Spoilers ahead for the Season 9 finale of Chicago Med, called "I Think I Know You, But Do I Really?"
Chicago Med kicked off One Chicago's finale night in the spring 2024 TV schedule with an episode that delivered emotional blow after emotional blow, ranging from Sean confronting Archer about his treatment years earlier to Goodwin ending up in tears after putting her ailing ex-husband in a facility. The "shocking news" for Crockett turned out to be the death of the boy who needed a liver followed by the father's suicide, prompting him to reflect on the death of his daughter. The moment that is bound to be followed up on in Season 9 concerned Ripley, however, and the possibility that his future at Med (and probably therefore with Hannah) could be over.
It was clear that something was going to go wrong when "I Think I Know You, But Do I Really?" was tying off the episode's loose ends when there were still a couple minutes left, and it turned out that the cause would be the arrival of Pawel in the ED. Liliana's troublesome brother was so badly beaten that I almost wondered if Chicago Med had borrowed the gruesome Chicago P.D. Season 11 CGI team to rough him up. He claimed that he'd been attacked by a masked man wielding a baseball bad, and was looking pretty bad. Maggie wisely stopped Ripley from jumping in to treat Pawel after Pawel had sued him earlier this season.
But Pawel spotted Ripley hovering outside of his hospital room, and he immediately claimed that the doctor was responsible for his injuries, since the lawsuit had been settled. Liliana popped up and somewhat inexplicably sided with her brother immediately, despite Dr. Charles assuring her that Ripley hadn't done anything. Liliana claimed that the doctor is "not a good person," and one of the beat cops took this as a cue to ask Ripley if he had anything to say. Ripley walked away, leading Maggie to ask:
Why didn't he say anything?
The finale ended with Hannah and Maggie looking confused and concerned that Ripley had just walked off, but I just can't be too stressed about it. If we're supposed to consider it even slightly believable that the doctor left work, put on a mask, grabbed a baseball bat, tracked Pawel down, brutally beat him, and then attempted to treat him, then Med went too hard on building him up as a solid guy. And honestly, why would he say something when he was accused basically because Pawel happened to see him standing there?
I suppose it's possible that Sully could have done something to try and repay Ripley for his kindness, but Sully's treatments seem to rule him out as somebody who could viciously attack another man with a blunt object. For me, the real cliffhanger is more of if Ripley will go down for whoever is truly guilty of attacking Pawel rather than wondering if Ripley actually did the deed himself. Of course he didn't, right?
Of course, it's possible that I'll be more stressed about how the Season 9 finale ended after summer hiatus gives me plenty of time to think about it. Chicago Med is confirmed to return in the fall, as NBC renewed the medical drama for Season 10. You can also spend the summer months revisiting the first nine seasons streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription.
