Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Chicago Med season 10, episode 8.

This article mentions suicide.

Though her return was a surprise, Rachel Dipillo’s Sarah Reese had a good reason for leaving Chicago Med at the beginning of season 4 and returning in season 10. Reese was originally a medical intern who had a difficult time finding her footing. She almost quit medicine after deciding Pathology was not for her, but Dr. Charles (Oliver Platt) convinced her to work for him instead. Thus, Reese was part of the original cast of the One Chicago universe‘s medical drama, though she disappeared for six years after her exit.

Reese parted with Gaffney Medical Center on poor terms with Dr. Charles after she felt betrayed by him and supposedly went to Texas. However, when she returned in season 10, she revealed she had been working in Chicago for the past four years and was now working at a psychiatric clinic nearby. Thus, she could become a recurring part of the Chicago Med season 10 cast who is occasionally a thorn in Charles’ side.

Dr. Sarah Reese Decided To Leave Gaffney In Chicago Med Season 4

Reese Felt Betrayed By Charles After Her Father’s Death

Reese left Chicago Med after the season 4 premiere because she felt that Dr. Charles had betrayed her. This decision came after the climax of a long arc in which Reese struggled with the question of whether to allow her father, who had abandoned her as a child, to come back into her life, something she considered seriously despite brain scans proving he was a psychopath. Reese’s father died of a heart attack after Dr. Charles confronted him with proof that he had killed two girls in Wisconsin, and unfortunately, Reese believed Charles didn’t try hard enough to save him.

Reese’s exit was disappointing on multiple levels. The story had been set up for her to grapple with her father’s guilt in several murders, but that aspect of the story vanished along with his death, especially because Reese left right afterward. Additionally, it was heartbreaking that she blamed her mentor for her father’s death and didn’t resolve the issue before she left, especially considering that Charles stopped her from quitting medicine and helped her discover her passion for psychiatry.

Why Chicago Med Wrote Out Rachel DiPillo’s Reese

There Has Never Been A Clear Explanation Of Why DiPillo Left

Chicago Med has never provided a clear answer on why Rachel DiPillo left the show. DiPillo didn’t give any exit interviews, and the showrunner at the time, Andy Schneider, said only, “If we can find, down the line, a storyline that would involve her, we would bring her back.” (via TVLine) This comment makes it sound like Reese’s storyline came to an end; however, it is more likely that DiPillo chose not to renew her contract and only returned for the season 4 premiere to provide an exit for her character..

There were still storyline opportunities for Reese to deal with the fallout of her father’s death without leaving Chicago Med. Additionally, DiPillo did not play any other roles between the time she left Chicago Med and when she returned in season 10. It is, therefore, possible that the actress chose to leave the series because she wanted to stop acting and do something else. However, this is only speculation, as DiPillo has not made any public comments about her decision to leave the series.

Dr. Reese’s Chicago Med Season 10 Return Explained

One Of Her Patients Was In The ED

Reese’s return in Chicago Med season 10, episode 8 puts her in direct conflict with Dr. Charles again. At the beginning of the episode, while Charles is trying to help a patient who apparently overdosed on anti-depressants, Reese walks in and tells him the patient is having a panic attack. She knows because she has been treating this patient for several months and asks Charles for temporary privileges at Gaffney so she can assist with this case. Unfortunately, the civility between Reese and Charles doesn’t last long, and they are soon at each other’s throats over this potentially suicidal patient.

If Reese returns again, Charles will likely oppose her treatment recommendations, leading to a strong conflict for them both.

Charles disapproves of Reese’s treatment decisions with this patient, specifically that Reese is secretly giving the patient a placebo while telling her it’s an anti-depressant. Surprisingly, Reese doesn’t bring up the previous incident with her father when Charles suggests her behavior is unethical. However, the returning Chicago Med character accuses Charles of thinking he’s always right when she learns he put her patient on a 72-hour hold. Thus, Charles and Reese part on even worse terms than before. If Reese returns again in Chicago Med, Charles will likely oppose her treatment recommendations, leading to a strong conflict for them both.

Source: TVLine