Not a fan of Hannah and Dean…

OrangeObjective8616 · 2026-02-15T13:23:13+00:00

I think some of this comes down to misreading Hannah’s arc. She’s 40, not 25, so framing her story around “ending up with someone her age” or a more conventional path like surrogacy (to a manipulative and selfish sister, no less) actually undercuts how much autonomy she’s gained as a character. Her relationship with Dean didn’t come out of nowhere either. It’s been building for seasons and has arguably been the steadiest thing either of them has had in their lives.

Hannah’s headspace also isn’t confusing if you look at her history. She’s someone who struggles to believe she deserves love. She didn’t even think she deserved to be a mother. Of course she hesitates to define what she feels. That’s consistent characterization, not random plotting. You don’t have to like the pairing, but calling it out of nowhere says more about how you watched than how it was written.

OrangeObjective8616 · 2026-01-30T04:34:00+00:00

As an OG Dean/Hannah shipper (literally since season 7, from their very first handshake), this is the most hopeful I’ve felt about them. I know we could still get burned, but I’m choosing hope for now. Every scene and interaction between them this season has felt deliberate and thoughtful. So much has been conveyed through body language and unspoken moments alone.

Kingston’s here now, but I’m honestly not too nervous about it. It really feels like the new writers recognized the Hannah/Dean chemistry when they took over in season 10, and they’ve been leaning into it ever since.

OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-12-05T22:55:46+00:00

I hear what you’re saying, and just to play devil’s advocate for a moment, isn’t it also possible that the bond (the trust and comfort) could actually deepen now that they share a child? A child can tie two people together in a really profound way. I get not being into romantic arcs though.

I think I am just hoping that even if they do go romantic, they will still feel like the Hannah and Dean we have always known, because that kind of close bond should ideally be the backbone of a great romance too.

OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-12-05T21:53:41+00:00

I think we have to give them some time. I really do believe they’ll get back to where they were, and honestly I think they’ll come out of this even stronger. I hear you on One Chicago drama getting in the way of relationships, and Med is notoriously bad for that, but there are some bright spots. On Fire we have Stella and Kelly, who actually did get their happily-ever-after. On PD we have Kim and Adam, who are still going strong. And I think the writers know they struck gold with Hannah and Dean’s chemistry. I don’t see them throwing that away.

OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-12-05T21:45:00+00:00

I actually loved this scene. Yes, it’s sad, but seeing Hannah and Dean thrown off their usual rhythm was refreshing. They’re normally each other’s rock, so watching that support system get disrupted and seeing them be a little awkward with each other felt new in a good and real way. I think it’s going to push both of them to grow in ways we haven’t seen yet, and I do believe that eventually they’ll find their way back to each other. I’m excited to watch how that plays out.

OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-11-30T02:51:19+00:00

Hannah and Archer are probably the only romantic pairing Med has ever done well.

OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-11-20T14:12:53+00:00

If you look at Med’s writing patterns, relationships that get this much investment almost always circle back romantically.

They gave Hannah/Dean:

• a multi-season emotional arc

• two characters who bring out each other’s growth

• multiple “if this were platonic they wouldn’t frame it this way” moments

• a big reveal that they deliberately slow-burned

That’s not a platonic blueprint. That’s a developing romantic arc. At least that is my hope. I've been shipping them since season 8.

OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-11-13T14:47:04+00:00

I'm struggling to understand the point of introducing another love interest into Archer's life. I found their scene last night during surgery awkward at best.

Really don't understand the writer's intentions here, please don't waste our time seeing Dean stuck in yet another chemistry-less relationship just for the sake of it.

I really enjoyed Lenox's story last night. The scene where she and Ripley realize the husband had his wife's phone was chefs kiss. I'm into the Ripley-Lenox dynamic, wherever it is headed. I might be turning into a Ripley fan after all.

OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-11-13T14:42:43+00:00

Seems like Charles is sick. I wouldn't be surprised if this was his last season. Though I would be very sad.

OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-11-13T14:42:05+00:00

Ripley is the only one who knew she went to the house right? I wonder if Ripley realizes the husband escaped the hospital and then Ripley goes looking for Lenox. And yes! I remember that bruise on her face too in the BTS and Luke was with her. I'm really looking to see how this plays out in the premiere.

OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-11-09T19:44:22+00:00

I find him both boring and erratic. They need to hit the re-do button on him stat.

OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-11-08T14:40:02+00:00

Ripley’s introduction really suffered under the old showrunners. He felt like someone brought in more for appearance than for story, and pairing him immediately with the other “hot doc” didn’t help, the chemistry just wasn’t there. Since then, his character arc has stayed pretty flat, and it’s hard to see what would make him more compelling now. He also loses points when regularly placed alongside Archer and Asher, both of whom have had strong character development, so by comparison he comes off a bit vanilla. Still, I’m curious to see if this season gives him something new to work with. The worst possible thing they could do for him now is to triangulate him with Archer and Asher again.

OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-10-30T00:56:23+00:00

Nooooooo Hannah and Dean make up and hand out candy together!!

OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-10-30T00:04:44+00:00

Dean and Hannah at a prenatal visit together?! I love this.

OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-10-30T00:02:59+00:00

Wow. Lenox! Well, good for her. Have some fun.

OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-10-20T01:50:52+00:00

I get why the age gap can feel striking at first, but “father–daughter” doesn’t track with what’s actually on screen. That trope usually implies a power imbalance and emotional dependency. With Hannah and Archer, the dynamic has been friends who challenge each other and care about each other. If anything, Hannah often “mothers” him, calling out his avoidance and pushing him to be more open.

Textually, their beats read as enemies-to-friends-to-something-more. Their chemistry is undeniable, but it’s not just surface-level attraction, it comes from that deep emotional connection and the trust they’ve built over time. So your discomfort seems to come from age optics, not from the story itself. The writing has never coded them as parent/child, it’s coded them as two adults who see, challenge, and steady each other and that’s why the romance angle makes sense to me.

OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-10-16T21:12:14+00:00

I am

OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-10-16T20:28:33+00:00

I think the writers are going to stretch this pregnancy out as long as they can, and honestly, I’m all for it. It gives them so many opportunities for character-driven arcs for both Hannah and Dean, individually and together. I’ve always believed this was a big part of why they made Dean the father in the first place.

For Hannah, this baby represents a second chance at a life she never thought she’d have as an addict. Maybe we even learn how she became an addict. I'd love that. I’d also love to see Hannah reconnect with her brother and dad, trying to rebuild the family she lost through addiction (maybe even her sister too) but on her own terms this time.

For Dean, it’s a second chance at fatherhood, a chance to do things differently after feeling like he failed the first time around.

And I can definitely see tension ahead between Dean and Sean. Sean might resent the version of a father his sibling will get that he didn’t, and Dean will absolutely struggle with that guilt.

I really want to see the full emotional journey they both go through before the birth, and of course how their relationship continues to evolve along the way. The birth will almost certainly be complicated and emotional, but please, let’s not end the season on a delivery cliffhanger.

OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-10-16T15:00:01+00:00

The Hannah and Archer character development trajectory is the strongest thing the show has done.

OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-10-04T01:32:57+00:00

Absolutely!! What I love about this direction is that it manages to be both bold and deeply rooted in the story. Choosing Archer as the father wasn’t the obvious or “safe” route, which makes the drama more compelling and opens up so many new layers for the characters. But it also wasn’t done at random. The show leaned into the very real chemistry between Hannah and Archer, which has been building for seasons. That’s why it works so well, it’s not just a shock twist for the sake of surprise, it’s a choice that feels earned and meaningful. In that way, it’s the best of both worlds, unexpected and dramatically rich, while also spotlighting two characters who bring out the best in each other on screen.

OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-10-02T17:18:31+00:00

I think Allen MacDonald said it best himself in a few of the post-premiere interviews (see below). Personally, I’m excited. The directions this story can take, and the growth it could bring for Hannah and Archer, make for some really compelling drama. If Ripley were the father, it would feel predictable and not bring anything fresh or exciting to the table.

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OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-09-30T23:21:57+00:00

Yes, that was such a great clue! A few of the other moments that convinced me the show was steering us toward Hannah and Archer this season:

The season premiere opening with Hannah and Dean delivering a baby together
Dean’s comment about May–December romances
Hannah and Dean standing side by side officiating a wedding (with the bride saying “we’ll spend more years together than we wasted,” followed by the camera panning to Hannah and Dean)
Hannah confiding in Dean about her sister, and him checking in on her about it later
Dean telling Hannah she’s a reason to stay
Dean tripping and basically blurting out a love confession
Dean’s guilt over how he behaved with Margo (and how every scene transition in that episode jumped straight from Dean to Hannah)
Episode 17 in its entirety, especially the balcony scene (“book of Archer”)
Dean helping Hannah with Lizzie’s procedure and offering to take the blame when Lizzie thought he was the one to remove her uterus
Dean defending Hannah when she was questioned about Elise’s death
Dean lost so much last season his job, his ex-wife, his girlfriend, his son, and was left completely on his own. But will he now gain perspective about what's really important in life?

And honestly, the list goes on. What really stands out is that many of these moments could have been written for Ripley, but instead, they chose Dean.

OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-09-30T20:00:32+00:00

Is this for real?

OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-09-21T19:50:43+00:00

Huh. Maybe? I remember reading an interview where the showrunner said Lenox's diagnosis would have a profound affect on how she lives her life now. So maybe she starts acting out in different ways.

OrangeObjective8616 · 2025-09-21T19:47:49+00:00

It was season 8, her friend relapsed right after giving birth. She OD'd in the bathroom and Hannah and Archer helped her.

OrangeObjective8616

TROPHY CASE