
Chicago Med Brings Back Dr. Sarah Reese for Fall Finale — Watch Promo
As revealed in a promo for next Wednesday’s Chicago Med, Rachel DiPillo will reprise her role as Dr. Charles’ former psych resident Dr. Sarah Reese in the fall finale (airing Nov. 20 at 8/7c).
DiPillo last appeared on the NBC drama six years ago in the Season 4 premiere, when Dr. Reese chose to continue her psych residency elsewhere after the discovery that her father was a serial killer and that Dr. Charles almost let him die.
“She had such a close relationship to Charles, and she feels betrayed by him and just can’t stay,” former showrunner Diane Frolov explained to TVLine at the time.
And it seems that there may still be some bad blood between Dr. Reese and Dr. Charles, who is stunned to see his former protégé back at Gaffney in the above promo. Once his gets over his shock, “Charles clashes with his former resident over a depressed patient,” per the official episode synopsis.
Elsewhere in the hour, “Goodwin’s troubles persist,” while “Lenox and Ripley treat a car accident victim who recently reunited with his college.”
Reese’s mentorship under Charles was a central focus of Chicago Med season 3. Despite her insecurities about the job, Reese performed well and seemed to have found her calling — until Reese’s manipulative father Robert Haywood (Michel Gil) returned to her life as a patient. In Chicago Med season 4, episode 1 “Be My Better Half,” Rachel DiPillo’s Dr. Reese decided to leave Gaffney Chicago Medical Center for good to begin a new life in Texas. With previous appearances in Chicago PD and Chicago Fire, this was Rachel DiPillo’s last appearance in the One Chicago TV franchise.
Sarah Reese left Chicago Med because when Charles figured out that Reese’s father, Robert, was a psychopathic serial killer, Charles withheld this information from Reese in an attempt to protect her. However, as with most secrets in the Chicago franchise, it wasn’t long until the truth came out. After Charles confronted Robert with the evidence and caused Robert to have a heart attack, he didn’t make any effort to resuscitate him, which Reese witnessed when she walked into the room.
While this certainly didn’t help Charles’ case, Reese ultimately left because she could no longer trust the one other doctor who helped her the most, both in her personal and professional life. Charles not only advanced Reese’s understanding of psychiatry, but he also helped Reese process the insecurities and paranoia that were holding her back.