Spoilers ahead for Episode 12 of Chicago Med Season 4, called “The Things We Do.”
The fourth season of Chicago Med has been rough on Will and Natalie (although good for the ratings). While they were doing well for a while, a rift formed between them when Will began to secretly work undercover with law enforcement, and he was ultimately dragged away to witness protection. The midseason premiere brought Will back to Natalie, but he was a different man, and his changes threatened the future of their relationship. Now, “The Things We Do” saw Will make a dangerous decision that can only mean bad things for Natalie.
As fans will remember, the big rift between Will and Natalie in the second half of Season 4 didn’t begin just because Will showed some personality changes after the trauma. When they went home to try and resume their life together, Will pulled out a gun that he said he needed to keep in the house for protection. Natalie refused to accept that Will -- who previously hated guns -- wanted to keep a gun in the home with her and her young son, and he was summarily kicked out for as long as he held onto the weapon.
In “The Things We Do,” Natalie was in danger when the life flight helicopter carrying her, a pilot, and a patient went down due to mechanical issues. Nobody died, and she only dislocated a shoulder, but it was enough to scare Will. Although they bickered a bit on how Natalie’s injury should be treated, the experience was enough for them to rediscover how much they loved each other, and Natalie told him that she wanted him to come home… without the gun.
This time, Will agreed to give up gun and come home to Natalie. He drove to the police station (although he didn’t dive into the Chicago P.D. drama of the week) with his gun, and even opened up the portable gun safe, but he was unable to bring himself to go inside and hand the weapon over. Instead, he put it back in the safe, locked it up, and left.
Something tells me that Will did not go home to Natalie and begin an open and honest conversation about keeping the gun! Nat hasn’t wavered in her determination that there will not be a gun in her house, and Will seemed anxious to return home to her. I don’t see him giving up the gun or coming clean about keeping it, and that is not a situation that could end well for him and Natalie.
Best cast scenario, Natalie finds out that he kept the gun because he tells her about it, and they have a conversation that clearly needs to be had. If this is a sticking point that neither can get over, the gun may mean the end of Manstead.
In a worse scenario, Natalie finds out about the gun because she discovers it hidden away in the house, and she would not take that well. She sees a gun in the house as endangering her son, and she will clearly choose the safety of her son over a relationship with Will. Could she ever trust him again if she finds out about the gun without him coming clean?
In the very, very, very worst case scenario, somebody will get hurt with the gun in the house. To Will’s credit, he’s seemingly being as safe as one can be with a handgun. The safe is locked, and the gun doesn’t look loaded. Even Natalie probably couldn’t get into it, let alone her young child. Still, there’s a risk insofar as Will seems traumatized by what happened to him. Is there a trigger of some sort that might lead him to behave erratically and dangerously?
At the very least, I expect this twist might contribute to Natalie’s developing relationship with Philip, played by actress Torrey DeVitto’s former Pretty Little Liars co-star Ian Harding. Their link may not turn romantic, but it also may not be one that Will is happy about. Rough waters are likely ahead for Manstead. Hopefully they won’t go the way of Dawsey over on Chicago Fire! As long as both actors stick around, there should be hope.
Find out when new episodes of Chicago Med air on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC as part of the midseason TV schedule.
