Infection, Part II is the fourth episode of Season 5 of Chicago Med. It is the second part of a three-part One Chicago Crossover event with Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. The event starts with Infection, Part I, continues with this episode and concludes with Infection, Part III.
Summary[]
The entire population of an apartment complex is forced into quarantine when multiple cases of a flesh-eating bacteria are discovered. The Chicago P.D. Intelligence Unit chases a lead that could point to a case of bioterrorism, while multiple patients succumb to the disease. Dr. Halstead works closely with a representative from the CDC and doctors from the involved university lab, putting him dangerously close to the suspect. Meanwhile, Sharon Goodwin deals with the press.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Nick Gehlfuss as Dr. Will Halstead
- Yaya DaCosta as April Sexton
- Torrey DeVitto as Dr. Natalie Manning
- Brian Tee as Dr. Ethan Choi
- Dominic Rains as Dr. Crockett Marcel
- Marlyne Barrett as Maggie Lockwood
- S. Epatha Merkerson as Sharon Goodwin
- Oliver Platt as Dr. Daniel Charles
Crossover Cast[]
- Jesse Spencer as Matthew Casey
- Taylor Kinney as Kelly Severide
- Kara Killmer as Sylvie Brett
- David Eigenberg as Christopher Herrmann
- Annie Ilonzeh as Emily Foster
- Eamonn Walker as Wallace Boden
- Jesse Lee Soffer as Jay Halstead
- Tracy Spiridakos as Hailey Upton
- Marina Squerciati as Kim Burgess
- Patrick John Flueger as Adam Ruzek
- LaRoyce Hawkins as Kevin Atwater
- Amy Morton as Trudy Platt
- Lisseth Chavez as Vanessa Rojas
- Jason Beghe as Hank Voight
Recurring Cast[]
- Jeremy Shouldis as Dr. Marty Peterson
- Courtney Rioux as Paramedic Courtney
- Desmond Gray as Paramedic Desmond
- Sarah Brooks as Paramedic Juliette
- Tonray Ho as Nurse Leah
- Kristina Valada-Viars as Nurse Maya
- Anna Maldonado as CT Tech Charlotte
Guest Cast[]
- Kathleen Munroe as Dr. Andrea Danover
- Aaron Serotsky as David Seldon
- Kyla Kenedy as Amanda
- Deirdre Madigan as Sharlene Hughes
- Adam Tran as Dennis Quan
- Andrew White as Bruno Geller
- Louise Lamson as Dr. Heather Holcomb
- Julian Hester as John Sorenstein
- Adam Wesley Brown as Shane
- Danny Catlow as Dalton
- Dolly McCarthy as Newscaster Gloria
- Michael Christopher Collins as Newscaster Bob
- Josh Zagoren as Reporter Jim Myers
- Dana Cruz as Female Reporter #1
- Jennifer Jelsema as Female Reporter #2
- Karla Beard as Trish Ferguson
- Scott Anderson as Bart Hopkins
- John Librizzi as Apartment Manager
- Eunji Kim as Veronica Song
- Steve King as Infected Man
Themes[]
The episode highlights multiple aspects of a mass panic induced by an infectious disease outbreak:
- The way panic spreads throughout a population as news spreads
- Sensationalist coverage by news media
- Conspiracy theories
- People with immigrant backgrounds being blamed for the spread of a disease
- Tensions between public health and financial/PR considerations
Medical Cases[]
Many patients are surgically treated in an attempt to remove infected tissue, with multiple patients succumbing. One patient is saved by amputating an infected arm.
Notes and Trivia[]
- The samples of the flesh-eating bacteria are said to require the highest level (level 4) of biomedical security, but the characters are seen handling them without any protective gear. Similarly, Dr. Marcel is seen wiping his face with a hand covered in blood from a patient who has just died of the bacteria.