Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD for the Season 8 premiere of Chicago Med, called “How Do You Begin to Count the Losses.”
Chicago Med has returned to NBC with the Season 8 premiere that finally revealed the aftermath of the fiery Season 7 finale cliffhanger. While Will’s apartment building seems to be torched beyond recovery, all of the people involved (including the man who Dylan shot to try and protect Jo) survived the initial inferno with a little help from David Eigenberg’s Herrmann and Kara Killmer’s Brett crossing over from Chicago Fire. Hannah had a health crisis due to the fire anyway, and Will’s reaction raises the question: can they actually get a clean slate? Stars Nick Gehlfuss and Jessy Schram shared their thoughts!
Will and Hannah’s first go at a relationship in Season 5 got off to a rocky start due to her addiction and his work at the safe injection site. He wanted to help her in her recovery while also starting a romance, to the dismay of Dr. Charles, and she ultimately left Chicago to work on herself in the Season 6 premiere. The two grew closer upon her return in Season 7 (when she was nearly two years sober), and they even cleared up some lingering issues and agreed to “turn the page” and “be friends” rather than restart a romance.
In the Season 8 premiere, it became very clear that intending to be friends doesn’t mean that they could just turn off the strong feelings they still had from their relationship, as Will was hovering over Hannah and trying to interfere in her treatment, against Ethan’s wishes. So, is it really possible for them to turn the page and have a clean slate? When the Chicago Med stars spoke with CinemaBlend and other outlets, I asked how they play the balance between their characters caring about each other but not getting back together, and Nick Gehlfuss shared:
I think exactly how they left it. What they said they'd start is starting over. I think that's the only way you can really move away from such a history. The safe injection site was a very controversial thing, in a way. But talk about vulnerability! I think [them] giving each other a clean slate will be really healthy for them.
Their dynamic was unconventional from the very beginning, and the sparks that flew between them early on still seem to be flying, even if they’re resolved to remain friends. Will was clearly upset on her behalf that she’s still suffering the effects of her addiction years after going sober, probably not helped by the fact that she inhaled smoke and could have died after their sweet interaction in the apartment in the Season 7 finale (available streaming now with a Peacock subscription). Jessy Schram shared her own thoughts, noting that apartment scene before the fire:
We definitely left that in our finale episode talking about, 'Hey,' reintroducing ourselves to each other. We’ll see this season if we actually give each other a clean start. [laughs] Because there's always going to be history, but I do feel like we're constantly building of what the relationship is now as opposed to only playing what the relationship was then.
They can’t just erase their complicated history, but – assuming poor Will doesn’t fall apart after his earthly possessions and VasCom investment quite literally went up in flames – they both seem to be in better places now than they were in their relationship a couple years ago. Nick Gehlfuss agreed with Schram, saying:
Completely. I'm very interested in seeing Hannah's character outside of Will and what it's turning into. But yeah, their bond will be there forever, because there was a life-saving moment here. That's quite strong.
Will arguably has saved her more than once, going back to the early days of their relationship when he tried his best to help her on the road to recovery. He also did his best to help her in this episode, even though Ethan’s objectivity was more helpful than Will’s desperation. Clean slate or not, Will and Hannah clearly care deeply for each other with a bond that “will be there forever,” so fans should look forward to more in Season 8.
Keep tuning in to NBC on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET to catch new episodes of Chicago Med, ahead of Chicago Fire (which has a surprisingly fire-free cliffhanger to resolve in its premiere) at 9 p.m. and the soon-to-be messy Chicago P.D. with a new theme at 10 p.m. For more viewing options, check out our 2022 TV premiere schedule.
