-The only one of Carter’s romances I ever liked was with Maria Bello’s character, del Amico. I think they had a great dynamic and it was really sweet that she was there for him through his cousin’s overdose. She was able to be a good friend without being relegated to the *overly accommodating compassionate female* role. I wish her character had stayed on; their relationship could have really been something. I like relationships built on friendships—ones that aren’t are so lifeless, imo.
-I didn’t mind Mark and Corday together, at least not in the beginning. Like the whole thing with them trying and repeatedly failing to get to that physician’s conference together. All the ensuing drama with Ella and the brain tumor didn’t really bother me as much as it seems to bother everyone else, but it certainly was a lot of misery. Watching miserable thing after miserable thing gets draining, y’know.
-I didn’t hate Lucy. I think she could have grown into a really good character. She was pretty annoying at times, but she had good intentions and added some well-needed youthful earnestness to the show. I had a hate-love relationship with her and Carter’s whole angsty mentor-mentee thing; it was as irritating as it was compelling. Really glad they didn’t end up getting together, though. I am not one for doctors consorting with med students
-I loved Corday and Benton together, but I completely respect ELS’s reason for wanting that relationship broken up. Good on him for saying something, because ER certainly suffered when it came to handling social issues with grace. Yeah, really…they hadn’t had one black couple portrayed in a good light until La Salle intervened.
-Not that this is really an unpopular opinion, but I could never hate Carter. (It’s those big brown eyes and toothy smile, man!) I got a soft spot for naïve rookie characters, even when they inevitably become cynical and jaded. So much messed up shit happens to the guy you can't not feel for him. I admit Carter could get really insufferable, particularly during his surgical rotation, but he seemed to straighten himself out. He did push it sometimes though. (dating a 19 year old……come on, dude)
-I didn't hate Abby. (I’m only on season 8, though. Not sure if I plan to watch the later years). She’s callous and selfish, yeah, but I don't know...there are times I really like her. Mostly in terms of her early-on fraternization with Carter, when she went to that social function with him and sabotaged her ex’s date, when they broke into Luka’s apartment to replace the fish tank, etc. It's fun! TV shows always have to inject needless drama into relationships, and that’s why TV relationships tend to suck. Let couples have a little fun, for chrissakes. There’s a happy medium between overly angsty and overly mushy, and TV writers need to find it.
(Still, after “Secrets and Lies”, I've had it with Abby. There are some things that kill a character for me; laughing at child abuse is one of them).