What Happened to Ava on 'Chicago Med'? A Recap of Her Tragic Ending

Ava's Exit on 'Chicago Med' Was Shockingly Dark and Downright Disturbing

Feb. 23 2021, Updated 8:36 p.m. ET

When it was announced that Chicago Med actors Colin Donnell and Norma Kuhling would now not be returning to the display for its 5th season, enthusiasts were perplexed as to why the writers didn’t wrap up their characters’ storylines on the Season 4 finale. 

In fact, Drs. Connor Rhodes and Ava Bekker had been entangled in a pretty major cliffhanger that unraveled in a truly shocking way on the Sept. 25 premiere.

What happened to Ava on Chicago Med?

As viewers know, the relationship between Ava and Connor deteriorated after the latter’s father, Cornelius, alleged that his son’s girlfriend slept with him in an effort to persuade the wealthy businessman to fund Connor’s hybrid OR. 

After Cornelius died impulsively, Connor suspected Ava of killing him when he discovered that the reason of demise was an insulin overdose. In the Season 5 premiere, Ava admits to murdering Cornelius, claiming she did it for her and Connor's relationship.

She then ends her life via slitting her throat in front of her horrified ex. Traumatized over what he witnessed, the cardiothoracic and trauma surgeon resigns from Gaffney Chicago Medical Center and leaves town.

The annoying episode left a lot of fans angry over the way in which Ava was killed off. "AVA BEKKER & NORMA KUHLING DID NOT DESERVE THIS AND THAT'S THE TEA," one Twitter user wrote in all caps. Another added, "I will never forgive them for the massive character assassination of Ava Bekker."

Co-showrunner Diane Frolov defended Ava's heartbreaking ending, explaining, "We wanted to really give her story closure, absolutely slam the door. And it allowed her to take a final revenge on [Connor], and also gave him a big reason to leave."

"As soon as we started going down the road that she slept with his father, we knew that there would be no happy ending to this," Diane instructed TVLine. "We debated if she was going to survive the suicide and be arrested, but it didn’t seem as satisfying to us."

Executive manufacturer Andrew Schneider added that Norma and Colin had been "really game to jump in" to this actual narrative. "[Norma was] going for it," he shared. "They’re both terrific actors, and you know, the door is still open for Connor’s character. He’s alive."

Why did Colin Donnell and Norma Kuhling depart Chicago Med?

After the duo’s forthcoming exits have been published in April, Deadline reported that "creative reasons related to the characters’ story evolution" had been to blame for their departures. 

Despite rumors of strife at the back of the scenes, Colin and Norma each wrote heartfelt posts about the NBC series on social media. "WELL… that escalated!" Norma commented after Ava’s fate was revealed. 

"A final farewell and thank you to the #chihards. You guys have overwhelmed me with your thoughtful, passionate messages, and I’m so grateful."

A few months earlier, Colin tweeted, "I love my #ChicagoMed #OneChicago family dearly. And a special thank you to all the fans that have made these last four seasons so amazing."

We’re no longer certain we will care for to any extent further surprises from the medical drama this yr. New episodes of Chicago Med air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

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