If you’re a big fan of happy endings, you’ll love the midseason finale of Chicago Med Season 8. While romance is often placed on the show’s back burner due to the chaotic nature of the hospital, One Chicago fans finally got the wedding of their dreams between Dr. Ethan Choi (Brian Tee) and April Sexton (Yaya DaCosta).
Episode 9, titled “This Could Be the Start of Something New,” centered around the day before Ethan and April’s wedding, with Ethan giving Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson) his notice from the hospital. Ethan reveals that he and April have plans to launch a mobile clinic to provide healthcare to underserved communities in the city—hopefully so that fewer people need to go to the emergency room for primary care. The moment is bittersweet between the ED doctor and his longtime supervisor, with Sharon making jokes about Ethan putting her ED out of business with his plans.
“Good for you,” Sharon tells him, and it’s clear from the look on her face that she feels nothing but pride for Ethan and the next step he’s taking with April.
Ethan’s last day in the ED proves to be an eventful shift when he learns April has admitted her father, who is complaining of severe chest pain. Remember, this man is expected to walk April down the aisle in the next 24 hours, so you could argue the stakes are high. Understandably, April becomes anxious about their circumstances and asks Ethan if they should postpone the wedding.
Ethan says they should move forward as planned, but it’s clear April is struggling with some pre-wedding jitters that are certainly not being helped by her father’s condition. April and Ethan attempted the whole marriage thing before, and it didn’t work out, so anxiety is expected. At one point, Ethan suggests her father’s pain might be stress-related, which sparks a deeper conversation for the soon-to-be newlyweds when April asks Ethan if it’s normal to feel so anxious before a wedding.
“Are you feeling anxious, April?” Ethan asks.
“No,” April explains. “Well…not more than anyone else would be. It’s a big step. Marriage.”
“You’re not having doubts, are you?” Ethan asks her.
“No,” April admits. “Not doubts. I’m just- Ethan, you’ve never been married before. I’ve never been married before.”
“Look, when you asked if we should postpone the wedding,” Ethan recalls. “Do you want to postpone the wedding?”
“Of course not,” April brushes him off. “I’m so good,” but it’s clear something is left unsaid between the pair.
While April’s father’s condition mystifies Ethan and April for the majority of the episode, Ethan finally discovers that it’s treatable with minor surgery, which can be scheduled for after the wedding. As soon as his condition finally clicks for Ethan and April, a huge weight is lifted off their shoulders, which seems to help clear their heads about their pre-wedding anxieties.
Ethan pulls April to the side and comes clean about his own side of the story. “Look. I’m nervous too,” Ethan admits.
“You are?” she asks.
“Yeah. Here I am asking you to change your life, leave your practice,” Ethan explains. “And I worry one day you’ll say, ‘What have I done? This whole thing is crazy!'”
