Chicago Med Had Me On Ripley’s Side For Being A Little Petty, But He Just Went Too Far For My Taste

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Be aware that this contains spoilers for Episode 6 of Chicago Med Season 11, titled “The Story of Us.” You can watch it the day after it airs with a Peacock subscription.

Can you believe it? The fall finale of Chicago Med is almost here! The episode before the finale had a lot going on: Goodwin shared surprising news with her children while Bert was on his deathbed, Frost started a relationship with Novak from Chicago Fire, and Lenox got a new tattoo. But I’m really focused on Ripley’s story – Sadie’s return is great, but Ripley’s old jealousy about Hannah and Archer is frustrating, especially in the episode “The Story of Us.”

I didn’t want Ripley to be the father of Hannah’s baby, especially since Archer seemed like a better fit after the earlier hints. Luke Mitchell’s acting when Ripley found out he wasn’t going to be a dad – after briefly thinking he was – was a highlight of the One Chicago season premiere. While I was happy Hannah ended up with Archer, I wouldn’t have minded seeing Ripley act a little spiteful. Anyone would be upset in that situation!

It was understandable that he’d be upset, even though he and Hannah had already split up when Hannah slept with Archer. She’d gotten pregnant with her older coworker’s baby shortly after telling him she loved him, and it’s natural to have feelings about that, especially when you have to work with both of them. I can excuse his imperfect reaction; while I wouldn’t condone it in real life, it makes sense within the context of the story.

While the conflict between Archer and Ripley at work felt a bit messy, I appreciated the realistic character moments, especially given how dramatic things often get on One Chicago. However, a comment Ripley made in “The Story of Us” really showed how far his workplace pettiness has gone, and surprisingly, it wasn’t even directed at Hannah or Archer.

Frost told Ripley he’d asked Naomi on a date, but she declined, explaining that dating a coworker would be complicated. Ripley then tried to cheer up the pediatric emergency room doctor by:

Probably for the best. Archer might have knocked her up after it ended.

Ripley, that’s gone far enough. It was one thing for him to be a bit difficult with Archer and awkward with Hannah, but his recent rude comment to Frost, especially involving Naomi, was unacceptable. Considering everything Naomi went through last season, I’m relieved she didn’t hear it. He’s used up all the slack I was willing to give him, unless the writers are planning for him to start falling apart again, and this is a sign of that happening.

I don’t think it’s impossible they were having problems. While he and Sadie seemed to enjoy Halloween traditions with their daughter, Emilia, it was clear they didn’t agree on how things were going in their relationship. Sadie felt more comfortable talking to Hannah, even though she used to date Ripley, about dealing with the trauma from Season 10, and Emilia calling him “Daddy” seemed to end things for good.

The episode concluded with Sadie sadly telling him that she didn’t believe he truly loved her, even though she loved him. To make things worse, he completely missed her feelings and suggested they all move in together. She wasn’t comfortable with Emilia getting attached to Ripley, as she doubted their relationship would be long-term. That really hurt!

Ripley seems to have a pattern of relationships ending during walks along the Chicago River – both Hannah and Sadie broke up with him in the same spot, months apart. More importantly, though, Ripley needs to focus on healing and understanding his own feelings. He was genuinely surprised by Sadie’s decision, and he hasn’t always dealt with disappointment very well.

Luke Mitchell has been fantastic to watch this season, despite his character going through a difficult time. This episode felt like it could be the start of Ripley falling back into old, destructive patterns. Hopefully, he’ll stop letting his anger over Hannah and Archer affect others, as that behavior is no longer appropriate at work.

Don’t miss the fall finale of Chicago Med on NBC, Wednesday, November 12th at 8 p.m. Eastern. After leaving us with a huge cliffhanger last season when Goodwin was attacked, I’m excited to see what happens next on Med!

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2025-11-06 05:38