I’m ecstatic that Chicago Med season 10, episode 14, titled “Acid Test,” has cleared a path for Hannah (Jessy Schram) and Dean (Steven Weber) to finally be together. Dean and Hannah are both late arrivals to the Chicago Med cast of characters — he debuted in the middle of season 6, and Hannah returned to work after completing rehab at the end of that season. They were initially adversaries, but have grown closer over the past few years and are now friends who support one another through difficult times.
“Acid Test” features a mostly comical subplot in which Dean gets high on acid after a patient shares it with him. While this ridiculous arc is mostly a waste of one of Steven Weber’s best characters, I appreciated that it allowed him to drop his guard enough to tell Hannah how he feels about her. Additionally, Hannah finally breaks things off permanently with Mitch (Luke Mitchell), leaving her free to get together with Dean in the future if she wants.
Hannah and Mitch have been on the outs since Mitch returned to drinking. In “Acid Test,” Hannah finds Dean resting in the locker room when she goes to change at the end of her shift. Despite his intoxicated state, Dean can tell that she is upset about Mitch. He tells her: “You walk around without realizing you have this light all around you… you’re hopeful, and open, and kind… and you deserve more. You just don’t see it. I do.”
Although Dean doesn’t directly tell Hannah he loves her, these words prove it. It’s clear he admires her, and his disinhibited state allows him to admit that her willingness to be positive in the face of trauma balances out his cynicism. Hannah hides how touched she is by his comments, instead taking him back to a treatment room so that the staff can keep an eye on him until he comes down from his acid high. However, it’s likely that her later decision to break up with Mitch permanently is influenced by Dean’s opinion of her.
Hannah’s Reaction Makes It Clear Mitch Was Only A Placeholder
She Finally Breaks Up With Him
Hannah doesn’t immediately do anything about Mitch. However, later, when Mitch tells her he still loves her and wants to try again to be a couple, Hannah replies: “I love you too, but it’s not enough.” I was thrilled to hear Hannah say this because it encapsulates their relationship perfectly. Hannah outgrew Mitch a long time ago but kept trying to make the relationship work. However, Mitch was more interested in his old life than in being a sober, mature person in a relationship with someone who is also in recovery, so the pairing was doomed to fail.
I’m not sure if Hannah ever felt as strongly about Mitch as he did about her.
It’s hard to tell how much of Hannah’s decision came from Dean’s comments about her. She was likely already leaning toward ending the relationship with Mitch. However, I’m not sure if Hannah ever felt as strongly about Mitch as he did about her. Chicago Med’s Hannah and Mitch were mismatched from the beginning, and it’s possible she was only trying to make it work because she didn’t see any better relationship possibilities in her future.
Why Hannah And Dean Should Get Together In Chicago Med
They Have The Best Foundation For Romance
Now, Chicago Med needs a new romantic couple. There has not been any real romance in the medical drama since Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss) left at the end of season 8. The series toyed with the idea of Hannah and Will, but it never quite worked, and when he left, there was nobody decent to replace him in Hannah’s life. Hannah and Mitch were not a strong couple, and Sean Archer’s (Luigi Sottile) feelings for Hannah went nowhere. Meanwhile, there was no romance on the horizon for any other character, especially after Maggie (Marlyne Barrett) divorced Ben (Charles Malik Whitfield).
Hannah and Dean could reverse this disappointing Chicago Med trend. Solid friendships are always a strong foundation for romance, particularly if the characters begin their relationship as enemies. Additionally, Dean and Hannah balance each other out well. Dean’s personality includes equal parts cynicism and rebelliousness, while Hannah is younger, more idealistic, and less willing to break the rules. These differences make for a compelling relationship, especially since both characters are unafraid to call each other out when needed, so this is the couple that the medical drama should move forward with.
