NBC's Chicago Med - Episode 4.03 "Heavy Is the Head"
When a sick boy is brought in, Ethan is faced with a tough decision that quickly escalates into a complicated and dangerous situation. Connor and Maggie are put to the test, while Natalie and Charles aren't sure what to make of Elsa, the new third year medical student.
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.
"Heavy Is the Head" was written by Jeff Drayer and directed by Michael Waxman
The drama with the Halstead brothers was the least engaging aspect of last week's crossover event between the three Chicago shows. It was meaningful when they were in the hospital dealing with their father's death. As such, there is the hope that Med will be able to handle these ongoing issues better than P.D. will. However, the show continues to embrace them fully. As such, it risks completely shutting Natalie out of her own relationship with Will. He has now become the driving force of their entire story. Sure, she has her own concerns in this hour. But that too is a story mostly about Curry and how dangerous she possibly is in the emergency room because she is very forceful and determined. Natalie isn't even the one who gets to call her out for her biggest mistake. Instead, that honor belongs to Dr. Charles who comes across as a little intimidating and bullying in that moment as well. It's complex but none of that has to do with Natalie. Meanwhile, Will is asking Joey to bend the rules in order to run this blood test for his friend. He is doing so entirely to get a venue for his wedding. It's painfully obvious that that's what he is trying to do. And yet, he is still feigning ignorance whenever it comes up. Moreover, he is completely oblivious to the suggestion that his friend's father also happens to be a gangster the police and FBI have been tracking for years. That presents a new reason for Jay to come into his brother's life. But it also highlights Will's career potentially being at risk because he is breaking protocol and asking Joey to do the exact same thing. He just doesn't care about the consequences because he believes he will be able to get away with them like he always has. And yet, the audience is still suppose to see him as a solid romantic lead in the narrative. That remains such an issue. The same is also true for Choi and April at the moment. There is the obvious pull for them to be a couple. They have very real issues preventing them from doing so. And now, they are taking their frustrations out on each other because they don't seem to agree on anything in any aspect of their lives. It's still passionate and Choi is still able to come around to April's way of thinking. However, their story ends with a man shooting himself in the head just so he can donate a kidney. He only feels compelled to do so because Gwen doesn't want the burden of having him as a patient to potentially ruin the hospital's statistics. That's so cold and chilling. It continues to present Gwen as this one-note adversary that Sharon has to deal with. Through three episodes, it seems to be the same conflict over and over again. Hopefully, more nuance is on the way. And finally, Connor is so forceful in deciding to open his hybrid OR early. He passionately believes that his patient in the emergency room will die without it. But it's such a manipulative story as well because it's the show featuring the exact same medical issue that led to a patient dying on Connor because it took too long getting to the OR. As such, that only broadly showcases how necessary this program may be. Plus, it doesn't excuse his behavior when he is bossing everyone around not caring about how this could all potentially go wrong. And yet, it's still intriguing to see Maggie get the respect she has always deserved. And now, she could become a part of his team in this program as well. That would just mean a significant change to the organization of the emergency department though. Could the floor remain well organized if Maggie isn't there to make sure everything is running smoothly?
