When Theo Rabari first made an appearance, he felt like the perfect addition to spice Charles’s storyline up a little bit. There was a difference between how Theo doctored in comparison to Charles, the methods they used, and the science they trusted. It seemed exciting to see someone new come in and challenge Charles after years of leading the ED in his own way.
Slowly but surely, Charles began to see why Theo could be a good addition to Gaffney, and it made viewers feel like there was a good storyline in place for these two characters. However, everything changed once Charles returned to work after his stroke. The bond the show had carefully crafted between these two characters was broken, and Theo was labeled the newest Chicago Med villain.
Of course, fans of the show didn’t want to see Charles pushed out of the hospital by someone new, but was it really necessary to turn Theo into the villain? It would have been far more entertaining to watch these two characters resolve their conflict internally, as they continued to butt heads over their different approaches.
While watching Charles leave Gaffney was definitely not something we wanted to see, it would have been interesting to see him come back and work under someone else’s supervision. There would have been a dynamic change we’ve never seen, allowing viewers to experience a different side of Charles. One that would have ignited a fire under a doctor whose storyline was pretty much repetitive all throughout season 11.
There is (or was?) so much potential in what Theo can bring to the table. His innovation and the way he wanted to approach patients might not have synced with the way doctors do things in the ED, but it would have given room for great storylines. We could have potentially seen patients being treated differently, and the comparison would have proven Charles was always supposed to be in charge. Instead, the show labeled Theo as the villain and sent him on his merry way.
The way in which Theo was dismissed doesn’t feel appropriate. It fits Charles’s persona that he didn’t want to use Theo’s diagnosis against him, but it makes absolutely no sense that Goodwin did. Even though we know she would do anything for her friend, it feels completely out of character that she would use Theo’s medical history to get him fired. Everything she has stood for goes out the window the moment she crosses that line.
However, it seems the show only used this as a stepping stone for the Miranda-Sharon rivalry. Goodwin’s behavior served Miranda’s purpose, and now her job is on the line. Even though Theo’s storyline had a disappointing ending, it was only an excuse to further a storyline that weighs heavily on the show and could potentially change the way everything functions at Gaffney.
Nevertheless, it feels like Theo’s story isn’t over, and he deserves a different ending. Maybe Chicago Med season 11’s finale isn’t that just yet.
Chicago Med showrunner hints we've seen the last of one of the show's most disliked characters
The final episodes of Chicago Med season 11 took an unexpectedly darker turn for Dr. John Frost as the season revisited his traumatic experiences growing up as a child actor and his rocky relationship with his parents, who failed to protect him. It all began when Frost’s parents, James and Celeste, showed up in town hoping to reconnect with their understandably estranged son.
Frost would eventually agree to meet with his parents, and he came to learn that his father’s health was in decline due to his MS diagnosis. As the season progressed, Frost would come to learn that his father was not suffering from MS, but rather he had a tumor on his spine which was causing MS-like symptoms. He’d also come to learn that his dad knew about the tumor but didn’t explore treatment out of fear.
By the time Frost found out the truth, his father was no longer eligible for a medical trial which could provide treatment designed to shrink the tumor. Despite their fractured relationship, Frost didn’t want to give up on his dad and agreed to sign on for a Nick of Time reboot series in order to make the money needed to pay for his father’s expensive treatment.
It was clear from the start that Frost did not want to return to acting, but it was a means to an end to make the money needed for his father’s treatment. He was all set to proceed with the project until the reboot’s producer surprised him at lunch with the news that Ainsley, the woman who played his mom on the show and took advantage of Frost as a teen, had been added to the cast.
Upon learning the news, Frost chose to walk away from the reboot which was when he’d come to find out that his father knew about his relationship with Ainsley and never stepped in to protect him. Instead, he turned a blind eye. This led to another fallout between Frost and his father, one that was short-lived as Frost would learn in the penultimate episode of the season that his dad’s treatments were not working and he’d been moved to hospice care.
The season finale saw Frost make peace with his father as he stayed with him through his final hours and remained at his side until his father passed as the finale came to a close.
Jessalyn Gilsig not expected to return for Chicago Med season 12
Needless to say, the back half of the season was particularly trying for Frost in many ways, but it was one that allowed the show to close the book on the past as the show focuses on how Frost will move forward. With the closing of this book, Chicago Med showrunner Allen MacDonald seemed to indicate that we’ve seen the last of a character that quickly became one of the show’s most disliked characters: Ainsley.
While you can truly never say never in the world of television, MacDonald appears to have all but confirmed we’ve seen the last of Ainsley on Chicago Med. In speaking with Parade following the finale, MacDonald noted that while they’ll always make reference to Frost’s past and to Nick of Time and Ainsley, specifically, they’ve closed the book on that—seeming to hint that while Ainsley might come up in conversation, she won’t be popping back up on the show directly.
“There’s a weight lifted off his shoulders. I think the past has always been something he’s run away from, that he thought he didn’t need to deal with it but it was actually weighing him down more because he wasn’t. We’ve spent the last two seasons with him slowly confronting the past and growing from the processing of it, and now I believe next season he’s going to move on,” MacDonald revealed. “There will be other challenges next season for Dr. John Frost, but as far as the past and Nick of Time and Ainsley, those are things we’ll always make reference to, but I feel like we’re closing the book on that, on the past, and now he’s going to move forward.”
As much as we love Jessalyn Gilsig, who was phenomenal in the role of Ainsley, it does make sense for her appearance in season 11, episode 19, “Exit Strategies," to serve as her final episode on the show.
Frost will surely continue to unpack the events of his past in the new season as he works on his relationship with his mom following his father’s death, but we don’t need to see Ainsley back again as it’s time the show began to allow Frost to reclaim his future and move forward. Thankfully, that seems to be the plan, and we’re certainly eager to see what season 12 will bring for Frost as he begins this new chapter in his story!
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