Chicago Med 7×11 “The Things We Thought We Left Behind” is about the things you do to help others, and especially, the things you do for the people you care about. In the same episode that Will goes out of his way to do a Will Halstead thing – except this time, with support, and Sharon Goodwin does exactly the same, Maggie and Dylan both step out of their comfort zones for someone they care about.
The medical profession, by definition, requires a higher level of caring than normal people have. But Chicago Med isn’t just showing us the way these people care about their patients, though they do. Instead, it takes the time to show us how the patients they care, the doctors they work with and the personal situations that happen to them affect their lives, and their decisions.
And with a full team of interesting, diverse characters, it’s safe to say we’re about as invested as we’ve ever been. So, let’s talk about the Hamstead of it all, as well as the ways Maggie, Dylan and Sharon go out of their way as we discuss Chicago Med 7×11 “The Things We Thought We Left Behind”:
HAMSTEAD?
For Will, it isn’t about feelings. It’s just about doing what’s right. That’s always been the best (and sometimes worst) thing about Will Halstead. He leads with his heart, and sometimes that leads to problems, because he does things first, second, third and perhaps thinks fourth, if we’re lucky.
However, Chicago Med 7×11 “The Things We Thought We Left Behind” introduces an interesting wrinkle to the Will Halstead dynamic, the idea that, perhaps, what he’s always needed hasn’t been someone to put a stop to the brand of chaos he creates – but a partner.
Stevie and Will are setting up to be romantic, that much is sure. But, just like Upstead became the kind of ship that people could invest in, no matter what they’d previously liked or dislike, the way to make Hamstead an epic ship is to take time to get there. Which means that as much as I would have liked a bowling date (and was Will really going to go bowling by himself? Please tell me bro and sister-in-law were joining in), I’ll take what we got, a raincheck and no secrets.
Perhaps the best version of Will Halstead, and the best version of Stevie Hammer, is something they can help each other find. But that takes time, and trust. They’re already working on the second of those, they just need a little more of the first.
EVERYONE ELSE
The rest of the characters spend Chicago Med 7×11 “The Things We Thought We Left Behind” going out of their way for people they care about. Sharon Goodwin does the Sharon Goodwin thing and finds the sword she can fall into to spare her doctors, while Maggie (and Vanessa’s parents) puts personal comfort aside to make Vanessa happy. Plus, there’s Dylan.
It’s unclear what the point of bringing in this weird dynamic for Dylan, and that probably means we haven’t seen anywhere near the end of this storyline. In a way, it’s good. We’ve seen some of Dylan’s background, and it’s all been good. But no one is perfect all the time, and we all make questionable decisions. Bringing in one of Dylan’s gives him a dimension he didn’t have before. It’s just that I would like to understand.
Mysteries, I hate them. They need to be solved.
But whether it’s Dylan, Maggie or the bigger consequences sure to come from Sharon Goodwin’s decisions, one thing is for sure. These people care, and we care about them. That’s why absolutely everything is working on Chicago Med these days. Even Dean Archer.
Things I think I think:
- I really love Dylan, okay? Okay.
- At least there’s an explanation for Will’s awful shirt. But you shouldn’t even wear that bowling, Will.
- Stevie was flirting HARD at the beginning of the episode. The question is, did she realize she was?
- Every time someone says something was a long time ago and makes the face Dylan was making, that means they’re still holding on to something.
- Hospital politics are just like regular politics: rules don’t apply to people with money/power.
- I’m glad we’re getting Maggie and Sharon.
- Look, my favorite thing about Will is that he helps first, thinks second.
- I admit I was more than a little floored by the amount of trust Stevie placed in Will this episode.
- “You gotta trust me, Will.” AND HE DOES.
- And the way she said “Nice job, Dr. Halstead.”
- Sharon Goodwin being Sharon Goodwin is the best/worst.
- At least the marriage isn’t a secret anymore?
- I’m still very much disturbed by Dr. Archer behaving like a human.
- WHAT WAS THAT PROMO? DO NOT HURT SARAH RAFFERTY.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think about Chicago Med 7×11 “The Things We Thought We Left Behind”? Share with us in the comments below!
Chicago Med airs Wednesdays on NBC.
