Chicago Med Season 11 Episode 18 Review: Things Left Unsaid

The stoic, careful, by-the-book, collected Lenox we first met when she joined the show is long gone, and Chicago Med Season 11 Episode 18, “Things Left Unsaid,” is further proof of that. Her reckless behavior continues to get out of hand as she keeps holding on to the secret of her diagnosis.

What’s interesting to watch is that Lenox specifically picked up a sexual relationship with Ripley because she thought it would be easy and meaningless. She believed Ripley would be okay only having sex with her and avoiding the intimate conversations, but that’s nothing compared to the reality of his feelings for her.

Instead of simply going along with whatever crazy idea Lenox introduces, Ripley is genuinely concerned for her. We have seen throughout the last few episodes that his worry that she is hiding something has increased.

While at first glance, for Ripley, it seemed like Lenox was simply being reckless about their relationship, where they had sex, where they met up, and keeping everything sexual, Chicago Med Season 11 Episode 18, “Things Left Unsaid,” shows him that whatever is going on with her is slowly sneaking into her work.

In the past, Lenox would have never brought her personal life into any medical decisions she needed to make for the patients. However, this time things change, and she lets her own worries, fears, and convictions mix with her professional life.

Even though she is right in telling her patient’s father that he should give her a chance to save her son’s leg, she goes about it the wrong way. Once again, Lenox’s new need to live her life while she has it is put on display. Everything she has done from the moment of her diagnosis has been reckless and spontaneous because she is counting down the minutes until she’s gone.

But while we, as viewers, understand why she’s behaving the way she is, Ripley is terrified of her actions because he doesn’t know what’s truly going on. Ironically, without realizing what he is saying, her puts into words everything Lenox is feeling: she is afraid the music’s gonna stop.

Hopefully, after Ripley’s decision to drop her off at her apartment and go home, Lenox will begin to realize there’s someone in front of her who cares and would like to navigate this journey with her.

As Ripley and Lenox face the uncertainty of their relationship, there’s another long-awaited ship that gets its turn in the spotlight.

It’s really quite fun and entertaining to see the jealous side of Frost. He doesn’t go about it in a rude or particularly mean manner, but we know everything he says to Naomi’s boyfriend is supposed to land in the perfect spot to make them break up.

Funny enough, Naomi’s boyfriend knows exactly what he’s doing the moment he learns his name. It seems like Naomi has been very open with her boyfriend about Frost’s existence in her life.

But what’s even more endearing than Frost’s jealousy is his vulnerability. He finally takes a chance on himself and tells Naomi exactly how he feels about her. Frost admits he made a mistake and that he has feelings for her, which, given his past, is a big deal for him.

Eventually, we find out Naomi broke up with her boyfriend, and Frost and she share the kiss fans have been waiting for. There is big potential in this relationship because Naomi seems to be the complete opposite of everything Frost is used to.

She might be the gentle, caring, kind soul he needs to help heal some of the wounds of the past.

We must admit that Chicago Med‘s decision to use their small hiatus as the allotted time for Charles’s recovery is quite perfect. The storyline would have dragged on for too long if we also had to navigate that journey.

Instead, we get a much more interesting storyline as he comes back to work and must face Theo in his role. Even though he isn’t fully cleared to step back into the role he held before his stroke, Charles’s figure commands respect, and his colleagues turn to him. Undoubtedly, this has an effect on Theo.

The moment Ripley tells Charles that Theo has a different style, we know things are going to be very tense and awkward between them. Theo acts territorial and defensive, as if trying to let Charles know he is no longer in charge, which makes absolutely no sense.

While Charles ended up opening his home (because that’s what the ED is to him) to Theo and allowing him to work alongside him, Theo is the complete opposite. It’s as if the short time he’s been in charge has gone to his head, and now he thinks he is better than Charles.

Nevertheless, it is clear that Charles isn’t going anywhere, and he has picked up on Theo’s energy. It’ll be interesting to see how this gets resolved before the season finale.

There are two heartwarming moments we must mention. The first one is Frost openly relating to his abused patient and letting him know that things are going to be okay. As he has slowly come to understand what happened to him, Frost is more open to helping those who might be in a similar situation.

The second one is Sharon’s son David letting her know that he and his partner have decided to name their daughter after her. It’s a beautiful full-circle moment that reminds Sharon of the amazing journey she has had as a mother, particularly after David has to face his biological father.

---

What did you think of this episode of Chicago Med? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!

Critic Rating:

Audience Rating:

 

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

Check out our latest TV recommendations, updated weekly!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!