S02.E11: Graveyard Shift

[WendyCR72]

It's a long night on the graveyard shift at Chicago Med, especially for Dr. Reese, who must deal with pronouncing patients dead on more than one occasion. April gets called in to work, much to the dismay of Tate, who pressures her to slow down. Meanwhile, Dr. Charles passes along some vital news to Dr. Latham, and Goodwin asks Dr. Rhodes to work on a most unusual patient.

[BooksRule]

I liked this episode.  It's always interesting to get a different perspective, this time from a night shift.  I'm not sure how much of Reese's problem is the stress from the job or the extra caffeine and lack of sleep (and I wonder when Dr. Charles will get a chance to get some sleep).  I'm intrigued by Dr. Latham.  I didn't like his character at first, but now I kind of like him and am interested to see what will happen with his treatment.  Finally, I was pretty sure they wouldn't let the panda die, but I was glad she was okay and loved the scene at the zoo at the end with Dr. Choi looking so happy. 

[DearEvette]

I liked this one too. 

- Choi and Goodwin in cahoots.

- Rhodes looked hot in a tux.

- Who doesn't love Pandas?

- The Charles family have a really nice moment

- Interesting stuff with Latham.  I don't want him to change  too much though.

- Poor Reese.

- No Natalie!

- April's body be bangin'

- Did I mention Rhodes and that tux?  Also Robyn looked damned gorgeous too.

[callmebetty]

I missed the first half, please don't tell me they are trying to say that Chicago has a panda, because it doesn't. 

[rhys]

I found it very odd that the doc for people was performing the surgery on tnbe panda while a veterinarian was in the hospital.  Jeesch.

I never noticed Dr Latham's peculiarities til tonite. Don't know why the show introduced that weird left turn.

[Sandman]

You know, Dick Wolf shows always used to feature the professional challenges of highly trained, driven characters, with almost no screentime devoted to their personal lives or their emotional inner landscapes -- not that I'm suggesting that's the only way to go; but I find the reversal of emphasis quite striking among the Chicago trilogy -- and now a cuddly panda? Really?

That said, I would be happy with an all-Charles family/Dr. Reese show, with regular guest shots from Rhodes and S. Epatha and Doctor Ethan Doolittle. And, okay, the damn panda. Maybe Reese could hang with Su Lin for a while.

Has anyone considered maybe giving Doctor Livingston Troll a few zaps from Latham's handy-dandy brain transmogrifier? Couldn't hurt.

I spent the whole episode thinking there was going to be some connection between the squad of be-kerchiefed Polish cleaner ladies and Mrs. Novak, or all the other patients having seizures.

Edited January 20, 2017 by Sandman

[Chas411]

I can't warm to Mekia Cox. I think it's because I'm fresh off watching Secrets and Lies where I couldnt stand her but everything about the actress annoys me. I don't feel like she's blending in at all. 

[spunky]

Tate has officially become annoying to me. If I was April, his third demand that she stop working and then that forceful grab would have been a deal breaker, he needs to chill. Those damn flowers would have been in the garbage.  I'm loving Will away from Natalie, so hopefully he never tries to date her. I knew Dr.Latham was on the spectrum from day one and it's interesting to see him dealing with his new reality. I wish the patient punched doctor troll instead of the young doctor. I'm also liking Jeff away from Natalie. Writers can you give Maggie a love interest!? I think Voight is available. The Panda story was cute. Reese, put down the coffee beans .

[Bobcatkitten]

I didn't understand Reese's epic meltdown. She has been around the ER when people died etc. Not sure why pronouncing was so difficult. Or why she had to be there for that one patient. I felt like her persona completely fell apart in one episode. 

[Lady Calypso]

I was with Connor on his incredulousness about his patient. I am happy to see Robyn excited for him. This is the first episode I was really enjoying Connor/Robyn. I really enjoyed the Charles' family moment. It was very sweet. It seems Dr. Charles is going back to the man that I liked. 

1 hour ago, scribe95 said:

I didn't understand Reese's epic meltdown. She has been around the ER when people died etc. Not sure why pronouncing was so difficult. Or why she had to be there for that one patient. I felt like her persona completely fell apart in one episode. 

I just assumed it was mostly due to Sarah running on little to no sleep and popping expresso beans every hour that caused her to meltdown a bit. I do think it is weird that she suddenly can't seem to handle the specific job of calling time of death, though. 

10 hours ago, spunky said:

Tate has officially become annoying to me. If I was April, his third demand that she stop working and then that forceful grab would have been a deal breaker, he needs to chill. Those damn flowers would have been in the garbage.  

I agree with this, as much as I don't want to. I really wanted to like Tate and I wanted him to be a good guy to April, but it seems like they're on the path to break them up because of Tate. Either that or April will lose the baby because Tate was right in telling her to slow down. Either way, April's storyline is not going anywhere happy. I do think both April and Tate are being unreasonable. Tate because he is being too forceful and he's not really listening, but also April for perhaps pushing herself too much and not listening to at least some of Tate's concerns. 

Only two short Manning scenes. Thank goodness. It made the episode more enjoyable for me. 

I like Dr. Latham as he is. What is the treatment/therapy he's going through, anyway? What will it actually accomplish? I don't want Dr. Latham to change too much. 

[Court]

It was clear to me from the first time we met Dr. Latham that he fell somewhere on the spectrum. 

[Texasmom1970]

Dr. Choi, hot doctor who volunteers at a zoo. Swoon!

[Court]

While true that Chicago doesn't have a panda currently, Brookfield Zoo in Chicago was  the first to exhibit a giant panda. His name was Su Lin but the people who named him thought the baby panda was a female. 

Since the show panda shares the name, I'm betting the writers do know the history.

Edited January 21, 2017 by Court

[heyitsme87]

I really wish Maggie had something else to do than just standing around with that pager all the time.

I liked Rhodes reaction to working on a panda. That would have been my reaction too.I almost thought the panda was going to wake up at one point while on the operating table.

Felt like the camera zoomed in on the fur that was on Rhodes bed while he and Robyn were in it. 

Don't care for Dr. Lathams story. He never impressed upon me.

Didnt notice Natalies absence until she walked in at the end.

Was the last patient that died on Reese a neurology patient?  Why was Reese assigned to her?

[Tiger]

That panda looked like something an intern picked up at Toys-R-Us.  I know they cant use a real panda and probably dont have the budget for a good cgi, but geeze it was so obviously a stuffed animal.

FireDoc and Halstead have way more chemistry together than either has with Manning.

Looks like Maggie is already back to her two lines per episode.  

[Fireball]

1 hour ago, Tiger said:

That panda looked like something an intern picked up at Toys-R-Us.  I know they cant use a real panda and probably dont have the budget for a good cgi, but geeze it was so obviously a stuffed animal.

Looks like Maggie is already back to her two lines per episode.  

I thought the Panda was a guy dressed up in a panda suit! Whichever it was panda suit/stuffed animal it was pretty bad.

Maggie poor poor Maggie only gets two lines an episode. Would it really kill the writers to give her a decent story? 

7 hours ago, heyitsme87 said:

Felt like the camera zoomed in on the fur that was on Rhodes bed while he and Robyn were in it. 

Didnt notice Natalies absence until she walked in at the end.

I noticed that about the fur on the bed too! It seemed really weird to have that prop in an episode where they save a panda.

Best part of the episode was the absence of Natalie!

[starri]

17 hours ago, scribe95 said:

I didn't understand Reese's epic meltdown. She has been around the ER when people died etc. Not sure why pronouncing was so difficult. Or why she had to be there for that one patient. I felt like her persona completely fell apart in one episode. 

Students are a step removed from the process of patients dying.  It's very different when it's your own patient.  When I first got to manage my own, one day I had one where the guy walking out of the hospital hit me like a ton of bricks.  I realized he was going to be okay, and it was because of me.  I can't really describe what that felt like.  I cried in my car at the end of my shift.  I suspect I'm going to remember him for the rest of my life.

And when things don't go well, that's hard too, especially before you learn to compartmentalize.

I totally got Sarah in that moment.  Third time one of her stories has hit me that hard.

Night shifts can totally suck, but they can also be fun.  One of my favorite episodes of ER was a night shift episode, and both shows kind of nailed what the experience is like.  But fewer giant pandas.  And I want a Choi/Rhodes bromance.

It would have been really nice if they'd humanized the Troll by having him be compassionate towards Wheeler.  But I think it was nice to continue The Redemption of Will Halstead by the Show Chicago Med story as well.  Perhaps his near career ending screwup helped him help Wheeler.

I really can't say enough nice things about Ato Essandoh's performance as Latham.  

[MakeMeLaugh]

18 hours ago, scribe95 said:

I didn't understand Reese's epic meltdown. She has been around the ER when people died etc. Not sure why pronouncing was so difficult. Or why she had to be there for that one patient. I felt like her persona completely fell apart in one episode. 

As starri says above, the patient that put Reese over was her own patient--the only reason Reese volunteered for night shift that night after working all day was to make sure that particular patient would be okay. I felt she was experiencing shock that the patient then died, guilt that she hadn't done enough, sorrow because she liked that patient, massive sleep deprivation etc., etc. (plus she had just called TOD on two other patients); really I found her scene very moving. She continues to be my favorite.

I'm thinking the nurses who purposely decided not to notify Latham of his patient's death might need a talking to. Maybe the patient's family wanted to hear it from him. I was a little disappointed in him being so quick to decide to pursue the electrotreatment--a little discussion on how he might be a better surgeon as he is (not thinking about people's feelings when slicing into a sick heart is probably a good thing most of the time, for example--he could stay absolutely focused on the task), but maybe that will arise later. 

Mr MML had a heart valve repaired with open heart surgery, heart stopped, etc., just like Panda! He turned a little white while they were waiting for the heart to restart. 

I think April's Tate used to be more likeable--now he's just this whiny father to be. We get it, Show, he's worried about April and the baby, no need to rinse and repeat every single episode. 

I feel like Dr Charles is back. 

[Fireball]

So the phase “Be careful what you wish for” certainly applies to me. Last week I was complaining that Connor and Choi needed more screen time and this week they had one of the main storylines. So you’d think I’d be happy right? Don’t get me wrong I love pandas, but I found the story a bit eye roll worthy. Also way wasn’t the veterinarian in the operating room? I’m sure I’m supposed to assume he was, but if the veterinarian was in the operating room than why didn’t Connor ask him “what will this medicine to Su Lin”? I know I know DRAMA

April—run run run. I defended Tate last week saying I didn’t think he was a horrible monster for expressing his concerns about April continuing to work. However, I also said I reserve the right to change my opinion if the BF kept pressuring April to stop working. I’m now changing my opinion. The guy obviously has control issues! It looks like the writers will break them up as a couple just so Maggie will be shown to have always been right that April shouldn’t have gotten involved with Mr. Athlete.

Reese---I’m glad they didn’t just forget about the coffee beans! I feel sorry for her that she had to pronounce three deaths that has to be hard. However, the meltdown doesn’t signal to me that she has some mental issues that need therapy. I think lack of sleep + coffee beans + stress = a small meltdown. I really don’t have any interest in seeing Reese in therapy.

Dr. Charles—it seems like season 1 Dr. Charles is back! He had a nice scene with his daughter, although, I still don’t really care about her.The scenes between Dr. Charles & Sarah were sweet, but I thought it was odd for Dr. Charles to suggest Sarah should go to therapy after hearing that she’s a bit upset that her mother isn’t very supportive of her. Also his scenes with Dr. Latham were nice; however, I do think they rushed him deciding to pursue the treatment.

Robyn--- All I could think about when I saw her dress was “Dorothy has your shoes over in Oz”.

Will & Jeff are both so much more interesting away from Natalie! Have we seen that “drunk ER” Dr. before? I wonder if we’ll see him again.

And best part of the episode no Natalie!

[starri]

How pregnant is April supposed to be?

Because that's not "second trimester" shape.

[shksabelle]

Oh my. Dr. Rhodes in a tux. 

That is all. 

[statsgirl]

How is it that Halstead's malpractice premiums are so high and now one has talked to Natalie about how hers are going to go through the roof once she becomes and attending and they get a look at her track record?

I think this show as some of the most realistic medicine on TV dramas but Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of Asperger's is a leap.  Right now, it's used for severe cases of autism by inhibiting the neurons but there was one study using it increase empathy and sociability.  An good review article, if anyone is interested.

Dr. Charles, have you been carrying that pebble in your pocket every day since you left Robyn and her mother?  How many pockets has it put a hole in?

I'm going to take  an unpopular position and support Tate.  Somewhat.  It's true that April should be the one to decide if she works or not.  But it's also true that she's pregnant.  And  true that she has T.B. which is an additional strain on her body.  As far as I can see, they don't need her to work as much as she can for financial reasons.  So to work two 8? 12? hour shifts in a row is not taking care of herself as well as she could, nor taking care of her baby.  One might even argue that it's irresponsible in her condition.  If she's not going to take care of herself and that baby she insists she's going to carry to term, maybe Tate does need to look out for her. 

Now watch them have Tate go ballistic and start physically or emotionally abusing her.

[bounnatalie]

Did the ER doc say BUN of 6 and creatinine of 130?

[Sarnia]

Yes, thank god April has a man to explain her what is reasonable to do (because obviously she is not in a state to make responsible decisions about her life, you know, hormones and all).

[spunky]

On 1/21/2017 at 1:44 AM, heyitsme87 said:

I really wish Maggie had something else to do than just standing around with that pager all the time.

I liked Rhodes reaction to working on a panda. That would have been my reaction too.I almost thought the panda was going to wake up at one point while on the operating table.

Felt like the camera zoomed in on the fur that was on Rhodes bed while he and Robyn were in it. 

Don't care for Dr. Lathams story. He never impressed upon me.

Didnt notice Natalies absence until she walked in at the end.

Was the last patient that died on Reese a neurology patient?  Why was Reese assigned to her?

I agree. The show has given us everyone else's backstory, except for Maggie's. They could at least give her puppy that she has to go home to. Or show her as an aspiring Nurse practitioner. Just anything besides sending Dr. Choi to Baghdad.

[statsgirl]

On 2017-01-22 at 2:44 PM, Sarnia said:

Yes, thank god April has a man to explain her what is reasonable to do (because obviously she is not in a state to make responsible decisions about her life, you know, hormones and all).

I remember the day I realized that I was no longer the sole variable in what I did.  We were in the backyard and my mother was barbecuing when the barbecue burst into fire. I was running to put it out when I remembered that it wasn't just me I have to worry about, there's a person I'm incubating who I need to do the best for so I let the non-pregnant people put out the fire.

When April decided that she was going to carry her baby to term, that's when taking care of her baby became more important than what she wants to do herself.  That's what being a parent is, putting the needs of this small person who is completely dependent on you, ahead of what you want to do.

The drugs that April was on took a toll on the baby already.  I don't know if it really is okay to work double shifts when pregnant and sick with  T.B., I'm not an OB.  But right now, my sympathies are with Tate because to me April seems to be making selfish decisions.

[Sandman]

On 2017-01-21 at 10:28 AM, MakeMeLaugh said:

As starri says above, the patient that put Reese over was her own patient--the only reason Reese volunteered for night shift that night after working all day was to make sure that particular patient would be okay. I felt she was experiencing shock that the patient then died, guilt that she hadn't done enough, sorrow because she liked that patient, massive sleep deprivation etc., etc. (plus she had just called TOD on two other patients); really I found her scene very moving. She continues to be my favorite.

I agree; I think Reese's reactions were understandable and quite realistic -- certainly believable considering the standards of this show. She's experiencing high levels of stress from multiple sources: the Neuro attending jackass seems to be driving her pretty hard (and all but accusing her of a lack of commitment when she asserted herself); her mother's fresh batch of judgment; sleep deprivation and coffee-induced agitation; and I wouldn't want to underestimate the emotional toll of being the one to officially declare a patient dead, two or three times in succession.

I really liked the fact that she was able to tell Latham directly and respectfully why the nurses had deflected pronouncing on his patient to her. I think that showed real growth. I think it's something that in the first season she might have hemmed and hawed over, or gotten tangled up in wanting to break it to him (too?) gently.

[DearEvette]

15 hours ago, statsgirl said:

The drugs that April was on took a toll on the baby already.  I don't know if it really is okay to work double shifts when pregnant and sick with  T.B., I'm not an OB.  But right now, my sympathies are with Tate because to me April seems to be making selfish decisions.

Did her OB tell her to cut down her hours or take it easy with work though?  If not, then working an extra shift shouldn't be a big deal.  In the canon of the show, unless it is specifically mentioned, I think we need to presume that it is ok.  It would be one thing if April is working in open defiance of a direct doctor's order.  But we aren't seeing that.  So in this instance I do think we need to believe that Tate is being a bit controlling.  I can understand him concerned, but it is a aggregate thing with this one thing on top of other things.

[atiyah9369]

On 1/19/2017 at 11:35 PM, rhys said:

I found it very odd that the doc for people was performing the surgery on tnbe panda while a veterinarian was in the hospital.  Jeesch.

I never noticed Dr Latham's peculiarities til tonite. Don't know why the show introduced that weird left turn.

I knew something wasn't normal I just thought he was a straight forward, no chaser type of person. Asperger's never crossed my mind.

[atiyah9369]

On 1/20/2017 at 0:43 AM, Sandman said:

You know, Dick Wolf shows always used to feature the professional challenges of highly trained, driven characters, with almost no screentime devoted to their personal lives or their emotional inner landscapes -- not that I'm suggesting that's the only way to go; but I find the reversal of emphasis quite striking among the Chicago trilogy -- and now a cuddly panda? Really?

That said, I would be happy with an all-Charles family/Dr. Reese show, with regular guest shots from Rhodes and S. Epatha and Doctor Ethan Doolittle. And, okay, the damn panda. Maybe Reese could hang with Su Lin for a while.

Has anyone considered maybe giving Doctor Livingston Troll a few zaps from Latham's handy-dandy brain transmogrifier? Couldn't hurt.

I spent the whole episode thinking there was going to be some connection between the squad of be-kerchiefed Polish cleaner ladies and Mrs. Novak, or all the other patients having seizures.

I kept waiting for them to have a story line also.

[atiyah9369]

On 1/21/2017 at 11:57 AM, starri said:

How pregnant is April supposed to be?

Because that's not "second trimester" shape.

I was mad she had to do the shimmy, jump to get into her pants LOL. To me that is a sign of something being too small.

[Driad]

The cleaner ladies reminded me of "Bob" from ER, so I wondered if one of them might be a surgeon and save someone.

[damnman]

Did they ever mention what it was the kids took?

I thought for sure the cleaning ladies had something to do with the deaths.

[statsgirl]

On 2017-01-24 at 7:14 PM, Driad said:

The cleaner ladies reminded me of "Bob" from ER, so I wondered if one of them might be a surgeon and save someone.

I loved Bob's storyline and I wish they had done more with that.  The only show I've ever seen a real storyline with a foreign trained doctor who had to do menial work in their new country is Remedy, who had a regular character who was a top surgeon at home and an orderly in the hospital.

I'd like to see Chicago Med do something like that. 

[MoreCoffeePlease]

Quote

I thought for sure the cleaning ladies had something to do with the deaths.

Absolutely!  I said to my daughter, "Why do they keep focusing on the cleaning lady?  She must have something to do with the deaths."

In retrospect, I guess it was done to show that it was the night shift.  Bah.

[SnarkySheep]

Quote

April—run run run. I defended Tate last week saying I didn’t think he was a horrible monster for expressing his concerns about April continuing to work. However, I also said I reserve the right to change my opinion if the BF kept pressuring April to stop working. I’m now changing my opinion. The guy obviously has control issues! 

I'm on the fence about that...but I WOULD like them to give Tate some kind of negative quality. Right now he seems 100% perfect, constantly wanting to swoop in and take care of everything for April, bringing her balloons and flowers for no reason, stopping by the hospital with a forgotten lunch so that she eats properly. Yes, I get it, he's a good guy...but no one is THAT good. 

That said, where's his little boy? It's been ages since we've seen him. They don't even mention the kid when making their plans, just act like it's only them and the coming baby.

Quote

I thought for sure the cleaning ladies had something to do with the deaths.

Same here! I was left a bit baffled...but also amused, as I'm Polish and it isn't often you hear a character speak Polish on a mainstream drama.

[Chas411]

On 24 January 2017 at 4:49 PM, Sandman said:

I really liked the fact that she was able to tell Latham directly and respectfully why the nurses had deflected pronouncing on his patient to her. I think that showed real growth.

Agreed and I thought the Nurses acted like immature brats in the situation. 

Had we met Wheeler before tonight? I liked how Halstead looked after him. They've really turned that guy around. 

[awaken]

On 1/20/2017 at 6:31 AM, Chas411 said:

I can't warm to Mekia Cox. I think it's because I'm fresh off watching Secrets and Lies where I couldnt stand her but everything about the actress annoys me. I don't feel like she's blending in at all. 

Same. She seems so hard and closed off.  Some of that might be anger at her father. She always seems to be gritting her teeth when speaking and have a hard edge to her voice. 

I can’t stand Tate. He’s good looking but a terrible actor. His expressions are so fake and over the top. I hope they break up soon. 

happy that Noah wasn’t in this episode. 

and I found it strange that they never did say which drug the teens took.