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Dakin Matthews Just Made an Emotional Chicago Med Guest Appearance
The TV titan guest-starred in an emotionally-charged Chicago Med episode that had viewers gripped.
Dakin Matthews made an emotional guest appearance on Chicago Med Season 10, Episode 3 as a patient who had the doctors scratching their heads to understand his decision to forego a life-saving heart surgery.
Known for his extensive television, film, and theater career, Matthews brought his signature depth and gravitas to his Chicago Med guest appearance. Many may recognize Matthews from projects like Gilmore Girls, Desperate Housewives, The Good Wife, and The King of Queens. On Chicago Med, Matthews had an equally memorable role as an elderly patient named Art Hubbard.
Find out what happened during Dakin Matthews' Chicago Med guest appearance, below.
Dakin Matthews appears on Chicago Med: details
Chi-Hards first met Matthews' Art Hubbard after he was brought into the E.D. following a collapse in the grocery store. Doctors soon realized he fell due to heart complications, and as Art woke up in the E.D., he panicked. The second he realized where he was, he insisted they avoided surgery.
"Joan said 'No surgery'!" he pled with the doctors, who backed away after stabilizing him.
But Art's prognosis wasn't good; he truthfully needed the surgery to ensure he wouldn't suffer from heart failure within days. Even worse, Gaffney wasn't the first E.D. he'd visited recently. At every hospital he visited, Art refused surgery due to Joan's disapproval. After Dr. Archer (Steven Weber) called Art's daughter, the doctors learned she had never met Joan and was concerned by her father's actions. Joan wasn't his partner — Art's wife had died years before.
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So, who was Joan? Archer quickly tapped Gaffney's go-to psychiatrist, Dr. Daniel Charles (Oliver Platt), for help. Dr. Charles visited Art, where he brought up the surgery. Art explained that Joan thought it was a bad idea, prompting Dr. Charles to ask how he knew Joan. Was she a friend, a relative? Could they give Joan a call to update her on the situation? Dr. Charles explained that she must be worried about him, but Art refused. After Charles promised he wouldn't judge, Art admitted they talked on the computer.
"Oh, OK," Dr. Charles said. "Well, come on, show me."
Dr. Charles discovered that Joan couldn't be contacted because she wasn't real. "Joan" was an A.I. chatbot, a companion app that Art had grown attached to following his wife's death. Dr. Charles decided that instead of working against Joan, he'd leverage her wealth of knowledge to show Art the light. Back in Art's hospital room, he relished in his memories of being at the center of his family's universe. Aging and losing his wife changed that dynamic—he now felt ignored and isolated, unable to be seen by loved ones. Speaking with Joan was the time he'd felt seen in years.
After Dr. Charles was formally introduced to Joan, he began asking questions that led Joan to persuade Art to get the surgery. In doing so, Dr. Charles proved Joan reflects the user's correspondence — she'd told Art not to get the surgery because he had communicated fear of the procedure. Art was initially hurt by this demonstration, admitting there was no one to care for him if he got the surgery.
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Dr. Charles then revealed that he had contacted a family member who was on the way and eager and willing to help Art as he recovered. Dr. Charles told him he wasn't alone in the world; he still had people who loved and supported him. With this tearful realization, Art finally agreed to the surgery.
"I think you're making the right decision," Dr. Charles said, patting him on the back.
Watch Season 10 of Chicago Med on Wednesdays at 8/7c on NBC.
