Cliffw

What infuriated me even more about the Mark/Jeanie deal was the fact that Jeanie ended up being the one who apologized to Mark for keeping her HIV a secret when she was stitching him up an episode later. Mark never once apologized for going through her files.

The writers wanted to beat it over everyone's head that Abby was the better love interest for Carter. The way Sobriki's return was written, the writers wanted to make sure the viewers knew the Abby cared more about Carter than Susan (who was doing her job). Then Abby checks on Carter after he finally sees Sobriki while Susan doesn't check and is later hanging out with Malik out at a hockey game (though that was more to create tension between Weaver and Sandy about Weaver not being "out"). If I'm remembering correctly, I think Abby seeing Carter and Susan kiss was the only time that they interacted as a couple since getting together and the next time would be in that awful "Secrets and Lies" episode. I know that everyone said that Carter and Susan had 0 chemistry but I wonder if that was intentionally written that way so there's no chance of having fans ship them when the end game at the time appeared to be Carter/Abby. I thought they had something in season 1 but that was obviously never going anywhere.

He got mad because she screwed up in front of either Anspaugh or Romano. I think the show kind of dropped the ball with Carter (and really every other character since Carter finished up as a med student) as a teacher. Carter had Lucy and they didn't click (of course the writers really wanted to go the relationship route instead of actually doing a good teacher/student storyline). He had Chad Lowe's character as a student during the previous season and that was mainly written for the wacky hijinks. He spent a little time with Gallant when he was a student but most the focusfor Carter was all about him and Abby. I know Benton & Carter's student/teacher relationship would bd hard to duplicate, but I wish the show would have tried.

I swear that Roxanne couldn't keep Lucy's name out of her mouth. Not that she was going to be a long term love interest, but her entire relationship with Carter consisted of her being suspicious of Carter/Lucy. Carter is usually one of the few characters who doesn't annoy me (along with Brenton after Reese was born and seemed to chill out a bit compared to seasons 1-early part of season 3) but he annoyed me with the Ritalin story as well. The fact that it wasn't his business was enough but I don't even recall him giving her a logical reason to quit taking the medicine that HER doctor prescribed for her to take.

Going back, I'm with you on Middle of Nowhere being one of the better outside of the ER episodes. I could never stay awake through Carol's episode in season 3 and Mark and Doug's in season 4. I enjoyed one of the first Africa episode, and was bored by Abby's kidnapping in season 11. Also loved the end of the episode when Benton comes back from Mississippi and is picked up by Elizabeth (post break up) who has Reese along with her. Carla letting Elizabeth take Reese with her is another reminder of how much I hate what the writers did with Carla's character for the rest of her time on the show. Regarding Carol, I'm with the person who said that they wished that JM didn't stay an extra season. I would have been fine with Doug and Carol leaving together if there was a different sendoff for Doug and not Carol making the decision to leave with Doug because he decided to commit career suicide at County.

I know that Michael Michele wasn't the best actress, but I always felt that it was messed up how her character was just written as simply Peter Benton's (black) girlfriend and nothing really else. I know she got that one storyline with the drunk kid during the first half of season 6, but they gave her nothing as far as an individual storyline for herself after she got together with Benton. I felt like there was a missed opportunity in season 7 when she seemed like she had an attitude with Carter not long after he came back from rehab. At the end of the episode, he asks Cleo if she has a problem with him being there which she denies and that's the end of it. It would have been nice to have a story where she's skeptical about him as a doctor after his addiction before she eventually trusts him. They could have done more with Malucci. After season 6, it's like the writers got lazy and turned him into a one note goofball. I'm not saying he had to be totally serious but at least give him more moments like he had with the incest victim in season 6. In the end, they can have him quit like Chen did temporarily after Weaver made her give up the Chief Resident job after that patient died. Anything is better than the way he got fired.

It was probably 15 years ago but I still remember the post on the TWOP forums where the person applauded Abby for recognizing that she had a problem instead of being like Carter who had to go to rehab kicking and screaming. It sucked how Carter was treated when he came back to County after going to rehab. I understand them putting restrictions on him but they really treated him like some junkie instead of someone who began using after suffering from trauma. Abby got her Attending position the season after going through her issues before she finally left County while Weaver made it seem like Carter was ridiculous for asking her about the Chief Resident position. Abby also never had to deal with a Romano type (asking Weaver who's going to watch the drugstore when cowboy came back to work) or his parents (his father asking him if he's back on drugs after he came back from Africa with Kem and I think his mother asked him if he's going to blame her for using).

Amanda Lee being head of the ER was Anspaugh's call and he didn't suffer any consequences when everything hit the fan but years later when it was discovered that John Leguizamo's character was unfit for the job he was hired for, they were trying to fire Luka and it ended up leading to Weaver losing her position. I know the 2 storylines were 7 years apart but that one was always weird to me.

I know this is Tariq's show but I always find it funny that he alway has to tell these career criminals (and lawyers) the obvious. When Jabari was shot in season 1, he had to be the one to tell Cane to make sure he goes somewhere where people can see him so he'd have an alibi. When Monet killed Mecca, Tariq had to remind her to get rid of the evidence on the security camera. This episode, he had to tell drunk Davis to calm down when he was going for his gun after finding out that Saxe was playing the other side. So I guess he's really Monet's thinker after all.