All Episodes Talk: What's Up Doc?

[RedbirdNelly]

I'm midway through Season 13. Just watched the Christmas episode. Not as good as others but had some sweet moments. I actually liked Morris. Two points for continuity--this is the 3rd time a Morris sperm donor child shows up. I'm surprised they bothered--I assumed having the group find him would be the last we saw of that.

The story line with Aimes (malpractice patient who sued Luka and lost) goes on way longer than I remember or would like. Wrap it up already.

On ‎3‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 11:15 PM, kissedbyarose said:

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? 

 

When you watch the episodes back to back it becomes harder to remember why you're supposed to root for Ross on some level.

[doodlebug]

31 minutes ago, RedbirdNelly said:

When you watch the episodes back to back it becomes harder to remember why you're supposed to root for Ross on some level.

It also reminds you that this particular story arc was really poorly thought out and written.  TPTB showed Doug becoming a more mature and responsible practitioner as well as a loving and supportive partner to Carol.  Within a few episodes' time, that was smashed all to pieces as Doug reverted to his maverick ways and might as well have set a match to Carol's clinic, jeopardizing both her professional career as well as his own.  Remember the year before when he didn't want Carol involved with the detox of the baby because he didn't want her job compromised?  So, less than a year later, he's willing to involve her by essentially lying about the circumstances and prescribing narcotics through her clinic in an unauthorized manner.  She was lucky she didn't lose her nursing license.  He should've lost his DEA certification and probably had his medical license suspended.

And then, he not only leaves County, he moves thousands of miles away and essentially abandons Carol for the duration of her pregnancy.  I don't care if she asked him to stay away or not (and it was totally out of character for her to ask that anyway); there is no way a guy like Doug, striving to be a better man than his father was, is going to choose to live cross country from his kids.  There wasn't a single other job in Chicago or the surrounding area he could've gotten? 

TPTB knew for a couple of years that Clooney was out after 5 seasons, he said it often enough and never waivered.  There was no reason for the character assassination to write him out of the show.  I know things got a little weird when Julianna Margulies signed on for a 6th season; but the writing for GC's departure was terrible.

[LillyB]

Dr.Gallant really lives up to his name. He is one of my favorites.

[debraran]

4 hours ago, doodlebug said:

It also reminds you that this particular story arc was really poorly thought out and written.  TPTB showed Doug becoming a more mature and responsible practitioner as well as a loving and supportive partner to Carol.  Within a few episodes' time, that was smashed all to pieces as Doug reverted to his maverick ways and might as well have set a match to Carol's clinic, jeopardizing both her professional career as well as his own.  Remember the year before when he didn't want Carol involved with the detox of the baby because he didn't want her job compromised?  So, less than a year later, he's willing to involve her by essentially lying about the circumstances and prescribing narcotics through her clinic in an unauthorized manner.  She was lucky she didn't lose her nursing license.  He should've lost his DEA certification and probably had his medical license suspended.

And then, he not only leaves County, he moves thousands of miles away and essentially abandons Carol for the duration of her pregnancy.  I don't care if she asked him to stay away or not (and it was totally out of character for her to ask that anyway); there is no way a guy like Doug, striving to be a better man than his father was, is going to choose to live cross country from his kids.  There wasn't a single other job in Chicago or the surrounding area he could've gotten? 

TPTB knew for a couple of years that Clooney was out after 5 seasons, he said it often enough and never waivered.  There was no reason for the character assassination to write him out of the show.  I know things got a little weird when Julianna Margulies signed on for a 6th season; but the writing for GC's departure was terrible.

I agree, that always bothered me. Doug had twins for pete's sake and never cared? Even when Carol went out to see him (and he was actually alone) he asked where they were but it was kind of odd. I understand he was leaving, but why have her pregnant and stay and have him move so far away? That story line was just weird. If she was his soulmate and he hers, they did it disjointedly but at least in followup episodes, it was nice. 

Juliane wanted a special on their wedding in 2013 but it never happened. Probably too much time went by.

[BooksRule]

I just re-watched the episode 'Nobody doesn't like Amanda Lee' with loony Dr. Lee.  I was always kind of surprised that they wrapped up that story line in about four episodes or so.  She's great for a couple, and then the audience sees that she's a little obsessive about Mark, Jerry knows that something is going on, and then Mark finds out--which leads her to lock him and that poor patient in the CT room.  So many shows would drag it out for an entire season (or more).  It never had time to get boring. I wonder if it would be easier or harder for someone like that to steal someone's identity and masquerade as a doctor (among other professions) these days.  It makes me really glad that anytime we hire a new faculty member we have to not only get letters of recommendation (on business letterhead), we have to contact each reference by phone to ask questions about the candidate, after setting the phone appointments via contacting them at a work e-mail address.  And, for someone who was supposedly that successful in her field, others besides her official references would have been contacted (you would think).  

This episode also begins the whole 'Joi' episodes, marking the beginning of the end for Doug.

Finally, little Reese is so stinkin' cute!  I loved it when Benton was asking him if he knew 'father', while making the ASL sign for it.  Then Reese makes the same sign.

Edited March 7, 2018 by BooksRule

[LizDC]

10 hours ago, debraran said:

Juliane wanted a special on their wedding in 2013 but it never happened. Probably too much time went by.

Really? Four years after the show ended? That’s weird.

[debraran]

1 minute ago, LizDC said:

Really? Four years after the show ended? That’s weird.

I thought so too, a slow period for her?   This was one of a few articles

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2381168/Julianna-Margulies-says-ready-ER-wedding-George-Clooney.html

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, LizDC said:

Really? Four years after the show ended? That’s weird.

It also makes no sense for the characters.  If marriage was important to them, surely they would've gotten married long before then. There was also evidence in their final appearance that they were already married.

In the episode 'Old Times' where Doug and Carol made their last appearance on the show; both of them are wearing gold wedding band-type rings on THAT finger.  Are we supposed to think that they cared enough about appearances to wear wedding rings even if they weren't married?  We see Doug hanging up an X ray where the ring is clearly seen.  Carol's is readily visible when she answers the phone in their last scene.

I know ER could mess with the backstories; but there was no reason to show them wearing wedding rings if they weren't married.

[RedbirdNelly]

I believe this is a new Bingo square--season 13, City of Mercy (Christmas episode)--Aasif Qu'osby is briefly on screen. I know him best from The Daily Show but he's acted in other things as well.

[slf]

I really liked scenes between Jorja Fox (Maggie Doyle) and Alex Kingston (Elizabeth Corday); they had a great rapport. 

[slasherboy]

I was watching Carter give Ruth Johnson and her family the tour of the hospital and the two of them ended up alone on the roof to talk.  She was telling stories and Carter was just having the best time, laughing.  And his laugh (as has been mentioned in other episodes) is so authentic, so genuine, so sweet ..... that it saddened me knowing that soon he and Lucy will get stabbed, she will die, and he will be changed forever.  He ages quickly after that, and rarely, if ever, laughs.  I almost don't want to watch.  But as I have since this journey started (is this the 3rd or 4th time?), will.

[debraran]

9 hours ago, slasherboy said:

I was watching Carter give Ruth Johnson and her family the tour of the hospital and the two of them ended up alone on the roof to talk.  She was telling stories and Carter was just having the best time, laughing.  And his laugh (as has been mentioned in other episodes) is so authentic, so genuine, so sweet ..... that it saddened me knowing that soon he and Lucy will get stabbed, she will die, and he will be changed forever.  He ages quickly after that, and rarely, if ever, laughs.  I almost don't want to watch.  But as I have since this journey started (is this the 3rd or 4th time?), will.

I have a while before that scene, but I remember it being sweet. I just saw when Gant committed suicide and how bad Carter felt. When he realized it was him on the trauma table, his beeper went off, the reaction was so raw, so real. Later how he rides Benton until he talks about it, his sincerity and goodness, made him a favorite of mine.

[RedbirdNelly]

watched season 13 episode when the Ames storyline is finally finished. thank goodness. I had forgotten how brutal it gets. Kind of over the top. And once again they cram a lot into one episode--maybe save the fire in Sam's apartment and Meg's death for another episode .

I keep being surprised that the Hope character keeps showing up. I forgot her completely so I assumed at first she was one of those interns that shows up and is never scheduled again to work.

[Bastet]

19 hours ago, slasherboy said:

I was watching Carter give Ruth Johnson and her family the tour of the hospital and the two of them ended up alone on the roof to talk.  She was telling stories and Carter was just having the best time, laughing.

I love when she shuts him down when he starts to complain about his parents not being around much.  She was such a stereotypical old woman character, but they played off each other so well it was enjoyable in spite of that.

[voiceover]

On 2/28/2018 at 1:50 PM, slasherboy said:

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!

Doug finds Carol alone in the sanctuary.  It's actually a sweet scene, where she snarks on her family -- something about, What's a little humiliation when there's free food & drink to be had?

And he gets her to admit that Tag was a bore.  And reassures her, IIRC, that she won't always be alone, or some such.

Then they go to the reception.

[slasherboy]

2 hours ago, voiceover said:

Doug finds Carol alone in the sanctuary.  It's actually a sweet scene, where she snarks on her family -- something about, What's a little humiliation when there's free food & drink to be had?

And he gets her to admit that Tag was a bore.  And reassures her, IIRC, that she won't always be alone, or some such.

Then they go to the reception.

Well alrighty then!  Good to know!

[voiceover]

Hm. Was my post repetitive or offensive?  Didn't think it was either.

I've found it nearly impossible to return to this round.  I think sitting through the last few seasons of the series' reruns, killed my interest in the repeat-bingeing I enjoyed last year.

[slasherboy]

On 3/9/2018 at 1:19 PM, RedbirdNelly said:

watched season 13 episode when the Ames storyline is finally finished. thank goodness. I had forgotten how brutal it gets. Kind of over the top. And once again they cram a lot into one episode--maybe save the fire in Sam's apartment and Meg's death for another episode .

I keep being surprised that the Hope character keeps showing up. I forgot her completely so I assumed at first she was one of those interns that shows up and is never scheduled again to work.

I have absolutely no recall of what the Ames storyline is.  Could someone refresh my memory?  Maybe you, RedBirdNelly?  Thank you!

 

17 hours ago, voiceover said:

Hm. Was my post repetitive or offensive?  Didn't think it was either.

Voiceover, absolutey not!  Your post was neither repetitive or offensive.  I was grateful for the reminder and now, in reading back my reply, realize I could have been a bit more polite and said so.  I appreciate your jogging my memory and realize I was misremembering the scene.  Thank you very much for your response.

I'm not watching nearly as closely this time around either.  My interest has waned to the point of almost disinterest, and if "Dr. Phil" or "Judge Judy" don't sound too seedy, will watch one of those instead.

[doodlebug]

3 hours ago, slasherboy said:

I have absolutely no recall of what the Ames storyline is.  Could someone refresh my memory?  Maybe you, RedBirdNelly?  Thank you

The Ames storyline starred Forest Whitaker.  He played Curtis Ames, a patient who came to the ER and was treated by Luka.  He had pneumonia and was supposed to be admitted but ended up staying in the ER for several days because the hospital was full.  The ER was extremely busy and he got less than optimal care.  He ended up having a stroke which he felt Luka could have diagnosed sooner and he ended up with permanent disabilities which meant he could no longer work (he was a carpenter) and his marriage ended in the wake of it.  He sued Luka and County for malpractice but didn't win.  He became increasingly angry and desperate and eventually came to the apartment and took Abby and Joe hostage.  Luka came home and convinced him to leave with him.  They ended up on the roof of Ames old home as the cops closed in.  He ended up killing himself after a fakeout where it seemed like he was going to shoot Luka.

Edited March 11, 2018 by doodlebug

[CoyoteBlue]

I forgot how much I wanted to punch Carter when he med-shamed Lucy into stopping her Ritalin. Screw you, Carter, I didn't even get put on Ritalin until I was 33. It's not like your brain chemistry magically changes after puberty. I'm watching her struggle through a presentation because her brain is ADD-ing and he's giving her shit about it. Well, that's what happens when you cold-turkey drop your ADD meds, Carter! Ass hat.

[BooksRule]

I just watched the episode with the prom kids who were in the car accident.  I wonder why they totally dropped the storyline about the missing girl.  Why would she be missing from the accident?  They said that it was determined that she wasn't in the burning car.  I expected her to be found wandering around the neighborhood injured and dazed, but they just seemed to forget to finish that part of the plot.  It just seemed odd to me.  

CoyoteBlue, that episode made me mad, too.  Probably Lucy could have just gotten off the Ritalin very, very slowly and she might have been okay.  You would think that he should have known better than to advise her to go cold turkey.  

[ktwo]

35 minutes ago, BooksRule said:

I just watched the episode with the prom kids who were in the car accident.  I wonder why they totally dropped the storyline about the missing girl.  Why would she be missing from the accident?  They said that it was determined that she wasn't in the burning car.  I expected her to be found wandering around the neighborhood injured and dazed, but they just seemed to forget to finish that part of the plot.  It just seemed odd to me.  

CoyoteBlue, that episode made me mad, too.  Probably Lucy could have just gotten off the Ritalin very, very slowly and she might have been okay.  You would think that he should have known better than to advise her to go cold turkey.  

 Since he wasn’t her doctor, he shouldn’t have been advising her to do anything. 

[CoyoteBlue]

17 minutes ago, ktwo said:

 Since he wasn’t her doctor, he shouldn’t have been advising her to do anything. 

That, and there was no reason to think her medication was a problem. The ADHD didn't go anywhere when she stopped.

[LillyB]

Season 14 is so boring. I don't care about Abby's 287's bout with booze or Morris's failing his boards.

[debraran]

5 hours ago, ktwo said:

 Since he wasn’t her doctor, he shouldn’t have been advising her to do anything. 

That's true, writing wasn't as good that episode.  Many adults take ADD medicine, my daughter at 25 needs it and feels bad about it but if you can't read for more than a few minutes, an hour program is painful, it's hard. Definitely should be something you talk to your own doctor about.

I  remember him seeing a cockroach at Anna's apartment and telling her how unsafe they were, etc. One of those things he got to avoid growing up.  I always liked Carter but they did give him a nasty side at times, earlier he was the one with the heart.

[debraran]

In My Brother's Keeper there is a picture of a little boy about 6 months or older (sitting up) in Doug's locker on the inside of the door. It's very obvious, they want you to see it, I wondered if it was the elusive son or someone else. There are lots of pics on other coworkers lockers but this was different and was very clear. Kind of sad they brought that aspect in and never had the son mentioned again. Since he told nurse Wendy he didn't even know his name, it would be odd though he had his picture. One of those not thought out well plot issues.

On some shows, costars will put family members in photo frames that are never really that clear as a way of keeping them close. Earliest I heard of that was on Mary Tyler Moore, she had her son in frame in her apartment.  I assume though with Doug, it's his kid or someone he saved and Mom sent picture.

Edited March 13, 2018 by debraran

[Quof]

Quote

there is a little boy about 6 months or older (sitting up) in Doug's locker on the inside of the door

That's a neat trick. How did they keep him from falling off??

[RedbirdNelly]

still watching season 13; just finished the I Don't episode when Luka and Abby get married. I found myself remembering how nice it was that ER didn't make us watch Mark and Corday's wedding; yet they forgot about that and had us watch all of L and A's. I did like the party though. I always enjoy the gang relaxing together. And I enjoyed Pratt being touched by Luka wanting him to be best man. I just love Pratt, faults and all. He just emotes warmth as a person.

I also found myself thinking "these are Ray's last hours with his legs" and wanting to yell at him to watch out for trucks. Pratt--you should not have just told him to leave; Ray was very drunk so you should have made sure he was safely home, not that this was your fault. My youngest walked into the room right before the truck, so I took the opportunity to tell him "this is why you never check your phone while stepping out into the street. "

[debraran]

4 hours ago, Quof said:

That's a neat trick. How did they keep him from falling off??

lol, thanks, that's what you get writing on the fly.  ; )

[slasherboy]

I just watched the episode where Kerry finds the toddler walking down the street.  Somehow, I totally missed his storyline or it didn't register or something.  Could someone tell me if he had a name and what his story was?  Thanks.

Also, how do they get a 2 year old to act/behave like that?  He was just perfect in his role and I'm amazed at how they pulled that off.

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, slasherboy said:

I just watched the episode where Kerry finds the toddler walking down the street.  Somehow, I totally missed his storyline or it didn't register or something.  Could someone tell me if he had a name and what his story was?  Thanks.

Also, how do they get a 2 year old to act/behave like that?  He was just perfect in his role and I'm amazed at how they pulled that off.

His name was Jack.  It turned out he’d been kidnapped by his babysitter and her boyfriend who were druggies. He apparently got into their narcotics or they gave him some and he apparently wandered away while they were high.

It turned out he had a ventricular shunt for hydrocephalus which Kerri noticed and sent out messages to pediatric neurosurgeons, one of whom recognized him and called.

Of course, we never heard why there wasn’t an Amber Alert and the kid’s face plastered on every phone pole when he disappeared.  The family was from Chicago, it made no sense that Kerry and the cops were mystified as to who he might be.

Kerry, of course, decided that the kid was probably abandoned by the parents because of his birth defect.  No explanation as to why they would’ve waited 2 years before turning him loose.  This was part of Kerry’s ongoing angst that her parents put her up for adoption because of her leg.  Turns out she was wrong about that, too.

The kid was a real cutie, loved when he asked to go bye-bye. 

[slasherboy]

Lots and lots of episodes today (Friday)!  And it's Valentine's Day.  That means you-know-what happens to Carter and Lucy.  In fact, it's about to happen as I write this so bye-bye for now!

Edited March 16, 2018 by slasherboy
Because it just happened and as it does every single time, literally made me sick to my stomach. And the John Carter we knew and loved is forever changed, and not in a good way.

[debraran]

3 hours ago, slasherboy said:

Lots and lots of episodes today (Friday)!  And it's Valentine's Day.  That means you-know-what happens to Carter and Lucy.  In fact, it's about to happen as I write this so bye-bye for now!

 

I'm just on the beginning of their meeting, the Halloween party, etc. I dread that episode, you know it's coming, but you try to avoid it. The one with Gant was bad enough

Edited March 16, 2018 by debraran

[Cajungirl64]

I DVRd it today and I'm watching it now. But I had to pause it because I know what's coming next ? and it gets me every time.  I remember the first time it aired my mom called me when "it" happened and we stayed on the phone together in stunned silence. Then, of course, we were so freaked out for an entire week wondering what would happen on the next episode. We stayed on the phone together for that entire episode ("All in the Family"), crying like babies. 

[zoemom]

Sorry about the above post, I'm going to try this again.  I'm so glad to find this thread, wasn't sure if there would be others that were still watching it.  Sounds like this isn't the first time POP has shown this.  I'm another "dinosaur" (retired RRT assigned to the ER) now watching ER the second time around.  Even though it's almost 20 years old, outside of some very dated equipment, procedures and tests, I think it holds up well.  The show brings back many good memories, used to stop by my mum's house and watch it back in the day.   Like mentioned upthread, coming home to watch it every evening on my DVR is comforting for some odd reason.

I started in January with "24 hours" which I believe was the pilot for the show.  The only thing I don't like is how POP shows the early episodes during the week and the later episodes over the weekend.  I've gotten used to it, but would wish that they had just started and shown the episodes chronology.    How do you know which season is which - when one ends and one begins?  

The only thing that makes me crazy (outside of all the commercials for Schitt's Creek) is how they always have the patient's family members, friends, etc. stand in the trauma bay (sometimes right over the doctors' shoulder) while resuscitations are taking place.    I was watching an episode this morning, where both of the parents died in a car accident, they were lying in the trauma bay all bloody and their young daughter wandered in the room unaccompanied.  Never would happen.  Also, I've never known a doctor that goes to someone's house to check up on them/go out to a trauma scene/or fire to assist in patient extraction.  I know it's for "dramatic effect" but can remember my mum always asking if any of our doc's did things like that.  

Like others, Carol, Sam and Abby get under my skin still (were any of the main female characters on the show ever happy?).  I find myself fast forwarding through much of their drama and angst  Carter (until the final couple seasons) was always one of my favorites.  I had a major crush on Dubenko (yes, I'm odd) but also liked Benton, Greene Morris and of course Doug.  IRL I lived about 25 miles north of where George Clooney grew up when I was a kid, his dad was an anchor of the local news. I've met his dad (my only claim to fame) but never George.

Ok, just my two cents worth, glad to find you all.

[debraran]

I like David Letterman's show on Netflix with George, mostly going home to his Dad's house and neighborhood, you might like it if you have netflix I really enjoyed it.

I also like how a young actress who was on the first ER shows (played a young pregnant teen) who gave George kudos for sticking up to the brass who wanted Julienne to lose weight (why I don't know) She overheard him say to someone "did she tell them to f**k off?" and the guy said "yes" and he said "Good!"  She thought he was "old" at the time, but fell in love with his attitude and support.  I liked it too. ; )

http://www.vulture.com/2018/02/david-lettermans-netflix-show-and-george-clooney-interview.html

[slasherboy]

7 hours ago, zoemom said:

IRL I lived about 25 miles north of where George Clooney grew up when I was a kid, his dad was an anchor of the local news. I've met his dad (my only claim to fame) but never George.

Ok, just my two cents worth, glad to find you all.

Glad you found us too, Zoemom.  Everybody on this thread is polite, funny, and snarky as all get-out.  You'll like it here.

I also grew up as a "neighbor" of George Clooney.  One time I was at the grocery store across the street from home and the Clooneys were shopping there too.  Nick (his dad, for those who may not know) was pushing toddler George in the grocery cart and that's as close as I ever got to meeting him.  I've run into Nick several times and he's as nice as they come.

I also wonder why friends and family are allowed to just wander in and out of trauma and exam rooms while the doctors were trying to do their jobs.  Irritate the hell out of me because it seemed so unrealistic to me.  Even little kids seemed to just own the place.

Also, and I know there was plenty of screaming from patients, but I think 99% of the people they wheeled in there, unless they were dead or unconscious, were way too calm and not at all in pain or scared.  Again, even little kids were nonchalant and unconcerned.

Finally, I think they gave serious diagnoses to children without their parents being present and that doesn't seem realistic at all either.  Today or yesterday Abby told a high school girl that she has cervical cancer and there wasn't a parent in sight.  I don't believe that would happen.  Ross was treating a very young girl with a broken leg and it turns out she needed to have it amputated and they were just discussing this and all the options with this kid all by herself.  Nope.

Glad you've joined us!  Post often!

[slf]

Finally caught the episode where Pratt dies and it's horrible. I've always wondered if it's worse to know what's happening to you or to not know and watching Pratt silently cry while his friends and colleagues panic over how to help him makes me think, in that situation, knowing might be worse. Mekhi Phifer gave a very touching final performance. I could've done without the more-is-more approach the writers took in the later seasons, they really laid it one thick, but Phifer sold it.

[debraran]

I was thinking about long term characters and how hard it is to write them off at times. In This is Us, a popular show now, it would be hard to lose some of the "Big 3" and still have a good show, MASH did it well, but always had a couple of favorites just in case.  On ER, when Clooney wanted off, the writing got a little skewed to me because they made him do so many things, so quickly, to have him have no choice but to leave. It didn't seem natural to me then and doesn't now watching it on Hulu. Carol and Doug went from extremely close to "See you"  Then the twin angle didn't make sense to me, she doesn't tell him, then she does, he can't make appearances so it just seemed "off".   When Susan left, earlier in the year, it seemed more natural, she wanted to bond with her niece and Greene and her hadn't really dated. I realize Clooney wasn't "ER" but the writing got a little less realistic during that year.

After that season, there were some excellent shows, but do others think the writers got a lot more lazy? It still makes other shows pale in comparison, but that's because so many today are even written worse. ; )

[BooksRule]

Quote

Finally caught the episode where Pratt dies and it's horrible. I've always wondered if it's worse to know what's happening to you or to not know and watching Pratt silently cry while his friends and colleagues panic over how to help him makes me think, in that situation, knowing might be worse. Mekhi Phifer gave a very touching final performance. I could've done without the more-is-more approach the writers took in the later seasons, they really laid it one thick, but Phifer sold it.

I've never seen that episode (I stopped watching after about season 11, I think) but I'm looking forward to catching up with all the ones I haven't seen in years and those I've never seen.  It's probably horrible to be a doctor or nurse and know how badly you're injured and know the likely outcome.  I thought about that when Lucy was getting worse and mouthed 'P.E."? (for pulmonary embolism), knowing that it was bad.  I also remember how bad it was when Derek on 'Grey's Anatomy' was being treated after his accident and knew that they were not giving him the right treatment, knowing the outcome and not being able to do anything about it.  Horrible.

I just watched the episode where Mark took his dad on the boat ride (such a great thing to do for him) and then he died the next episode.  Both Edwards and Cullum did a great job in those last scenes with Greene and his father.  

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, debraran said:

I was thinking about long term characters and how hard it is to write them off at times. In This is Us, a popular show now, it would be hard to lose some of the "Big 3" and still have a good show, MASH did it well, but always had a couple of favorites just in case.  On ER, when Clooney wanted off, the writing got a little skewed to me because they made him do so many things, so quickly, to have him have no choice but to leave. It didn't seem natural to me then and doesn't now watching it on Hulu. Carol and Doug went from extremely close to "See you"  Then the twin angle didn't make sense to me, she doesn't tell him, then she does, he can't make appearances so it just seemed "off".   When Susan left, earlier in the year, it seemed more natural, she wanted to bond with her niece and Greene and her hadn't really dated. I realize Clooney wasn't "ER" but the writing got a little less realistic during that year.

After that season, there were some excellent shows, but do others think the writers got a lot more lazy? It still makes other shows pale in comparison, but that's because so many today are even written worse. ; )

Considering TPTB knew for at least a couple years that Clooney was leaving, he'd made no secret of the fact that he wasn't interested in a contract extension,; it seems like they could've found a way to write him off that was natural to the character.  Instead, they wrote a storyline that ignored much of the character development they'd done over the first several seasons. Doug, who'd been abandoned by his own father, would never have moved across the country from his twins.  Carol, who'd lost her father at a young age, would not have voluntarily lived thousands of miles from her children's father.  Of course, part of the problem was that Julianna Margulies signed a one year contract extension, keeping her on the show for a year beyond Clooney's exit. Had TPTB not offered her the extension or had she not taken it, I think Doug and Carol's story could have come to a more logical conclusion.  IMO. the decision to have Carol get pregnant, with twins, no less, was also a bad idea and contributed to the less than coherent storyline.

In the later years, it's not so much that the writers got lazy as that they ran out of original ideas.  Most shows run out of gas sooner than ER did and it was still better written than the majority of TV then or now; but there were only so many disasters they could dream up.  Eventually, the plane crashes, helicopter crashes, train derailments and disaster after disaster became ridiculous.

[Bastet]

7 hours ago, slf said:

Finally caught the episode where Pratt dies and it's horrible. I've always wondered if it's worse to know what's happening to you or to not know and watching Pratt silently cry while his friends and colleagues panic over how to help him makes me think, in that situation, knowing might be worse. Mekhi Phifer gave a very touching final performance. I could've done without the more-is-more approach the writers took in the later seasons, they really laid it one thick, but Phifer sold it.

I am a total sucker for storylines in which a doctor knows exactly how fucked she or he is, and that acknowledgment of the situation is written all over her or his face.  It takes good acting, and I'd never been overly impressed by Mekhi Phifer until that episode, at which point he nailed the hell out of it.  At a time when I was largely disconnected with the series emotionally, and with a character I had initially disliked and gradually, but so subtly I almost missed my own turnaround, come to appreciate and take comfort in, he swept me up in a wave of emotion.  It was all very well done, from making us think in the season finale he'd gone boom to making us think in the next season's premiere that he was fine, to the declining situation as it played out, decisions had to be made, and then he was dead.

[debraran]

8 hours ago, BooksRule said:

 

I just watched the episode where Mark took his dad on the boat ride (such a great thing to do for him) and then he died the next episode.  Both Edwards and Cullum did a great job in those last scenes with Greene and his father.  

That was touching, I thought both his parents did a great job, his dad was very believable and his mom, played by Bonnie Bartlett (my kids were like that's Mr Edwards wife from LHOP) was  also wonderful.

I also liked the camaraderie he had with Doug on the trip also.

8 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Considering TPTB knew for at least a couple years that Clooney was leaving, he'd made no secret of the fact that he wasn't interested in a contract extension,; it seems like they could've found a way to write him off that was natural to the character.  Instead, they wrote a storyline that ignored much of the character development they'd done over the first several seasons. Doug, who'd been abandoned by his own father, would never have moved across the country from his twins.  Carol, who'd lost her father at a young age, would not have voluntarily lived thousands of miles from her children's father.  Of course, part of the problem was that Julianna Margulies signed a one year contract extension, keeping her on the show for a year beyond Clooney's exit. Had TPTB not offered her the extension or had she not taken it, I think Doug and Carol's story could have come to a more logical conclusion.  IMO. the decision to have Carol get pregnant, with twins, no less, was also a bad idea and contributed to the less than coherent storyline.

In the later years, it's not so much that the writers got lazy as that they ran out of original ideas.  Most shows run out of gas sooner than ER did and it was still better written than the majority of TV then or now; but there were only so many disasters they could dream up.  Eventually, the plane crashes, helicopter crashes, train derailments and disaster after disaster became ridiculous.

Thanks for the reminder. I forgot they knew that long, I thought he gave them a year or so. I was busy having my own real twins at the time and didn't read a lot about background. Then they really should have done it better. My daughter was watching it with me for the first time and she's like, "Why is he being so impulsive, so reckless" after being so good and I told her he had to be written off and they needed to make him unbearable. She said, he should have signed up for a Doctor Without Borders type of service for a year and then kept in touch with Carol and she could have joined him when he was through wherever they went. I told her that's nice but the writers had their own ideas. I also thought although it was romantic, when Carol went to see him impulsively, knowing Doug would be there waiting for her not out on a date was brave of her. ; )  Back then, they could actually keep that part of the episode a secret much longer than today.

I feel that way, with long running shows, like Law and Order SVU , it's dark to begin with and it gets stale with story lines.  I liked shows like Cheers, MASH, Everybody Loves Raymond, most went on a little too long but ended it before it got old and stale. It seemed the writers didn't care if it was a hit, they never really relaxed and coasted. ER was so much better written than most. I watch Chicago Med and it's like General Hospital, no depth or character development.

I like that they don't have many cell phones and people aren't attached to their devices as much but it is cool to see them talk about things we use now on a regular basis like PCA pain machines, computers, discussions about the long hours for docs which have been shortened in many areas, Hep C now has a cure.

Edited March 20, 2018 by debraran

[ktwo]

Quote

She said, he should have signed up for a Doctor Without Borders type of service for a year and then kept in touch with Carol and she could have joined him when he was through wherever they went.

That is so much of a better idea than what they came up with.

[zoemom]

On 3/17/2018 at 10:48 PM, slasherboy said:

Glad you found us too, Zoemom.  Everybody on this thread is polite, funny, and snarky as all get-out.  You'll like it here.

Thanks for the warm welcome @slasherboy!!  I'm playing catch-up (what did we do before DVD's?) from last weekend and the weekend, but sounds like we're going to be getting another snowstorm tomorrow, so I may be able to "hunker down" on the sofa for a binge watch.

 

5 hours ago, debraran said:

I like that they don't have many cell phones and people aren't attached to their devices as much but it is cool to see them talk about things we use now on a regular basis like PCA pain machines, computers, discussions about the long hours for docs which have been shortened in many areas, Hep C now has a cure.

ITA. Especially in some of the early episodes, I find myself thinking (especially the one where Ross is trying to rescue the kids that were caught in the storm drain) why didn't he just call 911.  I have to remind myself that back then, "cell phones" as we know them today didn't exist.  (The first "cell" phone (called a bag phone, because it came with a briefcase sized satchel to carry it in) I used was when I was on call in the early 90's.  It was the size of a shoe box, weighed about five pounds with a battery that lasted an hour at best and had miserable coverage). 

There really have been so many advances made over the past twenty years, both in technology and medicine; watching ER (again) is a great reminder of how so much has changed in what is a relatively brief period of time.  

Edited March 20, 2018 by zoemom

[desertflower]

On 3/17/2018 at 3:34 PM, zoemom said:

  I had a major crush on Dubenko (yes, I'm odd)

It's funny you mention that, because the first time I saw the show I thought he was a little weird and didn't really give him much thought beyond that. But then after rewatching his episodes recently I found myself thinking "Hey, Dubenko's kinda hot!" There's one scene where he's walking into a yoga studio and yowza, he looks good. I think he had a Jeff Goldblum vibe going on, where he alternated between geeky and sexy. 

[debraran]

7 hours ago, zoemom said:

Thanks for the warm welcome @slasherboy!!  I'm playing catch-up (what did we do before DVD's?) from last weekend and the weekend, but sounds like we're going to be getting another snowstorm tomorrow, so I may be able to "hunker down" on the sofa for a binge watch.

 

ITA. Especially in some of the early episodes, I find myself thinking (especially the one where Ross is trying to rescue the kids that were caught in the storm drain) why didn't he just call 911.  I have to remind myself that back then, "cell phones" as we know them today didn't exist.  (The first "cell" phone (called a bag phone, because it came with a briefcase sized satchel to carry it in) I used was when I was on call in the early 90's.  It was the size of a shoe box, weighed about five pounds with a battery that lasted an hour at best and had miserable coverage). 

There really have been so many advances made over the past twenty years, both in technology and medicine; watching ER (again) is a great reminder of how so much has changed in what is a relatively brief period of time.  

 

My brother had one of the first car cell phones. It was large like that and hard to hide, someone broke his window trying to get it.  It was a quarter or a dollar each time someone called or he made a call and my dear Mom would call him all the time (her baby and only son) He would get so angry, she didn't grasp just the call even if not answered caused him a fee.  Oh well, the price of wanting the latest technology right away. ; )

It is funny to see them using charts and then on Chicago Med, they have tablets.  But then they had a show where a ransom virus made everything stop so they had to use the "old fashioned paper"  lol  Good and bad with both.

My daughter said the same about Ross with the water drain episode "where's his phone!!" I said, even with a phone it could have gotten wet or been dead, nothing is perfect but phones do help in emergencies if the people involved aren't taking too many pictures.

Edited March 20, 2018 by debraran

[BooksRule]

Earlier today I watched the first episode of Season 7 (where Carter comes back from rehab).  I really liked the kid in the wheelchair (the one with the UTI).  He was precocious without being obnoxious.  I know that Carter was spending a lot of time with him because he (Carter) wasn't allowed to do much of anything medical yet, but Carter did get to like the kid. And the actor who played the kid was pretty good.  He was able to have the character act mature (taking major responsibility for his own health and knowing a lot about it), but was still a kid sometimes (making paper airplanes).  He was matter-of-fact about his accident, but wasn't angry or overly cheerful about it.  When Carter asked if the paper airplanes would really fly, he didn't answer back scornfully, but just launched one at Weaver (and Malucci got blamed!)

[debraran]

On 3/6/2018 at 11:08 PM, BooksRule said:

I just re-watched the episode 'Nobody doesn't like Amanda Lee' with loony Dr. Lee.  I was always kind of surprised that they wrapped up that story line in about four episodes or so.  She's great for a couple, and then the audience sees that she's a little obsessive about Mark, Jerry knows that something is going on, and then Mark finds out--which leads her to lock him and that poor patient in the CT room.  So many shows would drag it out for an entire season (or more).  It never had time to get boring. I wonder if it would be easier or harder for someone like that to steal someone's identity and masquerade as a doctor (among other professions) these days.  It makes me really glad that anytime we hire a new faculty member we have to not only get letters of recommendation (on business letterhead), we have to contact each reference by phone to ask questions about the candidate, after setting the phone appointments via contacting them at a work e-mail address.  And, for someone who was supposedly that successful in her field, others besides her official references would have been contacted (you would think).  

This episode also begins the whole 'Joi' episodes, marking the beginning of the end for Doug.

Finally, little Reese is so stinkin' cute!  I loved it when Benton was asking him if he knew 'father', while making the ASL sign for it.  Then Reese makes the same sign.

I watched that episode recently. I thought Jerry should have gotten some kudos for his instincts being right. The only thing that was odd to me, was that no mention was made of calling authorities or what would happen (even off screen) to find her and have it not happen again.

Yeah, the way they treated Doug leaving always seems off to me. He would never have been quite that reckless or just leave. I can't believe the writers (unless mad at Clooney) would have him leave that way, going across country and not caring about baby. Julienne was leaving in a year, lot of plot ideas to keep him in touch until she goes after the twins are born.

[jewel21]

I just watched the Season 1 episode (I think) when this black boy around 12 walks into the ER with a gun and everyone just stands around and does nothing. And after Benton tells him the kid he wants to kill is already dead he just takes off running. And the only thing I could think of the entire time was how no one had called security or the cops. WTF?