Chicago Med season 11 quite possibly delivered one of the series' most impactful episodes to date. All season long, we have watched as Dr. Charles' storyline has built up to this point of reckoning. The challenges he has faced over the doubt regarding his career, the struggles befalling his family, and his own declining mental health led to "The Book of Charles," a heartbreaking and captivating episode.
During the episode, Charles grappled with a number of curveballs that further pushed his mental health to the edge. His daughter Anna returned to the series following her suicide attempt in the season 10 finale. When Charles learns that she's in a new relationship, his concern and subsequent argument with Anna was one of the many straws that broke the camel's back, as they say.
While "The Book of Charles" mostly focused on Dr. Charles and shined a light on Oliver Platt's beloved character, Chicago Med season 11 episode 16 also featured plenty of the show's ensemble cast. Frost continued his new friendship with Naomi, and revealed his intention to ask her out again. Goodwin showed up as a friend to Charles. But two characters were not in the episode.
Archer and Asher were absent in Chicago Med season 11 episode 16
Unfortunately, if you were hoping for an update on the progress of Archer and Asher's storyline, Steven Weber and Jessy Schram didn't appear in Chicago Med season 11 episode 16. "The Book of Charles" sidelined Archer and Asher following their own impactful storyline in the episode before, in which they delivered the Lockharts' daughter, which was a difficult process for the pair.
Because "The Book of Charles" was told from Charles' perspective and for the most part didn't contain side stories for the other characters, it wasn't explained why Archer and Asher weren't in the episode. When casual character absences occur in Chicago Med, we can pretty much assume that the missing doctors simply weren't working a shift at Gaffney and had the day off.
It's also actually smart to sideline Archer and Asher this close to the season finale, considering their storyline revolves around the imminent birth of their daughter and the anxieties that brings in tandem. The closer we get to the birth, the more repetitive any additional stories about their concerns become. Spreading out their storyline makes sense for the pacing of the season.
Even though we missed Archer and Asher, as we mentioned before, we didn't have to miss Frost, Naomi, or Goodwin. Nurse Doris also played a key role in Charles' storyline, helping him navigate social media to take a peek at Anna's profile. Ripley and Lenox made a rather humorous appearance in the episode together, as Charles learned the truth about their secret relationship.
Charles stumbles upon Lenox and Ripley coming out of the on-call room giggling and looking very cozy. In the moment, you can tell he instantly put two and two together and realizes that they are sleeping together. He even makes a comment about it. But he's honestly going through it so much, in the midst of an ongoing panic attack, that he doesn't seem to care about what he's learned.
As Charles' life continues to hang in the balance going into the next episode, it's unlikely that Lenox and Ripley being a couple won't be anywhere close to the top of his mind. But the team, hopefully including Archer and Asher, will definitely rally beside Charles to help him through this scary moment and save his life.