S04.E17: The Space Between Us

[WendyCR72]

This airs on March 27th. And a vehicle crashing through the hospital? Hello, latest ER callback! (Although Dr. Tagliari seeing the pizza delivery car in the ER and quipping, "Did somebody order a pizza?" will probably not be topped.)

Quote

When a car unexpectedly smashes through the ambulance bay doors, Dr. Choi makes some difficult decisions in an effort to save a worker trapped beneath the wreckage and April, who's also in danger.

[preeya]

Dr. Charles wins this week's Douchebag award.

Choi a close second, and Ava comes in third.

[watcher1006]

It occurred to me that the cardiothoracic unit of Chicago Med was very strained for resources in this episode. Rhodes and Bekker performing the tumor removal surgery on the heart of the driver who crashed, Rhodes also on the team of doctors helping the man pinned under the car, and on top of that a teenager with CF needing an immediate lung transplant. Did Latham himself perform the transplant surgery on the girlfriend? Even if he did there would have been a need for specialized assistants and equipment, equipment, equipment. Can the cardiothoracic unit of a real hospital deal realistically deal with such a situation?

[cathmed]

Seems like it took the love of the CF kids for Halstead to (finally) understand that the memories he and Nat have/had won't be forgotten and it's time to move on.   And BTW, he continues to be referenced but will we ever see Dr. Latham again??

Ava's jealousy is showing as Robyn saved the day with the risky heart surgery patient and that she saw the happiness in Connor with Robyn.

April's push-pull relationship with Choi has become tiresome.  Naturally he will have concern for the patient and her; unsure why she didn't understand that he cared until the end.

And Dr. Charles has to learn to let go and accept things he can't control.

Next week's episode - I figure logically it may be his father or perhaps his sister (who I've not seen since S1, I think).   Other possibility could be Robyn since she's not returning to the show permanently.   Don't believe it would be Ava but who knows!

Edited March 28, 2019 by cathmed

[Ohwell]

April and Choi bring no joy to each other.  They need to just be colleagues because I'm just tired of watching the angst on their faces.

Dr. Charles' ex-wife looked like one of the Little Women of Atlanta when she was sitting in that chair.   

[mrsbagnet]

22 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

April and Choi bring no joy to each other.  They need to just be colleagues because I'm just tired of watching the angst on their faces.

She seems to bring out the worst in him, which is the opposite of what an SO is supposed to do for you. Every interaction he has with April makes me lose more respect for him. I can't even blame her anymore.

ETA: It's like he becomes desperate around her. Not a good look for him.

Edited March 28, 2019 by mrsbagnet

[izabella]

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

Dr. Charles' ex-wife looked like one of the Little Women of Atlanta when she was sitting in that chair.    

How long was that infusion, because she seemed to be there all day long?  Is that normal that you spend an entire day in a chair getting poison pumped into your body?

[statsgirl]

1 hour ago, izabella said:

How long was that infusion, because she seemed to be there all day long?  Is that normal that you spend an entire day in a chair getting poison pumped into your body?

Depends on the drugs. I had four different ones so I was there till they were closing up at 5.

But at least I didn't have to watch April and Choi together.

[cathmed]

1 hour ago, statsgirl said:

But at least I didn't have to watch April and Choi together.

Yeah, be grateful for small favors, LOL!!   

Edited March 28, 2019 by cathmed

[cathmed]

5 hours ago, Ohwell said:

April and Choi bring no joy to each other.  They need to just be colleagues because I'm just tired of watching the angst on their faces.

5 hours ago, mrsbagnet said:

She seems to bring out the worst in him, which is the opposite of what an SO is supposed to do for you. Every interaction he has with April makes me lose more respect for him. I can't even blame her anymore.

Agreed on both posts.  Unsure what this dysfunctional behavior and indecisiveness is that she continually exhibits towards Choi--and worse, why he seems to allow it.   Similarly like with Manstead - either deal with it or end it (and Will finally seems to be moving on).   I mean, I presume that's why Choi broke up with Vicky - to be with April or did I miss something?

Edited March 28, 2019 by cathmed

[langford peel]

Is it wrong that I was wishing that April would turn into a panini in this episode?

If they are going to do this right they have to make that nurse wear a red shirt before they send him out to be a victim. That's traditional for crying out loud.

[Ohwell]

51 minutes ago, cathmed said:

I mean, I presume that's why Choi broke up with Vicky - to be with April or did I miss something?

Yes, he broke up with Vicki over April.  So Vicky's done with him and now he's stuck with whiny, sour-faced April. 

I also wish she'd ditch those false eyelashes.   

[rhys]

1 hour ago, langford peel said:

Is it wrong that I was wishing that April would turn into a panini in this episode?

Hilarious.

[Guildford]

Correct me if I am wrong but with organ transplants isn't there some kind of tissue matching/blood typing that needs to happen? Don't you need everything to match for it work. It's not just oh look 'you're next.'

What are the odds of BF/GF being the exact same blood type etc to be able to use the same set of lungs? And having two fairly average ER docs involved is just lazy writing. There is no way when that kid came in would they be even required beyond a basic triage....oh you've got CF, who is your regular physican, we will call him...

Also....what good memories did Will & Nat have, they were miserable the whole time they were together? Her kid hated him, they spent more time breaking up than actually being together, they fought constantly at work. I am at a loss as to what good memories he's talking about.

[alexvillage]

2 hours ago, langford peel said:

If they are going to do this right they have to make that nurse wear a red shirt before they send him out to be a victim. That's traditional for crying out loud.

LOL, Bones.

But then they would have to get Rhodes to wear his Batman cape and mask. Because he is Batman right? *Hey, let's try this experimental thing that my not-girlfriend heard about and is on the phone with the researcher who OBVIOUSLY will let me in all the detail because I am Batman and I need to save two lives at the same time today, so I can manipulate the heart with no plan at all, no informed consent to do this experimental thing on this patient, but hey, I am BATMAN!*  

Do the writers even bother to approach reality anymore? There is a lung that will be here in 15 minutes but we have to try everything we can  *in the freaking ER* to get this sweet kid the lungs, but it is 15 minutes, we also need to prep him for surgery, a transplant. Never mind that he is alone, we didn't talk to him about post op and recovery, there is nobody from the transplant team in the ER, and the lungs will be here in 15 MINUTES!

When the lungs cannot be transplanted: look that girl with the visitors badge is the next in line, let's get her up there without any tests, forms or talks either, even though the lungs are barely viable now. And look! she is just out of surgery and is ready to run a marathon, it seems.

Show of hands: who wanted Choi to join April under the car and then cheer when the whole thing collapsed on them?✋

[Ohwell]

✋

[Guildford]

1 minute ago, alexvillage said:

When the lungs cannot be transplanted: look that girl with the visitors badge is the next in line, let's get her up there without any tests, forms or talks either, even though the lungs are barely viable now. And look! she is just out of surgery and is ready to run a marathon, it seems.

I was going to comment on her rapid recovery and then I realised I had zoned out and had no idea if she'd had the surgery or not and wasn't interested enough to go back and check.

It was like the epically dangerous co-joined twin separation last season.

Chicago Med...the place where you either have a rapid miracle recovery after experimental surgeries or you die.

[preeya]

34 minutes ago, Guildford said:

Chicago Med...the place where you either have a rapid miracle recovery after experimental surgeries or you die.

Mostly die. I knew that kid was a goner as soon as he was diagnosed by Mr & Mrs. Frick & Frack. 

Edited March 29, 2019 by preeya

[Guildford]

12 hours ago, preeya said:

Mostly die. I knew that kid was a goner as soon as he was diagnosed by Mr & Mrs. Frick & Frack. 

Really they need to give these people black toe tags as soon as they come in and 'The Frick 'n' Fracks' are assigned to them. 

[Brookside]

All those people could have just lifted the front of the car and dragged the guy out.  And when they were all running around at the beginning why did they keep leaning on the (unstable) car?  (I'm reminded of a time in college when a bunch of friends and I carried a car from the carpark into the dorm lounge.)

Most redundant line of the episode: Choi to April, "Be careful."

Edited March 30, 2019 by Brookside

[Ailianna]

The guy's leg was trapped inside the wheel well.  They couldn't just lift the car off since that wasn't really the problem.

[Ohwell]

22 minutes ago, Ailianna said:

The guy's leg was trapped inside the wheel well.  They couldn't just lift the car off since that wasn't really the problem.

Ahh, now that you mention it, I do remember that.

[SG11]

On 3/28/2019 at 1:50 PM, icemiser69 said:

Will was creeping me out with his constant staring at his ex.  I hope this episode puts an end to it.

I was torn. I kinda liked him when he showed up on PD but he’s dissolved into this wimpy cesspool since his awful relationship with Miz GunHater.

However, by the end of the episode, I was SO sick of her rubbing her new relationship in his face the entire time. She couldn’t wait to jump at someone else, whose wife’s death certificate ink hadn’t dried yet. But she has to have him in the ER and acting all googoo with him in front of Will. It’s unprofessional, inconsiderate and perfectly selfish and narcissistic.

She a great example of someone whose beauty is eventually overlooked by how unlikable she is.

[Ohwell]

Does the guy need to take his baby to the hospital for checkups or something?  Otherwise, I don't understand why he showed up at hospital.   If he wants to see her, he can wait until her shift is over.

I know people grieve in different ways and it varies as far as how much time they need, but he seems to have gotten over dead wife pretty quickly.   

Edited March 31, 2019 by Ohwell

[starri]

8 hours ago, SG11 said:

However, by the end of the episode, I was SO sick of her rubbing her new relationship in his face the entire time. She couldn’t wait to jump at someone else, whose wife’s death certificate ink hadn’t dried yet. But she has to have him in the ER and acting all googoo with him in front of Will. It’s unprofessional, inconsiderate and perfectly selfish and narcissistic.

I'm already not a fan (I mean, I think I like Bekker more than Natalie, which is REALLY saying something), but having the new dude constantly around is even crueler than she normally is.

In terms of stretching the credulity of actual medicine, this may be the show's absolute nadir.

[Lyanna19]

On 3/28/2019 at 4:02 PM, langford peel said:

Is it wrong that I was wishing that April would turn into a panini in this episode?

If they are going to do this right they have to make that nurse wear a red shirt before they send him out to be a victim. That's traditional for crying out loud.

This. 👆 

I have a horrible confession to make, I kept hoping the car would come down on April, just the one side, so the other guy gets out. But then I thought, no! Dr. Choi would forever be haunted by it and would never be free from the caterpillar eyes. 

That psycho Bekker is still here?!?!!? 🤔 

[Texasmom1970]

The car would not be able to crush April wit those super sized false lashes; it would hold the car up!

[sweetandsour]

The writing's too boring for this, but I really wish the person Connor's talking to on the phone and screeching about "getting you the money!" is someone who knows what he did last summer.

I hope Don is roommates with Hank, the nurse we'd never seen before a few episodes ago and will never see again. They can bitch endlessly about Choi together. Good Lord. I'm still annoyed at him. 

I wonder if the actors read the scripts and are like, "oh dammit, more character assassination that I have to portray," and then think about their contracts and paychecks.

You know that, if she hadn't moved on already, Natalie would be super pissy about having to see Will with a new lady constantly at their place of work. But what would this show be without double standards. That should be the title of the next show in the franchise - "Chicago Double Standards."

On the plus side, the episode got off to a good start for me when I didn't see Heather Headley in the guest credits. She's probably a lovely person, but I hate the CEO.

[Chick2Chic]

I'm still ok with Ethan & April but the writing remains weak. 

I need Chicago Med to find a way to keep Mekia Cox around. Connor & Robin are just so lovely together. The added bonus of Ava's stankface because she knows that Connor will never feel remotely the same about her warms my black heart. 

[SnarkySheep]

17 hours ago, sweetandsour said:

I hope Don is roommates with Hank, the nurse we'd never seen before a few episodes ago and will never see again. 

God, yes. Basically they called Don by name ONCE, and that was supposed to be enough to establish him as staff/someone the Med folks care about, so WE are supposed to care about him. It's such lazy writing. Honestly, they should just have had the CF girlfriend get hit by the car while trying to leave the hospital...it would have made the same difference.

Speaking of, the CF patients were like 18-20 - are we supposed to believe neither one has parents or siblings who would come rushing over during such a serious time? The guy was dying and there wasn't even a single mention of calling someone.

[Ohwell]

1 hour ago, SnarkySheep said:

Speaking of, the CF patients were like 18-20 - are we supposed to believe neither one has parents or siblings who would come rushing over during such a serious time? The guy was dying and there wasn't even a single mention of calling someone.

Yes, I forgot to post about that after the episode but I wondered about that too.  Where were their relatives?  

[dogdays2]

18 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Where were their relatives?  

Speaking parts cost money.  And having a discussion with relatives takes time away from the oh-so-meaningful stares and words of April and Choi and Frick and Frack . . .

Not to mention that the lungs not working for him and working for her plot was telegraphed almost from moment one. 

I find it hard to tell whether the writing is terrible (and bad writing makes even good actors look bad) or whether the acting is so bad that it can't overcome a decent (if not great) script.  Or maybe it's all bad. 

[cathmed]

On 3/28/2019 at 6:32 PM, Ohwell said:

Yes, he broke up with Vicki over April.  So Vicky's done with him and now he's stuck with whiny, sour-faced April. 

I also wish she'd ditch those false eyelashes.   

Thanks, and I bet he's having second, third and fourth thoughts about that---or should be!

[DebbieM4]

On 3/31/2019 at 2:13 AM, SG11 said:

I was torn. I kinda liked him when he showed up on PD but he’s dissolved into this wimpy cesspool since his awful relationship with Miz GunHater.

However, by the end of the episode, I was SO sick of her rubbing her new relationship in his face the entire time. She couldn’t wait to jump at someone else, whose wife’s death certificate ink hadn’t dried yet. But she has to have him in the ER and acting all googoo with him in front of Will. It’s unprofessional, inconsiderate and perfectly selfish and narcissistic.

She a great example of someone whose beauty is eventually overlooked by how unlikable she is.

I agree with all of this.

And why does New Boyfriend have to go thru the ER to bring his baby to the hospital for checkups?  If it's just to see Natalie, she needs to tell him that's not appropriate and he should use the regular entrance and go upstairs or whatever.  She's working, but I guess she doesn't care about that.  She'd rather abandon her work and act all snuggly with New Boyfriend in front of her recent ex.   That's everything you said, and also not nice!  Are we supposed to care about her?  Because I totally don't.

I used to think she was attractive, but now not at all.  I've often thought that personalities come thru on people's faces.  

[DebbieM4]

On 4/1/2019 at 4:52 PM, SnarkySheep said:

Speaking of, the CF patients were like 18-20 - are we supposed to believe neither one has parents or siblings who would come rushing over during such a serious time? The guy was dying and there wasn't even a single mention of calling someone.

I thought I had maybe missed a throwaway line about family or parents or someone.  But reading these posts it seems as though there was no mention at all.  Even if they weren't so young, there would have been at least, "Can we call someone?", and especially when things went sideways they would have been asking the girl if he has family, next of kin, whatever.

So apparently he had no one and she had no one.  Super-realistic!  🙂 Or maybe they did.  But neither of these nimrod doctors thought to ask.  

[RedbirdNelly]

agree with all of the above. Chicago Med makes doctoring look easy. You've got plenty of time to wander around, escort people to their appointments, etc. No one is ever busy.

I don't know why I bother getting annoyed but it bugged me at the beginning when Dr. Red Hair calls Natalie in on a case and along the way to the room decides this is the moment to give her back her key. Maybe save that for when they are not supposed to be focused on a patient.

I did not get Choi constantly asking to switch with April. How is that supposed to work? and why? how will that help the patient? and I don't think he would fit. It was stupid for him to keep asking. Also stupid for April to act like it was nuts to take her safety into account. That's kind of standard procedure isn't it? In a lot of situations you are supposed to address the emergency without creating a high risk of someone else getting hurt. Having 2 flattened nurses hardly seems like a good idea.

If you ever find yourself thinking "that 3rd year with blond hair sounds like the rational person on the treatment team" that is a sure sign you are doing your job wrong. Psych hold? really?

[Chas411]

I thought since Maggie told poor Dom to go to the ambulance bay she might get some airtime dealing with his injuries, her guilt. 

But no, it was just so April could play the hero while making it all about her and Act like a spoilt little bitch ordering both Choi and Severide around. 

Choi acted like a love obsessed moron. I also lost a bit of respect for Sharon as well for not not removing him from the scene completely. It was plain for anyone with a half a brain he was too into April to assess the situation fairly so obviously All the idiots at Med missed it. 

[awaken]

On 3/28/2019 at 12:15 PM, Ohwell said:

Dr. Charles' ex-wife looked like one of the Little Women of Atlanta when she was sitting in that chair.   

I couldn’t get over how much like Oprah the ex wife looked!  My brain couldn’t compute that it wasn’t her!