All Episodes Talk: What's Up Doc?

[cpcathy]

I think I hated yesterday's episode. First, Shep grates on me. Second (and I may be mixing up episodes), in NO way would Chloe come back, sober, stable, responsible with a job as a claims adjuster to boot. I know women who are very much like Chloe and they do not bounce back that quick! Third, more Mark on the make with his ex-wife. Ick. Lastly, double ick to Doug sleeping with his father's girlfriend.

[doodlebug]

4 hours ago, cpcathy said:

I think I hated yesterday's episode. First, Shep grates on me. Second (and I may be mixing up episodes), in NO way would Chloe come back, sober, stable, responsible with a job as a claims adjuster to boot. I know women who are very much like Chloe and they do not bounce back that quick! Third, more Mark on the make with his ex-wife. Ick. Lastly, double ick to Doug sleeping with his father's girlfriend.

You forgot the part where Chloe, only 5 months sober, was not only 13th stepping with another AA member, but, in those few months' time; managed to fall in love with him( a cop who was working steadily, no less) and get engaged in addition to getting sober and getting a responsible job (for which she had no training, recall that she dropped out of computer class before leaving Chicago).  I didn't really mind the 'Susan is the only responsible person in her family' or Susan is stuck being a single mother to her sister's child as a storyline; but the miraculous, rapid turnaround of Chloe, all because of the baby she'd abandoned shortly after her birth; made no sense at all.  Then, in later seasons, when Susan leaves and returns, we find out that Chloe has maintained her sobriety for years and years without slip-ups and is the best mother ever to Little Susie.

5 hours ago, rcc said:

Doug's father stole $250,000 from Doug's new girlfriend (and old girlfriend of his father's) and laughed when Doug gave her $25,000 that his father gave him. Did they ever say what work they were in since Doug's father worked for her? 

Susan and her crying in church is heartbreaking. I'm sure Chloe doesn't even realize how much losing Susie hurt her. Selfish, former drug addict that she is.

It seemed pretty clear that Doug's father and his girlfriend were doing something shady moneywise.  First, Ray supposedly owns the hotel where he is staying, then she's his boss.  When Doug asks about it, his father blows it off, telling him it's complicated.  Then, Doug's father is bopping around the Caymen Islands, well known for bankers who are adept at hiding ill-gotten gains.  I think they were involved in some sort of scam that she financed and Ray absconded with all the proceeds.

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, doodlebug said:

Then, in later seasons, when Susan leaves and returns, we find out that Chloe has maintained her sobriety for years and years without slip-ups and is the best mother ever to Little Susie.

Well, I do remember she did eventually slip up as there was some cross-over episode with Third Watch and Susan having to race to New York after a frantic message on her answering machine from Susie...

But, overall, I agree. And I was always perplexed why the show brought Susan back since the writers then on staff had no idea of her characterization, didn't seem to care as long as it made Abby look good (my take only), and then just sort of lost interest in her.

[doodlebug]

Just now, WendyCR72 said:

Well, I do remember she did eventually slip up as there was some cross-over episode with Third Watch and Susan having to race to New York after a frantic message on her answering machine from Susie...

But, overall, I agree. And I was always perplexed why the show brought Susan back since the writers then on staff had no idea of her characterization, didn't seem to care as long as it made Abby look good (my take only), and then just sort of lost interest in her.

I do vaguely remember that. Susan's return to the show was done so poorly. As you noted, by that point, Abby had basically eaten the show and was the only female character given major storylines.  All the other characters, especially the women, existed purely to orbit Abby and remind the viewer that Abby was the smartest, prettiest, BEST ever. 

It was also a big mistake to try to resurrect Carter's puppy like crush on Susan.  Too much time had passed and, at least in part because Susan really wasn't Susan anymore, it just didn't work. The fact that Carter was needed to be one of Abby's lovesick suitors and fight Luka to win her was also a factor.  It was obvious Carter and Susan couldn't  work because Carter had to worship at the altar of Crabby.

The worst mistake of all was the complete transformation of Susan's character.  She had been fun loving, passionate, snarky and warm hearted in the beginning and alll of that was forgotten; IMO, in order not to have her outshine Abby who was a real downer by comparison.  Susan and Abby laughing like idiots when Carter told them about being molested by the maid at age 11 was the ultimate betrayal of Susan's character.

[ch1]

13 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

Well, I do remember she did eventually slip up as there was some cross-over episode with Third Watch and Susan having to race to New York after a frantic message on her answering machine from Susie...

But, overall, I agree. And I was always perplexed why the show brought Susan back since the writers then on staff had no idea of her characterization, didn't seem to care as long as it made Abby look good (my take only), and then just sort of lost interest in her.

They lost Anthony Edwards and Eric LaSalle that season so I think it was basically hoping to not lose fans by adding an old face. I did like her being back that season even though it did go to shit.

[WendyCR72]

28 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

Susan and Abby laughing like idiots when Carter told them about being molested by the maid at age 11 was the ultimate betrayal of Susan's character.

YES. That sickened me. Susan was my favorite female ER character - the early Susan - and that just pissed me the hell off. If written in character, I think she would have been appalled.

[voiceover]

Yeah, the whole "Chloe with the perfect man" thing squicked me out too.  There's a great moment in 28 Days where Steve Buscemi's counselor tells the group of addicts that they should start with a plant, and if that doesn't die, get a dog, and if THAT doesn't die, then they could date.  After 2 years.

Carter's revenge on Benton (telling the chatty patient to request a local & ask Benton questions all through surgery, because "He encourages it!") was as fine a retaliatory gesture in TV series history, as ever was, until the day Don Draper talked Roger Sterling into dining on multiple orders of oysters & martinis, knowing the elevator would "accidentally" be out of service, forcing Roger to climb all those stairs, resulting in his puking all over his new clients.

Yayyyyy, the good Abby's back!  I'm in the small club that grooved on that version of Carby.

[doodlebug]

ER reflects real life: a nurse in Utah was dragged out of the burn unit, cuffed and put in a cruiser because she refused to draw blood from an unconscious patient for drug testing.  Shades of Carter in Obstruction of Justice.  In her case, the video shows the cop being warned via telephone that he cannot force the blood draw, at which point he goes off and drags her out.  She was released after a few minutes in the cruiser, so she didn't get to meet Shrike's sister and the cop has been suspended.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/www.nydailynews.com/amp/news/national/nurse-arrested-refusing-blood-sample-police-article-1.3460008

Edited September 1, 2017 by doodlebug
fix spelling

[starri]

I hope she sues the police department and that cop.

[voiceover]

Ugh.  Another subplot I'm finding super-irritating: Mark & Susan & all that UST.  I'm guessing Sherry Stringfield's exit was what ended that as a possibility?

Probably one of those things that gripes me because it's a reminder of the number of times I was in the same situation, and wasn't brave enough or secure enough to pull the trigger.

Now I'm really depressed.

[rcc]

I like Mark and Susan together. It's too bad SS decided to leave the show for a while.

[cpcathy]

I was really hoping he'd go to Hawaii with her!

[Bastet]

I never felt any sexual tension between Mark and Susan.  They had nice friendship chemistry together, and I felt a little bit of a crush - and then, after his marriage fell apart, a yearning to slip into something comfortable and familiar - from Mark, but I never felt any desire from Susan.  So that stuff at the end of her (first) tenure felt forced to me.

[WendyCR72]

17 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I never felt any sexual tension between Mark and Susan.  They had nice friendship chemistry together, and I felt a little bit of a crush - and then, after his marriage fell apart, a yearning to slip into something comfortable and familiar - from Mark, but I never felt any desire from Susan.  So that stuff at the end of her (first) tenure felt forced to me.

This is me. I never saw Mark/Susan as a love match at all. So the ILY when Susan left didn't work for me. And, apparently, Susan. (Yes, I know SS was leaving!) If Susan loved him romantically, maybe she would have stayed.

But I always thought Mark was on the rebound.

[voiceover]

Well, Sherry played up the crush the 1st season, and -- while I agree that Mark was rebounding -- I think he was always into her.

Unfortunately, the Baby Susie/Suzie/I don't care enough to remember -- sl was the equivalent of saltpeter in the coffee.  I never bought her interest in anything, including her job, after that.

I know that Lucy has her defenders, but early Lucy irritated the crap out of me.  Carter had his BentonLite moments, but wasn't anything as harsh.  And yet he's the one who gets painted as the villain in that relationship.

JD & Eliot on Scrubs both got reamed by their attending over their inability to master simple procedures.  I only ever heard Carol scold Lucy about it.

Sorry.  Venting.  I believe I whine about this every time this sl comes around.

[MadyGirl1987]

So, I stopped watching not long after Romano died, although I watched the last couple episodes of the series to see how they were ending  the show. I decided I wanted to rewatch the final episode so got the season from my library. Watching the last season all the way through for the first time, I have to say it is better then I expected. While not as great as the early seasons, and it is jarring to not see the doctors I am used to when watching ER, the season has some bright spots so far. I am enjoying Angela Bassett as head of the ER especially. I even think John Stamos is doing good as Dr. Gates. You can tell even in the beginning  this is the farewell season, with things like the wall of nameplates in episode 3 and the flashback in episode 7 when we see Mark, Romano, Kerry and Jerry, with more to come as I get further into the season I am sure. I know the later seasons are looked down on but it sure is nice to see at least some redeeming things in the shows last legs.

[Barb1959]

Can anyone tell me when the "new" episodes are coming to POP Network?  Thanks....

[doodlebug]

Just now, Barb1959 said:

Can anyone tell me when the "new" episodes are coming to POP Network?  Thanks....

I don't think they've announced when Srason 7 and beyond is going to start. They are showing ads that say they've got all 15 seasons.

[voiceover]

I'll believe it when I see that the ep after "May Day" is NOT "24 Hours".

At this point I feel like Charlie Brown, and POP is Lucy with the football.

Edited September 4, 2017 by voiceover
Because "A Day in May" was a Frasier ep

[doodlebug]

4 minutes ago, voiceover said:

I'll believe it when I see that the ep after "May Day" is NOT "24 Hours".

At this point I feel like Charlie Brown, and POP is Lucy with the football.

Or it's Groundhog Day and 'I Got You, Babe' is on the radio again.  It's going to be a couple weeks until any of the ER iterations ( weekdays, Tuesday night or Saturday) reach the end of Season 6; here's hoping.

[voiceover]

4 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Or it's Groundhog Day and 'I Got You, Babe' is on the radio again

Bwah!  You're right; that's a better analogy.

[Gigi43]

Over time my opinion of Lucy has softened. She was annoying but I think the image of her laying  on the floor will forever be burned in my mind. So even now when she is annoying and I'm thinking it's ridiculous Carter is considered  "too harsh", I also want her to run out the doors for her own safety. 

 

On the flip side, there's Abby. When she first started she was okay and there was technically nothing at all bad about her in Great Expectations,  which I  watched on POP earlier, but whenever  I  see her I think of how awful and show-eating she became that it's all tainted. 

[jjj]

I was so confused with the random episodes today, all day (Monday) -- and it finally hit me that all of them are dealing with delivering babies.  On Labor Day.  Duh. 

I also found new student Lucy to be very irritating.  But POP is jumping back a couple of seasons now, I think -- wasn't Lucy just introduced at the end of last week?  I was ready to quit watching, but now we are in pre-Anna-Del-Amico episodes.  Maybe they dialed back so they could move into the final seasons on this cycle. 

[doodlebug]

25 minutes ago, jjj said:

I was so confused with the random episodes today, all day (Monday) -- and it finally hit me that all of them are dealing with delivering babies.  On Labor Day.  Duh. 

I also found new student Lucy to be very irritating.  But POP is jumping back a couple of seasons now, I think -- wasn't Lucy just introduced at the end of last week?  I was ready to quit watching, but now we are in pre-Anna-Del-Amico episodes.  Maybe they dialed back so they could move into the final seasons on this cycle. 

Yep, as of last Friday, they were just finishing up Season 4 and going into 5 on the weekday eppies.  Now, it looks like, as of tomorrow afternoon, they're going back to the middle of the third season when Susan leaves.  Hard to know what that means.

Meanwhile, the Tuesday night episodes at in the middle of Season 4 while the Saturday reruns are mid Season 5.

[jjj]

I pretty much expect the Saturday reruns to cycle back to the beginning one more time before going through all the seasons -- but I'm betting they have jumped back on the daily reruns in order to start the recently unaired seasons early in October -- so they just counted backward and started there for the daytime reruns.   If they do not skip any days in the 3-per-day reruns, they will end Season 6 on October 11.  So, watch for what happens on October 12. 

17 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

Yep, as of last Friday, they were just finishing up Season 4 and going into 5 on the weekday eppies.  Now, it looks like, as of tomorrow afternoon, they're going back to the middle of the third season when Susan leaves.  Hard to know what that means.

Meanwhile, the Tuesday night episodes at in the middle of Season 4 while the Saturday reruns are mid Season 5.

[voiceover]

Ugh.  The ep when Dennis Grant died.  Man, I hated that.  

Dear Thread Medical Staff: This was also the ep where Mark treated the woman who didn't want it -- Psych & Legal advised him against it but he did it anyway; turns out his diagnosis was correct, and her brother showed up later & thanked him.

Your thoughts?

For meningitis!!  Just remembered.

[rcc]

Sad about Gant but I really hated Benton's attitude about it all.

Mr. Green Beans saved that woman and got a thank you from her brother. It doesn't happen enough on this show.

[doodlebug]

42 minutes ago, voiceover said:

Ugh.  The ep when Dennis Grant died.  Man, I hated that.  

Dear Thread Medical Staff: This was also the ep where Mark treated the woman who didn't want it -- Psych & Legal advised him against it but he did it anyway; turns out his diagnosis was correct, and her brother showed up later & thanked him.

Your thoughts?

For meningitis!!  Just remembered.

In real life, I doubt there would've been much discussion, he just would have gone ahead and done it.  Or, he would've tried to find an old chart or a neighbor or someone to confirm that her behavior was not the norm for her.  I thought the psych resident was pretty dismissive and musn't have done a very thorough assessment of her mental status. 

ER docs are capable of 'pink slipping' psych patients (3 day psych hold); all they have to do is sign the paperwork and off to the psych ward the patient goes.  If Mark had simply said to the woman that he was concerned that she had a dangerous, possibly fatal disease and, if she didn't allow him to do the spinal tap, he was going to have to presume she was mentally ill and a danger to herself and commit her for 3 days and she probably would've agreed to the tap anyway.  In general, as long as the procedure being performed is one that a 'reasonable' person would consent to have done, it is ok to go ahead an do it in an emergent situation.

I seem to remember Lucy and Carter tapping Paul Sobricki against his will.  Of course, that didn't turn out so well for them.

[voiceover]

Thanks @doodlebug!  The "pink-slipping" sounds like a smart course.  I have no idea if any of the docs ever tried that.  The closest I can think of is Luka, with the girl who stabbed herself in an attempt to abort her baby.

I confess the psych resident got to me a little when he said people had the right to make the wrong decision about their health.  Or words to that effect.

[doodlebug]

6 minutes ago, voiceover said:

Thanks @doodlebug!  The "pink-slipping" sounds like a smart course.  I have no idea if any of the docs ever tried that.  The closest I can think of is Luka, with the girl who stabbed herself in an attempt to abort her baby.

I confess the psych resident got to me a little when he said people had the right to make the wrong decision about their health.  Or words to that effect.

People do have the right to refuse care, but only if they are competent to do so.  When a patient is not able to make a decision (unconscious or mentally ill), the medical professional is supposed to do what the average rational person would want done in that situation.  Had this woman died of her meningitis, her family could've easily sued the ER and won by demonstrating that her behavior that day was not rational nor was it typical of her. 

[jjj]

Article that argues against a reboot of 'ER' -- note that it refers to a couple of details from the finale, and the finales of other TV shows:  http://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/tv/do-not-resuscitate-let-er-and-other-dead-tv-series-stay-that-way/ 

[RedbirdNelly]

the Gant episode always got to me. I liked him. It was well played though. I was in total shock when it initially ran.

Haven't read the ER reboot article yet but theoretically you could easily reboot ER and it be really good--since it would be completely logical for the hospital to still be running with a completely different cast and believable for a few old cast members to still work there or come back to work there. It has a great set up where it doesn't twist reality for people to come and go. However, that assumes you have great writing and just create a new, great show. I've been watching Chicago Med and can definitely say it's possible to write a medical show that is lousy. So, my hopes would be high but my realistic expectations would be they probably don't get great writers and the show sucks and eats away at fond memories of the original.

[RedbirdNelly]

After having read the ER reboot article--I agree with the premise of it. I would assume that any reboot was basically new cast (current residents/attendings) with minimal spill over from old cast. Would not want a show that tried to update us on all the old cast. I do hate it when they mess up my happily ever after fantasies for how an old show ended. But, again, I'd prefer no reboot if they are not going to write this thing really well.

[BBHN]

Nostalgia needs to stay where it is...in the past.

Also, most of these examples are not reboots, they are sequels. Battlestar Galactica was a true reboot; 90210, Gilmore Girls, X-files, Dallas, Fuller House, are sequels.

But honestly, no need for an ER reboot/sequel. The show may have declined in quality, but I thought it ended on a perfect note in it's final episode.

Edited September 8, 2017 by BBHN

[WendyCR72]

I loved ER, but it had its time. And reboots run the risk of tainting the original show. I say STOP with the freaking reboots/remakes and take some chances.

That is a big reason broadcast TV is dying. And, let's face it, the FCC rules that only apply to broadcast hamstring them, too. Not saying there needs to be constant nudity and swearing, but I think the FCC needs to loosen the reins or broadcast erosion will continue.

[starri]

On 9/6/2017 at 5:02 PM, doodlebug said:

If Mark had simply said to the woman that he was concerned that she had a dangerous, possibly fatal disease and, if she didn't allow him to do the spinal tap, he was going to have to presume she was mentally ill and a danger to herself and commit her for 3 days and she probably would've agreed to the tap anyway.  In general, as long as the procedure being performed is one that a 'reasonable' person would consent to have done, it is ok to go ahead an do it in an emergent situation.

The laws in my state (New York) might be different, but a 72 hour psych hold, which any doctor can do, are very different than treating someone without capacity.  This may just be a factor of only having worked in teaching hospitals, but I can't think of a case where the person doing the involuntary commitment (the former) wasn't a psychiatry attending.  That's generally reserved for people who are actively a threat to themselves or others from psychiatric--not medical--reasons.

The latter requires two attendings (usually whatever service the patient is admitted to, plus psychiatry) who judge that the patient lacks capacity, to sign off on overriding his or her wishes.  "A Shift in the Night" is one of my favorite episodes, but I don't remember the psych resident actually assessing Shelly for capacity.  He evaluated her cognitive function, but that isn't the same thing.  With capacity, she has to understand what exactly she's refusing and what she risks by refusing it.  And I know ER often played fast and loose with how residency works, but there is no way a resident--especially a first year resident--would be the final arbiter of her mental state, no matter how busing the attending was.

As an aside, I use the same objects for three-item recall, and it took me a long time to realize why.

[doodlebug]

35 minutes ago, starri said:

The laws in my state (New York) might be different, but a 72 hour psych hold, which any doctor can do, are very different than treating someone without capacity.  This may just be a factor of only having worked in teaching hospitals, but I can't think of a case where the person doing the involuntary commitment (the former) wasn't a psychiatry attending.  That's generally reserved for people who are actively a threat to themselves or others from psychiatric--not medical--reasons.

The latter requires two attendings (usually whatever service the patient is admitted to, plus psychiatry) who judge that the patient lacks capacity, to sign off on overriding his or her wishes.  "A Shift in the Night" is one of my favorite episodes, but I don't remember the psych resident actually assessing Shelly for capacity.  He evaluated her cognitive function, but that isn't the same thing.  With capacity, she has to understand what exactly she's refusing and what she risks by refusing it.  And I know ER often played fast and loose with how residency works, but there is no way a resident--especially a first year resident--would be the final arbiter of her mental state, no matter how busing the attending was.

As an aside, I use the same objects for three-item recall, and it took me a long time to realize why.

In Ohio, anyway, the admit can happen with an ER doc starting the ball rolling.  I know this from personal experience, alas.  I accompanied a friend who was floridly delusional to the ER and the attending there sent him to the psych unit on a hold without any psychiatric personnel seeing him.  And, yes, there was attention paid to whether he was a threat to himself or others; I provided statements to the doc privately and my friend very cheerfully confided his plans to get rid of a relative. She did confer with an attending on the phone for the admit, of course.  It's possible a psychiatrist signed off on the hold later, but not in the ER.  It's happened many times over the years (bipolar brother).  Teaching hospitals are a whole 'nother bird, though, and the layers of bureaucracy and amount of hoops to jump tend to be much more involved.

i agree with you, the psych resident's evaluation that we saw was inadequate to determine capacity which was the whole crux of the matter. And, since his opinion differed from the ER doc's, at the very least, he needed to present the case in depth to a psych attending to sign off on it.  Nowadays, it wouldn't happen because nobody gets paid unless the attending is physically present at the bedside at some point.

I also didn't mean to imply that a psych hold and performing an LP without consent were equivalent sorts of actions. I have, however, seen doctors use the specter of a psych hold (or social services consult or psych consult) as leverage to get a patient to agree to evaluations or treatment that they were wanting to refuse. Not going to get into the ethical or legal issues; but we know it happens and ER docs tend to be pretty adept at it.  They don't have the time or the setting to develop a trusting relationship with a resistant patient; so sometimes they use a shortcut.

Edited September 9, 2017 by doodlebug

[jjj]

7 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

Edited this post to leave it open for general long-running arcs, etc. For discussion of episodes of any given seasons, however, please use the corresponding season threads. And thanks!

Thanks so much! 

It looks like the POP schedule is still doing the odd start-end times for the daily shows next week; not sure if DVRs have picked this up yet.  I'm very curious to see if the Saturday marathons cycle back to the beginning, or move forward to Season 7 in about two weeks.  I think they are saving the later seasons for the daily reruns, starting mid-October.   

I have been amazed this summer at how it's been possible to rewatch the same episodes and keep picking up small subplots.  I can't think of any current television show that has so many interior stories within any hour-long (42-minutes-long) drama.  Sometimes it is only a brief encounter with a patient we never see again, and sometimes it is a minor character with a very long arc, like Loretta.  Something about seeing the episodes in clusters really highlights how tightly this show was written. 

[justduckey]

Totally agree about catching things you've never picked up on before. What isbnisnthe 3rd/4th full go round of seasons 1-6 and I'm still not tiring of it.  DVR records them and I watch them. It's been a true summer of ER for me. 

[desertflower]

On 9/3/2017 at 9:16 PM, MadyGirl1987 said:

So, I stopped watching not long after Romano died, although I watched the last couple episodes of the series to see how they were ending  the show. I decided I wanted to rewatch the final episode so got the season from my library. Watching the last season all the way through for the first time, I have to say it is better then I expected. While not as great as the early seasons, and it is jarring to not see the doctors I am used to when watching ER, the season has some bright spots so far. I am enjoying Angela Bassett as head of the ER especially. I even think John Stamos is doing good as Dr. Gates. You can tell even in the beginning  this is the farewell season, with things like the wall of nameplates in episode 3 and the flashback in episode 7 when we see Mark, Romano, Kerry and Jerry, with more to come as I get further into the season I am sure. I know the later seasons are looked down on but it sure is nice to see at least some redeeming things in the shows last legs.

I agree. It's been a while since I've watched the last couple of seasons but I do remember at one point it seemed to go on an upswing and I found a lot of it was well done. I even really liked Morris by the end.

[walnutqueen]

Just watched "Ground Zero" and was amused by the shoutout to Mark Greene's alter ego (aka Bubble Boy) on Northern Exposure by the patient claiming to have "environmentally based allergies".  heh

Edited September 14, 2017 by walnutqueen
Did I just dream that there were (empty) Season topics for a hot minute, or was that some other show I follow?

[KarenClassic]

So I'm a little behind on the daily POP reruns but I just finished S4 E2 and I'm really getting tired of Mark Green's PTSD storyline. I was really hoping it would end when season 3 ended.  Also how many times is he going to call somebody a drunk or drug addict and then we find they aren't have another medical problem?

[doodlebug]

5 hours ago, KarenClassic said:

So I'm a little behind on the daily POP reruns but I just finished S4 E2 and I'm really getting tired of Mark Green's PTSD storyline. I was really hoping it would end when season 3 ended.  Also how many times is he going to call somebody a drunk or drug addict and then we find they aren't have another medical problem?

Too many times.  It drags on through the first half of season 4, too.  It takes up a portion of virtually every episode, no subtlety there.  It kinda ends at the Christmas episode and then we get a redux in Season 5 when he helps a refugee with PTSD.  Mark becomes the PTSD whisperer, although he forgets pretty quickly as he seems to have no idea what is wrong with Carter after the stabbing in Season 6.

Edited September 14, 2017 by doodlebug

[starri]

Mark seemed to only have a few bright spots toward the end of his run.  By the end of S5, he and Kerry had developed a good working relationship, until they sabotaged that.  And the stuff with his father was great.  And then nothing.

[cpcathy]

I know it's been mentioned upthread once or twice, but Mark could really be a shit sometimes. I guess I never really caught that when I watched it on NBC.

[doodlebug]

4 hours ago, cpcathy said:

I know it's been mentioned upthread once or twice, but Mark could really be a shit sometimes. I guess I never really caught that when I watched it on NBC.

That is one thing this show did well, all of the characters, even the heroic ones, had flaws that we got to see along with the good stuff they did.  Mark's initial response to Jeannie's HIV status comes to mind as not one of his best.

They also did a pretty good job of making the villains multilayered, too.  Kerry frequently butted heads with her coworkers but, yet, she had a soft spot for Jeannie, was visibly hurt when Anspaugh asked Mark to see his son and was empathetic to the point of helping Carol get some time off when she was struggling after the twins were born. 

Heck, even Romano was sweet with Reese Benton, impressed with Lucy and was shown to be crushing on Corday in a sort of sweet way at one point.  He was also very kind to her and supportive when Mark was dying and afterwards.

[walnutqueen]

12 hours ago, starri said:

Mark seemed to only have a few bright spots toward the end of his run.  By the end of S5, he and Kerry had developed a good working relationship, until they sabotaged that.  And the stuff with his father was great.  And then nothing.

Apparently his entire death arc was to try to retcon RachHELL,  Ain't enough dead Hawaiian uke players in the world, singing the prettiest song ever, gonna change my mind about that Devil's spawn.  My most hated character, from the moment the wee little bairn appeared on my screen.  [/irrational rant]

[doodlebug]

9 minutes ago, walnutqueen said:

Apparently his entire death arc was to try to retcon RachHELL,  Ain't enough dead Hawaiian uke players in the world, singing the prettiest song ever, gonna change my mind about that Devil's spawn.  My most hated character, from the moment the wee little bairn appeared on my screen.  [/irrational rant]

The decision to age Rachel and bring her back to play a major part in Mark's story was an awful one. When she was a younger kid, we got a few scenes spread out over a season which was bad enough.  Episode after episode of Evil Teen Rachel was too much of a bad thing.

Edited September 15, 2017 by doodlebug

[walnutqueen]

1 minute ago, doodlebug said:

The decision to age Rachel and bring her back to play a major part in Mark's story was an awful one. When she was a younger kid, we got a few scenes spread out over a season which was bad enough.

Her high pitched baby voice matched Cynthia's on my scale of annoyance.  That teen iteration?  Made me imagine her Six Feet Under death every damned time she appeared on my screen.

[RedbirdNelly]

I too hated teenage Rachel. But I want to see Mark's death arc again, partly just to hear the Hawaiian uklele song. That got me.