Spoilers ahead for Episode 19 of Chicago Med Season 7, called “Like a Phoenix Rising from the Ashes.”
Chicago Med delivered a big change to the ED by bringing back Hannah after saying goodbye to Stevie, which inevitably led to some awkwardness with Will due to how they broke up back in early Season 6. They finally addressed some lingering issues in “Like a Phoenix Rising from the Ashes,” with Will calling his ex out for going radio silent on him after leaving him (and a coffee maker) in Chicago. She admitted to ghosting him, and after seeing them work together during the episode and have an important closing conversation, I have to say that I’m on board with how the show is handling the reunion.
Will tried to open a line of personal communication early in the hour when he brought back the coffee maker that she’d left behind, but she tried to keep some professional distance by saying that she wasn’t so addicted to caffeine anymore and he could keep the machine. After working on a case of a surrogate who didn’t terminate a pregnancy despite the biological parents’ wishes, they finally had a conversation that wasn’t just professional, and Hannah gave him some answers that he deserved.
She started by apologizing for dismissing his gesture of trying to return the coffee maker, and gave him the opportunity to air his grievances about not hearing from her for nearly two years. He said that he “wanted to believe what we had was more meaningful than that,” and she responded:
Of course it was. Will, me cutting you off wasn’t because I didn’t care about you. Okay, I needed to work on myself, on my sobriety, clear everything away so I could start again. You know, now that we’re working together again, maybe we can agree to turn the page? Be friends?
Will smiled and agreed with a “sure,” and they shook hands on it. Hannah seems truly determined to stay on the straight and narrow, which presumably means friendship and nothing more with her ex. The way that Will was looking at her made me think that he has more than friendship on his mind and is ready to play the long game to win her back. That would be very Will Halstead of him, but I’m on board with Hannah prioritizing herself and her recovery over anything else, particularly in light of what the showrunners said about the Hannah/Will situation.
After all, Dr. Charles was encouraging that very thing back when she and Will were getting together the first time (which you can revisit with a Peacock subscription), since it wasn’t the best decision to start an intense new relationship while trying to stay on the wagon. I’m not against Will and Hannah getting back together – which is saying something, since I was pretty doubtful about them the first time around – but am happy to see that Hannah resolved the lingering issues with the goal of friendship and a peaceful status quo.
Besides, Dr. Archer probably wouldn’t hesitate to jump on any sign that she’s being anything less than professional at work, so I say good for her for how she’s handling things. See what happens next with new episodes of Chicago Med on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. Season 7 will run for 22 episodes, and the finale is scheduled for May, so be sure to keep tuning in.
