The Dr. Reese Moment In Chicago Med That Has Fans' Eyebrows Raised
Pretty much every single character on "Chicago Med" has been put through the wringer in both their personal and professional lives multiple times. Between storylines like Dr. Natalie Manning (Torrey DeVitto) falling into a coma, Dr. Daniel Charles (Oliver Platt) getting shot by a patient, and Dr. Connor Rhodes (Colin Donnell) resigning after finding out that his ex-girlfriend Ava (Norma Kuhling) killed his father, it's clear that the series is dedicated to pushing its cast of characters to their absolute physical and emotional limits. At least, this idea was certainly the case for a certain former major character.
Long-time fans of the series will likely remember Dr. Sarah Reese (Rachel DiPillo), the resident in psychiatry who worked alongside Charles as a main cast member for the first three seasons of the show. Reese was no stranger to drama during her time on the series, with the conclusion of her arc seeing her discover that her ailing father was actually a murderer. After Charles almost decided to let him die, Reese transfers to a different hospital, and DiPillo left "Chicago Med." However, there was another difficult moment for the character a short time prior to this incident that has also had fans raising their eyebrows ever since it aired.
Reese's complicated pepper spray incident is memorable
One of the most intense storylines in Season 3 of "Chicago Med" came during its early episodes, in which Reese purchases pepper spray to protect herself. When a patient becomes aggressive towards her and corners her, Reese pepper-sprays him and subsequently gets suspended from her position.
However, some fans have been discussing whether Reese was really in the wrong. "Short of screaming or trying to push past him, I don't see what else she could've done," u/The_Jeremy_O wrote on a r/ChicagoMed thread. "He was yelling at the top of his lungs, so it's not like he'd have heard her trying to talk him down."
Other commenters argued that Reese could have navigated the situation better, but instead violated her oath as a medical professional to "do no harm." "She was totally wrong and obviously responded the way she did because of past trauma that should have been resolved before ever stepping foot in front of a patient," u/Odd_Habit_8972 commented. "There were opportunities to deescalate or walk away, but she froze and let her fight or flight take over."
Reese's actions offer up a compelling moral quandary for the medical field and DiPillo has praised the show's exploration of these issues as one of its greatest features. "What I love about working this job is that they legitimately do a really good job bringing interesting and dynamic tales of psychiatry to the table," the actress said in an interview with Fansided.