Summary
- Medical shows like Chicago Med sometimes prioritize drama over realism, which can result in nonsensical and unrealistic plotlines.
- The idea of doctors operating on a panda in the show is laughable, as it goes against medical practice and poses a high risk of mistakes.
- When medical shows deviate too much from realism, it can undermine the grounding elements of the show and make it difficult for audiences to invest in the characters and stories.
A real doctor critiques a Chicago Med episode about a panda heart surgery. A spin-off series in the same universe as Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D., Chicago Med follows medical professionals at the Gaffney Chicago Medical Center emergency department, where wild cases arise every day. The medical show was recently renewed for season 9, which will air after the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes end. Though Chicago Med focuses on the daily life of doctors and nurses in an emergency department, it occasionally delves into the absurd. In season 2, episode 11, "Graveyard Shift," doctors are forced to conduct heart surgery on an actual panda.
A real-life doctor, Doctor Mike, posted his reaction to the scene on YouTube. While Doctor Mike walks through the realism of the medical procedures in the show, he takes time to pick apart the concept of human surgeons operating on pandas. The idea that doctors would operate on animals they have never studied was laughable to him, and he showed his disapproval of the narrative. Check out his quote below:
“A panda! They literally are just making s*it up as they go now.
Okay, that’s great, but you know what’s more interesting? When a real patient — a human patient — needs surgery and the doctor’s busy with a panda, good luck explaining it to the patient’s family. ‘You see, we know your husband’s heart problem’s complicated, but panda’… No! He has not [done this procedure many times]! It’s a different species! They didn’t even give him like something similar. Is a panda even remotely similar to a human? This is done in humans. To do this on an animal and a species you’ve never done it before? That’s ridiculous. How is that an explanation?
I had a struggle at my hospital of supporting the public relations of a doctor who’s doing well on social media, and this hospital’s willing to support operating on a panda for a PR surgery. Get a panda surgeon! Not even a vet. Don’t go to the vet that treats cats and dogs. Go to the vet that operates on hearts of pandas. How do you know what is tachycardic even for a panda? Like, if you ask me right now, ‘What is a fast heart rate for a panda?’ I’m making it up if I tell you. They’re gonna stop the panda’s heart?
Okay, I don’t know why I’m entertained by this… She’s gonna wake up and kill all of you. Pandas are ruthless. The writers have to be on strike when this episode was written."
Why Medical Shows Such As Chicago Med Deviate From Practicality
Although medical shows attempt to depict real-life patient cases, several have taken creative liberties that stray from accuracy. However, filling in every detail of medical minutia can be tedious at best and distracting at worst. With only an hour devoted to each episode, writers need to focus on giving each scene realism, while also encouraging drama and closing the loop on every case of the week. It's a careful balance to achieve, but good drama can keep audiences invested in Chicago Med's characters.
Unfortunately, Chicago Med can sometimes deviate too far into surreal territory. A panda getting heart surgery from an inexperienced doctor is dramatic but nonsensical, particularly since these physicians lack knowledge of animal anatomy. As Doctor Mike argued, it would be a PR disaster and legal issue for Gaffney Chicago Medical Center if the zoo's beloved panda died in their care. Considering that the doctors had never operated on pandas before, the risk of the doctors making a mistake was painfully high.
If a medical show delves too far into drama and ignores realistic medical practices, there is no reason to care. The grounding elements of the show get stripped away, leaving audiences to shrug off the next major emergency case. If surgeons can treat actual pandas without any training, then most cases should be easily resolved by doctors, but that is not practical. Hence, Chicago Med season 9 needs to focus on realistic cases and ignore the panda heart surgery in its past.
Source: Doctor Mike