What happened in Prisoners Dilemma on Chicago Med? Everything you need to know

Modified Mar 22, 2025 07:40 GMT

Chicago Med has been on the air since 2015 and has quickly become a key part of NBC's One Chicago franchise. The show focuses on the doctors and nurses working at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center as they deal with medical emergencies and personal drama.

In season 2 episode 16, titled Prisoner’s Dilemma, the episode brings intense drama and emotional conflict to the forefront. Dr. Natalie Manning finds herself treating a comatose patient who is discovered to be pregnant and, upon further investigation, reveals that the patient has been in a locked-in syndrome for an extended period.

Here's what happened in Prisoners Dilemma on Chicago Med

In Prisoner’s Dilemma, the sixteenth episode of Chicago Med season 2, the doctors at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center find themselves facing some of their most challenging cases. This episode digs into the ethical gray areas the staff often encounter, while also highlighting their personal struggles and decisions.

The episode starts with Dr. Natalie Manning treating a woman brought in comatose. Manning quickly notices the woman is pregnant, which adds to the urgency. During an examination, Manning picks up on something others missed. She sees a faint eye flutter and grows suspicious about the woman’s condition.

After running multiple tests and bringing in Dr. Abrams, they uncover the real issue. The patient has locked-in syndrome. She can hear and understand everything happening around her but cannot move or speak. Manning becomes emotionally attached to the case.

The woman’s parents have made the decision to keep the pregnancy, even though it places their daughter’s health at serious risk. Manning wrestles with whether that choice reflects what the woman would have wanted. In the end, she is left wondering because the patient cannot communicate her wishes.

While Manning deals with that, Dr. Ethan Choi, April Sexton, and Jeff Clarke are handed a case with its own ethical dilemma. A woman arrives at the ER after overdosing on cocaine. They soon learn she has been smuggling the drug by swallowing balloons.

Her goal was to pay for her daughter’s medical treatment in Minnesota. The team manages to retrieve one balloon, but things get worse fast. One of the remaining balloons bursts inside her, which causes a heart attack.

April feels for the woman and believes her actions should not be reported. She argues that the focus should stay on saving the woman’s life. Choi disagrees. He believes the law is clear, and they have to report what they found. Jeff Clarke is caught in the middle. The disagreement builds until they take it to Sharon Goodwin.

Sharon listens to both sides and offers them a technical loophole. She says that since they only retrieved one bag, it’s not solid proof of trafficking. April quickly accepts this and denies any other bags existed. Clarke goes along with her. Choi is left frustrated and angry. He calls them out afterward for forcing him into a decision that doesn’t sit right with him. It’s clear the case leaves lasting tension between the three.

Elsewhere, Dr. Sarah Reese continues to face emotional challenges. She visits a psychiatric facility and connects with a teen who self-harms just to see her. Reese believes the teen has been wrongly committed. She tries to help, balancing her own compassion with the limits of her job. Her dedication to her patients keeps pulling her closer to the fast-paced emergency department.

By the episode’s end, April returns to work even though she’s still grieving after her miscarriage. She brushes off her coworkers’ concerns and tries to pretend everything is fine. Noah eventually breaks through, and April allows herself to acknowledge how much she’s been carrying. It’s a small step toward healing.

Chicago Med can be streamed on Peacock.

Edited by Somava