S03.E13: Best Laid Plans

[WendyCR72]

Dr. Halstead and Dr. Manning are at odds over the care of a vegetative man; Dr. Rhodes goes behind Dr. Bekker's back to get his patient at the top of the transplant list; a woman in the waiting room falls asleep and won't wake up.

[rhys]

Really ,show! 55 years old. Come on. That's terrifying!

[LittleIggy]

April needs to keep her mouth shut. As Halstead said, the patient last week expressed his desire not to receive care many times. That said, I didn’t like him calling the police.

Glad Reese didn’t co-sign. That said, I wanted to slap her for jumping down Dr. Charles’ throat like that. Bitch, please. You know better.

[Lyanna19]

I don't ever EVER want to be a patient, or a family member in this hospital. The complete disregard of protocols and ethics are disgraceful to say the least! In this case of Manning (I refuse to call her Dr. petty I know) and Dr. Halstead, well I guess I'm with Will. (This time). How is this hospital not getting sued and slapped with lawsuits every day? Today Natalie decides to ignore the law? 

I'm gonna give Sara a pass for not seeing through her manipulative father, - I think we all are willing to see the best in our own family and not see the obvious flaws others see, but at the same time she's the shrink here, she should have seen it. She certainly always sees the worst in others....

Dr. Becker, I can see trouble brewing, oh heck the storm is here, Connor you had better head for high ground, I can see the many problems arising because he slept with her.

Refuse to comment on Dr. Choi and April....

[Sarnia]

What Connor did was totally unethical. Of course it is so much easier for the viewer to root for the friendly chubby dad with such a cute family, while we never see the other patient's face and he is only referred to by his first name, so who cares about him. But still, Bekker was right that her patient had more rights.

Manning is way too emotional to be a good doctor. I seriously wouldn't trust any of these doctors to take care of my health (except Choi, and maybe actually Bekker, who has a mean temper but a much better ethic).

I would also encourage the writers to watch "The Good Doctor" to take lessons in character development and depth.

[watcher1006]

8 hours ago, Lyanna19 said:

I don't ever EVER want to be a patient, or a family member in this hospital. The complete disregard of protocols and ethics are disgraceful to say the least! In this case of Manning (I refuse to call her Dr. petty I know) and Dr. Halstead, well I guess I'm with Will. (This time). How is this hospital not getting sued and slapped with lawsuits every day? Today Natalie decides to ignore the law? 

I'm gonna give Sara a pass for not seeing through her manipulative father, - I think we all are willing to see the best in our own family and not see the obvious flaws others see, but at the same time she's the shrink here, she should have seen it. She certainly always sees the worst in others....

Dr. Becker, I can see trouble brewing, oh heck the storm is here, Connor you had better head for high ground, I can see the many problems arising because he slept with her.

Refuse to comment on Dr. Choi and April....

How can a transplant decision in a hospital ever come down to a manipulative tug-of-war between two doctors? Never mind the amazing coincidence that the two patients were both matched to the motorcycle accident victim, wouldn't there be candidates outside of the hospital vying for the heart?

[MakeMeLaugh]

Julie White as the 55 yo mom completely stole the show. Mr MML and I were screaming laughing along with her. Please make her a doc or something, show.

April looking over her brother’s shoulder and directing him nonstop—just stop. I’m liking Noah more and April so much less. Noah, take Reese and move to Milwaukee.

The rest of the docs deserve each other.

[Sandman]

9 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

That said, I wanted to slap her for jumping down Dr. Charles’ throat like that. Bitch, please. You know better.

Of course she does. She's being not exactly willfully blind, but her fear of missing a connection with her father is blinding her to everything else. Or it was -- it seems like Dr. Charles may have gotten through to her. (And he pretty much came as close to spelling it out for her as his obligations regarding patient confidentiality would allow -- in fact, what Daniel told her probably did cross a line.) And for someone with limited experience of empathy, her father nailed the nature of Sarah's connection with Dr. Charles pretty handily. (I think that might be characteristic, actually, of those with, as Dr. Charles said, the more malignant forms of anti-social personality disorder: not to experience emotional connections directly, but to able to read them them accurately in others, and ape them convincingly.)

36 minutes ago, watcher1006 said:

I'm gonna give Sara a pass for not seeing through her manipulative father, - I think we all are willing to see the best in our own family and not see the obvious flaws others see, but at the same time she's the shrink here, she should have seen it.

Yep.

The one time -- one time! -- Manning sets aside her judgment filter and gives the family/caregiver the benefit of the doubt, and all hell breaks loose! (How did the family go from "We need to call a lawyer" to "Let's all participate in a coverup" so fast?)

Hi, Julie White! So great to see you -- even if the story you got stuck with was eye-rollingly dumb.

[Sandman]

11 minutes ago, MakeMeLaugh said:

Please make her a doc or something, show.

Maybe she could come back and pee on Noah on a semi-regular basis.

[Netfoot]

57 minutes ago, watcher1006 said:

Never mind the amazing coincidence that the two patients were both matched to the motorcycle accident victim, wouldn't there be candidates outside of the hospital vying for the heart?

I came here to say exactly this, and... you beat me to it.

[BooksRule]

Quote

Julie White as the 55 yo mom completely stole the show. Mr MML and I were screaming laughing along with her. Please make her a doc or something, show.

I found it refreshing (that's probably not the right word) to see her be so mortified when she threw up on Noah.  Most of the time, the patient throws up and is either too sick to care or just has an 'oh well' attitude.  I know that if I wasn't totally out of it, I would be horrified to do that to a doctor, nurse, or anyone else in the hospital.  She was great.  

Who played her husband?  He looked familiar.

[watcher1006]

3 hours ago, Sandman said:

Hi, Julie White! So great to see you -- even if the story you got stuck with was eye-rollingly dumb.

I thought that this story had the one really effective surprise in the episode, maybe in several episodes. I suppose post menopausal pregnancies are possible, although that far afterwards, I don't know. It was actually funny to see her introduce her grandchildren to their AUNT.

[GalvDuck]

2 hours ago, BooksRule said:

Who played her husband?  He looked familiar.

Reed Birney - House of Cards, Blacklist, Gossip Girl, etc.

Birney's IMDB page with a gazillion and two credits

[MakeMeLaugh]

Maybe instead of making Julie White a doc, we could just have a spin off of her and Reed Birney's characters. I'd be so in for that.

[MinorL]

I called Rachel's condition the minute Maggie made a big deal about her having birth control pills and cigarettes. Talk about an anvil.

[LittleIggy]

11 hours ago, watcher1006 said:

I thought that this story had the one really effective surprise in the episode, maybe in several episodes. I suppose post menopausal pregnancies are possible, although that far afterwards, I don't know. It was actually funny to see her introduce her grandchildren to their AUNT.

I was telling my hair stylist today about that storyline, and she said she had had a client who got pregnant at about that age. She had grown children too.

[GalvDuck]

14 hours ago, MakeMeLaugh said:

Maybe instead of making Julie White a doc, we could just have a spin off of her and Reed Birney's characters. I'd be so in for that.

Chicago Family?  Chicago Home?  Chicago Breeders?  Chicago Folks?

[Sandman]

21 hours ago, BooksRule said:

I found it refreshing (that's probably not the right word) to see her be so mortified when she threw up on Noah.  Most of the time, the patient throws up and is either too sick to care or just has an 'oh well' attitude.  I know that if I wasn't totally out of it, I would be horrified to do that to a doctor, nurse, or anyone else in the hospital.  She was great.  

I think White's portrayal was honest and quite realistic (especially for this show.) It's not the fact of a menopausal pregnancy for a 55-year-old woman that had me rolling my eyes, but the slightly comic tone of the story -- it felt as though White's character was the butt of a joke somehow.

[TVForever]

I’m liking Noah and Will more. I’m liking April, Reese, and Natalie less and less each week.

I really enjoyed the post-menopausal pregnancy storyline. Gotta admit I didn’t see it until her water broke. And her family’s reaction- fun!

Edited March 29, 2018 by TVForever

[Bostongirl]

I would hate to actually have these doctors treat me in real life. Choi is ok but the others need some serious training in ethics

[BooksRule]

Quote

I would hate to actually have these doctors treat me in real life. Choi is ok but the others need some serious training in ethics.

I would be okay with Choi treating me, and probably having Maggie directing my initial arrival at the ER.  And, if I needed psychiatric help, I would be fine with Dr. Charles.  But not Reese. 

Something I didn't think of until now:  How did the brother of the guy in the vegetable state transfer the cables/leads/whatever from his brother to his own chest without setting off any type of alarm?  Usually, when anything attached to a patient loosens or comes completely unattached, there are multiple alarms that sound.

[Ohwell]

Even though the post-menopausal story was fun, and I'm sure they were delighted with their little "surprise," I have to admit that, as a boomer myself, I felt a teeny bit sad for them.  I mean, they had plans to travel and they were finally "free" to just enjoy themselves--and then this happens.  Like I said, I'm sure they were happy, but damn.....

[Ailianna]

On 3/28/2018 at 7:17 AM, Sarnia said:

What Connor did was totally unethical. Of course it is so much easier for the viewer to root for the friendly chubby dad with such a cute family, while we never see the other patient's face and he is only referred to by his first name, so who cares about him. But still, Bekker was right that her patient had more rights.

I am not a medical professional, and I agree Connor definitely manipulated the system--and he admitted that.  But it does seem unfair--to a lay person at least--that Peter should get heart number 3, while he also had another viable artificial heart, and Connor's patient (whose name I can't remember since they showed his face but said Peter's name a million times), should die because he can't get heart number 1.  I know there are a lot of things that have to match up for hearts, and that in real life they wouldn't both suddenly be perfect matches for the donor (whom I thoought was treated pretty disrespectfully by all and sundry--see M*A*S*H's Life Time for handling that with a lot of respect for both sides), but given the givens of the situation as premised, it did seem more fair to give it to Connor's guy.  Again, a lay opinion from someone who knows almost nothing about transplants, other than that I am an organ donor and that will come up only after I'm hopefully well and truly dead.

[Manda317]

12 hours ago, Ailianna said:

I am not a medical professional, and I agree Connor definitely manipulated the system--and he admitted that.  But it does seem unfair--to a lay person at least--that Peter should get heart number 3, while he also had another viable artificial heart, and Connor's patient (whose name I can't remember since they showed his face but said Peter's name a million times), should die because he can't get heart number 1.  I know there are a lot of things that have to match up for hearts, and that in real life they wouldn't both suddenly be perfect matches for the donor (whom I thoought was treated pretty disrespectfully by all and sundry--see M*A*S*H's Life Time for handling that with a lot of respect for both sides), but given the givens of the situation as premised, it did seem more fair to give it to Connor's guy.  Again, a lay opinion from someone who knows almost nothing about transplants, other than that I am an organ donor and that will come up only after I'm hopefully well and truly dead.

This is exactly how I felt too. Bekker's patient had time, but Connor's patient was dying quickly. I would be more upset if her patient hadn't already rejected 2 hearts before. I'm not saying what he did was ethical, but, tbh, I am actually curious if the organ transplant protocols would have allowed Bekker's patient to get the heart in real life.

I am really liking the Reese story lately. She has always been one of my favorites, but she has been off this season. I love her relationship with Dr. Charles, so it is good to see them in an interesting storyline that showcases it.

I loved the pregnancy storyline this week. That is actually the first time something has happened on this show that I could totally see happening on ER. It always surprising and funny, and I really enjoyed Noah. I agree with some other posters that April should go away, but she was far more tolerable this episode than she has been.

[Texasmom1970]

The pregnant at 55 scared the hell out of me. I am 48, divorced last year, and my boyfriend is 51. Missed a pill about a month ago and I was freaked out even though the chances are slim. It is a scary thought at my age, but 55, aw hell no!

Love Ethan he and April as a couple just do not do it for me. 

[cathmed]

On 3/27/2018 at 11:57 PM, rhys said:

Really ,show! 55 years old. Come on. That's terrifying!

Absolutely - couldn't believe that was the end game with her "pain".   Pathetic!

On 3/28/2018 at 9:21 AM, watcher1006 said:

How can a transplant decision in a hospital ever come down to a manipulative tug-of-war between two doctors? Never mind the amazing coincidence that the two patients were both matched to the motorcycle accident victim, wouldn't there be candidates outside of the hospital vying for the heart?

To quote a character from a favorite show of mine, "don't ruin the story with your logic"!

[MakeMeLaugh]

On 3/29/2018 at 8:33 AM, GalvDuck said:

Chicago Family?  Chicago Home?  Chicago Breeders?  Chicago Folks?

Chicago Menopause :)

[greyhorse]

The postmenopausal pregnancy may be a surprise and certainly funny, but I hated that the show didn't even attempt to explain it.  The woman said she was indeed postmenopausal and had stopped having periods.  So how did she conceive?  Why not some brief explanation of the fact that she must not have been there yet, and although the odds were .001% or whatever it is, she somehow got pregnant?  And although the woman said she was having pain, she wouldn't have once in the prior 9 months wondered why she was getting a big belly and feeling a human being move inside of her?  Not buying it.

The Rhodes and Bekker toe to toe didn't interest me at all.  Just can't get into the tension they're trying to build between the two.  And in this episode, there was no hint of their one night hookup from last week.  Really?  Slam bam thank you ma'am, and then it's back to business as usual?  I wonder if Bekker ended up helping Rhodes with the transplant, since it seems like these are the only two doctors that operate aside from the Asperger black guy, whose name escapes me.

I'm wondering what will happen to the family of the trach guy.  If they had done it at home, sure, nobody knows and they're fine,.  But they actively did it in the confines of the ER.  The older brother even had the monitors on himself to deceive the nursing staff.

Can't stand Reese's father.  Once again, we got the "this is protected by doctor-patient confidentiality" line.  The quicker this guy gets exposed and moves on, the better.

What's the point of the Ethan and April Portuguese party scene?  Just awful.  Ethan's sister has got a nice (fake) rack.

[juno]

Trying lately to figure out why this show is so meh to me. Why I don't seem to care for any of the characters where I was almost in tears watching Good Doctor. I came up with some thoughts:

1.  There is no background on any characters since the entirety of the show is based in the ER and OR. What background we get is small stories to promote the other "Chicago" franchises or small scenes with Natalie's baby throwing items at Will.
2. All relationships are pairing off of doctors with other hospital employees. No outside relationships. Sadly none have any chemistry.
3. Somehow Dr. Charles is the only one I care about. I think because he is the only real professional and the show seems to show depth to only his character. I also like Maggie but she is treated like a B character.
4. The constant theme of doctors doing what it is their best interest vs the patient. Will and especially Natalie do this a lot. Patient wants to die and signs a DNR means they want to die.
5. Every single episode now has some conflict created either by incompetance of a wrong diagnosis or fight over a diagnosis. The fight with Rhodes and Becker never happens in a real hospital decisions like this are not made in a 5 min scene. A lot of the management would be involved.
6. Anybody have 6 to infinity???

[Ohwell]

6.  Where is the black doctor and why does he pop up just every now and then?  I didn't even know he had Asperger's.  I missed that episode. 

[Guildford]

50 minutes ago, greyhorse said:

The postmenopausal pregnancy may be a surprise and certainly funny, but I hated that the show didn't even attempt to explain it.  The woman said she was indeed postmenopausal and had stopped having periods.  So how did she conceive?  Why not some brief explanation of the fact that she must not have been there yet, and although the odds were .001% or whatever it is, she somehow got pregnant?  And although the woman said she was having pain, she wouldn't have once in the prior 9 months wondered why she was getting a big belly and feeling a human being move inside of her?  Not buying it.

 

I found it amusing that they spent the entire time actively avoiding palpating her stomach. Someone comes in complaining of back, abdo pain the first thing you would do is feel their stomach, but I guess that would have wrapped that story up too quickly and we wouldn't have seen the incompetence of Chicago Med in all its glory.

[SnarkySheep]

19 hours ago, greyhorse said:

The postmenopausal pregnancy may be a surprise and certainly funny, but I hated that the show didn't even attempt to explain it.  The woman said she was indeed postmenopausal and had stopped having periods.  So how did she conceive?  Why not some brief explanation of the fact that she must not have been there yet, and although the odds were .001% or whatever it is, she somehow got pregnant?  And although the woman said she was having pain, she wouldn't have once in the prior 9 months wondered why she was getting a big belly and feeling a human being move inside of her?  Not buying it.

I too was waiting for some explanation, but we never got it. You sometimes hear about "oops" babies when the mom is undergoing menopause, but not when it's totally OVER. This woman would've been a medical marvel on the news!

And yes, I know she said she knew she had gained a lot of weight over the winter...but did she not feel the baby moving inside her? Such a weird storyline.

Edited April 1, 2018 by SnarkySheep

[Ailianna]

They did explain it.  It was a single line, right before the statement about weight gain.  She said she had been put on hormone replacement therapy.  Because her menopause wasn't going well, apparently.

[greyhorse]

1 hour ago, Ailianna said:

They did explain it.  It was a single line, right before the statement about weight gain.  She said she had been put on hormone replacement therapy.  Because her menopause wasn't going well, apparently.

Sorry, still doesn't make sense.  Going on hormone replacement therapy doesn't make somebody's 55 year old eggs magically become good and fertile and capable of having a normal pregnancy.  If that were the case, infertility doctors would be out of business.  There was never one comment from any of the doctors about how this may have happened.

[statsgirl]

I was told that as a wpam goes into perimenopause and later menopause, menstrual periods become irregular while at the same time the body is sensing that the end is near and starts shooting out the remaining eggs like crazy. That's why there are a surprising number of late life pregnancies just before menopause compared to ten years earlier.

I can vouch for the irregular periods just before the end.  It was like being a teenager again, always a surprise if and when it starts.  I actually got tested for cancer because my periods would go on for three weeks at a time and then nothing.

On 3/31/2018 at 7:38 PM, Ohwell said:

6.  Where is the black doctor and why does he pop up just every now and then?  I didn't even know he had Asperger's.  I missed that I episode. 

Latham came on last with social difficulties and there was a couple of episodes where he went to Charles last season for treatment.  There was also nice arc  as Connor helped him to become more socialized.  One of the best relationships on the show.  I'm sad they dropped it to spend the time on more Rhodes/Bekker (ugh) scenes.

Ato Essandoh was always recurring rather than a regular.  But this is ridiculous.

Edited April 7, 2018 by statsgirl

[RedbirdNelly]

On ‎3‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 11:52 PM, LittleIggy said:

I was telling my hair stylist today about that storyline, and she said she had had a client who got pregnant at about that age. She had grown children too.

my grandmother did something similar and gave birth on April Fool's Day. Not kidding.

[starri]

One of my OB/GYN attendings from med school would always trot out her statistics on maternal ages.  I believe she said the eldest woman she'd delivered was 55.

The human body is a strange thing.

[Sandman]

On 3/29/2018 at 1:36 PM, BooksRule said:

Something I didn't think of until now:  How did the brother of the guy in the vegetable state transfer the cables/leads/whatever from his brother to his own chest without setting off any type of alarm?  Usually, when anything attached to a patient loosens or comes completely unattached, there are multiple alarms that sound.

I thought this was a pretty big plot hole, too.