Critic’s Rating: 4.8 / 5.0
4.8
I’m not sure I’m okay after that ending.
In retrospect, Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 3 gave too many huge hints that something was wrong to expect anything else.
Still, I didn’t think I’d be this heartbroken as the credits rolled.
Eloise’s Sudden Turnaround Was Hard To Believe, But It Was Effective
At the beginning of Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 3, Eloise distrusted Hannah so much that she accused her of ordering a C-section to make more money.
Hannah: Thanks for the assist in there.
Maggie: I’ve been where she is, trying to navigate the medical system as a Black woman. Most of the time, our concerns are dismissed.
Eloise had been jaded by the number of doctors who dismissed her pain as no big deal, but there was also a racial component to her distrust.
Eloise had reason to be jaded — her concerns had been dismissed by doctor after doctor, and she likely felt that Hannah was yet another white woman who thought Eloise couldn’t possibly know her own body.
After Maggie’s intervention, though, Eloise completely dropped her distrust of Hannah, and the two even spoke on a more personal level, almost like friends.
That was unrealistic. Eloise confiding those feelings to Maggie would have made more sense, given the circumstances.
Still, the ending needed Eloise to trust Hannah more. This television death wouldn’t have been nearly as powerful if Eloise had not trusted Hannah when Hannah said she would survive.
That was what delivered the real gut punch on Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 3.
It wasn’t just that this woman died before her husband could even get there or that her daughter would grow up without a mother.
It was that after Eloise finally trusted Hannah completely, Hannah couldn’t save her.
Having a death completely break a doctor is a tired TV trope that has been featured in dozens of medical dramas over the years, but in this case, it was effective because of that irony.
Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 3 Touched Upon Some Important Issues But Didn’t Explore Them Fully
There are too many doctors who dismiss women’s health concerns. It’s something that shouldn’t be happening in 2024, but it is anyway.
And when you add in the potential for racism, those numbers are even worse for Black women.
Eloise’s stomach pains and other physical problems were dismissed over and over, which probably contributed to her death on Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 3.
Perhaps if whatever the issue was had been caught earlier, she wouldn’t have died.
I wish that Chicago Med had explored this social justice issue more thoroughly, though.
Med didn’t have a lot of time to dwell on it, but it deserved more than one comment from Maggie about how Black women are often dismissed and Eloise’s death just as things were going well for her.
It would have completely changed the story if Eloise had demanded a Black doctor, but it would have driven home the point that she felt white women didn’t take her seriously.
That would also given Maggie a bigger role in the story than she had, which would have made the story stronger.
What Will Happen To Hannah After Eloise’s Tragic End?
As far as the hospital board goes, Hannah will be fine.
But I’m worried about her mental health.
She’s dealing with both the loss of this patient and her relationship unraveling — she doesn’t know Mitch is ready to forgive her, and it’s unclear whether she wants to accept his apology yet.
That’s a lot for anyone to deal with, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Hannah’s mental health took a hit.
With Hannah’s history of addiction, that could lead to serious trouble. I hope I’m wrong about that, but it seems like she could be headed for a relapse or at least a major slip.
Sharon’s Story Also Underscored The Point About Misogyny, But Did We Need The Death Threat?
Sharon’s conversation with Peter on Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 3. also implied that she deals with misogyny on a daily basis.
Peter, true to annoying form, didn’t appreciate his lunch with donors being interrupted to deal with actual hospital business, and he blew Sharon off with an empty promise to talk to the board in her place.
She only had to ask him for that favor because the board would never listen to her even though she outranks him.
Sharon said it was because the board only sees things in terms of dollars and cents, but would they have treated a male board member that way, particularly one who has a powerful position in the hospital?
When Sharon outmaneuvered Peter by making the donors see the consequences of their inaction on the overflow issue, he was so aggravated that I wondered if he was the one sending Sharon death threats.
Peter: A lot of people are seriously pissed at you.
Sharon: Join the list.
That would be an interesting plot twist, but I’m not happy with this death threat story.
I know we’re living in crazy times where death threats are so disturbingly common that many people have become numb to them, so someone COULD threaten an administrator for a perceived slight.
It’s not that I don’t enjoy a good thriller. I love the genre so much that I’ve written in it myself occasionally.
But this Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 3 story felt out of place.
It was too much like something that would happen on Days of Our Lives, with a mysterious person sending handwritten threatening notes.
It didn’t feel like organic drama. Additionally, while building up some mystery is great, the audience has absolutely no idea what’s going on or who could possibly have a problem with Sharon, and I don’t enjoy those kinds of random mysteries.
Final Thoughts About Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 3
- I’m glad the Pawel story is over, but could Ripley be any more of a jerk? Even Scully realized how ridiculous Ripley was being.
- Dr. Charles’ story demonstrated a real problem with AI. It’s not that it’s stealing peoples artwork or writing; it’s that it is programmed to please the user, and that skews its responses.
- I love Sarah Ramos, but Dr. Lenox is the latest character on a medical drama to turn everything upside down to increase efficiency. Enough already!
- Did anyone understand the point of the randomly singing patient on Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 3? If you do, please explain it in the comments!
- Frost’s big secret was anticlimactic. I hope there’s more to his past than having starred in a sitcom as a teenager.
Over to you, Chicago Med fanatics.
What did you think about Hannah’s storyline on Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 3? Were you more able to handle it than I was? I was a mess afterward!
Vote in our poll to rate the episode, and then hit the comments with your thoughts.
Chicago Med airs on NBC on Wednesdays at 8/7c and on Peacock on Thursdays.