Chicago Med Season 5 Episode 17 Review: The Ghosts of the Past
Jack Ori
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Thank goodness April's secret is out.
Ever since she and Marcel kissed, she's been in this annoying holding pattern where she's with Ethan and secretly feeling guilty.
That changed on Chicago Med Season 5 Episode 17, along with a whole lot of stuff for other people working at Med. Ethan's reaction was predictable, but it was still a satisfying ending to this part of the story.
April's latest stupid decision led to a low-key reveal that was followed by an explosive reaction.
I thought April was pregnant the first time she threw up, but it turned out she had some sort of ovarian problem. That was a surprise, as was Ethan's changing reaction throughout the whole thing.
Ethan was so overprotective that Asher threw him out of the room while she was working on April, then so grateful she was okay he would do anything to help her recover, then so angry he stormed out of the room to confront Marcel.
He had to have been reeling with shock after April told him the truth. After all, he had just been scared he was going to lose her and had wanted to have a baby with her.
But still, his decision to fight with Marcel was almost as ridiculous as April's to double her dose of hormones without telling anyone.
He's a doctor and she's a nurse. They both should have known better.
I don't know which was funnier: Ethan's comment that Marcel did the whole acting like his best friend thing or Goodwin's reaction to learning about the fight.
I can't have my doctors coming to blows in the ICU.
Goodwin
Ethan was right about one thing: it's a soap opera trope to become best friends with your lover's secret other partner. Days of Our Lives does it all the time.
It's also a soap opera trope to have an explosive reveal at a wedding. Thank goodness Chicago Med didn't go there.
Speaking of weddings, Maggie was the stereotypical Bridezilla... until she wasn't.
She freaked out about everything and wouldn't let Ben help, but his way of changing that was beautiful.
Ben: Cancer. That's what this is all about. You went through something that made you feel helpless and you don't ever want to feel that way again. Let me help you.
Maggie: But everything's ruined.
Ben: You got a partner now. That's what marriage is. A helpmate.
He was right, too: she was rushing everything because she was afraid of her cancer coming back and wanted to get her wedding in before it could.
All the things that went wrong seemed like a sign that it wasn't time to get married yet -- not because she and Ben aren't a great couple, but because she was in such a damn rush.
But somehow the group made it work. That was the most beautiful wedding ever hosted by a bowling alley.
Ben: With this ring, I, Ben Campbell, take you to be no other than yourself.
Maggie: With this ring, I, Maggie Lockwood, take you Ben Campbell to be no other than yourself: brave, loving.
Ben: And your indispensable help mate.
Maggie: And your indispensable help mate. I promise to love and respect you throughout all our life...
Ben: ...through all our shared years.
Maggie: And all that life may bring us.
The vows were beautiful, and everyone had a good time bowling afterward, even if bowling in a wedding dress looked silly.
Nat: You hit on April? And here I was beginning to think you were a good guy.
Marcel: Whatever gave you that idea?
Well, not everyone. Marcel was persona non grata, at least as far as Nat and April were concerned, and Ethan was still too mad to show up and be April's date.
The medical cases were the most emotional part of Chicago Med Season 5 Episode 17.
Nat and Charles' case was full of surprises.
I knew that it wasn't going to turn out that Mrs. Reamus was making Mindy sick because everyone was saying that she was ten minutes into the hour, but I didn't expect it to turn out she had PTSD.
Charles: Are you familiar with a syndrome called Munchausen by Proxy?
Mrs. Reamus: Oh my God. You think I'm crazy. You think I'm trying to make my child sick.
That was a nice twist. People tend to associate PTSD with war, natural disasters, or violent crime, but a traumatic birth can be equally triggering. So good for the writers for pointing that out.
It was refreshing, too, that Nat was on the side of NOT calling the Department of Child and Family Services. Throughout Chicago Med Season 5, she's jumped at every opportunity to do so, often requesting they be called for no reason at all.
Dr. Strauss was even worse about that, though. She refused to see any possibilities except that Mrs. Reamus would severely abuse Mindy if left to her own devices.
Sure, a diagnosis wasn't enough -- the woman needed help. But there was no evidence she was abusing Mindy other than taking her to hospitals unnecessarily.
From Charles' talk with her, it seemed the person suffering the most in this situation was the mother, not the child. Her fear that Mindy would stop breathing was tormenting her every minute of every day and stopping her from sleeping.
The biggest surprise in this whole thing was Dr. Charles' teenage daughter.
I'd forgotten he had a teenager at home if I ever knew it. Anna seemed like the stereotypical rebel without a cause, but of course, it was more than that.
It was ironic in a sad sort of way that Dr. Charles, who is a highly-skilled psychiatrist, had so many problems in his home life.
Charles: I'm sorry you had to see that. That woman has an illness that makes her not a very good mom.
Anna [crying]: Are they going to separate us?
Charles: Who?
Anna: Those people downstairs.
Charles: No, of course not. Nobody's going to separate us. Why would you think that?
Anna: Cause you haven't been a very good dad. It's like you just forgot about me.
Charles: That's not true.
Anna: It is! But I'm not mad. I just don't want you to go away.
Anna's fear that she would be taken away from her neglectful father was heartbreaking. Dr. Charles resolved to do better, but will he be able to keep that promise?
And now that the real problem is out in the open, will he be able to help Anna stop vaping before she kills herself?
This is the second or third time that Chicago Med has mentioned vaping, making me wonder how many young viewers feel about the show the way Anna felt when she accused her father of lecturing her.
They've taken the memo to heart that kids vaping is a serious problem. We get it.
But still, it led to an emotional moment between father and daughter, so I'll take it.
Finally, Will and Asher have come full circle and went to the wedding together -- but how long will they last this time?
Nat was gravitating toward Marcel but changed her mind after learning he kissed April, and Asher and Will tend to be a match made in hell, so...
Please tell me that Asher isn't a placeholder until Will gets back together with Nat. She deserves better, and so do viewers.
Your turn, Chicago Med fanatics.
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Want to see the episode again? No problem. Just watch Chicago Med online right here on TV Fanatic.
Chicago Med continues to air on NBC on Wednesdays at 8 PM EST/PST.
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.
