During Chicago Med season 11, the successful medical drama reached an incredible milestone when it produced its 200th episode. As a result of that impressive level of longevity, the series has introduced an extremely long list of characters. Fortunately for fans, Chicago Med has had underrated characters and others that have always been beloved.
It should go without saying that a show crafting characters that viewers instantly connect with is a difficult and beautiful thing. As a result, everyone should be impressed by how expertly Chicago Med introduced characters like Dr. Daniel Charles, Sharon Goodwin, and Maggie Lockwood. Still, it could be argued that what the show pulled off with another character was even more remarkable. After all, the medical drama made me love a character I had previously hated.
How Chicago Med made me love Dr. Dean Archer after I initially hated him
When Dr. Dean Archer was introduced during Chicago Med season 6, it didn't take long for me to hate him. An overtly serious character who seemed full of himself, it irritated me that Dr. Archer would think that he knew better than the show's pre-existing characters, whom I'd grown to trust and like. Even after the character had been around long enough for it to be obvious that he knew what he was talking about, I still thought of Dr. Archer as being a total drag.
Looking back on how I used to feel about Dr. Archer is really funny now because he has become one of my favorite Chicago Med characters by far. It is especially amusing to me because many of the reasons I used to hate Dr. Archer definitely still apply. The character still butts heads with other doctors, is overtly serious, believes he knows better than everyone else, and he can still be a drag. Realizing that makes me wonder why my feelings about the character have changed so dramatically.
First off, I think I've grown to love Dr. Archer partially because of an increased level of familiarity. Whereas Dr. Archer was once some new doc who was showing up and crimping the style of characters I cared about, more recently, I bristled when Dr. Caitlin Lenox was introduced and stifled him. Secondly, his ego is easier to swallow after learning that beneath Dean's sincere belief that he knows best as a doctor is a much deeper level of self-hatred and seemingly never-ending guilt. Finally, I believe that a combination of well-written Dr. Archer storylines and Steven Weber's stellar performance as the character has made me and other fans invest in the character.
Chicago Med rehabbing Dr. Archer as a character so much that he has become beloved is an incredible achievement. However, it turns out that it wasn't a unique accomplishment for the show.
Instead, the One Chicago show has recently pulled off a similar feat with Dr. Caitlin Lenox. In fact, it could be argued that the series did a better job rehabbing Dr. Lenox because I went from annoyed by her to caring about her welfare far faster than the time it took for me to invest in Dr. Archer.