Jack Dayton turning out to be the (expected) villain of Chicago Med Season 8.
And after George’s bombshell about what Jack plans to introduce in the impromptu board meeting—turning Gaffney into a for-profit hospital—it’s a fight that everyone is gearing up for, not just Sharon Goodwin and the doctors.
Dayton’s interest in the hospital was always a bit of a slippery slope that gave everyone ample reason to worry. While it seemed as though his intentions were pure and noble at first, there’s a reason he’s a billionaire; the only thing he truly cares about is turning a profit. The little tweaks and changes he’s been making, along with rolling out the OR 2.0 and positioning the hospital as a leader in the field, was done with a larger goal in mind.
Some might say that everyone had their blinders on aside for Sam Abrams, who seemingly called it when he told Crockett that he’s been a puppet for Dayton, who will only allow the tools to be used by paying customers moving forward.
Crockett and the other doctors wanted to believe that patient care was at the forefront of the decisions, but unfortunately, the people in suits don’t care as much about that as the people in scrubs.
But will Jack Dayton get his way? Goodwin, Peter, and George all rallied to get through to board members before Jack had a chance to, but is it enough to save Med? Do they stand a chance against the all-powerful Dayton?
With changes abound, Grace’s pilot program launch also ruffled a few feathers in the ED, mainly Maggie’s as she felt as though her job was being automated.
Maggie’s concerns were understandable, and there’s a very logical fear when it comes to AI replacing people and human interactions, however, she also wasn’t open-minded to the fact that it was a launch and something that could be tweaked based on feedback. Grace may be one of Jack’s people, but she’s also a doctor who wants to use the tech to better the experience for doctors and patients alike.
While her red light that indicated noise levels may have not had the outcome that she intended, it was a work in progress, and something she was willing to compromise on by changing it out to a more neutral color. The reality is that change is always difficult, but it’s also necessary when it comes to progress.
CHICAGO MED — “I Can See the Writing on The Wall” Episode 818 — Pictured: (l-r) Emily Walton as Sarah Watson, Jessy Schram as Hannah Asher — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
Halstead—whose track record of dating hospital co-workers became a joke between Goodwin and Maggie—found himself caught up in the middle, proving that Goodwin may be onto something when she says she refuses to mix business and pleasure. Halstead’s relationship with Grace is evolving, so he’s supportive of her pilot program, but when he runs into a few glitches with it, he doesn’t feel comfortable pressing her after she shoots down his suggestions in an effort not to disappoint or upset her.
Giving patients a full look at their medical workup while also providing them with options about their health is wonderful, but in the wrong hands, it can also be crippling. Take, for example, Halstead’s patient, who was suffering from debilitating headaches. She wanted to find an answer so badly—and to avoid getting misdiagnosed—that she agreed to unnecessary testing simply because a tool told her that it might be worth it. Worst of all, she dismissed the advice of the doctor standing right in front of her and trusted the tech over his assessment. At this point, the tool wasn’t an aide anymore, it was causing more headaches than necessary… pun intended.
There’s nothing wrong about being an advocate for your health; it’s encouraged, in fact, but it needs to be backed up by a professional opinion as well, and Grace’s tech stripped the doctors of that authority.
When push comes to shove, will Halstead side with Grace simply because of his feelings for her?
Hannah Asher and Crockett’s patient storyline was one of the most heartbreaking to date, and it led to a vulnerable moment from Asher that then convinced her to connect with Sean, Archer’s son, to inform him about his father’s declining health.
Asher came to Sean as a friend, not a doctor, after seeing the suffering caused by a parent’s decision to not burden a child with their problems. Sarah, a pregnant mother, was hesitant about getting her symptoms checked out until her son, Ryan, forced her. By that point, it was unfortunately too late as her heart condition was too far gone and she passed away following her successful C-section. By prioritizing her children and ignoring her health, she stripped them of having a mother to grow up with.
It was personal for Asher as well because her mother died in childbirth, so she never got to know her. She didn’t want Archer to make the same mistake when it came to keeping Sean in the dark to protect him, so she took matters into her own hands. It’s definitely an “ask for forgiveness later” situation. Sean deserves to know, and he deserves to be given the choice to make his own decision rather than being treated with kid gloves because he’s a recovering addict.
Also, Asher is pushing all of Archer’s buttons, and I need them to finally admit their feelings for each other. Then again, I kind of liked her with Crockett…. so I’m open to whatever happens.
Archer’s deteriorating health also clouded his judgment with a patient, as he attempted to bully Kurt into getting a surgery he didn’t want. It was a difficult case because Kurt was suffering from a disorder that made him obsessed with wanting to be paralyzed. He even pretended to be for most of his life, with an accidental fall down the stairs causing an injury that made it possible.
I get Archer’s point of view as he didn’t want a perfectly healthy man to throw away his life—especially as his was slipping away—but Charles was right about the situation, as always. Kurt said he tried every single possible therapy available with no luck, and he was aware and oriented. They couldn’t force surgery, no matter how much it presented itself as the obvious choice. It was not their battle to fight. I loved Archie’s apology to Charles as it shows just how much character growth he’s had since landing at Med. He’s not perfect, but he can own it when he makes the wrong move.
I’m a huge fan of Dr. Charles, and I think that he was correct in everything that he said to Liliana about her swift decision to buy her friend’s house. Her judgment was clouded by excitement, and he simply brought her down to Earth by asking some logical “next steps” questions.
What I don’t understand is why they have to paint her as so clueless and dense. It’s almost as if the fact that she’s an immigrant means she’s this doe-eyed person rather than acknowledging that she’s someone who has created a new life for herself far from home and has learned to survive and thrive. She’s a capable woman who should be treated as an equal—instead, we’re constantly seeing Charles tip-toe around her afraid that he’ll hurt her feelings or come off as some dominant figure.
What did you think of the episode? Are you finding all the patient cases compelling? Do you like how they are tied in with the doctors’ personal storylines? And what do you think the move to save Med is?
New episodes won’t be on until May 3, 2023—so enjoy the break, Chi-hards!