S04.E01: Be My Better Half

[WendyCR72]

Quote

Goodwin finds herself quickly clashing with the new hospital COO Gwen Garrett while April questions whether or not Ethan's sister, Emily, is using again. Dr. Charles deals with his past actions.

[cathmed]

Thought I'd give the show another chance and it did not disappoint.   This unwatchable trope has to go; I don't know where to begin.    Bekker is still there and really hoped she';d leave the show.   Will Connor find out she went to his father for funding and will it damage the "relationship" further?  Those two have zero chemistry and I really wish the writers/showrunner/director would stop pushing that relationship.    April and Choi - never seen such flip-flopping about his sister--"give her a chance, no I can't."; now that she's pregnant, the tables are turned and April is back in her corner.   So many issues with the pregnancy of a (former?) drug addict.  Reese - really she's quitting the show?  And then there's Reese's dad - not surprised he's in jail but will Reese's misplaced angry/hurt feelings toward Dr. Charles be resolved?   Maybe I didn't hear that over the summer - can anyone confirm if she has been written out of the show; is this true?   Pitting Sharon against the new COO - seriously?   Guess women just can't work together without undermining each other.  Pitiful.    Manstead - he is such a doofus and she is a manipulator.  NO, she doesn't seem to want to marry him and for him to run off like a petulant child at the party - geesh, how old are these people - 12??    Another relationship that shouldn't be .   I don't believe I will be able to stomach this season.  The writing quality is horrendous, so I'll watch the new series Amsterdam as my medical drama which at least had a promising start and storyline.   Looking forward to other comments and thoughts on this season opener!

[watcher1006]

Funny thing though - it wasn't Goodwin who lined up the outside funding for the merged trauma center/operating room, it was Bekker. Of course it wouldn't have done Goodwin any good to deny her involvement to Garrett, the COO was not going to believe it wasn't Goodwin's doing. Indeed maybe Sharon's spoiling for a fight and wanted her to think that? In the real world funds like that don't materialize on a dime. They certainly wouldn't materialize in such short order as to prevent Connor Rhodes from departing the following week. And by the way how did Goodwin not know of his departure? Don't personnel have to give notice?

Are there combined trauma centers/operating rooms in major hospitals around the country?

I agree that the Bekker-Rhodes storyline is tiresome and not credible. But it seems like it's going to continue because neither of them seem to be going anywhere.

I hope Dr. Stohl stays around. I've said it before but it's funny that such an abrasive minor character can be so refreshing to watch on this show, and it speaks to the fading appeal of the main characters.

[LittleIggy]

Please let Reese really be gone! I loved her when she started but her character really went downhill. And please let Connor get rid of that beard! It hides his gorgeous face.☹️

The deaf couple’s story was poignant. Poor guy.

[TimetoShine]

It’s a shame they ruined Reese’s character. They should have found a way to get her back to being assigned to the ED. 

[Chas411]

according to Torrey devittos Instagram Reese is gone.

[cathmed]

7 hours ago, TimetoShine said:

It’s a shame they ruined Reese’s character. They should have found a way to get her back to being assigned to the ED. 

Agreed.  Think she was always ill equipped to be in psychiatry and should have stayed in the ER.  Each successive season seems to slide further downhill--for a show that started with such promise, imo..

5 hours ago, Chas411 said:

according to Torrey devittos Instagram Reese is gone.

Wonder if she'll be in any new shows on any network?   Salary dispute?  Creative differences?   They could have replaced Bekker, Noah or other secondary characters..  Now there's a "new crop" of residents and Resident Curry is going to be a problem, e.g..,, hubris, condescension and a non-tea player know it all).

[Chas411]

I'm not sure of the reason but I think putting her in psych under utilised her and she didn't get to bond with other characters or progress in other storylines as a result. I don't think the character will be really missed its more of a case of how much better a character she could have been.

I'm really frustrated that Bekker is still there.

[UNOSEZ]

Well.. Um... The new student is horrible.. Curry the other one seems like a softie... Other than that... Meh

[Driad]

Do most of you watch two or three series in the Chicago *** franchise?  I tried Fire for a while, disliked some characters enough to make it not worth watching for those I do like. Never tried PD. Have been watching Med, but it is close to Fire territory now.

I was pleased to see that next week is a crossover of all three series.  This will make it easy to quit watching the franchise altogether.

[VinceW]

Rachel DiPillo as Dr. Sarah Reese was not listed as a regular for the episode, but rather as a guest so she is out. As usual, the patient side of the episode was fine, but the ongoing forced relationships not so much.  The last scene with Connor and Ava was just an odd retake of the S3 finale scene between them, but with predictable results that he was not leaving the show. I hope that the writers don't intend for Ava to "service" his father (Cornelius) in order to add drama to the story. Will the father want something from her to continue the funding?  What happens when Connor finds out?  It seems that both the father and Ava want him to stay in Chicago so maybe it was just dinner. 

Edited September 27, 2018 by VinceW

[Ohwell]

I have a feeling it wasn't just "dinner."

[VinceW]

1 minute ago, Ohwell said:

I have a feeling it wasn't just "dinner."

Creepy......

[Ohwell]

30 minutes ago, VinceW said:

Creepy......

Yes it is, but I hope I'm wrong.

Also, even if it was "just dinner" it was very creepy and devious of her to basically seduce the father in the sexy dress and over the shoulder glance she gave him because she is well aware that the father is attracted to her.  Connor should have followed his heart/gut and gone to Mayo.  But, of course, there had to be a reason to stay at Chicago Med.  I hope he does dump her once and for all.

And the father is creepy as hell and actually he and Ava deserve each other.

Edited September 27, 2018 by Ohwell

[starri]

8 hours ago, Chas411 said:

I'm not sure of the reason but I think putting her in psych under utilised her and she didn't get to bond with other characters or progress in other storylines as a result. I don't think the character will be really missed its more of a case of how much better a character she could have been.

She and Ethan had a a really good big bro/little sis thing going.  Even with her being in psych.

Speaking off, they really need to have everyone in the whole Ethan/April/Emily thing stop being so bipolar.  They all seem to switch sides every other episode.

[Guildford]

Welcome Back people.

Manstead is a car crash still. Not even that, people watch carcrashes, how anyone can watch those two is beyond me. 

Does Dick Wold insist that these shows all have a storyline where someone is out to get our merry band of misfits? Every show has them, every bloody season. Enough already.

Dr Mopey is miserable until the very last minute.

The blond med student can head over to PD pick up the blond from there and take a hike. 

[Rabithed]

On 2018-09-26 at 9:23 PM, cathmed said:

Thought I'd give the show another chance and it did not disappoint.   This unwatchable trope has to go; I don't know where to begin.    Bekker is still there and really hoped she';d leave the show.   Will Connor find out she went to his father for funding and will it damage the "relationship" further?  Those two have zero chemistry and I really wish the writers/showrunner/director would stop pushing that relationship.    April and Choi - never seen such flip-flopping about his sister--"give her a chance, no I can't."; now that she's pregnant, the tables are turned and April is back in her corner.   So many issues with the pregnancy of a (former?) drug addict.  Reese - really she's quitting the show?  And then there's Reese's dad - not surprised he's in jail but will Reese's misplaced angry/hurt feelings toward Dr. Charles be resolved?   Maybe I didn't hear that over the summer - can anyone confirm if she has been written out of the show; is this true?   Pitting Sharon against the new COO - seriously?   Guess women just can't work together without undermining each other.  Pitiful.    Manstead - he is such a doofus and she is a manipulator.  NO, she doesn't seem to want to marry him and for him to run off like a petulant child at the party - geesh, how old are these people - 12??    Another relationship that shouldn't be .   I don't believe I will be able to stomach this season.  The writing quality is horrendous, so I'll watch the new series Amsterdam as my medical drama which at least had a promising start and storyline.   Looking forward to other comments and thoughts on this season opener!

I agree with everything you said. This felt like a repeat, same crap different day! I saw most of the show and was going to watch it again to see what I missed and realized I really don’t care. I don’t like April, Choi’s sister, Bekker, the wimpy redhead guy. That’s most of the characters!  I’m out too. 

[LittleIggy]

20 hours ago, Chas411 said:

according to Torrey devittos Instagram Reese is gone.

??

7 hours ago, Driad said:

Do most of you watch two or three series in the Chicago *** franchise?  I tried Fire for a while, disliked some characters enough to make it not worth watching for those I do like. Never tried PD. Have been watching Med, but it is close to Fire territory now.

 

I watch all of them. I’m glad they are all on the same night now.

[Reality police]

8 hours ago, Driad said:

Do most of you watch two or three series in the Chicago *** franchise?  I tried Fire for a while, disliked some characters enough to make it not worth watching for those I do like. Never tried PD. Have been watching Med, but it is close to Fire territory now.

I was pleased to see that next week is a crossover of all three series.  This will make it easy to quit watching the franchise altogether.

I have watched all three but at different times. Like the shows overall, but have some issues with each one. 

[RedbirdNelly]

agreed this was another awful episode. Manning's engagement--sigh; so awful. They behaved like first graders at that party. No way they should be married. I kind of wonder if the actors don't complain "seriously? my character is supposed to freak out about the reception and storm off this way? can't he at least articulate in a grown up sounding way, that he gets it is her 2nd marriage, but it is his first, and his family would really appreciate a bigger to-do. . ."

[Netfoot]

11 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I’m glad they are all on the same night now.

So you can go bowling?

[Chick2Chic]

I thought the season premiere was ok. Nothing great and nothing that really annoyed me* although I did like the story with the deaf patient.

*Still not happy Ava is around and that the show continues to push Connor & Ava. IMO, they just don't work in any capacity other than as antagonistic colleagues.

I like April & Ethan together... but I don't disagree with the relationship whiplash commentary regarding them. 

Manstead is alright but the relationship seems really unbalanced. Will seems much more in to it than Natalie. 

[Xantar]

The thing about the Chicago shows is they are all pretty good on the case of the week stuff and pretty terrible with the ongoing character arcs. Chicago Fire especially used to do some great rescue scenes (but lately they seem to have cut their budget). I watch Chicago Med because it has the least stupidity among the characters. And despite the dramatics, I find that it's still better than most other medical dramas in terms of focusing on the actual medicine. I mean have you people seen Grey's Anatomy, Code Black, or The Night Shift?

(I will say that I like The Good Doctor as well, but I have room in my viewing schedule to watch two medical dramas)

[VinceW]

On ‎9‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 2:33 PM, Ohwell said:

Yes it is, but I hope I'm wrong.

Also, even if it was "just dinner" it was very creepy and devious of her to basically seduce the father in the sexy dress and over the shoulder glance she gave him because she is well aware that the father is attracted to her.  Connor should have followed his heart/gut and gone to Mayo.  But, of course, there had to be a reason to stay at Chicago Med.  I hope he does dump her once and for all.

And the father is creepy as hell and actually he and Ava deserve each other.

 

For a short period of time last season, Ava let Connor think that she was dating his father in order to intimidate and/or manipulate him.

Edited October 1, 2018 by VinceW

[SuzieQ]

I didn't hate it, but that's as flattering as I can be!  Reese blaming Dr. Charles is as messed up as it gets! He's been more to her than psycho Daddy ever was.  I'm somewhat sorry to see her go because her character had potential, but such is life!  Au revoir Reese!

So will Manning and Halstead really get married?  I have my doubts.  IF they actially do, I hope Natalie doesn't kill him for trying to discourage Owen from slapping him in the face.  That still annoys me from last season, lol.

Really sick of the British bitch.  I fast forward through a lot of her scenes, but end up going back and watching them because Connor is in them GRRR!

[Netfoot]

13 hours ago, SuzieQ said:

So will Manning and Halstead really get married? 

At least they wouldn't spoil two households.

[Quark]

This show has become very mediocre.

Also, why is the South African still on the show?

[mommalib]

The scene with ava and the father creeped me out.

[Ohwell]

1 hour ago, mommalib said:

The scene with ava and the father creeped me out.

I think it creeped all of us out.

[UNOSEZ]

4 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I think it creeped all of us out.

Ava always creeps me out... I need robin to come back healthy and sane and get Connor away from Ava

[marina707]

37 minutes ago, UNOSEZ said:

Ava always creeps me out... I need robin to come back healthy and sane and get Connor away from Ava

Same. Robin needs to come back because Ava is awful.

Otherwise, I feel like there's not much else to say about the episode. I won't particularly miss Sarah, but I am somewhat intrigued about the reason behind her leaving because I thought it kind of came out of nowhere.

And April's sanctimoniousness pissed me off as usual. "You don't understand because you're not Catholic!" Yeah, well, there's been no suggestion that Emily's Catholic and your religious beliefs are irrelevant here so you need to butt the hell out of something that doesn't concern you. (Speaking as someone who grew up Catholic and knows people like April who need to mind their own damn business.)

[Sarnia]

1 hour ago, marina707 said:

And April's sanctimoniousness pissed me off as usual. "You don't understand because you're not Catholic!" Yeah, well, there's been no suggestion that Emily's Catholic and your religious beliefs are irrelevant here so you need to butt the hell out of something that doesn't concern you. (Speaking as someone who grew up Catholic and knows people like April who need to mind their own damn business.)

I felt (not for the first time) that April's behavior towards Emily was totally unprofessionnal. Choi was a bit out of line as well in immediately thinking of abortion, but maybe he was talking as a brother and not a doctor. April should not push Emily in keeping the baby if that is not what she wants (nor should Emily be pushed to have an abortion if that is not what she wants). The right way to react, as a professional, would be to tell her : "these are the possibilities for you, if you have questions we can answer them", and as a human being, tell her "it's your life, you decide, and we'll be here to support you".

Maybe I'm a bit touchy on the matter but April's talk to Choi and subsequently to Emily about the baby pretty much ruined the character for me. If it's supposed to paint her as a compassionate person, it has totally backfired.

[Ohwell]

Also, I can't stand how Ava speaks like her jaw is wired shut.  Just get rid of her already.

[MakeMeLaugh]

Finally watched this episode last night. I’m over Dr Charles—a. You already have a daughter and b. How unprofessional to be so personally invested in your subordinate. I asked Mr MML to name the chief psychiatrist character on The Good Doctor and of course he couldn’t answer because there isn’t one. And CM doesn’t really need one either, especially one whose behavior gives the profession a bad name.

[SnarkySheep]

Given how out of sync Will and Natalie were about the wedding, it really begs the question...have they discussed the *marriage* at all?? Like I could totally see Will wanting a bio child and Natalie saying that "they" already have a child so why have more, etc.

[marina707]

20 hours ago, Sarnia said:

I felt (not for the first time) that April's behavior towards Emily was totally unprofessionnal. Choi was a bit out of line as well in immediately thinking of abortion, but maybe he was talking as a brother and not a doctor. April should not push Emily in keeping the baby if that is not what she wants (nor should Emily be pushed to have an abortion if that is not what she wants). The right way to react, as a professional, would be to tell her : "these are the possibilities for you, if you have questions we can answer them", and as a human being, tell her "it's your life, you decide, and we'll be here to support you".

Maybe I'm a bit touchy on the matter but April's talk to Choi and subsequently to Emily about the baby pretty much ruined the character for me. If it's supposed to paint her as a compassionate person, it has totally backfired.

I think Ethan was talking as a brother and not a doctor, and just thinking about how a baby would make things harder on Emily given everything else she's dealing with. I feel like he and April were both addressing it from a personal standpoint and not a professional one. But regardless of their opinions, it is of course completely Emily's decision. (I wouldn't be at all surprised, though, if she decides to have the baby, and then either ODs and dies, or gets back into drugs and runs off, and Ethan and April end up raising it. Completely soap opera-ish, sure, but I feel like it'd fit right in with this show.)

Honestly, April has annoyed me for a long time. To me, she's always come across as very judgmental and the type of person who thinks everyone else should live their life based on how SHE thinks they should. I know (and am annoyed by) people like that in real life that I unfortunately can't avoid that easily, I don't want them in the shows I watch, too.

[candall]

On ‎9‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 11:46 AM, Xantar said:

The thing about the Chicago shows is they are all pretty good on the case of the week stuff and pretty terrible with the ongoing character arcs. Chicago Fire especially used to do some great rescue scenes (but lately they seem to have cut their budget). I watch Chicago Med because it has the least stupidity among the characters. And despite the dramatics, I find that it's still better than most other medical dramas in terms of focusing on the actual medicine. I mean have you people seen Grey's Anatomy, Code Black, or The Night Shift?

(I will say that I like The Good Doctor as well, but I have room in my viewing schedule to watch two medical dramas)

Ha, I was just going to ask whether anyone had watched the Grey's crew stammering and stumbling all over themselves in the season opener.  Chicago Med was like a model of decorum, comparatively.

And we won't have pouty, conflicted Reese to kick around anymore?  I'm in.

[mysticalflute]

I'm so sad about Reese being gone! Why couldn't they have gotten rid of Manning instead?! God damn. Hopefully I like some of the other characters as much as I liked Reese. :/

[statsgirl]

I don't know what to make of Bekker. If she's willing to sleep with Rhodes Sr. just to keep Connor in town, why isn't she better at dealing with him?

On 9/28/2018 at 12:46 PM, Xantar said:

The thing about the Chicago shows is they are all pretty good on the case of the week stuff and pretty terrible with the ongoing character arcs. Chicago Fire especially used to do some great rescue scenes (but lately they seem to have cut their budget). I watch Chicago Med because it has the least stupidity among the characters. And despite the dramatics, I find that it's still better than most other medical dramas in terms of focusing on the actual medicine. I mean have you people seen Grey's Anatomy, Code Black, or The Night Shift?

I thought Night Shift was pretty good in terms of the medicine, better than Chicago Med which has gone down hill.  Most of the medicine on Grey's is really bad but sometimes they hit a progressive mark like fecal transplants and the bariatric chamber.

On 9/28/2018 at 6:42 PM, SuzieQ said:

I didn't hate it, but that's as flattering as I can be!  Reese blaming Dr. Charles is as messed up as it gets! He's been more to her than psycho Daddy ever was.  I'm somewhat sorry to see her go because her character had potential, but such is life!  Au revoir Reese!

I don't know why they had to get rid of Reese when there were Bekker, April and even Manning who I think can go but I thought the explanation for her leaving, that working with Charles would always remind her of what happened, a good one.

On 10/1/2018 at 11:12 PM, marina707 said:

Honestly, April has annoyed me for a long time. To me, she's always come across as very judgmental and the type of person who thinks everyone else should live their life based on how SHE thinks they should. I know (and am annoyed by) people like that in real life that I unfortunately can't avoid that easily, I don't want them in the shows I watch, too.

April is judgemental, not compassionate. The "you'd know if you were a Catholic" is just ridiculous.  Ask the women who returned to Ireland so they could vote in the abortion bill.

Emily is emotionally immature for her age. The way interact with her is to scaffold her as she grows, not alternatively push her away and then tell her you're on her side.

Edited October 13, 2018 by statsgirl

[SnarkySheep]

On 10/12/2018 at 10:53 PM, statsgirl said:

April is judgemental, not compassionate. The "you'd know if you were a Catholic" is just ridiculous.  

People like April are one of the biggest reasons I left my own Catholic upbringing...she comes up with these absolute black and white statements, all holier-than-thou, for other people. But she's conveniently selective for her own needs and wants, e.g. having sex with boyfriends when she isn't married. You can't just pick and choose when religion works for you and when it doesn't. 

[Sandman]

I don't see the point of the Gwen Garrett character -- even bringing on a new executive-level hire doesn't make sense as a board decision when the hospital's been crying poor pretty consistently for most of the last season or two. The introduction of the character was entirely hamfisted: she was a passive aggressive glary-pants from the moment she met Goodwin, and the "stay out of my way!" escalation seems baseless. I feel certain that Heather Headley can do better than this, but it all feels very paint-by-numbers to me, especially since the show is already telegraphing that Sharon will eventually triumph thanks to the sheer native awesomeness at her disposal.  (And I think Garrett's math is suspect: didn't Awesome Sharon say that the hospital was committing funds to match the private donations? That is, 50% of the required funding has been secured, not one quarter. Maybe the hospital budget is wonky because no one in the C-Suite can actually add?)

But if Gwen Garett, COO, HBIC, wants to get rid of Stohl the Troll, I say let her. That guy gets on my last frickin' nerve.

And I used to like Reese a lot: I think her character has more or less been assassinated over the last season, and now they're dumping her; it annoys me. It also makes me wonder if the writers had it in for DiPillo in some way.

Oh, and there is nothing about Pop Rhodes ("Cornelius"? Seriously?) that is not creepy. It's too bad -- the most admirable, human-like thing Bekker ever did was to turn that skeeze down. Now I'm back to being annoyed by her.

Edited October 19, 2018 by Sandman

[awaken]

I’m sorry about what they did to Reese’s character, and I’m sorry she’s off the show. It would’ve been great to see her blossom and grow into the next generation of ER dr and join the rest of the team. Strange how they did that detour into psych and slow unraveling into boringness. She really had promise.