NBC's Chicago Med - Episode 4.22 "With a Brave Heart"
Dr. Charles and Caroline set some major plans. Ava fights to keep her relationship with Connor. Agent Lee informs Will of news that may put his life in danger.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the season finale of NBC's Chicago Med.
"With a Brave Heart" was written by Diane Frolov & Andrew Schneider and directed by Michael Waxman
This finale is absolutely overstuffed with plot. Some of it is resolving the long-simmering stories from the season. Some of it is purely driven to create romantic tension and fuel an epic cliffhanger. And even more is just introducing new ideas that will define the characters in the fifth season. As such, it's very scattered. It's not focused on one overwhelming idea of how to bring all of these stories together in a meaningful way. Sure, it's ultimately uplifting to see Dr. Charles and Caroline get married. This story doesn't have a tragic ending just yet. There is the looming fear that she won't be alive for much longer. Right now, it's just more important to celebrate what is going on instead of being paralyzed by fear over the future. She's still alive and wants this even though she can't travel to Hawaii for her dream wedding. Dr. Charles has a very thematic medical story in that same vein. Ethan and April have one as well in which they have to be open to unconventional living arrangements actually being the healthiest option for everyone involved. They need to meet this couple where one has dementia and the other has a severe allergic reaction to roast beef in order to be open and accepting of the solution Bernie and Emily have come up with. Sure, it's absolutely unconventional and may not even last. It does seem too good to be true with not enough attention on all that Bernie's other daughter seems to be doing in order to keep all of this functional. And yet, it's just suppose to be a simple resolution so that April can share that she may be pregnant. That's completely unexpected. It's also curious because it's unclear how much time has actually passed since Ethan and April reunited as a couple. That's a concern for the future though. The same goes to Maggie who learns that she has breast cancer that may have already spread to the rest of her body. The woman she gave her kidney to returns to the hospital in pain and is given this grim diagnosis. In reality, it shows that Maggie's own future may be up-in-the-air. That's the overall idea that permeates throughout this finale. It wants the future to be influx for many of these characters. The audience knows that some of the actors are leaving the show. It was announced a month ago that Colin Donnell and Norma Kuhling would be exiting the drama. That's still strange because this finale does absolutely nothing to address why their characters wouldn't be returning for more melodramatic stories. In fact, this episode deliberately sets up a huge mystery for Connor as he learns that his dad actually died from an insulin overdose. Someone killed him. That's scandalous and he is already looking at Ava with suspicion. But that's just too expected and too repetitive. If this is the end for both of those characters, it would be such a strange and lackluster sendoff. Plus, the show only leaves one character's fate in limbo for the hiatus. Once again, the Burke family is causing Natalie pain. That's so infuriating because she deserves happiness by now. The show remains convinced that Will is the best guy she could ever hope for in her life. Philip is too presumptuous because he's already planning on proposing to her. Meanwhile, Will refuses to leave town despite the threat to his safety because of Natalie. It means she is largely removed from the decisions regarding her future. That's very annoying. Yes, she does get in the car to confess her true feelings to Will. That's when she is flung out and severely injured. But it all plays as everyone else forcing this onto her instead of how she actually feels.
