All Episodes Talk: What's Up Doc?

[Kel Varnsen]

21 hours ago, doodlebug said:

I think that was in Season 4 when Carter was an ER intern.  So, my guesstimate that Benton was making around $35 grand as a fourth year surgical resident was probably close, but maybe a bit high.

Wait a sec, how long is Benton's residency? I am on Season 2 now. In season 1 Greene says that he and Peter were in med school together and then by season 2 Mark is an attending. Is surgery residency really that much longer?

[doodlebug]

Just now, Kel Varnsen said:

Wait a sec, how long is Benton's residency? I am on Season 2 now. In season 1 Greene says that he and Peter were in med school together and then by season 2 Mark is an attending. Is surgery residency really that much longer?

ER residencies were 3 years and General Surgery residencies were 5 years back when ER was happening.  ER residencies are now 4 years in many places.

Peter was supposed to be a second year resident in Season 1 while Mark was supposed to be Chief Resident which means he was at least third year.  Somehow, despite attending med school together, Mark was ahead of Peter from the start of the series.  I guess Mark could've known Peter who was in a class behind his in med school, but, in real life, med students really don't interact with other med students except those at their same level.

[debraran]

Watched the episode Of Past Regret and Future Fear, with the guy with chemical burns who dies within 24 hours (Anthony Edwards directs) A young security guard is accidentally doused with a highly toxic substance (hydrochloride acid). Michael Rapaport gave a terrific performance and I had a tear fall as Carol read his letter to his daughter to him as he died.  I don't think I watched that show more than a couple of times and it had been a while.

It reminded me when hospitals began to change and have less staff and one nurse who had been around a decade or so,complained how much she hated it. Patient care was getting done but that's it, the connections nurses got to have, the conversations, the time spent, was gone. Sad, I know the power point presentations at board meetings don't show anything but numbers, but sometimes good care is better when you make a connection.

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Also, even after a basic residency ends, if you specialize it will extend the residency or fellowship period after that.    

[doodlebug]

12 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Also, even after a basic residency ends, if you specialize it will extend the residency or fellowship period after that.    

Yep.  Doug was doing an ER fellowship after finishing his Pediatric residency and Peter did a Trauma fellowship after finishing General Surgery.  We also saw Peter contemplating Pediatric Surgery and Vascular Surgery as specialties, both of which would've entailed another fellowship.

[Hava]

I just watched the episode where Lucy and Carter were stabbed. That was a powerful episode, but I can't help but be annoyed and perplexed at the way Carter treated Lucy that episode. Carter is my favorite character--I absolutely adore him and I find that NW has chemistry with every single character. Carter and Lucy's relationship started out rocky, but their relationship had evolved and it was perplexing to see them back to Carter castigating Lucy for Carter's own mistakes/failure to supervise her. Especially in light of how gently he receives Abby as a medical student, Carter's treatment of Lucy seems especially cruel. And NW's acting when he learns of Lucy's death didn't feel right--it was too emotionless. Heck, Romano was more broken up about it than he was. 

Lucy was definitely annoying at times, but I think she represented the over-eager medical student really well. And the way she handled the woman who needed the heart transplant was really beautiful and admirable. 

 

[Guest]

14 hours ago, Hava said:

And NW's acting when he learns of Lucy's death didn't feel right--it was too emotionless

I thought he was probably in shock.  He had just been stabbed, was likely on a lot of pain medicines, etc.

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, deaja said:

I thought he was probably in shock.  He had just been stabbed, was likely on a lot of pain medicines, etc.

Yep, he'd also had his moment of horror when he saw her lying on the floor after he was stabbed.  In the scene with Benton, he'd just come out of surgery, he'd almost died himself, he was in a lot  of pain, we saw that when Benton told him to lift his leg.  I think he reacted normally considering he already knew in his heart that she didn't survive without being told  (and, he saw Benton, and probably the nurses, deliberately avoid talking about it with him).  He turned his head away and appeared to be crying after Benton confirmed her death; he seemed upset enough to me. We also know from future events, he felt very guilty for not paying more attention to Sobricki especially after Lucy told him she thought he was mentally unstable.

Recall, also, that is Carter's way.  We know he lost his brother when he was a kid and that he did everything he could to put on a brave face and not mourn him openly to make things easier for his parents.  Carter was a people pleaser and, I could see him not wanting other people to be upset by his reaction to Lucy's death, so he held his feelings in check.  It also leads into the future addiction storyline.  Carter wants everyone to think he's Super Man, and he is not.

Remember how he lied to Lucy's mother and told her that being stabbed didn't hurt and he knew Lucy didn't realize what had happened?  We know that isn't true at all, not for him and not for Lucy.  He saw her face looking at him across the floor after the stabbing.  He knew she'd suffered, but he didn't want her mother to be burdened with that information as he was.

Edited October 1, 2020 by doodlebug

[Bastet]

I love the way Noah Wyle played Carter confirming Lucy was dead -- every conflicting emotion he had about her is written on his face.

[debraran]

4 hours ago, Bastet said:

I love the way Noah Wyle played Carter confirming Lucy was dead -- every conflicting emotion he had about her is written on his face.

He did that so many times, even in the beginning. When he took the time to read to that teacher who was dying alone, you could always read his face without him saying very much, his conflicts, his joy, his sadness and it was usually subtle. He was a very good actor. I wish he had better stories with his Africa trip but he did what he could with it.

I know he went on to big things, but I never felt that with Clooney on the show. He was "puppy dog look" half the time, head cocked to side, arrogant the other quarter and contrite the other part. Watching him now vs years ago, he seems caring but not as bright. I know he playing a part, but it seemed like he was just saying the lines except for a few really good shows. I never felt the depth I have with other characters. Doing the detox with the baby seemed heroic as a teen, now just rash. Carol going along with him seemed the same. I know she loved Doug but to risk her career and follow him so much, look past so much, made not following him at the end, more odd. When she finally did, it was like "Okay, you had one foot out the entire time".

Edited October 2, 2020 by debraran

[Bastet]

3 minutes ago, debraran said:

He did that so many times, even in the beginning. When he took the time to read to that teacher who was dying alone, you could always read his face without him saying very much, his conflicts, his joy, his sadness.

Like when he'd finished reading the letter from Mark, and everyone else starts talking among themselves, but Susan can tell just by looking at his face as he continues to stare at the fax that there's a horrible addendum from Elizabeth. 

[Hava]

Quote

He was "puppy dog look" half the time, head cocked to side

God, this annoyed me so much. I know it's part of Clooney's charm and, heck, I find him completely charming in his movies and interviews. But there was something about watching him do the same smirk/grin, looking down, to the side thing every episode that started driving me up a wall. 

I just watched the episode where Carol goes to Seattle for Doug, and it didn't really bring out the hopeless romantic in me. Something about Carol's addiction/obsession with Doug made that ending feel a bit sad,rather than uplifting. I think her character would have been much better served if she had chosen from the beginning to go with him--that would have made more sense. 

[debraran]

8 hours ago, Hava said:

God, this annoyed me so much. I know it's part of Clooney's charm and, heck, I find him completely charming in his movies and interviews. But there was something about watching him do the same smirk/grin, looking down, to the side thing every episode that started driving me up a wall. 

I just watched the episode where Carol goes to Seattle for Doug, and it didn't really bring out the hopeless romantic in me. Something about Carol's addiction/obsession with Doug made that ending feel a bit sad,rather than uplifting. I think her character would have been much better served if she had chosen from the beginning to go with him--that would have made more sense. 

I agree, along with other fans but contracts and other behind the scenes things made it just "off". Who stays in her job with twins and complains for a year before a cancer patient makes her realize, "Geez, I should be with the father of my children and the only guy I want to be with" I always said in real life, a girl of the week would have been with him on the boat though. A chaste Doug in a gorgeous house in a lovely location, well on TV anything is possible.  lol Most fans on this site and others felt if he did charity work in another country for a year, it would have been more believable. He finds out later about the pregnancy, finishes his term and comes back.

He became a better actor but even when they meet at his house, he does the exact same thing, the smile, holding her face, kiss and lifting her up.When he met her outside her house when they started their relationship again, same thing.  When you watch a lot at once, you see the formula but it was so set with him. He was also very shaggy (hair) around the time of getting in trouble with the heroin baby and I thought that probably was sexy back then, now I was thinking, "get a trim!" lol   I think her obsession and earlier suicide (they hoped we'd forget) always made me feel she was the follower, the weaker link. The "I don't want to lose you, I don't want to wake up alone, I don't want you to cheat" When he chased her it was obnoxious and she was right, he wanted her because she acted like she didn't want him. I also felt it was very sexually based, a good thing, but that's it. Everything they talked or joked about was sex, every love note was just sexual, it would have been nice if she ever said anything about him she liked beyond that since that was the basis of most of Doug's flings. Greene was a good friend to balance him though, a very real character.

Edited October 2, 2020 by debraran

[Guest]

The Doug and Carol storyline is another one that has not aged well to me. Teenage me thought he was swoonworthy.  Adult me wants to slap them both and tell them to grow up.  

Doug - you and your partner make a choice to try to have a child. She gets pregnant with twins and you're like "Oh well.  Have fun raising them!"

Carol - you don't go to him, tell him, etc because you want him to be the one coming to you?  Your plan to inform him he's going to be a dad involves FAXING his WORK?  Then you complain constantly about how hard you have it? Then you just take off to go to him?  

At this point, I didn't even care about them. I felt sorry for the girls.  (Well, and for Luca but that's another story.) 

[debraran]

5 hours ago, deaja said:

The Doug and Carol storyline is another one that has not aged well to me. Teenage me thought he was swoonworthy.  Adult me wants to slap them both and tell them to grow up.  

Doug - you and your partner make a choice to try to have a child. She gets pregnant with twins and you're like "Oh well.  Have fun raising them!"

Carol - you don't go to him, tell him, etc because you want him to be the one coming to you?  Your plan to inform him he's going to be a dad involves FAXING his WORK?  Then you complain constantly about how hard you have it? Then you just take off to go to him?  

At this point, I didn't even care about them. I felt sorry for the girls.  (Well, and for Luca but that's another story.) 

So agree, the romance in leaving your job without coverage, your home, your kids with your mom on a whim was so romantic back then but I'm like you, I am thinking if he cheats again, she's going to crash. He looked happy to see her but not surprised at all. The writers who couldn't have been the same bunch they started with, I wish they gave her some better scripts that year. . I wish they showed the girls later when they had the transplant story or a special years later. I know Mark died, but just a catch up to give Carter a great story and show Carol and kids (marriage or graduation?) Maybe it would have looked tired, but many fans would have loved to see their friends again.

Edited October 2, 2020 by debraran

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, deaja said:

Adult me wants to slap them both and tell them to grow up.  

That's how I felt at the time - it was a pretty lonely table back then.  They both just plain suck as romantic partners, to each other or anyone else.  So the only thing worth celebrating in them committing to each other was that no one else would be subjected to dating either of them.

[CrazyInAlabama]

They showed the episode where Mark's father is in the ER, and he's talking to another patient.   The other patient's husband was Navy, and has a huge boat, So Mark and his father go on the lake with him.    A beautiful moment.    

Unfortunately, the same episode where Carter talks to Sobriki's wife (the man who killed Lucy, and stabbed Carter). 

 That wouldn't be so bad if the wife wouldn't have been so awful to the ER people when her husband was in the ER later, when Susan Lewis is so mean to Carter when he finds out the man is there.  

[Bastet]

I didn't think Susan was mean, I thought she was the only one properly regarding Sobriki as a patient to whom she had an obligation.  Granted, I don't remember all the details, just Sobriki having asked to be taken to a different hospital (seemingly for his own sake and the ER staff's), Carter running into the bathroom, and Susan saying, no, she would not transfer him until she'd been able to assess him and make sure that was safe.  I thought it was all pretty well done, even those behaving inappropriately, because their reactions made perfect sense.

[Growsonwalls]

I agree about the Doug/Carol year apart storyline. It was really poorly written and I thought it was obvious that they didn't know what to do with Carol's character anymore. Also Julianna Marguiles' acting seemed distant and phoned in. In earlier seasons she sold the hell out of some pretty dumb storylines. But by season 6 you kind of felt she was collecting a paycheck. 

I will say though that the final season really wrapped up a lot of unsettled storylines very well. It was nice to see Doug and Carol still doing well in Seattle, and that they're now a mature married couple. The best thing was the "call me maybe?" vibe I got from Benton and Lizzie in the series finale. I always shipped them and since it doesn't seem like he was married to Cleo there wasn't much holding them back from being a couple. So I like that the writers acknowledged that. I'm always hopeful that he calls her later and they get together and the rest is history.

[debraran]

11 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

I agree about the Doug/Carol year apart storyline. It was really poorly written and I thought it was obvious that they didn't know what to do with Carol's character anymore. Also Julianna Marguiles' acting seemed distant and phoned in. In earlier seasons she sold the hell out of some pretty dumb storylines. But by season 6 you kind of felt she was collecting a paycheck. 

I will say though that the final season really wrapped up a lot of unsettled storylines very well. It was nice to see Doug and Carol still doing well in Seattle, and that they're now a mature married couple. The best thing was the "call me maybe?" vibe I got from Benton and Lizzie in the series finale. I always shipped them and since it doesn't seem like he was married to Cleo there wasn't much holding them back from being a couple. So I like that the writers acknowledged that. I'm always hopeful that he calls her later and they get together and the rest is history.

I always wanted more for Carter, I liked him a lot, the young intern to later. Not perfect, but no one is, but how they ended with him seemed incomplete.

[readster]

On 5/2/2017 at 10:24 AM, Driad said:

Thank you, Danny Franks. The MASH story annoyed me because apparently all the women resented "Nurse Doctor" but the men (at least Hawkeye and Father Mulcahey) were supportive. By the time of the ER episode, I thought the nurses should have been more open minded.

It's just like when someone who is great at leadership, wants to move into administration or manager and WOULD make a great manager are given the: "You trader" look. Because people just assume you will automatically turn into an asshole, but if an asshole is promoted everyone goes: "Dammit, now we are really going to have a hard time at work." You can't have it both ways. 

[ShortyMac]

16 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

I will say though that the final season really wrapped up a lot of unsettled storylines very well. It was nice to see Doug and Carol still doing well in Seattle, and that they're now a mature married couple. The best thing was the "call me maybe?" vibe I got from Benton and Lizzie in the series finale. I always shipped them and since it doesn't seem like he was married to Cleo there wasn't much holding them back from being a couple. So I like that the writers acknowledged that. I'm always hopeful that he calls her later and they get together and the rest is history.

Benton is married to Cleo - when he was with Carter at Northwestern, he said that Reese was home with her.

[doodlebug]

4 hours ago, ShortyMac said:

Benton is married to Cleo - when he was with Carter at Northwestern, he said that Reese was home with her.

No, he specifically told Lizzie they were NOT married.  He did say that she was with Reese but didn't clarify the nature of their relationship.

[Growsonwalls]

17 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

No, he specifically told Lizzie they were NOT married.  He did say that she was with Reese but didn't clarify the nature of their relationship.

He also wasn't wearing a ring unlike Doug and Carol. I took that to mean that maybe he and Cleo had split up but she still has a relationship with Reese. Anyway it's my fanfic that he and Lizzie restart their relationship after the credits roll and I'm sticking to it.

[doodlebug]

Just now, Growsonwalls said:

He also wasn't wearing a ring unlike Doug and Carol. I took that to mean that maybe he and Cleo had split up but she still has a relationship with Reese. Anyway it's my fanfic that he and Lizzie restart their relationship after the credits roll and I'm sticking to it.

Benton had more sizzle and heat with Lizzie in that single episode than he did in years and years onscreen with Cleo.  I understand why ELS didn't want Benton with Liz on the show, but, boy, for my money, they were ER's hottest pairing.  

[Bastet]

14 minutes ago, Growsonwalls said:

He also wasn't wearing a ring unlike Doug and Carol. I took that to mean that maybe he and Cleo had split up but she still has a relationship with Reese

He says yes when Kerry asks him if they're still together.

[Growsonwalls]

12 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

Benton had more sizzle and heat with Lizzie in that single episode than he did in years and years onscreen with Cleo.  I understand why ELS didn't want Benton with Liz on the show, but, boy, for my money, they were ER's hottest pairing.  

Because I'm dorky like that I just rewatched the scene on Hulu. He SPECIFICALLY asks Lizzie if she's "in a relationship" and when she says no, then he goes with the next question: "Are you seeing anyone?" And she says no again. Everyone knows that one-two questioning is a pretty direct way of saying "Ok so I can call you then?" When she drives off the camera is on his face looking sad and pensive. So I think he calls her and they get together and that's that. Reese and Lizzie's daughter are similar ages too. It's perfect.

[doodlebug]

Just now, Growsonwalls said:

Because I'm dorky like that I just rewatched the scene on Hulu. He SPECIFICALLY asks Lizzie if she's "in a relationship" and when she says no, then he goes with the next question: "Are you seeing anyone?" And she says no again. Everyone knows that one-two questioning is a pretty direct way of saying "Ok so I can call you then?" When she drives off the camera is on his face looking sad and pensive. So I think he calls her and they get together and that's that. Reese and Lizzie's daughter are similar ages too. It's perfect.

True, but he's apparently still in a relationship with Cleo, a relationship that has lasted about 9 years by the time he sees Lizzie again.  Even if Benton was trying to see if she was available, he was not, by any criteria, available himself.  And I don't think Liz would be interested in a one night stand with a guy in a long term relationship.

[Growsonwalls]

4 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

True, but he's apparently still in a relationship with Cleo, a relationship that has lasted about 9 years by the time he sees Lizzie again.  Even if Benton was trying to see if she was available, he was not, by any criteria, available himself.  And I don't think Liz would be interested in a one night stand with a guy in a long term relationship.

Oh well. But yiou can't be in a relationship with a robot ... This isn't Westworld ...

Seriously he and Cleo just had absolutely no chemistry together. 

[Bastet]

Since Eriq La Salle spoke out about the discrepancy between how Peter and Elizabeth's relationship was written and how his relationships with black women had been written, and even asked that the storyline be dropped and Peter have a healthy relationship with a black woman instead, he's not going to make a guest appearance in which Peter is hoping to cheat on his black partner of nearly a decade with his white ex-girlfriend (or break up with his partner in order to start dating his ex).

[CrazyInAlabama]

 I think everyone coming together in the final episode just brought a lot of memories back for all of the characters.  

[Hava]

Just watched the episode where Malucci is fired. Up to this point, I was a Weaver defender. I knew she stickler that made other doctors' lives miserable, but, I had always felt that she was in a tough position and just doing her job in managing an ER where the number one priority is patient care. But with Malucci's firing, that was just vindictive and selfish (scapegoating him for the death earlier). Malucci was childish, but I thought it was obvious he was good-natured. And when it really came down to doing the work, he did it. 

[Bastet]

Malucci was an offensive jackass, so I was happy to see him go.  I've mentioned before that I've seen the actor in a handful of roles, and he played the same type of jerk in each one - he's quite good at it, whatever his own personality, as I always wind up hating his characters.

[Claire85]

On 10/2/2020 at 9:43 PM, Bastet said:

I didn't think Susan was mean, I thought she was the only one properly regarding Sobriki as a patient to whom she had an obligation.  Granted, I don't remember all the details, just Sobriki having asked to be taken to a different hospital (seemingly for his own sake and the ER staff's), Carter running into the bathroom, and Susan saying, no, she would not transfer him until she'd been able to assess him and make sure that was safe.  I thought it was all pretty well done, even those behaving inappropriately, because their reactions made perfect sense.

I don’t think Susan was mean, exactly, but I do think she should have at least listened to Abby and put Sobriki in restraints. He killed Lucy and almost killed Carter, no one in that ER is going to feel safe around him. 

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Claire85 said:

I don’t think Susan was mean, exactly, but I do think she should have at least listened to Abby and put Sobriki in restraints. He killed Lucy and almost killed Carter, no one in that ER is going to feel safe around him.

You put a patient in restraints when they are a danger to themselves or others; they are patients, not inmates.  He was a danger when he was undiagnosed and untreated, but he was not a danger when he was brought in that second time (which is why he had been released).  He should not be forcibly restrained for no medical or safety reason.  I understand why Abby and others who went through that horrible experience reacted the way they did, but I'm also quite glad Susan did not cater to it.

Edited October 5, 2020 by Bastet

[PepSinger]

Watched the start of season 7 this morning, and I had a couple of thoughts.

Number one: Dear God, Michael Michele cannot act. There were two scenes in one of the episodes today: one scene where Cleo is being an asshole to Carter, and then the next scene is her comforting Benton. She has the SAME facial expression in both scenes. She always looks pissed. I'm trying to understand why she's so mad at Carter, and her face is telling me nothing! There's no subtext, no subtlety. Boo.

Number two: Benton should've filed a major lawsuit against Romano and County. What Romano did was pure workplace retaliation, and it was evident. It also doesn't read well that a white man is blackballing (no pun intended) a Black man. I didn't like it when I first saw it, but now, I find it utterly enraging. 

Number three: I couldn't believe it when Greene handed Carter the cup for his urine IN FRONT OF HIS CO-WORKERS. Like, WTF? That seems like a major privacy violation. If I were Carter, I would have been furious.

Edited October 6, 2020 by PepSinger

[RedbirdNelly]

there is one scene where Cleo is shooting hoops and interacts with Green. I thought it was her best, most relaxed scene. 

[Kel Varnsen]

Working my way through season 3 now. The storyline with Kirsten Dunst is not great but the woman they got to play her mom looks a lot like current day Kirsten Dunst, so nice casting there.

[doodlebug]

On 10/5/2020 at 3:36 PM, Bastet said:

You put a patient in restraints when they are a danger to themselves or others; they are patients, not inmates.  He was a danger when he was undiagnosed and untreated, but he was not a danger when he was brought in that second time (which is why he had been released).  He should not be forcibly restrained for no medical or safety reason.  I understand why Abby and others who went through that horrible experience reacted the way they did, but I'm also quite glad Susan did not cater to it.

Hospitals have very strict policies about the use of restraints, both physical and chemical.  There are very well defined criteria that must be met and the patient must be examined by an attending physician who has to sign off on the restraint order which is then renewed at set intervals as long as the restraints are in use.  Patients have died while restrained and every time they are used, a quality monitoring procedure goes into effect where their use in a particular case is evaluated and critiqued.  Abby was, at most, a resident at that point, Susan was the attending; she was the one who was responsible for the decision and would be the one who would have to defend it if it was found to be unnecessary which is exactly what would've happened.  Sobriki did not meet any of the conditions for physical restraints.

Of course, Abby also wanted her mother locked up indefinitely for attempting suicide and tried to get her brother placed into an adult daycare setting because he was bipolar.  She was clearly the worst person in that ER, probably in the whole world, to be making decisions about the care for someone with a mental illness.  Her only reaction seemed to be to lock them up and throw away the key.  Compassionate she was not and her judgement on caring for the mentally ill was terrible.

[doodlebug]

22 hours ago, PepSinger said:

Watched the start of season 7 this morning, and I had a couple of thoughts.

 

Number three: I couldn't believe it when Greene handed Carter the cup for his urine IN FRONT OF HIS CO-WORKERS. Like, WTF? That seems like a major privacy violation. If I were Carter, I would have been furious.

Yep, a total violation of his rights.  In fact, no one in the ER except Carter's direct supervisors and any coworkers HE chose to tell, should even know about his diagnosis, let alone his monitoring program.  In real life, Greene would be fired on the spot for handing Carter the cup in a public area of the ER, even if no one else seemed to notice or care.  A serious HIPPAA violation which hospitals take very seriously.  Any employee caught gossiping about Carter's substance abuse, even if purely speculating, would be fired if it happened in the ER and someone reported it.

Edited October 7, 2020 by doodlebug

[debraran]

7 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Yep, a total violation of his rights.  In fact, no one in the ER except Carter's direct supervisors and any coworkers HE chose to tell, should even know about his diagnosis, let alone his monitoring program.  In real life, Greene would be fired on the spot for handing Carter the cup in a public area of the ER, even if no one else seemed to notice or care.  A serious HIPPAA violation which hospitals take very seriously.  Any employee caught gossiping about Carter's substance abuse, even if purely speculating, would be fired if it happened in the ER and someone reported it.

Wasn't what he did with Jeanne wrong too? I work with today's HIPPAA but don't know what it was then. I can't even imagine a supervisor doing the cup thing today without a lawyer being on the phone soon. I know they were all "family" in some ways but rules are rules and not everyone needed to know things that personal.

We had an employee take a sick day and say she went to an ER in another town. She heard her supervisor tried to go into her records there (they had access) and she was looking into her rights.

Edited October 7, 2020 by debraran

[readster]

4 hours ago, debraran said:

Wasn't what he did with Jeanne wrong too? I work with today's HIPPAA but don't know what it was then. I can't even imagine a supervisor doing the cup thing today without a lawyer being on the phone soon. I know they were all "family" in some ways but rules are rules and not everyone needed to know things that personal.

We had an employee take a sick day and say she went to an ER in another town. She heard her supervisor tried to go into her records there (they had access) and she was looking into her rights.

I think the biggest problem was, Mark was upset that Susan was gone and his ex-wife having a it "together" was hitting him like a ton of bricks. So what does he do? Decides to go hunting through records and as Kerri puts it: "This is too far, and not you at all." It was like Mark HAD to find someone else's life in shit and then expose it to make himself feel better. Makes the karma of him being beaten up by that gang member almost full circle. Then again speaking of that episode, I still like to know just how they got in, beat Mark up and then walked out without anyone checking cameras. I mean, we know it wasn't the brother who beat Mark up, but he wasn't upset it happened either, same with the parents. Their thought were: "Good, got his ass kicked thinking my baby was a loser/gang member." Then again they never went into how Mark's lawsuit just was "fixed" by the lawyer who wanted to pretend to be a doctor, yet another: "What the hell?"

[RedbirdNelly]

Minor HIPAA notes for your next trivia event

* it's HIPAA--one P, 2 AAs

*compliance with HIPAA became required in 2003

 

[doodlebug]

6 hours ago, debraran said:

Wasn't what he did with Jeanne wrong too? I work with today's HIPPAA but don't know what it was then. I can't even imagine a supervisor doing the cup thing today without a lawyer being on the phone soon. I know they were all "family" in some ways but rules are rules and not everyone needed to know things that personal.

We had an employee take a sick day and say she went to an ER in another town. She heard her supervisor tried to go into her records there (they had access) and she was looking into her rights.

The hospitals where I've worked have fired people on the spot for looking at patient records without a valid reason.  They've even issued pre-emptive warnings when someone was hospitalized.  A few years ago, a colleague attempted suicide and was hospitalized.  Within hours, a stern email was sent to everyone in the department reminding them that Dr X's medical condition was private and anyone found searching his medical records would be fired immediately as would anyone discussing him or what happened while in the workplace.  NOT YOUR BUSINESS, in other words.

BTW, the colleague recovered, got help and is now happy and healthy and working full time.

Lots of hospital employees go outside the system to get care when they don't want people snooping in their business.  I had a patient who worked in the hospital who went to the lab to get a pregnancy test.  One of her coworkers saw her exit the lab and went online to see what she had gotten done.  The coworker knew the results before she did, and, when her mother called the floor to speak to her, that co-worker had the nerve to congratulate her on her impending grandmotherhood.  Alas, after she told me the story, she declined to name the person involved, fearing repercussions from the staff.  I had already informed the director of nursing who was ready to terminate the violator on the spot.

And, yes, Mark had no right to snoop in Jeannie's records nor to treat her differently once he knew she was HIV positive.  NOT HIS BUSINESS and he should've been fired.

Edited October 7, 2020 by doodlebug

[readster]

2 hours ago, doodlebug said:

The hospitals where I've worked have fired people on the spot for looking at patient records without a valid reason.  They've even issued pre-emptive warnings when someone was hospitalized.  A few years ago, a colleague attempted suicide and was hospitalized.  Within hours, a stern email was sent to everyone in the department reminding them that Dr X's medical condition was private and anyone found searching his medical records would be fired immediately as would anyone discussing him or what happened while in the workplace.  NOT YOUR BUSINESS, in other words.

BTW, the colleague recovered, got help and is now happy and healthy and working full time.

Lots of hospital employees go outside the system to get care when they don't want people snooping in their business.  I had a patient who worked in the hospital who went to the lab to get a pregnancy test.  One of her coworkers saw her exit the lab and went online to see what she had gotten done.  The coworker knew the results before she did, and, when her mother called the floor to speak to her, that co-worker had the nerve to congratulate her on her impending grandmotherhood.  Alas, after she told me the story, she declined to name the person involved, fearing repercussions from the staff.  I had already informed the director of nursing who was ready to terminate the violator on the spot.

And, yes, Mark had no right to snoop in Jeannie's records nor to treat her differently once he knew she was HIV positive.  NOT HIS BUSINESS and he should've been fired.

Right you know it's odd shows like this showed them doing this even if HIPPA was not in full effect until 2003. I reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Bart learns that Principal Skinner has a nut allergy and starts black mailing him. While Skinner has every right to not reveal it is he who allergic and wants all nut band products gone from the school (more common these days). However, when he sneaks into the file room to see Bart's allergy, that actually doesn't make sense. As a principal he has access to those kind of charts, he's the damn principal. You have to know student records, IEP, conditions, ect. Has been a staple since the late 90s. Yet the show treated it as if Skinner would have been screwed if he just walked and got Bart's file. Yet, here with Mark it's: "You have HIV and didn't tell anyone! How Dare you! Pee in this damn cup Carter, or your ass is back on a plane." Doesn't work like that. 

[Hava]

Do you guys think Susan ever had feelings for Mark? When she first left, Mark told her he loved her and asked her if she didn't feel the same and she responded with "I'm sorry." And then when she came back, she told Carter that Mark was like a big brother to her and that she never reciprocated his feelings. 

It makes me sad if true because I was rooting for Susan and Mark and, even after she left, I thought their story was one of star-crossed lovers. I wonder if the writers just retconned it because of Sherry Springfield's decision to leave. 

Edited October 8, 2020 by Hava

[Hava]

On 9/4/2018 at 2:17 AM, debraran said:

Mark dated Chuney a bit but of course they  had nothing to talk about as he said, after a while. She was a nurse, like Carol, but I guess Carol was more worldly. ; ) 

Thank you for this! I could not believe the reason Mark ended it with Chuney is that they had nothing to talk about, and the next thing he is with Cynthia, who is a receptionist, and didn't seem to have that problem (gee, I wonder if that is because Cynthia was white). I really enjoyed Mark/Chuney together and was pleasantly surprised the show went there to only be hugely disappointed that it ended so quickly. 

Edited October 8, 2020 by Hava

[debraran]

8 hours ago, Hava said:

Thank you for this! I could not believe the reason Mark ended it with Chuney is that they had nothing to talk about, and the next thing he is with Cynthia and didn't seem to have that problem (gee, I wonder if that is because Cynthia was white). I really enjoyed Mark/Chuney together and was pleasantly surprised the show went there to only be hugely disappointed that it ended so quickly. 

A minor criticism I have with the nurses is that they ALL did the same work, worked as hard, as well and Carol was always thought of as smarter. I'm not sure why. She had her emotional problems, bad judgement but the rest all worked as a team and they had kids or husbands etc. on top of it. It was ok for Doug to date Carol but Mark always had to be with a doctor or lawyer or seem to be "slumming". Cynthia was annoying with that voice but saying him and Chuney weren't compatible didn't have anything to do with her job. I liked them but never felt any real chemistry. If Cynthia wasn't so grating, I'm sure the fact she was a receptionist would have been the reason. I felt Mark might have been better with someone not as career oriented but who you love is not always the best fit.

I did feel a little chemistry with Mark and Susan at times but more from him. I had a friend like that and he misread it too. When you invite someone for pizza etc you have to be careful. I think because they saw each other at apartments, got along so well, Mark was hurting, Doug was encouraging, he saw a little more than their was. She also was leaving so they couldn't have him get too close.

Edited October 8, 2020 by debraran

[Bastet]

38 minutes ago, Hava said:

Do you guys think Susan ever had feelings for Mark?

Friendship.  I never saw any romantic chemistry between them; I think even his feelings were rooted in being out of sorts over the divorce and seeking something that wasn't there with someone familiar and comfortable, and hers definitely never came across as anything other than friendship.

[doodlebug]

14 hours ago, Bastet said:

Friendship.  I never saw any romantic chemistry between them; I think even his feelings were rooted in being out of sorts over the divorce and seeking something that wasn't there with someone familiar and comfortable, and hers definitely never came across as anything other than friendship.

Yeah, I think they were friends and Susan understood his work and his commitment to it; something that had been a problem with his marriage.  Mark saw her as some sort of idealized woman because of it and had more of a crush than actual love for her.  In the long run, I don't think they would've been compatible.  Susan just happened to fill a particular role for him at an opportune time, it wouldn't have held up over the long haul.