Chicago Med season 5 character review: Natalie Manning

Our prognosis

The only thing that’s clear for Natalie going into Chicago Med season 6 is that a relationship with Crockett seems to be a done deal. It’s no surprise, given that the writers want every character to be in some kind of a romantic pairing, but will they address Natalie’s relationship issues at all? Her last boyfriend turned out to be a liar and had a few screws loose, and before that, her wedding was ruined by witness protection. She should be gun-shy and a little wounded, not just dive into another inter-hospital hook-up.

But who is she going to be, beyond that? Her only confirmed relationship outside of the hospital is with her son, and we hardly ever see Owen. We’ve discussed this in past seasons, but there would be nothing wrong with showing more of Natalie as a mother. The One Chicago universe as a whole doesn’t showcase a lot of parenting with its main characters; not many of the series regulars have kids and those that do, we rarely see their kids unless it’s part of a plot. Why not show Natalie as mom and celebrate how she’s balancing career and parenting?

Plus, it’s surprising that Chicago Med hasn’t had her comment on Will’s new relationship with Dr. Hannah Asher (recurring guest star Jessy Schram). Usually when one or both of them is in a new relationship, the other half of Manstead gets jealous. Natalie has barely noticed Hannah. Does that mean she doesn’t care or the writers just haven’t gotten around to it yet? It’d be nice if they avoided it altogether, but given recent trends on the show, it also seems unlikely.

If she somehow doesn’t comment, then perhaps this really is a turning of the page for Natalie, and the sixth season could be a brand-new start.

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