Chicago Med Season 8 Episode 8 is starting to prepare audiences for Ethan Choi’s exit from the series.
At the kickstart of the episode, Gaffney’s finest received cream colored envelopes in their lockers, which, upon opening, revealed that a wedding is on the horizon! While it feels like April and Ethan just got back together, the truth is, when you know you know.
Choi told Charles that the second time around, their relationship is much more solid, which is largely due to the fact that following his father’s death, Choi grew up and became the man that April always needed him to be. As he realized how short life is, he didn’t want to waste anymore time. And honestly, I think that’s beautiful and realistic. Most of the time, you get wiser with age and realize just how much time was spent on things that didn’t matter.
Choi and April always had a special connection that was unfortunately ruined by the show’s need for drama. The drama was necessary, but with their relationship continuing off-screen, they can finally ride off into marital bliss!
Of course, Choi needs to have a compelling reason for leaving behind his job, and I think he’s going to try to take on a very flawed and broken system. He was especially triggered by Buddy’s case, the homeless man who was brought in after someone from the neighborhood realized that he was in need of medical attention. Buddy was, sadly, a victim of Medicaid fraud as a recruiter took him to a hospital in Wisconsin to undergo a procedure that he didn’t need for kickbacks. And once it was done, she dropped him back off without a care in the world knowing damn well that he didn’t have the resources to go to any follow up appointments or to heal properly from the procedure. All the while, Buddy was also in advanced stage prostate cancer, which is one of the most curable and treatable cancers, and no one did a thing about it. He could’ve survived and lived for many years but he was brushed off and ignored. He was failed by so many people simply because he didn’t have the means to seek out help on his own or advocate for himself. I’m not surprised that Choi was so angered by the realization. And while I don’t know what Choi is going to do to bring about the much-needed change, I know that the first step is simply acknowledging that it’s necessary. If losing Choi is inevitable, I’m just glad it’s going to be a worthy send off that remains true to his character that’s become so beloved over these eight seasons.
There was a bit of a shakeup with Asher and Nellie Cuevas teaming up together to help Gloria, a young woman who walked into the ER looking to get some clarity on what happened to her at a warehouse party. Gloria explained that she blacked out after a single drink and had no memory of the evening aside from waking up in a room alone and with her undergarments missing. The care that Asher and Nellie extended was truly remarkable as they both felt a personal connection to Nellie—Asher having lost a college roommate who was sexually assaulted and Nellie being an undocumented immigrant who knew the dangers and the realities of the failed system all too well.
Gloria was in good hands, even though this is a situation that no woman ever wants to experience. Upon confirming that there was evidence of sexual assault, Gloria decided against reporting it or doing anything about it, which proved Nellie’s suspicions that she was undocumented herself.
When Asher wanted to encourage her to change her mind, Nellie shut down the conversation and reiterated the fears going through Gloria’s mind as an immigrant. And everything Nellie said was totally valid, however, there’s always more sides to a story or situation. When Chicago PD’s Hailey Upton came in with another sexual assault survivor who also blacked out at a warehouse party, Asher stood her ground in her efforts to convince Gloria as she knew just how important her case could be to finding the person who did this.
Asher revealed that her college roommate experienced a sexual assault that ended with her untimely death, and after seeing the firsthand effects of what that kind of trauma can do to a person that represses it and tries their very best to “forget it ever happened,” she couldn’t stand by and watch Gloria make those some mistakes.
Asher’s story helped Nellie see the situation in a different light, and while she remained cautious and respectful of Gloria’s undocumented status, she revealed that she was a DACA recipient to assure her that if she did decide to file a report, they would protect her as they knew what she was going through. The relatability was comforting to Gloria, who eventually spoke with Upton, another agent who was in no way going to put Gloria in harm’s way. As I said before, despite the truly devastating circumstance, Gloria was in good hands.
Halstead teamed up with a new intern, Justin Leiu (The Cleaning Lady fans will recognize him as Marco!), who honestly feels like he’s going to be a really great addition to the team. Justin was sharp and on his game, and even went along with Halstead’s plan to do a trans organ exchange to help out his patient, a 15-year-old girl in advanced liver stage from a rare condition. The truth is that Halstead will do just about anything to help his patients, but this time, he was determined to keep it above board. And with a little help from Crockett, they were able to provide a solution that helped two patients in one. Crockett realized that “quid pro quo” doesn’t always have to be a bad thing if it’s done for the greater good, which convinced him to attend the executive dinner with Goodwin and billionaire Jack. Crockett really got caught up in the optics of asking someone he previously helped out of the goodness of his heart (and because he took an oath) for money, however, a few million is just another drop in the bucket for Jack. And, as it turns out, he was already expecting the ask and was even willing to go way above what they wanted because he saw value in helping Med and investing in the doctors there. At the end of the day, it’s a charitable write off for Jack, which he surely knows, and it helps so many people in the process.
Maggie got a little too caught up taking a ride through her past with Grant, which landed them both in the ED. While it was sweet of Grant to want to show off the high school ride that he restored with Maggie, the truth is, these two can’t just be friends. There’s history and chemistry there that only spells trouble. Ben wouldn’t even be happy with the idea of Maggie riding shotgun in the car with her ex boyfriend, so I’m not surprised that she hesitated to tell him about the car accident as it will cause more unnecessary problems in her marriage. Sharon encouraged Maggie to take time and think it through, and while I would typically say that she should trust in her connection to Ben, we all saw how he reacted the last time Grant came around. I don’t think he’ll be understanding in the slightest.
The storyline with Grant really only made sense when Vanessa was still around, but now that she’s off living her best and most authentic life, the truth is, Grant and Maggie have no reason to exist in each other’s orbit anymore. It’s probably for the best that they don’t see each other again.
And then there’s Neil, whose painful condition following his broken ribs is clearly going to pose a problem down the line. He’s been keeping his colleagues in the dark about what’s been going on, but it’s bound to get worse and eventually, it won’t be something that he can ignore. I feel like he was trying to tell Choi about it, but when he saw how impassioned his friend was about fixing the system, he just let his problems take a backseat.
What did you think about the episode? Are you excited for Choi and April’s wedding? Do you like seeing different doctors in the ED pair up and work together?
The fall finale of Chicago Med will air on Dec. 7, so get ready and we’ll touch base then!