There haven’t been many healthy relationships in Chicago Med over the years, but the season 10 finale just paved the way for the series to fix that problem for good. All relationships, whether romantic or not, generally involve drama. Chicago Med season 11 will have to deal with drama in several non-sexual relationships. Hannah and her sister, Charles and his daughter, Caitlin and her brother, etc. The states of these relationships all constitute some of the biggest unanswered questions from Chicago Med season 10, and for many reasons.
When it comes to romance, the number of unanswered questions runs a bit tighter. There are lingering questions about whether Hayes and Ainsley are truly out of Lenox and Frost’s respective lives, but the odds are that most romantic issues in Chicago Med season 11 will relate to Hannah Asher. After the possible reveal of her baby’s father in the Chicago Med season 10 finale, many fans are hoping she’ll finally discover happiness in her love life. Unfortunately, the series’ history isn’t so promising.
Chicago Med Has A Long-Running Problem Establishing Healthy Relationships
Asher Alone Can’t Seem To Catch A Lucky Break
It’s one thing for couples to fight, and most viewers can understand why those fights create enough drama to maintain interest, but Hannah Asher had some of the worst relationship luck in the One Chicago universe. Her relapse put an end to her relationship with Will, after which she entered an arguably more problematic relationship with Ripley. However, when Ripley went on a bender, it seemed fans who wanted Asher and Archer together might get their wish. Never mind the fact that Archer was at his most charming when speaking to a recovering drug addict while on acid.
Asher’s not alone in this. Lenox and Frost are the two newest at Gaffney, introduced due to a staff transfer in the Chicago Med season 10 premiere. Both new characters managed to wind up in unhealthy relationships within their first season, the most recent being Caitlin Lenox’s first Chicago Med romance with a doctor who turned out to be taking advantage of his residents. Frost, meanwhile, encountered the woman who claimed to love him while abusing him. Goodwin had the only healthy relationship on the show, and she ended that so badly, Gaffney lost a doctor.
Sadie’s Return In The Chicago Med Season 10 Finale Could Lead To Ripley’s Healthiest Relationship
It Admittedly Wasn’t Difficult To Raise That Bar
Mitch Ripley wouldn’t be the first pick as the person most likely to enter into Chicago Med’s healthiest relationship. He’s been so divisive since dating Hannah that many celebrated her for breaking things off, yet also accused him of cheating on her when he later took too long to push Lynne away when she kissed him after Sully’s death. However, Mitch might have a solid relationship after former patient Sadie knocked on his door in the season 10 finale.
While many prefer Asher and Archer’s potential Chicago Med romance to anything Mitch might do, Ripley and Sadie make sense together. They had a very easygoing, natural flirtation when they met in the well, and it’s hard to maintain that sort of connection with someone while amputating their leg. But other than Sadie having to crutch her way down the sidewalk now, Ripley and Sadie have no bad blood between them. Considering how often Hannah and Dean fight about him trying to dictate her emotions, even Asher and Archer can’t say that.
Why Sadie Shows How Chicago Med Season 11 Can Break The Series’ Romance Curse
Their Chemistry Offers One Thing The Series Has Been Missing
Don’t necessarily forget that Mitch nearly died for Sadie while he was technically off the clock (the fringe benefit of showing up to work hungover so many times), but his near sacrifice isn’t why she showed up at his door. As showrunner Allen MacDonald tells TVLine, Sadie wasn’t supposed to return until the cast and crew saw the actors’ onscreen chemistry. Regarding bringing Sadie back and her chemistry with Mitch, MacDonald states:
“But the answer is when I wrote Episode 15, I wasn’t expecting to bring Sadie back, and you’re correct, their chemistry was so genuine and real, and not to be corny, but kind of magical how they played it. There was this bond, even though they were in this life-and-death situation, and that’s one of the things about Sadie’s character is that her sense of humor is one of her secret weapons to give herself strength. And I think Ripley is very moved by that, and that they both stayed on each other’s mind, and Ripley probably thought of reaching out, but probably thought that, no, that’s complicated, and I think that she thought about him and that she decided to reach out to him, and that’s what we see at the end of the finale. But yes to your guess, you’re absolutely correct. We weren’t planning to do that, but once we saw the final product, Episode 15, I said, ‘She has to come back.’”
It’s telling that MacDonald saw that episode and immediately went into such a deep dive regarding their motivations that bringing Sadie back was the only option. It’s too early to tell if they’ll eventually join the list of One Chicago’s best weddings, but Chicago Med could pave the way for that. The trick to remember is that it wasn’t based on fan expectations or which characters could offer the most dramatic storylines. It was based solely on chemistry. If the series can remember that, then Gaffney can start building out its romances more organically and, hopefully, more successfully.
