Chicago Med Season 8 Episode 8 Review: Everyone’s Fighting A Battle You Know Nothing About

*Trigger Warning: This Review Contains Mention of Sexual Violence

Chicago Med Season 8 Episode 8, ‘Everyone’s Fighting A Battle You Know Nothing About,” is just a solid hour of television, with important messages to share. A Chicago P.D. cameo doesn’t hurt at all. 

As the series approaches the fall finale, there is plenty of opportunity to cause chaos for the Gaffney team. With so many characters coming to a crossroads, there are a lot of storytelling decisions that need to be made. 

The core of this entry of Chicago Med is Hannah and Nelie, and their support of a survivor of sexual assault. There probably should have been a trigger warning at the beginning of the episode for the subject matter.

This episode does a phenomenal job of showing the reality that is assessment following a sexual assault. As practitioners, Hannah and Nelie are compassionate and caring, walking the patient through each and every step of the process. If only all actual practitioners were this trauma-informed.

Even though both Hannah and Nelie have differing opinions regarding how the patient should ultimately proceed, they always come back to focusing on the patient and preserving her autonomy. Both physicians’ opinions are equally valid, and they are presented as such.  

The reveal of Nelie’s immigration status is incredibly compelling. It’s not played for sympathy. Instead, it’s a way for the audience to get to know this character better, and give us insight into the reality she exists in every day. 

Maggie is on thin ice on this episode of Chicago Med. Seriously, if anything serious had happened to this ray of sunshine, it would have been everyone’s problem. 

The storyline with Maggie and Grant has been teased since the very beginning of this season. There are a lot of ways that this story could have been resolved. Maggie re-connecting with her daughter Vanessa has added a whole new dynamic to her character.

It makes a lot of sense that Maggie and Grant get a chance to get one more chance to live in their past, followed by a realization that they just have too much history to be friends. It’s a respectable decision that may hurt now but it’s what’s best for everyone in the long run.

It seems like a poor choice for Maggie not to tell Ben anything about Grant. Ben evidently knows that there is something amiss. Hopefully, Maggie will get a chance to re-evaluate this decision. 

Meanwhile, Marcel’s character development has been on point this season. Chicago Med is better for it. It would have been so easy for the show to have him wallow in self-pity. Instead, he’s going through a massive period of growth. It’s a good look.

The transplant case on this episode is a fascinating one. It’s a classic ethical problem that the show has shown it’s capable of handling when it’s at its best. Again, the fact that everything comes back to patient care is a credit to the show. 

Enter Crocket, advocating for his opinion, which he initially thinks is the right one. He too comes from a place of wanting to do the right thing for all of his patients and their families. He obviously wants to avoid even the appearance that his patients are being coerced into quid pro quo surgeries. 

While his reasoning that it’s okay to ask Jack Dayton for money because it will do a lot of good for the hospital might be questionable, the character ultimately pulls it off. Chicago Med is just getting started with Jack. It remains to be seen whether he’ll be an ultimate benefit or liability. 

Justin Lieu is one of the best new characters Chicago Med has featured recently. Immediately, we need to know more about this character. This is the kind of representation that medical shows need, showing people who chose a medical career later in life. 

Justin’s brief screen time shows that he will be a valuable member of this team. Hopefully, this is just the beginning, and he will be given plenty of opportunities to show just how great he is. 

Of the old favorites, it’s clear that Ethan is planning his exit. The Medicare fraud storyline is heartbreaking. It’s clear that this is going to serve as fuel for Ethan to make a massive change. The fact that he and April are getting married is just another reason for the character to start his new life. 

The only surprising thing about the Medicare storyline is that Will didn’t somehow find a way to get involved and get himself into heaps of trouble. There’s still a lot of time in the season though.

Chicago Med at its best can get viewers to reflect on real issues facing a real healthcare system. This episode features this in spades. The episode is setting up a dynamic mid-season finale. This can always be a challenge for network shows.

Characters like Dean, Ethan, Maggie, and Hannah all have decisions to make in their respective stories. Hopefully, the show can let them each live up to their potential. 

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

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

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

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

Brian Tee Exiting ‘Chicago Med’ After 8 Seasons