Among the many memorable characters and dramatic moments in the Fox medical drama The Resident (2018-23) is Dr. Barrett Cain. He is one of the most memorable yet widely despised.
Morris Chestnut portrayed the role with utmost ease and perfection since the first episode in season 3, From the Ashes. However, Chestnut exited the show unceremoniously in season 4, almost shocking the audience.
In the season finale, Dr. Cain was shown to be leaving Chastain Park Memorial Hospital for Baltimore since he had received a significantly better financial offer from Johns Hopkins.
What happened to Dr. Cain in The Resident?
In The Resident, Dr. Cain is introduced as an experienced neurosurgeon with a charming personality and almost superhuman dedication to improving patients' lives. He was bought into Red Rock Medical to revive Chastain Park Memorial Hospital's financial condition.
However, it was soon revealed that Cain was an extremely egoistic, money-minded doctor with an insatiable appetite for power. He does not care about his patients' safety and is oblivious to exposing them to dangerous and potentially lethal situations.
In season 3, he was shown to be always on toes with Randolph Bell and was widely reviled by the other doctors. However, he is shown to possess traces of humanity after he fails to save his ex-girlfriend Justine on the operating table, which makes him regretful and empathetic in the subsequent episodes.
However, in season 4, Dr. Barrett Cain was shown recovering from a serious career-threatening injury caused by an ambulance accident. Subsequently, he had to face legal action for his inappropriate behavior during COVID-19, which humbled him further. However, a significant character change was observed after Cain’s relationship with Rose, which made him selfless and caring.
Nonetheless, Cain was shown to be partially responsible for Dr. Mina Okafor's eventual departure since she testified against him, accusing him of medical malpractice. During his final moments in Chastain, Cain tells Billie Sutton that in the future, he will try to care for his patients more than his own selfish goals.
This heartwarming moment in the show attests to the fact that Chastain can change the hearts of the most hardened cynics and transform them into better individuals and professionals.
Why did Morris Chestnut exit The Resident?
As Deadline pointed out, one of the main reasons behind Morris Chestnut's departure was the expiration of his contract, which was valid until season 4.
Further, Chestnut had a pretty busy schedule after he departed from the show, which included one of the lead roles in the Fox drama Our Kind of People and the Peacock limited series The Best Man: The Final Chapter. The latter was a television reboot of the beloved film franchise, where he reprised his role of Lance Sullivan.
As per co-showrunner Andrew Chapman, the original plan was to bring Chestnut back as a recurring cast member in season 5 for a three—to four-episode arc. One possible plot idea concerned Cain tempting Billie’s son Trevor to big pharma money.
Through Cain and Trevor, primarily, the storyline was supposed to explore the darker side of pharmaceutical companies. However, that didn’t materialize because of scheduling conflicts.
Currently, Chestnut is gearing up to star as the iconic Dr. John Watson from Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved Sherlock Holmes series in the upcoming CBS series Watson and as a series regular in the sophomore season of the Hulu legal drama Reasonable Doubt.
Fan reactions to Dr. Cain's exit in The Resident
As the fans of The Resident on various social media platforms pointed out, Dr. Cain was a character that audiences loved to hate.
As Reddit user BettieThe Rage noted, the vileness of the character made him want to jump inside the TV and physically harm him.
Some fans were unhappy with the character's redemption arc, which they thought was unconvincing and illogical.
All seasons of The Resident can be streamed on Hulu and Netflix.
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