It was a rough shift for everyone on Chicago Med Season 9 Episode 5. The episode focused on plenty of heartbreaking cases, which naturally take a toll on the doctors who do their best for the patients who walk through their doors.
One of the newest members of the team, Dr. Ripley, responded to help an elderly man suffering from hypothermia, who seemed disoriented and kept calling out for someone named “Betty.” While Alzheimer’s and dementia came to mind, especially due to Jimmy’s elderly age, a CT scan revealed something much more horrific: the patient was the victim of a lobotomy conducted at Med roughly 60 years ago. Ripley and Charles surmised that Jimmy was a problem child, so they took care of it by messing with his brain, not giving him a chance at a full life. Jimmy ventured to the hospital hoping to help his sister and caretaker, who took a fall at home, but by the time PD got an address, they were too late and she passed away due to natural causes. Ripley had to break the news to Jimmy, who, in his regressed state of mind, couldn’t understand what was happening—and it was gutwrenching to watch. Ripley felt so bad when he called social services, in fact, that he promised to visit Jimmy so that they could talk about Betty, knowing that the man had no one else looking out for him and was let down by his loved ones for so many years.
The case also hit close to home for Ripley, who had disciplinary issues as a teen and who felt abandoned by those who should’ve helped him, something Dr. Charles apologized for when he was his psychologist. The nature of the relationship between these two remains one of the most compelling storylines this season.
Another newbie, Dr. Zola, tapped in Dr. Marcel when Alex’s parents brought him in with concerns over his very high heart rate. He ended up needing appendix surgery, but during the procedure, they found cancer before running into some trouble with one of the drugs they used to wake him up from his anesthesia, nearly killing the 14-year-old. Zola insisted that Med pull the medication immediately, but Crocket knew that it wasn’t that easy, and after he brought it up in one of the meetings, the board decided to keep it in rotation and make a case to the FDA. When Zola said she’d pursue it further, Crockett advised her to drop it, and with all the hot water she’s gotten herself in during her short time at Med, she should probably heed his advice for now—though I do anticipate we’ll see this storyline pop up down the line with everyone eventually agreeing that Zola’s instincts were right.
Dr. Charles’ tough day also included getting his longtime friend, Bert, checked out at Sharon Goodwin’s request. Ever since Bert came into the ED after falling while watching his grandson, there have been concerns about cognitive decline, particularly since his family has a history of dementia. And since Bert is the kind of person who refuses to see a doctor, Goodwin had to get creative, though when they finally sat him down to have a chat about their concerns, he felt ambushed and bolted out. It’s scary to be told that there may be something happening with your memory, but the signs are all there and it’s important to get ahead of it. Eventually, he came around to the idea, agreeing to get further tests if it gets Sharon off of his back.
Dr. Asher took on a patient brought in by Dr. Johsnon (you know I’m happy to see him coming around more often). The couple’s dream pregnancy turned into a nightmare when the woman’s water broke at 15 weeks and the doctors refused to do a D&C for fear of legal repercussions. Instead, they sent her away and kept telling the husband that the situation wasn’t an emergency as she carried a dead fetus and developed an infection. Eventually, he trekked from his rural home to Chicago to seek out help before it was too late—and by that point, the woman had gone into septic shock. It was touch and go there as Asher tried to save the woman’s uterus while also preventing her from hemorrhaging out during the operation. Everything ended up just fine, all things considered, with the couple candidly exploring future options for their family that they were both comfortable with. Without fully touching upon the complexities of the current laws surrounding pregnancies and miscarriages, Chicago Med showed the dangers of laws that work against women, their choices, and their safety.
And finally, Dr. Archer was unable to save a patient that his son brought into the ED who was having shortness of breath. Sean, who is a counselor at a rehab facility, put all of his faith in his father, but sometimes, things are simply out of everyone’s control, which was hard for him to accept as he was full of hope and positivity, trying to help people with their second chance at life. While it’s unclear what caused Damon’s fluid in the lungs, it may have been caused by persistent drug use, which led to heart failure, and meant he was too far gone to be saved. I’m just hoping that Damon’s death doesn’t send Sean off the deep end or make him second-guess his career path—it’s just a reminder that life doesn’t always work out the way you want or expect it too.
Maggie assisted Dr. Johnson throughout his visit, all while getting her divorce papers officially notarized. When the moment finally came, it was nice to see her get the support of Asher and Zola, while also acknowledging that she has an interest in Johnson… when she’s finally ready to get back out there again.
What did you think of the episode? Did it pull on your heartstrings?