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We haven’t seen much of Chicago Med’s Dr. Tanaka-Reed during Season 10, but that’s about to change.
Tanaka-Reed joined Med as a first-year resident during Chicago Med Season 8. He worked most often with Dr. Marcel, who unfortunately is no longer here and hasn’t had a chance to shine yet on Chicago Med Season 10.
We had the opportunity to catch up with Devin Kawaoka, who plays Tanaka-Reed, and he had exciting news to share about what’s coming up for his character and the show in general.
Chicago Med’s Dr. Tanaka-Reed Will Have A Big Role To Play In Sharon’s Attack Storyline
Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 8 left off with a jaw-dropping cliffhanger: Sharon fighting for her life after being attacked in her office by a woman who blamed her for her wife’s death.
Everyone’s on edge, eager to discover whether Sharon will live or die.
So far, there’s been no news on that front — which, of course, there wouldn’t be, as that would defeat the purpose of creating a cliffhanger that encourages everyone to tune in when Chicago Med returns.
While Kawoaka didn’t spoil anything for us, he did let us know that Chicago Med’s Dr. Tanaka-Reed will have an important role to play.
“As you can imagine, there is going to be a very complicated procedure when we come back to see if we can save Goodwin’s life,” he said and added, “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
From Kawaoka’s comments, it’s clear that Tanaka-Reed will play a role in that complicated procedure.
Since he is still a resident, he must work with an attending doctor on Sharon’s treatment.
Hopefully, it will go better than when The Good Doctor had a similar storyline.
While Chicago Med’s Dr. Tanaka-Reed can be arrogant, I can’t imagine him overriding an attending’s instructions to do a different procedure.
I definitely don’t see Sharon as someone who will be angry at her doctors if the choice of procedure temporarily paralyzes her.
In any case, being partially responsible for Sharon’s care will challenge Tanaka-Reed in new and exciting ways.
Chicago Med’s Dr. Tanaka-Reed Has A Different Type Of Challenge Because Marcel Left
For the last several years, Dr. Tanaka-Reed worked primarily with Dr. Marcel (Dominique Rains). Thus, when Marcel left Chicago Med, Tanaka-Reed was left without his mentor, which is not a beat that has played out on-screen yet.
However, Tanaka-Reed will have to find a new mentor, and it sounds like that will happen soon.
“It’ll be interesting to see who in the hospital Kai [Tanaka-Reed] chooses as his mentor,” Kawaoka mused, adding that Archer and Abrams would both be interesting people for his alter ego to work with.
Of course, in Archer’s case, that assumes that he doesn’t go through with his plan to resign from the hospital, but if TV history is any guide, Archer will likely reverse course on that idea after dealing with the Goodwin situation.
Abrams is One Of The Characters Kawaoka Would Most Love To Share Scenes With
Abrams would be an interesting choice for Chicago Med’s Dr. Tanaka-Reed to align himself with. They both have an arrogant streak (though Abrams’ ego is probably the largest of any doctor at Med), which would make for an interesting dynamic.
Kawaoka pointed out that all surgeons have to have a little bit of ego to be successful at their high-stakes jobs, adding that it would be particularly interesting to revisit the Abrams/Tanaka-Reed relationship, as the two last shared scenes on Chicago Med Season 8.
“The last time we saw them was in Kai’s first episode in Season Eight, and they definitely had a moment.
So I would love to see more of that as now Kai has moremedical experience under his feet, and maybe could actually go toe to toe with Abrams,” he explained.
Kawoaka’s Take On Dr. Tanaka Reed’s Evolution: “When He First Came On, He Didn’t Know How To Play Well With Others”
Chicago Med’s Dr. Tanaka Reed has grown from being so arrogant others in the hospital hated working with him to being a strong member of the team who will be able to assist in Goodwin’s complex surgery. In Kawaoka’s view:
Kai always wanted to be the best, and he still wants to be the best, but when he came on, I think he was so focused on being the best, he didn’t know how to play well with others… Season 9 was about him learning to collaborate with other people and always put the medicine first.
Kawaoka also attributed much to Chicago Med’s Dr. Tanaka Reed developing a mentor/mentee relationship with Dr. Marcel.
He pinpointed the moment Kai made a pivotal change: on Chicago Med Season 9 Episode 10, when Marcel micromanaged him because he was afraid of making the same mistakes he had made with Zola, who had just been fired.
From Kawaoka’s perspective, the most important scene for Kai happens during this episode when Marcel apologizes for breathing down his neck earlier.
Kawoaka explained that Marcel telling Kai that he didn’t have to be perfect and that he was good at what he did was, “such a gift for Dr. Marcel to give Kai, because Kai is like… ‘I can let go a little bit.
“I can start to breathe and start to play with other people and not worry so much about whether I’m doing it right.”
What New Direction Kawaoka Would Love For Chicago Med’s Dr. Tanaka Reed
Kawaoka said Tanaka Reed would have to deal with “tougher personalities” later in the season, which could mean Abrams, Archer, or someone we haven’t met yet.
However, there’s one direction he’d like to go in the future that hasn’t happened yet.
“I would love to see him more outside of the hospital, either hanging out, playing darts at Molly’s, or on location at an accident,” Kawaoka shared.
It’s a great point. Many doctors hang out at Molly’s or have personal storylines that allow the audience to get to know them better.
Tanaka Reed hasn’t yet, but maybe he will in the future, allowing us to get to know him on a different level.
Additionally, Kawaoka is excited about what will happen when it’s time for his alter ego to settle on a specialty.
He explained that as a third-year resident, Chicago Med’s Dr. Tanaka Reed should soon be asked to decide what he wants to do in his career. “In a year or so, it’s going to be time for him to declare that and say, this is what I want to do,” he said, “and this is what I want to be an expert at. So that would be very exciting.”
Kawaoka Is Enthusiastic About New Showrunner Allen MacDonald – “He Let In The Funny”
Like many of the actors on Chicago Med, Kawaoka is ecstatic with the new direction that showrunner Allen MacDonald is taking the medical drama. He especially praised the fall finale cliffhanger, which he said was “a thrilling moment.”
His favorite part of the new direction, however, is the humor that MacDonald has injected into the series, which has led to “a lightness” in the show’s overall atmosphere at the moment.
He loves small moments such as Archer asking Charles for dating advice and Charles pointing him toward the younger and more in-tune-with-dating-apps Hannah.
“These little moments are so key in us getting to know these characters even more,” he enthused.
While Kawaoka will return as Chicago Med’s Dr. Tanaka Reed in January, he also will appear in Apple TV’s Shrinking Season 2. He will be shooting a new season in January and is looking forward to the last two episodes of the current season dropping on Apple TV soon.
In the meantime, let’s hear your thoughts. Are you looking forward to Dr. Tanaka Reed’s next appearance? What excites you most about his character?
Hit the comments with your reactions to Kawaoka’s thoughts about Dr. Tanaka Reed.
Chicago Med airs on NBC on Wednesdays at 8/7c and on Peacock on Thursdays. The winter premiere will be on January 8, 2024.
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