I didn’t see that one coming.
Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 4 could have gone in a different, darker direction for Hannah, and part of the reason it didn’t is that she received support from a surprising source.
No, not Ripley, though I’m also surprised that he isn’t being such an ass that I want Hannah to write him off completely.
Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 4 Offered One Of The Best Stories About Addiction And Relapse Ever
Hannah’s mental health took such a hit after Eloise’s death that I was sure she would relapse. If she were a real person, I’d apologize for not believing in her.
I studied addiction in two different training programs, so I know that having a tough time doesn’t necessarily mean a person will relapse into drug abuse.
The problem is that most television shows go with the tired TV trope of the person with an addiction problem going from long-term sobriety to full-blown active addiction the second they feel tempted.
Not Med, though.
Hannah was in rough shape for most of the hour, and her exhaustion, depression, and refusal to go home could have been signs that she had used.
Instead, Hannah did the responsible thing, at least as far as her drug addiction goes.
She reaffirmed her commitment to sobriety by going to NA meetings every day before work so that she could get the support she needed to stay sober.
Hannah: You run, I work.
Ripley: So that’s your coping mechanism?
Hannah: That and daily NA meetings. I’ve been going every morning before work.
Ripley: Did you…
Hannah: First time in four years I even though about using. But no, I didn’t use.
That doesn’t mean she’s out of the woods. She was working too much and admitted to Ripley that she was using the job as a coping mechanism.
That’s not healthy. She’s essentially trading one addiction for another by using work to distract herself from the pain.
Still, Hannah’s choice to manage her illness by getting support instead of automatically giving in to the desire to use was a positive, uplifting social message that viewers who may be struggling with addiction right now need to hear.
The ER Case Meeting On Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 4 Was Better For Hannah Than She Realized
Lenox’s decision to have Hannah go over Elise’s case with the group could have been a disaster.
It’s understandable why Archer rushed to protect Hannah when Kai suggested she had overlooked getting an abdominal ultrasound for Eloise, and Hannah might not have been happy about being on the hot seat.
This was the new policy that Sarah Ramos told us Lenox would be instituting soon, and I love it even though it can be super uncomfortable for doctors.
It’s a good idea for doctors to review case outcomes regularly with an eye toward improvement rather than assuming that’s an exercise for interns that they can abandon once they get their full licenses.
Additionally, Hannah wouldn’t have gotten some surprising but much-needed support from Lenox after the meeting if she hadn’t had to examine Eloise’s case critically.
The meeting itself undoubtedly shook Hannah up, thanks to Archer and Kai’s refusal to act like adults.
Kai did his usual superiority complex thing (I swear, that man gives Abrams a run for his money in terms of being a smug know-it-all!) and Archer responded with personal attacks. Way for the ED co-chief to keep it classy.
It also triggered Hannah’s desire to tell Lenox how sure she was that Eloise’s death was due to her oversight.
That gave Lenox the chance to do something she hasn’t done since arriving at Med: be supportive.
Lenox: I agree that Eloise’s death was caused by a doctor’s negligence, but that doctor was not you. And I don’t know why I am explaining this to you because you are too smart a doctor to think otherwise.
Female friendships are a rarity on TV, and it was refreshing for the seemingly hypercritical new ED co-chief to extend some empathy during Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 4 to a doctor who had gotten lost in guilt and shame that was not deserved.
Ripley also redeemed himself somewhat by apologizing to Hannah and offering her support.
I still don’t like them as a couple. There’s been too much nonsense between them, and Ripley was so awful to Hannah during the Sully debacle that I’m not sure an apology is enough.
Still, I’d rather they get along than continue having obnoxious and unnecessary conflicts for the sake of drama.
Jackie’s Return Story Paralleled Hannah’s In Some Ways
I have to admit, even with the recap scenes. it took me a minute to recall who Jackie was.
She last appeared on Chicago Med Season 9 Episode 12 — the same episode where Marcel had to cancel the liver transplant a little boy desperately needed, leading to his exit story.
No wonder I’d forgotten about her!
Jackie’s original story was that she was cutting herself to deal with the pressure of working in the ED, and Dr. Charles eventually had to put a 72-hour hold on her to stop her from hurting herself.
She was the mysterious face from the past who was slated to reappear in the ED on Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 4, which led to a second strong mental health story that dovetailed nicely with Hannah’s.
Jackie had the opposite problem from Hannah. While Hannah was working too much, Jackie couldn’t get Maggie to trust her enough to let her do real work.
This is a problem that isn’t addressed on TV enough. The only other show I can think of offhand that has dealt with the way well-meaning people mistreat someone who has returned from in-patient treatment is Heartstopper Season 3.
When someone has a mental health condition, treating them like they’re fragile won’t help anything, especially if they’re trying to support their recovery by getting back to their normal routine.
Maggie was afraid to let Jackie work because she thought she would trigger a relapse if she did, but trying to manage Jackie’s mental health this way was only leaving them frustrated.
Additionally, it wasn’t Maggie’s job to decide what Jackie could handle, and trying to do so was counterproductive.
Similarly, Archer had to learn to let go of Sean.
He ruined his relationship with Margot because he couldn’t separate her need to run her rehab center appropriately from the fact that his son was the one she had fired, and was prepared to go to ridiculous lengths to get Sean his job back.
This kind of annoying behavior is why Archer is often a character I don’t want to hang out with. He’s too controlling, and a lot of his behavior is irritating.
Also, why did he have to assume that Margot meant something deeper than wanting to see him when she texted him?
I can’t stand it when people look for hidden meanings in everything. I know it’s a stereotypical guy thing, but that doesn’t make it any less annoying.
Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 4 Was Unusually Dedicated to Mental Health
In addition to Hannah and Jackie’s storylines, Dr. Charles tried to support a woman whose severe mental health issues caused her to pour acid in her own eyes, and Ripley and Frost dealt with what they thought was a father with Munchausen Syndrome by proxy.
Most of the hour was dedicated to these types of mental health issues, and the father turned out to have a neurological condition that he couldn’t afford to treat, causing him to make up stories about his daughter’s health so he could get the medication he needed to prevent seizures.
That last one would have made an interesting case for Brilliant Minds‘ Dr. Wolf to consult on if only they weren’t in two different parts of the United States.
I loved the emphasis on mental health.
I’m often frustrated with the way television misrepresents mental illness and the people who have it, so it’s refreshing that Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 4 devoted most of the hour to depicting these issues sensitively and accurately.
Over to you, Chicago Med fanatics.
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