Reflection of Life and Art: This Is Us ""New York, New York, New York"

After a week off, This Is Us returns with another powerful and moving episode.

"New York, New York, New York," tells of a such a moving story of Rebecca as we see three different stories past and present. We see Rebecca Jack and the big three going to New York City for the day, but after a few delays, everyone got to see what they wanted except for Rebecca, who missed out visiting a museum.

Another would be when Rebecca, Randall, and Beth visit Kevin and Sophie in New York City to see Kevin's show. Kevin takes everyone for pizza and tries to introduce his teacher to Rebecca, trying to maybe set them up. Even Rebecca does go out with that guy, she didn't get to see the museum that she tried to go see when she remembers a moment when she, Jack and the family rode in a horse carriage.

The present: Randall has found a place where Rebecca can go for her condition and gets Kevin and Kate's approval to back him up. But when Kevin takes Rebecca to the red carpet of his premiere, Kevin wants to hold back but Randall tells her anyway and upsets her.

As Rebecca walks off, Kevin and Randall find her at the museum where she has always wanted to go since she was a child to look at a painting that she describes. She tells them that she doesn't want to go for that trial and wants to live out her life to the fullest with her family. But they leave, Kevin tells Randall that she wants what she wants but Randall thinks that she's doing this because she's scared and tells Kevin that he's been living a "what if" in his head every day since that fire. Next week's episode will be a "what if" Jack lived after that fire.

This was an amazing episode from start to finish, probably one of the best episodes of the season that gave us a lot to take in. As a caretaker for a relative for 10 years, this episode hits a bit close to home just a little. I can see that if Kevin could just use the right words towards Randall that they could be on board with each other. Both have different opinions towards this situation and while I think Randall's belief is correct; I lean towards Kevin's belief as he respects his mother's decision.

Mandy Moore gives her best performance in this episode. But it was that moment when Kevin and Randall found Rebecca at the museum and she describes the meaning of the painting. When the camera is at Rebecca's face as she describes the meaning of the painting, it not only gave goosebumps and a tearful moment, but from that point understand that her decision to not take the drug trial was a meaningful one and it's a decision that she finally makes. If Mandy Moore doesn't get an Emmy nomination or a win for that matter something is deadly wrong.

Overall, I give this episode a 9.5/10.

You can catch This Is Us Tuesdays at 9/8c on NBC.

Hope and for Love: Chicago PD "Mercy" Winter Premiere

In the winter premiere as one cop's life hangs in the balance, another gets surprised during an investigation,  Here's a recap!

Picking up right where we left off from the fall finale; Jay is injured and is taken to Med. While things aren't looking so good, Voight and Burgress meets with Angela about charging her of shooting Jay and more but she doesn't care as she knows the truth about what they did to her husband. More a little later.

While waiting on the condition of Jay, Voight and the team gets a call of a home invasion. While the team goes undercover to meet with someone that might have stolen stuff from the home invasion; Atwater gets a surprising reunion of his brother back in Chicago and is dating what turns to be the suspect of another murder at the end of the episode that the team was persued.

Jay makes a full recovery and will on the sidelines for a while; Voight makes sure that Angela doesn't spill the beans about what really happened to her husband. Atwater tries to get in touch with her brother but doesn't respond. While Hailey tries to confront her feelings to Jay but pulls back after she had to talk him down from talking with Angela's son.

"Mercy" was a very good episode. It really pulled me in at the beginning with heart-pounding moments; like Jay being taken to Med. That look on Voight just took my breath away because of their relationship. The Atwaters brothers reunion was a good story, even though some of it was a bit predictable at times. As much as I think that this whole Marcus West thing is over, I have a feeling it's not by the time the season comes to an end. Overall, I give this episode an 8,5/10.

You can catch Chicago PD Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC.

Save Halstead Chicago PD "Absolution" Fall Finale

The fall finale of Chicago PD left us holding our breaths. Here's a recap!

It has been weeks since Marcus West died for a crime that he didn't commit, and Jay hasn't forgotten it whatsoever. He's been kind of a friend with Marcus's widow, Angela, and his son. But when Angela gets into the wrong kind of job, she and Jay end up held hostage, and the Intelligence Unit hunts down.  Call it that Angelea and Carlos stole the harmful drugs from the wrong gang, and while Intelligence tries to find leads, they go to one man, Darrius.

After meeting and offering with the boss that the drugs belong to, Intelligence waits for the drop off to exchange, but it goes south pretty badly as Jay and Angelea aren't there. After capturing the boss or father to the kidnappers, Hailey played hardball and used the boss's father to give the location of where Jay is. While this was going down, Jay told Angela the truth that he was a cop and was the one who put her husband in jail and killed him.

When Intelligence gets to the location, only Hailey gets in, with the rest following. As Jay knocks out one brother and kills the other, he checks on Angela, who happens to shoot him, leaving in a cliffhanger.

"Absolution" was the best fall finale of the rest of the Chicago series this season. Holy smokes, the episode doesn't hold anything back, and Jesse Lee Soffer performs fantastically. And Tracy Spiridakos gives her best performance, too, as her character fights tooth and nail to find her partner. Overall, I give this episode a 9.5/10.

You can catch Chicago PD on Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC.

To Take and Search: Chicago PD "Informant"/"No Regrets"

"Informant" 

When the drug carfentanil has taken the lives of children in the neighborhoods, the Intelligence Unit jumps on the case. Hailey uses her CI to get close to someone who's known to sell the drug, but by the time they are working on it, the guy makes a drug bust and dies from the drug that he is taking. Voight uses Darrius as their informant to stop the seller from selling the drug; while the plan is in play, Hailey's CI is made by Darrius, who later gets killed.

Hailey takes the death of her CI very hard and wants to put Darrius away, but after capturing the drug seller of the carfentanil, Hailey has a talk with Voight about how things get done that aren't pretty.

"Informant" was an excellent Hailey-centric episode that puts her on the spot of knowing what should be right and wrong when it comes to someone killing her CI. It was a powerful one to say because the character of Hailey's CI was entertaining and relaxed—good writing and character development in this episode. Overall, I give this episode an 8.5/10.

"No Regrets" 

When a drug bust goes well, Burgess finds a dead woman in the alley. Burgess and the Intelligence investigate Jane Doe to learn that she was part of a messing case that included another woman. Soon, the Intelligence would have their suspect and go into the home where they found the other woman, but her child was taken from the suspect/kidnapper/father of her baby. After spotting the suspect at a local store, hell broke loose, and the suspect got shot and died. 

With no whereabouts of the child, they search for the suspect's mobile home, where Burgess finds and helps give the kid his medicine. Meanwhile, Burgess learns that she's pregnant, and after telling Ruek about it, she decides whether to keep the child; in the end, she's keeping the child.

"No Regrets" was a good episode from start to finish. This episode was excellent for Burgess, and it was a fine, good one. The performance of Marina Squerciati was excellent. Overall, I give this episode an 8.5/10.

You can catch Chicago PD on Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC.

Close to the Suspect: Chicago PD "My Brother's Keeper" /'False Positive"

"My Brother's Keeper" 

When a man is murdered, the Intelligence Unit investigates that'll track back to the family member of the victim. The father of the suspect would take the fall knowing that his son was killed in for revenge on the real murderer who killed his uncle.

Meanwhile, Ruzek gets a patrolman upset because he doesn't like the way he is abusing his recruit. It led to an investigation, but mainly during their investigation, the Intelligence team didn't get the backup they needed. To settle the score, the officer asks to fight Ruzek for the respect he wants.

"My Brother's Keeper" was a solid story after the big crossover event. IT felt like an easy investigation for the Intelligence, but the story for me focused on the Ruzek vs Patrolman. Overall, I give this episode an 8/10.

"False Positive" 

When two young boys are found murdered, the Intelligence unit investigates the killing as it leads to guns, money, and drugs. During the investigation, the Unit uses a new device that's new to the police that takes a photo or video and identifies it. After getting a suspect, it turns out that the device doesn't work well with people of dark color, and their only suspect ended up attacked and dead.

Voight believes it was someone from the inside who had to have done it, and when looking at the gang members, he found one person who happens to be second in command. After talking with the gang boss, their suspect gets his butt kicked and ends up dead. Halstead, on the other hand, didn't take it so well, knowing that he put an innocent man to death and that Voight had the real suspect get killed.

"False Positive" was another excellent episode. I thought the performance between Jesse Lee Soffer and Jason Beghe worked so well in this episode. The writing was good. All in all, I give this episode an 8.5/10.

You can catch Chicago PD on Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC.

Acting with Care: Chicago Med "I Will Do No Harm"

Last night's episode of Chicago Med was as gripping as ever. Here's a recap!

Dr. Charles and Natalie treat a man who's ill, but he's not who he says he is. The so-called ex-wife says that he's an actor to play her daughter's father, and she's trying to end it, but instead, he is the one who's ending it by taking poison. Dr. Charles and Natalie do what they can to get their patient to talk, but after trying to fake death in front of the girl, he confesses what he took. Even though the girl understands he's not her father, she still cares for him.

Marcil and Ethan deal with a death-row inmate about to be put to death, but a mistake has occurred, which is killing the patient's arm. As Ethan wants to treat and get him back, Marcil intends to end it here. When the patient's arm is dying quickly, the two take him to the hybrid OR to take out the arm, but it becomes more than just the arm as things get "complicated" and the patient dies. Indiana isn't going to like that at all.

April and Noah try to help a man whose heart is not beating right and who has to keep moving for his heart to keep going. But nothing is working when they are at the gym, and when trying to put a line into shock, the patient stops, and Noah tries his best to get the line in and shock the heart just in time.

I will get a patient who's seven months pregnant and is in severe pain with sickle cell. Will and Maggie do what they can to help fix the problem, but her OB, Dr. Asher, is nowhere to be found. After hours and hours of complications, Will gets the patient to the OR for an emergency c-section; the baby's health and the mother's health are good. Asher returns, and Will isn't buying her lies and gets security to have a sniffing dog check her car, to which the dog smiles something.

"I Will Do No Harm" was an excellent episode and, at times, creepy. Mainly, with the whole actor playing someone's daughter, it seemed a bit far-fetched, but it was excellent storytelling. The dynamic between Ethan and Crockett was terrific, as two different mindsets of doctors finally agreed to not only save their death row patient but to let him die as well. And  John Lutz on the show was just hilarious. Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

You can catch Chicago Med Wednesdays at 8/7c on NBC.

Difference in Helping: Chicago Med "Pain is For the Living"/"It May Not Be Forever"

"Pain is For the Living."

"Man, the day sucked."

You can say that again, Dr. Charlies. Wow, this episode of Chicago Med titled "Pain is For the Living" was another powerful installment of our heroes at Chicago Med dealing with the not-so-good and some-good moments, from Dr. Charles and Choi treating a family that has an 11-year-old boy that has anger issues after coming in from beating up his little brother. Marcil also didn't have a good day as he lost a patient that he should have saved but later learned that his patient died from a bullet while driving.

Meanwhile, Natalie was struck when a mother, who showed no signs of worry about her baby, came to find out that she had a genetic disorder and could feel no pain. At the same time, Will treats a patient with a cyst in the bowel. But the twist comes when a doctor for his patient happens to be the one that he had saved at the off-site clinic.

This episode was as good as it could have been. The Natalie story was intriguing, with the mother not feeling any pain. Marcil took another nose dive and should have taken the x-ray on that patient but didn't. The angry child storyline was so good and powerful to watch these doctors try to find a way for this kid to get the treatment he needed. And it looks like Halstead is at the corner with Dr. Asher as someone who could take him down. Oh boy! Overall, I give this episode an 8.5/10.

"It May Not Be Forever" 

When a car crash victim of a husband and wife comes to Chicago Med, it becomes more than just a random accident. As Natalie treats the wife, she sees evidence of abuse; while Marcil is treating the husband, she needs to have part of his leg taken off. When Marcil asks the wife for permission, she declines and wants to wait. It took Goodwin and the Ethics Board to rule over the wife. But by the end, the wife ended her husband by shutting down his ventral machine and was taken to jail.

Ethan and April deal with a young married couple, and the wife is suffering from some allergic reaction. It was when April saw them having sex in the room that Ethan put two and two together to come up with the idea that the wife was allergic to her husband's seaman. But it's excellent. April and Ethan are close as they have their romantic dinner and a ready crib.

Curry finally gets a solid win as she and Dr. Charles cure a boy from what was a misdiagnosis. While Will tries to get Dr. Asher the help she needs, even if it has him quitting the clinic.

"It May Not Be Forever" was a good episode from start to finish. While some cases, like the one in Ethan and April, were a bit predictable, Curry and Charles were very good with character growth. The Marcil and Natalie story was also good, but I feel this relationship is building to something. I feel like where Will is is a good story arc, and it makes me nervous about where this whole thing with Asher is going. Overall, I give this episode an 8/10.

You can catch Chicago Med Wednesdays at 8/7c on NBC.