The Chicago Med season 12 premiere proved that the hospital is a mess without Sharon Goodwin in charge — and a bombshell revelation about who leaked sensitive information will only add to the mayhem.
Warning: Spoilers below from season 12, episode 1, of Chicago Med.
“She’s also in this war basically, with Miranda, and Miranda’s holding all the cards, and Miranda’s winning,” showrunner Allen MacDonald exclusively told Us of Goodwin’s uncertain fate. “And when you come into the opening sequence of the premiere, the hospital’s changed. There are new people there. Things feel a little more overwhelmed than usual, and Goodwin’s not going to be OK with that either.”
MacDonald teased, “So this is the beginning of a battle.”
During the Wednesday, October 7, premiere, fans were thrown back into the chaos of Gaffney Chicago Medical Center without their fearless leader Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson) serving as executive director of patient and medical services after she was accused of leaking Dr. Theo Rabari’s (Manish Dayal) medical records to help Dr. Daniel Charles (Oliver Platt) keep his job.
Three months after board member Miranda Lewis (Orlagh Cassidy) made the allegations against Goodwin, the heat has not died down.
In fact, Miranda ominously warned Goodwin during the premiere to take the deal the hospital is offering her in 36 hours, saying, “Time’s up” on her career.
Goodwin maintained her innocence throughout the episode, and during the final moments, viewers learned that she was telling the truth.
Nurse Doris Perez (Lorena Diaz) dropped a bombshell when she showed up at Goodwin’s house after a crazy shift where the ED managed to save multiple lives following a shooting that took place at a wedding.
“Please don’t take the deal,” Doris said, confessing, “It was me, Ms. Goodwin. I leaked Dr. Rabari’s medical file.”
Lorena Diaz as Doris Perez. George Burns Jr/NBC
Goodwin was visibly stunned by the revelation, but MacDonald told Us there’s more to the story.
“There’s more to come about Doris giving her full explanation, and you’re not gonna have to wait very long to hear it,” the showrunner explained. “But I think you can count on Sharon Goodwin, you know, trying to do right by everybody that means something to her. That might not be good for her.”
Jessy Schram, who plays Dr. Hannah Asher, exclusively told Us on Tuesday, October 6, that Goodwin would “fight to the death” for anyone she cared about, which makes Doris’ confession tricky.
“She’s not going to do anything that’s illegal. But, I mean, I think that she could possibly find some loopholes to help out in different areas,” Schram, 40, teased of what’s to come, calling Goodwin’s journey one fans have not seen before.
The actress noted that Goodwin has her “hands in the hospital” throughout the season, revealing that “the ripple effect is there, and it’s not going to unfold the way that you’re expecting it to.”
“But Sharon’s nature to protect the hospital and mainly the people in it still stays true. Nothing about that changes with Goodwin,” Schram added. “She’s still gonna fight to the death. It’s just in a very creative way.”
Chicago Med airs on NBC Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
