All Episodes Talk: What's Up Doc?

[Bastet]

Maybe I just assumed it was someone other than Tag since they just say "her fiancé" (someone asks if anyone knows why she tried to kill herself, and someone else answers, "her fiancé didn't know"), like it's someone they know only as her fiancé, rather than "Tag."  And they ask the roommate if she called Carol's family, then they track down Carol's family - if she was engaged to Tag, I think they'd also let him know. 

She was originally supposed to die in the pilot, so I doubt any thought was given to who her fiancé was when it was written, and then maybe later (I think Tag shows up in episode three) they decided, "Hey, this guy can be the fiancé." 

I don't know, since I don't pay much attention, I just remember the distinct, "Hey, wait a minute" feeling when they introduced Tag as her boyfriend (not fiancé), remembering that in the pilot she'd been engaged, so I figured she'd been engaged to a different guy.  Because, in the pilot, there was reference to what month she was going to be marrying the fiancé, so if that was Tag, and they postponed it indefinitely after the suicide attempt, but were still dating, and then got engaged again when we saw it, people would have spoken about/reacted differently to their relationship in that time period between when we meet Tag and they get engaged.

The more I think about this, the more I think Pilot!Carol's fiancé was given about two seconds' thought since she was going to die -- it was just set up that she was engaged to a "catch" (doctor who played college football) and was well-respected at her job, yet she attempted suicide.  Then when they kept her around, and decided to write to the fact they'd established a prior relationship with Doug (when she says he can always count on her "even if you prefer football players," she tells him he had his chance, he says he was young and foolish, she replies he's still foolish), they retconned Tag as the guy she'd been with, but ignored the tidbit about them being engaged - just like they ignored the fact Doug has a son as the first season progressed and the characterization began to take shape.

Edited August 12, 2017 by Bastet

[doodlebug]

9 minutes ago, voiceover said:

Eh.  Could've been Tag.  Benton introduces Carol to Carter, and after she walks away, says: "She's going with a Dr who was a Big 10 tackle..."

I am pretty sure in the Pilot, while Carol was coding, someone asked if they'd been able to locate her fiancé.  And, I think it was probably a continuity glitch, because, as Bastet noted above, Carol was supposed to die in the pilot.  It was after test audiences liked the character and her relationship with Doug that TPTB decided to raise Carol from the dead and make her a regular.

Edited August 11, 2017 by doodlebug

[voiceover]

No sweat.  In a few weeks, it'll roll around again on Saturday's marathon, and we will be on the alert.

Place your bets, people.

[slasherboy]

6 hours ago, doodlebug said:

 In the other episode where he spoke of him, he specifically said that he didn't even know the kid's name, leading to speculation that the baby was adopted. 

I just figured he got some woman pregnant with no relationship and the baby mama took the child and went on her merry way.

[jjj]

5 hours ago, voiceover said:

No sweat.  In a few weeks, it'll roll around again on Saturday's marathon, and we will be on the alert.

There are full scripts online. 

[voiceover]

2 hours ago, jjj said:

There are full scripts online. 

What fun is that?

[doodlebug]

22 hours ago, voiceover said:

What fun is that?

Even with the full scrips, there are continuity glitches which at least partially explain our differing POV.

Because I have no life, I checked out a couple things in the pilot. When Benton tells Carter about Carol, he says she is 'going' with an orthopod, a former Big 10 tackle who looks like King Kong.  After Carol OD's, a hospital administrator talks to Susan who tells her Carol's fiancé doesn't know why she did it.

So, according to the pilot, Carol was engaged to an orthopedic surgeon. Sounds like Tag to me.  Discuss amongst yourselves.

Edited August 13, 2017 by doodlebug
Spelling is important!

[Danny Franks]

On 11/08/2017 at 10:28 PM, Bastet said:

She was originally supposed to die in the pilot, so I doubt any thought was given to who her fiancé was when it was written, and then maybe later (I think Tag shows up in episode three) they decided, "Hey, this guy can be the fiancé." 

This is all the explanation needed, I feel. I always look at pilots as very much their own separate entities, where characters are very broadly painted, with little depth or nuance, to let execs and audiences know, 'oh, this guy is the womanising party guy... and this woman is the buttoned up prude'. It's only in later episodes where they become actual characters instead of archetypes.

In Carol's case, she wasn't even presented as someone who would become a full time character. So they just brushed over some pilot stuff when they were writing her in season 1. Hire Rick Rossovich to play her fiancé, and then just let people assume it's the same guy.

Edited August 13, 2017 by Danny Franks

[voiceover]

1 hour ago, doodlebug said:

When Benton tells Carter about Carol, he says she is 'going' with an orthopod, a former Big 10 tackle who looks like King Kong.  

I win! I win! *dabs*

[BBHN]

Quote

, I feel. I always look at pilots as very much their own separate entities, where characters are very broadly painted, with little depth or nuance, to let execs and audiences know, 'oh, this guy is the womanising party guy... and this woman is the buttoned up prude'. It's only in later episodes where they become actual characters instead of archetypes.

I feel the same way. Pilots and continuity don't always mix well, so I tend to just ignore minor continuity and characterization snafus since I understand shows evolve and change once we get past the pilot.

[doodlebug]

5 hours ago, BBHN said:

I feel the same way. Pilots and continuity don't always mix well, so I tend to just ignore minor continuity and characterization snafus since I understand shows evolve and change once we get past the pilot.

 Absolutely. I think, once the ongoing narrative of the Doug/Carol relationship was to be a major focus for the show; they had to walk back her relationship with Tag.  Having Carol already engaged with a wedding date set from the start, would've  made Doug's pursuit of her kinda pathetic and might've turned off the audience.  By pulling it back, it gave room for D/C's unresolved feelings for one another to play out.  And, considerng this lead to the great non-wedding eppy, it was the right choice.

Edited August 13, 2017 by doodlebug

[cpcathy]

Question: Did we ever find out who beat up Dr. Greene? Or was it left up in the air?

[jjj]

I am pretty sure that we/he never found out who did that -- which I find an unusual loose end for a television series.  And this is what happens in a lot of random real-life crime, so I am glad they left it unresolved.  But it did seem to be a personal attack, not random, when it happened -- the way the attack continued after Greene was very injured.  Someone very angry and very strong. 

1 hour ago, cpcathy said:

Question: Did we ever find out who beat up Dr. Greene? Or was it left up in the air?

[cpcathy]

It really would have been too neat and tidy to give us the person who did it, the fact that it was left open-ended was more realistic, adding to Mark's frustration. I just didn't get my closure on that storyline!

My husband watched the episode where Mark is confronted in the parking garage, he was yelling at the TV, "Call the police! Call the police!"

[doodlebug]

4 hours ago, cpcathy said:

Question: Did we ever find out who beat up Dr. Greene? Or was it left up in the air?

Nope, we did find out that it wasn't the brother of the black kid who died in 'Tribes'.  And the PTSD storyline lasted forever and gives me hives, but that's my problem.

And now, for the ongoing saga of Carol, Tag and Doug: who, what and when: I watched ER Confidential from Season 1 for the umpteenth time today.  Carol tells Tag about kissing Doug in a previous episode.  She also tells him she slept with Doug 'last winter' while she and Tag were dating before the suicide attempt which pretty much confirms that Tag was the boyfriend/orthopod/fiancé from the pilot eppie which took place on St. Patrick's Day.

[slasherboy]

Remember the athlete who thought he was having a heart attack and indeed he was?  He was very attractive and his wife/girlfriend was African American (he was white).  Was that storyline resolved?  Did he die?  He was so good, I thought, at portraying the fear and pain one must certainly experience in a situation like this.

Also, Noah Wylie sure had a lot of physical mishaps during this series, especially in the early seasons.  Wonder if he did his own stunts.  Anybody know?

[doodlebug]

24 minutes ago, slasherboy said:

Remember the athlete who thought he was having a heart attack and indeed he was?  He was very attractive and his wife/girlfriend was African American (he was white).  Was that storyline resolved?  Did he die?  He was so good, I thought, at portraying the fear and pain one must certainly experience in a situation like this.

Also, Noah Wylie sure had a lot of physical mishaps during this series, especially in the early seasons.  Wonder if he did his own stunts.  Anybody know?

They put in a temporary pacemaker and ultimately sent him to the CCU for a permanent one.  Near the end of the episode, his wife came down to the ER to thank Mark for saving her husband's life.  Mark, just back from the beating and being wary of all patients and their families, just stared at her without a word.

[jjj]

Just watched Jerry offer a plate of fudge in "The Gift", and was reminded of the later-season episode where Jeanie and Dr. Fischer were trying to track down the source of the staph infection -- and landed on Jerry as the common point of contact.  Then when they went to find him, he offered a plate of "want a homemade brownie?".  "NO." (god, no) they both said in unison.  And then when they taught Jerry how to wash his hand and told him he needed to do that after he went to the bathroom, "What, *every* time?" he asked incredulously.  Jeanie and Fischer both looked horrified, and Jeanie had a great double take in that moment.  Now that I've seen that again, I think of that scene every time I wash my hands.  (Every. Time.) 

Also just saw "Dr. Bob" suddenly start cutting into a chest -- I don't think we ever saw her much after the middle of Season One.  I liked that character. 

[voiceover]

4 hours ago, cpcathy said:

My husband watched the episode where Mark is confronted in the parking garage, he was yelling at the TV, "Call the police! Call the police!"

I think I speak for us all when I say: Your husband is always welcome here.

So POP just ran a promo about "er -- All 15 seasons".

I remain convinced that there's an intern at that channel, responsible for reading this thread.

[cpcathy]

Oh good! I was concerned over the final episode, I don't think I've seen it all the way through.

[RedbirdNelly]

1 hour ago, voiceover said:

 

So POP just ran a promo about "er -- All 15 seasons".

 

really?? crossing my fingers

On the Doctor Green gets Beat up in the Bathroom scene--I have to look away now when it comes on. Can't take it. That was so brutal.

[twinkietwin94]

3 hours ago, jjj said:

Just watched Jerry offer a plate of fudge in "The Gift", and was reminded of the later-season episode where Jeanie and Dr. Fischer were trying to track down the source of the staph infection -- and landed on Jerry as the common point of contact.  Then when they went to find him, he offered a plate of "want a homemade brownie?".  "NO." (god, no) they both said in unison.  And then when they taught Jerry how to wash his hand and told him he needed to do that after he went to the bathroom, "What, *every* time?" he asked incredulously.  Jeanie and Fischer both looked horrified, and Jeanie had a great double take in that moment.  Now that I've seen that again, I think of that scene every time I wash my hands.  (Every. Time.) 

Also just saw "Dr. Bob" suddenly start cutting into a chest -- I don't think we ever saw her much after the middle of Season One.  I liked that character. 

Oh man I'd totally forgotten about teaching Jerry to wash his hands, and now I'm feeling rather sick to my stomach. Yeah I remember when that one aired I was really grossed out.

I wish we had seen more of Dr. Bob, that was so cool.

3 hours ago, voiceover said:

I think I speak for us all when I say: Your husband is always welcome here.

So POP just ran a promo about "er -- All 15 seasons".

I remain convinced that there's an intern at that channel, responsible for reading this thread.

*fingers crossed*

[jjj]

Okay, here is the word from POP TV about all 15 seasons, and it is good:  They acquired all 15 seasons and announced this fact back in April 2017, but for some reason decided only to show seasons 1-6 during the summer.  In Autumn, they will move into the later seasons.  They said on Twitter this week that "this time around" they will provide all 15 seasons, so probably that means starting with this current re-run of Season 1, which will go to the end?  I'm guessing yes.  https://twitter.com/PopTV/with_replies?lang=en  (This link should go to all the tweets in the entire Twitter account, not a specific tweet.) 

That said, I never watched much after Season 6, except the final episode, and that will probably happen again, especially with a busy Autumn! Plus, once Carol left and Abby-Luka became the subject of the more soap-opera-type seasons, I really lost interest in the characters.  But I'll check in here once they get on to Season 7, and look forward to your ongoing commentary! 

[cpcathy]

I think a lot of us stopped watching at the same time!

[desertflower]

Good to hear they are finally going to show the rest. There are still some good moments, and even during the parts that aren't we can always play Guest Star Bingo. 

[Bastet]

I'll be happy to finally see the rest.  There isn't a lot I remember - finally meeting Carter's parents (I remember this because Mary McDonnell, one of my favorite actors, plays his mom, and was nominated for an Emmy for the role), Romano losing his arm, Romano having a helicopter dropped him (awful as that was, I must relive it just to marvel again that they actually did that, plus Corday being the only one to care is a nice bookend to one of the show's most interesting relationships), Mark dying (and Rachel finally having a moment that wasn't completely annoying; something about a balloon) - but there wasn't all that much more I remembered from the early years, either.  So I look forward to revisiting it, to see what else jumps out at me, and maybe hone in on when I quit watching (I have no idea; I read summaries of late seasons and don't recognize a thing, but that's not much help).

[cpcathy]

I don't know what season John Stamos turns up, but I still can't believe they cast him!

[Guest]

I am going to have to get the DVDs from the library as I don't think I get POP.  But reading this thread and having somewhat recently rewatched part of Season 1 has made me realize I want to rewatch the show.  I think I stopped watching Season 7 or Season 8?  Most of my favorites had left, and I really didn't like Abby and the show was becoming very Abby-centric to me.  

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, cpcathy said:

I don't know what season John Stamos turns up, but I still can't believe they cast him!

The show seemed to be looking for pretty faces rather than major acting talent when it came to casting male co-stars in those days. Sharif Atkins as Gallant and Shane West as Ray come to mind as worse actors than Stamos and without his charisma, either.

As far as Stamos' character, Tony Gates, he appeared during the 'All About Abby' years so he didn't get a lot of screentime/storyline.

For those who don't want to be spoiled:

Spoiler

Stamos only had a couple of ongoing stories that I recall.  He first appeared as an EMT who, ala Abby, was also in medical school (because med students have a lot of free time to hold down jobs requiring long shifts).  He later graduated and came to the ER as a resident.  A big storyline for him was that he was apparently severely dyslexic, unable to read old charts/do charting; so he used a personal dictation system for that (not provided by the ER, no discussion of how he could afford it).  This also begged the question of how he got through EMT training and exams, college, medical school and took all the exams required for admission as well as for licensure while keeping this a secret.  His other storyline was as boyfriend of Sam after Abby decided she wanted  Kovac.  Most of the relationship was offscreen.

[Gigi43]

I've been stalking this thread for a while. So glad to read they will be showing the later seasons soon! After the first run of these reruns I slowed down viewership because I didn't want to get them played out. I know once they start to air the later seasons I'll be annoyed remembering more what became of this great show, and all the joy further getting sucked out of Carter (in a strange way I find it worse than the fates of the characters that died, he was still there but just hard to watch because of all the crap that kept happening through the end), but at the rate POP has been showing the reruns I can't understand just showing the first six seasons. There were still episodes in seasons 7 and 8 that stood out for me. I never liked Abby and a lot of the "new class" just didn't leave a huge impression on me either way but it sticks out in my memory there was a good episode NICU from the later years of her in med school, I've been wanting to see that one again. I really can't remember Stamos' stories my viewership really dropped then and if TNT did air them back when they had the show I must have skipped them too. But partly why I've been loving these ER reruns is because Law and Order and all my other binges are finally getting played out. This show has really stood up against time. Some shows you rewatch and think "why did I watch it?" but this one has just been a reminder "yes, this was why I stuck with it for so long during bad later years, it was excellent in its prime."

Edited August 15, 2017 by Gigi43

[ShortyMac]

1 hour ago, Gigi43 said:

I've been stalking this thread for a while. So glad to read they will be showing the later seasons soon! After the first run of these reruns I slowed down viewership because I didn't want to get them played out. I know once they start to air the later seasons I'll be annoyed remembering more what became of this great show, and all the joy further getting sucked out of Carter (in a strange way I find it worse than the fates of the characters that died, he was still there but just hard to watch because of all the crap that kept happening through the end), but at the rate POP has been showing the reruns I can't understand just showing the first six seasons. There were still episodes in seasons 7 and 8 that stood out for me. I never liked Abby and a lot of the "new class" just didn't leave a huge impression on me either way but it sticks out in my memory there was a good episode NICU from the later years of her in med school, I've been wanting to see that one again. I really can't remember Stamos' stories my viewership really dropped then and if TNT did air them back when they had the show I must have skipped them too. But partly why I've been loving these ER reruns is because Law and Order and all my other binges are finally getting played out. This show has really stood up against time. Some shows you rewatch and think "why did I watch it?" but this one has just been a reminder "yes, this was why I stuck with it for so long during bad later years, it was excellent in its prime."

Ah, yes. "NICU," - Season 10, I believe. One of the best eps of S9-15, IMO.

Also, I love that this forum is so lively due to the POP syndication. Far and away my favorite show, though, I only saw the last three seasons as they aired; it ended when I was 18. I got hooked on it through the TNT reruns.

[cpcathy]

My roommate and I used to watch religiously, except we called it "er," as in "stronger," etc.

[walnutqueen]

I was led to believe that some serious bumfuckingnuttery happened in the last season(s?) ...  (I've never seen).

So ... good news or Bad?

[ESS]

I'm so happy that POP will be playing the whole 15 seasons soon.. I was kinda getting annoyed with them just playing up til season 6. Even though I have all 15 seasons on DVD I still love to watch the show on TV so I'm glad I'll be able to watch all the seasons once again.

[Gigi43]

17 hours ago, walnutqueen said:

I was led to believe that some serious bumfuckingnuttery happened in the last season(s?) ...  (I've never seen).

So ... good news or Bad?

 

It's  been  so long since I've  seen  the later seasons but without really  going into exact specifics I just remember being driven away by the way as the seasons went on the characters were put through more and more personal hells as if they had to top previous seasons and the level of disaster events and stunts got more and more unrealistic. 

 

Yet though I'm  hoping time will make  me view them differently. 

[doodlebug]

20 hours ago, walnutqueen said:

I was led to believe that some serious bumfuckingnuttery happened in the last season(s?) ...  (I've never seen).

So ... good news or Bad?

Amongst other things, at least 5 main cast members were either killed or maimed (or maimed and THEN killed) in the last few years of the show, all of them supposedly in the prime of life.  Only one died of an illness, the rest in horrendous accidents.  It was not only unbelievable it was incredibly depressing.

Spoiler

Killed: Mark, Gallant, Pratt.  Maimed: Ray. Maimed then killed: Romano

Edited August 16, 2017 by doodlebug

[cpcathy]

Oh wow, now I really have to keep watching!

[jjj]

In Season 1 ("The Birthday Party," for Benson's mother and Mark's daughter), I just noticed that the man who became the second husband of Mark Greene's wife was at Mark's daughter's birthday party -- Craig, "the other clerk" as described by Jennifer.  That should already have set off alarms -- what kind of work colleague drives two hours to another city for the birthday of a little girl?  (The kind that really cares about the mom.) 

Also in Season 1 ("February Fifth"), there was a young boy (maybe 10?) who wandered the halls and pulled our a major handgun and waved it around several hallways and a treatment room.  And everyone just stood there and watched, him, maybe fifty people that we saw, and they all just stood around with their mouths open, not even hiding.  No one could pick up a phone for the police and security?  (He went through several halls.) That was astonishing, as was the fact that he did not shoot anyone on purpose or by accident.  (Someone walks by me with a big gun drawn and keeps going, I am not going to be standing in the same place in the hall when he comes back.) 

[RedbirdNelly]

that scene with the little boy and the gun was eerie and as I recall you don't see the boy later on or anything

[jjj]

Yes, "eerie" is just the right word -- I could not remember having seen that scene before.  And you are right, we never saw the boy later.  We were supposed to think he was part of the drug deal gone wrong, I guess.

1 hour ago, RedbirdNelly said:

that scene with the little boy and the gun was eerie and as I recall you don't see the boy later on or anything

And I don't mind loose ends, but one that bugged me ("Birthday Party"), was when a child (4-5?) was brought in shot, and his slightly older brother (6-7?) said "I shot him", Doug told the father "it doesn't look good", and we never heard a resolution. 

I also had forgotten completely the "Deb ingests LSD" and that she wrapped Wendy's broken hand bones in about five pounds of plaster.  But you'd think Wendy would have stopped her at some point. 

Oh, and random observation about "Bob" and the first season Christmas episodes -- she was decorating with Hallowe'en decorations at first, could not be talked out of it, and in the background later in the episode, there was a big "Happy Easter" banner in the background. 

Edited August 17, 2017 by jjj

[voiceover]

Guest Star Bingo, Versiona Obscura:

Sanford Meisner, famous & revered acting teacher, plays Mr Klein (Carter's elderly patient, the resuscitated DNR with neither family nor voice).  (I confess I had to IMDb him, so only half a point.) No wonder a character with no voice, said so much.  He was amazing, and he made a young actor that much better.  He passed away a couple of years after this ep was shot, age 91.

I always found this subplot so moving.  Carter, ignoring Benton's instructions so that he could stay with the old man until he died...certainly a big anvil as to what would go down a few seasons later, when John rejected surgery for emergency meds.

edited to add: I also lmao'd at the fact that the English teacher loathed Melville (he had Carter read aloud from Walt Whitman, loudly consigning the other author to the floor).  Poor Herman!!  Even the people who are supposed to like you, think you're a gasbag.  The opening paragraph of Moby Dick, of course, excluded.

Edited August 17, 2017 by voiceover
Water seeks its own level

[cpcathy]

I also liked that Carter stayed with the transplant brother and sister, and actually shouted at Anspaugh that he was not coming to rounds.

[rcc]

That birth that Mark delivered was so hard to watch once again. It's been years but I still remember how great the acting was and how much I love this show.

Thank you POP for bringing it back to us.

[RedbirdNelly]

18 hours ago, voiceover said:

Guest Star Bingo, Versiona Obscura:

Sanford Meisner, famous & revered acting teacher, plays Mr Klein (Carter's elderly patient, the resuscitated DNR with neither family nor voice).  (I confess I had to IMDb him, so only half a point.) No wonder a character with no voice, said so much.  He was amazing, and he made a young actor that much better.  He passed away a couple of years after this ep was shot, age 91.

I always found this subplot so moving.  Carter, ignoring Benton's instructions so that he could stay with the old man until he died...certainly a big anvil as to what would go down a few seasons later, when John rejected surgery for emergency meds.

edited to add: I also lmao'd at the fact that the English teacher loathed Melville (he had Carter read aloud from Walt Whitman, loudly consigning the other author to the floor).  Poor Herman!!  Even the people who are supposed to like you, think you're a gasbag.  The opening paragraph of Moby Dick, of course, excluded.

I loved that episode and how he so strongly expressed himself knocking the books to the floor. I hadn't really thought about it from an acting perspective, but you are right--great acting. A weaker actor would have ruined that scene; he was amazing.

[jjj]

Just noticed that there is a show about the series airing tonight (Friday) on POP -- at 11:00 PM, my time zone.  I think I saw part of this on the POP site, and it has more recent interviews with the actors.  30 minutes long. 

[walnutqueen]

2 hours ago, jjj said:

Just noticed that there is a show about the series airing tonight (Friday) on POP -- at 11:00 PM, my time zone.  I think I saw part of this on the POP site, and it has more recent interviews with the actors.  30 minutes long. 

Thanks, @jjj - my DVR is set (for 8pm, my time zone).

[cpcathy]

That should be fun!

[jjj]

I was trying to find out what happened to "Wild Willy" in season one, which is airing right now (nothing, as it turned out, he just disappeared with no explanation, and returned for one episode later in the Synergix plot line), and came across an old FAQ about "ER" -- which tells what happened to various characters, like "Bob" (I had just asked here about her recently) -- but also has a ton of other Qs & As about the series, written while it was on the air, and before anyone knew where the plots or characters would go.  It was a simpler time back in the late 1990s, with one Q devoted to "What's a spoiler and why does it upset some people?"  (Question 8.3)

Index to site  http://stason.org/TULARC/tv/er-series/index.html

about Wild Willy:  http://stason.org/TULARC/tv/er-series/5-36-Where-did-Wild-Willie-go-ER.html

[ShortyMac]

9 hours ago, jjj said:

Just noticed that there is a show about the series airing tonight (Friday) on POP -- at 11:00 PM, my time zone.  I think I saw part of this on the POP site, and it has more recent interviews with the actors.  30 minutes long. 

It's on POP's YouTube channel:

[Danny Franks]

On 16/08/2017 at 5:20 PM, doodlebug said:

Amongst other things, at least 5 main cast members were either killed or maimed (or maimed and THEN killed) in the last few years of the show, all of them supposedly in the prime of life.  Only one died of an illness, the rest in horrendous accidents.  It was not only unbelievable it was incredibly depressing.

  Reveal hidden contents

Killed: Mark, Gallant, Pratt.  Maimed: Ray. Maimed then killed: Romano

That really does demonstrate a room of writers that are running on fumes. I've always said that shows have a natural lifespan of about four years. After that, most of the ideas have been explored, most character dynamics have been mined, and there's not much to do but repeat things or get more and more outlandish. In a show like E.R., where there are new characters fairly regularly, that lifespan is extended. But the fact that they started killing characters like this suggests to me that the writers were struggling for ideas.

Especially when you contrast that with the first few seasons, where they only killed Dennis Gant. And his situation felt far more real: A depressed young medical student, far from home and struggling to fit in. I imagine there is a soberingly high number of them that consider suicide.