Chicago Med Season 8 Episode 16 Review: What You See Isn't Always What You Get
Jack Ori
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Okay, we can breathe now.
Chicago Med Season 8 Episode 16 featured one of the most intense sequences in the show's history after Quentin got pinned to an MRI machine, but it all worked out.
Quentin appears to be in his right mind again -- for now, anyway -- and he got to hold his baby son. It couldn't be any more perfect of an ending.
I don't know how Layla was comfortable letting Quentin hold baby Trevor, though.
The incident began when Quentin claimed that the baby wasn't his. He got agitated and ran off with the scissors. And there's no guarantee it won't happen again.
The situation was resolved too quickly, at least regarding Quentin's mental illness. Charles said while tests were not completed yet, Quentin likely had a rare genetic disease that could be treated.
I wish we'd had more of Charles getting to the bottom of what was happening. Quentin's ability to stay calm while rescue workers tried to get him out of the machine was Charles' top priority, but still.
Sharon: How's he doing?
Charles: Well, you know, he's pinned to an MRI machine.
The diagnosis was mainly made off-screen. Charles barely spoke to Quentin; he figured out what was happening primarily by noticing the lumps on the back of his neck.
Maybe that's why this story felt rushed. Quentin had a psychotic break, an accident with an MRI machine, a rescue, and a miracle cure, all within one hour.
The situation with the MRI machine was intense, especially when Archer had to take that pair of scissors out and hope that the clamps held for long enough to get Quentin situated.
That was the most dangerous moment; before then, the danger was primarily psychological.
Quentin feared he would die and wanted Layla to tell their son he loved him. That had to be strange for Layla, who moments earlier was trying to convince him that his son was his.
After being strong for Quentin, Layla's breakdown was one of the hour's most emotional moments. She was confused and upset and had to have been exhausted after giving birth and having all this drama!
Elsewhere, the situation Will's patient faced made me angry.
The family left Oakview because their son died there, and they didn't want to risk their daughter's life. But the insurance company wouldn't pay for the tests Will ordered or any care at Gaffney.
If that's not a strong argument for a single-payer healthcare system, I don't know what is! Thank goodness Cuevas could come up with the diagnosis at the last second, so Maria didn't have to return to Oakview!
It wasn't likely that Oakview could give Maria the care she needed. Her parents might have had to bury a second child if Maria had returned to that hospital.
Will can't afford to pay for his patients' tests himself. No doctor can, with the exorbitant prices many healthcare providers charge for tests.
That left him stuck, and the patient's health was at stake.
Cuevas only consulted on this case because Will needed a Spanish-language interpreter. She did a psych exam and ruled out conversion disorder or other psychiatric disorders, but would she even have been called in on this case if she hadn't needed to help with the language barrier?
Also, why didn't anyone ask Grace about Maria's symptoms? She was busy 3D printing surgical tools, but this seemed like a perfect case for her algorithm.
All she had to do was run the symptoms and see what would likely come up. Surely she could have found a second to do that.
Let's talk about Dr. Tanaka-Reid. That nurse was right -- he's full of himself.
Tanaka-Reed: Appendix removal. Pretty basic.
Marcel: I'm sorry Sam isn't sick enough for you.
God forbid anyone thinks of him as a lowly resident or insists he does basic procedures instead of flashy, dramatic stuff. Why is it that whenever it seems like this guy can't get any more obnoxious, he proves he can?
Nobody deserves to get sick, no matter how annoying they are. But Dr. Tanaka-Reid's reaction to his illness proved he hadn't learned anything from the experience.
He wanted OR 2.0, supposedly for faster recovery time. But does anyone else think that wasn't the whole story? He didn't want to assist with an "old-school" procedure, so why would he consent to one?
He was controlling and arrogant about his surgery and then complained he'd be the butt of everyone's jokes forever.
What he seems to be missing is that it's not his medical issue that turned him into a laughingstock; it's his attitude.
It's not nice to laugh at someone's misfortune, but when someone who acts all high-and-mighty is taken down a peg or two, it's human nature to giggle about it.
Marcel was right -- this will all be forgotten soon. But like most people with overinflated egos, Dr. Tanaka-Reid can't stand the idea of anyone laughing at him, ever.
What did you think, Chicago Med fanatics? Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know!
Don't forget you can watch Chicago Med online whenever you want.
Chicago Med airs 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.
