Chicago Med Review: Better is the New Enemy of Good (Season 6 Episode 7)

Chicago Med Season 6 Episode 7, “Better is the New Enemy of Good,” has some really great parts… and some really not-so-great parts. With such a stark contrast, the episode doesn’t end up moving the audience one way or another, leaving its viewers with just a feeling of ‘meh.’ 

While Will continues to move in circles, not only for reasons that seem to make sense in character but also for reasons that also seem to be from left-field.

At the same time, Ethan pushes himself too far, to the point that seems out of the realm of possibility. But the most alarming part of these poorly executed storylines is how complacent everyone around them is to their outlandish behavior. 

Thank God for the heartwarming story between Marcel and Natalie that elevates Chicago Med and reminds its viewers what it can be at its best, even amidst the not-so-great. 

Ethan spends the beginning of this episode trying to conceal an illness (I almost thought this was COVID, but then remembered Chicago Med also forgot about the pandemic) until he collapses due to his gallbladder surgery earlier that day.

This is ridiculous if thought about in nighttime drama terms, but not so much if you pretend Chicago Med is a daytime soap opera.  And this doesn’t make much sense for Ethan’s character. 

He’s overworked — yes. But Ethan is also the sensible character of the ED, so much so that April generally acts as his foil to bring him to a middle ground. This is also why this doesn’t work. Not only does this behavior occur, but it also slides especially with April, who writes this off as just “Ethan.” 

How can his staff trust him when he can’t even have the decision-making skills to not collapse on the ED floor? 

Meanwhile, Will acts as predictable as ever. When his patient on a drug trial gets sick he does what he always does — break rules and lie (at least by omission). 

It’s endearing because Will does this for the good of his patients, but these same traits continue to lead Will to blow up his personal life and seek out relationships he probably shouldn’t. His involvement with Dr. Virani is no surprise, in fact, I called it in my review of Chicago Med Season 6 Episode 6, “Don’t Want to Face This Now.”  

Again, Chicago Med continues to push Will away from the main narrative of the show, making it harder and harder for the audience to connect with him. Other than April supporting his actions once an episode, there’s not much there anymore. But perhaps this has to do more with the character and less with the vision of season six of Chicago Med. 

And to top it all off, Will is one of two to break a rule, tying this episode’s tally with the previous episodes. 

Along with some great dialogue delivered by S. Epatha Merkerson, the true highlights on “Better is the New Enemy of Good,” come from Natalie and Marcel’s emotional journey throughout this episode. While treating a heartbreaking but inspiring case, the two come together as Marcel struggles with the loss of his daughter. 

Even the man they treat has about a year to live, the same approximate amount of time his daughter had. 

On purely a professional level, these two work well together as a team. And ignoring their chemistry, these two have been through a similar loss and understand each other way more naturally than Natalie and Will ever did. 

Natalie has the type of thing with Marcel that Chicago Med had always tried to force with Will. They have the type of dynamic that could center a procedural medical program like this. “Better is the New Enemy of Good” is proof enough of this. Hopefully, Chicago Med will recognize this and double down on it. 

What did you think of this episode of Chicago Med? How many rules do you think will be broken next week? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Chicago Med airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on NBC.

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