His role in the episode "In the Midnight Hour" from the fifth season was well received by Debbie Chang of BuddyTV who wrote, "Mark (Eric Dane) is pretty freaking awesome in this episode. He's lascivious as all heck, but he's showing some compassion." His scenes with Shepherd were described as "fun." Victor Balta of Today listed their friendship in its "TV's best bromances". He called them "the most exciting couple on "Grey’s"", explaining "they’ve demonstrated an easy chemistry that makes for some of the great comic relief around Seattle Grace Hospital with their banter, sage wisdom on each other’s lives, and locker room-style teasing". Their bromance was furthermore included in lists by About.com, BuddyTV, "Cosmopolitan", Wetpaint. However, following the announcement of Dane's upcoming departure from the show, Mark Perigard of the "Boston Herald" felt he and Derek "never clicked like you’d expect friends would. Any scene they had together ranged from uncomfortable to forced."