Chicago Med's Original Character Return Is The Key To Sharon's Season 12 Fate
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Chicago Med season 12 has only just gotten started, but with some clarity surrounding Sharon Goodwin's (S. Epatha Merkerson) controversy finally coming to light, one original character's return may hold the key to swinging things back in her favor. As one of the few original cast members left on Chicago Med, Merkerson's Sharon has spent years building relationships with the doctors, nurses, and support staff who work at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. For the first ten years of Chicago Med, one of the most important friendships on the series was between Sharon and another emotional anchor of the team, emergency department charge nurse Maggie Lockwood (Marlyne Barrett).
Understanding the hospital from a similar vantage point, Maggie and Sharon's friendship was one of the most advantageous of the show's run. Throughout the years, the pair were able to relate to one another in a different way than the physicians on the series, making it clear that despite their differences, their connection and shorthand was a foundation of each of their characters. While Maggie left the series prior to Chicago Med season 11, the door has been open for her return for quite some time, and the opening of the current season has left a perfect way for her return to fit into the show's ongoing story.
With Maggie's exit feeling a bit abrupt and under explored, the reveal at the end of Chicago Med season 12's premiere episode surrounding what really happened with Dr. Rabari's medical records and how they impact Sharon's future at Gaffney could coincide nicely with the former charge nurse's imminent return to the hospital.
Maggie's Return Allows Chicago Med To Fire Nurse Doris
The Chicago Med season 12 premiere finally answered some of the biggest lingering questions from last season, when current charge nurse Doris Perez (Lorena Diaz) showed up at Sharon's door after an intense day at Gaffney. Doris quickly confessed that she was the one who'd leaked Dr. Rabari's medical records, which finally gave Sharon clarity on what had been happening over the course of the last few months. While it's been clarified by Chicago Med's showrunner, Allen MacDonald, that the confession is more nuanced than it appears at first glance. Regardless of what comes next, the confession creates the perfect opportunity for Maggie's potential return.
If Doris does wind up facing professional consequences for violating patient privacy laws, Gaffney will need to bring in experienced leadership to ensure that the emergency department continues to run smoothly. Maggie, who ran the department's nursing staff for the better part of a decade, would be the perfect fit for the job. From a storytelling perspective, Maggie's return would resolve multiple problems at once, providing a replacement for Doris and strengthening Sharon's support system as she continues to deal with an incredibly difficult period in her professional life. Maggie has historically been one of the few people Sharon implicitly trusts, so bringing her back could provide genuine comfort.
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Can Maggie Return In Chicago Med Season 12?
Although there's no real barrier surrounding Maggie's return to Chicago Med, as the show's creative team has shared that they've purposely left the door open for her to come back to the series, it's still not a sure thing for the show. When Barrett departed ahead of Chicago Med season 11, the exit wasn't treated as a permanent one, but viewers haven't seen the former charge nurse since her goodbye. Sharon has admitted she hadn't heard from Maggie, but Doris has referenced that she could eventually return, which has left things fairly ambiguous. While it's easier for Chicago Med to work with, it also creates confusion for viewers.
Maggie's departure left Sharon and Dr. Charles (Oliver Platt) as the only remaining original characters regularly appearing on Chicago Med, and while the current staff of Gaffney are holding their own, seeing more familiar faces is always a positive. With Chicago Med season 12 focusing heavily on Sharon's professional issue and the fallout of it, Maggie's return could make the storyline feel a bit more natural in its progression than it would without her. Given her history with Sharon, Maggie could be the key to making sense of the original Chicago Med character's fate.
- Release Date
- November 17, 2015
- Network
- NBC
- Showrunner
- Michael Brandt
- Directors
- Michael Waxman, Michael Pressman, Charles S. Carroll, Milena Govich, Anna Dokoza, Bethany Rooney, Fred Berner, Tess Malone, Mykelti Williamson, SJ Main Muñoz, Donald Petrie, Martha Mitchell, Vincent Misiano, Timothy Busfield, Jonathan Brown, John Polson, Stephen Cragg, Anthony Nardolillo, Michael Berry, David Rodriguez, Afia Nathaniel, Oz Scott, Valerie Weiss, Gonzalo Amat
- Writers
- Joseph Sousa, Lily Dahl, Natalie Drayer, Darin Goldberg, Shelley Meals, Melissa R. Byer, Treena Hancock, Mary Leah Sutton, Simran Baidwan, Joshua Hale Fialkov, Jason Cho, Will Pascoe, Liz Brixius
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Marlyne Barrett
Maggie Lockwood
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S. Epatha Merkerson
Sharon Goodwin
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