There have been some big moves, both professional and personal, happening in Chicago Med season 12 so far. Between Asher and Archer taking a step forward and Ripley taking over Lenox's job while she's away, we have seen great forward momentum. Frost also hopes to take a chance on becoming chief resident, though he will officially take on Wu as a competitor this week.
Chicago Med season 12 episode 5 begins with Wu picking up boxes of donuts when she happens upon a young boy standing alone in an alleyway in his pajamas. She abandons the donuts and brings the boy into Gaffney, where Frost is trying to campaign with bagels. Wu apparently already has a leg up with the rest of the doctors for bringing in the little boy... though she didn't loop in Frost.
He finally has to team up with Wu to help the little boy open up since he hasn't said anything. Frost shows the boy a flipbook to break the ice and that works. He says he parents told him not to talk to strangers, but they explain to Max that they just want to help him. He begins to cry and worries that he will get in trouble with his parents, who appear to have instilled their son with fear.
After Frost and Wu's consult, Charles speaks to Max about why he ran away from home and how he got his head injury by tripping. He claims he was told by a secret angel that something bad was going to happen at home and he needed to get away. Charles explains to Frost and Wu about Max's "secret angel" that he truly believes he's speaking to. He doesn't suspect abuse, though.
The young patient and bunker victims are connected
Frost brings Max's parents to be with him and they greet him with care and concern. His dad insists to Max that they aren't mad at him, but his mom begins to beat herself up for not watching him more carefully. Wu seems to have concerns about the parents, but she doesn't fill Frost in when he asks Meanwhile, two burn victims are brought into the emergency department.
Archer and Ripley lead the charge for each of the burn victims, who were trapped in a bunker for years. One of the women wakes up enough to explain to Ripley and Goodwin that they started the fire in order to free themselves. Goodwin meets up with Trudy Platt, who explains the horrifying conditions the Jane Does were living in. She believes this is connected to kidnapping cold case.
Wu interrupts Archer's surgery to advocate for her Jane Doe receive the medication since her patient has a better opportunity of survival. Ripley makes the call in favor of Wu's patient, and Archer isn't happy. Goodwin assures him that he made the right call. Charles talks with Max's parents about his supposed imaginary friend, but they don't know much.
Platt and Goodwin speak with the Jane Doe that has woken up, Joanna. She reveals the other two girls are named Isabel and Beatrice. Joanna also reveals that Missy, Platt's cold case, was there before them, but "he" got rid of her for being bad. Joanna suddenly reveals that she hoped Max got out and that she warned him to leave that morning. Goodwin realizes and finds Max missing.
His father Mark is now their suspected kidnapper, and the team rushes outside to look for the family. Frost finds him putting Max in the car with his wife. When Frost stops him and a cop holds him at gunpoint, he flees on foot. Two cops tackle him to the ground across the street, but Max's mom sees her freedom. Despite Frost's pleading, Esther walks into traffic and gets hit by a car.
Platt finally finds Missy, and Wu reveals a personal truth
The team rushes to save Esther's life, and Ripley has to force Wu to leave the room when she speaks to Esther in a negative light. Meanwhile, Frost attempts to answer Max's questions and keep him calm. He tries to get Max to understand that he did nothing wrong by listening to his secret angel. Max gives him a hug. Platt fills in the team about the details on the case and the victims.
Frost tries to connect with Wu about the feeling she had about Clark, but she bites his head off. Wu talks to Isabel, ensuring that she's safe from Clark and respects her wishes about not wanting to see her parents. Charles finds Joanna curled up on the floor in the corner of her room. She reveals Clark's sexual abuse and explains how she communicated with Max. But she shuts down.
Quickly, she tells Charles that she saw Max once, which he realizes means that she was his birth mother. Clark took him away from her days after he was born, and when she fought back, she was threatened with death. Charles panics when Joanna suddenly goes into seizure. Ripley discovers that Joanna's in severe drug withdrawal from being drugged by Clark.
However, they don't know what she's withdrawing from, which complicates the process. Platt attempts to get answers from Esther, who's not being helpful. But Platt realizes that is actually Missy and tries to make her believe that her parents wanted her. Missy was kidnapped and groomed by Clark. She doesn't believe that she was a victim and spits in Platt's face.
Later, Wu sits at Missy's bedside to level with her about Joanna. Wu's blunt demeanor actually works to her benefit while speaking with Missy. She clearly didn't want to be free of Clark because she wants to speak to him. Wu's explanation to Missy seems to come from personal experience with being abused, though she doesn't say so. Missy finally confirms the drug they gave Joanna.
Frost doesn't get chief resident, but he connects with Wu
Frost surprises Max by allowing him to speak with his secret angel. Joanna's able to see him from another room as she talks to him, but he can't see her through the mirror. He wants to see her, but she explains that maybe someday he will be able to. She speaks to him through tears as she expresses her love. Before they stop talking, he thanks her for saving him. She thanks him, too.
Charles promises to Joanna that he will do everything he can to make sure that she has a future with Max. Later that night, Frost finds Wu outside and congratulates her on getting chief resident. She no longer wants it and offers the role to him. He asks about what she said to Missy, but she doesn't want to talk about it. When he walks away, she asks him to come back to stay with her.
Platt gives the press briefing about the kidnappings and the victims. Beatrice, who set the fire to save themselves, remains in a coma. Unfortunately, Archer sits with her as he explains that her burns are too severe. She responds with her fingers when he tells her that she saved Isabel and Joanna. He's with her as she passes. Goodwin joins Platt in the bunker. Sunshines through the hole in the roof.
Chicago Med airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on NBC and next-day on Peacock.
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