Chicago Med Season 11 Episode 8’s Bold, Innovative Storytelling Breathed New Life Into The Show Despite Some Serious Missteps

Critic’s Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

4.5

Chicago Med is back, and it’s closer to the medical drama we all fell in love with — for the most part, anyway.

Chicago Med Season 11 Episode 8 bridged a two-month hiatus, using flashbacks and institutional pressure to tell powerful stories without needing to remember too much of what happened before.

The Lenox storyline fell flat because of overdone tropes about abusive situations, but the rest of the episode more than made up for it.

Archer and Kingston’s Board Meeting Was The Best of the Three Storylines

I loved the format of Chicago Med Season 11 Episode 8, with three stories told in flashback while the people involved were under pressure to tell a certain story in the present.

It was different — the kind of thing that wouldn’t work if done every week, but the perfect way to showcase the theme of empathy vs. institutional expectations, which is also a theme I love.

Archer’s was easily the best of these three stories.

The theme was especially clear in the board’s questions to Archer and Kingston. While the doctors chose to operate on Jeremy in order to buy him just enough time to meet his baby, the hospital saw the situation in terms of risk assessment and cost.

As far as Peter was concerned, an extra two to three weeks of life was meaningless compared to the costs of the surgery and the risks to the patient.

It didn’t matter that the doctors were honoring the patient’s wishes, nor did it seem to be relevant that Jeremy’s wife didn’t seem interested in suing the hospital over Jeremy’s condition.

Protocol dictated that you don’t do a risky surgery if it will add weeks instead of years to the patient’s life, and the doctors needed a better explanation than the humanity of their choice in order to avoid trouble.

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Of course, Jeremy came out of limbo well enough to stay alive for the next few weeks, so the whole point was moot.

The board’s attitude would have been even more uncomfortable to bear if Jeremy had died, as they would have ruled that the doctors took risks for nothing.

There are never any guarantees in medicine, and Jeremy likely would have died before meeting his baby without the surgery, so the risk was worth it to the doctors.

I would have loved it if they had to defend that, but I’m glad Jeremy lived. Brilliant Minds‘ midseason premiere was sad enough without Chicago Med Season 11 Episode 8 following suit.

Dr. Charles’ Story Helped Drive Home That Same Point

Charles’ conflict with the always-insufferable Dr. Morris reinforced the idea that empathy and humanity are lost values when institutions get too entrenched.

That’s what Charles’ meltdown was about — Morris didn’t give a damn about Linda or her eternal quest for a heart that never came, nor that she almost died because of the psychological effects of waiting and never getting.

I don’t like whatever happened in the elevator, though.

Charles may well retire at the end of Chicago Med Season 11.

He has become increasingly jaded about psychiatry over the last few seasons, so it would make sense storywise, plus I wouldn’t blame Oliver Platt for wanting to move on to something else after 11 years.

Do you think Chicago Med would lose something without Dr. Charles?
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I’d hate it as much as I hated it when Marcel left, but I’d understand it.

But if Charles ends up having some terminal illness or a heart condition that forces him into retirement, I’m going to be mad as hell.

Mental health stories are my jam, and there are too few psychiatrists on TV and even fewer who are written accurately.

Charles is one of my favorites for that reason, and I don’t want anything tragic to happen to him.

And if he does leave, no matter the circumstances, Chicago Med had better replace him with a competent psychiatrist!

One of Med’s selling points has always been that it includes psychiatry in the emergency services department, and that needs to stay that way.

Meanwhile, I have a major bone to pick with Lenox’s story

Sorry, not sorry, but I’m sick to death of these doctor/cop in danger stories that seem to be epidemic on One Chicago shows.

This one had a strong point — the final confrontation between Lenox and that detective was a masterclass in how to deal with a legal system that is more interested in punishing survivors than protecting them.

Still, what came before that was the overdramatized and exaggerated dangerous situation that we’ve seen a thousand times before.

I especially hate it when abusers are turned into one-note stereotypical monsters to fulfill this type of plot.

It undermines the cause of shining a light on abuse because most abusers don’t abduct doctors at gunpoint to keep them quiet.

We certainly didn’t need this well-worn and unrealistic path of two hostages who have to save a patient under duress.

The twist that Fay killed Devin at the end was well done, and Lenox’s reaction to that cop was perfect, but this was the kind of story so over-the-top violent that it did more harm than good.

What did you think of Chicago Med Season 11 Episode 8?

Whether you loved it, hated it, or fell asleep during it, I want your take! Let’s talk in the comments, and don’t forget to share this article with your friends so they can join the conversation.

Vote in our poll below to rank the episode.

If you enjoyed this article, check out Carissa’s recent thoughts about Chicago Fire as well as the rest of our One Chicago coverage.

Chicago Med airs on NBC on Wednesdays at 8/7c and streams on Peacock on Thursdays.

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