Spoilers ahead for the midseason finale of Chicago Med Season 7, called “Secret Santa Has A Gift For You.”
Chicago Med celebrated the holidays with an episode featuring a tree lighting, carols, ugly Christmas sweaters, and even a neurosurgeon dressed like Santa Claus, but it wasn’t exactly the merriest of episodes. Characters dealt (or didn’t deal) with some secrets, while Goodwin made a decision regarding Will’s fraud investigation that could have long-term consequences. Throw in Dylan’s work with a baby to continue showing how far he has come from his days as a cop and Crockett kissing Blake of all people, and fans have a lot to think about over hiatus. Fortunately, the showrunners have shed some light on what’s on the way in 2022 after the midseason finale.
The episode ended with plenty of unanswered questions about what comes next, but the biggest cliffhanger happened when Goodwin decided to tell the FBI about the VasCom Medicare fraud, resulting in both Jessa and Cooper being arrested in the middle of the Med Christmas party, with FBI agents swarming. The board had specifically said that the FBI shouldn’t be told to keep any heat off of the hospital, and Goodwin gave Will the impression that they both needed to let the case go.
It was as much a surprise to Will as anybody else that Goodwin went to the feds, and according to showrunners Andrew Schneider and Diane Frolov, that story isn’t done just because two culprits have been arrested. Schneider previewed how “Secret Santa Has A Gift For You” sets up what happens next on the show with this storyline:
The Medicare fraud story comes to a head in [Episode 9], in the finale, but there's fallout from that, and that has to be dealt with going forward. It's not a simple conclusion to a story. It's a muddy conclusion to a story, or partial conclusion.
Even though Jessa and Cooper will evidently pay for their crimes, the storyline isn’t over. Whether that means the fallout will come from the FBI in a continued investigation or just Goodwin facing the music from the board for going against their directive remains to be seen. However it unfolds for her and for Will, we can only hope that the stress doesn’t affect her health any more than it has already!
The FBI agents who turned up to make the Christmas party arrests seem to be entirely different from the feds who have been causing trouble for Will’s brother over on Chicago P.D., but Med isn’t done with stories that touch on the CPD. The introduction of Dylan in Season 7 as a CPD cop-turned-doctor has taken the show in some new directions, and that’s definitely not over. Diane Frolov weighed in on whether Season 7 will continuing exploring his past:
Yes, we love exploring that conflict between his role as a doctor, as a pediatrician, and his past as a cop. Those two worlds, they're often in conflict with one another.
That conflict between his past as a cop and present as a pediatrician has been fleshed out thanks to several appearances by P.D.’s LaRoyce Hawkins playing Officer Kevin Atwater, in a TV season where crossovers within One Chicago are still relatively rare. Andrew Schneider spoke about making those Atwater crossovers happen for Dylan’s story:
You know, there's always logistical issues, but we all work out of the same studios. And all the ADs and line producers are all collegial. And so we get it worked out. So in fact, we're planning some more with him and the cop world, in the back half [of Season 7].
So, fans should prepare for the show to delve back into Dylan’s backstory in the second half of the season, and likely with LaRoyce Hawkins showing up as Atwater some more. Whether or not there are any more elaborate crossovers remains to be seen; One Chicago previously would air one big crossover between Med, P.D., and Chicago Fire each season, and then one between P.D. and Fire, but production precautions have prevented those kinds of events over the past two seasons.
Another new character who has gotten some meaty story material in Season 7 has been Stevie, whose complicated relationship with her mom spilled over into her work life earlier in the season. Her mom has departed Chicago, but is the storyline really done? Diane Frolov previewed what’s ahead:
We're gonna return to that storyline after the break. So it will continue.
Chicago Med set up some exciting new storylines for the second half of Season 7, even if it seemingly wrapped up some plots like Will’s undercover investigation. There’s also the absence of Ethan to account for, and after Crockett’s kiss with Blake, it’s easy to understand why the showrunners already said that his flirtation with her daughter “complicates things” ahead!
The bad news is that Chicago Med won’t be back next Wednesday with a new episode on NBC to reveal the initial fallout of the cliffhanger, as the show is headed into winter hiatus for a few weeks. For when Med (as well as Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and more) will be back in the new year, be sure to check out our 2022 winter and spring premiere schedule, and check back with CinemaBlend for more One Chicago coverage for Med, Fire, and P.D.!
