A personal clash between Asher and Archer reaches a breaking point as Halloween arrives in Chicago Med season 11, episode 5!
Halloween came early for Chicago Med fans as the fifth episode of the season sprinkled in a bit of holiday spirit into the episode. Rather than doing a full-on Halloween episode, the writers opted for a more reserved celebration, though the episode did bring about some tricks and treats.
Early in the episode, we catch up with Dean and Hannah as they head in for an ultrasound. As the doctor arrives, she asks the pair if they would like to know the baby’s sex which is when things quickly get awkward. Hannah wants to keep the sex of the baby a surprise, while Dean wants to know the baby’s sex. He eventually sides with Hannah, but he does so a bit passive aggressively, hinting that this disagreement will evolve into something bigger.
Things get even more intense when the doctor informs the pair that some of the levels on the tests they ran are abnormal. While she is not worried about the results as all of Hannah’s tests had come back positive, she does suggest they monitor things and Hannah agrees, noting that’s what she would recommend to her patients as well. Archer disagrees, and pushes for answers and whether additional tests should be performed, such as an amniocentesis to check the baby’s genetic markers.
When Archer says Hannah can’t keep using the OB card to shut down his concerns, she quickly quips that she can use the “It’s my body and I don’t want any tests” card as the pair leave the appointment.
Following the appointment, Hannah throws herself into her work and helps treat a young girl who comes into the ED who seems to have had a miscarriage. When gathering cultures, Hannah discovers that the girl gave birth and refuses to tell them where the baby is.
When Burgess is called in, she questions the girl about the location of the baby. She eventually tells Burgess about burying the baby, and they find the baby buried learning the baby was stillborn. As the episode winds down, Hannah asks the girl why she didn’t seek out help and the girl notes doing so would mean it was real. It’s a moment that seems to hit close to home, hinting that perhaps Hannah pushed back about doing the tests and finding out the sex of her baby as doing so would make it real.
As the episode ends, Dean invites Hannah to pass out candy with him, and she seems to take it personally when he makes comments about cravings his ex-wife had when pregnant. It’s clear that the reality of the situation seems to be sinking in for Hannah, and she’s struggling with some personal fears.
Elsewhere in the episode…
Bert’s health is deteriorating and Goodwin is struggling to cope
When we first catch up with Goodwin, she’s visiting Bert at the assisted living facility where he resides and it becomes clear that his health is getting worse. He’s not engaging in their conversation, starring off into space, and nearly knocking his glass off the table due to his lack of spacial awareness. When Goodwin moves his glass to prevent him from spilling it, Bert raises his voice and lashes out at her about her not needing to be there. Goodwin yells back at him as she gathers her belongings and leaves.
Later that morning as she arrives at Gaffney to begin her work day, she bumps into Dean and opens up about her morning. While Bert had his shortcomings, she mentions how he never raised his voice to her during their marriage or in the years she’s known him. It’s not just the pain of seeing Bert this way that’s weighing on her, as she’s also mad at herself for losing her composure and yelling back at him.
As the episode comes to a close, Goodwin gets a call from the facility informing her that Bert has been injured in a fall. She races to the facility where she learns that Bert had a fall and hit his head. Paramedics are on the scene, but it seems Bert has not regained consciousness since the fall.
Dr. Charles questions his future at Med
As he gets ready for the day, Charles is surprised by a visit from two friends from med school, who drop by to celebrate his birthday. In doing so, they lay it on pretty thick about him retiring. The conversation gives him pause, but he finishes getting ready in his office and heads down to the ED>
Charles and Ripley team up to treat a young boy named Lucas brought into the ED after he hit the curb while running away from his teacher at school. The boys seems to be seeing monsters, which makes Ripley wonder if perhaps it could be early onset schizophrenia, but Charles isn’t sure.
When speaking with Lucas, Charles asks him to draw a picture of what he’s afraid of. The boy then draws a picture of a monstrous looking man and says that it’s Charles. Curious to see test a theory, Charles takes a picture of himself on his tablet and shows the boy the photo. Rather than seeing a monster, the boy sees Charles as he is, which tips him off to what could be occurring.
Charles informs Ripley he believes Lucas is suffering from Prosopometamorphopsia, also known as PMO, a disorder that the boy’s mind is playing a trick on him and causing distortions. As Charles meets with Lucas’s foster parents, he realizes he might be having some migraines, and he’s also struggling to sleep.
It turns out that the boy overheard his foster parents talking about his birth parents, both addicts, trying to regain custody. We learn that the boy’s parents had been abusing him, tying him to his bed and withholding food from him when he broke any of their rules. Thankfully, with Charles’ help, the boy will be able to stay with his foster kids.
He also makes it clear he’s not ready to walk away from his job, joking with Goodwin about being the glue that keeps the place together and throwing the golf clubs gifted to him by his friend in the closet in a move that made it clear he’s not ready for retirement.
Ripley and Sadie continue to grow closer
After a crazy shift, Ripley joins Sadie as she takes her daughter Amelia out trick-or-treating. Like all kids, Amelia begs her mom to let her go ahead with her friends and Sadie agrees, after some convincing. During the conversation, it seems as through she doesn’t trust Ripley when he offers to help keep an eye on Amelia as well, which is when Ripley proves again why we love him.
Sadie opens up about struggling to let go ever since the well incident. She’s afraid of looking away again and something happening to Amelia. This is when he assures her that whenever he’s around, he’s going to have his eye on her too and that he won’t let anything happen to her on his watch.
Hold onto him Sadie, you’ve got a good one in Ripley!
