S02.E01: Soul Care

[WendyCR72]

Dr. Rhodes begins his fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery, but gets off on the wrong foot with his challenging new boss, Dr. Latham. Dr. Choi navigates life as the new chief resident and finds the road a bit rocky, while Dr. Charles approaches Sarah with an interesting opportunity that catches her off-guard. Elsewhere, April works to come to terms with her recently discovered illness and Dr. Manning deals with a complicated case involving a pregnant woman who was a victim in a high speed collision. Meanwhile, Dr. Halstead takes exception to the actions of fourth-year medical student Jeff Clarke, whose past history with Dr. Manning may be a factor. Sharon Goodwin tries to pick up the pieces and move on with her life in the aftermath of Bert leaving.

[LittleIggy]

The scene with the daughter, her baby, and her father brought tears to my eyes. 

Dr. Charles' daughter? I was thinking granddaughter!

[Lady Calypso]

Welcome back, Dr. McDouche! I missed calling you that! Now, if I believed that he was being tough on FireDoc Jeff Clarke because of his protocol reason, then I wouldn't call him a douche. But seeing as it's clear that he's jealous of Manning and FireDoc, I feel like it's rightfully earned. 

Reese is going to be a psychiatrist! That's awesome, and they set it up well with her constant cases with Dr. Charles. And her and Splendorkable are still together, which is super cute. 

I miss Hotshot Doc working with Connor. Now we get Bipolar Doc, the one who "wasn't upset" in the OR. Not impressed with him at all. 

Choi's a resident! And he's struggling! Poor Choi. 

April is already pushing people away. Hopefully she finds a way to move past her diagnosis, and I hope she keeps her boyfriend. I like him a lot. 

The case with the father/daughter/granddaughter was pretty sad. I was not expecting that ending with them. Damn, show. Sometimes, you do get the medical cases right. 

[sheetmoss]

I was impressed,, it looked like they actually used  the real t-storm  that was occurring.

Edited September 23, 2016 by sheetmoss

[Chas411]

I really hope there not going to continue making Halstead the punching bag of the show..

[starri]

Psst, Natalie.  Fucking a medical student is a teensy bit unethical when you're a fellow.

I'm really, really glad they didn't contrive Sarah back into the ED.  She and Dr. Charles are so great together, and it's nice that they'd show someone as ridiculously capable as her doing something that a lot of other specialities look down on.  Our girl has come a long way.

Well, I'm certainly glad they took popular opinion into account and decided to tone down Halstead's bad qualities.  Oh wait, he's still a dickbag.

It might be nice if perhaps we get introduced to some of the new interns, but I guess it's more important to focus on a med student who inexplicably is going to spend an entire year in the ED.  Especially since April's idiot brother is apparently still there despite it being a new academic year. 

[izabella]

15 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Reese is going to be a psychiatrist! That's awesome, and they set it up well with her constant cases with Dr. Charles.

This was my favorite development on the show.  Love them together, and love Dr. Charles.

Natalie, on the other hand, works my last nerve every time.  She needs to put aside her "save the baby at all costs!" perspective and consider the patient's life.  Someone needs to take Natalie off ALL pregnant mom cases until she gets a grip and can be more objective than she clearly is capable of. 

[statsgirl]

April's brother is still there?  Nooooooooo!  Seriously, the only way they can redeem that storyline is if he gets fired and she decides to go to med school. Which ER has already done but at least it's more realistic than her covering for him even now.

I'm a fan of Ato Essandoh from Copper days but what is Dr. Latham's problem?  Does he have Asperger's?  Or memory problems?  On the other hand, at least he looks the part.  I'm a Colin Donnell fan from Arrow days but his new super-buff body is pulling me out of the storyline.  Stop working out so much so you can at least fake being a fellow who doesn't have time to go to a gym.

Choi had a decent 'C' story.  I'm glad he's still got the bird.

I like the Sara storyline and how she used her physical medicine skills to help solve the psychological issue, although as Charles said, they haven't even begun to touch on the real problems.  Speaking of Charles, I missed the first part of the show. Why is he in a wheelchair?  And I've completely stopped any Charles/Sharon shipping since he had a child with a woman much, much younger than he is.  Nothing kills my respect for an older man as quickly as marrying outside your age range unless there are special circumstances. 

Spoiler

I also hope Charles has another daughter somewhere since Rhodes is supposed to start an affair with her.

Just when I was starting to think about giving Natalie another chance, she gets self-centered and stupid again.  Just put her with Halstead and let me skip the both of them.  Jeff is too good for her.

[izabella]

Can someone explain to me how one "smokes a fentanyl patch"?  My knowledge of medicine patches is nil, but if it is a patch, what do you do with it?  Cut it up into pieces, and put it in a pipe and smoke the plastic tape and glue too?  What?  I am not up on my drug manipulation!

[starri]

2 hours ago, izabella said:

Can someone explain to me how one "smokes a fentanyl patch"?  My knowledge of medicine patches is nil, but if it is a patch, what do you do with it?  Cut it up into pieces, and put it in a pipe and smoke the plastic tape and glue too?  What?  I am not up on my drug manipulation!

It's kind of a combination of using heroin and using crystal meth.  You heat it over a flame on a piece of tinfoil and then inhale the smoke.

[Texasmom1970]

Hello Dr. Choi, yum, missed seeing you. 

I really dislike Dr. Asshole Halstead and Natalie both, therefore I think they should make them a couple instead of inflicting them on others.

Love Reese and Dr. Charles, they made this episode good to me.

Okay I also know its a television show, and is possible in real life but am I the only one who found the grand father coming back to life for just a minute just as he daughter and grand daughter rushed in a little over the top and hokey?

[starri]

Just now, Texasmom1970 said:

Okay I also know its a television show, and is possible in real life but am I the only one who found the grand father coming back to life for just a minute just as he daughter and grand daughter rushed in a little over the top and hokey?

Not even a little bit.  Especially with the "this is made for the preview" moment of Halstead telling Choi "I saw a dead man come back to life."  Barf.

[Texasmom1970]

8 minutes ago, starri said:

Not even a little bit.  Especially with the "this is made for the preview" moment of Halstead telling Choi "I saw a dead man come back to life."  Barf.

I hope that does not mean Dr. Halstead is going to be all serenity now and meditating because that moment changed his life forever. Because that would be double barf to me!

[statsgirl]

Nah, he was nasty enough to Dr. Ex-Fireman and his miracle save.  (I hate romantic triangles but if they have to do one on this show, at least it's with three people I don't care about.)

What surprised me is that this is the first time he's ever seen a "dead" man come back to life.  I guess he doesn't watch enough TV or movies.

[Watermelon]

I definitely call bullshit on dr Latham getting as far as he has with that attitude. Not unless that man has savant like surgical skills

[WendyCR72]

3 minutes ago, Watermelon said:

I definitely call bullshit on dr Latham getting as far as he has with that attitude. Not unless that man has savant like surgical skills

Not trying to be snarky to you, @Watermelon. But I take it you never watched ER and had seen Dr. Romano? 

[Watermelon]

54 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

Not trying to be snarky to you, @Watermelon. But I take it you never watched ER and had seen Dr. Romano? 

 I didn't! Was Dr. Romano a black man?

[WendyCR72]

2 hours ago, Watermelon said:

 I didn't! Was Dr. Romano a black man?

 

No, he was a short bald white guy with a horrible personality but supposed God-like surgical skills with very few redeeming qualities (although he did have a few). Alas, that all ended when he lost an arm via a helicopter rotor and had a sequel with another - I kid you not - that fell on him in the ambulance bay, obviously killing him.

And, yes, it was played as serious!

[candall]

10 hours ago, Texasmom1970 said:

Okay I also know its a television show, and is possible in real life but am I the only one who found the grand father coming back to life for just a minute just as he daughter and grand daughter rushed in a little over the top and hokey?

Aww, I love a little bit of the goosebumpers.  It only took up a few seconds of showtime and it's not like a dove flew the dead guy's soul into his new granddaughter or her little baby arm came out with a Semper Fi tattoo.  : )

 

10 hours ago, Watermelon said:

I definitely call bullshit on dr Latham getting as far as he has with that attitude. Not unless that man has savant like surgical skills

Wait, what?  Are you saying a surgeon's success or reputation might be hampered by bad attitude?  Being insufferable is practically a requirement for the job.

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

I missed a couple of things.  Also curious why Oliver Platt is in a wheelchair.  (Also assumed that was his grandchild.  Oops.)  Who's this new guy?  He seems to be such an established character, much too soon.  Did they import someone from one of the other "Chicago's"?

 

Natalie was 100% "Help the baby! Save the baby!" and had not one professional fuck left to give about the mother's survival.  Even though the initial treatment plan was altered to suit her wishes and even after people tried multiple times to make her objective and reasonable.

That's just creepy and extreme.  A visit to Dr. Charles is way overdue.

Edited September 24, 2016 by candall

[Rapunzel]

4 hours ago, candall said:

Wait, what?  Are you saying a surgeon's success or reputation might be hampered by bad attitude?  Being insufferable is practically a requirement for the job.

Unfortunately, in my experience, this has been quite true so I agree with your comment Candall. I have a condition that requires me to deal with neurosurgeons a fair amount. I've lived all over the world, and I've had some really good surgeons who were able to empathize and understand the condition and give excellent care, but I've also had those at the opposite end of the spectrum. Most recently, I had a younger neurosurgeon who botched a simple surgery not once but twice, making the exact same error each time. His errors were life threatening and then I ended up with a severe infection that nearly killed me and was hospitalized for over 3 months. His arrogance caused him still to claim he did nothing wrong. The severe infection that I ended up getting he initially claimed was just "wound drainage" and wouldn't come to evaluate me.  When they finally got the cultures back, it was clear that was not the case. I'm an attorney, so I went to the State Medical Board as I knew this was my best option to stop him, at least temporarily, from practicing. They suspended his license while they investigated. They then eventually revoked his license to practice medicine altogether as they found him to be extremely negligent and not acting in the best interests of the patient.  

Medical Malpractice Laws typically favor the doctors in most states, so I didn't take this any further as I just wanted his license revoked so he couldn't injure or possibly kill another patient. The errors made on most medical shows, including this one, can certainly be exaggerated and definitely do often take some dramatic license, however, generally speaking, as laws are typically written to favor the doctors and the hospital/HMO/etc. will protect its own (in order to protect themselves), it can be difficult to completely remove (or even suspend) a bad doctor from the system.

Quote

I missed a couple of things.  Also curious why Oliver Platt is in a wheelchair.  (Also assumed that was his grandchild.  Oops.)  Who's this new guy?  He seems to be such an established character, much too soon.  Did they import someone from one of the other "Chicago's"?

I am also not sure why Oliver Platt is in a wheelchair. I can't recall if he got some diagnosis at the end of the previous season (other than the psychiatric condition he has) or what - it would have been nice if they would have refreshed our memories if he had another condition. Or perhaps there's something actually going on with Oliver Platt? Does anyone know?

If the "new guy" you are referring to is the one that did the eye "surgery" on the HIV positive patient, he was indeed on another one of the "Chicago's." He was on Chicago Fire as a Fire Fighter on Squad (I think), though didn't get much screen time and then left because he was transferred to another house just as he was transferred to 51 from another house to start with. I don't recall them ever mentioning that he had a medical background while he was on Chicago Fire.

I like the actor - I always remember him from "Boss," another Chicago based show, which had a few of the cast members from Chicago Fire in it.  It would have been nice, however, to see how he made the leap from fireman to doctor and, given his time on Chicago Fire, he would have had to have been pretty much done with med school to be where is now on Chicago Med, but, as I mentioned before, no mention of his medical background on Chicago Fire at all as far as I can recall.

Edited September 24, 2016 by Rapunzel

[marina707]

I don't think a medical background was mentioned on Fire, but when Clarke showed up here last season, there was some sort of mention of him having been mostly done with med school before becoming a firefighter, but stopped for some reason, I think. I can't remember the exact details, but it was something like that.

And Dr. Charles told Reese that he tripped over a suitcase and injured his knee. Kind of a weird explanation, I thought, but I figured the actor must've hurt himself and the writers were too lazy to put much thought into it.

Anyway, overall I thought the episode was decent. Will annoyed me, but it seems being a jerk is just going to be a permanent aspect of his character. I really liked Reese's storyline, though, and am glad she's still with her boyfriend because I think they're adorable together. I'm also glad to see Choi's bird is still around!

[candall]

Rapunzel, I am so sorry--that's pretty much everyone's worst nightmare.  I'm assigning one of my brain cells to "State Medical Board" retention.

 

Several surgeons told my father "you have no choice" except vocal cord removal.  He said they were wrong, there's always a choice, even if it's death.  He eventually found and waited for the supposedly brilliant surgeon who offered an alternative procedure.  But I couldn't stand the guy.   I was complaining to an old friend, an anesthesiologist, that it was impossible to pry any information out of him, he didn't have a compassionate bone in his body, he couldn't be bothered to hover for two minutes, etc.  I remember her response so distinctly:  "Look, do you want the guy who's great with bedside manner or do you want the guy who's great with scalpels?  In my experience, there's not much overlap."

(I don't know whether it's relevant that she chose her area of concentration because she didn't like to be bothered with a lot of patient coddling either.  I just filed her tip away in a brain cell.)

My father held court among his friends, rumbling on with the gravitas of James Earl Jones, for many more years.  So my comment was really more of an observation than a condemnation.  I believe surgeons are inclined to be arrogant--maybe they're entitled.  You can only hope you get one where that attitude is justified and don't draw Rapunzel's bedside/scalpel double whammy.

[Rapunzel]

4 hours ago, candall said:

 So my comment was really more of an observation than a condemnation.  I believe surgeons are inclined to be arrogant--maybe they're entitled.  You can only hope you get one where that attitude is justified and don't draw Rapunzel's bedside/scalpel double whammy.

Thanks Candall - appreciate it and the story about your Father. The bit of your post that I've quoted above is spot on. I've had some arrogant surgeons in my time who were quite good, despite their awful bedside manner (and I've already mentioned one that was arrogant with a shitty bedside manner who didn't have the skills to make either even remotely acceptable), and then I've also had those who were excellent and friendly in addition to being extremely capable. My favorite neurosurgeon in the world used to even meet me in the ER on the weekends to perform minor procedures before I had to travel out of the country. Due to my job, I travel quite a bit internationally (and have also lived overseas in Asia and Europe, so I've met all sorts of doctors and been through all kinds of medical systems), and he would go out of his way to accommodate me, including giving up part of his weekend. Those doctors are the good ones, but can be tough to find - especially surgeons. As mentioned, the surgeon may be absolutely brilliant at what he/she does, however their bedside manner may not give off that vibe.

Filing a licensing complaint with the State Medical Board is much more likely to be successful than trying to file a lawsuit if there is actual negligence.  As I mentioned, the laws in most states favor the medical professional/doctor anyway. That's another aspect of realism that is lacking in this show. They show families immediately running off to hire lawyers and sue. Talk to enough attorneys, even those that specialize in med mal, and they are extremely particular about which cases they take as they know that, in many instances, they are up against laws that do not favor their client, can only recover so much in damages, etc.

Just once I'd like to see someone on this show be smart enough to know that they can try to get a medical professional's license removed and not have to hire an attorney and fight a big law suit (which the patient/family of the patient will likely lose and even if they win, the amount they can recover is capped in most states, and there is no guarantee the doctor will lose their license, so they may still be able to practice and possibly be negligent again) to do so. However, I suppose the need to ramp up the drama on these shows leads everything towards the lawsuit path.

I had to laugh a bit when Dr. Halsted said his Med Mal Insurance was going to cost him around $35 grand a year. That is actually not too terrible, despite the fact that he has had complaints against him, though not successful ones (as far as we know, at least), but in many states the hospital picks up the med mal insurance coverage. He also mentioned that, now that he was an attending, his student loans were coming due. If he is worried about finances and has to cover his own med mal insurance, he should seriously consider joining, or going into, private practice. Even if he likes being an ER doc, most of the ER docs in my state don't even actually work for the hospital - they work in a group of ER physicians that the hospital contracts with. If Halsted joined one of these, it could be possible that he may not only be able to get his insurance covered by the group (and it may be less due to volume discounts), but he could also end up with a higher salary/take home pay.

Edited September 25, 2016 by Rapunzel

[statsgirl]

Good for you, Rapunzel, for reporting him to the State Medical Board.  There are some doctors I should have reported but I was too worn out by fighting with them.

Surgeons are notorious for having the worst bedside manner, although I don't know any pathologists.  One surgeon I know, upon being asked a question by his patient, replied, "If you want a medical education, go to medical school."  And all the doctors around applauded when he told the story.

I think it's partly a disinclination to form relationships with their patients, which is why they go into a specialty where you fix 'em and dismiss 'em, and partly because they are treated like gods not only by patients but also by other doctors.

22 hours ago, Watermelon said:

I definitely call bullshit on dr Latham getting as far as he has with that attitude. Not unless that man has savant like surgical skills

You make a good point, that what may be accepted in the States done by a white man, is less likely to be permissible in a black one.

I hope it's not just his attitude but something neurological because he wasn't aware of what he had done.

Wouldn't Halstead be earning about $200,000 a year as an attending?  A tax deductible $35,000 doesn't seem so bad.  It's obstetricians who have the really high medical malpractice insurance costs.

[starri]

11 minutes ago, statsgirl said:

Wouldn't Halstead be earning about $200,000 a year as an attending?

Should be a lot more than that, especially in Chicago.

[statsgirl]

So that's another Halstead whine?  He's perfect for Natalie.

[Rapunzel]

I think Halstead and Manning should move to that other NBC medical show - The Night Shift (at least Manning should move - Halstead still has some moments for me, but I wouldn't be too sad if they both went). They could move those two over there and then bring Topher to Chicago Med. I'd so much rather see most of the whiners, irritators, bitchy, always have to be right people in the same show (The Night Shift) - that way I can either fast forward through most of it or just drop it from my DVR altogether.

Edited September 25, 2016 by Rapunzel

[DearEvette]

As long as they also take April's dumb ass brother with them. I think I groaned out loud when he showed up. 

[Tiger]

The Dr. Latham actor doesnt have that something special that Paul McCrane had that made Dr. Ramano work.  

The Halstead/Manning/Intern triangle is a huge misfire. 

[NYCFree]

I like the actor that plays Dr. Latham.  He has had a recurring role on Elementary as Sherlock's sponsor, he also is a somewhat reformed car thief who now is a security consultant.  He does layered quirky well.

[Ailianna]

He also played a black doctor educated in Europe and living in 1863 NYC on Copper, which was an awesome role.  Portraying the narrow ledge such a man would have found himself on, and the tightrope walk of his daily life--he was great.  I'm looking forward to seeing him in this show.

[Crs97]

Quote

I think it's partly a disinclination to form relationships with their patients, which is why they go into a specialty where you fix 'em and dismiss 'em

I had to comment on this because when my mom had heart surgery, the surgeon was one of the best in his field and had a wonderful bedside manner, but even he described himself to her as a bad boyfriend who would basically drop her after the surgery and never contact her again.

Romano on ER was a complex, amazing character perfectly played by Paul McCrane.  He didn't deserve the exit ER gave him, but when they knew what to do with him, he was wonderful.  I don't have high hopes for this show to be able to recreate anyone even close to Romano.

[candall]

"Bad boyfriend" is funny.  At least he owned it.

 

Rapunzel, it strikes me that you have the misfortune to be one of very few people in a "repeat customer" position with surgeons--at least, neurosurgeons.  It's a unique position, especially with additional insight from your international experience.  I know if I ever have to schedule neurosurgery, I'll be on the Way Way Back Machine website, combing through these threads, looking for you.

I'm trying to think if there isn't some way to disseminate some of the tips you've had to pick up the hard way?  Most people are desperately shooting blind in the dark when it comes to choosing a surgeon; there's usually no "relying on experience."

I think an essay like "100 Things I've Learned As A Neurosurgery Patient" would have millions of interested readers.

********

Sorry, Chicago Med-ians, for straying so far off-topic.

[Lillybee]

Dr. Manning, if you insist on wearing your hair long, please have the decency to tie it back or wear it up when working with patients.  It is a pet peeve of mine.

[Rapunzel]

4 hours ago, candall said:

"Bad boyfriend" is funny.  At least he owned it.

 

Rapunzel, it strikes me that you have the misfortune to be one of very few people in a "repeat customer" position with surgeons--at least, neurosurgeons.  It's a unique position, especially with additional insight from your international experience.  I know if I ever have to schedule neurosurgery, I'll be on the Way Way Back Machine website, combing through these threads, looking for you.

I'm trying to think if there isn't some way to disseminate some of the tips you've had to pick up the hard way?  Most people are desperately shooting blind in the dark when it comes to choosing a surgeon; there's usually no "relying on experience."

I think an essay like "100 Things I've Learned As A Neurosurgery Patient" would have millions of interested readers.

********

Sorry, Chicago Med-ians, for straying so far off-topic.

Thanks Candall.  I'll respond to you via PM as I've had some thoughts about this as well.

[torqy]

Had to comment on the surgeon trope. I went to school with a kid who became a well-known surgeon in our area. He even operated on Mrs. Torqy, as well as several others we know. My best friend used to say the kid was 50 years old when he was 12. Very serious.

A friend of ours is a semi-retired ob-gyn, and of course knows Mr. Serious Surgeon. Gyn's opinion echoes that mentioned above, that surgeons don't want/need to get to know the patient, they just repair 'em and move to the next one.

Mrs. Torqy's primary doc is a lady in her early 70's, very old school (paper charts!) who actually listens to her patients. I would enjoy seeing someone like her show up on one of the many hospital dramas as a contrast to the young Turks.

[Chas411]

This has finally come to UK television. I really liked the last scene with April and her boyfriend. It was super sweet.

Jeff is still hot but he's lost all the edge he had on Fire.