Chicago Med season 5 midseason report: Will Halstead

What’s next

The obvious question when Chicago Med returns is the status of Will’s love life. Manstead fans will almost certainly be watching Natalie pine over him again, while the show has to actually introduce his new girlfriend. We know nothing about her beyond her name and the fact that she’s one of the new paramedics around the hospital.

The smart thing to do is develop her so we care that she and Will are together, not just use her as a speed bump keeping Manstead apart. But do the writers want that relationship to develop or is it just a placeholder?

And what about Elsa? Her crush on Will is best forgotten, but the two could end up developing a good friendship. Characters on this show are allowed to be friends without a romantic undertone, and we haven’t seen either Elsa or Will have a strong friendship play out on screen. The closest Will had was his bromance with Dr. Connor Rhodes (Colin Donnell), who’s gone now. So why not make them friends? Quirky, awesome friends.

We also need to see more of Will as a doctor. There was something interesting in him asserting authority over Natalie when he thought she needed it. That’s a leadership decision. Could we have a storyline similar to Chicago Fire where Will has a leadership opportunity someplace? Or he may be offered a promotion. But he’s matured a lot, and it should be reflected in his career.

Freeing Will from Natalie (at least for now) is a chance to further develop him as an individual. It’s just up to the producers to take that opportunity.

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