Chicago Med Season 8 Episode 13 Review: It’s an Ill Wind That Blows Nobody Good

Chicago Med Season 8 Episode 13, “It’s an Ill Wind That Blows Nobody Good,” brings the series back from hiatus with the storm of the century. In true One Chicago fashion, this is a dramatic return to form for NBC’s flagship medical drama.

As the season enters its second half, there are still plenty of stories to tell and plenty of characters who need resolutions. 

The storm is a perfect way to represent the internal chaos currently engulfing the Gaffney team. Chicago Med has set up this conflict between Jack Dayton and the hospital’s old guard all season. 

External disasters like this storm are the perfect opportunity for each character to prove what they are made of. For the most part, they succeed in rising to the challenge.

What’s also compelling about the storm storyline is that it amplifies the existing stress that the healthcare system is currently facing. Jack Dayton taking control of the hospital can’t remedy the fact that systemic issues cause staff and supply shortages daily. 

As a point of order, there is one emergency code mentioned on this episode, which is two separate ones.

There’s a distinction between an emergency order to evacuate a hospital due to an internal disaster and one to lock down the hospital due to an internal emergency. The former is the more appropriate one for this particular episode.  

Chicago Med has continued to show the conflict existing healthcare workers face when presented with new and innovative technology. At times, their skepticism is well-founded. 

There’s certainly potential here, as indicated on this episode, for Gaffney’s AI to improve worker health and efficiency. If healthcare providers are burnt out, they cannot possibly be effective in caring for others. 

However, there’s a compelling contrast on this episode. While automation may be able to measure healthcare burnout, there’s no substitute for a friend coming alongside and saying, “Hey, I see you’re struggling.”

As always, in comes Dr. Charles, proving that he will always be the star of Chicago Med. He continues to show how he’s a good friend and a top-notch psychiatrist. 

What Chicago Med plans to do with Dean and his son Sean is unclear. This story has been teased from the beginning, and now Sean is miraculously out of prison.

Now that he’s out of prison, it seems like the intention is to have him reconnect with his father.

The success of this storyline remains to be seen. There just needs to be more character development with Sean to make him a relatable character.

Hopefully, this episode marks the beginning of Sean being more of a presence on Chicago Med. He’s a hero, but can he and his father come together meaningfully? 

Chicago Med may also try to develop a working relationship between Grace Song and Will. To be fair, they play off of one another very well. 

It is confusing because, until now, Crockett has mainly carried the torch of frontline workers adapting to the new technology available at Gaffney. 

It will be interesting to see whether Chicago Med continues to show Grace and Will working together and bringing different perspectives on technology in healthcare to their work.

With the second half of the season underway, it will be interesting to see how the Gaffney team continues to navigate this new normal. The show is building tension, like something is about to boil over. 

This episode is sadly short on appearances from the great Crockett Marcel. However, even if he’s more in the wings, he is still a supportive presence for his team. 

The show could benefit from more character-driven stories to delve deeper into members of this crew. In the meantime, the thrills do their job and prove how good this team is in action.

Chicago Med is back with a bang. New and old faithful characters come together and show what they are truly made of.

 

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

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

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