Chicago Med’s Season 10 premiere episode introducedDr. John Frost(Darren Barnet) as one of the newest members of Gaffney’s staff. Warm, compassionate, and deeply passionate about his work, Frost often goes beyond just treating his young patients. From an abused minor afraid to stand up to his dad to a parent lying about their child’s history to hide a troubling fact, Frost’s interventions have helped heal the souls of his patients. He’s a firm believer that children should have a say in their own healthcare decisions. However, it appears this dedication stems from a troubling experience from his own childhood.Chicago Med’s next episode, “Poster Child,” will explore Frost’s backstory in-depth as teased in a newly released promo.
Much of Frost’s storyline has primarily centered on his skills in the ED, and while we know he was formerly a child actor before pursuing a career in medicine, not much of that past life has been revealed, but that’s about to change. Last night’s episode, “Down in a Hole,” introduced a surprise from Frost’s past life, an actress Ainsley Towne (played byGlee’sJessalyn Gilsig) who co-starred with Frost in a long-running TV show playing his mother. While their reunion initially starts off well, things soon take a dark turn, but Frost decides to keep the truth to himself. He obligesMaggie’s (Marlyne Barrett) desire that Ainsley shadow her for a nurse role she’s booked for, and even has good things to say about her. However, Frost won’t succeed at keeping the secret for too long, as seen in the promo.
“Everything okay between you and Ainsley? I saw your face when you came out of the supply room,” Maggie worryingly asks Frost. He brushes off her concern, replying “she’s just an old friend, it’s well.” However, subsequent scenes reveal quite the opposite. All is not well with Frost, and whatever Ainsley did to him in the past, which seems to be a classic case of sexual manipulation and abuse, deeply affected Frost. Thankfully, Maggie eventually succeeds at getting him to open up as the teaser ends with a heartfelt scene between the two as our favorite charge nurse offers some encouraging words.
Frost’s Troubled Childhood Was a Result of Parental Neglect
Frost’s keen eye for recognizing an abused child is because he’s all too familiar with abuse. As he told Maggie in the previous episode, many people tried to take advantage of his childhood fame and the wealth that came with it,including his own parents. Barnet shared a little ofthat dark historyin a recent interview, saying:
“Frost cannot handle parents mishandling a child in any form— emotionally, medically, et cetera. His parents may or may not be coming back around in his life. They were not the best. They stole or used all of his money from his acting days. He’s very much in medical debt.They seem to be very opportunistic as parents, and they may be coming back around under some dire circumstances.”
Chicago MedSeason 10 is going on a mini-hiatus to return in a fortnight with “Poster Child” on March 26. Check out the promo above.
Chicago Med
