One Chicago Recap: Chicago Med "Spill Your Guts"/Chicago Fire "Coming In Hot"/Chicago P.D. "Missing"

 

From performing a life-saving procedure on a plane to dealing with PTSD, to a cold case reopening. Here's my recap and review of One Chicago. 

Chicago Med "Spill Your Guts" 

As Gaffney Chicago Medical Center prepares for an Olympics-sized hiatus, "Spill Your Guts" delivered an hour that was literally up in the air. From mid-flight surgeries to devastating family reunions, the episode lived up to its title by forcing everyone to lay their cards on the table. 

The episode's most heart-pounding storyline took place far from the ED, as Sharon Goodwin was en route to a high-stakes board meeting where board member Miranda Lewis (Orlagh Cassidy) planned to propose firing Sharon to cut costs. Karma strikes when Miranda suffers a slow bleed around her heart following a minor car accident earlier that day. Trapped on a private jet with limited supplies, Sharon must perform an emergency procedure. Guided by Dr. Naomi Howard over a choppy phone line, Sharon saves the woman trying to end her career.

We finally meet the parents who bankrupted Dr. John Frost. His father (David Costabile) reveals he has Muscular Dystrophy (MD) and wants to reconnect, but Frost stands his ground. He delivers a scathing refusal, revealing that his passion for pediatrics comes from watching other parents make the sacrifices his own never did.

Dr. Daniel Charles mentors three med students (Brianne Tju, Anthony Keyvan, and Kirrilee Berger). While one student is only interested in "work-life balance," Quentin helps crack a bizarre case. Two brothers are opening a pizza shop when one, Enzo, attacks the other with a pizza cutter. It turns out Enzo isn't "crazy"—he has late-in-life Celiac disease, and being surrounded by flour triggered a gluten-induced psychosis.

Ripley and Archer were "credit only" this week, but their absence allowed the Ripley/Lenox dynamic to simmer. A med student catches them making out in the lobby, leading to some unfiltered (and hilarious) commentary from Lenox about her preference for "no strings" intimacy.

"Spill Your Guts" felt like a classic Med episode, balancing high-concept medical "miracles" with deeply earned character payoffs, a masterclass in pacing. It provided closure on Frost's backstory while setting up a fascinating new dynamic for Sharon and the board heading into the March 4th crossover.

It is always a treat when Goodwin leaves the office. The "I Heart Chicago" keychain she receives from Naomi at the end was a perfect, albeit slightly on-the-nose, tribute to her being the emotional heart of the hospital.

Casting David Costabile and Tamlyn Tomita as Frost’s parents was a stroke of genius. The tension at that diner table was thick, and Frost's refusal to give in to their "medical guilt trip" was a powerful moment of growth for the character.

And only Chicago Med could make a pizza-cutter attack educational. It was a clever way to show the med students (and the audience) that, in psychiatry, the "gut" and the "brain" are often one and the same.

Overall, I give this episode an 8.8/10.

With Frost shutting his parents out and Sharon saving her biggest enemy, do you think there will be repercussions in the coming episodes? 

Chicago Fire "Coming in Hot" 

As the Windy City braces for winter break, Firehouse 51 faces an internal meltdown that shows just how fragile the new leadership structure really is. With Severide away in Cleveland, the house was left vulnerable, not just to the flames but to the CFD bureaucracy.

The episode moves at a breakneck pace, centered on a rescue mission that quickly turns into a political witch hunt for Chief Pascal after the team responds to a massive fire at a locked textile market. Because the department’s Engine company was recently decommissioned due to budget cuts, 51 is left under-resourced. During the search, a beam collapses, pinning Tony. While he is eventually rescued and survives with non-life-threatening injuries, the incident sparks an immediate investigation.

Deputy District Chief Cranston (Max Martini) arrives with a personal vendetta against Pascal. It’s revealed they were once partners, but their relationship shattered years ago when Pascal questioned a call that led to a woman's death. Cranston tries to pin Tony’s injury on Pascal’s leadership, but Pascal maintains that the building’s structural bolts were faulty, and that the city's lack of a backup Engine is the real culprit.

At home, Herrmann and Cindy are struggling with their daughter Annabelle, who is suffering from severe PTSD after their house fire. She’s smelling smoke that isn’t there and skipping school. In a touching "51 family" moment, Stella Kidd steps in to help, ultimately leading Annabelle to apply to the Girls on Fire program to overcome her fear.

With Vasquez pulled to another firehouse for the shift, Violet and Novak finally have "the talk." Novak admits she has a crush on Vasquez, unaware that Violet has already slept with him. Violet decides to stay silent to protect their friendship, while Frost ends his "no-strings" fling with Novak because he wants something more serious.

"Coming in Hot" wasn't just about the fire's temperature; it was about the heat applied to Pascal. With the Chief’s job barely safe and Tony sidelined for the next few weeks, the house feels more fractured than ever as we head into the Olympics. was an episode designed to make the audience feel the claustrophobia of Firehouse 51’s current situation.

Martini brought a gritty, formidable energy as Cranston. His death by heart attack at the end of the episode was a shocking twist that momentarily "cleared" Pascal’s name (as Cranston had verified the faulty bolts before he died), but it leaves the Chief in a dark emotional place.

We often see Herrmann as the hothead or the joker, but seeing his quiet, desperate attempts to help Annabelle through her trauma was some of David Eigenberg’s best work this season.

The show is doing a great job of making the "budget cuts" feel like a real antagonist. Seeing 51 struggle without an Engine made the market fire feel significantly higher than a standard call.

I don't know about this whole Violet/Novak/Vasquez triangle; it is starting to feel a bit repetitive. Violet’s decision to hide her history with Vasquez from her best friend is a "TV lie" that we all know will explode in the most dramatic way possible, likely during the March crossover.

Overall, I give this episode an 8.4/10.

Will Tony be back for the Crossover episode? Can you see how Pascal will be stepping away? 

Chicago P.D. "Missing"

Before the sirens go quiet for the Olympic break, Chicago P.D. delivered an episode that stripped back the badge and went straight for the heart. "Missing" wasn't just a procedural; it was an invitation into the fractured history of the unit’s newest recruit, Officer Eva Imani.

The hour begins with a ghost from the past. A mother, Jemma Kurtwright (Donna Lynne Champlin), is convinced her son Ben, who vanished 18 years ago, has finally come home. A man appeared at her door claiming to be him, armed with intimate family memories that only her son should know.

Imani takes the lead, her own history with a missing sister making this more than just another case. While Jemma’s maternal instinct is screaming "yes," the lab says "no." DNA testing proves the man at the door is an imposter, the brother of a serial predator.

The team tracks down the true villain: Eddie Brandt, a man who had been operating in the shadows for decades. In a devastating interrogation, Eddie’s brother, Tillman, reveals the dark truth: Ben didn't survive his abduction. He died from a head injury nearly 20 years ago, just one day after he was taken.

But in a frantic race against time, Intelligence realizes Brandt is currently holding another child, Charlie Cruz. Imani tracks him to a remote hideout where a tense standoff ends in a split-second decision. Imani is forced to shoot and kill Brandt before he can fire.

While Charlie is rescued, Ben’s body is never found, likely lost to the depths of Lake Michigan. The episode ends on a haunting note: despite the confession, Jemma remains in total denial, still waiting for a Ben who is never coming home.

And we finally get a look "beyond the veil" for Imani. The episode confirms her sister disappeared when she was eight years old. Her parents spent their lives following false leads across the country, a mission Imani has inherited. Her nomadic "lone wolf" lifestyle is fueled by the hope that her sister might still be out there, possibly trapped in the dark world of Chicago’s trafficking rings.

"Missing" gives us the best reason yet to root for Eva Imani. It’s a trademark P.D. gut-punch that proves some losses never stop echoing. is a solid, emotional slow-burn that makes the audience care about the person behind the badge.

Mandi was exceptional, balancing Imani’s "tough girl" exterior with a quiet, devastating vulnerability. The final scene, where she validates Jemma’s grief rather than correcting her denial, was the highlight of the episode.

The show avoided a "neat" Hollywood ending. By letting Ben stay missing and leaving Jemma in her delusion, the writers leaned into the messy, unresolved reality of many cold cases.

But the "imposter" twist was telegraphed fairly early on, though the reveal of how the imposter knew Ben’s secrets (being the brother of the killer) added a layer of depravity that saved the plot from being too cliché, which was predictable. 

Overall, I give this episode an 8/10.

Now that we know Imani moved to Chicago to find her sister, do you think Voight will use Intelligence’s resources to help her find the truth, or will her obsession become a liability for the unit?

What did you think of this week's episode of One Chicago? Are you super pumped for the Crossover Event that will have Halstead and Upton back? Were you surprised? Leave a comment.

You can catch One Chicago to return March 4 with a three-hour crossover event after the Winter Olympics on NBC.