Dr. Caitlin Lenox (Sarah Ramos) have repeatedly proven herself to be a capable force on Chicago Med. The character has been around for less than a season, and has already vaunted herself to the front of the line when it comes to diagnosing tricky ailments. It's Lenox's personal life that's taken a nosedive, however, and will continue to do so in the upcoming episode "Baby Mine..."
The promo for "Baby Mine..." confirms that Lenox will be forced to confront her relationship with Dr. Hayes (Brendan Hines), a man who reportedly sexually harassed a co-worker. Lenox rarely tolerates nonsense or unethical behavior, but Hayes has repeatedly been someone who has served as a sort of kryptonite for her. Lenox not only put up with Dr. Hayes' flirtatious behavior in the workplace, she entertained it. She even planned to go to Myrtle Beach with him before the allegations came to light.
Now, the doctor will be forced to take a stand against Dr. Hayes, souring one of the few outlets she had for workplace connection and reaffirming all the negative feelings she has about, well, people as a whole.
Lenox decides to take Dr. Hayes down
"I'll light myself on fire," Lenox assures Dr. Hayes in the promo. "Just to watch you burn with me." It's worth noting that Dr. Hayes used the same moves to harass Cardiothoracic Resident Naomi Howard (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut) that he did to seduce Lenox. That's how Dr. Lenox realized that Howard was telling the truth, which only deepened the sense of betrayal she felt.
These revelations came to light in the Chicago Med episode "The Invisible Hand," and Dr. Lenox voiced a desire to divulge what happened to the Gaffney board. Naomi was initially hesitant to let Lenox step up, fearing it would damage her career, but the promo for "Baby Mine..." confirms that it gets out. "This allegations against Dr. Hayes is a big deal," says Dr. Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson).
Dr. Lenox is the resident stickler at Gaffney Medical Center when it comes to the rules. We can count on one hand the number of times she has led personal investment get the best of her, and it's usually because one of her peers makes a desperate plea.
Take, for example, the episode "Broken Hearts," where Lenox agrees to perform extraneous medical tests to keep Sully (Daniel Dorr), a close friend of Dr. Ripley (Luke Mitchell) from going back to prison. Lenox initially balks at the idea, and scolds Dr. Ripley, but comes around and begrudgingly commits a potential ethics violation. When it comes to putting emotional consideration before rules, Dr. Lenox is the complete opposite of someone like Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss). Which is why the storyline with Hayes has us so concerned.
Lenox could isolate herself after Hayes' betrayal
We understand why Chicago Med decided to flip the Lenox and Hayes relationship on its head. It was an unexpected twist, and it means lots of dramatic scenes involving Lenox who, like we said, is a core Med character now. We've no doubt that "Baby Mine..." will be a thrilling episode in a vacuum, and an excellent showcase for Sarah Ramos as an actress.
We just wish the character of Lenox was spared such a devastating betrayal. She'd already proven to be hesitant when it came to opening up and sharing her life with others, and now she has even more of a reason to be closed off and cold. Here's hoping the right character comes along soon, and turns out to be less of a creep than Dr. Hayes. Lenox deserves it.
Chicago Med returns to NBC on Wednesday, May 14.