“He returns again for the rest of the season in episode 18,” showrunner Diane Frolov confirmed to Parade.com on a Chicago One Zoom junket. But it isn’t going to be smooth sailing. Showrunner Andrew Schneider added, “Personally, Ethan’s going to have a big surprise come into his life.” While the two showrunners wouldn’t reveal what the surprise was, naturally, they did hint at a possible return by April (Yaya DaCosta), who left the ED to further her studies to become a nurse practitioner. In real life, DaCosta was the star of the FOX series Our Kind of People, which has yet to be picked up for its second season, so she is possibly available if she has any interest in reprising the role. “With April, she’s a character who is out there that has impact obviously on our characters, so we have talked about the possibility of bringing April back,” Frolov said. And as Schneider points out, “If and when she comes back, it would be as a nurse practitioner, which would give her more leeway in terms of the kind of medicine that she can practice.” April was able to get into the school of her choice as a result of a recommendation from Dr. Dean Archer (Steven Weber), so on the one hand, Dr. Archer can be a good guy, but he has been enjoying his time as head of the ED, which may cause a problem when Ethan returns. “Archer and Ethan, they have that relationship to work out a bit,” Frolov said. “And Ethan also has to struggle or deal with the possibility of becoming ED chief again or not. Those are areas that we’re going to be exploring.” “Archer’s a guy who likes to be the boss,” Schneider pointed out. And viewers know that he is used to being Ethan’s boss as his former commanding officer, so it was hard for Archer initially when he signed on to work in the ED to answer to Ethan. Ethan’s absence has been explained as him having to undergo rehab after being shot in the season 6 finale by an unhappy patient that Dr. Archer treated. The man was delusional and needed his appendix removed, but refused treatment, so when he became unconscious, Archer operated on him against his wishes. The man was so angry because he believed Archer had ruined his life, that he went after the doctor with a gun, but shot Ethan instead. Ethan’s injuries were so severe that he had to undergo physical therapy before returning to the ED. But when he did return, he performed a treatment in which he was reinjured and was forced to take more time off for recovery. But in the episode when he finally returns for the rest of the season, Archer agrees to stay on as head of the ED until Ethan is ready to reprise his role. Then next week, the two men will work together to help a patient with ties to Ethan’s late father. Chicago Med airs Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Next, Chicago Fire Bosses Spill Details on the Return of Sylvie Brett and a Kidd-Severide Wedding
