Since the first season of Chicago Med, Marlyne Barrett’s Maggie Lockwood has played a pivotal role in the show as one of the medical drama's most prominently featured nurses. After Yaya DaCosta exited the series at the end of season 6, Maggie became an even more central fixture in the show as the sole series regular character who played a nurse rather than a doctor.
Maggie was a central figure in the ED and was the true heart of the department. She was a strong advocate for both her patients and the doctors working to treat them, and she was often at the heart of each episode’s major storylines. In fact, through Maggie, the show was able to tell storylines that otherwise wouldn’t have worked by leaning into Maggie’s status as a nurse to explore the hardships that come from those in the profession.
When it was announced that Barrett would not be coming back for Chicago Med season 11, we wondered how the show would fill the void left by Maggie’s absence. They’d end up doing so by having Doris step up as the new charge nurse in the ED, which was amazing to see, but there was just one problem. While it was established that Doris had taken over for Maggie, she didn’t get near the level of screen time Maggie received, nor did she take center stage in any major storylines.
Yes, the show used Doris more prominently in the season and featured her more than we’d ever seen before in past seasons; however, they failed to give her the same types of storylines that put her front and center as we’d see with Maggie. Throughout the season she was relegated to the background rather than getting to truly step into the spotlight, which was such a shame.
The closest we came to seeing Doris play an actual key role in an episode came in “The Book of Charles” as Doris helped Charles find out more about his daughter’s new boyfriend. It was great to get to see Doris involved in a more central storyline, but even that episode didn’t really give her much to work with, which is such a shame because Lorena Diaz is an incredible talent the show is criminally underutilizing.
We understand that Doris has been more of a recurring side character through the years, but if Maggie does not return in season 12, the show needs to finally begin giving Doris the respect she’s more than earned through stronger storylines.
Let’s see Doris butting heads with an occasional doctor due to a disagreement in the patient’s care and stepping into the patient advocate role we so often saw Maggie take on. Put her in a position where she’s working more closely with a doctor and is closely involved in a patient’s case, helping to break through the noise by listening to the patient in the same manner in which Maggie would. Let’s see Doris coming to a doctor’s defense when a patient crosses a line or taking command of the ED during a crazy shift.
There are so many ways the show can look to feature Doris in a more prominent role come season 12 and it’s something that we desperately need to see in season 12. Nurses are the backbone of the medical industry, and it was always amazing to see Maggie and the nurses of Chicago Med represent these unsung heroes.
If Doris is truly to succeed Maggie as the ED’s charge nurse, we want to see the show giving her the chance to shine and betting bigger on her starting in season 12. She’s an incredible character and it’s time the show realizes this by giving Doris a more central role in the new season!
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