Chicago Med – The Winds of Change Are Starting to Blow – Review

As we would expect with an episode title like this, this week we really started to see the impact of Jack Dayton and all his changes, and how they affect patients and staff alike. We also see the impact of the pandemic on some individuals and their mental health and how life changes can really make you feel lost.

Daniel, Liliana and Paolo

Daniel meets up with Liliana as she is leaving work and she tells him she left him a treat in his desk. Her brother Paolo comes to pick her up and she apologizes to Daniel and says he can be rude. He was a lawyer in Poland and has had a hard time finding a career in the USA. Later Paolo is dropping off Liliana and Daniel tries to reach out, but he says he does not need his help and he is not one of his patients. Liliana tells him he is a very patient man and he says he is a lucky man and they hug.

This relationship continues to be such a source of joy for those of us who love Dr. Charles and Liliana seems to make him very happy. We can only hope that Paolo does not create any friction in their relationship, and that Daniel is able to continue to play nice while being faced with anger and rudeness.

Maggie, Jan Dover/Jacqueline Warner and Dr. Charles

An ambulance arrives and Jan Dover is inside. She has a laceration on her hand and she is very jaundiced and is refusing to get out of the ambulance. She is very paranoid about the hospital, “big pharma”, x-rays and many other things related to the hospital.

Maggie consults Dr. Charles, who comes out to the ambulance to speak with her. He says that they have a protocol for her concerns with radiation and they are able to convince her to come into a treatment room. Dr. Charles cleans out her cut while she discusses all her ideas and he asks to see the forum she likes for information. He looks in her phone settings to find her real name which is Jaqueline Warner.

Dr. Charles starts to think that something bad happened to her in the hospital and he does some research. He finds out that her sister went into the hospital for something minor and was diagnosed with late stage pancreatic cancer and soon after died. Jacqueline starts to freak out when an x-ray is taken next door. She says she wants to go and Maggie tries to convince her to stay and get screened. Dr. Charles tells Maggie that they cannot force her to accept treatment.

Daniel encourages Jacqueline to speak to a social worker related to the grief around her sister, and she takes the card. He tells Maggie the fact that she took the card is a step in the right direction and he has already called the therapist and the first order will be to encourage her to get tested. Maggie apologizes for what she said.

Clearly when it comes to cancer screening and testing, Maggie has very strong feelings, and while her motives come from a place of concern, I would have to agree with Dr. Charles that it is hard not to project your own feelings onto the situations you encounter, but you have to remain impartial. Being in a helping profession can definitely create a great deal of moral distress, and clearly this case really got to Maggie. We all hope that she does not leave Chicago Med, but with Jack Dayton at the helm, who is to day what will happen to all our favorite friends at Gaffney.

Sean, Dr. Archer, Dr. Asher, Tim and Pam

Dean feels bad that Sean has to take a day off work but he says being tested to donate his kidney trumps parking cars for one shift. Hannah arrives and Carlie from the coffee shop is flirting with Sean, but he tells Hannah he is interested in someone else.

Tim comes in with abdominal pain and they discuss with Dr. Archer that he has lost 24 pounds and his wife who is also exercising has not lost any weight. Tim has free fluid and free air in his abdomen and Dr. Archer tells him they need to do surgery to find where the hole is in his GI tract that is causing the issue.

Dr. Archer takes Tim to the OR and they find a tapeworm along with the hole from an ulcer. While he is in the OR, Pam is walking outside and starts to have severe abdominal pains and Hannah and Sean find her and help her to a bench. Sean offers to step in for her husband and be there to help hold her hand and Hannah gets her inside.

While they are completing Tim’s surgery and removing the tape worm, Pam is delivering a 37 week baby in the delivery room, and it is a boy. Sean helps coach Pam and Hannah delivers the baby. Hannah says she will find out if her husband is still in surgery.

Tim’s tape worm was six feet four inches long, and they fixed his hole in his GI tract from his ulcer. They bring in his wife to allow him to meet his son. They tell him that her OB was wrong and she could get pregnant and they know it is a lot to take in.

Hannah is listening to the story about the tapeworm and after she leaves, Sean tells Dean that he has feelings for Hannah. Dean reminds him they are both still in recovery and to think about that. Hannah plays a trick on Dean and she is helping cleaning the coffee he spills on himself off, when Sean comes by and sees them, and you can tell he is suspicious that his father has feelings for Hannah too.

I sincerely hope that this interaction does not cause to much friction between Sean and Dean, as they are finally starting to rebuild their relationship. However, it would also be fascinating to see a relationship between Sean and Hannah explored, and I think they may really understand each other based on what each of them has been through. On the other side, many of us have been curious for some time if Dean had feelings for Hannah as their friendship has grown, so it is not surprising that Sean is suspicious based on what he saw.

Personally, I had always hoped maybe Will and Hannah would rekindle their relationship at some point, but it looks like that is not in the cards for them. They seem to work well as friends, so perhaps that is the best for now.

Dr. Halstead, Richard, Vicky and Dr. Marcel

Richard comes in and says he tripped going down the stairs and it is not getting any better. He and Vicky are hiking the Inca trail next month, and Dr. Halstead tells them he thinks it is likely a sprain. Richard sends Vicky out to the car and tells Will he has a dull pain in his abdomen and he has no appetite and feels weak and he is afraid the cancer is back and he is afraid to tell Vicky. Will says they will run some tests.

Dr. Marcel comes in to see them and they tell them that the cancer is back in his liver. Dr. Marcel says that with OR 2.0 they can likely remove the tumors. However now that Jack has moved to for profit, they are worried they will not be allowed to use the OR. Sharon steps in and says Richard’s first surgery was done there so this is a follow up and they will cover it the same way. Crockett uses the 2.0 and they remove all the tumors. Unfortunately, Richard is not waking up after the surgery and they get a head CT and he has had a stroke in the OR and there is no chance for recovery, and Vicky says goodbye and they withdraw life support.

Sharon goes to check on Dr. Marcel, and he is upset as everything was stable the entire time and he feels it is his fault. Sharon reassures him that sometimes even under the best circumstances, patients do not survive.

I love seeing Sharon Goodwin with her staff. She is such a wonderful nurse and administrator, and she has so much compassion for everyone. It only makes sense to worry about where Jack Dayton will feel she fits in the new model, but for the sake of everyone at Gaffney, patients and staff alike, we need to keep Sharon Goodwin around.

As we draw close to the season finale, tensions are definitely rising. This makes me think that our Med writers have a real killer cliffhanger waiting for us in the coming weeks. I guess time will tell and I for one will be on the edge of my seat.

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