Chicago Med season 10, episode 19, titled “The Stories We Tell Ourselves,” damaged Sharon’s (S Epatha Merkerson) character arc by focusing exclusively on an issue between her and her boyfriend. Sharon has had a difficult year in Chicago Med season 10. She spent the first half of the season dealing with a stalker that she couldn’t prove was bothering her, culminating in her being attacked in her own office. She has finally begun to get past the trauma of the attack, instead dealing with a more mundane problem in this episode.
During “The Stories We Tell Ourselves,” Sharon fights for an extension to the negotiation deadline for the nurses’ new contract while also dealing with a romantic issue. The episode begins with Dennis’ daughter, Alex, making a surprise visit — and revealing she has no idea he is dating Sharon. Understandably, Sharon is upset by Dennis’ omission, especially after he makes excuses for not telling Alex about Sharon earlier. This conflict may not be over and could play into the explosive Chicago Med season 10 finale.
Chicago Med Season 10, Episode 19 Focuses On Sharon’s Romance More Than The Nurse Strike
The Negotiation Storyline Mostly Happens Off-Screen
Sharon’s conflict with Dennis takes center stage in “The Stories We Tell Ourselves.” After Sharon confronts Dennis about his failure to tell Alex about their relationship, he attempts to make up for it by setting up a lunch at a restaurant for all three of them, which leads to a further conflict when Dennis learns from Alex that Sharon said the relationship was not serious. All of these beats play out on-screen throughout the hour.
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Conversely, Sharon’s nurse negotiation story mostly plays out off-screen, getting only a couple of scenes. After negotiations break down, Sharon suggests a week’s extension so that the administration has time to work out a new deal. While Maggie has several scenes with the nurses on-screen, Sharon disappears after making this proposal, only reappearing at the end of the episode when Maggie confronts her over the issue of Sharon lining up scabs to replace the nurses in the event they go on strike.
Why It’s Important To Focus On Sharon’s Role In The Nurse Strike
Her Relationship With Maggie Leaves Her With Divided Loyalties
Sharon is vital to the nurse strike storyline, yet her part in the nurses’ strike story seems minimal until the end of the episode. While Sharon concentrates on the conflict with Dennis, Maggie moves this story forward by vouching for Sharon with the other nurses and later discovering that her trust has been betrayed. This leads to a meaty confrontation scene between the two, but it falls flat because of Sharon’s absence from the storyline. However, leaving Sharon’s role off-screen helps the shock value of the moment where Maggie learns that Sharon has betrayed her.
The surprise could have been both prepared for and preserved by having Sharon make a call on-screen without making it clear what it was about.
This plot point would have been stronger if there had been some foreshadowing of Sharon’s decision to call in scabs. The surprise could have been both prepared for and preserved by having Sharon make a call on-screen without making it clear what it was about. Conversely, having Sharon disappear altogether makes the plot twist feel forced because it happened without any advance warning. Additionally, Sharon’s inner conflict over her choices is missing from this storyline because Sharon does not do anything related to the strike on-screen except for ask for an extension to the deadline.
How Chicago Med Can Balance Sharon’s Personal & Professional Arc
It Needs To Make Room For Both Stories
Sharon will likely take a more active role in the strike storyline now that her betrayal has been revealed. However, the medical drama needs to avoid making the same mistake it did with the aftermath of Chicago Med‘s Sharon stalker plot. The writers dropped the ball with that story, failing to reference Sharon’s trauma in a story that needed it — to prevent a similar problem here, they need to ensure they give ample time to both professional and personal plots for Sharon. For example, future strike and romantic developments should get equal airtime.
Sharon can and should have a romantic arc, but her love life should never again dominate an episode to the point that there is no room for necessary scenes related to her professional life.
The key is for Chicago Med to avoid redundant scenes, especially at the expense of screentime for other aspects of Sharon’s story. Sharon and Dennis had similar arguments about Alex numerous times; some of these arguments could have been cut in favor of more screentime for the strike story. Sharon can and should have a romantic arc, but her love life should never again dominate an episode to the point that there is no room for necessary scenes related to her professional life.
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- Release Date
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November 17, 2015
- Showrunner
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Michael Brandt
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S. Epatha Merkerson
Maggie Lockwood
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S. Epatha Merkerson
Sharon Goodwin
