Hannah dealing with her difficult father was one of the best Chicago Hope Season 11 stories.
Chicago Med Season 11 Episode 9 gave us even more insight into her complicated family situation when Hannah’s dad showed up out of nowhere with strong opinions about how she should handle co-parenting with Dean.
However, it’s hard to believe there will be a baby, considering Chicago Med’s dismal track record with this type of story and some ambiguous comments about the challenges Hannah will face this season, which dampened the effect of these otherwise strong scenes.
At First Hannah’s Father Vs. Dean Felt Like A Sitcom Plot
Chicago Med Season 11 Episode 9 seemed like it was going to be heavy after it opened with Bert’s death (something which turned out to be understated throughout the episode)
Thankfully, the introduction of Hannah’s father was somewhat lighthearted. I laughed when the construction guy, Dean, got into it with turned out to be Hannah’s father.
I needed that after not only Bert’s death, but one patient accusing another of causing a near-fatal accident on purpose.
That set-up made it seem like this would be a fluffy, Dean-and-Hannah-as-sitcom-partners storyline, though, and I wasn’t expecting anything profound out of it.
I should have known better. Dick Wolf loves estranged father/daughter relationships (see also FBI: Most Wanted‘s Nina and her dad), and with Hannah caught in the middle between her father and Dean, things were bound to get rough at some point.
I don’t remember if Chicago Med Season 10 mentioned problems between Hannah and her father. Lizzie being so self-centered that I didn’t care if Hannah reconciled with her stuck in my mind more.
Either way, I was proud of Hannah for standing up for herself. She was right — her father had no business trying to control her parenting decisions, regardless of the strength of his opinion.
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However, there might be more to this than meets the eye.
Sure, Hannah’s dad was mad that Archer was somewhat rude to him on first meeting (for the record, I don’t think a non-accusatory “please be careful with those instruments” warrants this much upset).
But there’s also the (unaddressed this time) issue that Hannah ruined her relationships in various ways when she was using.
That was why she was estranged from Lizzie, and her dad might have residual trauma, or at least feelings of distrust, because of all the years that Hannah was not a trustworthy person.
Even if he isn’t consciously thinking about that, he might view Hannah’s accidental pregnancy as another example of irresponsible and immature behavior that he has to control before his new grandchild gets hurt.
I wish Chicago Med Season 11 Episode 9 had delved a little more into the reasons for Mark’s overly strong opinions.
What we got was entertaining enough, but he came off a bit like a stereotypical controlling dad who just doesn’t approve of his daughter’s choices in life.
It also seemed like his main purpose in visiting was to figure out that Dean has deeper feelings for Hannah than he’s admitting and inform her of that.
This opens a can of worms we really didn’t need.
Hannah and Dean have already agreed to co-parent without dating, and Dean’s feelings don’t change the fact that they both agree it’s best for their baby.
Do you want Hannah and Dean to become a couple?
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Anything is better than Hannah returning to newly-single Ripley, but come on!
Of Course, This May All Be A Moot Point…
It’s unlikely that Hannah will carry to term.
Pregnant women on Chicago Med so rarely give birth to babies who survive for more than a minute that I was shocked that Hannah helped deliver a healthy one during the cold open.
I was sure there would be complications, so it was a nice surprise that there weren’t, but that doesn’t bode well for Hannah’s baby.
Hannah having a miscarriage or stillborn birth would be par for the course, and the writers are unlikely to resist the high drama that would come with this scenario.
Plus, head writer Allen MacDonald has been inconsistent on this point in interviews.
In an October 2025 interview with Variety, he said that Jessy Schram would have to wear a prosthetic because Hannah’s pregnancy would go all the way, but in a TVLine interview published a week later, he said that he “didn’t say they were going to HAVE the baby.”
Knowing that Hannah is likely to miscarry at some point makes it harder to take stories about her pregnancy seriously.
I Also Have Thoughts About Bert’s Death
Sharon’s grief was handled perfectly, but I felt like the death itself lacked the impact I expected.
Maybe it was just me, but it felt like Bert’s deterioration was so long ago that I didn’t even remember it, making it harder to be heartbroken about Bert’s passing.
Plus, the actual death was so quiet that it left me feeling like something was missing.
The aftermath, however, was pitch-perfect.
I understood exactly how Sharon felt because when my grandfather died from advanced dementia, I felt like he had been gone for years, and his physical death meant a lot less than losing the man he had been.
Sharon’s life had been centered in large part around Bert’s illness and care, so it was natural that she couldn’t remember who he was before and wasn’t sure which man she was supposed to be grieving.
I loved that she and Dr. Charles supported each other, but I hope Charles’ leave of absence is a temporary cast rotation thing and not Oliver Platt leaving for a long period of time (or forever).
The medical stories were also interesting, though I found it ironic that both Brilliant Minds and Chicago Med featured people with brain implants.
About the only story I didn’t like was Frost and his ex-friend from his TV days.
The guy seemed whiny and entitled, making it harder to have any sympathy for him and his lost acting career.
What about you, Chicago Med fanatics? What did. you love or hate about Chicago Med Season 11 Episode 9?
Pop your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to share this article with your friends so they can join the conversation.
Vote in our poll below to rank the episode.
If you enjoyed this article, check out our coverage of other long-running medical dramas like Grey’s Anatomy. You might also enjoy our thoughts about CBS’ Watson.
Chicago Med airs on NBC on Wednesdays at 8/7c and streams on Peacock on Thursdays.
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