Spoilers ahead for the April 8 episode of Chicago Med Season 5 on NBC, called “Just A River In Egypt.”
Chicago Med aired an intense hour for what will prove to be the penultimate episode of Season 5, with Ethan and Crockett coming to blows, Maggie almost losing the little boy she’d come to care for, and Ethan and Dr. Charles trying to prevent a possibly suicidal boy from leaving the hospital. None of these storylines were quite so drastic that I came to the conclusion that one of the doctors involved needs to leave the hospital; no, that was the case with Hannah, Will, and Curry. Hannah may need to leave Gaffney Chicago Med.
In “Just A RIver In Egypt,” Hannah made a series of dangerous calls that ultimately ended with the death of a woman who had been 8 months pregnant, against the advice of Curry but supported by Will. While whether or not Hannah made the right calls is a matter of perspective, since her odds weren’t great either way, one of the issues in the case was that Curry protested Hannah’s judgment because she was recently addicted to drugs.
Now, all signs point toward Hannah being in recovery, and “Just A RIver In Egypt” ended her story with her telling Will she needed to go to an NA meeting. Despite some of my concerns about Hannah and my ongoing concerns about her relationship with Will, Hannah seems to be handling her career and recovery well.
The reason I think she needs to leave is that Curry wasn’t the first medical professional at Med to have issues with Hannah’s judgment due to her drug history, and she can’t get a fresh start there no matter how smoothly her recovery goes. Hannah faces an uphill battle, and she was literally exposed as an addict by a doctor at the hospital, and her relationship with that doctor is no secret. Her colleagues are gossiping about her, and it can impact patient care.
None of this is to say that Hannah needs to leave Chicago Med, despite some of my misgivings about her storyline in Season 5. There is more than one hospital in One Chicago, and the very nature of One Chicago means that Hannah could still show up on Med, Fire, and P.D. if she’s not in obstetrics at Gaffney anymore. Throw in her relationship with Will, and she can still be part of the show.
Unfortunately, Hannah’s story might not come to an especially satisfying conclusion in Season 5. Like many other shows, Chicago Med is ending early due to social distancing and production halts. Fortunately, Med (as well as Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D.) has already been renewed for three more seasons, so Hannah can presumably be back without much trouble if that’s the direction Med wants to go.
For now, you can look forward to the Season 5 finale of Chicago Med on Wednesday, April 15 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, followed by the Season 8 finale of Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. ET and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. ET.
