Warning: spoilers are ahead for Episode 7 of NBC's Chicago Med Season 10, called "Family Maters," which will be available streaming with a Peacock subscription.
Fallout on Chicago Med was inevitable after Dr. Archer and Dr. Lenox hit their breaking point in the previous episode of the 2024 TV schedule, and something was going to have to give for one of the two ED Chiefs. While it was tempting to side with Archer just because he has a much longer history in One Chicago, Lenox is the one who is holding on to her job, and the twist from "Family Matters" really makes Steven Weber's comments about the show and his character hit harder.
I spoke with Steven Weber about Archer's journey in Season 10, and his comments shed some interesting light on what's been happening.
Steven Weber On Playing A "Flinty" Character
Now that Archer is an established figure in the ED and formed strong bonds like the one with Hannah, it can be easy to overlook that he was causing issues for Ethan when he first came on board in Season 6 and he was vehemently against Goodwin bringing Hannah back in the first place. We've seen more of that abrasiveness in Season 10 with the arrival of Lenox, leading to his downfall as an ED Chief and demotion to attending physician.
During our interview at NBC's One Chicago junket, I asked Steven Weber if Archer would have taken to Lenox differently if she hadn't been sprung on him by Goodwin, and he shared:
Obviously, at the base of it, there's a bit of territorial imperative for the both of them. I think she's as flinty and terse as he is, but he's had more of a chance to evolve, certainly on the show, and so it's a fight for him not to clap back right away at somebody who he feels might be threatening his turf. That said, he's had to make certain adjustments because he's an adult, and he's trying real hard to be a better man.
Well, Lenox never really intended to threaten his turf, and that "territorial imperative" was arguably part of his downfall. Wanting the best for the ED in his own way, he dropped a sort of ultimatum on Goodwin... in the same episode in which he blew up at Lenox in front of many of their colleagues. He has evolved, but he's still Archer.
And as Sarah Ramos noted to CinemaBlend earlier this season, Lenox was on the receiving end of a very chilly welcome from Archer and wasn't comfortable opening up because of it, which reminded me of how Archer himself was introduced. Nobody other than Ethan was really invested in him in the early days.
When I noted to Weber that he has experience playing a character who had an abrasive introduction, he said:
That's true, and there's a challenge to that, because maybe I'm just speaking about myself, but there's kind of a vanity and a narcissism to being an actor. You want to be liked, even if you're playing a villain. You want to at least look good, or you want to be something and these characters are drawn pretty much from real life. They're real people in that they have pasts. They're a bit broken. They've seen some stuff that's really tough and they're far from perfect. If you understand that, which I do personally, it's hard to feel attractive. Especially if you're getting feedback that people hate your character, or people are mad at you. It's hard to not take it personally.
As somebody who was not Archer's biggest fan in the early days, Weber's perspective on the difficulties of not being liked really makes me think back. The ex-Navy doctor was never quite a villain, but he was definitely an antagonist in certain storylines. Archer has since won plenty of fans, and his bond with Hannah is my favorite of the show for showing his softer side.
How much of the softer side will be on display after his demotion from ED Chief remains to be seen! Don't worry, though – the tension between Archer and Lenox doesn't extend to the actors.
Steven Weber Praises Sarah Ramos
Chicago Med brought in two new doctors this season with Sarah Ramos as Dr. Lenox and Darren Barnet as Dr. Frost, and Archer responded a whole lot better to Frost than to Lenox. As an actor, though, Steven Weber praised his co-star for coming into the show to play a "particularly difficult role" in Season 10, saying:
She came into this show playing this particular character in a very fearless way. She, I think, probably had the sense that she was going to be a new person in a new environment, playing a particularly difficult role that's not going to get a lot of love. That was my situation when I first came on as Archer. So if there's something that's particularly bonding for the actors and even the characters, that would be it. She's great.
Of course, filming 22 episodes per season means production moves at a fast pace, and Weber explained that they often have to move on from scenes just as they're getting "fun." He said:
These scenes are, by the time they're fun to play, we've already wrapped the scene and finished it because we're trying to learn these unpronounceable lines and terminology. Our time is spent doing that and trying to make believe that we're in Gaffney, in this fictional hospital, playing these fictional characters, but she's wonderful. She's everything that that character needs, and we will see in coming episodes that there is a backstory there, that there's something that will make people regard her a little differently, as there was with my character.
There's not a whole lot of time left in 2024 for Chicago Med to go farther with these two characters, as the fall finale is next up until One Chicago returns in the 2025 TV schedule. For now, take a look at the promo for the fall finale, including the return of none other than Rachel DiPillo as former psych resident Dr. Sarah Reese and Archer considering resignation from the hospital. Check it out:
Tune in to NBC on Wednesday, November 20 at 8 p.m. ET for the fall finale of Chicago Med, called "Love Will Tear Us Apart." The episode airs ahead of Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. ET and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. ET. You can also revisit earlier episodes streaming on Peacock now.
