SPOILER ALERT AND WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Chicago Med Season 11, Episode 17. It also contains discussion of suicide.

After Chicago Med had its best episode of the season, “Altered States” has a very high bar to clear. It has to resolve the fate of Dr. Daniel Charles, but it also has to be as emotionally compelling as “The Book of Charles.” The NBC show can’t have a potentially life-changing cliffhanger and then peter out at the end. Luckily, Season 11, Episode 17 delivers and is even more likely to make One Chicago fans reach for their tissues.

“Altered States” almost picks up exactly where “The Book of Charles” left off. Writer Deanna Shumaker opens with a surprising fakeout, in which the viewer thinks that Dr. Caitlin Lenox is rushing Charles into the ED, but then it’s revealed she’s looking at a completely unrelated patient who will never get mentioned again. Some audience members may chuckle nervously at being surprised; others may be annoyed by it. But that also serves as a little indicator that this is not going to be a standard Chicago Med episode.

Read the rest of this review at Fangirlish.

Chicago Med airs Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Photo Credit: Courtesy of NBC.

Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.