Spoilers ahead for Episode 9 of Chicago Med Season 6, called "For the Want of a Nail."
Chicago Med delivered twists aplenty in "For the Want of a Nail," ranging from Will discovering that his trial has filled up to Maggie deciding she wants to meet the daughter she gave up for adoption to Dr. Charles making what could be a very dangerous connection with a patient. One twist that has major implications for the whole ED is due to Natalie and Crockett, however, and came about due to none other than Med newcomer Steven Weber's Dean Archer. Natalie and Crockett are HR official, and here's what Dean had to do with the potentially game-changing development.
Dean continues to be a somewhat overbearing presence in the ED as Ethan's former mentor now tasked with working as Ethan's subordinate, and his difference of opinion on a case with Natalie resulted in Natalie recruiting Crockett to perform a surgery that Dean didn't think was necessary. Dean then decided to spill the beans on Natalie and Crockett's relationship to Ethan even though he hadn't actually seen much in the way of PDA other than some endearingly dorky flirting.
In Dean's defense, he's not wrong that doctors in relationships with each other could cause some problems at Med, especially since there has been so much dating within the ED already. Although Ethan is definitely guilty of dating an ED coworker, he was able to make the point that as a doctor and a nurse, he and April didn't raise the same kinds of issues as Natalie and Crockett could since he and April couldn't "double doc" each other.
And it is hard to deny that Natalie and Will being in a relationship complicated things even when the good ship Manstead was still sailing strong. Dean hasn't experienced how relationships go at Med, so his reaction is pretty natural for a guy well-versed in protocol. Based on his history, I can't fault Dean for suggesting to Ethan that Natalie and Crockett sign some paperwork for HR about their relationship, even if his reasons for telling Ethan were at least a little bit petty as a result of Natalie and Crockett overruling his medical decision.
Now that Ethan did push Natalie and Crockett to sign the paperwork, and now that Natalie and Crockett did indeed make their relationship HR official, a precedent has been set for any and all future relationships in the ED, at least for as long as Ethan is chief. The twist could have implications for characters and couples far beyond Natalie and Crockett, if Med sticks with its new rule.
Considering Chicago Med is guaranteed at least another two seasons after Season 6 and relationships tend to spring up between the doctors and nurses in the ED, the decision to require HR paperwork for Crockett and Natalie could mean that future relationships will either have to be conducted differently or kept effectively secret.
A romance between Will and Dr. Virani could be on the way, even if Dr. Virani isn't technically an ED doctor. All things considered, it's hard to rule many relationships out. At this time last season, who could have guessed that the Crockett/April/Ethan drama would have turned into a Crockett/Natalie relationship?
While Natalie and Crockett seem happy enough to have made their relationship official, Dean probably didn't endear himself to either one of them, and he's already pushing boundaries when it comes to Ethan. Could he be wearing out his welcome already, despite his clear expertise in medicine? Steven Weber spoke with CinemaBlend about joining Chicago Med in Season 6, and he answered that very question:
I think after initial warmth, you know, the world starts seeping in and the world for these doctors is tough and challenging. Inside the hospital and on the streets as well. And so it's less that the welcome wears thin. It's just that life and the difficulties of these doctors' lives starts intruding. And so, you know, being warm and welcoming becomes less of an obligation.
Chicago Med still hasn't shown Dean interacting with a lot of the characters other than Ethan and April, and now Natalie and Crockett, so it should be interesting to see how he continues to fit into the ED as he works there longer and more closely with more people. Real life is definitely intruding into the ED dynamic thanks to Dean mixing things up, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing for viewers. For the characters? Sure, especially since Dean still seems to be having trouble playing second fiddle to Ethan.
See what happens next now that Dean Archer has prompted Ethan to set a new precedent with Natalie and Crockett in new episodes of Chicago Med on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, ahead of episodes of Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. ET and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. ET. The shows of One Chicago aren't crossing over as much as usual in the unconventional Season 6, but there's no reason not to have fun (or start worrying, as the case may be) about connections!
