Abhiroop Das
Co-created by Dick Wolf and Matt Olmstead, ‘Chicago Med’ begins its twelfth season, tracing the aftermath of the Sharon Goodwin controversy. After allegations are levied against her of violating HIPAA laws, Goodwin temporarily steps down, leaving Gaffney in absolute chaos. Short-staffed and stuck with an ever-decreasing budget, the hospital is in need of extremely skilled physicians, and Dr. Annie Wu fits that criteria quite perfectly. As she makes her impact felt in the hospital’s high-stress ER department, her perspective on certain things begins clashing with those of Ripley’s, and the effect is also felt in their work output. While Annie is known to be gifted and quick on her feet, there is still a lot of room to grow and evolve. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Annie Wu is a Skilled But Headstrong Addition to the ER Department
Annie Wu is introduced in the season 12 premiere of ‘Chicago Med’ as the newest doctor to join Gaffney’s Emergency Department. A fourth-year resident, Annie works under Ripley’s mentorship, but it doesn’t take long for trouble to brew between them. When a mass shooter winds up trying to break into the hospital with his car and ends up hurting himself instead, Ripley and team have to stabilize his failing heart and lungs in a matter of seconds. Right before he can reach out for the anesthetics, however, Annie takes matters into her own hands and cuts the shooter open. Though the maneuver is ultimately successful, Ripley cannot help but feel that she was deliberately hostile toward the patient and meant to inflict pain.
It’s not just the fact that Annie broke the chain of command, but also that she might have let her personal feelings get in the way of treatment, that troubles Ripley. However, when he tries to confront her, Annie flips the argument back, claiming that he is misreading her actions with his own hidden desires in mind. This sets up a conflict that will likely last several episodes, as while Annie may be immensely talented, these frictions might cause more trouble down the line. That said, most of the characters that have come to define the show once started out in a similar position, as it is only after spending time with each other that these characters forge true camaraderie and friendship.
An-Li Bogan Brings the Character of Annie Wu to Life
Actor An-Li Bogan joins the cast of ‘Chicago Med’ as Annie Wu, promising to add more complex character work to the roster. A talented artist, Bogan has been part of the industry for more than a decade, having started out in the role of Devyn in the TV miniseries ‘Grid System.’ From there, she went on to feature shows like ‘Bull’ and ‘Elementary,’ where she essays Jacqueline Stone and Tour Guide. The actor is perhaps best known for her work in ‘The Unsettling,’ in which she plays Nadine. On top of her TV appearances, Bogan has also accumulated a lot of experience in the world of film, with titles such as ‘After Yang,’ ‘The American Society of Magical Negroes,’ and ‘The Plan,’ where she steps into the roles of Ling, Lizzie, and Mads, respectively.
In the role of Annie, Bogan steps into an entirely new genre of storytelling, and she likely put in a lot of research to get the technicalities of the role right. Just as important as that, though, is crafting the unique perspective that the character expresses in the very first season. In an interview with People, showrunner and executive producer Allen MacDonald explained that Annie ” has her own moral code of what’s right and wrong and what’s too far. And where she thinks the line is, I think, is a little different than where most doctors think the line is.” In the same conversation, MacDonald also teased that Annie will have a very competitive arc with Dr. Frost in upcoming episodes, which means that fans can expect more interesting plot beats to come up down the line.
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