S01.E04: Mistaken

[WendyCR72]

After shots ring out at a movie theater, the Chicago Med doctors work to treat the victims while hospital administrator Sharon Goodwin attempts to keep the press at bay. To treat a teenager with an eating disorder, Dr. Natalie Manning enlists the help of Dr. Daniel Charles, but his unorthodox methods rub Natalie and the teenage girl's mother the wrong way. Meanwhile, Nurse April Sexton, Dr. Will Halstead and Dr. Ethan Choi treat a racist patient whose strange form of bigotry surprises them all.

[betsyboo]

MyGAWD Dr. Douche is ESPECIALLY douchey tonight. Good grief I'm only halfway thru and the platitudes are making my teeth ache. "Shooting up a movie theater?? That's what this world has come to?" "We need more guys like him." #vomitemoji (understanding this is the writing but his smarmy delivery makes it that much worse)

Also - i would imagine every person in America who has ever watched TV saw the "surprise twist" coming. GOOD GRIEF X2.

[scarynikki12]

I know the show is pushing Manning with Halstead 2.0 but I really liked the intense look she shared with Choi and would rather explore that option. Choi's hot and funnier than H2.0.

[statsgirl]

The good:

Charles' Tic Tac diagnostic test.  No, Manning, you idiot, it's not malpractice it's a test to see if it's physical or mental and a damn sight safer than the colonoscopy and other tests you were ordering, including the blood tests.

 

Rhodes is sleeping with Dr. Lulu Spencer, one of the few good attendings.

 

The bad:

Did Manning's IQ lower this week or was she always this bad.  Choi is better than Halstead but maybe she deserves Halstead.

 

Halstead's "You've got black genes!" to the woman.  First, she didn't give you permission to do a gene study on her if it isn't related to treating her illness (he had already figured out what it was) so that's unethical. Second, it's not going to make a shred of difference to her racial schemas.  Hope you enjoyed yourself.

The mother

 

April was horrible to the shooter. First she followed him on twitter when she thought he was a hero, and then she shut him down when it turned out to be a prankster.

 

The girl was eating her hamburger, her mother said "Don't eat so fast,  you'll throw up."  Girl promptly throws up, Charles says he's ruled out psychological.  Uh, no, when she throws up immediately upon her mother suggesting it, you haven't ruled out psychological problems at all.  And even those the cause is physical, wow do they need family therapist.

 

"The boy who caused his wife to die".  No, I think the person who who caused your wife to die is Wayne LaPierre and everyone else who encourages people to think that they need to carry loaded firearms and shoot because the terrorists can strike at any minute.

[betsyboo]

I know the show is pushing Manning with Halstead 2.0 but I really liked the intense look she shared with Choi and would rather explore that option. Choi's hot and funnier than H2.0.

wait when did i miss this? 

 

I feel like the Halstead pining ramped up from 0 to 60 this week. And then they had to have both April AND Maggie mention it, in case we didn't follow.

 

Yes, I am realizing I am complaining a lot for someone still watching..... Hot McTrauma outweighs the bad for now, esp if he's sleeping with Lulu. Well, and Oliver. Always Oliver. And Sharon, of course, telling brooding McTrauma - take the win and shut up! (that last part may have been unstated.)

 

Just ONCE in these horrible dramatic <gasp> directed-donation storylines, I want the family member to stick with their "Fuck NO!" instead of doing the "right" thing. (Altho, I guess in this instance it wasn't so much the right thing as revenge and wishing a long life in prison for the recipient.)

[scarynikki12]

When Manning and Choi were trying to save Miller's life they share a look just before time of death was called. It wasn't romantic but had a lot of intensity and I'd like to see that built upon. I can't really explain it well but I got a feeling that a relationship between the two would be much more interesting than the goofy one being set up with H2.0. Choi being hot and funny just makes it sweeter.

[statsgirl]

I like that Sharon is doing all the real administrative functions and keeping a distance between the doctor and the family wheneven consent is needed.  Too many medical shows have doctors being unethical because they're the only ones to do the administrative work.

 

And a shirtless Colin Donnell is always welcome.

[MakeMeLaugh]

It's really hard to distinguish the ER sets from the rest of the hospital, or is this really just the ER with a psychiatrist and the overall hospital administration hanging around all the time?

I was hoping for a good Munchausen by proxy storyline but I am sure one will appear soon enough.

[Noirprncess]

No real comments on the episode. But, why is Halstead's skin always at least 3 different shades?. Did he piss off the makeup artist?

[statsgirl]

I think the only interiors of the hospital we've seen are the ER, Sharon's office, the cafeteria and the O.R.

Nice saving on sets. there.

 

I thought this was going to be a Munchausen by proxy story but now that I think about it, I'm tired of always it being the neurotic crazy mother.  If they have to do it, the storyline I'd like to see when the doctors think it is MSbP but one doctor fights to prove that it's not.

[Neurochick]

Halstead's "You've got black genes!" to the woman.  First, she didn't give you permission to do a gene study on her if it isn't related to treating her illness (he had already figured out what it was) so that's unethical. Second, it's not going to make a shred of difference to her racial schemas.  Hope you enjoyed yourself.

 

 

I saw that coming a mile away.  Bet that ruined her day.  

[MakeMeLaugh]

Show is lying anyway about sarcoidosis being an African American only disease anyway. From WebMD: "...Sarcoidosis ... is 10 to 17 times more common in African-Americans than in Caucasians. People of Scandinavian, German, Irish, or Puerto Rican origin are also more prone to the disease."

I think the racist patient looks like she could fall into the Scandinavian, German, and Irish subgroup. So nice going, Show.

[kassygreene]

...

 

I think the racist patient looks like she could fall into the Scandinavian, German, and Irish subgroup. So nice going, Show.

She looked very old Northwest Territories to me (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin).  A cultural breed that is aging out.

 

The fig-leaf excuse for the genetic study was feeble.  

 

M*A*S*H did this much better forty years ago.  

[izabella]

I think the only interiors of the hospital we've seen are the ER, Sharon's office, the cafeteria and the O.R.

Nice saving on sets. there.

 

We also saw one of the patient rooms when Krista had the code-bag job.

[Aliconehead]

 

We also saw one of the patient rooms when Krista had the code-bag job

 

Wrong show, i think.  Krista is on Code Black

[izabella]

Ah, thanks!  I keep mixing up the two shows since they are both new med shows!   Code Black is the same though - we only see the teeny-tiny claustrophobic ER for the most part.

Edited December 9, 2015 by izabella

[MakeMeLaugh]

Yeah, so this is really Chicago ER and not really Chicago Med, so far. Even Anorexicish Girl was being treated in the ER because she had come in as a movie theater patron who happened to be feeling nauseous. Not sure why Sarcoidosis Senior Citizen was there but she too was in the ER, not admitted through her own docs to the main hospital for some issue.

[statsgirl]

I think Sarcoidosis Woman was there because she didn't have a family doctor of her own so she used the ER for that. She lied and said that she was in the theatre to jump the queue.

 

She looked very old Northwest Territories to me (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin).  A cultural breed that is aging out.

Very true that it's a cultural breed.  When they normed the first MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory), they gave it to people in Minnesota to get the norms, which you do in order to see if the patient is responding abnormally.  It was only later that they realized that Minnesotans respond differently than other people do and had to take it to other parts of the country.

[Noirprncess]

I just realized that they evidently are using a different hospital for exterior shots. The other hospital had a huge parking lot. This new one is downtown.

[starri]

Show is lying anyway about sarcoidosis being an African American only disease anyway. From WebMD: "...Sarcoidosis ... is 10 to 17 times more common in African-Americans than in Caucasians. People of Scandinavian, German, Irish, or Puerto Rican origin are also more prone to the disease."

I think the racist patient looks like she could fall into the Scandinavian, German, and Irish subgroup. So nice going, Show.

I'm not defending the sloppy writing (and I confess I did get a giggle at April trying to fist-bump her), but on the licensing boards, if you get a question where it goes out the way to mention that you have a female African-American patient, sarcoidosis is almost always the right answer.

 

I was surprised that they went with SMA Syndrome with the awful mother.  The worst part was I spent part of the time thinking the mother was giving the daughter synthroid, before I remember that had happened on Code Black.

[Sandman]

You know, I could live without scenes of women and children getting trampled in movie theatres. Yeesh, NBC.

[Trooper York]

Well I have caught one episode and it is enough for me. Typical ultra-liberal nonsense. They make a show about gun violence and base it on someone who has a legal carry permit. Is that the only gun violence story line he could come up with? In Chicago? In 2015? Really?

This is the last episode for me. One and done.

Edited December 10, 2015 by Trooper York

[Sonja]

Yes, I am realizing I am complaining a lot for someone still watching..... Hot McTrauma outweighs the bad for now, esp if he's sleeping with Lulu. Well, and Oliver. Always Oliver. And Sharon, of course, telling brooding McTrauma - take the win and shut up! (that last part may have been unstated.)

 

Just ONCE in these horrible dramatic <gasp> directed-donation storylines, I want the family member to stick with their "Fuck NO!" instead of doing the "right" thing. (Altho, I guess in this instance it wasn't so much the right thing as revenge and wishing a long life in prison for the recipient.)

Aren't we all? ;-)

Agree about all of this. Charles is just hilarious (as is the neurosurgeon who just pops up briefly for a dose of sarcasm here and there) and Sharon has been brilliant so far.

 

I really don't ever want to be in a situation to make a decision like that. I had to agree to loved ones being taken off life support twice, but this is a whole different level. I get the husband's reasoning but what was Rhodes thinking taking him to the idiot prankster's room?

 

When Manning and Choi were trying to save Miller's life they share a look just before time of death was called. It wasn't romantic but had a lot of intensity and I'd like to see that built upon. I can't really explain it well but I got a feeling that a relationship between the two would be much more interesting than the goofy one being set up with H2.0. Choi being hot and funny just makes it sweeter.

So we had Halstead taking the bottle from Manning against her will two eps back and now Manning refuses to stay clear when Choi wants to shock a patient? Those two really deserve each other. Apparently it's okay for Halstead (and Rhodes in this ep) to perform CPR for over 20 minutes, but Choi only gets one try. At least he was allowed to show he can be funny with the old lady.

 

I like that Sharon is doing all the real administrative functions and keeping a distance between the doctor and the family wheneven consent is needed.  Too many medical shows have doctors being unethical because they're the only ones to do the administrative work.

 

And a shirtless Colin Donnell is always welcome.

I like that she's a true authority figure without having lost her sense of humour and that she defends her staff, but tells them to back off or get their act together when needed as well.

 

That too. ;-)

 

No real comments on the episode. But, why is Halstead's skin always at least 3 different shades?. Did he piss off the makeup artist?

The makeup artist and the writers apparently judging by his fortune cookie meets facebook-meme lines. Also, are they trying to set him up for a 'this doesn't make any sense anymore, I quit' personal crisis storyline?

[Bwill3133]

"Not the happy ending you expected?" What did you think was going to happen Dr. Poor Little Rich Boy? That the grieving husband would embrace and forgive this idiot kid who caused his wife to die and child to lose his mother? Yeah not happening. And I loved that scene. That kid needs to know what he caused. Maybe not right after the transplant but oh well.

I admit I have a soft spot for Torrey Devitto so I like Dr. Manning. Saw where her and Halstead were going from a mile away. I could definitely use more Maggie and April though to up my enjoyment of this show.

[twoods]

Of course it's SMA- always the diagnosis of exclusion with these symptoms. I don't know why a CT wasn't ordered before an endoscopy was ordered. And it's not illegal to give a placebo! That mom was a piece of work.

I didn't know Lulu Spencer was on this show! With her and Tommy I may start watching this show, especially if they are the badass surgery duo. This show is not nearly as adrenaline loaded as Code Black but decent enough.

That poor guy who thought he was doing the right thing. This is why I hate the media (including social media). Bunch of faceless bullies who prey on others because they are pathetic. Same with that stupid kid who gets to live.

That medical student was annoying. Didn't know that genetic studies take a few hours to run.

[NJ RadioGuy]

I watch both this hot mess and Code Black and I guess I must be in the minority (judging by both shows' ratings), but I prefer CB over this any day. Like PD and Fire, I like the procedural aspect more than who's boinking whom and which character they're going to put through the wringer this week.

 

So with that in mind comes my biggest complaint about this show. It's set in an undetermined part of Chicago, but obviously within the operating area for the companies of House 51 and the 21st (?) district of PD, so likely within a couple of miles. It's a pretty gritty urban neighbourhood with plenty of abandoned industrial areas, gangs and so on. In "Fire" they show long shots with the Hancock Tower/etc from a certain angle that clearly places the area southwest of the Loop (it's real-world Engine 18's quarters, http://engine18chicagofire.com/).The demographic of that real-world area is predominantly Hispanic (3:1 over african American and caucasian) and not particularly middle class either. Yet seemingly every patient in Med thus far is either lilly-white or upscale. Residents of the area as depicted on PD and Fire are a mix of everything but because Med's ER clientele is middle-class or above, it just takes me out of the story. Given the area, I'd expect Med's ER to more closely resemble Angels' ER on Code Black, to be honest.

 

So far, Charles is the only likeable character in the whole series to me, and the only one with a shred of common sense.

 

As for this episode in particular, if I wanted to be preached to I'd go to church. (If I went to church, which I don't). There were so many damned anvils falling I felt like this guy for half the episode.

 

[Margherita Erdman]

Just ONCE in these horrible dramatic <gasp> directed-donation storylines, I want the family member to stick with their "Fuck NO!" instead of doing the "right" thing.

Does anyone else remember this? Can't recall whether it was ER or Grey's Anatomy, but I do remember a storyline like that involving sisters — one of them had eaten toxic mushrooms and needed a new liver or she would die, and her younger sister could be a living donor by allowing the surgeons to remove part of her healthy liver for transplant. But there was bitterness between the sisters: the sick one had a history of selfishness and manipulation, and the healthy sister was an elite athlete. The donor surgery would take her out of competition during some crucial period of time (Olympic trials?) just when she had reached her peak physical performance. In the end, the healthy sister refused to help, basically ensuring that her sister would die of liver failure.

Also, because it cannot be said enough, Dr. Halstead is insufferable, his hair & makeup seem to indicate that those responsible for styling him and for overseeing color correction in post-production hate him (and/or his character), and the initially likeable Dr. Manning gets less & less so with every minute of screen time she shares with him.

Edited December 13, 2015 by Margherita Erdman

[statsgirl]

So with that in mind comes my biggest complaint about this show. It's set in an undetermined part of Chicago, but obviously within the operating area for the companies of House 51 and the 21st (?) district of PD, so likely within a couple of miles. It's a pretty gritty urban neighbourhood with plenty of abandoned industrial areas, gangs and so on. In "Fire" they show long shots with the Hancock Tower/etc from a certain angle that clearly places the area southwest of the Loop (it's real-world Engine 18's quarters, http://engine18chicagofire.com/).The demographic of that real-world area is predominantly Hispanic (3:1 over african American and caucasian) and not particularly middle class either. Yet seemingly every patient in Med thus far is either lilly-white or upscale. Residents of the area as depicted on PD and Fire are a mix of everything but because Med's ER clientele is middle-class or above, it just takes me out of the story. Given the area, I'd expect Med's ER to more closely resemble Angels' ER on Code Black, to be honest.

Chicago Fire seems to do okay with ethnic and financial diversity in its guest characters so maybe this show will pick that up in the post holiday episodes.  As I recall, Chicago Med first had to replace their initial show-runner, and then instead of a mid-season start got rushed on in Heartbreaker's slot when Melissa George's pregnancy delayed that show.   The usual first episodes bugs plus some.

 

I've never been to Chicago so I don't notice the problems with diversity.  I have worked in a number of hospitals which is why medical things wrong bother me and why I can't watch Code Black unless I turn my brain off.  Chicago Med is middling -- good enough that I don't have to turn off the TV because it's so ridiculous, which is something I have with Code Black, but not right all of the time. 

 

I think I'd rate hospital shows in terms of medical accuracy (as opposed to soap opera): ER, House (when it was good), Remedy s1, Chicago Hope, Chicago Med, Grey's Anatomy, House (when it was bad) Night Shift, Code Black.

 

What is it with Chicago and medical shows?

Edited December 13, 2015 by statsgirl

[starri]

I think this is more accurate than Night Shift or Code Black.

 

Although frankly, in certain ways the most accurate show with regards to medical stuff was Scrubs.

[Noirprncess]

I watch both this hot mess and Code Black and I guess I must be in the minority (judging by both shows' ratings), but I prefer CB over this any day. Like PD and Fire, I like the procedural aspect more than who's boinking whom and which character they're going to put through the wringer this week.

I can't say I disagree. So far, the story lines feel a bit lightweight and blah. I think a medical drama is where we will see how Dick Wolf's insistence of short story arcs and quick resolution of stories will work against the set up of the show. This really noticeable when you look at the many medical based shows currently on air vs Chicago Med.

Is it me or does it seem like they have over simplified the medical jargon?. I couldn't figure out if that was based on the skill level of the actors or just something that happens with the script.

[statsgirl]

I think many medical shows deliberately complicate the jargon to show how "accurate" and edgy they are.  As long as you're familiar with some of the more common medical terms (e.g. TIA = transient ischemic attacks ~ mini strokes; CBC = complete blood count (red cells, white cells, hemoglobin etc)), most of what doctors say is very comprehensible to lay people.  Even this show has its problems, I remember in the backdoor pilot wondering what the heck Charles was talking about since real psychiatrists don't talk that obscurely.

 

That's a good point about Dick Wolf insisting on short story arcs and how it will affect the show.  Chicago Fire is already annoying me as the characters each take their turns to be in the firing line and then quickly resolved.  Hermann was lying in a pool of his own blood at the end of the last episode, anyone want to bet he'll be at least out of the hospital three episodes in?

[kassygreene]

Especially if those three episodes are CF, CM, & CPD, so two days, tops.

[starri]

Isn't there supposed to be a Crisis on Infinite Procedurals with SVU in the mix as well?

 

I mean, I watched part of the last one (the SVU part and then the following CPD part just to see how it resolved), but I don't know if I need a Dick Wolf miniseries when I'm not all that familiar with most of the players.

[statsgirl]

I think the crossover with SVU is coming later in the season.

 

We left Chicago Fire with Hermann bleeding out on the floor.  We open in January with Chicago Med (gosh, I can't imagine what the crisis will be) followed by Chicago Fire and then Chicago PD the next day.

 

Yeah, two days sounds about right.  And Hermann is either recovering at home or back at work the following week.

[TV Anonymous]

She looked very old Northwest Territories to me (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin).  A cultural breed that is aging out.

 

I think you meant Northwest Territory as Northwest Territories is a present-day territory of Canada.

 

I've never been to Chicago so I don't notice the problems with diversity.  I have worked in a number of hospitals which is why medical things wrong bother me and why I can't watch Code Black unless I turn my brain off.  Chicago Med is middling -- good enough that I don't have to turn off the TV because it's so ridiculous, which is something I have with Code Black, but not right all of the time. 

 

I think I'd rate hospital shows in terms of medical accuracy (as opposed to soap opera): ER, House (when it was good), Remedy s1, Chicago Hope, Chicago Med, Grey's Anatomy, House (when it was bad) Night Shift, Code Black.

 

As I mentioned elsewhere, I prefer Code Black than Chicago Med as I think Code Black has less drama and more medicine. As someone with zero training in medical field, I have no idea on the medical accuracy. Therefore, can you please give examples on where Chicago Med is less soap opera than Code Black?

[Chas411]

 

"Not the happy ending you expected?" What did you think was going to happen Dr. Poor Little Rich Boy? That the grieving husband would embrace and forgive this idiot kid who caused his wife to die and child to lose his mother? Yeah not happening. And I loved that scene. That kid needs to know what he caused. Maybe not right after the transplant but oh well.

Yes thank you. Rhodes bugged me so much in this episode. His self righteous belief that the kid deserved a second chance was so eye rolling. Whatever about if he deserves a second chance but it's certainly not your place to try and force the decision which is exactly what he was planning to do when he wanted to go into the office. Thankfully Goodwin stopped him. This is where her role is most fitting - when she rightfully tells the doctors with their god complexes to stay out of the tricky stuff like organ donation.

 

I also hate Rhodes pairing with Zanetti. I was loving him at first but lately I find him a bit too Gary Stu rough around the edges, Zanetti bugs me as well but I can't put my finger on why.

 

I know we all hate Halstead here but everytime he throws Natalie a bashful smile I like him a little more. That crush is the cutest. Also, I like the begrudging friendship that's developing between him and Connor.