NBC's Chicago Med - Episode 4.01 "Be My Better Half"
Goodwin finds herself quickly clashing with the new hospital COO Gwen Garrett. April questions whether or not Ethan's sister, Emily, is using again. Dr. Charles deals with his past actions.
In 2018, it has become very difficult to keep up with every television show out there. It's even more difficult to provide adequate coverage on this site about the episodes that air every week. Not every show can get full coverage because of my busy and hectic viewing schedule. As such, some reviews will now be condensed to give only some summary thoughts. But it also affords a space for me to jot down my thoughts on the various episodes. And so, here are my thoughts on this week's episode of NBC's Chicago Med.
"Be My Better Half" was written by Diane Frolov & Andrew Schneider and directed by Michael Waxman
The new season opens with the idea that some of the regular doctors are leaving the show. Connor is leaving for the Mayo Clinic while Sarah can no longer stand to be around Dr. Charles. These feel like legitimate threats as well. Both characters could be leaving the show. They have both been prominent features since the beginning too. However, the opening credits basically give away what's going to happen since Colin Donnell is still a series regular and Rachel DiPillo is a guest star. The story just has to catch up to that certainty. Sure, there is awkwardness that comes out of Ava pimping herself out in order to help a man. That's a somewhat icky moment where she goes to Connor's dad to get the money for this new OR in the ER. But it's also an exciting new program that is bound to lead to a new environment in a familiar space. It means more distinctions will have to occur while exploring what kind of authority each attending now has with the various cases. However, it should also be fascinating to see how quickly this program is up and running. The show could bend the rules of logistics if it wanted it to be fully operational by next week's episode. Meanwhile, Sarah's reason for leaving absolutely makes sense. Charles betrayed her confidence. He suspected that her father was a serial killer and didn't warn her at all. There was even the fear that he was willing to let Bob die. That was the big cliffhanger at the end of last season. The premiere takes until the very end before confirming that Bob did survive and is now living in a prison hospital ward. However, all of this story is told from Charles' perspective. He's lashing out because he lost a loved one. And yet, it would have been more empathetic to see all of this from Sarah's perspective because she lost the only father figure in her life who actually meant something. Instead, it feels like a storytelling choice meant to convey the idea that Charles will still be on the show while the audience better get used to Sarah no longer being around. In fact, it seems like a new character is already being introduced to replace Sarah. A new medical student in the ER played by Younger's Molly Bernard immediately comes across as Sarah from the first season. She believes she doesn't have to learn how to perform this job in this speciality because she has already determined that her career in the medical field will not involve interacting with patients. As such, the show has to be very careful to ensure that this simply isn't a retelling of the same story that played out in the first season with Sarah. It probably won't be considering Bernard has a regular job elsewhere. And finally, the story of the deaf kid also going blind is so heartbreaking. It's also used as a metaphor for Will and Natalie to stop worrying about the small things with their relationship. And yet, it continues to be so difficult to invest in them as a couple because Will remains absolutely awful. He proposed in the spur of the moment so that Natalie couldn't stay mad at him. He was upset that she ruined his plans for the perfect moment. And now, he's annoyed that it took her over a week to say yes. But of course, she shouldn't have responded to him in the parking lot. It wasn't an appropriate time to ask the question. Will not getting that still makes me believe that they are bound to implode as a couple at some point. However, the show also wants to live in the happiness that comes from them relying on each other during the simple wedding planning. It's just contradictory feelings that have grown rather annoying as time has gone on.
