[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the Chicago Med Season 10 finale “…Don’t You Cry.”]
Wait, who’s the daddy of Hannah’s (Jessy Schram) child?! Sadly, we nonetheless don’t know on the finish of Chicago Med‘s Season 10 finale, although it’s not as clear as we could have thought.
Whereas we thought the daddy must be Ripley (Luke Mitchell), regardless of their breakup, it’s Archer (Steven Weber) that Hannah goes to see on the finish of the episode … and tells him they should discuss. Ripley, in the meantime, additionally has somebody at his door: Sadie, whom he’d rescued, alongside together with her daughter, from a nicely earlier within the season. Elsewhere within the finale, with the hospital having to make some cuts, Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson) is pressured into a troublesome dialog together with her boyfriend, Washington (John Earl Jelks), which ends together with her admitting she’s nonetheless harm he hadn’t advised his daughter about them, a breakup, and his resignation.
Plus, Charles (Oliver Platt) is pressured to confront some truths about his daughter Anna (Hannah Alligood) after she’s introduced into the hospital following her automobile crashing right into a tree — and it wasn’t an accident — and Lenox (Sarah Ramos) finds out she’s examined optimistic for prion illness however retains it to herself.
Beneath, showrunner Allen MacDonald unpacks the finale, teases what’s forward in Season 11, and divulges who’s coming again!
Hannah goes to Archer and says they should discuss. Is he her child’s father?
Allen MacDonald: I’m not going to touch upon that. I’ll say that I feel Hannah must course of this in a technique or one other. Archer is somebody who she feels very secure talking with. I feel when Hannah feels destabilized that Archer is a stabilizing power for her and vice versa.
Would you say Hannah and Ripley may nonetheless have a future regardless of the place the season leaves each, or are you sort of closing that door a minimum of a lot of the method for now?
I by no means say for certain if doorways are going to be opened or closed, however I positively suppose that it is a potential conundrum for Hannah as a result of that relationship is over and it ended very, very naturally.
Elizabeth Sisson / NBC
Every little thing with Charles and his daughter was heartbreaking. How a lot is that going to vary how he goes about being each a father and a physician going ahead?
I feel the factor with Charles this season is that he’s a bit lonely, and the rationale for that’s he hasn’t dealt together with his private points. He doesn’t observe what he preaches to his sufferers. He’s a really proficient shrink/psychiatrist, however I feel he’s buried rather a lot like most individuals do. And I feel that it was necessary this season that he confronts or be pressured to confront, really, points from his previous. A type of is Dr. Sarah Reese [Rachel DiPillo] and the falling out that they’d. And one other a type of was that Jackie [Natalie Zea], the nurse, was inquisitive about having a romantic relationship with him and there was a push and pull there. And on the finish of the day, he sort of retreated as a result of he doesn’t really feel he’s worthy of happiness. On some stage, he doesn’t really feel like he deserves that.
And so after we deliver again on the finish of the season — Oliver Platt and I mentioned this, we referred to as this the Charles trilogy within the final three episodes as a result of his mother comes again, she passes away shockingly and all of the sudden, after which the funeral brings again the daughters, after which he’s pressured to confront issues he didn’t learn about his children as a result of he felt he was letting them reside their lives, however in truth, he misplaced observe of them a little bit bit. And with Anna, I feel that particularly is the second of fact for him when she says to him, “You’re the final individual that I’d ever need to discuss to about this stuff.” And he’s utterly shocked and blown away. He’s like, I’m, we’re? And he realizes that he must be a extra energetic father and that his daughters nonetheless want him, and Anna nonetheless wants him.
And I feel it’s such a gorgeous scene the place he makes use of the story of his father’s suicide to assist get her to confront and admit that she tried suicide herself and to let her know that it’s not her fault and that it is a household legacy. That is one thing that’s genetic, that they’ve carried, and that they’ve all needed to cope with. And I feel when she breaks down, that lastly opens up the connection. And that was a really wordy technique to say that. Sure, you’re completely proper. That is Charles realizing that he must be extra linked to his youngsters and doubtless a greater father. And I hope to proceed that storyline within the fall.
Why put Goodwin by way of that with Washington? How is she feeling about shedding him each as a big different after which additionally as a physician?
Yeah, it’s difficult as a result of I feel that there has simply been this unstated trauma occurring in her head of getting been stabbed in Episode 8 and virtually dying in surgical procedure in Episode 9; she may be very sensible, she’s very logical, and he or she compartmentalized that and simply went on together with her life, which for the viewers feels a bit like a TV trope the place one thing horrible occurs after which everybody goes on prefer it didn’t have an effect on anyone within the subsequent episode, and myself and the writers very a lot sort of wished it to appear like she wasn’t coping with it. After which I feel when she discovers that Washington didn’t inform his daughter concerning the relationship and even who she was, that basically, actually harm her. And I feel that she buried it identical to she was burying the trauma of getting been stabbed.
When she goes to go to Cassidy as a result of Cassidy requested that, the dialog reopens that wound and it actually makes her confront once more what she went by way of and that she’s been sort of sleepwalking since then and letting issues go that she usually wouldn’t. And I feel if not for going to see Cassidy, she would possibly’ve continued with Dr. Washington, however she realized that she must make some adjustments in her life and he or she bravely does. And I feel that that signifies that her life goes to go in a unique path subsequent season that she wasn’t anticipating, which I feel may be very thrilling for me and for Epatha.
However on the finish of the episode, she must regroup and course of it, and he or she goes to the individual that most appears like house to her, which is her ex-husband Bert [Gregory Alan Williams]. And that’s, to me, probably the most touching second of the season as a result of we haven’t seen him in a very long time, so it’s going to be a shock. It’s the primary and solely time we see him in Season 10. He was such an enormous a part of Season 9, and clearly his Alzheimer’s has gotten a lot worse, however she nonetheless loves him. They’ve a rocky historical past themselves, however they have been married for many years they usually share youngsters.
Talking of bringing again characters, there was Reese, there was Robin (Mekia Cox). Are you able to see in case you’re planning on bringing again another previous medical doctors subsequent season?
Sure, they usually simply texted me. I’ve stated earlier than that I’m very a lot a believer as a result of I’m a TV fan — once I was a teen and I watched the medical present St. Elsewhere, I used to only get so excited once they introduced someone again they hadn’t seen in a very long time. And I feel there’s a worry in storytelling, tv particularly, that in case you deliver again previous characters that you simply’re sort of going again into the previous and never being within the current. However I feel life is each. And I feel we have been profitable in telling tales of the current, however I feel that within the One Chicago world, it’s utterly legit to verify in on folks, characters that we love and we miss, and what enjoyable to see them work together with the brand new medical doctors that the viewers is aware of, however they don’t. And so sure, I intend to a minimum of deliver again one if not two or extra unique solid members [from the series premiere] within the subsequent season.
I can’t wait to see that. I’ve a sense you’ll be able to’t say something greater than that, proper?
You’ll be appropriate. The title is true right here. I can see it. [Laughs]
I had a sense that Lenox had examined optimistic simply by her response, however how a lot of her not saying something was about her not wanting to place that on her brother and simply not eager to reveal that in entrance of her coworker, Archer?
It was each. I feel that it got here from the identical place. I don’t suppose even when she have been alone with Kip or she have been alone with Archer, I don’t suppose she would’ve stated a phrase to both of them. And I feel that’s a part of Caitlin Lenox’s MO, is that she doesn’t need to present weak spot, she doesn’t need folks to pity her. And certainly one of my favourite scenes of the season was within the Episode 17, when she tells Archer of all folks how her mother died of this illness and her father dedicated suicide a number of hours later as a result of he was so devastated. After which when Archer leaves the room, he says, why did you inform me all this? And she or he says, since you wouldn’t pity me. And I feel this information, her optimistic end result for prion illness, is so devastating to her that I don’t even suppose she needs to inform Archer as a result of she doesn’t need anybody to pity her, to take a look at her as a sufferer. And I feel it’s her go-to to maintain every little thing the identical, to only, although her world has been shattered, when she goes to work and walks by way of the world, that every little thing is similar. However I’ll say that in Season 11, this information goes to have a profound impact on how she chooses to reside her life.
George Burns Jr / NBC
Will everybody from the principle solid, all of the collection regulars be collection regulars once more subsequent season?
I’m not going to reply that.
What else are you able to tease about what’s developing in Season 11?
I don’t need to tease an excessive amount of as a result of it’s not 100% clear but. And I’m afraid I’ll say issues that we determine to not do as a result of I’ve all these concepts in my head that I’ve been discussing with the opposite writers, however after we begin the writers’ room in a number of weeks, what typically occurs is I feel I’ve this good thought and I discover that I’ve a really sensible, high-level, skilled workers which have higher concepts after which I’ll go along with that instantly, so issues aren’t clear. I can say that sure, we’re going to hopefully have some unique solid members come again. I can say that I need to proceed exploring the connection between Anna and Charles. I can say Lenox goes to go down a unique path subsequent season that will probably be stunning and presumably even cathartic for her and the viewers. And I can say that when it’s lastly revealed who the daddy of Hannah’s child is, these two are going to have to actually work it out how they’re going to maneuver ahead.
Are there two characters you particularly need to see interacting extra subsequent season?
The writers and all our pals at Wolf Leisure, all of us love seeing Ripley and Frost [Darren Barnet] collectively. We expect that we received an actual, true, real bromance occurring there. And we additionally love these scenes as a result of they tease one another, they respect one another, they’re trustworthy with one another, however in addition they make one another chortle and smile. And Ripley had a very tough season up by way of Episode 15, and we actually made a concerted effort to see him smile extra, actually see him smile. I feel being in that nicely and caught in that tunnel, he thought he was going to die. It’s not dissimilar from what Lenox goes to be going by way of. However he realized — as Goodwin has, it’s like a theme — that he has life forward of him that he virtually didn’t have. And so the remainder of Season 10, he was actually simply grateful, I feel is the phrase. And he misplaced Hannah, perhaps only for now. However he realized a tough lesson with Hannah, which is he was being a fairly dangerous boyfriend. And I feel he actually needed to look within the mirror and confront that and understand, Okay, I’ve made some errors. I’ve time that I didn’t essentially suppose I used to be going to occur at one level, and I’m going to make some adjustments in my life, which loads of our characters are doing.
And a type of adjustments is likely to be a brand new relationship as a result of on the finish of the season…
That’s potential, but additionally there is likely to be a wrench thrown in all that. So we’ll see what occurs.
Chicago Med, Season 11, Fall 2025, Wednesdays, 8/7c, NBC