Chicago Med Season 8 Episode 5 Review: Yep, This Is

That’s not something you see every day.

While far too many shows treat mental health as a joke or depict exaggerated, flashy diseases, Chicago Med Season 8 Episode 5 took on the reality of psychiatric care in emergency rooms.

Instead of being the usual thorn in Charles’ side, Cuevas was frustrated as she tried in vain to get a bed for a patient, while another one developed issues because of a problem with the medical transport van. This was an important story; kudos to the Med writers for addressing it.

In many ways, Eleanor was symbolic of the problems in the system.

This sweet woman seemed to have been forgotten; she kept being shuffled from one room to another while constantly complaining that she wanted to go home. By the time the van arrived, she was so physically and mentally drained she lost her temper and ended up in the psych ward.

Cuevas was right: this should never have happened. The van service was backed up like everything else at the hospital, but there has to have been a better way to deal with patients who needed rides.

This probably wouldn’t be an option in real life, but I was surprised that none of the doctors offered to drive the woman home. She’d been waiting hours, had not eaten or taken her meds, and was taking up space other patients needed.

The hospital was potentially liable if she became seriously ill because of the long delay; shouldn’t someone at least have ensured she got her meds while waiting?

Meanwhile, Charles and Cuevas had a hard time helping their assigned patient because of overcrowding in the psych ward.

Beds were elusive, both before and after they found out what was going on with Harris.

There were some holes in this story. We never found out why Harris left, where he went, or why he returned. It also wasn’t clear why he initially didn’t remember his name or where he lived.

These details were somewhat beside the point. If Harris had gotten the bed he needed right away, the doctors could have treated him more effectively. He might not have left the hospital if that had happened, either.

Instead, by the time he returned, Eleanor had gotten his bed. Maggie has no room for him, but he has no place to go; he’ll probably be stuck in the ED until a bed opens up if one does.

No wonder Cuevas was disgusted with the whole practice of psychiatry! It must have felt like wasted effort to try to help anyone under these conditions.

Marcel’s story was probably intended to show the continued effect of supply chain issues on everyone in the hospital. However, Sharon’s solution was goofy.

Marcel: The thing is, if we pass on these lungs, we don’t think we’ll get another pair on time.
Dayton: So intricate machinery, ticking clock, and a life at stake.

While Dayton is a top engineer, it wasn’t believable that he could quickly build a working machine out of random parts to replace the one the hospital didn’t have access to. This suffered from the same problem as the original train crash story: unrealistic solutions involving doctors using household objects to save lives.

I like MacGyver as much as the next person, but not on my medical dramas! I hated it on Royal Pains and like it even less on Med, which is a more serious drama.

I’m surprised this idea even passed the legal team’s review. Peter is often overly concerned about the hospital’s liability; using a patient-built machine to repair the donated lungs should have raised major red flags!

Maybe he was too busy worrying about what was going on with Will and Vanessa.

Even if Devon hadn’t shown up in the hospital — a possibility Vanessa should have seen coming when she suggested getting meds from him — someone would have found out eventually. Will and Vanessa kept whispering about it out in the open; when Doris came down the hall, I thought she would overhear the whole thing.

Once the cat was out of the bag, it wrapped up awfully quickly. Chicago PD declined to press charges, and Sharon told the two to give her a heads-up next time they obtain medication illegally for their patients.

That seemed like a mild response. Of course, it would have been odd if Will got into trouble weeks after testifying against a shady doctor engaged in other underhanded practices. Maybe that was why Sharon was so lenient.

Maggie wasn’t, but she had the wrong idea. Vanessa suggested this to Will, not the other way around.

While it’s understandable that Maggie wants to think the best of her daughter, she also knows that Vanessa took speed less than a year ago. She should have realized that Vanessa leaned on the same person who got her those drugs!

Incidentally, what happened to Grant? After Maggie told Ben the truth about who Grant was, he vanished and has not been seen since.

April was back for a visit! After Choi ran into her on Chicago Med Season 8 Episode 1, I knew she’d be back again sooner or later.

April is at her best when dealing with patients rather than Choi drama. These two are far better off as colleagues than lovers.

Hey, I’m really sorry for the sneak attack. I just thought that reuniting in the treatment room would have been awkward. Which it was.

April

April isn’t aware that Choi has changed since the shooting. She was right that the old Choi would have turned Brock in without thinking twice; he once ruined a woman’s life by telling the Army she was using an unauthorized prosthetic.

This new, more reasonable Choi is a lot more likable. Too bad it took until Brian Tee’s last few episodes for Choi to become someone I’ll miss!

Your turn, Chicago Med fanatics. Hit that big blue SHOW COMMENTS button to share your thoughts about Charles’ story, the trouble Will and Vanessa almost got into, and April’s return.

Chicago Med returns on November 2, but in the meantime, you can always watch Chicago Med online right here on TV Fanatic.

Chicago Med airs on NBC on Wednesdays at 8 PM EST / PST. The next new episode airs on November 2, 2022.

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Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on Twitter.

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