Chicago Med Season 9 Episode 1 Review: Row Row Row Your Boat on a Rocky Sea
Chicago Med Season 9 Episode 1, “Row Row Row Your Boat on a Rocky Sea,” starts off the season with chaos in the ED, allowing every doctor to show their strengths and weaknesses.
It is particularly important to show the scene where family members ambush Maggie for answers to display how terrible the accident had been and how intense the air is at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center.
As per usual, Maggie handles the situation with grace and once more shows why she is the charge nurse. And the amount of cases treated throughout the episode is proof that Chicago Med doesn’t shy away from any challenges.
Maggie Lockwood has always been an important character on Chicago Med, and starting off the season with a large case that allows her to show why she is in charge is a great choice by the writers.
Not only is she directing traffic, so to speak, but she is also part of one of the main cases. However, we immediately notice something is off with Maggie, and the clues are right there to tell us she is going through a divorce.
The first clue comes when the patient’s wife recognizes Maggie as Ben’s wife. Every time the woman mentions Ben or asks Maggie to say hello to him, Maggie only smiles sadly or replies with one-word answers.
The second clue comes when another one of the nurses mentions Ben, and Maggie’s answer is, “I really don’t wanna hear about Ben.” Clearly, something is off, and given the fact that Chicago Med Season 8 ended with the two at a crossroads, we can assume things aren’t going well between the married couple.
Our suspicions are confirmed when Maggie tells Hannah that Ben wants a divorce. These clues throughout the episode and her confession set the tone for what will likely be Maggie’s biggest storyline this season.
One thing we can always thank the Chicago Med writers for is explaining every case and helping the audience understand what is going on with the patients. On Chicago Med Season 9 Episode 1, “Row Row Row Your Boat on a Rocky Sea,” the explanation comes through Marcel.
When the little boy arrives at the hospital, Marcel explains to his mother what is going on. Later, he and Abrams discuss the best possible way to save him. These two instances help us comprehend the severity of the case.
But once again, wherever Marcel goes, trouble follows. He is starting Chicago Med Season 9 strongly by suggesting they use O.R. 2.0. After last season, this is a risky decision.
That is when the voice of reason and the voice of emotions come into play. On the one hand, Peter reminds the doctors and the audience of what is logical. They shouldn’t use O.R. 2.0 after everything that happened, but if they use it and fail, the new owners will fire them.
On the other hand, Sharon Goodwin represents the patient’s hopes. If they don’t use O.R. 2.0, the little boy will die.
This contrast between logic and emotions is what has always guided every episode of Chicago Med, pushing the doctors to do what is best for the patients, even if it goes against the bureaucracy that rules over the hospital’s board.
Just like Marcel explaining the severity of her son’s injuries to the mother helps the audience understand what is going on with him, Charles going through his records helps us figure out how he knew the new doctor, Ripley.
Charles doesn’t remember where he knows Ripley from, but the moment he sees his records, he remembers. At the same time, seeing those records allows the audience to comprehend that these two characters have a history that will probably interfere with their present.
Ripley has his guard up when it comes to Charles, but we see that this pushes him to make the wrong decision with a patient. Because he was overmedicated, he fears his patient is too. In the end, he makes the wrong call, and his patient suffers for it.
The brief interactions between these two characters tell us that we will definitely see more of their history on Chicago Med Season 9. Hopefully, a storyline about patients being overmedicated will be handled with care and respect.
Because the personal stories always go hand in hand with the different cases, it makes sense that Chicago Med Season 9 starts by connecting Archer’s kidney transplant with a little girl who had just received a kidney.
This case opens the floor for the audience to see two very important things. First, we come to understand why Archer doesn’t want his son to donate his kidney. He feels unworthy of such an act and has been trying to sabotage it all along.
However, Hannah explains to him why it is so important for his son to do this. Hopefully, this will push Archer to finally accept his son’s gift and be able to go through with the transplant.
Secondly, Archer’s relationship with Hannah. Something has been brewing between these two characters since Chicago Med Season 8, but none of them seems ready to take the next step.
Their scenes together always help as an eye-opener. Whenever they are struggling with something, it is the other who helps them see a way out or who helps solve the problem.
Not only does Hannah help him understand the situation with his transplant, but Archer finds a way to help her feel better about the patient she lost. It’ll be interesting to see where the relationship goes this season.
Chicago Med Season 9 Episode 1, “Row Row Row Your Boat on a Rocky Sea,” is a great start to the season after such a long hiatus.
It delivers good cases, the drama that keeps us coming back for more, and those personal relationships that enrich the show so much.
Hopefully, the rest of the season will be just as good.
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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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Lara Rosales
By day, Lara Rosales (she/her) is a solo mom by choice and a bilingual writer with a BA in Latin-American Literature known as a Media Relations Expert. By night, she is a TV enjoyer who used to host a podcast (Cats, Milfs & Lesbian Things). You can find her work published on Eulalie Magazine, Geek Girl Authority, W Spotlight, Collider, USA Wire, Mentors Collective, Instelite, Noodle, Dear Movies, Nicki Swift, and Flip Screened.