How Chicago Med could have written out Connor Rhodes

Chicago Med fans knew Connor Rhodes was leaving, but he didn’t get a proper exit. Here’s how Colin Donnell’s character could have left the show.

The Chicago Med season finale was also the last episode for Dr. Connor Rhodes. That wasn’t a surprise; producers had announced more than a month earlier that they weren’t bringing Colin Donnell back next season.

What was a surprise was the complete lack of an exit storyline for Connor. The finale “With A Brave Heart” didn’t make clear how or why he won’t be at the hospital when season 5 begins in September.

Instead, the last audiences saw of one of the show’s core characters was him finding out that his ex-girlfriend Dr. Ava Bekker (Norma Kuhling) had murdered his father so that they could get back together.

Connor rebuffed her disturbing advances, and—well, that was it. Instead of wrapping up his story, the finale went back to Manstead and its latest cliffhanger.

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Understandably, fans were upset. Chicago Med got rid of a popular and important character, but didn’t give him a substantive sendoff.

Now, if we happen to learn anything about Connor’s future, it’ll end up being a mention in a line or two of dialogue next season.

There has been no discussion that Colin Donnell will return in the season 5 premiere to wrap up Connor’s story, despite many fans suggesting he could.

But he, and Connor, and the fans who have loved that character for four seasons, deserved closure. And there were ways Connor Rhodes could’ve been written out properly.

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To be completely transparent, Connor’s storyline in Chicago Med season 4 was a bit of a mess, as it was largely centered on Ava and her increasingly unhinged behavior. Killing off his father just felt like deja vu on a show that had already killed Pat Halstead this season and almost killed Dr. Sarah Reese’s (Rachel DiPillo) dad at the end of last season.

Instead of having Cornelius Rhodes (recurring guest star D.W. Moffett) die, what if he had narrowly survived Ava’s attempted murder?

What if Cornelius had lived? Connor could still find out what Ava was up to by investigating what had caused his near-death, and Cornelius might have served as a valuable witness to prove the truth about Ava—after all, he was also involved in another accusation against her, having claimed they had sex for hospital funding (which audiences can only assume is true since she confessed to one of the many things she was suspected of).

Chicago Med fans wanted to know the truth about Ava, and to see her held responsible if she was guilty. It would have been so satisfying to see Connor have a blowout confrontation with his ex, or march into Sharon Goodwin’s (S. Epatha Merkerson) office armed with damning evidence.

In keeping with the show wanting him to reconsider his opinion about his dad, Connor could have made up with Cornelius through realizing he was right about Ava—and that would have opened the door for him to leave the hospital.

After all the drama with the person who used to be his closest co-worker, and everything he’d been through previously with his dad, Connor could say that he needed to get out of Chicago to clear his head and decide what he wanted to do next. The hospital is now the site of so much emotional baggage for him, and he’d already left Chicago once to attend med school in Mexico and get away from his dad.

Maybe he’ll leave town with Robin Charles (Mekia Cox), who still seemed to genuinely care about him, and give that relationship another chance. Or maybe he’ll just go to Hawaii and relax at the beach (he could look up Jeff Clarke). It doesn’t matter where he goes, as long as he’s happy.

But in a hopeful, heartwarming moment, Cornelius could ask if Connor is coming back. And Connor can say yes, leaving the door open for a better future between them—as well as possible guest appearances by Colin Donnell in future episodes. That would have been an excellent ending, and Chicago Med missed a big opportunity.

For the latest Chicago Med season 4 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago Med category at One Chicago Center.