S01.E16: Disorder

[WendyCR72]

When Dr. Rhodes and Dr. Downey treat a patient with a multitude of health and heart issues, they uncover he might be misdiagnosed and disagree over the best course of action. Dr. Choi, riding along with paramedic Sylvie Brett, responds to a call for a man with a leg injury, but complications arise in getting to him since the home is wrought with excessive hoarding. Meanwhile, treating a patient who was bitten by her own dog, Dr. Manning and Sarah have suspicions about the reason for the injury and what it might mean. Meanwhile, Goodwin ensures that everyone is on their best behavior when the Joint Commission makes a surprise visit to Chicago Med to evaluate and rate the hospital's standards.

[Sandman]

Goodwin's eyerolling "... Second Law of Thermodynamics, please!" is the single greatest moment in this show to date. Followed closely by the Charles-Rhodes fist-bump it inspired.

Shouldn't Brett be partnered with Steve McQueen's Grandson (And His Abs)? Is there some sort of structural tolerance limit that means one ambo can only hold so much chiseled cheekbone or pec definition?

[izabella]

Ok, I have to know what happens to the parrot.  Is Choi going to take him home until hoarder guy recovers and finds a new place?

[starri]

The cancer-sniffing dog was a bit too House for me, but overall I think this was the series' strongest episode to date.

It did feel a bit like a season finale, because the whole "everyone works together as a team and has triumphs and bonds" vibe, but then I looked and there are two more (I watch on Hulu so I don't get previews).  That's the second time the show has done that.  I was going to post my annoyance that they left plot threads dangling WRT Reese's residency and Halstead and the attending job (why hire an attending now, Med?), but we still have time to wrap this up.

I might have thought the "patient doesn't actually have Lewy Body Dementia" plot was just a bit too cheesy, but honestly, any story that has Charles the kind, patient, supportive doctor is always aces.

Floppy-haired Choi is the best Choi.

I know Halstead could run into a burning building to save a puppy (perhaps one that can smell cancer), and most of us would accuse him of setting the fire, or complain that the dog was the wrong breed, but I do find him moderately less hateful since the conclusion of the cancer mom story.  Perhaps the critical care attending (wasn't she a vascular surgeon last week?) being so awful makes him seem better by comparison.

Was Dr. Bahama complimenting Rhodes or telling him to dial down the cockiness.  Perhaps I'm just stupid, but I really couldn't tell.

[MakeMeLaugh]

8 hours ago, izabella said:

Ok, I have to know what happens to the parrot.  Is Choi going to take him home until hoarder guy recovers and finds a new place?

Maybe it's a cancer-sniffing parrot and can live with Bowser. 

I think Dr Charles sort of was attracted to the worst neurologist in the world wife of the misdiagnosed Lewy's Body Dementia patient. A big "Full House" style Woooo came into my head everytime he encountered her. 

I think I saw Dr Rhodes in the River North Division StreetTarget this afternoon. Swoon even if not.

[candall]

YAY for Boomer!  And YAY for Choi's last minute save on the slow starve parrot situation!  It was a good week for animals.  (Although I'm pretty sure that dog would have been shipped off to Animal Control so fast his ears blew back.)

I'm glad the man didn't die during his heart surgery, but hey, Gregg Henry!  I thought you were supposed to be one of those confident/arrogant surgeons?

The hoarder house inspired me to clean out my medicine cabinet and fling a 12-year old box of Theraflu and some syrupy Afrin.  Guess I haven't been sick in awhile.

 

.

Edited May 4, 2016 by candall

[Lady Calypso]

4 hours ago, starri said:

I know Halstead could run into a burning building to save a puppy (perhaps one that can smell cancer), and most of us would accuse him of setting the fire, or complain that the dog was the wrong breed, but I do find him moderately less hateful since the conclusion of the cancer mom story.  Perhaps the critical care attending (wasn't she a vascular surgeon last week?) being so awful makes him seem better by comparison.

 

Honestly, I agree with you. I was significantly less annoyed with Halstead this episode, and even last episode. It's not that he's a better person because the cancer mom story ruined him, because he was even a douche from the pilot episode. It's just that they're trying to make him redeemable by throwing in even worse people to interact with him, while keeping him also interacting with other cast members who make him tolerable (Reese, for example....and then Maggie/April being a little condescending this week). It makes him seem better, but he is still the same man that he was, he's just following more rules to stay on Goodwin's good side. 

Plus, this is a Chicago series. They always find a way to make characters look like awful, awful people, and then attempt to redeem them. See Voight, for example. 

Hotshot Doc is nicer than he was when he was first introduced. Maybe it's because he's dying that he's nice. I'm impressed, because now I don't want him to die and go away. He's a more competent doctor than Halstead! 

Very little Manning, which...I actually loved? I thought I liked her, but turns out I'd be happy if she wasn't actually around that much. 

Honestly, April and Maggie's riffing on Halstead wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. I guess I'm not loving the two characters at all still. April is likeable with her new boyfriend, and Maggie's fun....well, she was fun that one time she put Halstead in his place, but that's it. 

Choi! Choi's hair! I really enjoyed that horder subplot. It was interesting, and he saved the parrot!

The not-dementia storyline was sad but it was done really well.

I kind of love how even when the preview for this episode centers around Connor, it actually made little impact whatsoever. But him and Charles teaming up was amazing, and I loved their fistbump. Again, if I could have a series with those two, Goodwin, Choi and Reese, with April and Hotshot Doc appearing occasionally, I'd be happy. 

[wonderwoman]

Let me start by saying that I've always loved Oliver platt. But, I'm trying to figure out exactly what Dr. Charles' job in the ED is. Do the ED docs and nurse request him for a consultation? Does he see patients of his own?  How is his time billed? It seems as though he just wanders through the ED looking for patients/family members who can benefit from his wise insights. It's just odd on a Dick Wolf show that a character's professional role is so ill-defined. 

Edited May 4, 2016 by wonderwoman
clarification

[Sandman]

12 hours ago, starri said:

Was Dr. Bahama complimenting Rhodes or telling him to dial down the cockiness.  Perhaps I'm just stupid, but I really couldn't tell.

Dr Bahama (hee -- can we call him Tommy?) seems to be the master of the mixed message; I think maybe it was a little of both. I don't think that makes us the stupid ones.

[Texasmom1970]

14 hours ago, starri said:

Floppy-haired Choi is the best Choi.

They have not shown a version of Dr. Choi yet that I don't like ?

I am glad Maggie and April helped Halstead clean at the end because earlier in the episode Maggie was being as ass to him. I was thinking damn do the nurses really talk to the doctors like that. And I don't even like Halstead's character. 

It cannot be said enough I love Oliver Platt, he helps elevate this show immensely.

[LittleIggy]

The hoarder pissed me off yelling at Choi to hurry up. I mean, WTF guy, how do you expect him to hurry through your hoard? I watch "Hoarders" and invariably start swearing at the hoarders most of the time. 

[Sandman]

3 hours ago, Texasmom1970 said:

It cannot be said enough I love Oliver Platt, he helps elevate this show immensely.

I agree. I also really liked Jayne Atkinson as the neurologist. She's a pro, and I liked the way she and Platt played off each other.

There were a couple of moments there where I thought we were going to lose Dr. Choi to a grim PTSD/hoard cave-in one-two punch!

Edited May 5, 2016 by Sandman

[Lillybee]

Can i have a Dr. Choi of my own, he is great.

[BaggythePanther]

Quote

I am glad Maggie and April helped Halstead clean at the end because earlier in the episode Maggie was being as ass to him.

Maggie and April help Halstead? It was the other way around. And I was rolling my eyes so hard at that scene because there's no way a doctor, especially the chief resident is going to get on his knees and clean up anything.

[Lady Calypso]

1 hour ago, BaggythePanther said:

Maggie and April help Halstead? It was the other way around. And I was rolling my eyes so hard at that scene because there's no way a doctor, especially the chief resident is going to get on his knees and clean up anything.

 

Well, I think that April was going to clean up but didn't so she could follow rules. Then Halstead said to screw the rules and decided to clean it up himself. I don't think Maggie had anything to do but snark until the end, when she decided to help. 

[Misslindsey]

Quote

The hoarder pissed me off yelling at Choi to hurry up. I mean, WTF guy, how do you expect him to hurry through your hoard? I watch "Hoarders" and invariably start swearing at the hoarders most of the time. 

Whenever I watch "Hoarders" I start to clean, even when it is not necessary.

[izabella]

On 5/4/2016 at 1:53 PM, wonderwoman said:

Let me start by saying that I've always loved Oliver platt. But, I'm trying to figure out exactly what Dr. Charles' job in the ED is. Do the ED docs and nurse request him for a consultation? Does he see patients of his own?  How is his time billed? It seems as though he just wanders through the ED looking for patients/family members who can benefit from his wise insights. It's just odd on a Dick Wolf show that a character's professional role is so ill-defined. 

I'm unclear as well, except that he does seem to be an ER psychiatrist available for ER consults.  I can see how a big hospital in Chicago would definitely get ER patients with mental illnesses on top of their physical issues - homeless people often have mental illnesses that are what landed them on the street in the first place, low-income people don't have the luxury of insurance that pays for mental health care so go untreated, people with addictions of various types often self-medicate rather than seeking help for the emotional/mental issues leading to problems with drugs and alcohol, and on and on.

I never really gave any thought to it, but having an ER psych available sounds like a very useful thing to have.  And having been through some medical issues with my parents, OMG, would it have been helpful to have a psychiatrist around, not only for support them as patients and me as care-giver, but also perhaps be able to prescribe some anti-depressants for all of us!  I feel like every ER should have someone available to help with distraught, confused, and freaking out family members of seriously ill patients.  Of course, that will never happen with our health care system.

[starri]

Bigger hospitals, especially bigger urban hospitals often have what are called Comprehensive Emergency Psychiatric Programs (CPEP).  My hospital doesn't have one, but a few of our attendings moonlight at ones that do.

If life makes me a psychiatrist, that's probably what I would end up doing.

[candall]

58 minutes ago, starri said:

If life makes me a psychiatrist, that's probably what I would end up doing.

Good combination of your two preferences.  "Dr. Starri Charles."  I like it.

***********************

A psychiatrist attached to a large ED makes so much sense.

And in some countries, an attorney is appointed to represent rape victims, from intake all the way through investigation and prosecution.  (I.e. no chance the rape kit deteriorates on a storage shelf there.) 

I hear these things and think "Why doesn't everybody do that?"

[Sandman]

I'm pretty sure Dr. Charles was introduced as Head of Psychiatry in the backdoor pilot; if so, I don't see how he has nearly this much time to be the go-to headshrinker for the ED. I care not, as I think Oliver Platt would be wasted as an administrator character. Well, maybe I should say "mostly wasted." Platt could probably do interesting things in the role of the paper hanger hired to spruce up the ED break room.

Edited May 10, 2016 by Sandman

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, Sandman said:

I'm pretty sure Dr. Charles was introduced as Head of Psychiatry in the backdoor pilot; if so, I don't see how he has nearly this much time to be the go-to headshrinker for the ED. I care not, as I think Oliver Platt would be wasted as an administrator character. Well, maybe I should say "mostly wasted." Platt could probably do interesting things in the role of the paper hanger hired to spruce up the ED break room.

To be fair, ER had its share of shrinks: One played by Jami Gertz (I think the character's name was Nina Pomerantz), one played by Elizabeth Mitchell (who had a romance with Kerry Weaver), and a man (no idea who the actor was) in S6 who played a doc named Dr. DeRaad and was the one to talk to Paul Sobricki following the whole Carter/Lucy stabfest.

So shrinks around a hospital ER are common - on TV, anyway!

[Sandman]

Oh, no doubt. Having a psychiatrist character gives any medical show a ready source dramatic plot twists and creepy surprises. And also the possibility of stabfests. Tension!

[candall]

I guess, really, every place would benefit from a Dr. Charles strolling around on a regular basis.

 

ETA:  My house!

Edited May 11, 2016 by candall

[Sandman]

And mine! (He doesn't have to eat vegan!)