Chicago Med concluded its fourth season on several big cliffhangers, some of which left lives hanging in the balance. While the footage released of Season 5 so far hasn't revealed much about what happens to Will and Natalie after the terrible car crash in the finale, fans do know that Med said goodbye to two different major characters: Connor and Ava. The good news is that Med is adding at least one new doctor who could help fill the void left by the two departed docs.
News broke back in August that Chicago Med was adding a new Emergency Department doctor by the name of Crockett Marcel, to be played by Dominic Rains of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in what is bound to be a very different role. Med showrunners Andrew Schneider and Diane Frolov spoke with CinemaBlend about what's coming in Season 5, and they teased this about Dr. Marcel:
Diane Frolov: He has a different energy than the other characters. He's a kind of easygoing guy.Andrew Schneider: He may wind up disrupting some relationships.Diane Frolov: He's a funny character. He has a different perspective.
Considering the stress of the Season 4 finale -- which left Will and Natalie in very real danger, Connor dealing with the mystery of his father's death and how Ava may or may not have been involved, Maggie facing a breast cancer diagnosis, and April and Ethan potentially with a baby on the way -- it might be a very good thing to have an "easygoing" and "funny" kind of guy in the mix. Andrew Schneider and Diane Frolov's comments about Dr. Marcel are certainly fuel for speculation in the final days of hiatus before the Season 5 premiere.
That said, if Dr. Marcel is "disrupting some relationships," then not everything will be easy with the easygoing new guy in the mix. There is the question of what relationships could be disrupted. Will and Natalie are already a bit of a mess, even if they both survive the accident unscathed, and Philip is still around as of the Season 4 finale. Connor and Ava's relationship would undoubtedly be a thing of the past even if the characters were slated to both return. As of now, only Connor is confirmed to reprise his role for just the Season 5 premiere.
Will Dr. Marcel disrupt Dr. Charles and Caroline, who are already facing eventual heartbreak? Or perhaps April and Ethan? Or will he get in the way of a relationship that hasn't even begun on screen yet? It's entirely possible that Chicago P.D. isn't the only show in the Chicago universe adding a new significant romance. Maybe it won't take much more than the new doc sharing his different perspective to mix things up.
When news first broke of Dominic Rains landing the new role for Chicago Med, Deadline reported that he would be a "hard-partying doctor" willing to gamble, drink, and party through the night as long as he could plug himself into an IV drip when he arrived at work. Rains is currently a recurring member of the cast; could he be bumped up to regular status?
Only time will tell on that count, but fortunately, the wait for the Season 5 premiere is finally almost at an end. Chicago Med premieres its fifth season on Wednesday, September 25 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. The Med premiere will be followed by the Season 8 opener of Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. ET and the Season 7 opener of Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. ET. The three shows will come together for a massive crossover later in the fall TV season, so be sure to tune in.
