From the moment we met Dr. Mitch Ripley on Chicago Med, there was no saving anyone from immediately falling head over heels for this guy. Luke Mitchell made his debut as the handsome doctor back in season 9, and even though Ripley can make some choices that leave you scratching your head, you can't help but adore this golden retriever in scrubs.
It's rare that a long-running show has opportunities to learn more about its characters, but since this is only Ripley's third season on Chicago Med, we're technically still getting to know him in and out of Gaffney. In season 11 episode 9, Ripley revealed a part of himself that was super unexpected but only made us love him that much more: He's a Gilmore Girls fan!
While the staff dealt with a number of personal and professional emergencies (including a key character's death that was unexpected for a specific reason), Frost struggled with the reappearance of a former Nick of Time co-star Ian into his life. He's in town for a 2000s TV convention, and when Ripley learns, he asks whether the convention includes Gilmore Girls.
Frost's surprised that Ripley mentioned the beloved mother-daughter dramedy, but you can't help but swoon at Ripley's excitement at the possibility of meeting Gilmore Girls stars in the flesh. He never does get a concrete answer from Frost as it were, but we'll give Frost a pass since he was overwhelmed with Ian's talk about reboots and conventions and his past as a child star.
Ripley doesn't ultimately end up attending the convention to see whether Lorelai and Rory are in attendance, but Frost does drop by to speak with Ian and snap a quick photo with a fan. Regardless, we need more details. How long has Ripley been into Gilmore Girls? Who got him into it or is he a fan independently from another person? Who is his favorite character? Is he Team Jess, Logan, or (gulp) Dean?
If I had to guess, and I don't but I will, Ripley probably understands where Dean is coming from at times (he's also a yearner with a jealousy streak), but at the end of the day, he relates to Jess more. There's no way he appreciates Logan at all or where Rory's story with him goes. (You could make a case that Logan reminds him of Archer and that's why he doesn't like him.)
It's highly likely Chicago Med will only use Ripley's Gilmore Girls fandom as this one singular throwaway line, but as a lifelong Gilmore superfan, I need this to become a recurring gag. Obviously, Ripley can't mention the show in every episode, but every so often, it would be so funny for him to bring up the show or reference certain episodes out of the blue.
These are the kinds of simple details we crave from our television characters. It makes them relatable and human, which further connects us to them beyond the things they go through. You can see yourself in TV characters in a number of ways, but when a procedural drama decides to drop some amazing lore that a straight male character loves Gilmore Girls, that's the stuff we love.
Chicago Med airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on NBC, also streaming on Peacock.