Chicago Med Review: Lemons and Lemonade (Season 3 Episode 8)

On Chicago Med  Season 3 Episode 8 “Lemons and Lemonade,” Dr. Choi struggles to help a patient who does not want help, while Sarah tries to throw herself fully back into work — even though she isn’t quite ready.

Moving On

Well, Connor is back to his old ways — or at least he’s trying to be. He drives his brand-new car to work and within a few minutes of arriving scores a date.

Despite Connor going back to his old ways playing the field, his compassion remains perfectly intact. He still goes above and beyond for his patients.

Will and Connor assure a sweet comedian, Astrid, that her surgery would be covered by Medicaid, because it’s life threatening. After the surgery is successful, they find that the cancer has spread to her bones.

Yet, because this surgery isn’t life-threatening like the first one, the insurance won’t cover it. Before paramedics whisk her away to another hospital, Connor decides to intervene.

In case you forgot, Connor comes from a lot of money. Add that to his salary as a doctor, and he’s doing quite well. He makes an anonymous donation to help Astrid out.

Ms. Goodwin knows that it was Connor who made the donation, since the hospital does not have the funds to help out with cases such as hers. She is wary about his decision, knowing that Connor will want to help every patient like he did Astrid.

But Connor is just happy that he is able to help this one person. This one, incredibly kind patient who touches both Will and himself.

He’s numbing the pain of Robin being gone and trying to move forward as best as he possibly can.

What is going on with these money issues? When will they resolve? Ms. Goodwin is right; Connor certainly can’t do this with every patient.

With Maggie struggling without enough nurses, and more and more future patients at risk to be sent elsewhere, we have to wonder: when will this all resolve? Or will it even resolve at all?

Living Isn’t Enough

Anorexia is an eating disorder that causes people to obsess about weight and what they eat. It’s an eating disorder that consumes you. That desire for control — that desire to be thin — becomes more important than anything.

Some people get treatment and are okay; some get treatment and are not. Dr. Choi feels a connection with Allison. He carries her underweight, unconscious, limp body into the ER wanting to do whatever he can to help her.

But she does not want the help.

When Dr. Charles talks with her, she is already doing the math in her head about how many calories the IV has and if she will be able to burn them off. When they force her to intake 3000 calories through her nose, she can’t even handle it.

Allison is so weak she can’t even get out of bed, yet she outright refuses the intake of nourishments and goes as far as pulling out the tube and asking to call her lawyer.

Dr. Charles thought they could take things slow and just start with 3000 calories and eventually work up to more. Yet Allison had a different plan, for a long time now.

Dr. Charles: Her entire being is fixated on gaining control and holding onto it. Even if it kills her.

They are trying to help her, but she doesn’t see it that way. She just sees the situation as losing control and gaining weight.

Dr. Choi tries his best to revive her when she codes, because he’s at a loss.

It’s sad when doctors say, “There’s nothing we can do,” because there really is absolutely nothing more they can do. Yet it’s even sadder when there can be more done, but a patient refuses care.

It’s heartbreaking, especially for the medical professionals that want to do everything in their power to save their patients.

Allison dies in control when she had the chance to live but at the cost of losing control. It was not enough for her.

You Have to Want It

Dr. Sarah Reese, on the other hand, is in a similar situation. She has the power to change, but unlike Allison, she is willing to do anything in her power to make it happen.

Two weeks isn’t enough to be okay again. Even with her therapy and anger management sessions, she’s still afraid of patients.

She doesn’t want this and Dr. Charles knows that. She begs him to help her, and he agrees right away.

Sarah has a great support system, not just Dr. Charles. It’s the little things, like Dr. Choi welcoming her back and Maggie helping her out with her patient. Slowly but surely, she’ll hopefully be able to be and feel like herself again.

Oh, the Guilt!

Remember when April was diagnosed with tuberculosis? It’s treatable, but not curable. When she was diagnosed, it strained her relationship with her boyfriend at the time, Tate.

It’s naturally understandable, then, that April can relate to Hannah ending her relationship with Tommy.

Hannah is a carrier of a very rare infection. She was fine and happy with Tommy until Dr. Manning and Nurse Sexton told her she was a carrier and antibiotics would not cure her. Despite Tommy not putting blame on her because she did not know — well, she does now.

The pressure of Tommy being able to get it again, despite protective measures, is not enough comfort for Hannah. So much for a perfect, romantic getaway.

I can’t even imagine what I would do in either April’s or Hannah’s situation. Yet when we look at April now, she’s in a really great relationship with Ethan and they’re making it work. Maybe one day Hannah and Tommy will be able to be like Ethan and April.

Other Thoughts:

• Ethan is not happy when he sees the coffee cart guy checking out April. That was so cute!
• Poor Will, thinking a small toddler dislikes him. Turns out Owen just enjoys pelting blocks at Will for fun. Will bribing him is very cute, although Natalie’s son just seems happy with his blocks.
• April comforting Ethan with a hand on his back, and then later seeing his face and knowing right away he is in pain from losing his patient, is great. I was skeptical at first, but they really are a cute couple! What do you all think of Ethan and April?
• Also Corbin Bleu plays Tommy — what did you think of his performance? He’s grown a lot since his High School Musical days!

What did you think of this episode of Chicago Med? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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Chicago Med airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on NBC.

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