Critic’s Rating: 1.5 / 5.0
1.5
Sorry, Ripley fans, but I’m not buying this redemption storyline.
Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 15 used Ripley’s near-death experience as a shortcut to forgiveness he didn’t earn, especially from Hannah.
Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t want the guy to die. But I didn’t want this story to go the way it was going, either.
It Was Obvious Where Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 15 Was Going From The First Scene
The episode began with Ripley getting into what seemed like a gratuitous car crash, which led to him discovering two people trapped in a well.
And there it was: his rushed redemption story.
From the second he found that mother and daughter, I knew where this was going.
Ripley would save them, all of Chicago would declare him a hero, and he would be magically un-suspended from the hospital.
Blech!
I wouldn’t have minded a real redemption story for Ripley, but this wasn’t it. This was a way of erasing what happened during the past few weeks, including Hannah breaking it off for all the right reasons.
Ripley’s Near-Death Experience Was Unnecessary
I doubted Ripley was going to die, which made it even more obvious that this was a vehicle to get Hannah to take him back.
I hate that idea with a passion. She broke up with him because it was a toxic relationship. Ripley kept spiraling and expecting Hannah to save him for himself.
Why exactly should she decide that she was wrong? I know that near-death experiences can make people re-evaluate their life choices, but come on!
I hate the idea of Hannah doing the healthiest thing she can do for herself, only to talk herself out of it in the next episode.
That said, the last five minutes did give me vibes similar to when Melendez died on The Good Doctor. I almost looked up whether Luke Mitchell was leaving Chicago Med!
However, as soon as Hannah came running up to him sobbing that she loved him, I knew without a doubt what we were in for.
And I was right.
Those were the magic words that brought him back to life (though he should have already been awake since his vision of Sully indicated that Ripley was finishing up his out-of-body-experience)
As soon as he did, the credits rolled — and Chicago Med won’t be back until March 26, so that stupid ending is the last scene we’re getting for nearly a month.
Ugh! There’s enough of this kind of nonsense on Days of Our Lives. I expect better from Chicago Med, even if it is more soap opera than not sometimes.
The First Half of Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 15 Was Far Better Than The Second
The first half of this story, which involved Ripley helping Mouch get the victims out of the well, was worth watching.
It wasn’t the most brilliant story ever — I’m still not sure why Ripley was on that road or what the point of the car accident was other than as a quick way to get him to the well — but it was entertaining.
I don’t watch Chicago Fire regularly, but when I do, I enjoy Mouch, so I didn’t mind him being part of this story. His plan to get the mother and daughter out of the well made sense.
I felt bad for the victims that this went on for HOURS. They were freaking out and needed to be rescued immediately.
In Addition To Everything Else, We JUST Did This Storyline
As soon as Ripley decided to ignore Mouch’s advice and go into the well himself, though, it felt like a rerun.
Isn’t this exactly what happened on the 2025 One Chicago crossover when Adam and Kidd went into that train?
Then, like now, characters were trapped with limited air supply, rubble that would take hours to get through, and little to no ability to communicate, while the people who cared about them sat frozen, waiting for news.
Isn’t there a way to have crossovers with Chicago Fire without someone being trapped in this manner?
Plus, Chicago Med was the only show in which neither half of a couple was trapped during the crossover.
If we needed to have this stupid Ripley story, why couldn’t we have it then instead of wasting time with the same plot a month later?
The Hospital Scenes Felt Like An Afterthought
Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 15 spent far too much time on Ripley’s situation rather than integrating it with hospital scenes.
Once Emelie and her mother got to the hospital, they were mostly forgotten about.
Sure, Hannah did surgery, but there was no real story there.
The point of most of the hospital scenes seemed to be for people to be upset that Ripley was trapped, waiting for news, or telling other people about it.
Plus, to add insult to injury, most of Archer’s notifying Hannah was off-screen, and she and Charles both seemed to randomly show up at the well.
What was the point of having Sadie and Emelie make it to the hospital if they weren’t going to have any story there?
I get that Ripley was the main focus, but making it obvious that other characters were just props for his redemption story was seriously uncool.
There Were Some Other, More Interesting Stories On Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 15
To be fair, it wasn’t all bad.
Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 15 had some other, more interesting subplots:
- Hannah’s sister is pregnant. And acting like a real sister. I felt like I missed something, but nevertheless, I enjoyed their bonding. I’d like more of this story.
- Frost crossed paths with a woman he used to work with on television. They almost kissed but he decided not to. This story wasn’t all that exciting, but it’s clear that Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 15 was meant as the beginning of a new will-they-won’t-they story.
Did You Enjoy Chicago Med Season 10 Episode 15 More Than I Did?
What did you think, Chicago Med fanatics?
Was Hannah and Ripley’s initial breakup a split for the sake of drama, or should she stay far away from him?
Vote in our poll to rank the episode, then hit the comments with your thoughts.
Chicago Med airs on NBC on Wednesdays at 8/7c and streams on Peacock on Thursdays. The next new episode airs on March 26, 2025.
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