Dr. Dean Archer is a Board-certified Surgeon and an Attending Physician in the Emergency Department at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. He is portrayed by Steven Weber.
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Biography[]
Dean served in the Navy together with Ethan Choi. During Season 6, it becomes clear that he still stuggles with PTSD. He also has a severe disdain for anything to do with mental illness and psychiatry, which often puts him at odds with Dr. Charles.
Dean has a persistent habit of antagonizing everyone around him and belittling patients with psychiatric symptoms instead of purely physical symptoms, going so far as to claim that they do not belong in the ED.
As of 7x11, he has a son who he has not spoken to in 15 years.[1]
He has a close friendship with his colleague Dr. Asher.
Season 6[]
Season 7[]
You Can't Always Trust What You See[]
Dean is rebuked by Dr. Charles when he implies that Dr. Charles was the reason Ethan Choi got shot because he refused to put the patient on a psychiatric hold. Dean and Dr. Taylor treat a patient with an identical twin sister who insists they be treated exactly the same, including any medical procedures. When the case turns out to have a large psychological component, they hand the case off to Dr. Charles.
Season 8[]
How Do You Begin to Count the Losses[]
Dean receives a call from his son Sean, who is revealed to be incarcerated in Cook County Jail.
We All Know What They Say About Assumptions[]
Dean gets fired by Jack Dayton for damaging the OR 2.0. Sharon saves his job by threatening to leave if Jack upholds the decision.
Season 9[]
Row Row Row Your Boat on a Rocky Sea[]
Dean treats victims of a multi-car pileup, including a young girl whose recently-transplanted kidney has been damaged in the accident and will need to be replaced. This leads him to question whether he is worthy of the kidney he is about to receive from his son Sean, even going so far as to question whether the girl he is treating should receive his son's kidney instead of him. Hannah Asher confronts him and manages to alleviate his doubts.
This Town ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us[]
On the verge of receiving his son's kidney, Dean hesitates when his ex-wife Leanne shows up to the hospital in a rush to try and stop the surgery, accusing Dean of having been a bad father to Sean and selfishly using him. Hannah is eventually able to convince him to go ahead with the transplant, and it is successful.
These Are Not the Droids You Are Looking For[]
Dean returns to the ED after recovering from his kidney transplant and meets new resident Zola Ahmad. She promises him she is no longer the renegade he has heard so much about, but when she almost immediately crosses the line again, Dean signs her up for a 10-week intensive medical ethics course instead of firing her.
Dean also treats a patient who believes he is suffering from a family curse which causes the male members of his family to suddenly drop dead from a heart attack. While he is initially unable to find anything wrong with the patient, after more tests, the patient turns out to be suffering from a genetic heart condition that can be managed with a pacemaker.
I Make a Promise, I Will Never Leave You[]
Dean treats a patient who his son Sean has been counseling at his drug rehab clinic. The patient is in heart failure due to his past drug use. Sean implores his dad to help his friend, and Sean is distraught when the patient ends up passing away.
Season 10[]
Dean is made co-Head of the Emergency Department alongside Caitlin Lenox, and the two immediately start to butt heads. Halfway through the season, Sharon Goodwin promoted Caitlin to the sole head of the E.D., while demoting Dean back to Attending Physician.
His demotion, his son Sean deciding to move back to Florida to live with his mother, and his breakup with Margo Collins caused Dean to write a resignation letter, which he slipped under Goodwin's office door.
Goodwin was being held hostage at the time by the disgruntled wife of a deceased former patient. As the mid-season finale, Love Will Tear Us Apart, reached its climax, Dean spotted Sharon limping out of her office, gravely injured and attempting to flee with her attacker close behind. However, the elevator doors closed before he could intervene.
Notes and Trivia[]
- While his ex-wife Leanne was pregnant with their son Sean, Dean was stationed at Naval Base Coronado. (This Town ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us)
- He is a United States Navy Captain as a Senior Medical Officer. (Fathers and Mothers, Daughters and Sons)
- He is a Board-certified Surgeon. (For the Want of a Nail)
- He is 64 years old. (We All Fall Down)
Gallery[]
.jpg "Dr. Dean Archer - For The Want Of A Nail (1).jpg (99 KB)")
Videos[]
Appearances[]
| Season 6 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| When Did We Begin to Change | Those Things Hidden in Plain Sight | Do You Know the Way Home? | In Search of Forgiveness, Not Permission | When Your Heart Rules Your Head |
| Don't Want to Face This Now | Better Is the Enemy of Good | Fathers and Mothers, Daughters and Sons | For the Want of a Nail | So Many Things We've Kept Buried |
| Letting Go Only to Come Together | Some Things Are Worth the Risk | What a Tangled Web We Weave | A Red Pill, a Blue Pill | Stories, Secrets, Half-Truths and Lies |
| I Will Come to Save You | ||||
| Season 11 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| We All Fall Down | A Game of Inches | Horseshoes and Hand Grenades | Found Family | What's Hiding in the Dark? |
| The Story of Us | Double Down | Triple Threat | Blindsided | Frost on Fire |
| Our So-Called Lives | Spill Your Guts | Twist & Shout | ||
Crossover Appearances[]
Chicago Fire[]
- In the Trenches, Part I (13x11)
- Too Close (13x15)
- A Man Possessed (14x08)
Chicago P.D.[]
- In the Trenches, Part III (12x11)