The Resident Character Arc Fans Can't Stand
One of the major villains of "The Resident" in Season 3 is Dr. Barrett Cain (Morris Chestnut), an arrogant neurosurgeon. Cain enters Chastain Memorial Park Hospital after Red Rock Medical takes over and hires him to help the hospital with its finances. He is a brilliant doctor who successfully removes a child's brain tumor in an extremely delicate operation. But Cain is also ruthless, and is mostly interested in wealth and success.
Near the end of the season, Cain loses his old flame Justine (Aisha Kabia) on the operating table, devastating him. In Season 4, the surgeon is severely injured in an ambulance accident. Cain is forced to use a cane and undergo physical therapy before he can operate again. The injury, however, seems to humble the doctor and causes him to open up to other people. He also begins a relationship with another PT patient in Rose (Cara Ricketts).
However, fans of the show don't appear to be too interested in Cain's arc.
Fans didn't sympathize with his Season 4 redemption
Barrett Cain may have taken steps towards becoming a better human being in "The Resident" Season 4, but Redditors on the medical drama's subreddit seem indifferent to his arc. u/Kasthe1st started the conversation off, writing, "I hate Cain and was actually happy that he was in a horrific car accident because it meant that he would be off my TV screen."
Several other fans chimed in to share their contempt for Cain. Given that his actions contribute to the infection and death of an EMT in Season 3, it's understandable where they're coming from. u/ofstoriesandsongs said, "If anything, he got the exact shade of karma he deserved with his general behavior."
Some comments also mention his machinations to get Mina Okafor (Shaunette Reneé Wilson) deported after she threatens to testify against him in the show. Cain tried to call it off, but as u/notgrass87 says, "He did a lot of bad s*** and can't just make up for it all with this redemption arc." The character simply doesn't do enough to deserve forgiveness for his terrible actions, according to fans.
Morris Chestnut liked getting to play a bad guy
In an interview with Hollywood Life, Morris Chestnut assured viewers that Barrett Cain is "a lot different than I am." He also noted how the surgeon "almost has a God complex and he's very egotistical and manipulative."
However, where audiences may have hated seeing Cain's ruthless manipulation, Chestnut loved getting to play a villain. The "Boyz n the Hood" actor told Hollywood Life in another interview, "It's something that I haven't done really in decades being in the industry" and even called his character "bad, bad, bad."
Perhaps Chestnut was too good at playing a villain, considering how Redditors critiqued his character's redemption. Yet Cain's arc was cut short after Chestnut chose to exit the main cast before Season 5 (via TV Line). At the time, he was still intended to be a recurring character, but Cain hasn't been on the show since Season 4. Still, if viewers really disliked Cain's villainy and absolution that much, maybe his exit from "The Resident" was for the best.