Chicago Med Star Addresses Ripley’s Future Job And Relationships After His Hallucination

Chicago Med actor Luke Mitchell has addressed Ripley’s future following his hallucination in the most recent episode. Chicago Med season 10, episode 15, “Down a Hole,” saw the troubled doctor suspended from his role at the hospital and go down a well to rescue a mother and daughter. Once he helps the two victims, a tunnel collapses, trapping him. Losing oxygen, he passes out, hallucinating his recently dead friend Sully, who urges him to fight to live. The Chicago Med character wakes to ex Hannah Asher arriving on the scene to tell him she loves him, and the experience shapes Ripley moving forward.

Per TV Insider, Mitchell discussed his character’s experiences in the episode, how they will shape Ripley’s career and love life moving forward, and what he thinks about his character’s future. He suggested that the experience would change Ripley in a big way and that it might make him own his decisions more. Check out Mitchell’s comments below:

I think it’s going to change him fundamentally in a lot of ways. I think we are going to see a new and improved Ripley. I think we’re going to see a Ripley that takes ownership of his choices, and I think he’s going to have a bit of a pep in his step.

He then elaborated on the need for Ripley to earn back the trust of people he has let down personally and professionally. He acknowledged that this won’t be an easy task for his character.

Yeah, I mean, he’s got a lot of work to do, so I don’t know that that’s necessarily going to be an easy thing to do. Goodwin was the one that is recommending he be terminated, so I think he’s got to win back a lot of people’s trust. I think he’s hurt a lot of people, so, yeah, it’s going to be an interesting journey to see him metaphorically and physically climb out of that hole.

Lastly, he reflected on Ripley and Asher’s relationship and what that means going forward. He believes that their timing has not been great and that the break is necessary, especially as Ripley needs to figure himself out. Nevertheless, he is invested in this relationship. Read his comment below:

Yeah, look, it is. I think ultimately they’re really good for each other, but I just think that their timing hasn’t been great, and therefore, yeah, I don’t know. I think where they’re at, they need to be at. I think they need to be on a break, whether it’s indefinite or just for a short period of time. Ripley needs to be by himself. I think he needs to figure himself out. But I got a lot of love for their relationship.

The Event Could Give The Doctor An Epiphany & Prompt Him Toward Positive Change

Ripley has struggled to deal with his friend’s death from cancer, and this caused him to make the poor decision to go on a bender and wind up in a fight that accidentally killed a man. His suspension from the hospital is warranted and could even result in his termination, and he needs to own that. Mitchell’s comments suggest that recent events could give Ripley an epiphany, and this could be the wake-up call he needs to start owning his decisions and behavior.

Metaphorically, Ripley has come out of darkness and into the light via his rescue from the well, and he will need to do a more long-form version of this throughout the rest of his season 10 arc.

Metaphorically, Ripley has come out of darkness and into the light via his rescue from the well, and he will need to do a more long-form version of this throughout the rest of his season 10 arc. He has hurt many people and will need to rebuild the trust of both Goodwin and Asher moving forward if he is to have any chance of repairing his personal and professional lives. This character arc could be taken into Chicago Med season 11, should the show receive a renewal.

Our Verdict On Ripley’s Chicago Med Future

If Mitchell Doesn’t Leave, The Character Could Undergo Strong Growth

The character facing termination has fueled speculation that Mitchell could leave the Chicago Med cast and that the character is due an exit. While nothing is set in stone at this point, it could simply be that Ripley is facing a crisis that causes him to rethink who he is and how he behaves. There is no question Asher was a grounding influence in his life, and Ripley, taking positive steps to turn his life around and battle his demons, could see the couple reconcile later in Chicago Med.

Source: TV Insider