All Episodes Talk: What's Up Doc?

[slf]

4 hours ago, voiceover said:

And this whole Reese's paternity fake-out sucked ass.  There's Carla's character, shot to hell.  I wasn't her biggest fan, but that was hideous.  Leave the baby retcons for Young & the Restless.

This is such a god-awful storyline. There were times in previous seasons where I really liked Carla but from this season on they do their damndest to hit her with every stereotype possible.

4 hours ago, Bastet said:

Why, why, why did they saddle a great character like Elizabeth with the life suck that is Mark Greene?

They worked pretty well as friends and the writers should've stuck with that. 

On the upside this is the season where Romano makes Lizzie assist him with an operation on his dog. "Robert...this is a dog." "Correction, Lizzie: this is my dog." Though the best part is when, after spending the whole surgery mocking Romano, everyone's all business when the dog starts coding (I still remember Elizabeth yelling, "SHE'S CODING" and grabbing the shock paddles, lol).

[RedbirdNelly]

I'm covering square G52 in the spot the guest star BINGO game--saw the actress who played Liza Wilder on Little House last night briefly in an episode as a lady with a cockroach in her ear.

I forgot to mention a few episodes ago they were discussing Mother's Day and Romano mentioned taking his mom on a helicopter ride--so there is a long history with him and helicopters. That scene ends with Helah looking at him in disbelief and saying she's trying to picture his mother.

I am behind on episodes but saw the one last night where Carla just announces she's going to Germany. Honestly, no real person would just blurt that out that way. They definitely stuck her with "reasonable person becomes a witch" personality.

[slasherboy]

On 5/23/2017 at 6:34 PM, Mama No Life said:

The first time around with this show I wasn't sure when it all went awry.  I just kind of started losing interest and then when Carter left I had no problem cutting the tie.

This time in accelerated time I am absolutely positive when it all went wrong.  This season, what we are seeing right now.  Saint Luka, Clown Meluchhi and Snob Cleo....horribly, horribly wrong.  Reese custody fight, Elizabark relationship, Romano/Kerry power couple.....vomit vomit vomit.

The good news is that I am getting through the three episodes each night a lot faster because I'm pretty much only watching Carter.

Mama No Life, I agree 100% with everything you said ... vomit vomit vomit.

I do other things while I'm watching and only look up when I hear Carter's voice or something exciting is happening.  Although I believe I'm one of the few who likes Mark Green and enjoys watching him, most of the time.  But not when he's canoodling (I hate that word, but always wanted to use it) with Elizabeth.  I get up to use the bathroom when Benton is dealing with his personal life (I don't mind watching him working) and cover my eyes when Dr. Dave is on the screen.  I like Lucy but am looking forward to the stabbing.

Voiceover, you're not misunderstood by me.  I totally get what you're saying.

[Bastet]

Cranky!Kerry is cracking me up, especially screaming on the phone, "I hope if you're ever in a horrible accident, you wind up here, so I can be sure to stand there and be of no help whatsoever to you."

I also like her response to hearing that Jeanie can't make it in.  "She hasn't made it in all week.  Call her back, tell her to get in here, if not to work, then to explain to me why I shouldn't fire her."

Kerry is nicer than I am, because "Eh, don't worry about it; I'm going to miss you" is not the response I'd give to someone telling me she'd just up and decided she didn't feel like working anymore, so instead of giving proper notice, she just quit coming in.

Is there any nasty stereotype that hasn't been foisted on Carla at this point?  The writers should be ashamed of themselves.

[voiceover]

Gabe was quoting Wendell Berry, not William Blake.  Gah!!!  Was such a fucking easy thing for them to check, and now his whole "I can remember that poem by William Blake..." doesn't mean what the writer intended.  Pre-Google but whoever wrote the dialogue -- WTF dude??

Shit ep -- Benton breaking down in front of Carla, Mark tricking Gabe into exposing his problem, Kerry weeping at her loss...I hate these story lines!

[BBHN]

Quote

"I hope if you're ever in a horrible accident, you wind up here, so I can be sure to stand there and be of no help whatsoever to you."

Corday utters a variation of that to Weaver later on, funny enough. I think it's when Mark starts showing problems from his tumor, and Weaver narcs on him to have him some kind of competency exam. Or something, my memory is a bit fuzzy.

[starri]

The sweet old lady with the husband.  Same lady came back as Abby's patient in "Be Still My Heart."  Not only did I not remember that, I don't think I'd caught it the first time.

Regarding Carla, I think the transcendent Jackie said it best:  That bitch.

"...locked away in some home, nobody coming to see me..."

"I'll come and see you."

<sniff>

[Mindthinkr]

Watching the episode where Carol goes into labor while on the el. Her yelling (now in the ER) that she wants to go up to maternity. Lol...she doesn't want her friends/co-workers to deliver her baby! I forgot so much of this stuff and am so happy for these reruns. 

[Bastet]

7 minutes ago, starri said:

"...locked away in some home, nobody coming to see me..."

"I'll come and see you."

<sniff>

"But I won't know you're there" is what gets me sniffing. 

The only good thing about Elizabeth being stuck with Mark's dad and little shit of a kid on Thanksgiving is:

"The Pilgrims came here to escape persecution by the British."
"Yes, so they could go about persecuting the Indians."

[starri]

6 minutes ago, Bastet said:

"But I won't know you're there" is what gets me sniffing. 

Yeah.

Alan Alda reminds me a lot of my own father.  My dad's about ten years younger (although I think he's older now than Alda was here), and blessedly dementia is one of the few things we don't have a family history of, but it's been something I've worried about before.  I think that may be one of the reasons, besides just how much Gabe meant to Kerry, this was a story that stuck with me.

The other thing is that you can tell, even with his faculties diminished, that Gabe Lawrence was a great doctor and an even better teacher.

[Clemgo3165]

Did the writers change at this point? Season 5 wasn't nearly so dreadful.

[Bastet]

I lied; there's one more good thing about Elizabeth's Thanksgiving from hell: Mark's dad having to go buy pads.

"Sanitary napkins - those are the flat ones, right?"
"Just ask the clerk."
"What if it's a guy?"

And then later, at the hospital, when he's going on about all the different kinds there are.  "Mini, maxi, wings ... Why couldn't they just have regular?"

But screw Mark.  "Why'd you let him go out in this weather?"  She's not his keeper, and like she said, she was the better choice of the two to stay and talk to Rachel (unpleasant though that task may be; I've always hated that kid, and I remember that she only gets much, much worse).  I like Mark as a doctor, and as a friend, but I can't stand him as a boyfriend.

Edited May 25, 2017 by Bastet

[starri]

Also, her telling Mark that she could go get the pads, but that would mean leaving his "menstruating daughter" with his father.

I'd also forgotten how much I loved John Cullum as Mark's dad.  I think this was the last time I really felt any real connection to Mark as a character.

[Granny58]

4 hours ago, slasherboy said:

Mama No Life, I agree 100% with everything you said ... vomit vomit vomit.

I do other things while I'm watching and only look up when I hear Carter's voice or something exciting is happening.  Although I believe I'm one of the few who likes Mark Green and enjoys watching him, most of the time.  But not when he's canoodling (I hate that word, but always wanted to use it) with Elizabeth.  I get up to use the bathroom when Benton is dealing with his personal life (I don't mind watching him working) and cover my eyes when Dr. Dave is on the screen.  I like Lucy but am looking forward to the stabbing.

Voiceover, you're not misunderstood by me.  I totally get what you're saying.

I am a Mark Greene fan too.   IMO the most memorable even in ER was when Lucy and Carter were stabbed, ranking equally with Mark Greene dying.  Both we so powerful!!!!

[slasherboy]

Boy, I hated Carol as a patient.  I realize she's in the biz, so to speak, and wanted to know what was going on, but geeze Louise, give the doctors and nurses a chance to do their jobs.  Yelling and screaming ... if that had been a different patient and Carol was their nurse, she'd have been all over them to shut up.  Luka was sweet trying to carry her from the el then he dropped her in the ambulance bay.

Have I mentioned lately that I love John Truman Carter?  I do.

[Mindthinkr]

1 hour ago, Granny58 said:

I am a Mark Greene fan too.   IMO the most memorable even in ER was when Lucy and Carter were stabbed, ranking equally with Mark Greene dying.  Both we so powerful!!!!

I'm recording a lot of these to "get to". Do you remember the names of those 2 episodes? Thx

[SoapDoc]

4 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

Do you remember the names of those 2 episodes? Thx

Be Still My Heart and All in the Family. These come on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. I am recording them too.

[BooksRule]

I was both looking forward to and dreading the episode with Romano's first encounter with a helicopter, but if Pop is going to stop showing episodes after season 6, then I won't see it (it doesn't happen until season 9, according to wikipedia).  

I had forgotten about Martha Plimpton being on the show for several episodes until I first saw her, but couldn't remember how her story ended.  I think Carol did the right thing.  At least the baby might be better off if the mom could have some time to detox, although I wonder if she would have been allowed to keep the baby if she was in jail or if it would have been put into foster care.  

(ETA:  I should have waited to post until I watched the next episode, since it showed Carol visiting her on the hospital's jail floor and being there when the baby was taken away.)

Edited May 26, 2017 by BooksRule

[starri]

My insurance company keeps running this ad for preventative care on Facebook with a bunch of TV doctors:  Cuddy, McDreamy, Alan Alda, Turk, and Carter.  Makes me smile every time.

Since Hulu Live has been a little spotty, I went into my Amazon library to my selection of a few episodes and decided to watch the finale.  I had quit the show around S8, but tuned back in for Doug and Carol's return.  And stuck around for the two or three that were left.  I didn't have the emotional attachment to all the characters, but I really think they stuck the landing.  It was all about what made the show great.

And Tony, who may have been an iteration on Doug, but was superior to Luka in every way, most obviously because John Stamos is a lot more likable.

[BBHN]

Quote

I was both looking forward to and dreading the episode with Romano's first encounter with a helicopter, but if Pop is going to stop showing episodes after season 6, then I won't see it (it doesn't happen until season 9, according to wikipedia).  

In case it doesn't get shown...

[RedbirdNelly]

20 hours ago, slasherboy said:

Although I believe I'm one of the few who likes Mark Green and enjoys watching him, most of the time.  But not when he's canoodling (I hate that word, but always wanted to use it) with Elizabeth.  I get up to use the bathroom when Benton is dealing with his personal life (I don't mind watching him working) and cover my eyes when Dr. Dave is on the screen.

 

I agree so much but had not really thought about it until reading your comment. I always like Mark--not a perfect guy but like him as a doctor and could do without his dating stuff. And I love Benton--but yeah, the personal life stuff for him is not half as fun to watch as when he's working.

[atb]

I've been enjoying Carol and Mark's friendship.

There is no way that Carol would not have gone to be with Doug. Plus, I think he would have come to her once he found out she was pregnant. That part of the storyline makes no sense.

[Bastet]

Yeah, as I've mentioned, I'm only paying partial attention, but the Doug/Carol relationship confuses me.  They were engaged and trying to get pregnant.  Then he pulls his stunt at work and moves to Seattle (or wherever), asking her to come with him; she opts not to uproot her entire life because he did something idiotic.  I'm with things so far.  But then she gets pregnant, and has twins, and he doesn't so much as take a weekend off to come see her?

I guess, realistically, she's going to have to go to him if they're going to be together, as he won't be able to find work in Chicago (I don't know why anyone else hired him, but I'll go with it).  It just sucks that she's going to have to do that.  Two babies, and she's going to have to move away from her mom, her job, all her friends, and the city in which she's lived her entire life.  All because Doug decided climbing up on his high horse was more important than his best friend, his fiancée, and all the patients served by a county hospital and its two clinics.

[starri]

1 minute ago, Bastet said:

But then she gets pregnant, and has twins, and he doesn't so much as take a weekend off to come see her?

At one point late in S6, someone (her mother, maybe?) asks her about that, and she answers "Doug's been seeing them."

The problem was that they weren't quite sure if Margulies was going to renew her contract or not.  That's where the whole will they/won't they with Luka came from.  They'd offered her the same deal they'd already given to Anthony Edwards and Eriq La Salle, and she said no.

[slasherboy]

22 hours ago, starri said:

"...locked away in some home, nobody coming to see me..."

"I'll come and see you."

I call total bullshit on Gabe saying that.  A man of his age and stature in the medical community would have tons of friends and colleagues and I believe many of them would make a point of visiting him in whatever living situation he might end up at.  For him to say nobody would come to see him is completely unrealistic.

2 hours ago, atb said:

There is no way that Carol would not have gone to be with Doug. Plus, I think he would have come to her once he found out she was pregnant. That part of the storyline makes no sense.

I feel the exact same way.  There was no hatred between them when they went their separate ways and there's no way he wouldn't be present when his daughters were born.  But this is a drama.....

[Bastet]

19 hours ago, SoapDoc said:

Be Still My Heart and All in the Family. These come on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. I am recording them too.

Why are they split up?  Today's block of episodes concludes with The Domino Heart.  According to the IMDb episode guide for the show, the next three episodes (which would air Tuesday rather than Monday because of the Doug & Carol marathon for Memorial Day) are Abby Road and then the two in question, Be Still My Heart and All in the Family.  So is IMDb missing an episode or something?

I hope they're both airing on Tuesday so I can watch them in a row (I'll just plan on taking a long lunch that day).

[SoapDoc]

25 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I hope they're both airing on Tuesday so I can watch them in a row (I'll just plan on taking a long lunch that day).

Sorry. They are airing on Tuesday (last episode of the block) and Wednesday (first episode of the block). I have already selected them for recording which is why I know.  I have been waiting to see them again for a while. They were my favorite episodes of the entire series.

[Clemgo3165]

2 hours ago, slasherboy said:

I feel the exact same way.  There was no hatred between them when they went their separate ways and there's no way he wouldn't be present when his daughters were born.  But this is a drama.....

I thought it was a matter of Carol not really wanting him there at the time? She didn't call to tell him she was pregnant, ended up sending a fax. She did call him after the babies were born, but not before. 

I've always been confused as to why he needed to immediately head to Seattle. I know they had to make room for Carol to date other people and Doug still being at home would have ruined that. But they could have given it a few weeks and had it be a mutual decision.

[BBHN]

Quote

There was no hatred between them when they went their separate ways and there's no way he wouldn't be present when his daughters were born.  But this is a drama.....

The whole Doug/Carol break-up was always going to be a mess, given the BTS nature of it all. With Clooney leaving, there was no way he would be showing up every once in a while. They're lucky they got him for Carol's send-off episode. Because yes, Carol having Doug's kids, and not having Doug visit or be more involved just makes everyone involved look bad.

With that said, I'm still not sure why they made the decision to make Carol pregnant to begin with. Even without having kids, Carol leaving Chicago to reunite would Doug would have still worked once Margulies left the show.

[starri]

"It's a hyphenate, actually!"

It's nice that after all their friction, Rachel and Elizabeth ended up close.

ETA:  That Zillow ad with the widowed dad finding a house with a skylight so his son can say goodnight to his mother is manipulative and I fall for it every goddamn time.

Edited May 26, 2017 by starri

[slf]

Wait, so did Elizabeth really euthanize Rollins (the murderer)?

[ch1]

I find it kind of stupid that Carol wasn't ready to marry Doug but agreed to have a baby with him. That makes sense.

[starri]

Michael Michelle is so beautiful, it's a shame she's such a lousy actress.  I mean, she does fine with patients most of the time, but she's just putrid with this pairing with Benton.  Also, whoever had Emile Hirsch on their BINGO card can cross it off.

Romano's fondness for Lucy was really one of his few good qualities.

This is more of a general comment than from this specific run of episodes, but I've never worked with anyone, EM doc or surgeon that shouts as much as Peter.  Generally, in a real trauma or code, you try to be as calm as possible.  But, it's a lot less exciting.  It just jumped out at me because, alone in an elevator with a patient and Connie, the first thing he shouts is "LET'S MOVE!" when the patient coded.

[RedbirdNelly]

just watched Episode 2 of Season 6 and claiming square B11 on my BINGO card for Paige Moss (as dying girl with cancer that Mark and Kerry disagree on due to there being a DNR that she revokes)---she's better known (at least to 90210 fans) as single white female, psycho Tara who tries to kill Kelly. I recognized those crazy eyes right away.

Best part to me of this episode was Dr. Malucci telling people to call him Dr. Dave; Peter meets him for the first time over a trauma and sarcastically says "dr. Dave!" resulting in Malucci asking Carter "who is this guy" and Carter telling him to call Benton "Dr Pete." the whole exchange just cracked me up. And I'm no Malucci fan.

[Bastet]

I've seen the actor who plays Malucci in three things - this, U-571, and L&O: SVU - and he has basically played the same character in each of them.  They've all annoyed me.

[RedbirdNelly]

I believe in U-571, his character survives to the end of the movie but Jon Bon Jovi's gets killed at the start. How is that right? :)

[RedbirdNelly]

now watching Episode 4 and took me a minute to figure out how I knew Martha Plimpton (Meg--pregnant waitress). She's in a lot of stuff but I remember her as Julie from Parenthood (the movie).

[BooksRule]

I first saw Martha Plimpton in 'The Goonies'.  She was also good in the sitcom 'Raising Hope'. 

Can anyone tell me what other shows the actress who plays the young woman who needed a heart transplant has been in?  She looks familiar, but I can't place her.

[Bastet]

5 minutes ago, BooksRule said:

Can anyone tell me what other shows the actress who plays the young woman who needed a heart transplant has been in?  She looks familiar, but I can't place her.

She was great as a rape victim in an episode of L&O: SVU, and she's also been in an episode of Major Crimes.  Those are my primary associations, but she's been in quite a few other things: Myndy Crist

[WendyCR72]

Martha Plimpton, besides SVU also had a memorable turn on the other spinoff, Criminal Intent as psychotic Jo Gage. She was also in the recently-cancelled The Real O'Neals on ABC.

[RedbirdNelly]

Episode 4 also has one of my favorite Romano lines:

Corday: Robert, I assumed. .

Romano: Lizzy, when you assume, you make an ass of you and me.

[voiceover]

So RedbirdNelly's BINGO/guest star edition should have a "Grey's Anatomy ripped off this SL" edition too.

Today's was the L-Vad (sp? eh, you know what I mean) subplot, making its first brief cameo as the glue that bonded Lucy & Rocket --  before it reappeared in Grey's, just long enough to kill Denny.

That's some wire!!!

I missed whatever happened to serial rapist guy, too (damn family obligations!!) -- anyone catch that?

[RedbirdNelly]

I just finished the episode where the rapist first appears so if the story continues to the next episode, I will let you know.

[starri]

Anybody have Gabby Union on their card.

And poor Anton Yelchin in his first professional appearance is coming up soon.

[Ceindreadh]

I always liked Malucci.  A pity they couldn't have given him better storylines.

[Mindthinkr]

3 hours ago, starri said:

Anybody have Gabby Union on their card.

I did!! Lol...but I didn't know we're playing so I guess I've marked out one letter now ?

[slasherboy]

On 5/26/2017 at 2:41 PM, starri said:

They'd offered her the same deal they'd already given to Anthony Edwards and Eriq La Salle, and she said no.

What was the deal they offered AE and ELS?

 

On 5/26/2017 at 5:08 PM, BBHN said:

The whole Doug/Carol break-up was always going to be a mess, given the BTS nature of it all.

What is BTS please?

 

15 hours ago, voiceover said:

Whatever happened to serial rapist guy, too (damn family obligations!!) -- anyone catch that?

Cash you oussi.  How ba dat?

 

5 hours ago, RedbirdNelly said:

I just finished the episode where the rapist first appears so if the story continues to the next episode, I will let you know.

To me, that story line seemed to never end.  Every time Corday opened the door, there he was.

 

 

I have to state my dislike for the numerous scenes where someone has a major life decision (amputating a child's leg, having a heart transplant, for example) to make and there are no friends or family present!!  That totally takes me out of the story every time because it's so unrealistic that it screems "TV SHOW!!". Yes, I already knew it was just a TV show, but I'm being dramatic here.

Watching so many episodes in one sitting, including Tuesday night and all afternoon on Saturday, makes it very obvious how the writing and story lines declined as the seasons went on.  And the despicable characters.

I don't like their version of a young, black male 95% of the time.

Edited May 27, 2017 by slasherboy

[starri]

5 minutes ago, slasherboy said:

What was the deal they offered AE and ELS?

$27 million/season.  In retrospect, pay equity between the men and the women was rather progressive, especially for the time.

[Bastet]

17 minutes ago, slasherboy said:

What is BTS please?

Behind the scenes.

[slasherboy]

Thanks starri and Bastet.  Sometimes things just go over my head.