Chicago Med fans know that the NBC show has a revolving door, but the departure of Dr. Crockett Marcel is especially going to hurt. Season 9 ended with Crockett taking a leave of absence from the hospital — and not long after the finale aired, Deadline broke the news that actor Dominic Rains had also left the series. Season 10 won’t be the same without Crockett or Rains, both of whom grew by leaps and bounds over the last five seasons.
There was a time when Crockett seemed like the most stereotypical, and therefore most forgettable, character on Chicago Med. But since his arrival in Season 5, he evolved in different and more genuine directions that helped him stand on his own. Rains also helped to carry the show, even when he was handed some questionable subplots. In five years, Dr. Crockett Marcel went from an awkward replacement to a characte who will be deeply missed, and that’s worth a round of applause.
How Crockett Marcel Changed on Chicago Med
Marcel Started Out As Connor Rhodes’ Replacement
- Dr. Crockett Marcel’s first appearance was in Chicago Med Season 5, Episode 1, “Never Going Back to Normal.”
- Actor Dominic Rains was billed as a guest star in that episode, then promptly promoted to the main cast in Episode 2.
- Before starring on Chicago Med, Rains played Dr. Leo Julian on General Hospital and in the first season of spinoff General Hospital: Night Shift.
Dr. Crockett Marcel was introduced after fan-favorite Dr. Connor Rhodes left Chicago Med — in fact, his first episode was Connor’s last episode. It quickly became clear to viewers that not only was Crockett filling the vacancy created by Connor’s departure, but Crockett was written to follow in Connor’s footsteps, too. One of Connor’s most significant storylines was his campaigning for the hybrid operating room (hybrid OR), and Crockett was quickly taking it over. He’d later get a similar plotline of his own in Season 8, when he got entangled with Jack Dayton and OR 2.0. But he was no Connor Rhodes, and the audience knew it.
It didn’t help that Crockett initially had a far more cavalier personality than Connor. Connor took risks for calculated reasons, while Crockett came across initially as just an arrogant cowboy. He got another strike against him when Chicago Med used him as a roadblock in the relationship between April Sexton and Dr. Ethan Choi, having April and Crockett impulsively attracted to one another. Crockett and April shared a kiss that April hid for so long that no one was surprised when it destroyed her relationship with Choi, although April and Choi married in Season 8 as a way to facilitate actor Brian Tee’s departure from the show. Crockett went on to date Dr. Natalie Manning until actor Torrey DeVitto also chose to leave.
When Chicago Med eventually developed Crockett’s own personality and storylines that weren’t connected to someone else, the character flourished. He matured from a hotshot surgeon into someone who mentored other staff members and became involved in the hospital’s administration. He did a large amount of self-reflection — and not just about his devastating backstory involving an ex-wife and the loss of a child. He also thought about who he had been, as someone who emigrated to the United States when he was two, and who he wanted to be. Even in Season 9, he was thinking about how to be a better colleague after the firing of Zola Ahmad and his subsequent friction with Kai Tanaka-Reed. Crockett became a leader in the hospital and Dominic Rains likewise became a fixture of the show, finding wonderful depth in a character who first seemed like he’d never have any.
What Dominic Rains Brought to Chicago Med
The Actor Made Crockett Marcel a Much Stronger Character
Dominic Rains deserves an incredible amount of credit for making Crockett Marcel a success. The character would not have grown without him. Rains, who’s also well-known for playing the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. villain Kasius, was able to create a more serious and more grounded version of Crockett that didn’t always exist. That’s something that came more out of his performance, because the writing took him to some dramatic and even strange places. At the end of his very first season, Crockett became a murder suspect and was arrested — he was innocent, of course, but the story didn’t feel like it fit him. He wasn’t even the first main character to get arrested.
Then after Crockett’s relationship with Natalie ended, he embarked on a flirtation with Dr. Pamela Blake during Chicago Med Season 7. This had every chance to be a great story, since Blake was played by Suits standout Sarah Rafferty and she created a fun chemistry with Rains. But it was overcomplicated by an attempted love triangle between Crockett, Blake and Blake’s daughter Avery. The subplot never flourished and the character of Blake was promptly written out. Between kissing April, hooking up with Natalie after almost getting fired, and what happened with Blake, Crockett’s love life was always melodramatic. It’s a credit to Rains that he didn’t lean into it and kept Crockett feeling like someone the audience could relate to.
Professionally, Crockett brought back an element of the TV show that had been missing.Earlier seasons of Chicago Med were more broad in their stories; the action didn’t always center around the Emergency Department. Dr. Daniel Charles and Dr. Sarah Reese could have their own cases in the Psychiatry Department, while Connor and Dr. Isidore Latham could have separate plots as cardiothoracic surgeons. Obviously it was much easier for the writers to condense the show around the ED and not dedicate storylines to each different specialty every week, but the hospital felt so well-rounded and alive when viewers got to see the bigger picture.
Crockett going to board meetings and having his hand in the administration allowed for stories that explored the business of medicine beyond the usual financial complaints. In that respect, some of his scenes in the boardroom were more effective than those of his boss Sharon Goodwin, who was mostly used to diffuse conflicts between or caused by doctors. In Season 9, that didn’t even happen as much because there was more of a focus on Goodwin’s romantic life. And it was Crockett who wasn’t afraid to question Goodwin about her relationship with oncologist Dennis Washington. That was an example of him stepping forward, even if it was ill-advised. Rains had built up Crockett to the point where him sitting in a committee meeting and being the voice of reason made perfect sense. It was a wonderful character arc to see him end up in a place completely opposite from where he started in Season 5. With Crockett no longer a main character, Chicago Med once again feels smaller.
What Happens After Crockett Leaving Chicago Med?
Season 10 Has Some Explaining to Do
The news about Dominic Rains leaving Chicago Med didn’t indicate whether or not he’ll get an on-screen sendoff. He could once again end up following after Colin Donnell, whose departure was likewise announced between seasons, before he returned for one last episode. It would be ironic if Rains received the same treatment after he finally got out from under Donnell’s shadow. But on the other hand, it would be nice for the fans to get a proper goodbye and not simply hear that Crockett never came back. Wolf Entertainment already tried the latter approach when Elliot Stabler left Law & Order: SVU, and it didn’t work until several years later and a whole other spinoff.
