Chicago Med Season 8 Episode 22 Review: Does One Door Close and Another One Open?

Chicago Med Season 8 Episode 22, “Does One Door Close and Another One Open?,” is a finale that presents far more questions than answers. 

It wouldn’t be a Chicago Med season finale without at least one massive roster shake-up. The question that’s left is, why?

Starting with what feels like a bombshell makes sense: Dr. Will Halstead is beginning a new chapter outside Gaffney. 

This entire season has set this up as a possibility. Will has primarily been in the background all season, and his views on Jack Dayton’s takeover of Gaffney haven’t exactly been a secret. 

However, this is still a massive moment for Chicago Med. Will has been an integral part of this ensemble from the very beginning. 

Unfortunately, while there have been hints that Will is destined to fade into the background, his departure comes across as alarmingly abrupt. 

This could have been an opportunity to reflect on Will’s legacy on Chicago Med. Everyone could have been allowed to reflect on everything he’s meant to this team.

While Will has always had a wildly chaotic approach to patient care, he has always tried to do what he thinks is right. It’s this legacy that he leaves his former work family.

This is why even though his choice on this episode may make sense, making him into a cyber-sleuth extraordinaire is more than a little bit of a stretch. 

Particularly considering how much Will has a history of butting into massive scandals involving the hospital, this is a bridge too far. He should be keeping his head down and not trying to get caught up in something that has significant implications for his colleagues. 

Understandably, he needs a solid exit strategy. However, as a physician and not a surgeon, Will has been adjacent to the 2.0 story at best. 

It’s a shame that there isn’t a more grounded story to let Will say his goodbyes.

What does work about Will’s exit is his reunion with Natalie. Seeing Torrey DeVitto, even for a moment, is a reminder of how much she will always be an essential piece of Chicago Med’s story. 

Will’s heart has always been with Natalie, even when circumstances have kept them apart. This season, in particular, has clarified that Natalie is the only love Will will ever have. 

The fact that the chemistry just hasn’t jived between Will and Hannah or Grace ultimately makes sense, considering that for Will, there is just Natalie. 

It’s heartwarming that Will’s departure is a chance for these two to end up together finally. Hopefully, they won’t hesitate to take a quick trip back to Chicago for a quick adventure with their former team.

The other plot of note: Chicago Med is never wrong to focus on Dr. Charles being the phenomenal psychiatrist he is. Watching him show compassion and understanding continues to be a utopian vision of what mental healthcare has the potential to be. 

Unfortunately, his patients on this episode illustrate a more significant problem that the series has been having, particularly this season. 

This is another example of a story being set up as a misdirection. While it has potential, it ultimately falls flat. 

While it does make sense to show stories where mental and physical health is undeniably linked, it’s unconscionable at this point that Chicago Med continues to shy away from portraying authentic stories involving mental illness. 

Dr. Charles’ patients have the chance to set up what could be a dark and disturbing story. Instead, the reliance on miscommunication and misdiagnosis takes away from what could be an otherwise compelling journey for a doctor and his patients. 

It’s not that the season finale needs to lean into such a disturbing story, although now would be the time to do it. This missed opportunity is part of a larger pattern that will hopefully be rectified as the series progresses.

Chicago Med ends the season on a cliffhanger of sorts. While there’s no burning apartment building in sight, the fate of this team hangs in the balance. Will Dr. Loren Johnson become a crucial part of the team?

Is there a future for Drs. Nellie Cuevas or Dr. Grace Song? One also has to imagine that Dean will need to be out of commission, at least for a while. 

Whenever the show returns, it’s liable to look drastically different. Hopefully, this will be a good thing in the long run. 

 

Will’s storyline could have had so much more emotional resonance 

Stray Thoughts:

• The 2.0 storyline is officially dead in the water. These existential crises for Med distract from what could be a compelling social commentary on the perils of for-profit healthcare. 
• In further examples of Med having strange physician roles, why is Hannah, an OBGYN, involved in a patient’s care in the ED that’s predominantly addictions-based?
• Hannah aggressively reassuring Sean that there’s nothing romantically going on between her and his father is objectively the funniest moment on Chicago Med this season. 
• Relatedly, this is the version of Dean that the show has been missing. It wasn’t so long ago that this character would have probably looked at his son’s relapse with disappointment. This supportive father persona is working. 
• Unfortunately, this also means Dean’s kidney storyline isn’t over yet. I suppose this adds to the authenticity, as so many people wait months or years for a lifesaving donation. This doesn’t exactly make for compelling television, though. 
• “I can’t stand what this place has become”… exact, Will, same.
• “Dear Lilliana”…please, I am begging this show to protect Lilliana and Daniel at all costs. They are the future. 

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

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Chicago Med Season 8 is available to stream on Peacock.

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