Reviewer Rating: 4.8/5.0
4.8
Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 1 immediately throws the hospital into chaos.
A mass casualty incident happened at the worst possible time, but was a great way to introduce a new era of medical drama.
The medical cases were almost secondary to the personality conflicts, which was always the case for Med. Hopefully the rest of the season can be as strong as the start of the season.
Goodbye, Dr. Marcel…Hello, Dr. Frost
Medical center’s newest resident helps ease pain of losing Marcel
When Chicago Med announced that Dominic Rains would no longer be playing Crockett Marcel, I thought nothing could ease the pain of losing one of my favorite characters.
Marcel’s absence is explained in the blink of an eye when Ripley mentions the farewell party held before Marcel left for Boston.
It’s annoying that the Dick Wolf show continues to do this (yes, the FBI franchise, I’m looking at you!). People’s disappearances are explained after the fact rather than preparing for losses in advance.
However, this one works better than most. Marcel’s last few scenes cast doubt on whether he would return to Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 1, so it’s no surprise that he didn’t.
At least it sounds like he left on good terms and not as depressed as he was in the Season 9 finale.
The introduction of newcomer John Frost helped me heal from the loss of Marcel. When I first met him, I thought he looked a lot like Marcel, and his personality was very similar to Marcel when he first arrived.
Frost: You are an angel.
Maggie: You’re so annoying.
Frost: I hope it gets cuter as you get to know me.
Frost’s introduction in Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 1 made him look like a young, still-young Marcel. He has the same perfect blend of ego and passion for patient care, but still has a lot to learn.
One of the first lessons he may learn is to stand by Maggie. Their banter is cute, but if he crosses the line and becomes more annoying rather than less, she won’t hesitate to let him play.
He was victorious at the end of the hour, though, and with the hospital closed, the only logical place for him to be was in Gaffney.
I have a particular interest in children with speech disorders, so I found this case to be one of the most compelling at the moment.
The moment when Zoe wakes up and is initially unable to speak is equally terrifying and tear-jerking. Thankfully, a minute later she’s performing a medical miracle, although these types of miracles are a bit of a tired TV trope.
Frost’s negotiation with Abrams provides some much-needed comedic relief to an otherwise heavy plot.
Abrams: Dr. Frost? I’m Dr. Abrams.
Frost: Nice to meet you.
Abrams: I think so. Can we chat privately?
[They move over]
Abrams: I looked at the MRI images you sent me, and you’re right. This patient had a large glioma in the Brocha area.
Frost: That would explain the sudden speech problems.
Abrams: Yes. That’s why I say you’re right. I can say it again if you want.
Abrams was as delightfully arrogant as ever, but when push came to shove, he performed the surgery and took care of the patient, so who can complain about that?
‘Chicago Med’ Season 10 Episode 1 Introduces New Power Struggle
Archer and Lennox clashed throughout the episode
Archer has a new enemy, and we’re here for it.
Parenthood’s Sara Ramos plays Caitlin Lennox perfectly. She is young, energetic and determined to reform the hospital.
In short, she embodies what Jack Dayton should look like as a new hospital owner: someone with new ideas that will shake things up.
Unlike Dayton, though, Lennox is actually a doctor, so she knows a few things about health care and how hospitals are supposed to run.
I’m not sure how she felt about her firing Zach after less than a day of knowing him.
Zach has never had a major role, so I’m glad he finally found something substantial to do in Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 1, only for him to lose his job by the end of the hour.
I was also surprised that Sharon signed off so easily, but she did say when time was of the essence that Gaffney needed to make major changes due to the influx of patients after Jackson closed.
Regardless of whether Zach’s life in Gaffney is truly over, Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 1 proved that Archer is a character in desperate need of therapy.
Archer: You’re a soldier.
Lenox: Army.
Archer: I think that’s important.
Lenox: You?
Archers: Navy.
Maggie: Well…that’s fun, but I need to make a decision.
He couldn’t stand Lenox’s youth, energy, or insistence on running the ER her way, and things only got worse as time went on.
Pavel’s story needs to end
Now that we know the truth, let’s end this
Pavel’s bullshit mostly took a back seat, and at the end of the hour, Ripley explained to Hannah what happened.
It’s a meta performance as he engages the audience, but it works.
Not surprisingly, Ripley was innocent. Sully and his friends beat up Pavel, and Ripley arrived too late to stop them.
Great. Now that we know, let’s wrap it up so we can move on to telling a better story for Ripley. I love his work with patients and hate when his work is interrupted by any legal nonsense.
Likewise, I’m not sad to see Liliana go.
She left because Charles refused to believe Pavel’s lies, which was kind of a split for drama’s sake, but it ended a very annoying relationship, so it’s okay.
Dr. Charles was one of the MVPs of Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 1 and I wish he had more of a medical role and less of the relationship crap.
As usual, he knew how to deal with scared patients when others couldn’t.
The woman was carrying a heavy burden because she was afraid of losing her son and she was angry that her husband was not involved in rescuing the boy.
Charles’s typical ability to listen and talk without judgment helped her realize that when she refused to have her son undergo surgery, she was acting out of fear. here you go!
This story foreshadows the future
‘Chicago Med’ Season 10 Episode 1 Sets High Expectations and Plants the Seeds of the Story
Not every episode of Chicago Med is a high-stakes, high-casualty affair. It gets exhausting after a while.
But Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 1 still has a lot of work to do, and a high-stakes story is the right way to do it. This episode wraps up in one go:
- New characters introduced
- Two characters are written (assuming Zack is really gone.)
- Set up a conflict that lasts the entire season
- Set up the overall plot of a hospital that needs to make changes due to an overflow of patients.
New showrunner Alan MacDonald also showed off his understanding of the characters and the types of stories that Chicago Med fans love.
His performance was outstanding and proved that long-time fans can trust him to lead the series in the right direction.
Over to you, Chicago Med fanatics.
What did you think of Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 1? Does it meet your expectations?
Hit the comments with your thoughts.
Chicago Med airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on NBC and Thursdays on Peacock.
Watch Chicago Med online
