Why Torrey DeVitto Really Returned For Chicago Med's Season 8 Finale
For a long time, Torrey DeVitto's Dr. Natalie Manning was a crucial part of "Chicago Med," but all things come to an end. Along with Yaya DaCosta — who played nurse April Sexton — DeVitto left "Chicago Med" after the show's 6th season, and the last time fans saw the good doctor was the Season 7 premiere, "You Can't Always Trust What You See" ... that is, up until the Season 8 finale, "Does One Door Close and Another One Open?" As a classic One Chicago-style season-ending shocker, Dr. Manning and her son, Owen (Ari Morgan), briefly return when her longtime will-they-won't-they romantic interest Dr. Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss) leaves Chicago and meets them in Seattle.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, DeVitto revealed that while she was always ready to revisit "Chicago Med" if the call came, she was especially eager to do so in a way that gave fans such a happy update on Manning and Halstead. "I wasn't expecting this call at all, but when they did call me and told me what the premise of the storyline was going to be, and that I would be coming back to support Nick and his journey on his way out, it was just a no-brainer for me," she said. "I do feel like the fans never got what they wanted with Natalie and Will, and to be honest with you, Nick and I never even got the ending that we felt we deserved for our two characters."
DeVitto enjoyed the comeback's brevity but doesn't rule out future appearances
Torrey DeVitto may not have particularly expected to be pulled back into the One Chicago franchise after she left it behind, but she appreciated the way the brief comeback was written: first, the reveal that Halstead and Manning have maintained contact after she left Chicago, and then the happy one-scene reunion in the season finale. "It was really short and sweet and beautiful — exactly what it needed to be," she said.
As far as DeVitto is concerned, the reunion scene is the best possible way to wrap things up for Manning, Halstead, and Owen. Still, "Chicago Med" always has a few surprises up its sleeve, so she didn't entirely rule out future appearances. "I feel like there's always, like, a chance — they can make whatever happen on this show," she admitted. "But from my point of view right now, it was the perfect closure that I felt like I never got with the character and that Nick and I never got with our characters together. It's a really special closure."
In the One Chicago universe, happy endings are never guaranteed. As such, it's heartwarming that the "Chicago Med" Season 8 finale provides one for two of the show's longtime main characters ... and understandable that DeVitto would be happy to see that ending stick.