Untreatable: Unpopular Opinions

[Meredith Quill]

Your Unpopular Opinions Topic!

[Splash]

Not sure if this is an UO, but I cannot stand Peter's girlfriend Carla.  Everything about her annoys me and I'm finding myself fast-forwarding through all her scenes, which means that I'm missing quite a bit of Peter in some episodes.

[WendyCR72]

Here's something that's unpopular, or at least it was back in the day. But I HATED Abby. I just couldn't stand her. Okay, yeah, her family life sucked and her ex sucked, but she was such a sour downer. I had no idea what Luka or Carter saw in her.

 

And, really, Abby was Susan 2.0, just change mom to bipolar and sibling to also bipolar. Chloe was an addict and it was implied her dad was a borderline drunk, but I never recalled her getting so bitter. The Baby Susie drama got out of hand, but I'm guessing that was to help with Sherry Stringfield's exit more than anything.

 

Probably why Susan was turned into a party-gal upon her return. Abby had her old schtick.

[Grace284]

Here's something that's unpopular, or at least it was back in the day. But I HATED Abby. I just couldn't stand her. Okay, yeah, her family life sucked and her ex sucked, but she was such a sour downer. I had no idea what Luka or Carter saw in her.

 

And, really, Abby was Susan 2.0, just change mom to bipolar and sibling to also bipolar. Chloe was an addict and it was implied her dad was a borderline drunk, but I never recalled her getting so bitter. The Baby Susie drama got out of hand, but I'm guessing that was to help with Sherry Stringfield's exit more than anything.

 

Probably why Susan was turned into a party-gal upon her return. Abby had her old schtick.

 

Related unpopular opinion, but I always really liked Abby when she was with Carter, because utter trainwreck though they were, at least their complete implosion allowed her to show a bit of life. In the later years she became so blandly miserable (she was even miserable about being happy) that it was draining to watch.

[Rosiejuliemom]

ER unpopular opinions? I've got some of those!

With the exception of a very few moments, I could not stand Carol Hathaway. I can't entirely pinpoint the reason, but she just bugged the hell out of me.

I didn't like Ray/Neela in a romantic way. At all.

Tony Gates didn't bother me. Neither did Nu!Rachel or Nu!Alex.

I wish Clemente had stuck around longer.

[katha]

Oh, oh...I want to play, too!

 

I liked Brenner. I thought he made a great addition to the cast and was sad that he came in so late in the run of the show and there wasn't time to show more development with him. He got a very good character arc anyway, even though it was rushed. Much better than some of the other characters who had been on for much longer.

 

Never did much like Hathaway, either. And Abby was alright, but the way the show started to focus on her endless misery did grow tiresome.

 

Sam was cool, though. I liked that she was cold and hard, it made sense for her life circumstances and not every female character needs to be open, friendly and vulnerable to be relatable.

 

Benton was my fave. It was awesome that he was just straightforward in his ambition, that he wasn't particularly nice and that his good qualities were seldom used as excuses for his bad sides. And his relationship with Carter was one of the absolute highlights of the show.

 

Never did start hating Carter, either. He grew annoying towards the end of his first run and then when he came back at the end he had considerably improved again. But even at his worst he behaved in character IMO.

[RealityCowgirl]

I went through an extended period where I couldn't stand the sight of Sally Field (after growing up loving her).

I screamed - not in a good way - when Tom Everett Scott popped up unexpectedly on "Will and Grace."

My "Abby's family" scars run deep.

[Snipsa]

Ooh, ER UO's. I have quite a few.

I didn't think the quality of the show went down all that much (with the slight exception of seasons 7-9 as well as season 13 [my personal least favourite seasons]). But even during those seasons there was still more to like than dislike.

I HATED the Abby/Carter relationship - it turned them both into hateful, childish characters and almost ruined Carter's whole arc for me. luckily they saw the light and restored most of what I liked about them. Which leads me to my next UO:

Carter is still my favourite ER character and one of my all time favourite TV characters. I liked that he was basically a good guy, trying to do the best he could. I know everyone saw things differently, but I thought he showed great growth through the entire run.

Some other UO's:

I loved Gallant, and hated what they did with his character.

Never really warmed to Ray.

Enjoyed Brenner and Tony's story lines.

Enjoyed Benton's stories a lot more than either Doug or Mark

And then for my biggest UO:

My favourite female character was Sam. Sure, they had some missteps along the way, but I love the actress and her entire arc was mostly well written (in my very unpopular opinion.

Last UO, ER is for now and will probably forever be, my favourite Medical Drama, and is very high up my top 10 list of favourite dramas ever. (Just behind FNL and BSG and very slightly ahead of SG1 [another show that I hold lots of UO's for])

[DisneyBoy]

WOW - so much to say about this topic!

 

I too loved Sam, but felt she got the narrative shaft after killing her Ex. They briefly introduced Joe Magnanello as her cop love interest, and had her living with that Rich Guy who needed home assistance (though I don't remember ever seeing her actually living at his house - it all happened off-camera), but then it was like a bunch of new writers came in and shipped Alex offscreen and stuck her with rage-aholic Tony and I didn't buy it. The show was lame the last two years in many ways, but especially pertaining to Sam.

 

Carter and his wife's unending PTSD over the Cartus was understandable but so irritating. When she came back for the finale, I wanted Kem to either cut Carter loose or love him with a smile. The dude almost died, lady!!! And he didn't feel like he could call you and tell you about it!!! That's pretty lousy. So get divorced and scram or give him a hug and tell him you love him and things are going to work out.

 

I really liked Kem in the beginning, too. But then she just became all about the lost baby.

 

I really liked Neela for the first couple of years but then when the writing went to heck (season 14?) I couldn't stand her anymore. Brenner was a terrible addition because we all knew they were just stalling on her and Ray hooking up.

 

In fact, I was really upset - physically upset - when Ray returned for Halloween and she had the gall to say "I feel badly that I wasn't there for you" after he admitted he contemplated suicide. I realize the show's producers were the ones who didn't hire Ray back for an episode where she could be seen visiting him, but seriously Neela...don't fish for him to say "Oh that's okay Neela. Gee, you're so perfect even though you promised me in the hospital that you'd be there for me and then weren't! Let's kiss!"  Cripes. It just made Neela look like she was so full of herself she thought she could bat her eyes at Ray and he'd just be wrapped around her finger again.

 

And by extension, I think she used Brenner, because obviously she was in love with Ray and just stalling. So yeah - Neela was great, until she wasn't.

 

I wish Clemente had stuck around longer.

 

Me too! They really did a great job of writing him into the series and creating an interesting conflict there. But his breakdown was never followed-up on. I couldn't figure out why. Did John L piss off the producers or something? I don't remember viewers hating his character...you'd think he could have come back for that final year or something.

 

This probably isn't an UO, but Stanley Tucci's character had the worst writing, didn't he? He was barely introduced, then slept with married and drunk Abby, then vanished to "take care of his son" who we barely met, and then came back so Luca could punch him. What an arc!

Edited July 22, 2015 by DisneyBoy

[braziliangirl]

I liked Lucy (and her relationship with Carter).

[Kromm]

I liked Lucy (and her relationship with Carter).

I liked Lucy too. The purpose was clearly (at first at least) to have her be Carter's Carter, and that was a good idea.  They kind of messed that up along the way and had to make Pratt into Carter's Carter, but that wasn't any kind of inherent problem with the character of Lucy.

[Guest]

I disliked Abby so much that she was the main reason I stopped watching the show. It felt like she was the main star and I couldn't stand her.

[Kromm]

I disliked Abby so much that she was the main reason I stopped watching the show. It felt like she was the main star and I couldn't stand her.

It was especially a weird feeling to loathe her so much after rather liking Maura Tierney on NewsRadio.

[dustylil]

This is probably quite the UO but I couldn't abide Mark Greene. From the earliest days when he put his career ambitions over what might be best for his wife and family to the later seasons when he  continued to practice ER medicine while he was increasingly debilitated with his serious health issues, I found him to be self-centred and sanctimonious.

[WendyCR72]

I disliked Abby so much that she was the main reason I stopped watching the show. It felt like she was the main star and I couldn't stand her.

 

Friend!

 

Another UO: I liked the possibility of/flirty vibes between S1 Susan and Carter. Yeah, Susan was his superior. But nothing happened, save for sharing a bit of champagne, the red handcuffs (never said whom they came from but I think it was Susan), and the almost kiss. But I preferred that over Susan/Mark. I know Mark was beloved, and I never hated him, but he was always so - I don't know - jellyfishy at times. And I think Susan was smart to not "go there" with him after Mark just ended things with Jenn and with young Rachel being so hostile.

 

I admit the S8 revisit didn't go well, but I also think it was written to fail for Abby to begin with, so yeah. I do like that their friendship seemed unscathed - aside from some scrapes when Susan [uncharacteristically, to me] became head of the ER.

 

And, of course, in the finale, they seemed tight again, so it was an odd trajectory!

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

Not sure if this is an UO, but I cannot stand Peter's girlfriend Carla.  Everything about her annoys me and I'm finding myself fast-forwarding through all her scenes, which means that I'm missing quite a bit of Peter in some episodes.

Carla was just horrid: selfish, narcissistic, and sanctimonious. I shed no tears when she finally kicked.

 

Speaking of Peter's girlfriends, I always hated how Jeannie Boulet had an affair with Peter while still married to her husband Al, but then acted like Al's affairs were so horrid and unforgivable.

Edited October 12, 2015 by Sir RaiderDuck OMS

[WendyCR72]

Jeannie was a huge hypocrite, but to be fair, didn't she contract HIV from Al? Seems like his affairs weren't so careful. I can see why that would color her view. Still, yeah, Jeannie was no saint in her own right.

[ESS]

On 8/7/2015 at 10:46 AM, deaja said:

I disliked Abby so much that she was the main reason I stopped watching the show. It felt like she was the main star and I couldn't stand her.

I couldn't stand her either! But I didn't stop watching unfortunately because I liked other characters, but anyway I hated that they put all the focus on her and her family and her problems so annoying. ER was ensemble cast so it should have stayed that way until the end, which I guess for the most part it did, but still.

On 8/7/2015 at 10:46 AM, deaja said:

 

On 10/10/2015 at 11:12 AM, Sir RaiderDuck OMS said:

Carla was just horrid: selfish, narcissistic, and sanctimonious. I shed no tears when she finally kicked.

I couldn't stand Carla either she was a good mother, but that's about it

Speaking of Peter's girlfriends, I always hated how Jeannie Boulet had an affair with Peter while still married to her husband Al, but then acted like Al's affairs were so horrid and unforgivable.

I loved Jeanie, but you do have a point there about her about that.

On 10/10/2015 at 4:18 PM, WendyCR72 said:

Jeannie was a huge hypocrite, but to be fair, didn't she contract HIV from Al? Seems like his affairs weren't so careful. I can see why that would color her view. Still, yeah, Jeannie was no saint in her own right.

Yes she did contract HIV from Al.

[AndySmith]

My UOs:

I too liked Lucy.

I hated Carter and Abby as a couple. I preferred her with Luka.

But the worst couple had to be Mark and Elizabeth. A black hole of chemistry. They broke her up with Benton for this?

Also, cancer story aside, Mark really was a chore to watch during his last few seasons. He was just...annoying.

[ESS]

On 10/1/2016 at 8:23 AM, AndySmith said:

My UOs:

But the worst couple had to be Mark and Elizabeth. A black hole of chemistry. They broke her up with Benton for this?

I didn't like Mark & Elizabeth either and mostly because after they started to become a couple & especially after they got married Elizabeth changed into a jerk and a total shrew of a person which I didn't like at all. I definitely prefer[ed] her with Benton always have...I was so upset when the writers broke them up and still am to this day even when I watch my DVDs. Definitely had amazing chemistry w/ Benton as well!

Edited October 9, 2016 by ESS

[WendyCR72]

The thing is, where Elizabeth and Peter were concerned, the show really didn't have a choice. Eriq LaSalle thought his character should date African-American women. So, since it seemed like no romance worked for Mark once Sherry Stringfield's Susan left (and even that was a mild flirtation in the end), it looked like that's why Elizabeth got parked with him, for good or bad.

[AndySmith]

That's too bad. Elizabeth was certainly a better match for Peter than Cleo was. Granted, it helped that Eriq La Salle had far better chemistry with Alex Kingston than he did with Michael Michele. So we went from one great, interesting, sexy couple to two chemistry-free boring couples. Thanks, Eriq!

[Driad]

For Peter's new girlfriend, did they consider hiring someone who could act?  They could have tested several actresses to find one who had chemistry with Eric.  Or was there some reason they wanted Michael Michele?

[ESS]

On 10/8/2016 at 11:13 PM, WendyCR72 said:

The thing is, where Elizabeth and Peter were concerned, the show really didn't have a choice. Eriq LaSalle thought his character should date African-American women. So, since it seemed like no romance worked for Mark once Sherry Stringfield's Susan left (and even that was a mild flirtation in the end), it looked like that's why Elizabeth got parked with him, for good or bad.

Yes this is exactly why they had Elizabeth & Peter break up I know because I read something about it an article I think. Me personally I don't agree with him about it, but whatever it definitely is too bad he felt that way, but then again this was still the last 90s so..

For Peter's new girlfriend, did they consider hiring someone who could act?  They could have tested several actresses to find one who had chemistry with Eric.  Or was there some reason they wanted Michael Michele?

This is what I was wondering myself.

Edited October 11, 2016 by ESS

[Sticker Shock]

Catching the first episodes yesterday on Pop reminded me how much I despised Mark from the very start.

[voiceover]

On 10/1/2016 at 5:23 AM, AndySmith said:

 

But the worst couple had to be Mark and Elizabeth. A black hole of chemistry. They broke her up with Benton for this?

Yeah.  Elizabeth & Peter were hot together, and I hated how he dumped her.  One of the best show codas was when he showed up in the pimpmobile for her.  That was the playful Benton of the pilot ep.

[callie lee 29]

Yeah, Peter and Elizabeth were great together, but I don't fault the show for that. While I never thought Michael Michele was a bad actress this is not the first show that she has been on that the audience took issue with her acting (she was pretty roundly despised on Homicide as well). 

 

Abby is the reason I stopped watching this show. My gosh, the endless melodramatic family angst was mind-numbing. For a long while it seemed like every. single. thing. was about her. I just couldn't anymore. I can't remember when exactly I bailed, but after reading some brief episode descriptions on wikipedia it must have been around season 12-13. I have some vague recollections of Stamos, but none of Angela Bassett's character (which I kinda regret). 

[Shannon L.]

I jumped in to check out this forum after watching a dozen or so of the reruns on POP (funny that I happened to catch the commercial for the reruns just a few days before they started because not more than a month or so ago, I was telling my husband that I wished Amazon Prime or Netflix would pick up the series so I could watch it again!).  I remember many scenes from the show, although I did stop watching some time after Ramono was killed by the helicopter.  I don't remember if it was because I got really busy and had stopped caring about the show by then or if I stopped simply because I wasn't enjoying it at all anymore.  I want to keep watching until the end this time. 

Anyway, I really don't know if this is an UO or not, but I'll throw it out there:  At some point during the first run of the show I decided that Carter was not cut out for surgery/ER as a specialty.  He was so much more suited to a private practice.  This time around, I found myself thinking the same thing at some point within the first few episodes.  I've already forgotten which scenes made me feel that way, but the idea came to me when I realized that he cared too much about his patients.  He had a hard time treating them, then letting them move on.  He seems to me like someone who would appreciate getting to know them and keeping up with their health and treatments long term, like a physician would. 

[Sticker Shock]

I always thought Carter's approach and personality was why they should have left him in surgery -- he might not have fit perfectly in, but that was rather the point. There would have been a lot of story and natural conflicts there, as he continued going up the ranks, finding his own way, however contrary it was to the more typical surgeon.

They sent him down to the ER just to beat the life/joy/connection out of him over the years anyway, except with a lot more contrivances along the way.

[WendyCR72]

Actually, Carter's personality was all wrong for surgery, and in that regard, the show did well to have him ditch it. Surgeons - not all, but most - seem to be exactly as Benton and Romano were - great at their job, but kind of lacking in bedside manner. At least, that was my experience with the few orthopedic surgeries I had over the years.

Carter was warmer. Was the ER the best fit? Not sure, but it was better than surgery for him. Especially since I think surgery was likely for the benefit of his rich family. Surgery seemed to be the compromise if he was going to be a doctor at all, which his family never seemed thrilled about.

Actually, from the first season, I was always struck at a scene of Baby Carter reading to an elderly patient. He just seemed to have a streak of empathy and, at least on the show, the ER seemed to be the spot to interact with his patients, albeit briefly.

[Sticker Shock]

In one of the recent Pop eps, he said his parents wanted him to be a cardiologist.

While the Benton or Romano types were definitely more the norm, we did see some surgeons that weren't curmudgeons or narrowly driven over the years. Abby Keaton (the best Abby, for my money) was warm and seemed very much invested with her young patients and their families, for example. 

[callie lee 29]

I actually thought Carter was perfect for ER specialty. GP would always be too bland and would never really have an impact on a patient's life yet something like surgery is too remote. Emergency medicine can truly be both with the right physician.

Did I have an UO for this show? I feel like at the time I have no idea, maybe that I liked Chloe. I didn't want her on all the time, but she was interesting (the actress annoys me though). Now, probity UO is that Weaver annoys me. Always has.

[RedbirdNelly]

my UO for this show might be that I stuck it out to the bitter end. I recognize it got worse but I had to watch it all the way through and I still miss it.

So glad Pop has brought it back.

[desertflower]

I watched it to the end too. There was a lot I didn't like (the over the top catastrophes like the tank) and all the people dying! Not patients, doctors! They really shouldn't have killed Pratt or dropped the helicopter on Romano. Unnecessary. However although the overall quality wasn't as good in the later years there were still some nice performances and storylines tucked in there. Morris started out as an idiot but really grew into a great character by the end. Angela Bassett was good too. The finale was well done and I loved how they put in a lot of callbacks to the pilot. 

[RedbirdNelly]

I completely agree on too many doctors dying. It was a bit ridiculous. Definitely should not have dropped the helicopter on Romano and I hated it when Pratt died. That one really got to me--the scene where whatever was wrong flared back up and he knew it was bad news--the look of fear was awful. I thought I was past getting upset with things but that one made me tear up.

[Driad]

Killing Romano was a waste. After he lost his arm they could have done a compelling story line about how he adjusted and changed to a different medical specialty. The actor was talented enough to make it very effective if the writing was good.

[desertflower]

Yes! I wonder if Paul McCrane wanted off the show so they just took him out. (In a spectacularly dumb way!) But it was such a waste because Romano was a great, great character. 

I know the actor who played Pratt asked to be killed off. It provided some heartbreaking drama but in the grand scheme of the show it was just too much to lose yet another doctor. Dangerous place to work! 

[RedbirdNelly]

the Pratt death scene was really well done even at the point the show was on life support, so I'm glad to hear the actor wanted to get killed off (I would type out his name but I know I would mess up the spelling and too lazy to google).

Romano was such a great character. He got the best lines while being a jerk. My husband likes to quote him when "maybe that's just God's way of saying 'bad idea'." whenever that fits the situation

[EVS]

Romano was my and my husband's favorite character. My husband once said this about Romano and I thought it  was so true:  "Just when you think he's a total asshole, he does something decent and just when you start to think he's not that bad, he does something totally shitty. "

4 hours ago, RedbirdNelly said:

the Pratt death scene was really well done even at the point the show was on life support, so I'm glad to hear the actor wanted to get killed off (I would type out his name but I know I would mess up the spelling and too lazy to google).

Romano was such a great character. He got the best lines while being a jerk. My husband likes to quote him when "maybe that's just God's way of saying 'bad idea'." whenever that fits the situation

I will never forget, "Tell Jonesy that Robert Romano is sending over 4 critical patients all of whom I expect to be treated like his own mother, without the inappropriate touching." My jaw dropped at that one and then dropped again a few minutes later when Romano lost his arm.

[Bastet]

My UO: I like Kerry Weaver.

[slf]

I never liked Abby and it got worse as the show went on. Susan was kinda hyped by the fans prior to me watching the show and I never saw what the big deal was.

The show had a bad habit of making their female characters "shrews" as time went on. They did it to Kerry too, as well as Corday. (Which I took particular offense at because Corday was my favorite female character.)

Carter was best in the earlier seasons when he was an eager puppy the others could prank and make fun of. My favorite male character, tho, was Romano. I'm glad to see lots of love for him in this thread because during the shows run people kind of hated the guy. Which I get; almost half of what came out of his mouth was offensive. But he got some of the best lines and he was a dynamic, interesting guy. 

Mark was the most boring guy on the show and I don't think he had much chemistry with any of the women they paired (or tried to pair) him with. He was a crappy husband, imo. I remember when the episode where Rachel leaves the drugs out and Ella eats them aired and everyone thought Corday overreacted but I disagree. A toddler gobbling ecstasy (IIRC) is not a small thing; boarding school might seem extreme by American standards but I thought Corday was being generous. I'd have put the brat in some kind of scared-straight program. I think Mark cut Rachel too much slack after the divorce and sort of allowed her to develop into the brat she became. 

The only thing Mark did that I can recall thinking was interesting was when he let Fossen (????) die in the elevator. Just held the shock pads up, looked him right in the eye, and shocked the air. May not have been morally right but it was one of the few times I really liked Mark.

Lucy was actually a cute character for most of her run and I think she had the most memorable send-off.

One hundred per cent deadass: they should've hooked up Romano and Corday. I know, I know. There are good reasons for why they shouldn't have but I think it would've been a better idea than pairing her with Mark and his demon spawn and a helluva lot better than cutting off Romano's arm and then dropping a helicopter on him. They had better chemistry and a great rapport. 

Edited April 29, 2017 by slf

[starri]

On 4/15/2017 at 10:26 PM, Bastet said:

My UO: I like Kerry Weaver.

My even more UO:  Kerry was my favorite character.

[AndySmith]

My even more unpopular UO: I actually liked Abby overall.

[voiceover]

@slf:

I remember Mark doing that "shock in the air" in the elevator, but not WHY -- what did the patient do, and who'd he do it to??  

[AndySmith]

From Mark's wikipedia page, which sums up the situation nicely:

Quote

Mark and Elizabeth begin a more serious relationship and move in together. Mark later buys a house, and he and Elizabeth get married and have a daughter, Ella. Their happiness is threatened, though, when the abusive father of a patient goes on a killing rampage after losing his son to social workers. In a bid to get his son back, he kills and injures a number of people and attempts to go after Elizabeth and Ella. After being shot by an armed bystander, he is brought to the ER. During his treatment, Mark takes him aboard an elevator to go to an operating room. The patient goes into arrest when alone in the elevator with Mark, who withholds defibrillation and allows him to go into vfib and die. He later falsifies records to show that he did attempt to save the patient. Elizabeth suspects what Mark did but lets the matter drop.

I think in the elevator, before he went into arrest, the guy also threatened to go after Elizabeth and Ella.

Edited May 6, 2017 by AndySmith

[voiceover]

Thanks Andy!

[Ceindreadh]

2 hours ago, AndySmith said:

From Mark's wikipedia page, which sums up the situation nicely:

I think in the elevator, before he went into arrest, the guy also threatened to go after Elizabeth and Ella.

It was somewhat ridiculous that Mark was anywhere near that guys treatment in the first place. 

[starri]

5 hours ago, AndySmith said:

My even more unpopular UO: I actually liked Abby overall.

I like Abby too, although, in fairness, I quit watching the show after she and Carter first got together.  I relate to her a lot, not so much because of the drunk part, but because I also decided to go to medical school later in life, albeit not because I busted my ass to put my husband through it first only to be dumbed for a younger model.

I hated Luka.  I don't know why but he always rubbed me the wrong way.

Malucci was hot, but I hated the way they tried to make him a lovable fuck up, and how we were supposed to pity him when he got fired.

Jing-Mei was every gunner I ever crossed paths with, but I liked her, probably because I like Ming-Na so much.

Susan was terrible when she returned.

Mark was a complete ass from S6 forward.

[BBHN]

I liked Luka and Abby together, and Luka in general. Hated Carter and Abby together.

[starri]

Clooney was always charming, and he's built himself a decent career as an actor and director, but man was he not the greatest actor when the show started.  I still remember him doing nothing but waggling his head around in lieu of actually emoting.

He was always a good guy though.  When he discovered that TV Guide only featured black actors on the cover during Black History Month, he refused to give them one unless they gave Eriq La Salle one as well.