The worst part of being an ED doctor is giving bad news that amounts to a death sentence.
Chicago Med Season 9 Episode 12 had Marcel struggling to get the transplant board to allow him to hold onto a liver while a young patient recovered from an infection, only for him to change his mind at the last second.
His sudden change of heart didn’t make sense, especially considering how arrogant and insensitive Dr. Morris was about the procedure throughout the story.
Why Did Marcel Change His Mind?
Dr. Marcel butted heads with Dr. Morris throughout the hour.
Morris was skeptical of whether Marcel could successfully do this procedure, demanded repeatedly that someone else be given the liver, and complained that the transplant committee meeting was a waste of time when he didn’t get his way.
The climactic scene involved Sharon saying Marcel made the decision and Morris whining about it. Then, off-screen, Marcel agreed with Morris.
That was supposed to be a surprising plot twist, but it flopped because we didn’t get any explanation of why Marcel made the decision he did.
Instead, Chicago Med jumped directly from Marcel disagreeing with Morris to him telling Colin’s father that he’d decided to give the liver to another patient. That felt abrupt, plot-driven, and senseless.
If Marcel’s mind had been changed by one last passionate plea from Morris or Sharon, that would have made the story understandable. Instead, it seemed like he gave in to an arrogant surgeon who wanted his way for no reason.
Marcel told Colin’s father that the infection prevented Colin from surviving surgery, but he’d said the opposite to Morris at the meeting. No wonder Colin’s father felt betrayed — the audience did, too.
Marcel also should have known better than to make promises he couldn’t be 100% sure he could keep. The committee could have pulled the rug out from under him, or Colin’s infection could have turned out to be more severe than he thought.
Either of these events would have resulted in Colin being sent home without a new liver, which signs his death warrant for all practical purposes.
It sucks that Colin’s father wouldn’t even let Marcel answer the question of whether Colin would die. It seems Marcel and his patient have had a split for the sake of drama that will haunt Marcel during the season finale and beyond.
A Strong Mental Health Storyline
Chicago Med does a better job with mental health stories, and this one about a burn unit nurse who was overworked and coping with stress by cutting herself was no exception.
[Note: This part of the review discusses self-harm, suicide, and other serious mental health issues.]
Most TV shows do not address cutting realistically. Many times, it’s depicted as a teenage problem, and some shows make it appear that kids will eventually outgrow the behavior.
The truth is that anyone can succumb to self-destructive behavior at any age, and people don’t outgrow things like cutting themselves without professional help. Cutting is a complex problem related to difficulty processing and expressing deeply painful emotions.
Most cutters are not suicidal and do not want to die, although they might hurt themselves badly enough to risk their lives, as Jackie did.
Chicago Med demonstrated that beautifully through Jackie’s story.
Jackie’s behavior would have been unhealthy even if she hadn’t been self-harming. She was working far too many hours in a high-stress job, probably to avoid the vicarious trauma she experienced on the job and her husband’s depression over his job loss at home.
For the most part, Chicago Med avoided tired TV tropes during this story, although Jackie’s refusal to accept help and overdramatic reaction to being placed on a psych hold came close.
Nobody wants to be hospitalized against their will, so Jackie had every right to be upset. But her screaming for Maggie to help her seemed on the stereotypical side. She also acted like Maggie was betraying her but didn’t hold any anger toward her after she’d been locked in a room for a while.
That last scene between Maggie and Jackie was strange, even though it was probably meant to show that Jackie’s head was clearing, and she realized she needed help. It didn’t make sense that she had no anger or resentment toward Maggie for not stopping Dr. Charles from locking her up.
Despite that hiccup, this was a strong story — and best of all, Maggie had something to do besides feel sad about her divorce or argue with her new boyfriend about whether he should return to work.
How On Earth Will Sharon Cope With Bert’s Cognitive Decline?
Sharon Goodwin seemed to be in the same negative pattern as Jackie.
She wasn’t cutting or actively self-harming, but she was so focused on helping Bert she forgot to eat and nearly fainted from hypoglycemia. That’s not good.
Daniel: You okay?
Sharon: I knew Bert had been losing a step, but I never imagined it would be like this.
It’s also disturbing that Sharon plans to care for Bert at home, especially when she claimed she’s the only one who can calm him down and then in the next breath stated she’d need to hire someone to take care of him so she could continue to work.
If Sharon has to pay for someone else to take care of Bert, which will result in more meltdowns when he gets confused and scared, why not help him settle in the hospital instead of humoring him about taking him home?
Sharon’s the next one who’ll burn out. She’s not leaning on her daughter despite Tara’s willingness to help and refuses to reach out to her sons because she doesn’t want to burden them.
With one episode left in the season and the spoiler video depicting Sharon telling Tara she has to face how bad things have gotten with Bert, taking care of Bert herself will likely lead to some disaster that will force Sharon to face the fact that she needs to put him in some sort of care facility.
Great News on The Ripley/Hannah Front
Sully and Lynne kept pushing Ripley to be with Hannah, and after Hannah saved their baby’s life, they became even more adamant.
I loved Hannah’s response when Ripley finally told her about his past.
Hannah: I can easily imagine you and Sully getting up to no good.
Ripley: How much no good might surprise you. Look, I was an angry kid. I did some time in juvie, lots of mandated therapy… all of which is to say, if I haven’t completely scared you off, I really like you.
Hannah: I’m not concerned with who you were. I like who you are.
That was precisely how it should be. It’s not like Hannah exactly has a squeaky-clean past herself.
She’s beaten opioid addiction, but her introduction to the show on Chicago Med Season 5 Episode 12 involved her meeting Will at a harm reduction center where she was attempting to use heroin in a controlled manner.
If anyone can understand that people change, it’s her, and it wasn’t likely that she would judge Ripley for his past even though many women would likely (and reasonably!) be concerned about a man who has violence in his past.
I’m not sold on Hannah and Ripley as a couple, but I’d rather they make progress than get stuck in an endless will-they-won’t-they loop.
Dr. Archer Was Forced to Be Nurturing, And We’re Here For It!
Archer’s reaction to Naomi reminded me of the Shaun/Charlie mess on The Good Doctor Season 7.
The difference is that Sharon immediately asserted that it was his job to teach medical students, not judge them and make them feel unable to succeed in this field, and Archer listened.
He made a strong turnaround, though I don’t blame him for kicking Naomi out of the treatment room. Her inability to intubate nearly cost the patient his life.
Her dilemma reminded me of Scrubs Season 1 Episode 1, when JD was afraid to do anything and had the nurses do it for him, though it was taken more seriously on Chicago Med.
I like Naomi so far. She’s a significant improvement over Zola and her constant rule-breaking, and I loved Sharon’s advice.
Archer was empathetic for a change when Naomi finally told him what her problem was, too.
Your turn, Chicago Med fanatics.
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Chicago Med airs on Wednesdays at 8/7c. The season finale airs on May 22, 2024.
Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on X.