Sumith Prasad
The eighth season of NBC’s medical series ‘Chicago Med’ follows several reforms that happen in Gaffney Chicago Medical Center after Jack Dayton bought the controlling interest in the hospital. In the eighteenth episode of the season, new hospital board member Dr. George Thomas tells chief administrator Sharon Goodwin that Jack is trying to turn Gaffney into a for-profit hospital. Meanwhile, Maggie makes a significant decision concerning her future and informs Sharon about the same, making the viewers alarmed about Marlyne Barrett’s future in the medical drama. So, will the backbone of Gaffney’s ED will leave the hospital? Let’s find out! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Maggie’s Career Crossroads
In the nineteenth episode of the eighth season, Sharon and George get prepared for a board meeting that will decide whether Gaffney will become a for-profit hospital. While trying to ensure that the majority of board members want Gaffney to remain a non-profit establishment, she encounters Maggie, all dressed up. The latter tells Sharon that she went to renew her driving license. However, at the end of the episode, Maggie comes clean to Sharon about lying to her. Instead of renewing her license, Maggie met a headhunter to look for a new job elsewhere. She doesn’t want to work at Gaffney while the hospital is going to change beyond expectations if it becomes a for-profit establishment.
Maggie asks Sharon to win the battle against Jack so that she can continue working at Gaffney. Both Sharon and Maggie receive a blow when George lets them know that Jack got enough votes from the board members to turn the hospital into a for-profit one. Since Maggie only wants to remain at Gaffney if the hospital is a non-profit establishment, she is expected to seriously consider leaving the place where she has been working for years. Considering that the headhunter’s response to Maggie is positive, it is clear that it will not be hard for her to find a new job. Does that mean the nurse-in-charge of Gaffney’s ED is leaving the hospital? Is Marlyne Barrett leaving the medical drama? Let’s see.
Marlyne Barrett’s Future in Chicago Med
As of yet, neither NBC nor Marlyne Barrett has released a statement concerning the actress’ departure from ‘Chicago Med.’ Although Maggie has sought a new job elsewhere, it will not be easy for her to leave the place she loves wholeheartedly. After coming clean about her lie to Sharon, Maggie adds that she feels guilty for considering departing from the hospital that has become nothing short of a home for her. Maggie’s decision to leave Gaffney can be an impulsive one, made without her giving a proper thought, after witnessing the unacceptable changes Jack Dayton has brought into her ED.
The nineteenth episode of season 8 ends with Maggie asking Sharon to try her best to save Gaffney so that she can continue working at the place she loves. Even though Jack turns Gaffney into a for-profit establishment, Maggie may choose to fight alongside Sharon against the businessman. Sharon has helped Maggie on several occasions. The ED nurse-in-charge may return the favor by joining Sharon’s force to resist the changes that have been happening at the hospital. In addition, the writers of the series must have conceived Maggie’s wish to leave Gaffney to raise the stakes in the storyline that revolves around the hospital becoming a for-profit establishment rather than as an indication of Barrett’s supposed departure from the series.
Thanks for hanging with me tonight! See y’all next week. #ChicagoMed #OneChicago
— Marlyne Barrett (@barrettmarlyne) May 4, 2023
Since Barrett has been receiving treatment for her uterine and ovarian cancer, it will not be a surprise if the actress left the show temporarily for the same. However, the chances of Barrett leaving the show for good are little to none. The actress has been vocal about how playing Maggie has helped her deal with her cancer, which indicates that Barrett most likely will continue featuring in ‘Chicago Med.’
Read More: Will Dr. Kai Tanaka-Reed Leave Gaffney? Is Devin Kawaoka Leaving Chicago Med?
