‘Chicago Med’ Recap: ‘Blurred Lines’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

CHICAGO MED -- "Blurred Lines" Episode 1004 -- Pictured: (l-r) Sarah Ramos as Dr. Caitlin Lenox, Jessy Schram as Dr. Hannah Asher -- (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 1004 of ‘Chicago Med’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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One giant problem with shows that feature an ensemble cast or ‘of the week’ concepts, is that they often have so many stories they want to tell, that they gloss over the psychological and long-term impacts of what the characters sometimes go through. Which is stunning to say the least, because big moments do have a major impact on our lives and our thought processes, and it takes us out of the story when we see someone deal with something major, only to be back at work and doing just fine the next week. Which granted, television is escapist n nature, but even then… we expect some measure of realism within it to keep us glued to the story and to help us relate to what we’re seeing, and this is why Chicago Med on NBC continues to impress after all these years.

Because it is that rare show, that offers realism and actual continuity for what happens to its characters, as evidenced by last night’s episode. For ‘Blurred Lines’ wasted little time in informing us, that Dr. Asher was deeply disturbed by losing Elise during last week’s story. To the point where that death haunted her dreams and put her under a microscope of her peers and that was… powerful to see play out. Since it correctly pointed out that death isn’t something that doctors just quickly move on from all the time, as we oft see in these shows. Because they’re people, they care, and they struggle with death, and have to find their way forward. Which eventually, Asher did. Thanks to a little care and kindness from Dr. Ripley, her support group, since this did make her think about going back to dark habits, and even some kind yet icy words from Dr. Lenox. Who pointed out the great job she did do in this instance.

But what mattered most, was that we were able to see something hard impact a doctor long-term and stay with them, which added some real power to this story and surprisingly, continuity in this manner, didn’t end there. Because this episode saw Jackie, the nurse that Maggie helped come back from real darkness return to work as an ER nurse and that made Maggie nervous. Because she was deeply worried tha Jackie might break under all the pressures that the emergency room harbors. So, Maggie did her best to keep Jackie at bay by assigning her menial tasks, only for Maggie to learn… that she needed to trust Jackie a little more. For Jackie stepped in and helped Dr. Charles with a harrowing case involving a woman that also wanted to self-harm and her kind words convinced that woman to get help and move forward and that humbled Maggie and prompted her to give Jackie a little more responsibility at work.

Which was also amazing to see take place, and while those two storylines could have carried this episode from start to finish, it still had more amazing moments to offer through some palate cleanser stories. Such as how Dr. Archer came to learn his son was on the right path after all. Because despite being fired, he held it together and thought about what his next chapter might look like. Plus, Goodwin seemingly is out of trouble with that threat since nothing came from it in this tale, in fact, she encountered kindness here often. And of course, we saw Dr. Frost learn the hard way that while he should always trust his instincts, he should also make sure to dig deeper and have all the facts in front of him before he acts. Because he did sniff out fraud from a patient, just not in the manner he thought and had he gone with his initial hunch, a little girl would have been separated from her ailing father.

All of which gave rise, to another amazing episode from this show. One that really did feel as though we were enjoying a complete moment in time. One where real emotion was on display and where nothing was glossed over, and that’s important. For that really does offer up a fulfilling story for an audience, and it was equally as lovely to see, more of what we truly enjoy about this show. Which is the kindness and humanity that these doctors offer every patient that walks through their doors. Since Dr. Charles and Jackie really did a lot for that ailing woman and helped her to find a wonderful path forward. Not to mention, what Dr. Frost did in the end was lovely, and it was also incredible to learn more about his past, and well… all this does is leave us ready for more of this amazing series. To see what other relatable moments will await us as season ten continues along. Until next time.

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