Chicago Med - Inherent Bias - Review

I can’t believe we are one episode away from the fall finale. It’s not fair! I’m not prepared for a hiatus. But, they might as well give us something to think about while it’s on break, and “Inherent Bias” did just that. For me, this was one of the best episodes of the series.

“I don’t want your opinion. I want you to keep him alive.”

Natalie and Ethan treat Reggie, a Vietnam vet/photographer in the hospital with severe breathing issues. He demands to speak with Sharon, and as fate would have it, he turns out to be her first love. Sometimes, timing is everything. Reggie isn’t married and Sharon is now separated from Burt, and there’s some serious flirting happening here. I’m on board with this. Sharon deserves happiness!

Sometimes, sadly, timing is everything. Natalie and Ethan discover that Reggie has worms. If treated early, a full recovery is likely. But Reggie’s worms have potentially been latent for nearly forty years, and unfortunately, his chances of survival are slim. At this point, Sharon goes from being the head of the hospital to the patient’s loved one, or at least, that’s what should have happened. Instead, Sharon lets her emotions and her personal feelings for the patient dictate medical decisions. This is why doctors are not allowed to treat family members, it just doesn’t work. Instead of listening to the advice of Ethan and Natalie, Sharon abuses her position of power as their boss to take extreme measures for Reggie.

While I disagree with Sharon’s actions, I also completely understand why she’s doing it. “What is it about first love that just sticks with you? It’s like those last forty years don’t even exist.” I think we would all do everything we could to save someone we love, even someone from the distant past. Think about it; if it was Natalie in that hospital bed, wouldn’t Will, uninhibited by superiors (pretend Sharon wasn’t in charge), do absolutely everything to save her? Then again, Ethan made a good point too after Natalie confirms they did everything they could for Sharon. “Goodwin’s not our patient, Reggie is. Right now he’s suffering. The best thing we could have done for him was to let him die with dignity.” Reggie didn’t ask for the extreme measures, Sharon did.

While it wasn’t the focus of the storyline, the Natalie/Ethan pairing this week was fantastic. Piggy-backing off their emotional case(s) last week, these two continued to work well together this week. This is a great pairing that should definitely continue in the future!

Elsewhere…

“I shouldn’t have hesitated.”

Danny’s back, though he’s struggling. On top of stomach pain, he has no place to live. He’s still not comfortable speaking with Detective Erin Lindsay, which leaves her hands tied in trying to help him. Desperate, Danny asks to stay with Sarah, which goes against all sorts of rules, I’m sure. Dr. Charles obviously advises against this, but Sarah actually considers. Oh, Sarah. I love how much she cares for her patients (Noah could take a few pointers) but it could one day get her into serious trouble. Danny ends up disappearing before Sarah makes a decision, though, and he likely went back to people who held him captive. Surely this isn’t the last time we see Danny, right? Sarah and Ethan set out to find him, so let’s hope they succeed.

“You’re a surgeon. Your inherent bias is to cut.”

A latte with a meet cute for Connor and Robyn! Or should I say Dr. Vanilla Latte and Robyn. Seconds into their first scene together, it was obvious there’s quite a bit of chemistry. The other Dr. Charles, Daniel, also sparks a connection with a patient, Pamela. Her condition (endocarditis) causes her to be a bit out of sorts, which draws into question her ability to make sound medical decisions for herself. Connor and Robyn are brought in on the case, as Pamela’s condition requires surgery and somehow also relates to epidemiology. So the real question is, why is Daniel vehemently against Connor performing the surgery?

I understand that as a psychiatrist, Daniel knows better than anyone when a patient can or can’t soundly make medical decisions for themselves. But in this case, it seems he let his connection with the patient and his need to be right in opposing Connor in what felt like some male dominance thing for Robyn’s attention (on Daniel’s part) take over. I could be reading way too much into it, I realize that. But Daniel was testy and on edge throughout the episode, and it all started with Robyn’s lukewarm response to his suggestion they spend time together. Once again, the episode’s exploration of bias and how it affects these doctors strikes again. Ultimately, Daniel is overruled by several doctors, and Pamela has the surgery. She comes through just fine and will make a recovery, but that’s not what the focus was. Was Daniel fighting for the patient or himself? Is Robyn starting something with Connor in part to make her dad mad?

“Did you two resolve all your other issues? He didn’t want you working anymore…how about his ex-wife? Or you becoming a stepmom?”

It’s official, Tate and April are engaged! Huzzah! It’s quite a rock, and he’s quite a guy. While Natalie is thrilled for April, Maggie is a bit hesitant to join in the celebrations, and, for good reason. As thrilled as I am for April and Tate, Maggie has a few solid points. Sadly, I fear those points may become big issues that threaten this relationship. At the end of the hour, April has a coughing fit that could very well be her TB. I hope this doesn’t cause her to break things off with Tate! Her latent TB was too good to be true, right? I mean, why introduce a storyline if it ultimately doesn’t go anywhere? That’s my fear. Could April be in serious danger?

“If we suspect something and don’t test for it, talk about liability.”

Unable to take on additional overtime to help with his financial problems, Will takes Noah up on his offer to join him and his new doctor app. This can only end badly. Noah invented a doctor house call app, and Will surprisingly agrees to join. It’s only a matter of time before Noah finds himself in serious trouble, right? He just doesn’t seem to fully understand the responsibilities of his job.

Will and Noah visit a tech guru with a serious nosebleed. Because Will is a good doctor, his concern goes beyond what he can see and the money he might have in his pocket to suggest that their patient take a trip to Chicago Med for additional tests. This is the difference between Will and Noah: Will genuinely cares about his patients’ well-being, it’s his top priority. Noah cares, but how he’s perceived and his success is his top priority. Their nosebleed patient ends up being fine, but not before spending a few thousand dollars on tests. Not surprisingly, Will backs out of the medical app job, and Noah couldn’t be happier. Yeah, he’s definitely going to get in trouble.

Now right back where he started, Will needs another solution for his money problems. Nina suggests Will moves in with her! He says he doesn’t want it to be about the money, and she replies, “It’s not about the money. It’s because I really think this has a chance to work. What do you say?” What does he say? We don’t know! We do know that after Nina asks, Will immediately looks up at Natalie. Oh boy. I can be totally on board with Will’s relationship with Nina, but not if he still has feelings for Natalie. Nina is such an enjoyable character and I would hate to lose her, but at this point, is there any doubt that Will still has feelings for Natalie? I have a feeling he’s going to move in with Nina, only to end up hurting her down the road.


Best exchange: Nina and Will talk about his new roommate
“Is your new roommate still leaving toenail clippings on the couch?”
“Worse. Now he’s doing jumping jacks in the nude.”


What did you think of the episode? How will April’s TB story progress? Will Nina and Will move in together, or will he admit he still has feelings for Natalie? Are Robyn’s intentions with Connor completely honorable? Share your thoughts below!