#Chicago Med Season 6 Episode 16 Review: I Will Come To Save You

Don’t you hate it when the bad guys win?

The whole reason Ethan was in that parking lot when he got shot was that he was concerned about Dean’s behavior, and afterward, Dean’s handling of Ethan’s case left a LOT to be desired.

Yet at the end of Chicago Med Season 6 Episode 16, Goodwin promoted him to interim ED chief without having a clue about any of his issues! But elsewhere, at least the whole issue of who stole the Kender drugs was straightened out, so there was that.

I was glad that this story focused on Ethan’s treatment rather than being another hostage situation. Med has had more than enough of those in recent years.

Dean’s way of handling it was terrible, though. All his worst traits were magnified by a factor of 100 now that he didn’t have Ethan to rein him in.

I hope I’m wrong about this, but I have this feeling you hired your old CO so you can knock him down a peg or two.
Dean

Maybe Dean felt guilty about Ethan getting shot or about what he said to him right before he did, but his “my way or the highway” mentality was not doing anyone any favors. When he accused Will of lacking objectivity, I think he was talking about himself.

All of that would have been a fantastic story if it resulted in any comeuppance from Dean. It was so frustrating that his reckless decision to override Abrams’ opinion and remove the bone fragments was overlooked because it all worked out in the end.

And then Sharon gave him the power he craves until Ethan is well enough to go back to work, too. I can only imagine what trouble that’s going to cause on Chicago Med Season 7!

To be fair, Ethan did hire Dean because Sharon wanted him to have backup in the ED, but Dean has been nothing but trouble since and has committed a million fireable offenses already.

Let’s hope that someone catches on before he kills a patient, gets the hospital embroiled in a major lawsuit, or otherwise causes serious harm.

I was also confused by April’s reaction to Ethan’s being hurt.

I know she still cares about him, but this is not the first scare Ethan has had since their break-up. Goodwin insisted that Ethan hire an assistant in the first place because he came to work immediately after gall bladder surgery and ended up fainting due to an infection.

No, it’s not quite the same as getting shot, but nobody really knew what was wrong with him or if he was going to recover at the time. So April should have already had this revelation about how much she loves him.

And since Yaya De Costa is leaving Chicago Med, I’m not sure what the point of April renewing her love for Choi right now is, unless her absence is only expected to be temporary and she will return after she finishes her new program, ready to pick up where she left off.

The whole Dean situation sets us up for plenty of drama on Chicago Med Season 7, though, especially with a newly reinstated Will.

Dean already made it clear that he doesn’t like or trust Will and likely will assume that Goodwin somehow overlooked Will’s stealing the pills or that Natalie lied to save Will instead of the other way around.

Goodwin: Do you have anything to say for yourself?

Will: I was trying to help a patient in desperate need.

Goodwin: At the expense of all the other patients this trial could have helped? You asked me last summer why I didn’t name you Chief of the ED. This type of reckless behavior is exactly why, and now I have no choice but to address it. You’re fired, Dr. Halstead.

I’m glad that Natalie told Goodwin the truth. I imagine she will be fired off-screen since Torrey De Vitto is also leaving Chicago Med.

This was the best exit story we could have asked for, though.

It was entirely in character for Natalie to steal the meds and refuse to let Will take the blame for it, and her exit also wrapped up her relationships with both Will and Marcel.

Natalie: I wasn’t fair to you. I wasn’t fair and I wasn’t honest.

Marcel: I understand why you shut me out. I just wish you could have felt you trusted me.

Natalie: How is that for irony? I’m always talking to you about commitment, that you needed to trust.

Marcel: Look, Natalie, I want you to know, regardless of everything, I will always be grateful to you.

Natalie: Why?

Marcel: My life was pretty empty til I met you. Closed off. Lots of fears. You showed me what I could be. How to take the chance.

In the end, no one got to be with Natalie, but Marcel ended up grateful for having known her, and Will proved he was a good and loyal friend to her. What could be better than that?

Both Natalie and Will are lucky the hospital didn’t press charges, though. I’d think that stealing medication would merit more than just administrative discipline! It would have been interesting to include this angle with Will’s brother working for Chicago PD, too.

 In addition to wrapping up Natalie and April’s story, Chicago Med gave us a compelling story for Dr. Charles.

One of the best things about this series is that it takes mental health as seriously as physical health. Charles is an excellent psychiatrist, often consults on cases, and does his best to help everyone.

And in this case, he gave his friend a chance at redemption and helped a patient who only spoke Russian.

I guessed right away that “sluggish schizophrenia” was code for political dissident, though.

It didn’t sound like a real diagnosis, and the Soviet Union was infamous for finding new and creative ways to crush dissent.

But well done on Charles’ friend struggling with guilt when he saw the way his work had impacted the patient!

With all the political strife in the United States and various groups misunderstanding what free speech does and doesn’t entail, this was an important, timely message that didn’t sound like preaching.

The final shock: Vanessa realizing Maggie is her birth mother but not being happy to be in contact with her.

This was a great and realistic twist. Vanessa never had any interest in learning about her birth parents, and Maggie’s borderline obsessive behavior didn’t do much to change her mind about that.

Vanessa’s point that people would think she got her job through nepotism was an interesting one too. There are probably already some people who don’t think she got her job on merit because of the color of her skin, and her relationship with Maggie won’t make that easier.

Your turn, Chicago Med fanatics. What did you think? What are you most looking forward to when Chicago Med returns for a seventh season?

Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know!

Want to refresh your memory first? Just watch Chicago Med online right here on TV Fanatic.

Chicago Med airs on NBC on Wednesdays at 8 PM EST/PST. It will return sometime in the fall of 2021.

Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on Twitter.