Luke Mitchell warned Us that there’s a rocky road ahead for Chicago Med’s Dr. Mitch Ripley — and his romance with Dr. Hannah Asher could pay the price.
“It’ll become obvious that Ripley’s probably not in a great place,” Mitchell, 39, exclusively told Us Weekly of the season 10 premiere, which airs on Wednesday, September 25. “Ripley and Hannah probably aren’t in the best place.”
The actor, who has played Ripley since season 9, teased that Ripley’s drama with Pawel (Kristof Konrad) will “linger a little bit” even with the show’s time jump.
Mitchell explained that during the premiere, it comes to light that “there was a witness that came forward that saw Ripley at the scene at the Pawel altercation.” That development makes it “very real” for Ripley.
“Ripley is told that an arrest isn’t out of the question,” he told Us. “Things start to ramp up for poor old Ripley.”
During the season 9 finale in May, Ripley was accused of attacking Pawel after Pawel filed a malpractice lawsuit against the doctor earlier in the season. Ripley’s past as a troubled kid — and his revived friendship with troublemaker Sully (Daniel Dorr) — caused some people in the hospital to believe Ripley might be the assailant.
“He was a violent kid. He was definitely capable of doing something like this in the past. So the question is, how much of that Ripley is still there?” Mitchell said of the questions posed this season. “Or is it simply he is trying to protect Sully?”
He added that the story line is “very juicy” for Ripley and very dramatic as the accusations of violence have also affected the doctor’s budding romance with Hannah (Jessy Schram).
“It’s gonna take a toll on Ripley. Ripley is not gonna know how to deal with the scenario, and then he is probably gonna isolate himself and not communicate very effectively and therefore, put their relationship in an interesting position,” Mitchell told Us of the couple’s relationship to start season 10. “That’s gonna be part of his journey. He’s gotta sort himself out. If he’s got any hope of, you know, things continuing to grow with Hannah.”
He teased that Hannah is going to “be fairly integral to that journey as well” but it won’t be all tea and kisses. (The pair had a date over tea last season and finally kissed shortly before the Pawel claims surfaced.)
“It’s gonna be a bit of a tumultuous journey for Hannah and Ripley. I’ll say that,” Mitchell added.
Schram, 38, exclusively told Us earlier this month that Hannah isn’t giving up on Ripley, but they will have their issues. “Where we’re picking up is whether or not Ripley is going to be honest and forthcoming, and that’s where the tension lies,” she explained. “Obviously there was a man who was hospitalized, so that’s an issue, but it’s whether or not he did it. And whether or not Mitch can own his actions.”
She teased, “We are playing with two people that are in a push and pull relationship and that are sharing themselves a little bit more.” Schram revealed, “There’s more feelings involved now. It’s on a deeper depth now.”
When it comes to whether Ripley will “sink or swim” as the season 10 premiere title teases, Mitchell told Us fans should brace themselves.
“He is probably going to get caught in a rip [current] and dumped by some waves and then maybe get run over by a boat,” he joked. “He’s gonna spend some time swimming really easily. And then he is probably gonna spend some time underwater, struggling for breath.”
Mitchell concluded, “By the end of the season, we’re gonna hope that it comes up and [he] finds dry land.”
Season 10 of Chicago Med premieres on NBC Wednesday, September 25, at 8 p.m. ET.
