Chicago Med Season 8 Episode 18 Review: I Could See the Writing on the Wall

Chicago Med Season 8 Episode 18, “I Could See the Writing on the Wall,” tries to do too much with too little time. As a result, there is a lot of setup for potential character development without proper follow-through. 

Unfortunately, everything about this episode feels rushed, so there isn’t an opportunity to delve into the emotional impacts of these stories. 

First, Hannah Asher remains one of Chicago Med‘s most emotionally complex characters. However, constantly traumatizing her does nothing to further her character development, particularly as she maintains sobriety. 

The series has established the fact that this character is strong and resilient. There is no need to continue to compound the trauma she has already endured by giving her the most tragic cases with the most tragic outcomes. 

There will always be traumatic cases an OBGYN will face as part of their practice. However, at this point, it seems excessive that Hannah is solely responsible for dealing with all the most challenging cases at Med.

In addition, having Hannah repeatedly face these traumatic cases means that characters and viewers have less emotional capacity to take everything in. 

Relatedly, Hannah’s patient on this episode falls surprisingly flat. There could have been so much more to her character. 

While the character is meant to illustrate the importance of patients taking care of themselves before seeing a doctor, a more significant point gets lost.

Sarah could have been an example of how pregnant and birthing peoples’ health concerns are rarely taken seriously. The reality is not every patient is fortunate to have a Hannah Asher fighting in their corner.

Like many other parts of this episode, Chicago Med rushes through this storyline rather than taking at least a moment to let everyone breathe and grieve this tragedy. 

In many ways, Sarah’s story is used to inflict more trauma on Hannah.  

The reveal that Hannah’s mother died in childbirth while giving birth to her could have been an impactful way to deepen this character’s motivation to help her patients daily.

While knowing about Hannah’s personal history may add more context to her character, on this episode, there isn’t time to digest the devastating impact of this revelation. 

Instead, the loss of her patient is used to justify Hannah breaking Dean’s trust. While Hannah may have Dean’s best interest at heart, the fact that she would so blatantly violate her friend’s trust seems wildly out of character. 

Hannah deserves more time to process her past and reckon with what it means for her in the present. It’s also not a good look for Chicago Med to kill off a patient, even if they’re fictional, to move a doctor’s story forward. 

Chicago Med also misses an opportunity to explore Dean Archer as a character, particularly now that he is faced with his own existential health crisis.

Dean’s character development has been hinted at and teased all season, particularly in relation to his son.

Now that these two are finally reconnecting and Dean will need his son now more than ever, it would make sense for Chicago Med to show more of these two together. 

Instead, this episode feels like a setback for Dean as he completely invalidates a patient’s experience. Watching him not be able to put his personal opinions aside feels like watching an earlier version of this character. 

There also could have been more time spent between Dean and Dr. Charles. These two have a magnetic chemistry that isn’t shown nearly enough.

This battle of wills and disagreement over the basics of a patient’s condition could have further developed both characters. They’re both talented professionals and want the best for the patient at the end of the day. 

The moment of vulnerability that Dean eventually shows passes all too quickly. 

Dr. Charles cares for his friend. It’s a shame he didn’t get more of a chance to show how much he is in Dean’s corner. 

Chicago Med is perhaps rushing to the finish line as the final episodes of the season approaches. There are existential issues facing Gaffney.

Hopefully, the series will allow sufficient time to wrap these stories up and set characters up for new paths. 

Stray Thoughts:

• Maggie reciting Will’s, ahem, checkered dating history with colleagues is hilarious and a good reminder that this man can’t catch a break when it comes to relationships.
• It’s difficult to believe that everyone is so shocked that Jack Dayton’s end goal is to make Gaffney a for-profit hospital. This would seem to fit his character, given that he plays with big money. The collective shock and awe at this revelation seem out of place, as Jack has never indicated that he supports any form of public healthcare. 
• Just when I thought Liliana and Dr. Charles couldn’t be more adorable. The fact that the show doesn’t focus more on them is a travesty. 
• It’s more than a little uncomfortable that Will’s patient is made to look foolish for wanting to advocate for her health. Even though 
• If the show intends to set Grace and Will up before the season ends, time is rapidly running out. If Will is still holding a candle for Natalie, he needs to own that, and soon. 

What did you think of this episode 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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