Chicago Med – The Clothes Make The Man…Or Do They? – Review

In this episode, we again see how the supply issues are causing stress not only on the system but creating dangerous situations for staff. We also get to see development in several relationships, both new and old, some for the good and some for the bad. And once again, the Chicago Med writers and the Dick Wolf team are outdoing themselves, providing us with amazing content and exciting storylines.

Sharon Goodwin, Jack Dayton and the Scrub shortage

The hospital does not get their delivery of scrubs and Goodwin goes to bat for patient safety and staff safety with the administrative staff, but they are not budging because they are in contract negotiations with the laundry supplier. The staff are all in plain clothes and many have to hit the gift and local thrift shops to have something to wear.

Dr. Marcel is checking on Nathaniel and he is doing well with his new lungs but Jack Dayton asks Crockett why no one is in scrubs and he lets him know it is a laundry issue and the hospital is out of scrubs. At the end of the episode, a supply of scrubs arrives and Jack Dayton comes out to greet the truck and take some pictures. He called the company and convinced them to rush the order of scrubs to the hospital by speaking with them about another trucking contract they are negotiating with one of his companies. Maggie and Sharon discuss that it is nice to have a guardian angel, but how long can it last.

It is always so wonderful to see Sharon Goodwin in action and her character always brings such knowledge and balance to every situation they are dealing with at Chicago Med. There is no doubt that every hospital needs a Sharon Goodwin to advocate for the patients and staff, and that is what makes her so effective and endearing to watch.

Dr. Archer, Dr. Choi, Sean Archer and Deke Neeman

A prisoner comes in from the hospital who has been stabbed in the neck, and Dr. Choi and Dr. Tanaka-Reid are caring for him. Courtney the paramedic is speaking to Dr. Archer at the desk and tells him it is strange that the patients name was also Archer. Dean goes into the trauma room and his son Sean was stabbed in the neck, and there is a retained foreign body from the broken shank. Dr. Archer tells Ethan he wants to do the surgery but Ethan tells him he cannot and that he knows he is right and he needs to trust them and let them treat him.

A second patient comes in after an altercation with a corrections officer, and Dr. Archer takes the case with Dr. Tanaka-Reid, and they find out that he is the man that stabbed Sean Archer. Dr. Archer puts in a chest tube and Dr. Choi returns and lets Dr. Archer know that his son is doing well. Ethan sees Kai checking on the new patient and although Dr. Archer says he is fine, Ethan wants to sends him for a chest CT and tells him his name cannot be on record as the doctor for the patient. Dr. Choi says he will take it up with Goodwin if he has to so Dr. Archer lets Dr. Choi take over. Ethan identifies that there is a problem with the chest tube, but before they can put in a new one, he arrests, and Dr. Archer cracks his chest and they revive him.

Ethan goes to talk to Dean (cue the horrible roof green screen) and Dean shares with him that he feels like he is a failure as a father because he cannot protect his son. He says he is ashamed of what has happened with Sean. Later Dean goes to visit his son and helps to extubate him and tells him he is there and it will be okay. The evolution of Dean Archer this season has been one that has been most enjoyable to see as he really has begun to be more humanized in the current storylines between his growing friendship with Dr. Asher and his evolving long term friendship with Ethan. It will be enjoyable to see now what happens with his relationship with Sean as the season progresses.

Dr. Hudgins, Dr. Charles, Dr. Marcel and the Chapmans

Because she is short staffed, Maggie asks Dr. Charles to supervise Dr. Hudgins. The ambulance brings in Renee Chapman, who is in a confused state and was found scaling a fence and fell. She becomes psychotic and stabs herself, demanding to see Dr. Blake and to “get it out of her”. They sedate her and discover that she is a transplant patient who got a new kidney a year ago.

Dr. Charles reviews the case with Dr. Marcel and they run a complete metabolic panel and a head CT, but the results are negative. They realize that the anti-rejection drugs she is on is causing the psychosis. They trial a few antipsychotics and they all make her completely sedated, confused and almost catatonic. Her husband says her mind is everything to her and he does not feel she would want to be that way, and he asks them to remove the organ and put her back on dialysis so that they can stop the anti-rejection medications. Dr. Marcel refuses, but ultimately the hospital ethics committee feels that it is the husbands right and Dr. Charles convinces Dr. Marcel to do the surgery. They take the kidney out, and put it back into the donation network and put her back on dialysis.

When the drugs clear her system, and she is back in her right mind, Renee shocks Dr. Charles and Dr. Marcel by thanking her husband, and agreeing with him that she would not have wanted to live like that. The organ goes to a new recipient, and they discuss the long term plan of her going back on dialysis.

This was a very interesting storyline as we see Dr. Marcel dealing with the long term outcomes of his guilt over the decision he made for Dr. Blake’s surgery, especially when we have seen that everyone has said that what he decided is not what she would have wanted. And seeing him paired with Dr. Charles was such a treat, as Dr. Charles is such a wonderful advocate for assisting patients to be able to preserve their wishes, so this was a very interesting dynamic.

Dr. Halstead, Dr. Asher and Maya

Will and Hannah are on their way back to the hospital and run into a young woman who is in labor and whose neighbor drives her in. They check on her in the van and then take her into the department and check her out and she complains of feeling itchy but otherwise okay. She is 6cm dilated and they take her to deliver in the hybrid OR as she has to have a C-Section because the baby is in a breech position. While they are delivering the baby, Will and Hannah also start to become itchy and Maya becomes unresponsive and it appears to be a narcotic overdose. They give her narcan and are able to revive her, but she denies using any drugs.

They test her but there is no evidence of long term use and they cannot figure out how she was exposed. Security comes to speak to Maggie and they find out that the neighbor had a warrant out by CPD for drugs and that there were traces of carfentanyl in his van. They discover that she was exposed when it got on her socks, and Hannah realizes she and Will were exposed and runs to find Will, who is passed out on the floor of the lounge. She gives him Narcan to revive him.

They have to decontaminate in the shower room and Hannah tells Will to relax as it is not like they have not seen each other naked before, and she jokes with him about the world coming full circle because they met when he was giving her Narcan at the safe injection site.

They explain to Maya how she was exposed and that she and the baby are both safe. Will invites Hannah to dinner but she says she is going to hit a meeting on the way home and they say they will meet up tomorrow. After his conversation with Ethan at the beginning of the episode about how things are different with someone the second time around, it seems to have sparked Will’s curiosity and it will be interesting to see how things evolve for him and Hannah as the seasons progress. It seems like perhaps there are sparks between them again, and I know many fans of the show would love to see them reunite.

Ben, Maggie, Grant and Mirah

Ben brings in his student, Mirah, who fell at school. Dr. Hudgins is treating her and while they are at the desk, Maggie is packing a care package for Vanessa and everyone is contributing. Grant shows up to add his old jacket to the package. Maggie introduces Ben to Grant and afterwards, he is upset. He says it is because Dr. Hudgins is running a lot of tests and everything seems to be moving slowly, but it is not hard to see that something else is bothering him. Maggie asks him if he is upset because of Grant and he says no, but that she did say she was going to have nothing to do with him. Maggie says that he was just bringing in something for Vanessa, and Ben says of course, it is always about Vanessa.

Mirah’s mother thanks Ben and he leaves, and tells Maggie not to wait up and he will try not to wake her when comes in. Clearly Maggie’s relationship with Vanessa has been a sensitive area for Ben, and now that she has gone overseas it will be interesting to see what happens between them.

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