Spoilers ahead for Episode 15 of Chicago Med Season 7, called “Things Meant To Be Bent Not Broken.”
Chicago Med juggled some complicated stories in the latest episode, with Dylan’s cop past complicating his ED present, Crockett getting a headbutt from a fellow doctor because of a surgery, Dr. Charles tricked a patient into accepting the meds she needed, and Will discovered a perk of his undercover work to bring down VasCom: a very big settlement. He had to make a choice about what to do with the $1.2 million sum he was entitled to as a whistleblower, and his decision could change his character forever.
Will barely got the news that he was being given $1.2 million for helping to bring down the VasCom operation before he was being pressured into donating the full sum to the hospital after Goodwin had decided to do that with her own share. Archer had some choice comments about Will giving up all that money, and Will eventually snapped to Goodwin that he shouldn’t have had to donate his share, since he’s not financially stable and still drowning in debt. After going through some growth thanks to a conversation with a patient whose wedding he accidentally ruined – and she was happy about it – he came to the conclusion: he was keeping the money.
Well, he decided that he would keep some of the money, and donate some. He may not have blown the whistle on VasCom because he wanted a reward, but he had some expenses that the settlement could take care of in one fell swoop. Will’s medical school debts have been part of his character arc going all the way back to the early days of the show; assuming he does use the settlement to pay off his loans and any other debts, the rest of Season 7 and beyond (since Med has already been renewed for Season 8) could be a whole new era for Will Halstead.
He’s no longer facing one of his longest-standing obstacles, so what’s next for him now that money won’t be as much of an issue? The episode (directed by Afia Nathaniel, who shed some light on the character growth) didn’t clarify precisely how much Will decided to keep and how much he donated, and even keeping the whole sum wouldn’t have made him set for life. He’s still an ED doctor living in Chicago, so he probably won’t pull up to the hospital next week in a brand new luxury convertible. Still, he’s comfortable in a way that he wasn’t before, and it should be interesting to see what he does next.
It’s possible that Med won’t actually focus much on Will’s sudden windfall, since there’s already plenty of drama in the ED for him. Future storylines for him may also depend on what the show has in store for Stevie. She didn’t appear in this week’s episode, and the previous episode set her up for a farewell, but I’m not going to be convinced that she’s gone – and her relationship with Will is done – unless she’s not around at the end of Season 7.
For now, you can look forward to new episodes of Chicago Med on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, to kick off a night of One Chicago action continued by Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. in the nine-show Dick Wolf TV universe. If you want to revisit some Chicago Med days gone by, you can find the full series streaming with a Peacock subscription.
