Written by Jennifer Amato
I can’t detect a pulse on Chicago Med.
The idea of following the Chicago Fire and Chicago PD series with a medical version is genius, considering each show has its share of violence, catastrophe and drama that is tended to by paramedics and hospital staff.
I’m not sure how a traumatic train derailment during the premiere of the medical drama could be boring, but I found it as such. Chicago Med lacks the edge-of-your-seat, can’t-turn-away, hold-your-breath moments that Fire and PD are so perfect at. In fact, for starters, Chicago Med is too gory for me so I spent most of the first half hour of the show looking away from the screen. Plus, there is a lot of medical terminology thrown around without an English translation, so it’s easy to get lost and lose interest right off the bat.
My favorite moments were as follows:
1. When Firefighter Christopher Hermann from Chicago Fire walked into the ER, singing.
2. When the fiancée of a man who dies agrees to donate his lungs to a young man with cystic fibrosis.
3. When the doctors end up at Molly’s, the bar owned by Chicago Fire firefighters.
4. When the preview for the entire season features the actress who used to play LuLu on General Hospital (Because I used to be a fan.)
5. When Chicago Med ended and Chicago Fire started.
Clearly, my top moments of tonight’s episode involve Chicago Fire
There are some elements of Grey’s Anatomy mixed in with the new Code Black – though they are less enthralling and less captivating. Plus, the doctors seem to have forced emotions and don’t exude tenderness with their patients, so I found it hard to identify with the characters.
However, overall, I think the show has potential and I think it will be successful in the world of Chicago fans. The disadvantage, for me, is that I am a huge fan of Chicago Fire and love the crossovers with “Chicago PD so this show falls short. The other two shows are much more powerful with better storylines, better characters, better actors and better filmmaking.
Rating: 6 out of 10
