In the year 2025, Chicago Med fans have been watching the TV show’s 10th season. Since so much has changed over the show’s lengthy history, however, some former Chicago Med viewers have moved on for one reason or another. While that is perfectly understandable, and completely expected, it is a shame and all of those viewers from the past need to return.
During the 10th season of Chicago Med, there is an episode that everyone who has ever loved the show has to see. After all, I believe that Chicago Med just aired the best episode in the show’s history during the 10th season.
Chicago Med’s Season 10 Contained The Best Episode In The Show’s History
When shows reach a milestone like their 10th season airing, that is something that absolutely deserves to be celebrated. However, the unfortunate truth is that can also sometimes be something to dread for fans.
No matter how great shows can be when they start, they often wind up going severely downhill if they last long enough to reach a 10th season. Now that Chicago Med is in the midst of airing its 10th season, it would have been reasonable if fans expected the worst.
However, as it turns out, Chicago Med has managed to do something truly impressive. During the show’s 10th season, Chicago Med aired not only a great episode, but the best in the show’s long history.
During the 17th episode of Chicago Med’s 10th season, it was clear that something special was going on in a matter of seconds. Instead of jumping into the medical action as many episodes do, the opening seconds began by showing a black screen with the name of the episode scrolled across it. “The Book of Archer”
Chicago Med’s Best Characters, According to CBR | |
|---|---|
Character | Rank |
Dr. Sarah Reese | #10 |
Maggie Lockwood | #9 |
Dr. Connor Rhodes | #8 |
Dr. Dylan Scott | #7 |
Dr. Natalie Manning | #6 |
Dr. Will Halstead | #5 |
April Sexton | #4 |
Dr. Ethan Choi | #3 |
Sharon Goodwin | #2 |
Dr. Daniel Charles | #1 |
That title was also an indication that the episode would revolve around Steven Weber’s character, Dr. Dean Archer. Even after it became clear that a unique story about Dr. Archer was about to be told, there was no way to tell how great what would unfold during the rest of the episode would be.
Related
Chicago Med Recently Improved One Of The Best Characters And Needs To Keep Going
Chicago Med has finally given one of its best characters more attention, and fans are dying for more.
After seeing Dr. Archer’s morning routine, the episode allowed fans to see Dr. Archer get a momentous call from his son, Sean Archer. Tragically for both men, the phone call resulted in Dr. Archer finding out that his ex-wife, and Sean’s mother, had suddenly passed away after a horrible accident.
Steven Weber’s Best Film and TV Roles, According to Screen Rant
- Indebted
- All Dogs Go To Heaven: The Series
- Hamburger Hill
- NCIS: New Orleans
- Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip
- Ultimate Spider-Man
- iZombie
- The Shining
- Wings
- Chicago Med
Prior to that moment, many Chicago Med episodes had focused on Dr. Archer’s relationship with his son Sean, who is a recovering addict. As a result, Chicago Med fans knew how much Dr. Archer had to worry about while also coping with the pain of his ex-wife’s passing.
To Chicago Med’s credit, the show had the confidence in its audience to not instantly spell any of that out for viewers. Instead, the next scene showed that Dr. Archer had gone to work in the ER and was keeping his pain a secret from everyone around him. Even when Jessy Schram’s Dr. Hannah Asher recognized something was wrong with Dr. Archer and reached out to him, he shut her down.
Since Dr. Archer was introduced to Chicago Med, it was always clear that everyone around him found him to be a grumpy person. Seeing how Dr. Archer was dealing with the tragedy in his life during this episode, cast light on why the character acts the way he does.
During the 10th season of Chicago Med, the show featured several moments of humor that make the show even better. For example, the 17th episode of Chicago Med, “The Book of Archer,” included a great element of humor. After the ER’s computer system went down, Dr. Archer made the hospital’s IT representative a deal to get it fixed quickly. Throughout the remainder of the episode, funny moments of Dr. Archer trying to buy the IT specialist the first of many hot dogs added some much-needed levity to the episode.
Throughout the entire episode, Steven Weber’s performance as Dr. Archer was incredibly compelling. Not only was the episode’s acting top-notch, the writers also did an excellent job that deserves to be celebrated.
Related
These Chicago Med Characters From The Past Need To Return Like Dr. Sarah Reese
Chicago Med could become great again if these characters from the past rejoined the show’s cast.
As anyone who watches medical shows will no doubt recognize, there is a trope about doctors and their patients. It is common for doctors on medical shows to treat patients whose ailments somehow relate to what the character is going through. For example, if a doctor has been revealed to have a family member who is an addict, they will find themselves treating a patient with the same or a similar problem. In many cases, the way these storylines relate can be extremely ham-fisted and eyeroll-inducing.
During “The Book of Archer,” a patient that needs to be treated plays into the drama of the episodes’ storyline. However, in this case, the connection is subtle, done with care, and highly affective.
After learning that his ex-wife passed away and while he is still worrying about his son, Dr. Archer treats a child who’d received a heart transplant. In order to help his patient, Dr. Archer seeks out the mother of the heart donor and convinces her to come see his patient. In doing so, Dr. Archer helps the mother to find some semblance of peace while she helps his patient. Even though Dr. Archer is coping with a sudden death and worrying about his son, the parallels aren’t drawn out in the episode. Instead, the episode is confident that its cinematic storytelling allowed Chicago Med to feel like a great movie for a while.
Of course, Chicago Med isn’t a movie. Since “The Book of Archer” is only one episode of an ongoing TV show, it also was important that it moved the overall storyline forward. Fortunately, the show definitely advanced Chicago Med’s storytelling as a TV series in many ways.
First off, “The Book of Archer” provided viewers with a major revelation about Sarah Ramos’ Dr. Caitlin Lenox. After being introduced as a no-nonsense character who could be very harsh, “The Book of Archer” provided a major piece of Dr. Lenox’s backstory that informs her personality.
Secondly, “The Book of Archer” feels like a major step forward for one of Chicago Med’s most important relationships. Even after he argues with Dr. Asher during the episode, she turns out to be the only person Dr. Archer decides to tell about what he’s going through. That leads to a closing scene of Dr. Asher being there for Dr. Archer in a meaningful way.
Finally, Dr. Archer’s relationship with his son Sean is advanced greatly during “The Book of Archer.” After Dr. Archer spends the day worrying about his son, he learns that Sean hasn’t given into dangerous temptations. That results in the father and son sharing a bonding moment that feels organic and realistic for two men with issues who are mourning the same thing. All things considered, “The Book of Archer” has to be considered the best Chicago Med episode ever and any lapsed fans needs to watch it. After that, they really should watch all of Chicago Med’s 10th season since the show really is on a roll that I didn’t anticipate.
Why Chicago Med’s 10th Season Is An Important Chapter In The Show’s History
When a TV show is being produced, it typically is the person or people who are operating as the showrunners who are the most important. Tasked with the role of controlling a show’s overarching storyline, a good or bad showrunner can make or break a show. The 10th season of Chicago Med got a new showrunner and their success or failure will make a huge difference in the show’s future.
Related
This Scene From ‘The Pitt’ Was So Meaningful It Changed Noah Wyle’s Life
‘The Pitt’ is such a powerful show that a scene from it managed to change the life of its star, Noah Wyle.
In September 2024, The Hollywood Reporter spoke to Chicago Med’s new showrunner, Allen MacDonald, about his plans for the show. During that discussion, Allen discussed what he wanted to do with Chicago Med, including inserting humor and bringing back characters from the past.
During interviews, people who work in the film and television sometimes talk a big game and don’t follow through. During Chicago Med’s 10th season, however, Allen’s statements about his plans have absolutely come to fruition so far.
The season has been funnier than ever before while maintaining the drama. On top of that, the 10th season has brought back at least one major character from the past.
After 10 seasons, Chicago Med could easily become the kind of show that falters and becomes irrelevant. On the other hand, Chicago Med’s 10th season also has the potential to rejuvenate the show, bring back fans from the past, and earn a new audience. In short, Chicago Med’s 10th season could be make or break.
If an episode like “The Book of Archer” is any indication, Chicago Med’s 10th season should be a celebrated chapter in the show’s history.
Chicago Med
- Release Date
-
November 17, 2015
- Network
-
NBC
- Showrunner
-
Michael Brandt
- Directors
-
Michael Waxman, Michael Pressman, Charles S. Carroll, Milena Govich, Anna Dokoza, Bethany Rooney, Fred Berner, Tess Malone, Mykelti Williamson, SJ Main Muñoz, Donald Petrie, Martha Mitchell, Vincent Misiano, Timothy Busfield, Jonathan Brown, John Polson, Stephen Cragg, Anthony Nardolillo, Michael Berry, David Rodriguez, Afia Nathaniel, Oz Scott, Valerie Weiss, Gonzalo Amat
- Writers
-
Joseph Sousa, Lily Dahl, Natalie Drayer, Darin Goldberg, Shelley Meals, Melissa R. Byer, Treena Hancock, Mary Leah Sutton, Simran Baidwan, Joshua Hale Fialkov, Jason Cho, Will Pascoe, Liz Brixius
-
S. Epatha Merkerson
Maggie Lockwood
-
Oliver Platt
Sharon Goodwin
-
Nick Gehlfuss
Dr. Daniel Charles
-
Nick Gehlfuss
Dr. Will Halstead
