After Everything That Ripley Did, I’m Disappointed At How Chicago Med Season 10 Concluded His Suspension Story

March 28, 2025

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Warning! SPOILERS ahead for Chicago Med season 10, episode 16, “Poster Child.”

I’m disappointed by the quick resolution to Ripley’s (Luke Mitchell) suspension story in Chicago Med season 10, episode 16, titled “Poster Child.” Ripley had been suspended after he got drunk and punched a man who later came to the hospital for emergency treatment due to his serious injuries. When Ripley confessed what he had done, Sharon (S Epatha Merkerson) put him on administrative leave. However, it was unlikely that Ripley was facing permanent job loss since Luke Mitchell is still part of the Chicago Med season 10 cast.

Ripley is not heavily featured in “Poster Child,” which has him stuck in a hospital bed, recovering from his injuries sustained during a rescue in a previous installment of Chicago Med season 10. However, Sharon visits him several times with updates about his potential termination from the hospital, ultimately delivering the news that Ripley’s heroism at the well canceled out the earlier concerns. Thus, Ripley will be back on duty as soon as he heals sufficiently.

Ripley’s Reinstatement Decision Happened Off-Screen In Chicago Med

The Medical Drama Missed A Golden Opportunity For A Strong Story

I wasn’t surprised by the board’s decision. A disgraced doctor redeeming himself through an act of heroism is a common medical drama trope; as soon as Sharon mentioned it, it was clear where this story was going. However, I was disappointed that this decision plays out off-screen, with Sharon acting as a messenger, especially since Ripley points out that he “knows you recommended against [reinstatement].” Sharon debating Ripley’s fate with other board members would have made for far stronger drama than simply delivering him the message after the fact.

Kelly Severide from Chicago Fire and Dr. Mitch Ripley from Chicago Med

A surprising, but intriguing duo introduced during the 2025 One Chicago crossover on NBC returned in an episode of Chicago Med season 10.

Sharon’s conflicts with Peter, who is usually the face of the hospital board, have always been among the strongest scenes in Chicago Med. In this case, it would have been especially interesting because of the role reversal — usually, Peter is more cautious and concerned about liability to the hospital, while Sharon fights for her doctors or for patient care.

The only reason I can think of that this wasn’t included was that Ripley was confined to a hospital bed and thus couldn’t attend. However, discussions of whether to terminate a staff member should be held outside of that member’s presence. Additionally, if Ripley needed to be part of these scenes, he could have attended via video chat software, negating the problem of his being unable to leave his hospital bed.

Hannah Has Also Seemingly Forgiven Ripley In Chicago Med

She Wasn’t Even In The Episode

Hannah and Ripley’s relationship in Chicago Med has been contentious throughout season 10. Hannah has put too much time and energy into trying to get Ripley to open up to her about the past and stop sabotaging his future. They seem to be in different stages of life, with Hannah having been sober for several years and willing to do whatever it takes to prevent relapse, while Ripley’s relationship with his late friend Scully (Daniel Dorr) still drags him into negative and self-destructive behavior.

For this reason, I was annoyed that Hannah was considering taking Ripley back after she finally broke things off with him. The well rescue was designed to accelerate this process, which was unfortunate considering that Hannah walking away from Ripley demonstrated an improvement in her respect for herself. This unwelcome storyline is made worse by the fact that Hannah’s decision to forgive Ripley after the well incident is not shown on-screen. Instead, Hannah is absent during “Poster Child,” but sends Ripley a text checking on him and promising to visit tomorrow.

How Chicago Med Should Have Handled Ripley’s Crisis Storyline In Season 10

This Arc Should Have Been Longer

Luke Mitchell as Mitch Ripley and Christian Stolte as Mouch in Chicago Med season 10, episode 15 standing in front of a fire truck

Ripley’s self-destruction and subsequent suspension could have been a powerful story if told correctly. The ending of this story felt rushed, which is unfortunate. Instead of hurrying to get Ripley reinstated, Chicago Med could have stretched the story out through the remainder of Chicago Med season 10. Ripley being placed on probationary status or being terminated and having to work to get his job back would have allowed for a real redemption story. I might have changed my mind about his relationship with Hannah if Ripley was shown putting effort into ridding himself of self-destructive habits.

Most of the action that led to his reinstatement happened off-screen, making it feel even less like a legitimate story.

Instead, Chicago Med ended this storyline almost as quickly as it began. After several weeks of negative behavior, Ripley’s suspension and reinstatement were resolved within three episodes of each other. Furthermore, most of the action that led to his reinstatement happened off-screen, making it feel even less like a legitimate story. If the medical drama couldn’t stretch out this story any further, it could at least have put the conflict over his return fully on-screen. Sadly, this did not happen, making Ripley’s suspension storyline feel even more like filler rather than a real plotline.

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