Chicago Med won’t return with new episodes for a few months, but after the shocking and emotional Season 9 finale, we couldn’t help but start thinking theories for Chicago Med Season 10. Season 9, after all, ended with Dr. Ripley accused of assaulting Pawel Wapniarski with a baseball bat, and Dr. Crockett Marcel completely broken after a loss that hit way too close to home and reminded him of his dead daughter.
So, while Season 9 of Chicago Med didn’t end with anyone in actual physical danger, the show did set up the board for some interesting storylines that could be further explored in Season 10, including Asher and Ripley’s romance and Sean’s frustration with his father. And though there are no spoilers yet, and writers are still not back to work on the next season, we do have some theories on how the Chicago Med cliffhangers will be resolved and what to expect in Chicago Med Season 10 once they do.
A New Doctor Will Join Chicago Med
There’s been a revolving door at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center for a while, and though Dr. Mitch Ripley did about as good a job of replacing Will Halstead as it was possible to do during Chicago Med Season 9, the truth is the show still feels like it’s missing at least one more doctor. With Chicago Med Season 10 getting a new showrunner in Allen MacDonald, it feels like it’s the right time to replace more than Will Halstead.
After all, the last few years have also seen the departures of other characters, like Ethan Choi, Dylan Scott, Pamela Blake, Vanessa Taylor, and April Sexton, among others. And yes, the show has introduced new characters, but not nearly as many as have departed. So, we think the show will bring in at least one new face to the hospital for Season 10, if not a couple. As long as they stick around for more than a few episodes, fans will probably be happy with just having more people around.
Pawel Wapniarski Will Be a Problem for Mitch Ripley
Considering that the show has set up Mitch Ripley to be basically Will Halstead’s replacement, the likelihood of him being actually responsible for Pawel Wapniarski’s attack are slim to none. Even at his worst, Will Halstead never made that bad a call. But Ripley did walk out without denying the accusations at the end of the Chicago Med Season 9 finale, perhaps because he was just as upset as we were by the fact that anyone would believe he was capable of it in the first place.
But Pawel Wapniarski is set to be a continued problem for both Dr. Ripley and Dr. Charles going into Chicago Med Season 10, particularly with these accusations hanging over Dr. Ripley. To Dr. Charles’s credit, he immediately defended Ripley, but he isn’t the only one who has to believe in Dr. Ripley’s innocence. And the fact that both Hannah and Maggie seemed to be waiting for Ripley’s answer instead of just giving him the benefit of the doubt was concerning, to say the least.
Crockett Walks Away from Chicago Med
Crockett Marcel has always carried his grief very close to the surface. In Chicago Med Season 9 Episode 13 “I Think I Know You, but Do I Really?” it becomes impossible for him to keep the grief inside as he gets the news that he hasn’t just lost a young patient, but that the father of that patient has killed himself.
It’s not just a little too much for Crockett, it hits a little too close to home, and he takes himself out of a surgery and then, after he shares a poignant moment with Maggie on the roof, he sounds less than sure that he will indeed be back tomorrow, as she questions. And perhaps he won’t be. Maybe the thing Dr. Marcel needs, most of all, is a break and time to finally grieve. It doesn’t look like he’s ever let himself. Perhaps, if he takes that, he can come back and be the person and the doctor he always wanted to be.
Asher and Ripley’s Budding Romance is Rocked by Secrets
As it always is on Chicago Med, just as Hannah Asher and Mitch Ripley finally get a moment together, they get interrupted. And then he gets accused of assaulting a guy. So, it’s less than ideal at the start of a relationship, that’s for sure. But the thing is, they haven’t really had an ideal start to the relationship in the first place. Sure, Asher said in the penultimate episode of Season 9 that she didn’t really care about his baggage, but that’s very easy to say when the baggage isn’t out and affecting someone.
That’s only Ripley’s baggage, they haven’t really gone into Asher’s baggage. Or how their combined baggage might affect the relationship they’re trying to build. That’s what Chicago Med Season 10 is from, exploring a possible relationship and how that road might look. We expect it to be bumpy.
Dean and Sean Archer Reconcile (Again)
Sean’s frustration with his father was more or less understandable, if somewhat unfair. A part of him, of course, hoped he’d had this version of Dean Archer when he needed him. But there’s another part of Sean that truly believes that the road he took was the only road he could have taken. Both parts are fighting each other right now, and that’s why he lashed out at his father. But the truth is their relationship has been on much shakier ground than it is right now, and it recovered.
Chicago Med Season 10 might still require the father and son to have a few important conversations, but they will once again reconcile. They’ve already put on a lot of hard work towards making their relationship one based on mutual respect and trust. This is just a hiccup. And honestly, in the grand scheme of things, it’s not even that bad a one. They’ll be fine.
