Chicago Med Season 10, Episode 14, “Acid Test” is the rare episode where the comic relief subplot outshines everything else. The dramatic plotlines are good enough to make the installment worth watching, but it’s the comedic story that really holds the audience’s attention. If nothing else, perhaps this episode will get the writers to lean more into the funnier and quirkier elements that the show used to have.
“Acid Test” sees the hospital get a surprise inspection, while the cases of the week all involve parents in some way, whether it’s an abusive father or an overbearing mother. Meanwhile, Dr. Mitch Ripley finally seems to hit rock bottom as his downward spiral continues. But the best part of this episode by a mile is Dr. Dean Archer accidentally winding up under the influence of LSD.
Chicago Med Season 10, Episode 14 gets its name from an early scene in which Steven Weber’s character Dr. Dean Archer treats a man who is quite clearly under the influence of acid. During this exchange, an LSD-laced sticker winds up on Archer’s arm, meaning that he spends the rest of the episode on an involuntary high. It’s worth acknowledging that in general this isn’t funny and there are ways this could have turned out a lot worse. However, the show chooses to play this for humor — and it does so very, very well.
Most of the credit for that success goes to Weber. Some One Chicago viewers may not remember that a lot of the actor’s early success came in the comedy world. He’s still well-known and loved for his starring role as Brian Hackett in the long-running NBC sitcom Wings. A few years after Wings ended, the network gave Weber his own short-lived sitcom entitled Cursed (later retitled The Weber Show), and he’s also appeared in episodes of Will & Grace and Monk, to name a few. While he’s moved effectively between comedy and drama his whole career, his comedic characters really pop off the screen, and that’s what happens to Archer in this Chicago Med episode.
Weber knows how to play this version of Archer so he’s funny, but not so exaggerated that he just seems stupid or off-putting. In general, it’s a heck of a lot of funny to see a far too happy version of Dean Archer, since in general he’s the complete opposite. But there’s a real joy that is generated by seeing him on screen — both because it’s hilarious, and because Weber creates a certain warmth for this take on the character. In the one semi-serious scene where Archer gives Dr. Hannah Asher some unsolicited advice, audiences can tell he really means it, even if he is under the influence. Chicago Med could have done a whole episode about what’s happening with Archer — but what fans do get is pretty darn great.
Other parts of Chicago Med Season 10, Episode 14 are strange, but it’s because they don’t necessarily work. Another of the subplots involves the medical equivalent of a “secret shopper” when a representative from the National Accreditation Board of Hospitals shows up to evaluate the hospital. However, this plotline never gets off the ground for multiple reasons. The first is simply that it feels like false jeopardy; viewers know that Gaffney Chicago Medical Center can’t close because if it did, the series would be over. Plus, they also know that Gaffney has already absorbed the overflow from the closed Jackson-Monroe Hospital in the Chicago Med Season 14 premiere. It’s mentioned here that a poor NABOH evaluation is what got them shut down. But would the organization really then close the hospital that was designated to fill the void and create an even bigger one?
The second reason the NABOH storyline fails is just poor characterization. The organization’s representative is written as a caricature — a nitpicking guy with zero social skills or personality. He’s the dramatic equivalent of health inspector Hugo Habercore from Bob’s Burgers. There’s no reason he couldn’t have been developed to feel like a real person, which would have given his criticisms more weight in the eyes of the audience. And the way the main characters behave isn’t flattering either; they’re more concerned with ducking the guy. Maggie gives Naomi (and apparently everyone) the advice that they should pretend they have to go to the bathroom instead of answering questions, since they might answer incorrectly. Later, Maggie herself sneaks a look at the inspector’s notebook when it’s left behind. At least Sharon Goodwin comes off as professional, telling him that proper healthcare can’t be judged by the distance between two trash cans.
The most confounding plot point, though, is that an emotional Lynne kisses Dr. Mitch Ripley when the two are alone at her home. It’s a totally unnecessary and cliche development. Lynne is a wonderfully developed character who could stand on her own; she doesn’t need to be connected to Ripley for the audience to care about her. And having her kiss Ripley in a moment of grief simply feels there just for the sake of drama. Hopefully, since she seems to regret it, this is a one-off event and Chicago Med won’t further undermine Lynne and Ripley’s friendship (as well as the great relationship that had been built between Lynne and Sully) by having the two of them hook up, especially since “Acid Test” ends with Hannah dumping Ripley.
Other than Archer being high, the best part of Chicago Med Season 10, Episode 14 is something viewers never see on screen. Fans may have noticed that Brian Tee — who formerly portrayed Dr. Ethan Choi — is listed in the credits as the director of “Acid Test.” It’s not Tee’s first episode as director, but he’s in really excellent form here. The second reason Archer’s storyline works so well is because he’s being directed by his former scene partner. Tee knows how to shoot Archer’s scenes in a way that doesn’t emphasize that this is supposed to be funny. And if anyone knows how to get the best out of Steven Weber, it’s the guy who worked closely with him from the moment Weber joined Chicago Med.
When it comes to the more serious plotlines, such as the young boy allegedly shot by his brother who is actually being abused by his father, Tee has a very unobtrusive hand. The camera feels more like a fly on the wall, with the close-ups not overused. He gives the episode a natural flow that makes it stand out as much visually as it does for what’s happening on screen. Tee is also still busy as an actor, but given his knack for being behind the camera, Wolf Entertainment would be wise to do what they did with Milena Govich and develop him as a director. Some of the One Chicago franchise’s best directors have been actors, like Govich and Eriq La Salle, and Brian Tee can be on that short list.
