The following contains major spoilers from Chicago Med Season 10, Episode 4, “Bad Habits,” which debuted Wednesday, Oct. 23 on NBC. It also contains discussion of pregnancy loss.
TV viewers know that Halloween-themed episodes are an excuse to try different things. Chicago Med Season 10, Episode 5, “Bad Habits” takes that holiday license and runs with it… a little too much. Most of the strange cases that come into the hospital’s Emergency Department aren’t interesting, and even some of the show’s best actors seem lost in all the chaos. Sometimes, less is more.
“Bad Habits” takes place on Halloween, and showcases some of the patients who wind up in the ED instead of trick or treating. While it does bring back nurse Jackie Nelson to continue to develop her, the rest of the hour feels scattered. Between a mixed bag of cases and bringing up old subplots, this is an episode that is entertaining in the moment, but likely to have little staying power.
Chicago Med Leans Into Halloween in the ED
Season 10, Episode 5 Features a Number of Bizarre Cases
Chicago Med isn’t the first medical drama to utilize Halloween in order to have weird problems for its doctors to solve. The issue is that there are too many of them, and almost none of them are compelling. Dr. John Frost, the new character played by Road House alum Darren Barnet, gets the worst of it. He treats a forgettable teenager who gets bitten by a bat, and then winds up being bitten by a second, unrelated person who has escaped from the hospital’s psychiatric ward. The vampire reference is obvious, particularly because it’s been done before. If not for Frost’s involvement in other characters’ storylines, he wouldn’t have that much to do.
There’s also Lenox treating an injured Halloween performer who has no relevance to the rest of the episode, and the obligatory opening in which most of the main characters dress up in costume and hand out candy. While some of the costumes are cute — like Frost and resident Naomi dressing up as Minions — it still feels cheesy. And that’s the fundamental flaw with “Bad Habits.” The script seems to be overly focused on coming up with fun or strange ideas, and it doesn’t make sure those ideas can actually sustain an entire storyline. There are only two cases of the week that carry any weight, and a plot for Asher that winds up feeling like a takeoff of the paramedicine program that Sylvie Brett started before she left Chicago Fire.
As scattershot as “Bad Habits” is, that might be forgiveable if it also wasn’t going back to established subplots and a few Chicago Med tropes. This episode proves that the drama surrounding Sharon Goodwin’s death threat has already gone on too long. The death threat first came up in Season 10, Episode 3, “Trust Fall,” and there hasn’t been a major step taken toward identifying the person responsible. Instead, there have just been two episodes of ominous Goodwin shots and now her pepper spraying a neighbor’s son. Dragging out the suspense wouldn’t be so bad if the writers were also showing an actual search for Goodwin’s nemesis.
On a similar note, this episode also reminds viewers that Gaffney Chicago Medical Center has the worst security of any TV hospital. Not one but two patients escape from the psychiatric ward — and nobody notices the second one until he assaults Frost. The explanation given is that Kevin must have gotten out when Ted escaped… but shouldn’t security have done an immediate head count and/or taken extra precautions when the first breakout happened? Of course there’s some dramatic license, yet even by that standard, the inability of hospital security to do anything of note is still astounding.
The jokes about Frost’s previous career as a child actor are already tired out (they weren’t that funny to begin with), and Episode 5 also brings back Lilah Richcreek Estrada as Sarah Reese replacement Nellie Cuevas for exactly one scene, so she can complain about having to come in to the hospital. And even going back to the Ripley and Sully storyline can be considered suspect; the script has good intentions, checking back in on Sully’s girlfriend Lynne and their new baby Nate. But how long can Chicago Med keep that plotline going? With Ripley’s name cleared and Pawel mercifully written out, there’s going to come a point where even that story feels tired, no matter how entertaining it is to see Hope Lauren and Luke Mitchell working together again after they played exes in The Republic of Sarah.
Chicago Med Gives Lenox a Breakthrough Moment
Season 10, Episode 5 Shows a New Side of the Character
The biggest accomplishment in “Bad Habits” is that Chicago Med finally shows another side of the abrasive Dr. Caitlin Lenox. The new co-chief of the ED has been a difficult character to watch, as she’s butted heads with near everyone while the series hasn’t shown what she has to offer. But there’s a moment in this episode where Lenox is able to calm down the autistic son of Dr. Hannah Asher’s patient, and it’s the first time that audiences understand Lenox’s value, and see her as more than a budget-cutting taskmaster with a clipboard. The writers don’t build upon that, though, as Lenox doesn’t want to talk about the accomplishment afterward.
Dr. Hannah Asher: Dr. Lenox is a mystery.
Maggie Lockwood: Even possibly to herself.
Yet it’s critically important that viewers see that Lenox has a heart, because they have to care about seeing her every week. They have to be able to connect with her. “Bad Habits” is the first time that happens. The key scene does happen after Lenox had originally tried to have the patient sent home and Goodwin had to intervene, so Lenox isn’t going to become less prickly overnight. It’s worth watching to see what, if any involvement she has with Asher’s new mobile women’s health clinic. Will she continue to question Asher or could she get on board with the idea?
Chicago Med Season 10, Episode 5 is a big step forward for Lenox and another strong week for Jackie, but largely forgettable for everyone else. Strange cases aren’t enough to make an episode interesting, especially when those cases mostly feel underdeveloped. There has to be something underneath that the audience finds rewarding. And aside from Jackie talking to Dr. Charles about the stigma of being in a psychiatric ward, there’s no big moment that will stick in the mind of the viewer. It’s a good effort, but there have been much better episodes.
