This article contains discussions of grooming and child abuse.
SPOILERS forChicago Medseason 10, episode 19, “The Stories We Tell Ourselves.”
Frost’s history with Ainsley inChicago Medhas been complicated to say the least, but Charles hints at how the series needs to truly end their story in the way Frost deserves. It’s nothing new forOne Chicagoshowsto spotlight real issues that have little bearing on the specific jobs the characters are performing. InChicago Medseason 10, it seemed as if a lot of those issues had to do with parents and guardians putting their children in questionable or even dangerous positions.
Although it’s usually the patients who are most affected by these storylines, the coreChicago Medcharactershaven’t escaped from these story arcs unscathed. This became particularly clear when it was learned thatformer child actor Frost was caught up in a physical relationship with an adult co-star while he was still underage. He’s claimed before that it was all consensual, and he hasn’t seemed willing to hear any argument to the contrary.Chicago Medseason 10, episode 19 finally changed that in a major way that could affect Frost’s character for some time to come.
Chicago Med Season 10, Episode 19 Ends With Frost Finally Walking Away From Ainsley
He’s Finally Learned To See Their Relationship For What It Was
Both ofChicago Medseason 10’s two new charactershave proven to be highly intriguing additions to the series, but John Frost’s story became much more interesting with the recent introduction of Ainsley Towne. Having played Frost’s mother in their TV show back in the day,it became instantly clear that she was still attracted to him when he had to pull away from a kiss not long after she arrivedto shadow Maggie as research for a new role. But despite his reservations, it took a near breakdown for him to finally open up about their past.
While dealing with a child whose mother had abandoned him at the hospital, Frost had to let Charles handle the kid alone because the situation was bringing him to tears. Later, he admits to Charles thathe only allowed Ainsley to instigate a physical relationship because he felt close to her and was worried about losing her. Once it’s finally out in the open, Frost gains the power to confront Ainsley for taking advantage of him. He tells her to leave him alone, and she appears to oblige. Whether she stays away for good remains to be seen.
Charles Points Out That Ainsley’s Abuse Has Affected How Frost Deals With Children
He Can Be Particularly Sensitive To Those With Questionable Parents
There are times whenCharles’ advice onChicago Medcan feel questionable, but he handles Frost perfectly in this episode. Even before Frost begins tearing up, Charles can tell that the way he’s dealing with their abandoned patient feels out of character.Frost typically handles children incredibly well without feeling the need to lie or talk down to them, but Frost tries to reassure their patient that his mother is secretly a superhero and will find her way back to him eventually.
It isn’t the first time that Ainsley’s presence has affected him. Frost previously took issue with an influencer couple who brought their son to Gaffney for a venomous snake bite.He assumed they didn’t care about their son because they asked their followers for advice, and Ripley had to correct his bedside manner more than once because of it. While many look down on influencers, Frost might have been compassionate enough to see two parents looking for support wherever they could find it. Because of Ainsley’s recent arrival, he was predisposed to see two fame-mongers taking advantage of a child.
Chicago Med Season 10 Needs To Explore How Ainsley’s Reunion Changed Frost
The Story Isn’t Over Until We’ve Seen Evidence Of Lasting Growth
Assuming that Ainsley does leave for good, she’ll probably be one of the least missed among thecharacters who have leftChicago Med. But now that Charles has pointed out the effect she had on Frost’s dealings with children,Chicago Medseason 10 needs to show him improve as a result of having finally confronted his own past. It’s hardly uncommon for Gaffney to receive young patients whose medical issues might be blamed on their parents. Frost won’t have truly moved past Ainsley’s betrayal of his trust until he’s handled one of those cases differently than he had been before.
One thing the series does extremely well at times is to show the nuance in these situations. Some parents make mistakes, but that doesn’t make them bad people. Frost was too blinded by his own childhood to see that nuance with his snake bite patient, but it only takes one similar case to show that his worldview has been broadened enough not to view all questionable adults through the lens of Ainsley’s betrayal.Chicago Medonly has a few episodes left in the season, but that’s plenty to give Ainsley’s storyline the ending Frost deserves.
Chicago Med
Cast
Chicago Med is a medical drama series that explores the high-stakes environment of a bustling Chicago hospital. Set against the backdrop of chaotic emergency room scenarios, the series follows a team of dedicated doctors and nurses as they confront challenging cases inspired by real-world issues, while navigating complex relationships.
