Yahoo Lifestyle Chicago Med’s Luke Mitchell Previews ‘Most Challenging’ Episode He’s Ever Shot, Talks Ripley/Hannah Breakup
Chicago Med’s Mitch Ripley recently lost his girlfriend and, potentially, his job, and he could soon lose his life, too.
In this Wednesday’s episode (NBC, 8/7c), the doc discovers a mother and daughter trapped in an abandoned well and comes to their aid. At the same time, Ripley’s dealing with being suspended from work, as well as Hannah breaking up with him in last week’s hour, so he’s “really not in a good place” coming into the rescue attempt, his portrayer Luke Mitchell tells TVLine.
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“It’s kind of the perfect thing at the perfect time for Ripley. I think he needed a big distraction, for sure, but also a big wakeup call, and at the very least, this [incident] will serve as that,” Mitchell previews.
As Ripley tries to help the mother and daughter, he finds himself in “worse danger” than the victims in what Mitchell describes as his most emotionally and physically challenging episode.
Below, the actor talks about teaming up with Chicago Fire’s Mouch during the rescue, Ripley’s future with Hannah, and whether his character still has a job at the hospital.
TVLINE | Ripley’s been going through quite a difficult time recently. How dark is his headspace coming into this next episode, especially after the breakup with Hannah?
I mean, it doesn’t get much darker. He’s not good. He’s really not good. At the start of the episode, Dr. Frost is reaching out to him to talk, because, obviously, he suspects that Ripley’s not good, and he doesn’t pick up that call. Ripley’s wrestling his demons, and in the midst of that wrestle, this event kind of takes place, which, in a lot of ways, fast-tracks the wrestling as the circumstances turn a little dire.
TVLINE | From the promo, it looks like things get pretty bad for Ripley, too, as he’s trying to help this mother and daughter. What kind of physical danger is he facing?
Yeah, he kind of ends up finding himself in, arguably, worse danger than they were in. I don’t know exactly what I can spoil, but it is a life-or-death situation from the outset with the mother and daughter, but then, certainly, by the end of the episode, for Ripley.
TVLINE | He’s in the field, he’s trapped in a well. How was the physicality of filming this episode for you?
It was a lot. It’s maybe the most challenging episode I’ve ever shot, but I relished every second of it, and it was a pleasure and a privilege to get an episode like this. It’s a little bit of pressure to make sure you bring your A-game, because it’s Ripley-centric. You’ve got to really bring it, and it required a lot of me, and not just my workload, but the emotional side of things, and then just the physical challenge of the sets that we built for this well and the rescue tunnel. But then, also, the first part of the episode, we’re shooting on location in the middle of January, outside in Chicago. So it was pretty cold, and Chicago Med never shoots outside. [Laughs] So I had a lot of fun doing it, but it was a lot.
TVLINE | Mouch is a part of this rescue. Last time we saw Mouch and Ripley interacting in the crossover, things got a little tense between them. What is this experience like for the two of them?
It’s kind of a great opportunity to build on the rapport that they came to by the end of the crossover. Their interactions were a little challenging, but for good reason, during that crossover, and by the end of it, I think there was a mutual respect and understanding. It’s nice for them to both kind of re-meet each other under different circumstances and team up for this rescue, and get to know each other a little bit better, and maybe get to know each other better than they had anticipated.
TVLINE | How is Hannah handling what’s going on with Ripley? Is she aware of the danger he’s in?
She has no idea until she does. So I think she’s blissfully unaware, but then, I believe, she is told of the information towards the end of the episode, which makes for a fairly dramatic climax.
TVLINE | Will this ordeal make her reconsider the breakup at all?
Look, I think it will, at the very least, help give her a nudge to articulate her feelings a little bit better. I mean, I think there are probably some things left unsaid from the breakup, but whether what happens in this episode instigates anything, I can’t say.
TVLINE | Archer kind of spurred her to break up with Ripley by telling her she deserved more in the last episode. If Ripley catches wind of that, how do you think he would react?
I don’t know how to answer that without spoiling anything, but what I will say is Ripley, in his current state leading into this episode, probably wouldn’t take too kindly to it. But hypothetically speaking, if Ripley were to survive this episode and do some work on himself, I think he would be completely understanding of that advice. I think, deep down, he knows that, at this moment, he’s not good enough for Asher. He can be, but he’s got to do some work. So I think he knows that the breakup needs to happen, even though it was traumatic for him to go through. He’s going through desperate times, and he was trying to hold onto the last bastion of hope that he had, but she needed to walk away from him so that he could go through this experience.
TVLINE | Is Lynne still a factor for Ripley? Does he have any romantic feelings for her, or is that totally one-sided?
Look, I think, at this point in time, they’re both in a confusing whirlpool of emotion. They’re both grieving, and they’re both trying to figure stuff out, and they’re lonely. I don’t know that that’s necessarily going to be a thing, but it makes sense that, in a moment of need, a mistake can happen.
TVLINE | Things are quite up in the air for Ripley when it comes to his position at Gaffney. He’s currently suspended. What is his future looking like, professionally?
What his life looks like, professionally, will take second fiddle to whether he still has a life at the end of this episode. [Laughs] He needs to survive this next episode to worry about anything to do with his job. But if, hypothetically, he does survive this episode, I don’t know what that road looks like. Personally, I hope that he wins favor back from Goodwin, and she changes her mind, and the board makes the decision to keep him around, because that means I still have a job, and I very much like working on Chicago Med. [Laughs] But we’ll have to wait and see. I think that would be more of a redemption arc for Ripley post-Episode 15, should he survive.
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