Chicago Med Season 7 Episode 21 Review: Lying Doesn't Protect You From The Truth
Jack Ori
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The more complicated the truth is, the more urgent it is for people to tell it.
That was part of Lydia's speech, but it also seemed to be a theme throughout Chicago Med Season 7 Episode 21.
Maggie's still keeping secrets about Vanessa's bio dad and what he meant to her, Charles hasn't managed to tell his daughter about his new relationship, and does anyone but Marcel know about Blake's hand problem?
And then there's Scott and his quasi-involvement in Milenia/Jo's undercover operation.
This time, he didn't have to try to save gang members' lives or stop them from shooting each other. Instead, he worked with a cop who lied about how often he'd been shot.
The drama over whether there was one bullet or two this time around was hard to follow. I'm still not sure what difference it made. After all, Scott and Choi aren't cops; their job throughout the hour was to protect Sam's life, not investigate how many times he'd been shot during the incident.
It was a nice opening for Alice to complain that her husband told the doctors about a previous shooting that he hadn't told her about, but other than that, this part of the story didn't make sense.
It became far more interesting once Sam became too incapacitated to make his own medical decisions.
For once, Scott and Choi got what they wanted by talking to the patient's family instead of Choi pulling some ethically dubious trick.
As a former cop, Scott understood that Sam wouldn't want to be pulled from active duty if there was another option, and Alice had decided quickly. It seemed like as soon as she heard that Sam would lose his career, she went for the stent.
Of course, the other procedure was more complicated and risky, so that might have factored into her decision. But she was so angry when she learned Sam had been shot before that it seemed likely she was trying to protect him from getting hurt rather than considering what was best for him.
The dichotomy between wanting to protect others -- or yourself -- from pain and doing what was best seemed to be the hour's theme.
Both Maggie and Blake made personal decisions based on pain and fear instead of what was truly best.
Maggie made such a big deal out of not wanting to contact Vanessa's bio dad that I was sure there was some painful story behind it.
Maybe the guy was abusive, or Maggie didn't know which man had fathered her daughter.
But the truth was far more mundane: Maggie was afraid her feelings for the man would continue to overpower her and ruin her relationship with Ben.
This is a more compelling dilemma than most MIA baby daddy stories. The solution is obvious: Maggie needs to talk to Ben about what this man once meant to her and why it's so important to her to help Vanessa find him.
But so far, Maggie doesn't seem ready to do that. She hasn't even told Ben that Vanessa's asked her to locate this guy yet.
Maggie and Ben have had it rough, with their foster child being taken away by his grandparents before finalizing his adoption and Maggie's pregnancy turning out to be a potential resurgence of her cancer.
They got through all that together, and if Maggie would let Ben, they could get through this together. But will she have the courage, or will this all end up blowing up in her face when Ben finds out what she's been up to some other way?
Blake's inability to do surgery because of her nerve issues was confusing. Marcel's initial refusal to allow her to operate was powerful, realistic drama. So why did he want her to lead the partial liver transplant operation?
Marcel: You're gonna need surgery.
Blake: I'll have physical therapy. I can work through it. Surgery is a six to eight week recovery time. I have a patient list a mile long. I can't afford to be away that long.
Marcel: You might want a second opinion.
Blake: I'm happy with the one I have.
That made no sense whatsoever, even if it did lead to Blake finally deciding to get the surgery.
Her declaration that she now knew her OR was in good hands seemed too convenient a way to wrap up this storyline, though I'm glad she made the right choice.
It also was convenient that Kat's mother already knew she was a match for Kat's liver when nobody knew there was a liver issue until the last minute.
Mrs. Miller: Use me.
Marcel: Well there's a process to this.
Mrs. Miller: My daughter is not waiting. I'm healthy, I'm the same blood type, and I'm standing right in front of you. And I am not leaving until I can make sure that my daughter lives to see her baby.
That story was also a bit confusing. In the beginning, Kat was down on herself and blamed her mother for her feelings that she was a loser who got herself pregnant too young, but that all evaporated as soon as Mom went outside.
Kat didn't have any big life-changing conversations with her mother or anyone else. She just had a medical emergency, and suddenly she was scared and wanted her mother by her side.
And even afterward, they never talked about the problems between them. Her mother just told her the baby was beautiful and she would be a good mother.
Talk about a letdown!
Finally, Dr. Charles' drama over whether to tell his daughter that he and Lonnie are now dating got pre-empted by a patient with special needs.
I was shocked that Lydia's problem turned out to be a rare type of ALS and not something psychosomatic.
Once Dr. Charles got involved, I expected them to have a heart-to-heart, but instead, he discovered a genuine biological cause for her issues. That was different!
I'm glad his daughter is back -- Anna has been conspicuously absent for most of the season -- but I couldn't care less whether he tells her about his relationship with Lonnie.
That relationship is new enough that there's no rush to tell Anna anything.
Charles isn't obligated to talk about his dating life with Anna, though he should introduce them if he's with someone long-term. Lonnie jumped the gun by insisting Charles tell Anna now and accusing him of trying to protect her by keeping this secret.
Lonnie: Does she [Anna] not know about us?
Charles: I guess she doesn't. I, um... I guess I haven't found the right time to tell her.
Lonnie: Is that really it?
Charles: What do you mean?
Lonnie: It's just that I know that sometimes you put off having difficult conversations to protect the people you love.
Charles: Wow. Benefits of dating a shrink.
I felt like Lonnie jumped the gun here and was taking it personally that Charles hadn't told Anna anything yet. She may be upset when she finds out he still hasn't, but he made the right call.
Anna's needs take priority, and when she's sobbing over the loss of her boyfriend, it's not appropriate for her father to tell her about his wonderful new relationship.
Your turn, Chicago Med fanatics. Hit that big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know what you thought about these stories.
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Chicago Med airs on Wednesdays at 8 PM EST / PST. The seventh season finale airs on May 25, 2022.
Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on X.
