All Episodes Talk: What's Up Doc?

[debraran]

56 minutes ago, slasherboy said:

We had quite the discussion about Ross's son several pages back, and came to the conclusion that Doug actually mentioned his unnamed son 3 times.  Ta-Da!

Lol, have to rewrite Wiki : )

I don't know why they did that, the woman wanted nothing from him, money, time, free health care?  Maybe they thought about bringing him back later. Have to find those posts.

[slasherboy]

28 minutes ago, debraran said:

Lol, have to rewrite Wiki : )

I don't know why they did that, the woman wanted nothing from him, money, time, free health care?  Maybe they thought about bringing him back later. Have to find those posts.

I wish I could tell you the page numbers but I don't know exactly when we talked about it.  About two weeks ago I'm guessing.  And yes, why would they create a person then never mention him again, after the third time.  But ER was also big about having characters just disappear without a word or any explanation.  I'd like to have seen Doug with his son.  Dougie, Jr. and the twin girls.  Sweet.

[debraran]

3 minutes ago, slasherboy said:

I wish I could tell you the page numbers but I don't know exactly when we talked about it.  About two weeks ago I'm guessing.  And yes, why would they create a person then never mention him again, after the third time.  But ER was also big about having characters just disappear without a word or any explanation.  I'd like to have seen Doug with his son.  Dougie, Jr. and the twin girls.  Sweet.

If they ever did an ER special , but without Dr Green : (   It would have had Dougie Jr showing up as an adult, blaming him for not being around. lol

Watching season one, I wondered why they dropped Div so abruptly, he was suicidal and then disappears only to be mentioned later in an odd twist. That was a lost opportunity to educate about depression and show how doctor's can't treat themselves well. Just a small complaint but I just didn't get showing why he was such an arrogant insensitive doctor and then moving on so quickly. Much rather see that than her sister and her issues.

They had so many talented actors and guest stars, I'm so glad hulu got it.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, slasherboy said:

And yes, why would they create a person then never mention him again, after the third time.

Both episodes in which Doug having a son is mentioned came early in season one, when they were explaining the characters to the audience - Doug's story was the perpetually adolescent playboy trying to finally grow up.  That, in the past, he impregnated someone and didn't remain part of her/the child's life was just one more way of contrasting who he'd long been (and who people saw him as) and who he was trying to become.  I doubt the kid was ever meant to be an upcoming storyline, but if he was, I can see why they decided against it once the show started picking up steam.  And by the time Carol got pregnant, when it might naturally have come up in conversation again, it would have been unnecessarily distracting, since he was gone anyway, but I suspect the writers had forgotten by then it had ever been mentioned.

Edited February 20, 2018 by Bastet

[slasherboy]

1 minute ago, Bastet said:

Both episodes in which Doug having a son is mentioned came early in season one, when they were explaining the characters to the audience - Doug's story was the perpetually adolescent playboy trying to finally grow up.  That, in the past, he impregnated someone and didn't remain part of her/the child's life was just one more way of contrasting who he'd long been (and who people saw him as) and who he was trying to become.  I doubt the kid was ever meant to be an upcoming storyline, but if he was, I can see why they decided against it once the show started picking up steam.

Exactly.

[debraran]

57 minutes ago, slasherboy said:

Exactly.

I agree, watching Luck of the Draw, Doug says his son is 8.  Kind of sad but it did seem they wanted to go with it first year. Going to finish this season this weekend, it always was my favorite although there are so many good shows later on.  I forgot exactly how Carol handles the wedding being canceled so that will be a little new.

[jewel21]

I just watched the episode where there's a toxic substance in the ER and Carter steps in and has everyone either moved to the ambulance bay or cafeteria since Weaver gets exposed. Really nice, high tension, riveting episode. I didn't remember seeing it before but I loved how Carter took charge. He really is my favourite character.

[WendyCR72]

11 minutes ago, jewel21 said:

I just watched the episode where there's a toxic substance in the ER and Carter steps in and has everyone either moved to the ambulance bay or cafeteria since Weaver gets exposed. Really nice, high tension, riveting episode. I didn't remember seeing it before but I loved how Carter took charge. He really is my favourite character.

Ah, "Exodus" from S4. Yes, a great episode!

[starri]

You know, for however annoying Abby's family was, Tom Everett Scott plays manic really, really well.

[RedbirdNelly]

still watching season 12 here--last night saw the Pratt goes to Darfur episode. I had completely forgotten it--to the point I wondered if they were just going to talk about it off screen. It was nice to see Carter again despite these very special episodes being kind of slow. Like most people I always enjoy episodes in the ER better. I did like the little touch of the boy who imitates Pratt when Pratt collapses/rests on the bench at the hospital. They don't make a big deal of it, but the little boy leans back in the exact same posture.

[slasherboy]

22 hours ago, debraran said:

I agree, watching Luck of the Draw, Doug says his son is 8.  Kind of sad but it did seem they wanted to go with it first year. Going to finish this season this weekend, it always was my favorite although there are so many good shows later on.  I forgot exactly how Carol handles the wedding being canceled so that will be a little new.

TEQUILA!!

[starri]

Good lord, S9 was a Bummer.  I know I was supposed to feel sympathy toward Nathan, and I guess I did, but really, all I could think was that Elizabeth was right.  I know doctors who practice with disabilities, including some who are blind, but there are some things that are beyond someone who are that physically impaired.  I did not like that she attempted to say that she'd pass him if he agreed not to practice medicine and instead did radiology or psychiatry.  Psst, Elizabeth, that's still medicine.

He was also really sanctimonious.

[doodlebug]

4 hours ago, starri said:

Good lord, S9 was a Bummer.  I know I was supposed to feel sympathy toward Nathan, and I guess I did, but really, all I could think was that Elizabeth was right.  I know doctors who practice with disabilities, including some who are blind, but there are some things that are beyond someone who are that physically impaired.  I did not like that she attempted to say that she'd pass him if he agreed not to practice medicine and instead did radiology or psychiatry.  Psst, Elizabeth, that's still medicine.

He was also really sanctimonious.

Yes, he seemed unwilling to understand that the Hippocratic oath says, 'First, do no harm'.  The severity of his symptoms made even a simple patient exam a potential hazard.  It seemed like, even with the meds, he was prone to tremors and spasms and his refusal to step back and opt out of situations where those things could potentially injure a patient was really pretty selfish, IMO.

There are people with significant physical challenges who have become physicians, but it meant adapting their education to suit their abilities.  For example, most blind medical students, do not do an actual stint where they scrub in the OR.  It's almost impossible to maintain the sterile field if you cannot see it and it's not like they need to be right up at the table to observe.  Instead, they are trained and taught the signs and symptoms of surgical illnesses, how they are diagnosed and treated, the relevant anatomy and, the general gist of basic procedures.  There was no reason Nathan should've ever been scrubbed in an OR, he was never going to be a surgeon and Elizabeth was entirely correct when she tried to find ways for him to learn the ropes without endangering himself, patients or staff.

[RedbirdNelly]

19 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

Yes, he seemed unwilling to understand that the Hippocratic oath says, 'First, do no harm'.  The severity of his symptoms made even a simple patient exam a potential hazard.  It seemed like, even with the meds, he was prone to tremors and spasms and his refusal to step back and opt out of situations where those things could potentially injure a patient was really pretty selfish, IMO.

 

This topic came up the first run through season 9 on Pop. I found his character puzzling. And maybe kudos for ER having the guts to have a character I can't figure out? he was sanctimonious and I didn't understand the arc. I love the actor though.

[starri]

3 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Yes, he seemed unwilling to understand that the Hippocratic oath says, 'First, do no harm'.  The severity of his symptoms made even a simple patient exam a potential hazard.  It seemed like, even with the meds, he was prone to tremors and spasms and his refusal to step back and opt out of situations where those things could potentially injure a patient was really pretty selfish, IMO.

That, but also his constantly talking patients into or out of procedures that were against their express wishes.  The woman with the A1AT deficiency was never going to get cleared to get a liver transplant, let alone the lung and heart transplants she was eventually going to need.  That's even if she could tolerate the antirejection meds.  He talked the pancreatic cancer patient who was ready for hospice into a Whipple, despite the fact that no one had offered him one.  I couldn't escape the feeling that he was supposed to comment on Carter and Elizabeth putting their own opinions into the mouths of the patients, and we were supposed to agree with him.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Good read on why ER remains so popular in 2018: https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/culture/2018/2/21/17018078/er-hulu-streaming-great-show 

[RedbirdNelly]

I watched Season 12, episode (20?) where Gallant dies. I agree with others that have said we didn't see enough of Neela/Gallant to really feel her loss or be deeply moved. However, I found myself crying watching his good bye tape to Neela. I was surprised but it still got to me.

[starri]

Why did no one ever teach the actors to put their stethoscopes in the right way?  Bugs me every time.

[BooksRule]

I watched seasons one through six and quit watching when the kept replaying those seasons over and over.  When Pop Channel finally started showing the other seasons, I had moved on to other shows for a while.  Now I'm back to catch up (from the beginning again).  The weekday episodes are now up to season four and although I know that Mark suffered a traumatic experience when he was attacked, he was a real butt to everyone for a while, wasn't he?  

[jewel21]

When Carter's cousin, Chase, was brought into the ER after OD'ing, we see Carter sitting with an unconscious Chase at the end of the episode. Carter then proceeds to put tape over Chase's eyes. Was there a reason for that? Was he going for a procedure and I missed it?

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, jewel21 said:

Carter then proceeds to put tape over Chase's eyes. Was there a reason for that?  Was he going for a procedure and I missed it?

I don't remember the scene, but if it wasn't pre-op, was it a case where Chase's eyes on their own (given his condition at the time and how it would remain barring improvement) were stuck open, and Carter sealed them to keep them shut and prevent drying damage?

[doodlebug]

31 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I don't remember the scene, but if it wasn't pre-op, was it a case where Chase's eyes on their own (given his condition at the time and how it would remain barring improvement) were stuck open, and Carter sealed them to keep them shut and prevent drying damage?

Yep, I think it was meant to show the audience how severe Chase' neurologic injury was as well as demonstrate how much Carter cared about him.

[RedbirdNelly]

I watched the last episode of season 12 last night. Wow did the writers cram in a lot. Talk about overdoing the season cliffhanger. I had only remembered we ended with Sam's loser ex kidnapping her son--the scene with the van and her refusing to go with him, only to see her son tied up in the van has stuck with me through the years. I give credit on that one--it was a really good visual that gets you in the gut. What mom doesn't jump in the van? What I had forgotten was them shooting up the ER, Jerry getting shot, and then to really it layer it on, pregnant Abby passes out and lays bleeding on the floor while Luka can't get to her due to being tied to a bed. They should have left all of that out --the kidnapping was enough, show. Don't use up all your storylines in one episode! You could have had Abby have some dramatic labor thing that started in Season 13, episode 2 or something. . .

In other developments, Pratt supporting Neelah before and at the funeral was nice. I like Pratt. He's not perfect, but he grows as a person.

Meanwhile Morris is back to being an idiot at the hospital, refusing to work on any case because it's his "last day" and making a completely ridiculous memory video. Negative points for that. It was not funny.

[starri]

I love exasperated Kerry.  In the episode when she gets her purse snatched and the snatcher promptly gets hit by a car and then keeps running (aside from the joy of seeing Laura Innes start screaming "ASSHOLE!" before getting a well-timed cut-off by the credits), she tells everyone at the desk that if a young guy who looks like he's been hit by a car, to come find her.  After Frank asks her if she clipped someone, she mutters under her breath "I wish."

[Vera]

This just popped up on my twitter feed. Julia Whelan (Once and Again) guest starred and noted this conversation she heard between Clooney and Someone about Margulies.

[starri]

Hey, that dweeby psych resident from "A Shift in the Night" is an attending now!

[mcdisney2001]

On 6/12/2017 at 9:03 AM, desertflower said:

Can we take a minute to talk about Mullet Nurse? I see him from time to time in the trauma room. No one ever addresses him, and we don't know his name, but I love that he looks like he took a break from his southern rock band to grab a shift as a nurse. We appreciate you, Mullet Nurse! :)

OMG. Can I just say how amazing it felt to Google the term "mullet nurse ER" and find out this post? 

[debraran]

12 hours ago, Vera said:

This just popped up on my twitter feed. Julia Whelan (Once and Again) guest starred and noted this conversation she heard between Clooney and Someone about Margulies.

I love it!  I don't see what they meant, she wasn't even close to heavy but I'm glad George said what he did.

I saw an article in 2013 where Julianna said she'd seriously like to make a movie about their marriage, something never shown, even a 2 hour TV special.  Kind of odd after the time that went by but I would have watched it, she joked the twins could be flower girls or carry her veil. She felt there wasn't closure but I think they missed the time period and since it's 2018, probably wasn't picked up by anyone.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

I have to admit I never really warmed up to Carol and was glad to see her finally exit in season 6. 

[debraran]

6 hours ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

I have to admit I never really warmed up to Carol and was glad to see her finally exit in season 6. 

I am just restarting season 2. Kind of spoiled me to shows like Chicago Med because it's written so much better, at least the first few seasons.  Carol just had Tag leave her and it was good TV drama,but I couldn't see in real life a guy like that, doing it then. He would have talked to her earlier and stopped it. And yelling "speech" to a jilted bride, a little odd too but I loved seeing everyone out of their scrubs and dressed up. They had to have Clooney show up at the end, just in time to comfort, but at least no corny speeches.

I worked in a large teaching hospital for many years and many characters are accurate and some of course, not as charming. Many relationships grow very deep and many personal relationships die under the pressure of the hours and moving when one wants to stay. It's better to meet someone when you both are pretty settled in a state or town. I hated seeing the affairs but I never heard of a single doctor beg a woman to leave her husband after a short time, like Benton wanting Jeanie, but the arrogance, there was always a lot of that. ; ) I'm sure everything happens at some point but I thought they did a good job showing the stress and for TV, making it non-stop. My favorite was Carter, I liked seeing him mature and thought he had the perfect balance of brains and heart.

[Bastet]

14 hours ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

I have to admit I never really warmed up to Carol and was glad to see her finally exit in season 6. 

I liked her, but I never liked her nearly as much as the show apparently wanted me to, and I didn't think her (and Doug) leaving was that big a deal; it's an ensemble, and she was at least halfway down my ranking of favorite characters (as was Doug).  I also never got invested in them as a couple; I believed they loved each other, but I thought they were both rather shitty as romantic partners, so it was not anything I rooted for or got excited by when it happened (nor did I root against it; because they both sucked as partners, I thought it nice they got together and spared the rest of the world having to date either one of them).

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Yeah, Carol and Doug's storyline wasn't something I was invested in. And I find myself cracking up every time the "Carol & Doug" music plays during their scenes. I guess really the only relationship I cared about was Benton & Carter, ha! (I'll always have a thorn in my side about all the shitty romantic relationships they stuck Carter in....)

[debraran]

I know, I recently watched the one where Doug slept with Harper and Carter was upset, it's like "can there be one lady he doesn't just bed?" lol  

Hell and High Water was a good show, for TV, it was pretty realistic and I liked seeing how we had to do things, pre cell phones.  TV news media, they stay the same.

Edited February 26, 2018 by debraran

[marceline]

I'm up to S13 or as I think of it "The Season of Neela." Dear Lord, why did the show decided that every available man on the show would become utterly besotted with her? As a veteran soap watcher I can tell what it feels like when someone in the writers room is way too attached to a character and clearly someone had a boner for Neela. Ray, Gates, Dubenko, Pratt (albeit unromantically), etc... everybody some singularly focused on this Mary Sue. I remember finding it annoying at the time but now that I'm binge-watching it feels even worse. I feel like Gallant was actually the lucky one.

[desertflower]

On 2/23/2018 at 11:56 PM, mcdisney2001 said:

OMG. Can I just say how amazing it felt to Google the term "mullet nurse ER" and find out this post? 

Lol! I love him. And you should've seen how excited I was when I spotted him in some later season episodes too. He had gone gray and had more of a ponytail than a mullet but I'm pretty sure it was him, about 10 years after his early appearances. I want to write a letter to Mullet Nurse. :)

[desertflower]

On 2/19/2018 at 10:52 PM, jewel21 said:

I just watched the episode where there's a toxic substance in the ER and Carter steps in and has everyone either moved to the ambulance bay or cafeteria since Weaver gets exposed. Really nice, high tension, riveting episode. I didn't remember seeing it before but I loved how Carter took charge. He really is my favourite character.

I'd definitely put this one in my top 5 favorite episodes. It keeps you engaged through the whole thing and is a really great development for Carter. 

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, desertflower said:

Lol! I love him. And you should've seen how excited I was when I spotted him in some later season episodes too. He had gone gray and had more of a ponytail than a mullet but I'm pretty sure it was him, about 10 years after his early appearances. I want to write a letter to Mullet Nurse. :)

As this article explains, most of the extras in the trauma scenes were actual nurses used in order to maintain authenticity.  Since mullet nurse appears a lot over the years but never has any lines that I can recall, I think he was probably a nurse in real life.

https://www.ahcmedia.com/articles/37363-nurse-actors-on-er-get-input-from-field

[RedbirdNelly]

On ‎1‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 7:59 AM, desertflower said:

I'm behind, I'm still stuck in season 13. This episode has homeless children who think Neela is magical and they call her the blue lady. I don't know, I'm only halfway through. But my main point is, are these time travelling homeless children, because they look like they are straight out of Oliver Twist. Maybe their shopping cart is like the phone booth from Bill and Ted, and they journeyed through space and time from 19th century England. One of them has strategically placed smudges like he just got done working a long day in the coal mines.

The costume department was a wee heavy handed on this one, is what I'm saying. :)

weirdly--I watched the first half of this episode last night so I too am halfway through and I was struck by the odd costumes. What is that kid hanging out with his rabied friend wearing?

[RedbirdNelly]

On ‎12‎/‎18‎/‎2017 at 11:20 AM, doodlebug said:

I didn't mind Sally Field's appearance at the time the baby was born. It made sense, it was organic to the storyline and Maggie was on her meds, and, while quirky, not atypical for any concerned mother/grandmother in a crisis.  It was also high time for Abby to start to treat her mother with some respect and affection, especially now that she is a mother herself and I was glad to see Abby ultimately grateful for her presence and looking forward to spending more time together.  I also liked that Luka called Maggie without consulting Abby, who would've reflexively shut her out.  He was right to do it and his actions benefited all concerned.

watching season 13 now and agree with the above. When the episode finished, I thought this was a nice level of Sally Field and the scene where Maggie leaves is well done and touching.

I also liked Maggie knitting while she sat with the baby. My mom knits, so that is exactly what she would have done.

Other thoughts from season 13--I love it when ER does continuity, so I loved the return of Timmy the desk clerk from season 1 and that the attending in the NICU was the same doctor as when Neela and Abby rotated through.

[desertflower]

2 hours ago, RedbirdNelly said:

weirdly--I watched the first half of this episode last night so I too am halfway through and I was struck by the odd costumes. What is that kid hanging out with his rabied friend wearing?

Just a little kicky number from the Orphan Collection by Dickens. :)

[slasherboy]

On 2/25/2018 at 6:08 AM, debraran said:

They had to have Clooney show up at the end, just in time to comfort, but at least no corny speeches.

 

I'm pretty sure Clooney was there for the entire reception, not just at the end.  I think I remember him standing there in the crowd.  As always, I could be wrong!

 

On 2/26/2018 at 1:28 PM, marceline said:

I'm up to S13 or as I think of it "The Season of Neela."

I never liked Neela.  Never.  And I'm probably the only one, but I could only catch about every 10th word she said so I just pretty much ignored her.  Closed captioning never occurred to me.

 

On 2/27/2018 at 9:11 AM, desertflower said:

Lol! I love him. And you should've seen how excited I was when I spotted him in some later season episodes too. He had gone gray and had more of a ponytail than a mullet but I'm pretty sure it was him, about 10 years after his early appearances. I want to write a letter to Mullet Nurse. :)

If you write him, be sure and send him love from me too!  I purposely watch for him!

[desertflower]

Ran across "A Few Good Men", which I have to watch every time it's on. One of my favorite parts is when Marine Baby Carter testifies. :)

 

[slf]

Baby Reese really was the cutest kid.

[langway]

I am way behind you guys it seems, lol. Season 9. My mom was obsessed with this show, so when Hulu added it, I had to see what all the fuss was about :)

 

But I just wanted to say LockDown might be the best episode of any hospital/doctor series I have ever seen. Dr. Carter taking complete control of the situation and risking his own health was tremendous tv.  And then the follow up, Chaos Theory, was also excellent. Great television. Was thoroughly entertained for two hours. 

[debraran]

7 hours ago, langway said:

I am way behind you guys it seems, lol. Season 9. My mom was obsessed with this show, so when Hulu added it, I had to see what all the fuss was about :)

 

But I just wanted to say LockDown might be the best episode of any hospital/doctor series I have ever seen. Dr. Carter taking complete control of the situation and risking his own health was tremendous tv.  And then the follow up, Chaos Theory, was also excellent. Great television. Was thoroughly entertained for two hours. 

That gives me something to look forward too. ; ) I watched it until the cast completely changed and then missed a lot when I had young children. I remember the plot but not in detail.

My daughters are watching it anew being very young when it was on.  Without saying my opinion they agree, much better quality than today's shows. I had them watch a Law and Order with Lenny and a younger Sam Waterson and compared to the tired SVU episodes on now, was a great, quality show.  I told them, many old shows are dated and your memory remembers them better, but some are timeless and really were that good.

[starri]

Wait, Doc Magoo's burned down?  Aw, man...

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Yeah, I don't know why they had to do that. It seemed unnecessary.

[jewel21]

Peachtree aired the season 4 finale the other day and I missed yesterday's episode only to tune in today and catch a season 1 episode. It appears rather than go onto season 5, we're starting back up from the beginning. And I missed the pilot again, grrr. It was also really jarring to see Susan back on my screen. I wasn't expecting her, heh.

[debraran]

Just watched the one when Raul, the paramedic died. So sad and they did a great job showing the burns and how hard it is to treat them.  Seeing Shep's pain, although not a favorite of mine on show, was pretty raw.

It also showed how Doug's dad sucker-punched him again not showing up for a basketball game. What he said to Doug was true though, what you do with your adult life is your control, it might be harder with a crappy childhood but you decide how to make changes.  A therapist told me once, "you can't control what others say and do, only how you react to it"  A work in progress.

[kissedbyarose]

Plowing through the seasons (again) - I’m on season 5. Were we supposed to be rooting for Doug Ross and the multitude of (IMO) terrible decisions he made until his departure? 

 

UO: I like Lucy.