#OneChicago‘s trio of shows each introduced a new series regular (or two) this season, and now that we’re getting closer to finale time, TVLine is checking in on how the recruits have fared.
Over on Chicago Med, the hospital hired two additions, Army vet-turned-ED head Dr. Caitlin Lenox and TV actor-turned-ED pediatrician Dr. John Frost. Chicago Fire also tapped a new leader, Dom Pascal, to replace Chief Boden following his portrayer Eamonn Walker’s exit in the Season 12 finale. And last but not least, Chicago P.D. expanded its Intelligence unit with Officer Kiana Cook after losing Detective Upton last year.
Below, TVLine examines what audiences have learned about the quartet, what’s working well and what we’d like to see happen with the newbies. Plus, we invite you to vote for the character who has grown on you the most over the season.
Dr. Caitlin Lenox (played by Sarah Ramos), Chicago Med
Perhaps no new character has faced more of an uphill battle than Dr. Lenox, who ruffled feathers both at Gaffney and amongst viewers when she took over as the head of the Emergency Department, pitting her against Dr. Archer. Lenox’s management style is austere, and her approach to patient care is based strictly on the medicine, not emotion, creating tension with several docs and nurses. Her introduction injected the long-running drama with a heavy dose of conflict at a time when the series was starting to get a bit stale. And here’s the thing: Lenox’s ways are not always wrong, and she’s not inflexible or unfeeling when compelled by her colleagues or a patient.
As the season has progressed, we’ve also gotten some much-needed insight into Lenox’s background, courtesy of a visit from her brother. Her scene with Archer, in which she opened up about her mother’s illness and her father’s subsequent suicide, was particularly illuminating and a wonderfully surprising moment between two characters who have more in common than they probably want to acknowledge.
All in all, Lenox has evolved into a multifaceted addition to the Med staff. Now, if we could just get some more scenes with hair-down, leather pants-wearing Lenox and her love interest Dr. Hayes…
Dr. John Frost (played by Darren Barnet), Chicago Med
The hospital’s other new hire, emergency pediatrician Dr. Frost, came to Gaffney with the most unexpected and unconventional backstory: He used to be the teen star of a children’s TV show before he eventually became a doctor. The fun reveal allowed for some welcome levity as his colleagues learned of his past and good-naturedly teased him about it. But when his former TV mom arrived at the hospital, that’s when Frost’s past got really interesting and complex. With the reveal that the two had a romantic and sexual relationship when he was underage, Med dipped its toe into some complicated territory surrounding abuse and grooming. There’s still much to be mined from this storyline — but tread carefully! — and hopefully, it strengthens Frost’s already lovely friendship with Maggie.
Outside of the charge nurse, though, Frost has yet to form any strong bonds with the rest of the characters, making him feel like somewhat of an outlier. Certainly, Ripley could use a friend now that Sully’s gone…
And we know that Frost has a bad relationship with his parents, who mismanaged his acting money, but a visit from them would certainly help viewers to get to know the doc, who could use some more fleshing out.
Chief Dom Pascal (played by Dermot Mulroney), Chicago Fire
We do not envy Dom Pascal, who took over for Chief Boden, a figure beloved by Firehouse 51 and viewers, alike. So naturally, the series went in a totally different direction with the new boss, introducing him as a maverick who runs into danger and a chief whose leadership style is a far cry from Boden’s strong but kind-hearted approach. Although he irked some of 51’s firefighters with his management protocols (one-on-one meetings after incidents) and criticisms (why so much turnover on Truck, Stella?), he has slowly started to endear himself to his new team, going to bat for paramedic Violet, comforting Novak during a quietly emotional moment and supporting the merry-go-round on Truck and Engine.
Mulroney’s performance following the death of Pascal’s wife has been very affective, and seeing how the entire firehouse showed up for him at the funeral service was a Top 10 moment of the season. But wouldn’t Monica’s tragic demise have had more of an impact if we had actually gotten to know her and understand her marriage to Pascal before she died? What exactly happened between them in Miami? The couple’s early scenes had such a dangerous push-and-pull quality to them that it feels like we’re still missing part of the story and a big piece of who Pascal is.
Kiana Cook (played by Toya Turner), Chicago P.D.
If any new addition has had a seamless transition into the world of #OneChicago, it’s Officer Kiana Cook, whose memorable debut kicked off with a wild car chase/case alongside Ruzek. That incident immediately bonded her to the Intelligence unit member, but it didn’t stop there: She also worked an intense investigation with Torres, who even revealed some of his juvie past to Cook. With strong ties to two main characters and a knack for investigative work that impressed Voight, Cook was a natural fit for Intelligence.
Cook’s friendship with Torres has been particularly rich territory for the series after he compromised her safety during an undercover mission, the ripples of which are still being felt. But what about the rest of Intelligence? As the unit’s two lone female members, we hoped to see Burgess, who’s a detective now, mentoring her new colleague more. Surely, Atwater has some wisdom to pass down to Cook? And while it makes sense that Voight wouldn’t have the same close relationship with Cook that he did with Upton or Lindsay, does he have any relationship with Cook?
Finally, please bring back Cook’s wealthy, upper crust mom, because that was a fascinating dynamic.
