Chicago Med – On Days Like Today…Silver Linings Become Lifelines – Review

In this episode of Chicago Med, a common theme seemed to be testing...testing new boundaries, testing friendships and relationships, testing knowledge and testing trust and loyalties. It definitely was one not to be missed!

Dr. Marcel, Dr. Song, OR 2.0 and Rob Graham

Rob Graham is brought in by his co-workers after he amputates his hand in construction accident. Dr. Marcel says it is a shame because the hand is in good shape, but the stump will need some time and clean up and the hand would not stay viable. Maggie and Crockett discuss if there is a way to save limb with some sort of temporary perfusion like you would do with lungs or a heart and Crockett decides they are going to use the 2.0 to bank the hand to back of leg for a week to keep it perfused and then re-implant it onto the cleaned up stump. Again we see Dr. Marcel being a huge advocate for the technology and what the advanced imaging can offer, and Maggie has to pull him back in how much and how quickly he promotes recovery to the patient.

While doing surgery however, Dr. Marcel asks the 2.0 for a suggestion but the 2.0 is not able to offer solutions due to a lack of data on this type of procedure. For a moment Crockett is unsure what to do next, until Dr. Song says to use his best clinical judgement. Upon reflection after the surgery, he cancels his next OR in the 2.0 suite to go back to traditional surgery in order to make sure he does not lose his skills or lose trust in his judgement. It is good to see that Crockett is trying to finally find a balance between relying on his own knowledge and skill and using the new technology for support as opposed to using it to make decisions.

Dr. Halstead, Dr. Cuevas and Isaac Collins

Isaac Collins comes in from a car accident, and was on his way in for a kidney transplant after years of dialysis. Nellie encourages him to get checked out while he waits, and he keeps telling them he is fine, but then reveals his back is a little sore. They do some scans and it turns out he has a fracture in his back and based on the shape of the bones, it is likely a pathological fracture caused by him having cancer. He refuses an MRI and says he never should have said anything, and begs Will to not run anymore tests so that he can get the transplant he has waited so many years for.

Nellie and Will discuss the pros and cons of reporting the situation to the transplant team, and that while this may be Isaac’s only chance to get a kidney, it is unethical to not report it. Dr. Halstead informs the surgical team and Isaac is unable to get the transplant until this issue is investigated and he is very upset, asking to speak to his surgeon and nephrologist. Nellie stays with him for support because his wife is out of town. She and Will discuss afterwards that while he thought his luck was changing and he was getting a new kidney, perhaps Will’s diligence saved his life and they caught the cancer early.

It is definitely interesting to see how Will has changed over the years in his methods and how he practices medicine (perhaps those lawsuits his first few years at Gaffney have taught him a few lessons), but it is also wonderful to see how Dr. Cuevas tries to put a positive spin on the outcome. While at first she was not a character that seemed confident or positive in her role, she is really developing into a well-rounded psychiatrist and hopefully we will continue to see more of this positive character in the future episodes.

Sharon Goodwin and Dr. George Thomas

Jack Dayton is pushing Sharon to meet with Dr. George Thomas, whom he wishes to be considered for the opening on the board. Sharon however has another candidate in mind however, who is a long standing supporter and volunteer at the hospital. Jack takes it into his own hands and schedules lunch with her assistant for her, so Sharon meets with George and they hit it off. He seems to have a lot of ideas and after they finish lunch, he asks her for drinks but she has to politely decline. Sharon is, as always, a professional, and clearly knows that meeting in this way would be a conflict of interest. Later, she tells Jack she will not oppose his running but still has her own candidate, Gloria Jeffers, she is endorsing. It is amazing the strength that Goodwin shows with Jack Dayton, whether it was protecting her staff, patients and the public, or pushing forward with who she feels is the best candidate for the board, even if it means disagreeing with Dayton. And it is so refreshing to see someone willing to push back against his suggestions and changes. Chicago Med is so lucky to still have Sharon Goodwin at the helm.

Dr. Asher, Dr. Archer and Liza Martin

Liza, another addict from her support group who Dr. Asher has been following during her pregnancy, comes to the ED and her water has broken. Hannah asks Dean for permission to go upstairs and deliver her since she does not have a regular OB and she has seen her and has been her only continuity in care. Dean agrees and after a brief episode of fetal distress, Liza delivers a healthy baby girl. However, Liza gets upset after delivery, not wanting to hold the baby and so they leave her to rest and take the baby to the nursery. When Hannah returns to check on her, her boyfriend is there and she and Dean find Liza passed out on the bathroom floor after having relapsed and having used heroine.

Dean reminds Hannah she is obligated to report what happened but Hannah tells Dean she is not giving up on Liza the way people did not give up on her. She says Liza has no one else and she wants until the end of the day to find a solution as she has no family and says she has been her and will not give up on her. Hannah gets upset when DCFS shows up, and accuses Dean of calling them, but he says it was not him. Hannah talks to Liza and finds out she was the one who asked them to be called and they discuss how hard recovery can be if you are not doing it for yourself.

Hannah works with DCFS so that Liza can go to rehab while someone fosters her newborn with the goal of reunifying with the baby after rehab. Liza names the baby Hannah in thanks for her support and belief in her and desire to help her recover from her addiction. This was such a touching storyline, as clearly the support that Hannah received from Will and other colleagues at Chicago Med along with her own conviction is what has allowed her to reclaim her life, and it is wonderful seeing her now use her success to support and help others who are where she was then. It is also such a truthful story, as recovery from addiction, especially drugs like heroin is extremely difficult, and often filled with numerous set backs.

Daniel and Liliana

Liliana is worried about the strike and tells Daniel that she has heard talks are breaking down and she can’t afford to be out of work. Daniel tries to reassure her and then Daniel tries to talk to Sharon about the negotiations, and Sharon explains that while she does not anticipate a strike, the issue is complicated and sets precedent for negotiations with all the other union bargaining units. She says that she cannot discuss the details with him and that she expects him to trust her to do her job.

Liliana is going to speak to the press and asks Daniel if he would speak to them in support for the workers but he says he cannot. She tells him it can be anonymous but he says his employment contract would not allow him and they likely would trace the comments back to him based on their relationship. This definitely was a sad development in this budding romance, as certainly Daniel himself was concerned about the appearances and dynamics of them dating, and clearly it has caused a bump in the road. We can only hope that they will be able to navigate these waves and keep their ship on a forward moving path. Liliana definitely seems to be good for Dr. Charles, and it would be so devastating to see him go through yet another heartbreak.

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