Archer’s declaration of war with Lenox in Chicago Med season 10, episode 6 emphasizes his worst character trait. Archer is one of actor Steven Weber’s best roles throughout his storied career. He has been part of the Chicago Med cast since season 6, when he arrived to temporarily take over the ED chief responsibilities while Choi (Brian Tee) was out of commission after needing surgery. He often butts heads with other doctors, and in season 10 he has been fighting with newcomer Caitlin Lenox (Sarah Ramos) for control of the ED.
The tensions between Archer and Chicago Med‘s newest character came to a head during this episode when Lenox wanted to do risky brain surgery on a teenager with serious injuries. The board supported Lenox’s decision over Archer’s strenuous objections. When the patient died in surgery, Archer blamed Lenox for it while she told him to stop “living in an alternate world where you’re always right.“ Archer’s anger led him to take action to get Lenox removed as co-chief, but this hotheaded move emphasizes his worst character trait.
Lenox’s Conflict In Chicago Med Season 10, Episode 6 Highlights Archer’s Self-Righteousness
He Always Thinks He Knows Best, Even When He Doesn’t
Archer’s tendency to be arrogant and self-righteous is an off-putting trait. His passion for medicine comes across clearly, but it’s annoying that he constantly demands his way, sometimes crossing ethical lines to do so. Archer seemed hypocritical in Chicago Med season 9 when he told Zola to read the ethical guidelines, as he sometimes doesn’t follow them either. One egregious example is his decision in a season 6 episode to purposely put a patient in a coma so that he could override their wishes and give them surgery he thought they needed, which they refused to consent to.
Lenox is not the first doctor he has blamed unfairly for things going wrong. After Zola defied Chicago Med’s Crockett Marcel’s orders and attempted to harvest a seemingly dead patient’s organs too early, Archer laid into Marcel for not supervising her properly, leading to him micromanaging Dr. Tanaka-Reid out of fear that he was not guiding his students correctly. The only person who Archer cannot get away with treating this way is Hannah Asher, as she has demonstrated repeatedly that she is not afraid to stand up to him.
Archer & Lenox’s Conflict Is Far From Over & Will Impact Chicago Med Season 10
Archer Fired A Shot Across The Bow At The End Of This Episode
Archer and Lenox’s conflict is likely to last throughout the rest of Chicago Med season 10. He has butted heads with Lenox since her introduction. Episode 6 ended with an argument in which Archer accused Lenox of being responsible for losing a patient, and she fired back that “in the real world, sometimes we lose patients.” Unsatisfied with her response, Archer decided to file a complaint in an attempt to get Lenox removed, and it’s unlikely she will accept that without putting up a fight.
