All Episodes Talk: What's Up Doc?

[Cloud9Shopper]

54 minutes ago, littlebennysmom said:

I can't find the comment now but someone mentioned Sally Field winning an Emmy for her performance on ER.  Ugh.  I never bought the storyline in the beginning which soured me on the character.  If anyone shrieked like that in a hospital (Aaaaaaabbbbbbyyyyyy!), especially a visitor as Abby's mother was, there is no way they'd let that continue.  All I could think was, "shut up, shut up, SHUT UP, there are people trying to recuperate and they don't need your crap!  GO OUTSIDE!"

Whenever I watch Mrs. Doubtfire and Sally Field’s character starts that “The whole time?!?! I have to go! We have to go!” monologue, all I can hear is “Abbyyyyyy!” 

County had whack security for an inner city hospital. Pretty much everyone and anyone could wander around undetected. 

[txhorns79]

On 6/12/2023 at 5:22 PM, Notabug said:

Finally, Kerry decides to get a hip replacement and who does she ask to be Henry's guardian?  Why, Abby, of course, even though, as far as the audience knows, hasn't even laid eyes on him since he was a newborn.

I did think that was strange.  I can see why she would be reluctant to involve Sandy's family after they tried to take Henry, but surely there was someone in her life that she was closer with than Abby to take Henry in case something happened. 

 

On 6/12/2023 at 8:57 PM, Cloud9Shopper said:

 

I liked Malucci for comic relief when I was younger. We’ll see how I feel this time around when he shows up in S6. 

I felt like he and Cleo-bot were just wasted space.  They seemed to set him up as a kind of Doug-replacement, but they seemed to lose interest in the character.

[Cliffw]

6 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I did think that was strange.  I can see why she would be reluctant to involve Sandy's family after they tried to take Henry, but surely there was someone in her life that she was closer with than Abby to take Henry in case something happened. 

 

I felt like he and Cleo-bot were just wasted space.  They seemed to set him up as a kind of Doug-replacement, but they seemed to lose interest in the character.

I know that Michael Michele wasn't the best actress, but I always felt that it was messed up how her character was just written as simply Peter Benton's (black) girlfriend and nothing really else. I know she got that one storyline with the drunk kid during the first half of season 6, but they gave her nothing as far as an individual storyline for herself after she got together with Benton. I felt like there was a missed opportunity in season 7 when she seemed like she had an attitude with Carter not long after he came back from rehab. At the end of the episode, he asks Cleo if she has a problem with him being there which she denies and that's the end of it. It would have been nice to have a story where she's skeptical about him as a doctor after his addiction before she eventually trusts him. 

They could have done more with Malucci. After season 6, it's like the writers got lazy and turned him into a one note goofball. I'm not saying he had to be totally serious but at least give him more moments like he had with the incest victim in season 6.  In the end, they can have him quit like Chen did temporarily after Weaver made her give up the Chief Resident job after that patient died. Anything is better than the way he got fired. 

Edited June 14, 2023 by Cliffw

[Notabug]

4 hours ago, Cliffw said:

I know that Michael Michele wasn't the best actress, but I always felt that it was messed up how her character was just written as simply Peter Benton's (black) girlfriend and nothing really else. I know she got that one storyline with the drunk kid during the first half of season 6, but they gave her nothing as far as an individual storyline for herself after she got together with Benton. I felt like there was a missed opportunity in season 7 when she seemed like she had an attitude with Carter not long after he came back from rehab. At the end of the episode, he asks Cleo if she has a problem with him being there which she denies and that's the end of it. It would have been nice to have a story where she's skeptical about him as a doctor after his addiction before she eventually trusts him. 

They could have done more with Malucci. After season 6, it's like the writers got lazy and turned him into a one note goofball. I'm not saying he had to be totally serious but at least give him more moments like he had with the incest victim in season 6.  In the end, they can have him quit like Chen did temporarily after Weaver made her give up the Chief Resident job after that patient died. Anything is better than the way he got fired. 

There were also a few lines between Cleo and Benton that indicated that she was biracial and raised in a more affluent setting than Benton.  There could've been a good storyline involving Cleo and her background and the clash with Benton's family history but it never happened.  Of course, the fact that Michael Michelle cannot act was probably a major factor there.

The way Dave got fired as well as the inexcusable slur aimed at Kerry as he left were completely unnecessary, IMO.  There was also implication that Dave had some natural abilities when it came to medicine that were never allowed to develop.  He realized Carter's patient was sick from eating some tropical fruit before anyone else thought of it.  He also seemingly had more street smarts than the others.  His time on the show was a real waste.  

Abby was the only one of the new batch of characters who got fully fleshed out storylines and it would've been better, IMO, if a couple of those had been dropped to give us more insight into other characters.

[txhorns79]

2 hours ago, Notabug said:

There was also implication that Dave had some natural abilities when it came to medicine that were never allowed to develop.  He realized Carter's patient was sick from eating some tropical fruit before anyone else thought of it. 

I don't know if that was a natural ability, so much as he went to medical school in a tropical area and was familiar with the issue because of that.  They definitely should have allowed him more growth, but they did not seem interested. 

[Notabug]

4 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I don't know if that was a natural ability, so much as he went to medical school in a tropical area and was familiar with the issue because of that.  They definitely should have allowed him more growth, but they did not seem interested. 

True, but he clearly was paying attention when he first saw it in med school; so the show's implication that he was just dumb and incapable of being a decent diagnostician was a bridge too far, I think.  I think TPTB decided pretty early after adding all the newbies in Season 6 that it was going to be the Abby Show with a touch of Luka and gave up all plans for any stories for the rest of them.

[Cloud9Shopper]

Luka was actually the other character I liked at first. (His entrance in S6 is my first ER memory.) He started going downhill for me in S9 when he turned into a sex addict (I think they tried to sell it as him being sad about him and Abby breaking up, or it’s at least interpreted that way) and he almost killed Harkins (the med student played by Leslie Bibb) in a car accident and banged a patient’s mother in a supply closet or an empty exam room or something. And I always kind of thought he low key manipulated Abby into pregnancy and marriage. I liked him better when he was more happy go lucky but also had a sad backstory that helped develop his plot with the bishop in S7.

To be fair, though, almost no one was happy in the post-Mark era. I prefer ER when it was a balance of personal drama and traumas but you got to see the characters enjoy life and their friendships/romances too. 

[Bastet]

I found Luka off-putting from jump, with how obsessed he was with Carol's fetuses.  Terribly tragic you lost your family, but, dude, quit looking for a replacement everywhere. 

I generally liked him as a doctor, but not as a person. 

[Cloud9Shopper]

Back to my regularly scheduled S5 rambling for a minute.

I watched Doug’s departure yesterday, and it was really more depressing than I ever thought in the past. Carol going from angry at him practically causing the closure of her clinic to crying to Mark about how she can’t remember not loving him, and Mark being so kind and understanding with her. (Although I still can’t understand why she is so devastated and attached to him after he blew up all her hard work. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me especially since she’s not pregnant at this point, or is and doesn’t know it, but that’s neither here or there.) 

I know Joi said she was separated from her husband. How does he just get to show up and say he wants life saving measures for Ricky when Joi has been his caregiver this whole time (seemingly alone) and says she doesn’t? And the trauma team takes her husband’s word just like that. Is that realistic when one family member says no and the other says yes? 

Doug really isn’t one of my favorites after this plot. I know he cares about kids and could be a good doctor if he weren’t always going around the rules and taking others down with him. (But again, he’s not the only doctor on the show who does something or somethings unethical during the series.) He just doesn’t put a lot of thought or care into his actions or working relationships. So overall I have a harder time standing behind him now that I’ve been a working adult for a longer period of time.

The car accident with him and Jeanie never seems that impactful on screen. I get the idea that he spins out on the ice but it looks like overall they don’t crash that hard where she’d be so badly injured. There have been way faster and harder crashes shown on ER than that.

The mass casualty incident with the school bus crash was well done but I can’t take the screaming from the girl who has the partial amputation. I know she has to be in tons of pain and I sympathize with her but I have to look away or block my ears. Some things on this show are just too much. (I can’t watch Mark get attacked in S3 either.) That’s probably why I’m not a doctor or nurse though. 

I like Mark’s subplot with the janitor and his wife. Mark is really patient and understanding with them (instead of yelling at him that he needs help and getting forceful), and the actor who plays the janitor does a great job conveying his past and emotions. The scenes with him when he loses it are intense. 

Carter and Lucy…could have been cute if she weren’t in med school. I’ve probably been writing fic for too long but I watched them almost make out and went “oh this is good enemies to lovers stuff.” 😂 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Since Joi was only separated from the husband, but unless they are actually divorced, or have a custody plan giving Joi the total medical control, the husband still had rights.    He wasn't doing anything to help his son, but it was apparently legal. 

[outsmartabullet]

16 hours ago, Notabug said:

True, but he clearly was paying attention when he first saw it in med school; so the show's implication that he was just dumb and incapable of being a decent diagnostician was a bridge too far, I think.

I think one thing that was evident in his early episodes was that he was pretty skillful in traumas even for a young resident. This was overshadowed by his obnoxious personality and as time went on they seemed to forget that he liked diving into traumas and put more emphasis on him just wandering around the admit desk making inappropriate comments.

[Notabug]

41 minutes ago, outsmartabullet said:

I think one thing that was evident in his early episodes was that he was pretty skillful in traumas even for a young resident. This was overshadowed by his obnoxious personality and as time went on they seemed to forget that he liked diving into traumas and put more emphasis on him just wandering around the admit desk making inappropriate comments.

Yeah, Dave actually had the typical 'cowboy', dive right in, adrenaline junkie persona that draws a lot of docs to ER.  They tend to love big traumas and feel most alive when dealing with a crisis.  There is room for those sorts of people in emergency medicine and it would've been nice had we seen Dave evolve into a doc who not only thrived on the major traumas, but developed the persona and nuance that is needed for the 99% of ER work that is not exciting and risky.  The episode where he read to the little girl who'd been assaulted and the other where he read the message from the wife to the dying trauma victim seemed to indicate that TPTB were heading that way with him, but it all got derailed by The Abby Show.

[Cloud9Shopper]

He also had a nice scene where he had to tell a youth hockey player that he had cancer, although I can’t remember what season that’s from. 

[Cloud9Shopper]

Possibly unpopular opinion: Middle of Nowhere from S5 is one of my favorite episodes, and one of the only outside of the ER episodes I like. I thought it was an interesting way of showing what it’s like to give and receive healthcare with limited sources, and it was a good choice to give Benton the plot and get him out of his comfort zone. And I liked the end when he earned the respect of the locals and helped the younger girl get the heart surgery she needed. 

In other thoughts, we are now into Carol’s woe is me era since she just found out she is pregnant. I rolled my eyes a little at the choice to show her looking sad and mopey in front of the home shopping network and then longingly staring at the supplies in the pediatric ER as if Doug had died or something. I’m sure long distance relationships (if they even have that at this point) are difficult but I hate how they made her look like some lonely pregnant widow. 

I love the B plot with Jerry and the pro wrestler, though! 

[Cliffw]

1 hour ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

Possibly unpopular opinion: Middle of Nowhere from S5 is one of my favorite episodes, and one of the only outside of the ER episodes I like. I thought it was an interesting way of showing what it’s like to give and receive healthcare with limited sources, and it was a good choice to give Benton the plot and get him out of his comfort zone. And I liked the end when he earned the respect of the locals and helped the younger girl get the heart surgery she needed. 

In other thoughts, we are now into Carol’s woe is me era since she just found out she is pregnant. I rolled my eyes a little at the choice to show her looking sad and mopey in front of the home shopping network and then longingly staring at the supplies in the pediatric ER as if Doug had died or something. I’m sure long distance relationships (if they even have that at this point) are difficult but I hate how they made her look like some lonely pregnant widow. 

I love the B plot with Jerry and the pro wrestler, though! 

Going back, I'm with you on Middle of Nowhere being one of the better outside of the ER episodes. I could never stay awake through Carol's episode in season 3 and Mark and Doug's in season 4.  I enjoyed one of the first Africa episode, and was bored by Abby's kidnapping in season 11. Also loved the end of the episode when Benton comes back from Mississippi and is picked up by Elizabeth (post break up) who has Reese along with her.  Carla letting Elizabeth take Reese with her is another reminder of how much I hate what the writers did with Carla's character for the rest of her time on the show. 

 

Regarding Carol, I'm with the person who said that they wished that JM didn't stay an extra season. I would have been fine with Doug and Carol leaving together if there was a different sendoff for Doug and not Carol making the decision to leave with Doug because he decided to commit career suicide at County. 

[Bastet]

16 hours ago, Cliffw said:

I would have been fine with Doug and Carol leaving together if there was a different sendoff for Doug and not Carol making the decision to leave with Doug because he decided to commit career suicide at County. 

Yeah, I didn't have any interest in them as a couple, but I didn't hate their relationship - they both sucked as romantic partners, so better for them to pair off and not subject anyone else to either one of them - so I'd have been fine with them leaving together.  But him leaving because he blew up his career - and her clinic - and then her later leaving everything behind to traipse after him was gross.

[outsmartabullet]

On 6/16/2023 at 3:38 AM, Cloud9Shopper said:

I love the B plot with Jerry and the pro wrestler, though! 

Probably my favourite 'comedy guest patient' of the entire series. Malik and Jerry are hilarious. And his interactions with Weaver are lovely.

[Cloud9Shopper]

I’m almost to the end of S5 (three episodes left). I also had a shitty day of work so bear with me: 

Not the most major plot point in the show but I wanted to kind of smack Lucy when she got defensive about Coco (the schizophrenic who had a baby and came to Carol’s clinic) not wanting her to be on her case. The snotty way she says “a schizophrenic doesn’t trust ME?” (paraphrasing) was obnoxious and I feel she could have shown a tad more empathy when Carol explained Coco’s situation. 

I kind of rolled my eyes at Carol’s “I don’t want to be a single mother” rant to Elizabeth. But you don’t have to be! You could have gone to Seattle! Doug is alive and well! Hmmph. And I never bought the fact that there was some underlying thought where she would consider not keeping the baby. Carol doesn’t seem like the type who would even want an abortion or consider it. Maybe I misunderstood though.

On a happy note, Mark and Elizabeth danced the tango tonight so they are getting together soon! My favorite ER couple. I’ll be virtually screaming soon enough. 😍

 

[Dr.OO7]

On 6/22/2023 at 11:59 PM, Cloud9Shopper said:

kind of rolled my eyes at Carol’s “I don’t want to be a single mother” rant to Elizabeth. But you don’t have to be! You could have gone to Seattle! Doug is alive and well! Hmmph

I always liked Carol for the most part, but the way she handled her pregnancy, etc., really annoyed me. I get that she's upset about what he did, but ffs TALK TO HIM and try to work something out, instead of refusing to and then lamenting your circumstances.

 

[Cloud9Shopper]

I don’t think there was one drama-free pregnancy on the show (as far as the main cast is concerned) with the exception of Susan’s in S10, even though I didn’t like the whole plot with her drunken Vegas marriage to Chuck. I get that they wanted to write in Sherry Stringfield’s IRL pregnancy but it was just so out of character for Susan to get married like that in the first place. And Chen’s birth with Carter supporting her and her devastation about the adoption was so well done. Elizabeth of course had to deal with Mark’s tumor while being pregnant and they never got to experience real happiness. (I like to pretend they did though!)

But all Carol and Abby did during their pregnancies and motherhood was piss and moan, although I will give Carol credit because once Tess and Kate come she does love them and care about them. I just wish they hadn’t made her this helpless victim who can’t handle raising children when she was so excited to have a family in early S5 and (seemingly) knew what it would entail. 

[txhorns79]

On 6/13/2023 at 11:08 AM, Notabug said:

I haven't used a stopwatch on the episodes, but, from what I recall; Abby got at least as much, probably more, camera time than Lucy; even in BSMH which was the introduction of Sobriki and set up for the stabbing.

In fairness, Abby was being set up to replace Carol, who was a much larger presence on the show than Lucy.  Further, Lucy was already on her way out (i.e. the actress had already asked to quit the show) when Abby came in.   

[Cloud9Shopper]

Almost done with S5. Power is one of the best episodes of the season, IMO. I love Holland Taylor and had forgotten on my first watch that she popped up in ER. Plus Kerry with the fried chicken and quotable Romano (“That’s why I like my patients anesthetized.”) The whole power outage plot was also well coordinated, and I loved Mark and Elizabeth at the arcade at the end too. 

Is it just me or did it feel like Lucy’s psych rotation was about five minutes long? She’s already back in the ER when she was in psych last episode. Or two episodes ago or something.

I’m embarrassed for Carol faxing a letter to Doug on the work fax and taking a highly personal call from him at the hospital. Does she not have a landline at home? (I’d say cell phone if this weren’t 1999.) The whole thing of not letting anyone enter the lounge so she can sit and mope is so ridiculous. She could just go outside or to the cafeteria or whatever. 

Thank God Carter and Roxanne broke up. Never liked her. Although yes he is annoying about Lucy and the Ritalin thing. That’s the one time I sided with her in their feud. Like mind your own business, Carter! (Thanks to whoever corrected me on that; could have sworn it was Adderall.)

Wrapping up this season on Thursday. 

[Cliffw]

2 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

Thank God Carter and Roxanne broke up. Never liked her. Although yes he is annoying about Lucy and the Ritalin thing. That’s the one time I sided with her in their feud. Like mind your own business, Carter! (Thanks to whoever corrected me on that; could have sworn it was Adderall.)

I swear that Roxanne couldn't keep Lucy's name out of her mouth.  Not that she was going to be a long term love interest, but her entire relationship with Carter consisted of her being suspicious of Carter/Lucy. 

Carter is usually one of the few characters who doesn't annoy me (along with Brenton after Reese was born and seemed to chill out a bit compared to seasons 1-early part of season 3) but he annoyed me with the Ritalin story as well. The fact that it wasn't his business was enough but I don't even recall him giving her a logical reason to quit taking the medicine that HER doctor prescribed for her to take.

 

[txhorns79]

12 hours ago, Cliffw said:

The fact that it wasn't his business was enough but I don't even recall him giving her a logical reason to quit taking the medicine that HER doctor prescribed for her to take.

It was something ridiculous like that the medication was only meant for hyperactive children and Lucy was now too old for it.  Where Carter came up with this idea is beyond me, but that he was so in Lucy's business was really obnoxious. 

And even worse, didn't she go cold turkey, started screwing up and Carter was like "don't expect me to help you," or something like that.  He was awful.

[Cliffw]

9 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

And even worse, didn't she go cold turkey, started screwing up and Carter was like "don't expect me to help you," or something like that.  He was awful.

He got mad because she screwed up in front of either Anspaugh or Romano. 

I think the show kind of dropped the ball with Carter (and really every other character since Carter finished up as a med student) as a teacher. Carter had Lucy and they didn't click (of course the writers really wanted to go the relationship route instead of actually doing a good teacher/student storyline). He had Chad Lowe's character as a student during the previous season and that was mainly written for the wacky hijinks. He spent a little time with Gallant when he was a student but most the focusfor Carter was all about him and Abby. I know Benton & Carter's student/teacher relationship would bd hard to duplicate, but I wish the show would have tried. 

 

Edited June 29, 2023 by Cliffw

[Cloud9Shopper]

Finished S5 tonight.

I don’t understand why Lucy went off the Ritalin based off one stupid thing Carter told her, and especially since she stood up for herself in the episode before about how it works for her. 

It was nice to see Carol actually not being whiny and mopey about her pregnancy, even though I know there’s plenty of that to come in S6. And I kind of love that Jerry was the one who tried to protect Carol’s privacy and say well maybe she’s actually not pregnant. 

Mark and Elizabeth are my favorite ER couple so I am always happy to see their first kiss. It’s nice to see two mature and more settled people together who are comfortable with their lives and having fun. They seem very genuine to me and I hate that they got so much drama later on between the brain tumor and Rachel the daughter/stepdaughter from hell. It’s just a nice break from a lot of the other relationship drama on this show. (It’s also why I liked Archie and Claudia and the Banfields in the last season…it’s a breather to see couples who enjoy each other and not into petty bickering.) 

I read on TVTropes a while ago that S5 was considered the first down season, and now that I’ve seen it all again, I tend to agree. It wasn’t terrible; compared to the later seasons it’s definitely watchable. But they tried a lot of gimmicky stuff this season that just didn’t fit the earlier seasons (Amanda Lee, Mark treating a horse, the female stripper shooting victim brought in by the “FBI”) and there’s very few “must see” episodes overall. Like if I only ever saw my favorite S5 episodes again (The Storm two-parter, Power, and Middle of Nowhere) that would be fine. Lucy’s also not as likable to me overall now, whereas in the past I generally liked her fine. She grated on me more this watch, though, and I felt she also was part responsible for the rift between her and Carter.

The rankings of the seasons I’ve watched so far from worst to best are:

5. S2

4. S5

3. S3

2. S4 

1. S1

I’m starting S6 next week and I’m already fairly confident it will take over the best season spot. :) Lots of new characters coming too so I can’t wait to see what I think of everyone this time around. 

 

[Bastet]

Vibrant, funny, outgoing Elizabeth was utterly wasted on a character like Mark.  She was never as good after they were paired up, so I hate that it happened, although I do utterly adore when she's stuck with his little brat and his dad on Thanksgiving; Elizabeth responding to Rachel's comment about the Pilgrims coming to the U.S. to escape persecution from the British with "Yes, so they could go about persecuting the Indians" is one of my favorite little moments from the entire series, and I love everything about sending Mark's dad out for pads when Rachel gets her first period.

[Cloud9Shopper]

34 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Vibrant, funny, outgoing Elizabeth was utterly wasted on a character like Mark.  She was never as good after they were paired up, so I hate that it happened, although I do utterly adore when she's stuck with his little brat and his dad on Thanksgiving; Elizabeth responding to Rachel's comment about the Pilgrims coming to the U.S. to escape persecution from the British with "Yes, so they could go about persecuting the Indians" is one of my favorite little moments from the entire series, and I love everything about sending Mark's dad out for pads when Rachel gets her first period.

“Wings, no wings, thin, ultra thin; I got every kind! They couldn’t just have regular!” 

[Heathen]

10 minutes ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

“Wings, no wings, thin, ultra thin; I got every kind! They couldn’t just have regular!” 

"You don't have any of that...stuff?" 

[Bastet]

On 6/29/2023 at 8:31 PM, Cloud9Shopper said:

“Wings, no wings, thin, ultra thin; I got every kind! They couldn’t just have regular!” 

On 6/29/2023 at 8:42 PM, Heathen said:

"You don't have any of that...stuff?" 

He is so great in that episode!  Mark is his usual Mark self, exemplifying why I like him as a doctor -- right up until, ya know, that disgusting storyline (where they drag Elizabeth down with him by having her let it go) where he lets that guy die in the elevator and lies about it -- but can't stand him as a romantic partner, chastising Elizabeth for his dad slipping on the ice, demanding to know why she "let" him go out in that weather ("Would you rather I left him with your menstruating daughter?"), but his dad is fantastically funny in his awkward but sincere effort.

Edited July 2, 2023 by Bastet

[Cloud9Shopper]

I also forgot to mention in my brief S5 recap that Carla telling Peter she wants to take Reece to “Germany Hamburg” never ceases to make me laugh. But I still hate her, especially since she had plenty of opportunity before now to explain to Peter that Reece may not be his son. Why would you not tell him that when you were pregnant?! 

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

Why would you not tell him that when you were pregnant?! 

Because back then, when Carla was written more like an actual person, there was no question as to paternity.  Later, the writers decided to foist every racist and sexist stereotype they could find on her, so she was a cartoon who acted selfishly at every turn.

[ch1]

I just watched the James Woods’ episode and can someone tell me how Abby’s wants supersede a man who has a progressive debilitating disease?  Watching her just fills you with rage because the idea that a person has zero say in their final days/months - holy fuck.

I have never liked Dr. Abby because she is so arrogant and just bulldozes over everyone.

Besides that so a resident has the only say and the attendings just stand around with their thumbs up their ass?    Seriously Luka needed to find someone outside of the damn hospital because he is worthless when it involves someone he is screwing.

 

[Notabug]

2 hours ago, ch1 said:

I just watched the James Woods’ episode and can someone tell me how Abby’s wants supersede a man who has a progressive debilitating disease?  Watching her just fills you with rage because the idea that a person has zero say in their final days/months - holy fuck.

I have never liked Dr. Abby because she is so arrogant and just bulldozes over everyone.

Besides that so a resident has the only say and the attendings just stand around with their thumbs up their ass?    Seriously Luka needed to find someone outside of the damn hospital because he is worthless when it involves someone he is screwing.

 

That particular episode was a particularly egregious example of Abby's arrogance.  When JW's character is brought into the ER, Ray is the resident who is assigned to him and Abby just shoves him aside and butts in while Luka stands there and lets her do it.  

Then, when  Woods, who has been dealing with ALS for a long time and who Abby obviously hasn't seen in years; makes his wishes known, Abby simply bulldozes him and ignores the woman who loves and cares for him on a day to day basis and actually knows what his day-to-day life is like to force unwanted procedures on him.

Then, at the end, when Woods is leaving the ER after Abby has assaulted him (because that is what happened, performing procedures against the patient's wishes is assault); we get Abby telling him he has to do what SHE wants which is to live as long as possible no matter how miserable and painful his condition becomes.  The end of the episode is a bit ambiguous, but it appears that Woods turns around and goes back into the ER; having realized that Abby, having spent a couple of hours with him for the first time in years; clearly knows far more about his wishes and needs than he does.

I wanted to know if Abby planned to visit him regularly at home to help with his care, to suction his trach and force a feeding tube on him when he lost the ability to swallow.  In real life, the hospital would've been sued and Woods would've received a huge settlement.  And Abby would've been immediately fired and been unable to find another residency.

Edited July 7, 2023 by Notabug

[Cloud9Shopper]

2 hours ago, ch1 said:

I have never liked Dr. Abby because she is so arrogant and just bulldozes over everyone.

This is why I never liked Abby past S7 (although I did start disliking her once her mother showed up). She always thinks she knows better than everyone all the time. Just look at other examples from her personal life like her shrieking and carrying on and mouthing off to a judge during Maggie’s competency hearing, or trying to bully Eric into doing the program she wanted him to do. Even when Joe’s life was hanging in the balance she was bossing around Coburn, Luka and Dr. Raab, making “my way or the highway” demands. Abby never considers anyone’s needs or desires unless they’re her own, and when that happens, she makes everyone bend over backwards to make sure she’s always accommodated and paid attention to, and she’ll throw a tantrum until she gets her way. It’s amazing how for being an ER doctor and previously ER nurse and OB nurse that she’s also apparently a lawyer, a judge, psychiatrist, OB and NICU doctor. Did I miss anything? It’s so annoying how she gets put on a pedestal and treated like she is the best staff member County has ever seen. Few other characters are as narcissistic as she is. 

Anyway, I started S6 tonight and I’m embarrassed it took me this long to realize these things. But oh what the hell…

Initially in the Kerry vs. Mark debacle about Romano, I could kind of see where Kerry was coming from in that she probably felt pressured to go along with Romano being chief of staff because we all have to agree with things we necessarily don’t like at work at some point. But now I cringe because it’s obvious she did it to offload Romano to chief of staff so she could be ER chief.

In 6x2, I noticed just how creepy Luka was about looking for a replacement family. We didn’t know anything about his life at this point, but I almost had to run back to the shower when I saw how his eyes practically bugged out of his head when he touched Carol’s pregnant belly, and how uncomfortable she was. (Especially after the S6 premiere where she said she didn’t like people touching her belly.) It goes to show all along that he wanted a baby first and foremost and was going to settle down with the first woman to give it to him. (Although what he saw in Abby that he wanted her to mother his child, the Lord only knows.) I’ve also since converted to Catholicism since my last watch and felt uncomfortable watching him pretend to be a priest. 

[Dr.OO7]

On 7/6/2023 at 10:52 PM, Cloud9Shopper said:

But now I cringe because it’s obvious she did it to offload Romano to chief of staff so she could be ER chief.

Well. . .yeah. 

I wish she could have just admitted that instead of trying to gaslight Mark with her "I did it for the good of the ER" crap and act like he should be grateful to her instead of rightfully angry how she screwed him over. Don't do lousy things and then try to spin them as noble deeds.

[Notabug]

20 minutes ago, Dr.OO7 said:

Well. . .yeah. 

I wish she could have just admitted that instead of trying to gaslight Mark with her "I did it for the good of the ER" crap and act like he should be grateful to her instead of rightfully angry how she screwed him over. Don't do lousy things and then try to spin them as noble deeds.

Kerry always tried to pretend her motives were pure even when they clearly were not.  The other reason Kerry voted for Romano is because she saw which way the wind was blowing during the meeting.  If the other department heads wanted Romano, there was nothing the ER could do about it; he was going to get the job anyway.  So, if Romano was inevitably going to be Chief of Staff, better that the ER docs look to be on his side and not draw attention by being the only dissenters.

Kerry was known to be a mealy mouthed syncophant when she felt it was to her benefit.

Edited July 10, 2023 by Notabug

[Dr.OO7]

47 minutes ago, Notabug said:

Kerry was known to be a mealy mouthed syncophant when she felt it was to her benefit.

Something else that ruined her character. As much as I disliked her, I respected the fact that she wasn't a wimp or pushover. . .until she was in such a situation as you describe. It was really rather pathetic watching her basically kiss Romano's ass when she despised him and only minutes earlier had literally dropped what she was doing in order to find Mark and drag him up to the meeting, going on and on about how they had to fight his becoming Chief of Staff.

* As an aside, how on earth did Kerry, an ER attending, not know about the meeting, when all of the other department heads did and even Lucy, a mere medical student did? Kerry strikes me as the kind of person who'd expect to be notified/consulted if the cafeteria was getting their napkins from a new distributor.

 

[ch1]

I’m on season -14 now and this show is a chore to watch because of the jump the shark drama.

I don’t think the reaction I should have had to Ray getting hit by a truck was to laugh but the number of times one of the main characters is hurt by this  point was just absurd.  Ray losing his legs was just too much.

Also Luka seriously decided to surprise Abby with a wedding in a shithole with only their coworkers and their son no where in sight?  Really?

And wow is Abby awful when it comes to Luka and his dad.  She says “you’re life is here.”  So that means his father ceases to exist?  I mean how the hell do you get upset by a man who is a doctor going home to look after his sick parent?  How shitty must you be?   

I also can’t with everyone being in love with Abby and Neela when they are 2 of the worst characters in the 15 years of this show.   I don’t think Sam is far behind.  The drama surrounding her character is as tedious as Abby’s.

 

[Cloud9Shopper]

43 minutes ago, ch1 said:

I’m on season -14 now and this show is a chore to watch because of the jump the shark drama.

I don’t think the reaction I should have had to Ray getting hit by a truck was to laugh but the number of times one of the main characters is hurt by this  point was just absurd.  Ray losing his legs was just too much.

Also Luka seriously decided to surprise Abby with a wedding in a shithole with only their coworkers and their son no where in sight?  Really?

And wow is Abby awful when it comes to Luka and his dad.  She says “you’re life is here.”  So that means his father ceases to exist?  I mean how the hell do you get upset by a man who is a doctor going home to look after his sick parent?  How shitty must you be?   

I also can’t with everyone being in love with Abby and Neela when they are 2 of the worst characters in the 15 years of this show.   I don’t think Sam is far behind.  The drama surrounding her character is as tedious as Abby’s.

 

Season 14 is the worst season of the show for me.

IMO, Luka was weirdly desperate to be with Abby considering the way she treats him over most of their relationship. She claims she loves him and wants to get married but yet refuses to plan a wedding, and when Luka does try to make her happy (although don’t get me wrong I don’t think he should have planned the wedding behind her back to begin with) and help her when she’s upset or worried, she snaps at him, shrieks in his face and doesn’t show any gratitude or love to him. And as you said, she can’t even be bothered to be supportive when he goes to Croatia and just bitches and moans the entire time about all the help she needs and how hard she has it with taking care of a kid and working. (She’s worse about it than Carol is with the twins, and at least Carol doesn’t respond to the stress of being without Doug by neglecting the twins and going on a drinking bender.) 

When Abby found out she was pregnant she really should have aborted or figured out a way to split custody with Luka. Just because they had sex for the first time in four or five years and stayed friends doesn’t mean they should be getting married and pretending they are happy, loving parents. 

Honestly, the wedding was stupid considering he had to beg Abby to do it and she ended up looking like she had just rolled out of bed and thrown her hair up to go to Walmart. If that’s what they think a happy marriage is then they needed a longer engagement or to get premarital counseling to sort out their issues. 

[Heathen]

2 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

Season 14 is the worst season of the show for me.

Snip

Honestly, the wedding was stupid considering he had to beg Abby to do it and she ended up looking like she had just rolled out of bed and thrown her hair up to go to Walmart. If that’s what they think a happy marriage is then they needed a longer engagement or to get premarital counseling to sort out their issues. 

Season 14 is wretched. By the time it was over, I wished Abby was in that ambulance. I kind of still do. 

Here's a question -- how the hell did Luka manage to get a marriage license without St. Abby there? They don't strike me as the kind of couple who'd know each other's full names, dates of birth, place of birth, socials, mother's maiden name etc. etc., even if it were allowed for only one party to be present. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I don't know if it still is that way, but a long time ago, a friend was horrified to find out her obsessed ex had a marriage license with their names on it.   At that time only one of the couple had to apply, and he had a license for them.  I'm hoping that changed since, but it used to be possible, at least in that one state. 

[ch1]

On 7/11/2023 at 12:04 AM, Heathen said:

Season 14 is wretched. By the time it was over, I wished Abby was in that ambulance. I kind of still do. 

I rolled my eyes at the exploding ambulance.  it’s like this show was taken over by fanfic writers at this point.

Can someone explain to me what caused Pratt’s death because I didn’t get it.   

 

 

[Notabug]

1 hour ago, ch1 said:

I rolled my eyes at the exploding ambulance.  it’s like this show was taken over by fanfic writers at this point.

Can someone explain to me what caused Pratt’s death because I didn’t get it.   

 

 

As you know, he suffered severe trauma.  Essentially, he lost so much blood and was deprived of oxygen for so long as they tried to resuscitate him; that he was brain dead.  They were keeping him alive long enough to donate his organs at the end of the episode as they took him upstairs.  

One thing that we hardly ever saw on ER was the consequences of prolonged resuscitation after cardiac arrest.  Even the best CPR is not necessarily going to perfuse the vital organs well enough to preserve them.  Many people suffer brain injury or renal failure or other serious complications after a cardiac arrest.  Brain death is the worst of them, of course.

About 80% of people who survive a cardiac arrest and resuscitation and are admitted to ICU are in a coma due to lack of perfusion of brain tissue.  Some will wake up without any consequences, most will have some sort of neurologic issue, and many of these are permanent.  Severe hypoxic brain injury is the leading cause of death after cardiac arrest.

[Heathen]

6 hours ago, ch1 said:

I rolled my eyes at the exploding ambulance.  it’s like this show was taken over by fanfic writers at this point.

Can someone explain to me what caused Pratt’s death because I didn’t get it.   

 

 

I didn't get it, either. Pulmonary embolism or air embolism or totally made-up BS courtesy of the writers? 

[Notabug]

10 minutes ago, Heathen said:

I didn't get it, either. Pulmonary embolism or air embolism or totally made-up BS courtesy of the writers? 

I don't remember the exact details, but, at the time, the diagnosis seemed legit to me.  

Lucy died of a PE.  I don't think it was that.

There was some issues with the blood vessels in his neck/chest but I don't remember what.  Maybe a torn carotid artery or something?

Edited July 12, 2023 by Notabug

[Bastet]

They do cite an embolism; I didn't remember the particulars, though, so I looked it up:

-So his brain's not working?
-Not right now.
-He wasn't down for that long.
-We started CPR right away.
-He never had prolonged hypoxia.
-lt could have been an air embolus.
-That would do it. A blast injury puts air into the circulation. And the air goes up into the brain.
-And that's it?
-Well, the brain can still recover. We'll wait four hours. Then we'll check Auditory Evoked Responses and an Apnea Test before making any decisions.

[Notabug]

24 minutes ago, Bastet said:

They do cite an embolism; I didn't remember the particulars, though, so I looked it up:

-So his brain's not working?
-Not right now.
-He wasn't down for that long.
-We started CPR right away.
-He never had prolonged hypoxia.
-lt could have been an air embolus.
-That would do it. A blast injury puts air into the circulation. And the air goes up into the brain.
-And that's it?
-Well, the brain can still recover. We'll wait four hours. Then we'll check Auditory Evoked Responses and an Apnea Test before making any decisions.

Ok.  Thanks.  What happened was the force of the blast caused air to enter into his circulatory system.  The pressure changes from the blast damage the lungs which cause air to be driven into the blood vessels there.  If the embolism is large enough, it can stop the heart and can also travel to the brain where it would prevent oxygen from getting to the tissue resulting in hypoxic injury, even brain death. 

Not all air embolisms are fatal, it mainly depends on how much air entered the circulation.  I've seen a few TV shows where someone was murdered by the villain using a syringe to inject air into their IV.  A typical 10 cc syringe full of air is not going to be fatal.

You sometimes hear this situation called 'blast lung'.  It happens with explosion in combat situations usually.

In real life, they probably would give a young, otherwise healthy guy more than 4 hours before declaring brain death; but, otherwise, the scenario is fairly plausible.

Edited July 12, 2023 by Notabug

[Cloud9Shopper]

I’m up to Alan Alda’s guest arc now; I believe the next episode or two is his last one actually. I feel overwhelmed just watching him realize he’s losing it but not yet aware that he has Alzheimer’s. I can’t imagine what it’s actually like.

One arc I forgot to mention that I wish I could forget: Carter and Elaine’s relationship. Who thought this was a good idea? I cringe when he’s practically trying to feel her up after her mastectomy. It’s not very Carter-like either since he’s generally never been a creep/pervert but he came off like one here.

I got weird vibes from Luka in 6x3 with the guy who was abusing his wife. Yeah the guy was likely or definitely an abuser but can he really make the call to put him in restraints before psych gets down there to do an evaluation? The way he went about it and got kind of up close with someone crazy was almost uncomfortable. Maybe not entirely surprising given his temper down the road, though. 

 

[debraran]

On 7/13/2023 at 11:18 PM, Cloud9Shopper said:

I’m up to Alan Alda’s guest arc now; I believe the next episode or two is his last one actually. I feel overwhelmed just watching him realize he’s losing it but not yet aware that he has Alzheimer’s. I can’t imagine what it’s actually like.

 

I loved, being MASH fan that they wrote little references in, like "a technique I learned in the war."

He does the part well and it's heartbreaking to see how it effects him but he isn't like some that need a lot of help to step back.

Edited July 15, 2023 by debraran