ONE CHICAGO Women: Chicago Fire 5×02 & Chicago Med 2×05 recap

A call that ended in severely injuring one of Firehouse 51’s own and an accident that left some of the Gaffney Chicago Med Center personnel having to improvise on the field – it was a super dramatic and eventful week in NBC’s ONE CHICAGO world. Read on to find out what happened with the leading ladies of Chicago Fire, and Chicago Med (due to the presidential debate there was no Chicago P.D. this week)…

CHICAGO FIRE — “A Real Wake-up Call” Episode 502 — Pictured: Monica Raymund as Gabriela Dawson — (Photo by: Parrish Lewis/NBC)

Gabriela Dawson: This week we see Dawson back on ambo with Brett until the whole Jimmy Borelli debacle blows over. However, by the episode’s end it looks like the position is going to be permanent, but something tells us that Dawson doesn’t mind. Also, this week we see Dawson and Louie settling into their new home – Casey’s apartment. Things are going well but Dawson is still struggling to find the right nanny for Louie. Her problems are solved in this episode when she finally finds one – the sister of Firehouse 51’s receptionist Connie! Speaking of Louie, Casey is pressured – let’s be real , basically blackmailed – by a fellow alderman to side with him otherwise he’ll reveal to the press that Casey used his position as alderman to help Dawson jump the line in the process of fostering Louie last season. A protective Dawson tells Casey to do whatever it takes, there is no way she is losing that little boy.

Sylvie Brett: The paramedic’s collaboration with Mouch begins this week and initially he’s not too impressed, namely due to the fact she’s rewritten his work, and therefore leaving Brett to declare that them teaming up was a mistake. However, after a call to the home of a self published author, which happens to be a lush penthouse, Brett decides she wants back in – just as Mouch realises that the work Brett has done is really good. Fun aside, we leave Brett on a somber note by the end of the ep as she and the rest of Firehouse 51 witness Jimmy Borelli walk into a sudden explosion of flames that sets him on fire and burns half of his face (including his left eye which cannot be salvaged). Brett tearfully tries to do what she can to help him while on the scene and is clearly shaken up and upset as they wait for news of her former partner in the hospital waiting room.

CHICAGO FIRE — “A Real Wake-up Call” Episode 502 — Pictured: Miranda Rae Mayo as Stella Kid — (Photo by: Parrish Lewis/NBC)

Stella Kidd: Picking up where we left off last week where Severide had wounded Kidd’s ex Grant in self defence while trying to protect Kidd from the unstable man, Kidd still can’t see the problem right in front of her. Miraculously Grant survives and is going to make a full recovery, yet Kidd is pushing Severide away and refuses to press charges against her ex despite the fact that it could have ended very differently had Severide not intervened. We then discover the reason for Kidd’s reluctance and a bit more about her history – it turns out when she was a teen, she too was an addict and ironically it was Grant who saved her and helped her put her life back together. She knows how difficult it can be and doesn’t want to see him behind bars from the mistakes he has made. That being said, Kidd does recognise that she needs to let go and cut ties with him and she tells him that she is out and for good.

CHICAGO MED — “Extreme Measures” Episode 205 — Pictured: S. Epatha Merkerson as Sharon Goodwin — (Photo by: Elizabeth Sisson/NBC)

Sharon Goodwin: I feel like as the Chief Administrator rather than one of the doctors or nurses, it’s sometimes tough to see Sharon involved in an emotional storyline, so it’s nice to see some of the spotlight on her and her personal life this week. After Dr Charles informs her that her ex has contacted him and wants to catch up, Sharon decides that after months of being separated, it is now time to move on with her  life and she arranges a meeting with a divorce lawyer. Yep, it’s happening. And I wonder if we’ll now see her start to move on in a more social situation – at the end of the episode, Dr Rhodes invites her out for a drink after work and they end up at a tropical themed bar that Dr Rhodes likes to frequent – it was a favorite of the late Dr Downey’s and Rhodes happens to know the owner, who he introduces to Sharon, and I don’t know about you but I sensed some sparks between the two. On the professional side of things, it’s always hard when social services have to be notified and get involved with a case and the case with Dr Manning’s patient this week is no exception. Once again Sharon is the one who keeps calm and level headed – I guess you could say that she’s in charge for a reason!

Maggie Lockwood: After a few Maggie-centric episodes, we’re back to minimal Maggie this week. We see her making sure the ER is running smoothly, especially with the heatwave and Chicago Marathon, and also see her warn April to wait for Dr Halstead when April runs into some trouble with a victim downtown.

CHICAGO MED — “Extreme Measures” Episode 205 — Pictured: Torrey DeVitto as Natalie Manning — (Photo by: Elizabeth Sisson/NBC)

Dr Natalie Manning: This week Nat treats an 8-year-old patient with hearing problems. Unsure as to what the problem may be, Nat arranges for some scans and once she gets the results back, it turns out to be a complicated case. First, the young patient asks her mother when she can speak to her daddy, to which the mother quietly confides that the father passed away a few months ago but she hasn’t had the heart to break the news to her daughter yet. Nat offers to get Dr Charles and Dr Reese involved to help break the news, but when they approach the mother, she confesses that the father is not dead but rather she left him because she thinks he was abusing their daughter when she wasn’t around. However, the suspected child abuse turns out to be a genetic condition. But the problem is, when Nat first suspected child abuse and shared her suspicions with Goodwin, the chief administrator had to involve child services as protocol. Now that it’s been revealed that the child abuse is non-existent, the mother has basically kidnapped her child and so Olinsky from Chicago P.D. as well as some family services personnel show up to take the mother away, leaving Nat feeling bad about the situation.

CHICAGO MED — “Extreme Measures” Episode 205 — Pictured: Yaya DaCosta as April Sexton — (Photo by: Elizabeth Sisson/NBC)

April Sexton: April is manning the medical tent at the Chicago Marathon with her brother Noah when they’re alerted that a man has been crushed by a large vehicle. Due to the heatwave, paramedics are blocked up and it will be awhile until help arrives on the scene. Luckily Dr Halstead and Dr Nina Shore are in the area competing, however an impatient (and unqualified) Noah decides that they can’t wait for the doctors to get to them and cuts into the patient right there in the med tent so by the time the two docs get to them, Dr Halstead has no choice but to perform an impromptu surgery out in the field. Due to last season’s shenanigans and impulsive decisions, Halstead is understandably nervous about doing such a thing and also second-guessing whether he’s made the right choice once the patient is taken to Chicago Med and Dr Rhodes takes over. Thankfully the patient survives (and without paralysis) and April admits that despite her initial warnings to her brother not to touch the patient, he made a call that saved the patient’s life.

CHICAGO MED — “Extreme Measures” Episode 205 — Pictured: (l-r) Oliver Platt as Daniel Charles, Rachel DiPillo as Sarah Reese — (Photo by: Elizabeth Sisson/NBC)

Dr Sarah Reese: We get a bit more backstory to Reese this week after her mother cancels on having dinner with her and her boyfriend Joey, and as an apology, sends Reese a cheque for one thousand dollars. Sheesh! Initially Reese is pretty mad that her mom is unable to spend time with her own daughter, but by the episode’s end she has resigned herself to the fact that this just how her mother is and she could be worse off. On the work side of things, Reese is consulting on Nat’s patient and is left feeling frustrated at the situation when the mother is taken away by police in the end. She recognises that the mother is not a bad person and that she was just trying to protect her child. This case is also what had Reese easing up on her attitude towards her mother. I  have to say that I am loving that we get to see Reese shine this season and that she’s a lot more comfortable in her skin!

CHICAGO MED — Pictured: S. Epatha Merkerson as Sharon Goodwin — (Photo by: Chris Haston/NBC)

Shout Out of the Week: This week I’m giving it to Chicago Med‘s Sharon Goodwin. As I mentioned earlier, being the Chief Administrator, S. Epatha Merkerson’s character doesn’t always get to have the big emotional or personal storylines, so it was nice to see Sharon take charge and attempt to move on with her life. Plus, how nice was it to see the often underused Merkerson have a scene where her character is smiling and laughing at the episode’s end!

Chicago Fire airs Tuesdays at 10/9c, Chicago P.D. airs Wednesdays at 10/9c and Chicago Med airs Thursdays at 9/8c. Chicago Justice will debut mid-season. All four shows air on NBC.

Related items:
ONE CHICAGO Women: Chicago Fire 5×01, Chicago P.D. 4×04 & Chicago Med 2×04 recap
ONE CHICAGO Women: Chicago P.D. 4×03 & Chicago Med 2×03 recap
ONE CHICAGO Women: Chicago P.D. 4×02 & Chicago Med 2×02 recap
ONE CHICAGO Women: Chicago P.D. 4×01 & Chicago Med 2×01 recap