‘Chicago Med’ Season 11 Episode 16 Ending Explained: Is Dr Charles alive? Heartbreaking twist decoded
The recent episode of the hit series 'Chicago Med' has left everyone on edge. Dr. Daniel Charles (Oliver Platt) suffered a stroke in episode 16 of Season 11 titled 'The Book of Charles.' It would be an understatement to say that Charles was under a lot of pressure. He was dealing with a strained relationship with his daughter at home, finding it difficult to work on a complicated case, and also making a huge call regarding his future. All of this culminated in a stroke attack, right in front of his desk. Did the long-time ‘One Chicago’ alum survive the sudden attack? Read on to find out.
The fans of ‘Chicago Med’ have to wait for an entire week to find out about Charles’ fate in the next episode titled ‘Altered States.’ In the last eleven seasons of this NBC staple, several characters have made their way in and out of Gaffney Chicago Medical Center under a myriad of circumstances. Charles is one of the only two original cast members, still appearing in the series as a regular. Thus, it is safe to say that the fans are emotionally invested in the episode’s storyline, and the creatives want to take full advantage of that. “I want them to be anxious. And I want them to be scared for his life. I like to torture the audience,” showrunner Allen MacDonald said. Platt is also happy with the episode’s tension, as it allowed the audience to understand why his character is the way he is.
Charles spent most of the episode getting treated, rather than treating. And as for the other physicians, they spent hours trying to get him back. Meanwhile, the psychiatrist took a walk down memory lane inside his brain. He visited several important people in his life, from his late mother to his three wives. His late mother talked to him about his grievances against her, especially the fact that he considered her responsible for his father's death. The appearance that turned most heads was his third wife, Lucia, who delivered him a message in Spanish. Chihards have long been intrigued by this third wife, who was unnamed across the show. All fans knew about her was that she was Charles' smallest liaison. Lucia's meeting with Charles was no different from his other two wives. She clearly stated to him that he had learnt nothing from the past.
Charles also had an emotional encounter with a teenager, Dr. Mitch Ripley (Luke Mitchell), assuring him that things would get better between them in the future. The psychiatrist's final meeting was with his late father, who died by committing suicide. He had a heart-to-heart with his father in the very garage where the suicide happened. The father made it very clear to Charles that though he was in a "dark mood," none of it was his mother's fault. Charles explained to him that what he had was "depression," but back then, experts were not equipped. Charles tried to get his father help, but in the process, he finds himself stuck in a life-or-death situation with his father. Dr. Hannah Asher (Jessy Schram), Ripley, and Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson) appeared in front of him, trying to break the window of the car trapping him. Goodwin ultimately succeeds in breaking through with a fire extinguisher.
In the hospital, Dr. Dean Archer (Steven Weber) and Dr. Sam Abrams (Brennan Brown) quickly deduced that they needed to operate on Charles’ brain. The surgery ended badly when the psychiatrist flatlined on the table. While Goodwin was saving him with a fire extinguisher, the second surgery was going on in real-life. This time, he pulled through. It was as if he needed to have the will to survive. Goodwin was at Charles’ bedside when he woke up. Seeing him talking about a fire extinguisher initially made the supervisor concerned about his physical and mental state. Her doubts subsided when Charles started delivering his typical funny quips. “I’m at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, best damn hospital in the Midwest, and I wake up, and all I get is a sippy cup? And you?” Charles said. Viewers also got an answer about Charles’ future in Gaffney when Goodwin downright refused to let him go. Charles also agreed after promises of some Jell-O and balloons.
As far as his recovery is concerned, MacDonald and Platt both stated that he will be moving through the halls of Gaffney. “I’m happy that we get to talk about it a little bit because we were really good — we’re always as tight as we can possibly be on the medicine all across the show and all the stories,” Platt explained. “When it turned out that I’m literally coming back to work two weeks later, this is medically accurate for the intervention [tPA, tissue plasminogen activator] that Dean Archer and Dr. Abrams execute. It’s one where basically they literally stop the stroke in its tracks and essentially stop it from happening. I mean, it’s literally like it never occurred.”
