NBC's Chicago Med - Episode 4.06 "Lesser of Two Evils"
Dr. Manning and Dr. Halstead become skeptical of a patient's injuries when the victim of a car accident is brought into the hospital. Ethan and April have a difficult time understanding Emily's attachment to her boyfriend despite recent developments. Will and Natalie brace for their joint bachelor and bachelorette party.
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.
"Lesser of Two Evils" was written by Safura Fadavi & Meridith Friedman and directed by Martha Mitchell
Who decides to have a bachelor and bachelorette party on Halloween? That just seems so strange here. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the couple wanting to have a joint celebration. It would also make sense if the couple was very much into Halloween. And yet, that has never been a huge component of Will and Natalie's relationship. In fact, Halloween isn't even a big deal throughout this episode. It is brought up for less than a minute of screentime. But it's still apparent during that final party. So, it mostly feels like they are just coopting a night where everyone would have been celebrating anyway. It never really feels about them. Even when they are in that environment, it feels much more important that Will reaches out to Jay to tell them that he is still a doctor and has a duty to treat his patient even one caught up in this FBI investigation. That certainly paints Jay in an unflattering and uncompromising light. But what else is new? The focus being on that story instead of the celebration of the engaged couple may signal doom for them in the future. Or it could just prove that the show has different priorities. It still makes time to have Will and Natalie working together on a case in the hospital. However, that too may show how he has corrupted her with the idea that they have a responsibility as doctors to take extreme measures when the situation calls for it. They want to help this woman who came to the United States to get married only to discover that her husband is abusive. They want to provide help for her injuries and her immigration status. They want to ensure she survives all of these hardships. It also seems fitting that Sharon reprimands them for deceiving the patient's husband into believing that she died and that an autopsy will reveal she had extensive injuries before the car crash. But the show still plays it as a victory for Will and Natalie to celebrate. They made a difference in this woman's life. And yet, it only further proves that Sharon never really backs up her frustration of threatening to fire Will. This has happened so many times across the series and he hasn't really dealt with any major consequences. That's lame and very lackluster. Elsewhere, the show continues to find some depth with its new class of med students. Here, Connor actually tries to support and uplift Terry even when he makes a mistake. That stands in stark contrast to Lanik. It's interesting how the hospital fired Stohl only to replace him in the job with someone with the exact same personality. Lanik is all about protecting the hospital above all else while being grim and forceful with the other doctors on staff. He wants the med students to fear him because he is intimidating them to the point of making mistakes. But that's not conductive for any kind of learning environment. And finally, Choi is realizing that he has to accept that Emily is making choices in her life that he may not agree with but must support anyway. She has had different life experiences than he has. She was adopted and is now becoming a mother. She has a different perspective. He may be confused by her standing by Bernie. But he ultimately has to be fine with her decision to move to Las Vegas to start this new life for herself and her family.
