‘Chicago Med’ Says Goodbye to Colin Donnell, Norma Kuhling in Twist-Heavy Season 5 Premiere

Chicago Med wrapped up Connor Rhodes and Ava Bekker’s storyline with an eventful and deadly Season 5 premiere episode. The hour marked the last episode for stars Colin Donnell and Norma Kuhling as series regulars and finally answered questions about Cornelius Rhodes’ sudden passing before the doctors said goodbye to the windy city.

Spoilers ahead for Chicago Med Season 5 Premiere: “Never Going Back to Normal”

The Season 4 finale left plenty of questions regarding Connor (Donnell) and Ava’s (Kuhling) tense relationship after his father’s death was officially declared suspicious. Connor had been wondering if his disgruntled ex-girlfriend and colleague might have had something to do with it, but she finished the season telling him off before walking away.

The premiere episode kicked off with Connor still wondering about Ava, as Kevin Atwater (Chicago P.D.’s LaRoyce Hawkins) led the investigation into his father’s death, the police detective and Connor shared a tense conversation after he insinuated Connor might have been responsible.

Connor later runs into Ava and once again accuses her of killing his father. She quickly tells him he’s crazy and fights back against her ex by filing a complaint with HR. Things get more awkward after Dr. Latham (Ato Essandoh) finds Ava and Connor arguing and he confronts Connor about his aggressive demeanor in the workplace.

Connor gets some face time with Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss) after his and Natalie’s tragic car crash. Connor helps Will with his injuries and then also keeps a watchful eye on Natalie’s (Torrey DeVitto) boyfriend as he puts a wedding ring on her finger to make her think he had proposed before the crash.

He doesn’t have time to step into that drama, however, when Dr. Latham pages he and Ava to reveal the lab results for Cornelius came back, revealing there was a specific chemical in his body that would make it easier to identify who might have slipped the drugs that killed him into his body and clear the mess up.

After learning the news, Ava rushes out of the room with Connor right behind her. When they’re alone she finally admits that she killed Cornelius and begs him to let her escape. Connor refuses as Ava says she killed Cornelius so the two of them could finally be together without obstacles. She then grabs a scalpel and rushes toward him but surprises when she slits her own throat.

Despite his best attempts to keep her alive in surgery, Connor is unable to stop the bleeding in time and Ava dies on the table. Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson) says she is determined to keep what happened quiet until all the details come to light, but Connor realizes that the hospital will never be the same after all the trauma he just went through.

He finds Dr. Latham and reveals he is leaving Med to start fresh somewhere where he can just be “another doctor.” They share a quiet goodbye as all the other drama goes on in the hospital. He explains his decision to Sharon, who says she wishes he could stay but understands his decision, and they say a quick goodbye.

The premiere ends on a sad note for fans, as Connor looks out at the entrance of the hospital with tears in his eyes before walking away.

What did you think of Donnell and Kuhling’s final episode? Chicago Med airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.