Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 3 Review: Trust Fall

Even though Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 3, “Trust Fall,” starts by showing the viewers the struggles the nurses, doctors, and EMTs are facing with overcapacity, the issue falls through the cracks as other important topics become key to the episode.

Yes, we are terrified for Goodwin’s life, but this episode only sets the mood for what is coming. The written death threat, the conversation with security, and her terrifying moment in the parking garage are only clues of what is to come.

We can almost guarantee that before the season ends, Goodwin will be either harmed or kidnapped while the rest of the doctors do everything they can to save her life. This storyline is an excellent opportunity for a One Chicago crossover.

Death threat aside, “Trust Fall” must be added to the list of Chicago Med episodes that do their best to shed light on the injustices of the healthcare system. This has been done regarding health insurance and the expenses of being treated in a hospital.

However, this time, the show focuses on the sad reality women of color face when trying to get doctors to listen to their symptoms and be believed.  Asher is guilty of this, but only by mistake.

While trying to give her patient the best care possible, she dismisses her worries and doesn’t listen to what is being said. It isn’t until another woman of color, Maggie, steps in and gives the patient the room she deserves to be heard that Asher realizes what she is doing.

But even though Asher only makes a mistake, the truth is that most doctors dismiss people of color (mainly women) when they try to speak up about their health issues. This sadly leads to worse conditions and even death.

If the woman’s OB had listened to her concerns instead of telling her to drink water, she might still be alive. Her death isn’t caused by anything that is done in the ED but by the fact that throughout her pregnancy, all of her symptoms have been dismissed. 

It is essential to highlight that without Maggie’s input, Asher might not have realized what she was doing because she shared her experience as a nurse. Not only does she know what it is like to be dismissed as a patient, but she has witnessed other doctors doing the same to women who look like her.

The patient’s death is impactful because, as viewers, we believe she is out of the woods. Her daughter is delivered safely, her husband is on his way to meet them, and she seems to be doing okay. However, the moment we see the blood, and she gets to meet her daughter in the OR, we know she isn’t making it out alive.

This is key to portraying precisely what it is like for women not to be heard when getting help from doctors, but it is also relevant to Asher’s storyline.

On “Trust Fall,” Asher experiences all the possible emotions. She starts the episode by arguing with Ripley about her actions. She then becomes accountable for her treatment of the patient and later has a conversation with her about her wish to have babies.

Ultimately, Asher loses this woman in her OR table after having promised she would make it out alive.

The fact that she mentions she has made several mistakes in her past might be a hint of what’s coming. The episode ends with Asher breaking down in the elevator, and we fear the consequences might be terrible.

There are a few scenarios we can think of for her. Because Ripley is trying to apologize to her, he might become the support that holds her together. She might pull away from everyone and isolate herself to process what happened. Or she can relapse and find herself struggling with her addiction again.

These possible scenarios go hand-in-hand with her small interaction with Lenox before her patient dies.

While Archer is Lenox’s biggest enemy (or nemesis, depending on how you want to see it), she isn’t winning any fans by interrogating everyone on their choices. By shadowing the doctors on her day off and second-guessing their actions, she might make it on everyone’s most hated character list.

But her conversation with Asher is probably the most threatening one. She doesn’t ask Asher why she made certain choices but asks if she feels she is relevant to the ED.

Asher’s answer only makes viewers more aware of how difficult it is for women’s medicine to occupy a space in the healthcare system. If Asher were to be removed from the ED, who would be the voice for women in that space?

Of course, we would still have Maggie (a known warrior), but wouldn’t we need someone who specializes in caring for women? Lenox continues to be an enigma, and her plans for the ED are terrifying.

Ripley’s old habits, Maggie’s jealous boyfriend, and a patient who takes advice from a chatbox are other plotlines that make this episode good. However, we can’t deny this is an Asher episode through and through.

As viewers who have seen Asher’s struggles first-hand, we’re all rooting for her to stay sober and find her way after this tragic loss. Her relapse wouldn’t add anything to the storyline and would push her character several steps back when, in reality, she’s been fighting for herself all along.

Hopefully, we will see her pull through. Mainly because something tells us we’re going to need every doctor around when Goodwin’s life is in danger.

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

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