Chicago Med returned to NBC with a new episode on March 1, and Hannah Asher (Jessy Schram) was in action to show off her skills outside of obstetrics and gynecology this week after a stressful OB case in the previous episode. Elsewhere in the episode, Sean Archer (Luigi Sottile) returned to attempt to make amends with his father, but the blast to the past wasn’t too welcome for Dean (Steven Weber) at first, before finally opening up to his son. Jessy Schram spoke with CinemaBlend about Hannah’s dynamic with Dean, and the formation of an “emotional triangle.”
Sean Archer made a good impression on Hannah when they met in person, as he stepped up to drive to her rescue in a blizzard when his dad had to stay in the ED. While she has had her own battles to fight at the hospital, she has a connection to the Archer family that nobody else currently on the show can match. When I spoke with Jessy Schram about Chicago Med, she addressed Hannah meeting Sean in the blizzard episode:
That was a big reveal! That was a really fun reveal, and very confusing because I was like, 'What's this dude's doing here?' And then we realize it's the other Archer. It's really fun now introducing the family to Asher, I guess you could say. I think now it includes a different kind of dynamic. I think that there's more trust on Dean's part, and now we get to learn who Sean is. That makes it a little bit of an emotional triangle because now they all know each other as opposed to it just being somebody that's spoken about a lot.
Chicago Med has delivered its fair share of triangles over the eight seasons so far, but this “emotional” triangle is new to the hit NBC drama. Being introduced to the Archer family seems like it could open the door to some complications for Hannah considering all the baggage between father and son, but more trust between Dean and Hannah could only be a good thing. Especially after their recent confrontation!
This also isn’t a result of Chicago Med creating a bond between Hannah and Archer overnight. Their relationship has come a very long way since she returned to Chicago and he opposed Goodwin hiring her for the ED due to her history as an addict and previous overdose. They’ve slowly become friends in Season 8, and Jessy Schram weighed in on whether that gradual build has been enjoyable rather than a fast friendship:
A thousand percent, and that's actually something that the writers talked with Steven and I about, just their views on the characters and what they were thinking for it. One of the things that Steven and I had talked to them about was [that] this is such a great relationship. Our hope for it is to not rush anything, to see where it goes and see this organic unfolding of who they are to each other, whatever that may be. I feel like they took that so well and have been doing that with us. I feel like it has an even bigger payoff of what this relationship is as opposed to just rushing into something.
The actress also shared with CinemaBlend that neither she nor co-star Steven Weber expected to see their characters come together more in Season 8, and it’s “been really fun unfolding that with him.” Dean has also come a long way since dealing with triggers on his arrival in Season 6, and has since become ED Chief.
Now, with his son trying to make amends and Hannah continuing to make stands for her patients, they have both made a lot of progress. Jessy Schram agreed that the gradual build to their friendship has helped it to be more believable and relatable, saying:
Very much so, because it was interesting. Archer was so against Asher for so many reasons, and for his own personal projections, and Hannah had had so many fights with him, to have to fight with him. I feel like just putting all that away to the wayside wouldn't be a reality and we wouldn't win the support of our viewers because it would be very confusing, to be honest, if we just put all that history aside within an episode.
It doesn’t seem like Med will be dropping Hannah’s storyline with Dean (and possibly Sean), so fans may be able to look forward to seeing more of this dynamic develop as Season 8 continues. Chicago Med has not yet been renewed for Season 9, but hopefully good news about the future of the show (and the rest of One Chicago) is on the way soon!
Unfortunately, fans will have to wait to see what’s next for Jessy Schram as Hannah Asher on Chicago Med. The medical drama is taking a break from new episodes until returning on March 22 at 8 p.m. ET, when it will be followed by Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m., all on NBC. During the wait, you can revisit past episodes with One Chicago streaming via a Peacock Premium subscription.
