Archie Morris
Encyclopedia
Dr. Archibald "Archie" Morris is a fictional character portrayed by Scott Grimes
on the television show ER
.
. Morris was an inept second-year resident who avoided work whenever possible. Luckily he was frequently bailed out by another resident named Coop. In the episode "Freefall" he was caught smoking confiscated marijuana by Dr. Robert Romano
, but avoided punishment when Romano was killed by a falling helicopter
in the ambulance bay. Unaware of the doctor's demise, Morris, stoned, waited at the admit desk to be disciplined, doing nothing to assist the other doctors as they dealt with the fiery crash.
Morris's lack of commitment and slacking were already well-established when his neglect cost a patient's life. The patient waited for hours to be seen by a doctor before she had a stroke and died. Morris abruptly quit, storming out of the ER, only to return the next day claiming his father would deny him financial support if he didn't see this "thing" through.
in Season 11, allowing his character to further antagonize
other characters (Grimes became a series regular at this time). He achieved this coveted position due to a lack of competition (the more capable Greg Pratt turned down the post), an eleventh hour push of publications, and an elaborate presentation for the interview. As Chief Resident, Morris's inflated ego often led to clashes with colleagues, though he often acted as if he were beloved by his residents and medical students. His leadership style swung wildly from delegation to micro-management. At the end of Season 11, when Dr. Carter left the show, he told Morris to "set the tone" just as Mark Greene
had told him at the end of Season 8. Morris was drunk and didn't recall the phrase when Carter asked him years later.
In Season 12, it was revealed that Morris had donated sperm many times earlier in his life. Three red-headed children and one African American child showed up at the hospital and declared that Morris was their father. Although shocked by this, his comical attempts to be a "good dad" became a recurring theme for the character in subsequent episodes. Later in the season, we learn that Morris was hired by a pharmacy laboratory. In the season finale, "21 Guns," he is preparing to leave the hospital when a shooting occurs in the ER. Morris's quick and competent response to this crisis marked something of a professional turning point for him.
s (the slot left open by Dr. Clemente's departure). Morris began a serious effort to win respect. Though other doctors still did not always take him seriously, he showed a moment of both care and skill when he correctly interpreted a young man's alternating demands to be admitted and discharged as symptoms of dissociative identity disorder
. However, other doctors laughed at Morris's diagnosis and refused to authorize critical care, and he privately admitted to Sam Taggart that he knew "most of the other ER staff think I'm a joke." Sam spoke kindly to him and used her communications skills to convince the patient to consent to life-saving treatment.
When new medical intern
s came to the ER, Morris's attention was caught by Hope Bobeck. Morris asked her out for dinner but she instead invited him to her Bible study group, as she was a born-again Christian (often praying while taking care of patients). Morris pretended to be as devout as she was, and Hope and Morris grew close to each other. In the Christmas episode City of Mercy, he got through a difficult shift as the only ER attending, and at the end of the day Hope told him how much she'd learned watching him. She then asked him out for drinks, with the implication of intimacy to follow. Morris declined, much to his own surprise, and Hope was left confused and disappointed. Morris and Hope later got involved with each other while helping to plan Luka and Abby's wedding. The two took advantage of a free honeymoon suite that Luka and Abby were not able to use and began pursuing a relationship. Morris was saddened when Hope left for a long volunteer stint in Venezuela, and they subsequently broke up. In Season 14, Morris discovers that his father has died, and laments to Abby that he and his dad never mended their long-broken relationship. He also fails his medical boards while Dr. Pratt passes them. Morris lies about his failure and asks Pratt to cover for him until he can take and pass his boards. Morris also underwent brief therapy sessions after a hostage situation he was involved in, where the armed man was gunned down right after he gave himself up. Another hard hit came when his friend Dr. Gregory Pratt
was critically injured in an ambulance explosion and the ER staff was unable to save him. Morris took Dr. Pratt's death harder than anyone else in the ER. In the following weeks, he clashed numerous times with the new chief Catherine Banfield whom Morris resented upon her arrival, seeing that she holds the position his deceased friend had earned. In the following weeks, Morris got in trouble again, with Dr. Banfield for teaching new med student Chaz Pratt risky medical procedures that not even first year residents are qualified to perform. Morris admits that whenever he sees Chaz he sees his brother Greg, and only wants to do the best for him.
As Season 15 continues, Morris is shown to have matured a great deal following Pratt's death, becoming the senior figure for the doctors in the ER, much like Mark Greene
and John Carter
before him. In many instances, his co-workers come to him for both personal and professional advice. Specifically, Dr. Cate Banfield shares with him the fact that her young son died in the County ER, and Dr. Brenner admits to Morris that he was sexually abused as a child. In the episode Separation Anxiety, Morris becomes attracted to a female patient whom he later learns is an undercover narcotics cop (Claudia Diaz, played by Justina Machado
). In the episode "I Feel Good", Morris tells Claudia that he plans to one day propose to her, which she says she would accept. Also, during this season, Morris is the first to whom new chief of the ER Catherine Banfield
begins to open and, after a time of hostility between them, they develop a mutual respect for one anothers skills. The depth of this respect was shown in Episode 7 when Banfield revealed to Morris that she had lost her son in County's ER.
Scott Grimes
Scott Richard Grimes is an American actor, voice artist and singer. Some of his most prominent roles are his appearances in ER as Dr. Archie Morris, Party of Five as Will McCorkle, Band of Brothers as Technical Sergeant Donald Malarkey, and the popular animated sitcom American Dad!, voicing Steve...
on the television show ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
.
Early career
The character of Dr. Morris debuted in late 2003, in the drama's 10th season, and was notable for providing comic reliefComic relief
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.-Definition:...
. Morris was an inept second-year resident who avoided work whenever possible. Luckily he was frequently bailed out by another resident named Coop. In the episode "Freefall" he was caught smoking confiscated marijuana by Dr. Robert Romano
Robert Romano (ER)
Dr. Robert 'Rocket' Romano is a fictional character on the TV series ER. He was portrayed by Emmy-winning actor Paul McCrane. Paul McCrane's removal from the main cast opening credits was in the 9th episode of season 10....
, but avoided punishment when Romano was killed by a falling helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
in the ambulance bay. Unaware of the doctor's demise, Morris, stoned, waited at the admit desk to be disciplined, doing nothing to assist the other doctors as they dealt with the fiery crash.
Morris's lack of commitment and slacking were already well-established when his neglect cost a patient's life. The patient waited for hours to be seen by a doctor before she had a stroke and died. Morris abruptly quit, storming out of the ER, only to return the next day claiming his father would deny him financial support if he didn't see this "thing" through.
Professional Advancement
Morris was made Chief ResidentResidency (medicine)
Residency is a stage of graduate medical training. A resident physician or resident is a person who has received a medical degree , Podiatric degree , Dental Degree and who practices...
in Season 11, allowing his character to further antagonize
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
other characters (Grimes became a series regular at this time). He achieved this coveted position due to a lack of competition (the more capable Greg Pratt turned down the post), an eleventh hour push of publications, and an elaborate presentation for the interview. As Chief Resident, Morris's inflated ego often led to clashes with colleagues, though he often acted as if he were beloved by his residents and medical students. His leadership style swung wildly from delegation to micro-management. At the end of Season 11, when Dr. Carter left the show, he told Morris to "set the tone" just as Mark Greene
Mark Greene
Dr. Mark Greene was a fictional medical doctor from the television series ER, portrayed by the actor Anthony Edwards. For most of his time on the series, Greene's role was that of a mediator and occasional authority figure, and he was considered the main character of the series for the first eight...
had told him at the end of Season 8. Morris was drunk and didn't recall the phrase when Carter asked him years later.
In Season 12, it was revealed that Morris had donated sperm many times earlier in his life. Three red-headed children and one African American child showed up at the hospital and declared that Morris was their father. Although shocked by this, his comical attempts to be a "good dad" became a recurring theme for the character in subsequent episodes. Later in the season, we learn that Morris was hired by a pharmacy laboratory. In the season finale, "21 Guns," he is preparing to leave the hospital when a shooting occurs in the ER. Morris's quick and competent response to this crisis marked something of a professional turning point for him.
Taking Charge
During season 13, Morris was hired as one of the ER's attending physicianAttending physician
In the United States, an attending physician is a physician who has completed residency and practices medicine in a clinic or hospital, in the specialty learned during residency. An attending physician can supervise fellows, residents, and medical students...
s (the slot left open by Dr. Clemente's departure). Morris began a serious effort to win respect. Though other doctors still did not always take him seriously, he showed a moment of both care and skill when he correctly interpreted a young man's alternating demands to be admitted and discharged as symptoms of dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis and describes a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities , each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment....
. However, other doctors laughed at Morris's diagnosis and refused to authorize critical care, and he privately admitted to Sam Taggart that he knew "most of the other ER staff think I'm a joke." Sam spoke kindly to him and used her communications skills to convince the patient to consent to life-saving treatment.
When new medical intern
Medical intern
A medical intern is a term used in the United States for a physician in training who has completed medical school. An intern has a medical degree, but does not have a full license to practice medicine unsupervised...
s came to the ER, Morris's attention was caught by Hope Bobeck. Morris asked her out for dinner but she instead invited him to her Bible study group, as she was a born-again Christian (often praying while taking care of patients). Morris pretended to be as devout as she was, and Hope and Morris grew close to each other. In the Christmas episode City of Mercy, he got through a difficult shift as the only ER attending, and at the end of the day Hope told him how much she'd learned watching him. She then asked him out for drinks, with the implication of intimacy to follow. Morris declined, much to his own surprise, and Hope was left confused and disappointed. Morris and Hope later got involved with each other while helping to plan Luka and Abby's wedding. The two took advantage of a free honeymoon suite that Luka and Abby were not able to use and began pursuing a relationship. Morris was saddened when Hope left for a long volunteer stint in Venezuela, and they subsequently broke up. In Season 14, Morris discovers that his father has died, and laments to Abby that he and his dad never mended their long-broken relationship. He also fails his medical boards while Dr. Pratt passes them. Morris lies about his failure and asks Pratt to cover for him until he can take and pass his boards. Morris also underwent brief therapy sessions after a hostage situation he was involved in, where the armed man was gunned down right after he gave himself up. Another hard hit came when his friend Dr. Gregory Pratt
Gregory Pratt
Dr. Gregory "Greg" Pratt is a fictional character on the US television show ER, portrayed by Mekhi Phifer from April 4, 2002 to September 25, 2008...
was critically injured in an ambulance explosion and the ER staff was unable to save him. Morris took Dr. Pratt's death harder than anyone else in the ER. In the following weeks, he clashed numerous times with the new chief Catherine Banfield whom Morris resented upon her arrival, seeing that she holds the position his deceased friend had earned. In the following weeks, Morris got in trouble again, with Dr. Banfield for teaching new med student Chaz Pratt risky medical procedures that not even first year residents are qualified to perform. Morris admits that whenever he sees Chaz he sees his brother Greg, and only wants to do the best for him.
As Season 15 continues, Morris is shown to have matured a great deal following Pratt's death, becoming the senior figure for the doctors in the ER, much like Mark Greene
Mark Greene
Dr. Mark Greene was a fictional medical doctor from the television series ER, portrayed by the actor Anthony Edwards. For most of his time on the series, Greene's role was that of a mediator and occasional authority figure, and he was considered the main character of the series for the first eight...
and John Carter
John Carter (ER)
Dr. John Truman Carter III, portrayed by Noah Wyle, is a fictional character from the television series ER. The character, called simply "Carter" by most other characters, was introduced in the pilot episode and appeared for eleven consecutive seasons. Wyle decided to leave the show as a regular...
before him. In many instances, his co-workers come to him for both personal and professional advice. Specifically, Dr. Cate Banfield shares with him the fact that her young son died in the County ER, and Dr. Brenner admits to Morris that he was sexually abused as a child. In the episode Separation Anxiety, Morris becomes attracted to a female patient whom he later learns is an undercover narcotics cop (Claudia Diaz, played by Justina Machado
Justina Machado
Justina Machado is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Vanessa Diaz in the HBO drama series Six Feet Under.-Early life:...
). In the episode "I Feel Good", Morris tells Claudia that he plans to one day propose to her, which she says she would accept. Also, during this season, Morris is the first to whom new chief of the ER Catherine Banfield
Catherine Banfield
Catherine "Cate" Banfield is a fictional character in the American medical drama ER, portrayed by Angela Bassett. She is an attending physician with a mysterious past with County General...
begins to open and, after a time of hostility between them, they develop a mutual respect for one anothers skills. The depth of this respect was shown in Episode 7 when Banfield revealed to Morris that she had lost her son in County's ER.
External links
- Bio at NBC.com
- Official ER website at NBC.com