SPOILER ALERT: The following reveals major plot points from NBC Chicago MedThe 200th episode of , titled “A Game of Thumbs”.
EXCLUSIVE: Surprise! Torrey DeVitto is back on NBC Chicago Med for its 200th special episode, airing tonight.
She joined Nick Gehlfuss, who plays her character Dr. Natalie Manning’s true love interest, Dr. Will Halstead. We confirmed at the end of August that he would reprise his role this season. Both are expected to appear in several new episodes.
Since we last saw them in the Season 8 finale for the Gehlfuss series exit, off-camera Natalie and Will have been working to make their new family dynamic work. Becoming Owen’s (Frankie DeMaio) stepfather was a challenge, which is understandable. What’s key is that Halstead works to strengthen their bond, which is what he was trying to do with that special boys’ trip to Chicago without Natalie to watch a Bears game.
“It’s like coming home for a visit,” DeVitto told Deadline earlier this week. “It was really nice to be there with everyone. It felt like no time had passed and I wasn’t expecting it.”
Speaking of waiting, there’s a Manstead baby on the way!!! However, fans won’t be able to celebrate in a big way with friends, old and new, in Gaffney after his son was shot and killed there. Stress will be high and this is not a good combination for a pregnant person.
“This puts Natalie back in the thick of things Chicago Med. When they called me and told me how the story unfolded, I was like, “I expected nothing less.” » Natalie always had a trauma, an emotion, or something happening. Of course, I’m not going to come back and sit and eat candy or anything like that. I’ll be back in the thick of it and bawling my eyes out,” she said with a laugh.
Nick Gehlfuss and Torrey DeVitto in season 11 of “Chicago Med”
George Burns Jr/NBC
Gehlfuss shared with Deadline that he was also excited to bring Manstead back, especially to share the fantastic baby news with the longtime fans who have shipped them since day one.
“Knowing that Torrey would be joining me for this story made the return even more exciting and special. It really couldn’t have happened any other way, and it was wonderful to celebrate the 200th episode together. It was like we hadn’t stopped working with each other; we fell back into our groove,” Gehlfuss said.
He continued, “The most palpable thing is that our characters explore such emotional material around parenthood, and we both get to experience that in our personal lives. I met his daughter for the first time on set! Just incredible. All of that played into our scenes together. The fans are going to be so surprised and hopefully satisfied.”
DeVitto and her husband, Jared LaPine, welcomed a daughter in November. Since becoming a mother for the first time, DeVitto has taken a small break from acting to focus on her baby. This Chicago Med this concert is his first role in almost a year.
Chicago Med – From left: Steven Weber, Luke Mitchell, Nick Gehlfuss and Torrey DeVitto in episode 1103, “Horseshoes and Hand Grenades.”
George Burns Jr/NBC
Showrunner Allen MacDonald explained his decision to bring back Natalie and Will to continue their storylines in such a unique way.
“If you bring back Dr. Will Halstead, the audience naturally hopes to see Dr. Natalie Manning as well… which makes perfect sense since their love story is so closely tied to Chicago Med history,” he said.
“It was always my intention to bring back both characters, but I wanted to fulfill that expectation in the 200th episode: make the audience believe that only Nick was returning, and then surprise them with Natalie’s appearance in the final scene when Goodwin tells her over the phone that Owen has been shot,” he added.
Following the events of the second episode of season 11, MacDonald outlines where the story will go from here.
“Looking forward to Episode 3, Natalie will join Will in Chicago for an emotionally taxing episode as Owen’s life hangs in the balance. Natalie will admit to feeling cursed…her husband Jeff died while she was pregnant with Owen, and now she’s pregnant again, and she could lose her firstborn. It made perfect sense for the writing team to build a story around Owen for the 200th episode – and the 201st – since Natalie was pregnant with him in the pilot and gave birth to him in Season 1. For us, it all felt like one,” MacDonald said.
He continued, “It was so incredible to see Torrey DeVitto and Nick Gehlfuss together on set. But for Will and Natalie, these episodes show how their relationship has grown and deepened, while propelling them into the future.”
Could that future include marriage? The two aren’t married yet, and while they don’t have to take that step, Chicago Med she certainly knows how to plan fun weddings. It’s also possible that the stress caused by Owen’s attack could cause the pregnancy to end up in the danger zone or the baby to arrive early. Hopefully, Natalie will have Dr. Hannah Asher (Jessy Schram), Gaffney ED’s attending obstetrics and gynecology physician, available to help her.
In closing, DeVitto has a few words to share with devoted Chicago Med fans.
“When I’m out in public or through comments on Instagram, I hear fans say how much they miss Manstead and how they always support them. I really hope that the OG fans really like Nick and my storyline that we came together to do for them. It really feels like we’re doing everything for them,” she shared.
“One of the most disappointing things about leaving the show is that Will and Natalie didn’t get what they deserved. Even when I came back for Nick’s exit, I still didn’t feel like they got what they deserved, given the amount of time they had together. Now I feel like people will be satiated. I’m really excited for them to see it, and I hope they see it. would love it if the fans weren’t so invested in it. Manstead, we wouldn’t come back,” she said. concluded.
New episodes of Chicago Med airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. All OneChicago series are produced by Universal Television and Wolf Entertainment.
