All 3 of the Chicago series are among my favorite shows on television, but I must admit when they first announced the 3-part crossover, and it appeared that Hermann (David Eigenberg)  being stabbed was going to be the common thread, I was a bit skeptical. After all, I had a hard time seeing how they could keep the momentum going and draw out the Hermann/Freddie Clemente arc for 3 full hours. Little did I know that was only the tip of the iceberg, with a much bigger — and in my opinion, more compelling — storyline lurking beneath.

At the end of the 1st hour of the #OneChicago event, Hermann’s life hung in the balance. Dr. Rhodes (Colin Donnell)  had tried to avoid surgery from the get-go because he felt Hermann had lost too much blood and was too weak, but now, there’s no choice. They can’t stop the bleeding from Hermann’s liver, and so, it’s either surgery or a sure death. At the same time, Severide (Taylor Kinney)  continues his streak of being a total asshole in this crossover by questioning Dr. Rhodes’ judgement. His reasoning: maybe Hermann wouldn’t be in such a bad predicament if Dr. Rhodes had elected to do surgery when he first came into the hospital, instead of waiting until after he had some serious side effects from the multiple blood transfusions? And, it doesn’t help that a little birdie by the name of Jay Halstead planted this idea in his brain, courtesy of Jay’s brother, Wil? Emotions are running high. People are lashing out. What a mess.

Fortunately, Hermann does pull through, and the entire arc is concluded before we hit the halfway mark of the episode. Ironically, however, this is where things really start to get interesting. Remember Jessica Pope, the gas leak fire and possible suicide victim from the first hour? Well, her remaining in a coma completely stumps Drs. Choi (Brian Tee)  and Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss),  and so, they decide to order more tests. As it turns out, that was a good call because they learn she was on chemo — and a lot of it — because her bone marrow is totally blasted. Okay, so maybe that’s the answer. Jessica had cancer, which is why she tried to commit suicide. Makes sense, right?

This is where Dr. Charles (Oliver Platt)  comes in and in my opinion, steals the show from this point onward. I think most of us have known since the Pilot that Dr. Charles is a very private person, and we are initially given very little info about him. Since then, we have been given a few tidbits but still very little. So, what **do** we know? He’s extremely intelligent and loves bourbon and crossword puzzles. He seems to have a good relationship with the hospital administrator, Sharon Goodwin. And, he’s been married multiple times and has a daughter. All in all, a brilliant psychiatrist who helps people solve their problems but whose own personal life is a total wreck. However, in tonight’s episode we learn a little more (and even more in tomorrow’s final episode of the crossover). In particular, we find out that he’s a fan of the TV detective series Mannix from back in the 60’s and 70’s:

Something’s hinky — Dr. Charles

Hinky? Did you just say hinky? Have you been binging on Mannix again? — Goodwin

You don’t like it, stop sending me boxed sets for Christmas — Dr. Charles

Alright, next year it will be ‘Sanford & Son’ — Goodwin

And, Dr. Charles gets to put his amateur detective skills to work, beginning with the Jessica Pope case — something that he is quite giddy about. Bottom line — he’s just not convinced Jessica tried to commit suicide, at least not because of her cancer. On going through her belongings, he finds a roundtrip ticket to Paris for 6 months from now. That demonstrates Jessica had hope, and people with hope generally don’t kill themselves. Well, Dr. Charles isn’t a half-bad detective because we soon learn that while Jessica had been flooded with chemo, she never had cancer, and the circumstances around that mystery are likely the cause for her suicide attempt.

And, it gets even worse. Within hours of Jessica arriving, a 25 year-old girl, Danny, is brought into Chicago Med after having a seizure and walking into oncoming traffic. Unfortunately, Danny doesn’t make it and going on a hunch, Dr. Charles requests that her autopsy be expedited. Can you take a guess what caused Danny’s seizure? An overdose of chemo for a cancer she did not have. Score another point for Dr. Charles!

The final piece of the puzzle is an elderly woman, Carol Shephard, who is brought to the ER by her son for what seems to be severe dementia. But, when her condition worsens and her kidneys start to fail, that’s when Dr. Charles decides to take a look at her too. And, once again, all of her symptoms are explained by a massive overdose of chemo for an oral cancer that she never had. By this time, Dr. Charles is pretty proud of himself and perhaps a little too much, as Goodwin quickly points out:

You’re gloating, Daniel. You know Mannix would never gloat — Goodwin

Oh yeah, he would. I wouldn’t, but he would — Dr. Charles

So, now the big question — why? Are we dealing with an inept oncologist, or is someone intentionally deceiving his patients and pumping their bodies with poison? And, why did all 3 women get worse and show up at Chicago Med on the same day?

Be sure to tune in tomorrow night for the final episode of the #OneChicago crossover event with Chicago P.D. where we see the bizarre case turn into a criminal investigation, one that proves to be very emotional and very personal for Sergeant Voight (Jason Beghe).  And, yes, Dr. Charles gets to have more fun and play Detective Mannix once again.

Critic Grade — A

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