All Episodes Talk: What's Up Doc?

[RedbirdNelly]

2 hours ago, ktwo said:

Yes, jobs are available in Chicago, but IIRC the Wisconsin job was a clerkship for a federal judge. That's not just a job, that's a gamechanger.

I agree game changer. You definitely take the federal clerkship--but what was weird is those are not long term jobs. 1 year or 2 years at the tops. Then you leverage that for a great job at a firm. So, it should have been more of a "for 1 to 2 years we make do/commute/do what we have to and then you get a great job in Chicago." It was weird that it was treated as moving to Wisconsin forever. 

[slf]

11 hours ago, Granny58 said:

I just saw that episode!  It never seemed to me that he resented or tried to stop her becoming a lawyer.   That was fine.  But she took it too far when she went to work far away.  Chicago is huge.  Surely there were jobs available there.   

The best job offer Jen gets she's supposed to turn down to stay in Chicago because that's where Mark - whose career has been prioritized for more than half a decade at this point - wants to be? Aren't there hospitals in Milwaukee? Mark could've taken a position there but of course he never even considered it. He barely considered taking a job at a family practice in Chicago which had more family-friendly hours; he said it wasn't his thing. He accepted a position at County General without so much as discussing it with his wife. I disagree, I don't think she went too far in taking the job; Mark was repeatedly shown not to consider Jen's career and needs while expecting his own to always be accommodated. They just weren't compatible. and Jen realized that sooner than Mark did.

I don't think Mark was a very good romantic partner, for the most part. There are moments in his relationship with Elizabeth that are cute but I think if he hadn't died they probably would have divorced in the long run (or would have if they were real people).

Edited June 20, 2017 by slf

[slasherboy]

12 hours ago, starri said:

God, E Ray was really fucking annoying.

Who is E Ray?

 

I'm watching "It's Not Easy Being Greene" and noticed, or think I noticed, something really unbelievable. Benton is having lunch with a doctor who's name I don't know, but he's a higher up.  Carter comes in to say it was Harper, not he, who found something really important in an X-ray.  And there, in front of the higher up doctor, was a big ole glass of red wine!  Did anybody else see this?  He surely wouldn't drink wine at work, would he?

[starri]

4 minutes ago, slasherboy said:

Who is E Ray?

The hippie, touchy-feely desk clerk/nurse trainee.

He only lasted about two seasons, but he drove me up the wall.

[Granny58]

2 hours ago, slf said:

The best job offer Jen gets she's supposed to turn down to stay in Chicago because that's where Mark - whose career has been prioritized for more than half a decade at this point - wants to be? Aren't there hospitals in Milwaukee? Mark could've taken a position there but of course he never even considered it. He barely considered taking a job at a family practice in Chicago which had more family-friendly hours; he said it wasn't his thing. He accepted a position at County General without so much as discussing it with his wife. I disagree, I don't think she went too far in taking the job; Mark was repeatedly shown not to consider Jen's career and needs while expecting his own to always be accommodated. They just weren't compatible. and Jen realized that sooner than Mark did.

I don't think Mark was a very good romantic partner, for the most part. There are moments in his relationship with Elizabeth that are cute but I think if he hadn't died they probably would have divorced in the long run (or would have if they were real people).

Yeah, I guess I don't get it.  It would never occur to me to accept a position in another city when my husband already has a job.   But hey...it's fiction anyway.  It could have been written in any way but this caused drama, so they succeeded.   

[starri]

So for today's random trivia

The characters appearing in the most episodes:

1.  Carter 

2.  Kerry

3.  Chuny

I always liked Chuny.  

[Bastet]

38 minutes ago, starri said:

I always liked Chuny.

The actor who plays Chuny played a small role in an episode of Major Crimes, and the first time I watched it, I didn't recognize her or even have a "Where do I know her from?" moment.  But when I watched it again after being immersed in 15 episodes per week of ER, as soon as she opened her mouth, I said, "Chuny!"

My favorite Chuny moment is when she dumps Mark by using the same line on him he'd been preparing (based on advice from Doug) to use on her.

3 hours ago, slf said:

The best job offer Jen gets she's supposed to turn down to stay in Chicago because that's where Mark - whose career has been prioritized for more than half a decade at this point - wants to be? Aren't there hospitals in Milwaukee? Mark could've taken a position there but of course he never even considered it. He barely considered taking a job at a family practice in Chicago which had more family-friendly hours; he said it wasn't his thing. He accepted a position at County General without so much as discussing it with his wife. I disagree, I don't think she went too far in taking the job; Mark was repeatedly shown not to consider Jen's career and needs while expecting his own to always be accommodated. They just weren't compatible. and Jen realized that sooner than Mark did.

Bingo.  She accepted (after some disgruntlement) that he wouldn't take a job with better pay and better hours because he was passionate about the work he was doing at County.  Then she accepted that he wouldn't move to accommodate this fantastic opportunity of hers.  So he needed to accept that she wasn't going to turn down a federal clerkship to, yet again, put his career above hers.  And, eventually, he did, and they made it work for a while; their careers (meaning their desires, ambitions, and passions) were finally equally valued.  But, ultimately, it was too late.  They'd married young, and partly because they felt like they should -- they'd been dating a while, their parents wanted them to, etc.  They loved each other, but it ran its course.  Even the affair could have been organic, although still a shitty thing to do, but I hate it because they wrote her so one-dimensionally after that, to prop him up.

[voiceover]

Raul's death sure rates as one of the toughest eps to sit through.  The only bright point in all that tragedy? Benton's wise, supportive words to a shaken Carter.  

Their relationship surely outshone all the years of romances with all the other women in their lives.

On 6/20/2017 at 0:19 AM, Ceindreadh said:

The problem I ended up having with Carter was that he seemed to have these (almost) seasonal 'epiphanies' whereby he'd realIse that he was doing everything all wrong and he should really be doing something different. And it felt like we were all supposed to get behind him every time he kept changing his mind. 

Eh, one of the dangers of a long term character in a long-running show.

Edited June 22, 2017 by voiceover
Because he wasn't Italian

[slasherboy]

18 hours ago, starri said:

The hippie, touchy-feely desk clerk/nurse trainee.

He only lasted about two seasons, but he drove me up the wall.

Thank you starri.  He didn't bother me but he wasn't someone I particularly enjoyed watching.  

 

13 hours ago, voiceover said:

Raoul's death sure rates as one of the toughest eps to sit through.  The only bright point in all that tragedy? Benton's wise, supportive words to a shaken Carter.  

Their relationship surely outshone all the years of romances with all the other women in their lives.

Eh, one of the dangers of a long term character in a long-running show.

I was coming here to post about how much I love the Benton/Carter relationship in the early seasons.  The looks they give each other are truly a thing of beauty.  It literally makes me smile when they interact.  Glad I'm not the only one.

Now I have to ask, who was Raoul?  I'm honestly not stupid, but I have trouble remembering everybody by name, both the characters and actors.

One more question: how do they get the babies to cry on this show?  Do they pinch them or just wait for an opportunity?  Also, (ok, two more questions) when they shock someone with the paddles, how do they get the actors to bounce up?  Even Romano's dog flopped when they used the paddle on him/her.

Anybody know how many dogs appeared on "ER"?

[ktwo]

Quote

Now I have to ask, who was Raoul?  I'm honestly not stupid, but I have trouble remembering everybody by name, both the characters and actors.

He was a firefighter who was Shep's partner - Shep was the firefighter who Carol dated after Tag. Season 2 I think.

[BBHN]

Actually, they were paramedics, not firefighters, no?

[ktwo]

40 minutes ago, BBHN said:

Actually, they were paramedics, not firefighters, no?

Correct! My bad, had firefighters on the brain because Raul died from burns.

[desertflower]

Actually I was never clear on the paramedic/firefighter distinction for Shep and Raoul. I assumed they were paramedics but there are a few scenes where they are referred to as firefighters (I clearly remember even Carol refers to him that way at least once.)  Now in my town we have "rescue squads" and a fire truck will respond to a 911 call as well as an ambulance, so i think the firefighters are trained as paramedics as well. Maybe it's something like that. 

Either way, Shep tore me up when he was apologizing to Raoul on his deathbed. I loved Ron Eldard.

Re: getting babies to cry...my guess is they wait until the baby is tired or fussy, then all it really takes is to take them from the mother and they will most likely start crying.  

[starri]

Carol having to tell her patient that they weren't able to save the worms was exactly the weird stuff this show did so well.

Oh, Doug, it shouldn't have taken Haleh to call you on avoiding the gay kid.

[LizDC]

I wonder if Carol reimbursed the hospital for wasting that medical equipment trying to warm up frozen worms.  ?

Also, same for Romano and the equipment and staff he used for his dog. 

[starri]

4 minutes ago, LizDC said:

I wonder if Carol reimbursed the hospital for wasting that medical equipment trying to warm up frozen worms.  ?

Speaking of, it was somewhat hilarious that Kerry got on Susan for an ultrasound being too expensive to perform.  Everybody gets an ultrasound now because they're cheap and you can do them at the bedside.

[slasherboy]

I'm watching "The Right Thing".  Carter and Susan are walking down the hall and Carter uses the word "schpoz" which may be spelled wrong.  He then says, "It means..." and Susan says, "I know what it means."

What does it mean?  Anybody?

I hate the worm storyline.  Yuck.

Regarding the gay student, Ross told Haleah to call psych and she asked, "What's the problem?"  I don't think that's realistic.  It's not really a nurse's business what his psychiatric problem might be.  Am I wrong?

"ER", I can't quit you.

[voiceover]

1 hour ago, slasherboy said:

 

"ER", I can't quit you.

Preach.

Result of watching 3 eps a day for -- what? a month? (plus 5 on Tuesdays & Saturdays):

Last night I had a dream that Vucelich hit on me.

[starri]

2 hours ago, slasherboy said:

I'm watching "The Right Thing".  Carter and Susan are walking down the hall and Carter uses the word "schpoz" which may be spelled wrong.  He then says, "It means..." and Susan says, "I know what it means."

SHPOS--Sub-Human Piece of Shit.  Often applied to patients who are abusive to the staff, drug-seeking, or both.  It's not a nice thing to say, and the contempt it shows for the patients really makes me angry.  I think I've only heard it used once, and didn't care for it, although this was in the context of a patient who, after we refused to give him Ativan, proceeded to get violent and use some kind of slur on every person in the room, including correctly identifying this author's sexual orientation.

Still, good on Susan for calling Carter out.

[slasherboy]

Thanks to everybody for answering my many questions.  The episode is on right now with Raoul coming in burned.  Very intense and sad when Shep goes to see him.

In my neck of the woods there 10 episodes on Saturdays, not 5.

[slasherboy]

As they're hauling injured Shep away he's calling out to Carol to tell Raoul, "Tell him I thought he was behind me!  Tell him I didn't leave him there!" but she never does and that really, really bothers me.  Bitch.

[Granny58]

On 6/20/2017 at 9:44 PM, starri said:

So for today's random trivia

The characters appearing in the most episodes:

1.  Carter 

2.  Kerry

3.  Chuny

I always liked Chuny.  

I like all 3.   LOVE LOVE LOVE Carter.  My crush is reignited.

23 hours ago, slasherboy said:

I'm watching "The Right Thing".  Carter and Susan are walking down the hall and Carter uses the word "schpoz" which may be spelled wrong.  He then says, "It means..." and Susan says, "I know what it means."

What does it mean?  Anybody?

I hate the worm storyline.  Yuck.

Regarding the gay student, Ross told Haleah to call psych and she asked, "What's the problem?"  I don't think that's realistic.  It's not really a nurse's business what his psychiatric problem might be.  Am I wrong?

"ER", I can't quit you.

I am trying to remember.  I figured it out when they said it.  It was ___- ____ piece of shit.    Perhaps SHPOS - subhuman POS?    

[voiceover]

1 hour ago, slasherboy said:

As they're hauling injured Shep away he's calling out to Carol to tell Raoul, "Tell him I thought he was behind me!  Tell him I didn't leave him there!" but she never does and that really, really bothers me.  Bitch.

Orrrrr maybe it was off-camera?

Carol talked Shep into seeing Raul before he died.  And she stood there as they had their last conversation, (which I can hardly bear to watch, and I *know* it's fake), just to support both of them.

There's other things she has done that rate the "bitch" epithet, better than this.

This is from a Carter-defender: was there a dumber thing he ever did then drink while on duty?  I just wanted to...punch him! for that.  Unbelievable.  

Of course, there were two anvils that let us know he was going to pull some stupid shit like that: 1. His vow to start looking after patients, and:

2. He was still dating Harper Tracy, who was the career-killer of the series that year.  Sleeps with a doctor? Check. Gets drunk with someone on-duty? Check.

And no pearl-clutching necessary.  I'm not putting all the blame on her.  It is interesting to note, however, that she was there at the scene of both crimes.  Maybe her name should be "plot device".

[starri]

Carter should be smart enough to know that you actually call in sick on Match Day before getting #turnt.

....not that I did that or anything.

[voiceover]

"A Shift in the Night" = maybe my favorite complete ep.

No tears; no heavy drama or farce.  It's all --as Carter says -- about helping people.  

Obviously a Mark Greene tour de force.  LoveloveLOVE when he brainstorms the quick "treat & street" through the waiting room.  Completely makes sense, and makes sense that a longtime ER physician would think of it.

I think there's a straight line from Carter observing, participating, reveling in that night, and Carter jumping in to mastermind the haz-mat ER ep.

Edited June 27, 2017 by voiceover

[starri]

On 6/23/2017 at 6:12 PM, voiceover said:

"A Shift in the Night" = maybe my favorite complete ep.

Co-signed.

It is honestly a perfect depiction of what an overnight shift in the ER looks like.

And I love Carol's "I think he's having fun."

Edited June 25, 2017 by starri

[SoapDoc]

2 hours ago, starri said:

 

Carter should be smart enough to know that you actually call in sick on Match Day before getting #turnt.

....not that I did that or anything.

 

As a fellow physician, I now feel fortunate because my school had us all meet in one of the big classrooms where they passed out the match envelopes to us all at once. Most of us were given the day off by our various services so the Carter situation was not going to happen to us.

Carter's behavior always annoyed me in that situation because while I know he was happy to match at his first choice, there was no reason why he couldn't have waited a few hours -- soaked up the congratulations from his coworkers -- and called in sick the next day LOL

Edited June 24, 2017 by SoapDoc
I can't spell

[starri]

11 minutes ago, SoapDoc said:

As a fellow physician, I now feel fortunate because my school had us all meet in one of the big classrooms where they passed out the match envelopes to us all at once. Most of us were given the day off by our various services so the Carter situation was not going to happen to us.

ACGME has "improved" the process so that it's now a two-part jobie where you found out if you matched or not on Monday and then where on Friday.  I think some schools still have a big ceremony for everyone, but my school didn't, so it's just checking your email.  We did have a reception with an open bar that weekend, though.

Why is Carol being such a bitch to Jeanie?

Edited June 23, 2017 by starri

[SoapDoc]

12 minutes ago, starri said:

Why is Carol being such a bitch to Jeanie?

There was a scene between them after Carol gave Jeanie a poor performance review. In that scene, Carol said she didn't appreciate that physician's assistants went to school for a "little" while and then got more responsibility and respect than nurses with 20 years of experience. I also suspect that Carol was thinking about med school. Remember she thought about going back  in a later season but decided to remain a nurse.

 

12 minutes ago, starri said:

ACGME has "improved" the process so that it's not a two-part process where you found out if you matched or not on Monday and then where on Friday.

Yeah. I matched in ophthalmology so I found out where I was going in January. During the big match day in March, I found out where I was doing my internship year.  It didn't hurt that I had front-loaded my 4th year so I was doing clinic work by March so no one cared if I was working or not that day!

Edited June 24, 2017 by SoapDoc

[desertflower]

I'm not sure which specific situation you're referencing with Carol and Jeanne but I remember in general Carol always seemed resentful of PA's and med students because she felt like she knew as much if not more than them. Jeannie probably didn't help with her "isn't that a nurse's job" comments she occasionally made. I think she stopped doing that at some point though. 

[Bastet]

It was always an interesting thing they did with Carol, her resentment of those positioned above her -- sometimes it was a knee-jerk reaction, sometimes it was based on inappropriate disparity of respect, and - most interesting to me - she was often self-aware when it was the former.  I loved the tension set up when she became management, yet still viewed herself as still just one of the nurses.

[voiceover]

Spent time with the Younger marathon, so I just tuned in, in time to see Luka showing Carol the photo of his wife & daughter.  When she asks to see a picture of his son, he admits that he doesn't have one.  But all he has to do is "close his eyes" to see his boy again.

Man, I'm still a little weepy over that. The first time I saw this ep, Nephew de Voiceover was 7 years away from his debut on the world stage.  So, while I thought Luka's lack of a picture was sad the first time 'round, now I find it unbearable.  You can't swing a dead cat in my house without hitting a photo of the NdV!  He's now a preteen pain in the ass and the light of my life, and I can't get my head around what Luka had to live with.  Without.

[doodlebug]

On 6/23/2017 at 5:09 PM, starri said:

Carter should be smart enough to know that you actually call in sick on Match Day before getting #turnt.

....not that I did that or anything.

My med school (and every other one I've encountered) gave all matching seniors an automatic day off.  Even set up a party with free beer at a local tavern for us. In this case, ER took dramatic license, although Carter's actions were just plain stupid.

[Chit Chat]

I was a fan of this show up until the last few years of it.  I got tired of it.  I'm re-watching some of the earlier episodes now though.  I liked season 6, especially 'Be Still My Heart,' and 'All in the Family,' even though they were painful to watch.   I've always liked 'May Day' where Carter is sent to rehab.  That clinic really exists in Atlanta, and I was glad they mentioned how there is a place like that for medical/dental professionals to go for help before totally ruining their careers.  One of our professors went over that while in hygiene school.    I'm in the dental field and we had a dentist in a town I used to work in that got sent there.   The higher ups in the dental community had him picked up from work (no notice) and taken there.  The rest of the dentists in town helped cover his patients for him during his stay.  I think that a pharmacist caught it with the prescriptions he was writing for himself.  They do keep a watch on stuff like that.

I always felt kind of sorry for Carrie Weaver.  She had the unenviable position of running the E.R., budget and staff alike.  She wasn't always easy to like, but seeing her in a management role, I can understand the tough decisions she had to make.  She had her moments of showing she cared for her people though.  She gave Hathaway some extra sick days, then she went up to surgery and helped stitch up Lucy's chest, and the concern for Carter with his addiction was touching.  It was a tough love situation with him.

The one thing that always bugged me though were all of the HIPAA violations!  Some of the things the nurses and doctors disclosed to the wrong people could've gotten County sued big time!  Then there's the cross contamination with the gloves (they did an episode about that.)  Touching doors and elevator buttons with soiled gloves.  Ick!!  I've sat through Infection Control seminars for the past 25 years.  It's hard to watch a show like this and not think about it!  Given the nature of the ER, sometimes it can't be helped, but many times, it could've.  Open the swinging door with your elbow/arm, not your gloved hand!  

[chitowngirl]

Were the privacy laws of HIPPA in place then? 

[callie lee 29]

Quote

6 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

Were the privacy laws of HIPPA in place then? 

 

Not sure, I kinda want to say no, at least not to the degree they are now. When Chen was talking to Greene about looking something up in the DSM-IV  I Damn near had to sit down. This was a long gone ago!

[starri]

HIPAA's privacy rules weren't in full force until 2003.

[Bastet]

And when Kerry tried to implement a new system so patients' last names and ailments weren't listed for all the world (or, at least, everyone near the reception desk) to see, of course it was presented as if Kerry was a big ol' stick in the mud once again trying to muck up something simple with a complicated system, because she's a bureaucratic administrator and not a real doctor, see.  Not, "You know, you're right, we do need to knock that shit off, but let's find an easier way to do it," but just, "Screw this; we're going back to the old way."

(At least I think it was Kerry.  Maybe one of the others brought in to annoy the gang for a while, but I think it was her, with her color coding and abbreviations.  At any rate, someone trying to protect patient privacy and being mocked for it.)

[Mama No Life]

Yeah, Kerry implemented the new system and Mark was the one who said Screw It when things got hectic.

[rippleintime17]

On 6/20/2017 at 9:04 PM, starri said:

The hippie, touchy-feely desk clerk/nurse trainee.

He only lasted about two seasons, but he drove me up the wall.

He later ends up on The West Wing as journalist Steve, who is in basically any scene where CJ is talking to the media. I love how many crossovers there were. 

[Chit Chat]

22 hours ago, callie lee 29 said:

Were the privacy laws of HIPPA in place then?

HIPAA was passed in 1996.  In some of the episodes I've re-watched lately (Season 6),  several ER doctors were warned about not breaking the law. 

[twinkietwin94]

8 hours ago, rippleintime17 said:

He later ends up on The West Wing as journalist Steve, who is in basically any scene where CJ is talking to the media. I love how many crossovers there were. 

OMG how did I never catch that til now and I watched both shows religiously.

[twinkietwin94]

On 6/22/2017 at 8:40 AM, LizDC said:

 

Also, same for Romano and the equipment and staff he used for his dog. 

An episode I would never watch with the hubby. Romano's attitude pissed me off after living through hubby's years in vet school. While the equipment would be mostly the same would be have any idea what the heart rate or respiration rate would be for the dog or even know the dogs anatomy well enough to do the surgery? Last time almost yelled at the screen that vet school costs the same as me school and is harder to get into and yes they have internships and residencies if they want to specialize. One of the docs the husband worked with on rotations was double boarded another has worked with orthopedic MDs to create new joint replacement techniques that work on humans and animals. That superiority  from Romano is common in TV docs, it happens three or four times in the run of M*A*S*H. Makes me wonder how prevalent that attitude is IRL

[starri]

I never noticed how much fat-shaming this show had.

[slasherboy]

One thing I like about getting to watch these episodes over and over and over ..... noticing the little things I didn't pick up on before.  I especially enjoy those "moments" between Carter and Benton.  It seems to me like Noah Wylie is having so much fun with this show.

"Last Call" was on tonight and I like how intense those first few minutes are when Ross brings in the woman he'd taken home with him the night before and she died.  When they were in the car together Doug was so totally disgusted with her and obviously couldn't wait to get rid of her.  I thought George Clooney's acting was exceptional in relating his feelings.

I wish Morganstern could have stayed around longer.  I like him.

[LizDC]

All this rewatching has made me realize how annoying Carol was - quits in a snit about health insurance but returns the next season without that being referenced; has some weird issues with Jeannie and Maggie Doyle (jealousy, feels inferior,  who knows?  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯); kisses George Eads' EMT character while she's involved with Doug and gets mad at him that he was a little unhappy with her. 

[starri]

7 hours ago, slasherboy said:

I wish Morganstern could have stayed around longer.  I like him.

Someone had to look after the sheep, sheep, sheep.

[starri]

I'm guessing Benton really would have benefited from PowerPoint and cloud storage...

[Granny58]

On 6/28/2017 at 10:03 PM, slasherboy said:

I thought George Clooney's acting was exceptional in relating his feelings.

I look forward to seeing this and having a positive impression of George Clooney because I find him SO annoying with his head waggle and dropped chin.  Holy smokes...he even did it jogging!!!!  

[slasherboy]

I'm a major George fan and even I was distracted and annoyed with the head thing.  But there's none of this is the scene I mentioned when he's in the car with slut lady.  Can a person be a slut and a lady at the same time?  Anyway, he's good in this scene.

I've always had a fondness for George Clooney because when I was a young child I was in the Winn-Dixie with my Mother in Kentucky and we ran into Nick Clooney (George's Dad) who was a very popular TV personality in my town.  Nick had his toddler, little George, sitting in the grocery cart.  Little did I know.....

Then when I lived in Los Angeles I worked at the same TV station as Nick and our paths crossed every week or so.  I told him about seeing him and little George and he was delighted so that sort of made us "friends", although not really.

Since then I've literally just  happened upon Nick in Augusta, Kentucky (George's hometown) (and I'm from Kentucky) and again, reminded him of our past.

So while I've been in the presence of Nick more times than George, I still consider myself part of the family.  

HAHA  I WISH!!