in her blood, and Will says if she does not know she was given it, it is assault. They go and share the results with her. They tell her that her symptoms are consistent with a reaction to chemo, specifically a drug called Tamadar, that is easily available over the internet. They believe someone has been giving her the drug without her knowledge and she asks her parents and they say they are not. They ask to see Ben’s hands and they have chemical burns on them. They ask if he was breaking them up and putting them in the tea, and he said he loves her and he did not know what to do as she can’t die.

The police come to arrest Ben, and Ivy’s parents ask if that is really necessary. They say he is a part of the family and that Ben and Ivy have been sweethearts since they were little kids. Dr. Charles explains that legally they had not choice and had to report it, but once they process Ben, it is up to them if they want to press charges. Will tells them that he knows that today was agonizing, but the chemo is working, but the Clark’s tell him that Ivy is going to die no matter what, and they say they want to take her home and no chemo, because that is what she wants. They thank them for everything and Dr. Charles says to Dr. Halstead that he just wants to go home and hug his daughter. We watch Will look over at Hannah, and it becomes all to real how lonely Dr. Halstead really seems to be these days. Will Dr. Asher's return give Will another chance at love? Will Dr. Hammer return, and how would that change the dynamic of the department? We will just have to wait with baited breath as the season continues.

Dr. Asher, Dr. Marcel, Dr. Blake and Dr. Archer and Claire

Dr. Archer comes in to tell Dr. Asher that her drug test was negative and she is clear for work and tells her it will be a weekly thing. Dr. Asher says that Goodwin said it would be once a month, but Dr. Archer says it is his ED and it will be weekly. Will sees Hannah through the window and smiles.

Will approaches her and says he wished he knew she was returning and that it could not have been an easy decision based on their past relationship. Hannah says her coming back has nothing to do with him or their past relationship, and it is about her and this position, which is what she has been working for, and everything she wants. She tells him they do have history but it is just that, history.

Dr. Blake and Dr. Marcel are discussing that one of their surgeries was cancelled, and Crockett tells Pamela that he wants to take her out to dinner on a real date. Blake says that dates are something adolescents due. Dr. Marcel is called away to help Claire, a patient who is hemorrhaging due to her transplanted uterus. Dr. Asher jumps in to help.

Claire says that she cannot lose this uterus, and that it was transplanted from someone who had passed away. Dr. Blake says that cadaver uterus’ are notoriously problematic, and Dr. Asher asks about another transplant, but Dr. Blake says no, and Dr. Archer jumps in to say he agrees with Dr. Blake, as uterine transplant is an elective surgery. Dr. Asher asks if he is disagreeing with her because of how he feels medically or because of her, and he says maybe a little of both.

Claire’s bleeding does not improve the way they hoped and Dr. Asher and Dr. Marcel let her know that they will need to remove the transplanted uterus, and that it is not possible at Med to get another transplant. She asks if they will contact another hospital. Beth, her sister, asks about donating her uterus but Claire says no. Dr. Asher says she is not optimistic but she will make some calls, and Dr. Marcel says he will make some calls too.

Claire’s bleeding worsens and Dr. Asher says that they are out of time and they have to take out her uterus, and Beth tells Hannah that she wants to donate her uterus, and that she has to try to help Claire. Dr. Marcel goes to talk to Dr. Blake about doing the transplant, and he asks her to think about her bond with Avery and that now she has a chance to give that experience to someone else and she agrees.

They are in the OR and Dr. Asher and Dr. Archer are retrieving Beth’s uterus, and Claire codes and they get her back. Dr. Archer says they can close as they have not retrieved Beth’s uterus yet, but Dr. Marcel says they are proceeding and they can get Claire through it, and Dr. Blake says this is why they do not do elective transplants.

Beth comes in to see Claire after the surgery and Dr. Asher says they were able to do the transplant with Beth’s uterus. Claire is upset but Beth tells her she never wanted kids, and that is Claire’s dream not hers, and she will be the best aunt ever.

Dr. Marcel goes to thank Dr. Blake for doing the surgery and she shares with him that she did not carry Avery and used a surrogate. She says people do not know because people judge. She said today brought up a lot of old feelings and a bit of regret for her. She asks if he wants to get dinner and he says yes.

Dr. Archer approaches Dr. Asher and she says she knows he was not onboard, but he says they pulled it off and can take it as a win. It was nice to see a slightly more pleasant interaction between these two, however knowing how Dr. Archer feels about mental health and addicitons, we have likely not seen the last of fireworks between him and Dr. Asher. They have mentioned a few times that Dr. Archer is estranged from his son, and it would be interesting to find out why, and if perhaps it relates to mental health or addictions issues.

This was definitely an action packed episode as we saw Dr. Scott fight crime and find love, saw Will show signs that he really misses having love in his life, and seeing Dr. Archer find a new nemesis to butt heads with in the ED. We definitely have lots in store for us for the rest of this season, and it is clear the Chicago Med writers are not going to disappoint!!

What did you think of this episode of Chicago Med? Share your thoughts in the comments below.