Since returning from its extended winter break, Chicago Med has given fans a lot to talk about and keep up with.
The winter premiere was spent catching audiences up on the fallout of the various cliffhangers from the fall finale. This included revealing what happened after Devin attacked Lenox, a storyline that ended with Devin dead after his wife shot him, and Lenox and Ripley helped cover up the circumstances behind his death. The episode also left fans worrying about Dr. Charles when he revealed to his therapist that he had suffered his first panic attack since med school, and it was accompanied by a bloody nose that had him fearing the worst.
We thought things might return to a more normal pacing in episode nine, but it ended up being even more eventful with a wave of unexpected developments including the death of Goodwin’s ex-husband Bert; Dr. Charles choosing to take a step back for a few weeks to focus on his health; Dean meeting Hannah’s father (who is convinced Dean is madly in love with Hannah); and Frost’s former co-star coming to town to try to get him to sign on to a Nick of Time reboot while hiding an addiction struggle.
In all of the chaos unfolding both inside and outside the hospital, fans likely didn’t pick up on the fact that Dr. Naomi Howard had suddenly gone MIA… again.
Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut will return to Chicago Med season 11 (we just don’t know when)
As season 10 drew to a close, it looked like Naomi’s time at Gaffney had come to an end when she handed in her resignation after everything that had gone down with Dr. Hayes. Much to our surprise, Naomi returned in the season 11 premiere as we learned that she had decided to return to Gaffney after Lenox extended a position as a general surgery resident.
Naomi would fade into the background for a few episodes, before emerging again in episodes 6 and 7, which introduced a new love triangle between Naomi, Frost, and Chicago Fire paramedic Lyla Novak.
When we last saw Naomi in episode 7, she confessed to Frost that she had feelings for him and she had to make them known even if her window had closed now that Frost had sparked up a fling with Lenox. The confession left Frost speechless and hinted that the show was about to explore a new complicated love triangle as the season continued.
Perhaps that’s why it’s so surprising that Naomi hasn’t appeared since making her feelings for Frost known, as we thought the move was one that was about to thrust her into more of a central storyline. Instead, Naomi has disappeared from the show without any explanation or even acknowledgement of her absence in the last several episodes.
The good news is that Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut will be back this season, we just don’t know when she’ll next pop up in season 11. Chicago Med showrunner Allen MacDonald has made it clear the love triangle between Naomi, Frost, and Novak will be explored more this season, so we know Naomi will come back into the mix at some point. There is simply no confirmation of when she’ll be back following her last appearance in episode 7. Chestnut is not credited for any further episodes at this time and Naomi does not come up in the synopsis information for the upcoming episodes. This makes it hard to know if she might be back soon, or if we might not see more of Naomi until the later part of the season.
We’re certainly hoping that Naomi will be back soon as we’d love to see more of her character in general. The mentor-mentee relationship between Naomi and Lenox was a true highlight of season 10, and that’s a dynamic we’d love to see more of as season 11 continues!