Spoilers ahead for Episode 6 of Chicago Med Season 9, called "I Told Myself That I Was Done With You."
While the ED was as chaotic as ever on Chicago Med in the latest episode, Sharon Goodwin's struggles involved her ex-husband Bert and his appointment with a neurologist. For their children's sake, she was willing to go above and beyond to help him, even though he resisted facing the news of his Alzheimer's diagnosis. Throw in the possibility that he'd committed suicide toward the end of the hour, and it was a rough episode for the hospital administrator... which prompted me to think back to a funny story that S. Epatha Merkerson told me earlier in the 2024 TV season about filming in PJs!
Goodwin Got Some Bad News
It was pretty clear ahead of "I Told Myself That I Was Done With You" that something was neurologically wrong with Bert. After his reaction when Goodwin and Dr. Charles tried to gently talk to him about it in the previous episode, it also wasn't much of a surprise that he reacted badly to getting the diagnosis with Alzheimer's.
He did list his ex-wife as his emergency contact so that she could be in the loop, which bodes well for the future. Plus, despite her fears when she couldn't get through to him due to his previous attempt to end his life, he hadn't taken any drastic actions to harm himself, and she promised to help him through everything. That doesn't mean a lot of pressure isn't on her shoulders, however, as she said to Dr. Charles earlier in the episode:
"The decisions that will have to be made, the appointments, the treatments, that's all gonna fall on me, Daniel... I don't want [the kids] to have to deal with this either. And how am I gonna do it? I've got a hospital to run. I got a new relationship that is really going well. And then what? I have to take care of my ex-husband. I know it's selfish just to think about myself, but...I can't do it, Daniel. I can't."
The other shoe did seem bound to drop after Goodwin's new relationship was going so well, and I'm glad that she felt comfortable enough to open up to Charles about all of her fears and the pressure she puts on herself. She may need a friend more than ever moving forward, and who better than the man who has been in her life as a friend for four decades?
Still, Goodwin facing a future of supporting her ex-husband with an ailment that can't be cured wasn't exactly a happy ending to the episode for her. S. Epatha Merkerson, on the other hand, was full of laughs when speaking with CinemaBlend about wearing comfy clothes in the workplace.
S. Epatha Merkerson's Funny Take On PJs In The Workplace
I spoke with S. Epatha Merkerson earlier this month about the struggles ahead for Goodwin. Bert's problems meant her personal life crossing over into her work life, and when I asked the actress if she enjoys when Goodwin gets to demonstrate her own medical expertise down in the trenches of the ED, she shared:
"Let me just say, the first time I put on a pair of scrubs, I realized that all of my castmates had been walking around in their pajamas. Because I was like, 'Wow!' Pajamas and slippers, because those sneakers that they were are really comfortable. [laughs] And I've got on suits and high heels."
Goodwin always has to look snazzy for her role as the hospital administrator, which means S. Epatha Merkerson dressing a lot less comfortably than the doctors and nurses in the ED. Who wouldn't want to wear PJs and slippers on the job instead of suits and heels?! After I suggested that Goodwin might need to institute Casual Wednesdays at the hospital, the actress laughed and commented:
"Let me talk to the writers about that! Because I'm telling you the truth. Every time I see them in scrubs now, I tell them all. I say, 'You guys, don't even talk to me today. You're all working in your pajamas.' We get a kick out of it. We really get a kick out of it. But yeah, I do love those opportunities to get to see her scrub up and and work in one of the rooms in the ED."
Who else would tune into an episode with Goodwin embracing Casual Wednesdays?! In all seriousness, Merkerson established that she's a fan of Goodwin demonstrating her medical skills for more reasons than dressing more comfortably on set. She explained:
"I think it's important that you see that she was once in the trenches. I think it adds to her character, so whenever I have those opportunities, I revel in them because it does show that the reason why she can run this hospital is because she has a history and she knows how it can run smoothly or how she can deal with the issues of it because she has a history in it. So I really do appreciate those moments when we get to see her in scrubs and gloves and ready to do what she knows how to do and do it well."
It remains to be seen if Goodwin will spend much time in the ED to provide care as opposed to delegate to the doctors and nurses. There has certainly been some drama this season (even without Will Halstead's special kinds of complications), with the new doctor requiring some oversight and Ripley getting into a fistfight in "I Told Myself That I Was Done With You."
For now, you can look forward to new episodes of Chicago Med on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET, followed by Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. ET and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. ET. You can also find older episodes of all three series streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription.
