All Episodes Talk: What's Up Doc?

[doodlebug]

4 minutes ago, slasherboy said:

I'm so confused.  Who are all these people?  I've missed several days and it's like a whole different show.  

Like, the woman and little girl with Gates?  The guy sleeping with Sam?  When did her Mother show up?  

I never thought I'd say this, but now I want to see the whole thing from beginning to end again since I've missed so much of the new stuff.  And now I know what to FF through.  Although I can't do that because I don't have the capability to DVR these shows and must watch them live.

All these people turned up in just the past week or so.

Gates was living with the wife and daughter of a close friend of his who died in Iraq.  He and the woman were friends with benefits except now Gates wants to date Neela and the woman is not happy.

The guy sleeping with Sam is a new nurse, just showed up at County in the past few episodes as did Sam's grandmother, the older lady living with her.  Sam's mother is in prison these days it seems.

I watched all of these episodes back when they first aired, but, nearly every day, I am surprised by a storyline or character that I had totally forgotten. That never happened in the early seasons.  I guess that's what happens when the writing is not so compelling anymore.

Edited December 21, 2017 by doodlebug

[slasherboy]

Hey Gates, lose the mustache.  And, does Pratt die?  Who's Timmy?  He just left on a cruise with Sam's mother.

Edited December 21, 2017 by slasherboy

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, slasherboy said:

Hey Gates, lose the mustache.  And, does Pratt die?  Who's Timmy?  He just left on a cruise with Sam's mother.

Timmy is one of the unit clerks in the ER like Jerry and Frank.  He was actually on the show back in the early days, disappeared and then returned recently.

Yes, Pratt dies but not in Season 13.

Edited December 22, 2017 by doodlebug

[absnow54]

The Ames story was really irritating, because they made Ames really sympathetic in the trial episode and painted the scenario in a really complex and gray way, but then they threw it all away to make him a psychopath. Also, what was the timeline of this case that his wife has not only left him, but remarried and the kids are calling him Dad?

[MinorL]

So, Pratt’s hearing was on the same day he got notice of his suspension? He didn’t have time to get an attorney or prepare? (I haven’t finished the episode, so I’m sure it all worked out, but that is absurd.)

[casey65]

This is from a while ago but - the episode with Carter running through the rain and up the stairs to find Kem - all that scene needed was Coldplay's Clocks playing in the background. 

[doodlebug]

53 minutes ago, MinorL said:

So, Pratt’s hearing was on the same day he got notice of his suspension? He didn’t have time to get an attorney or prepare? (I haven’t finished the episode, so I’m sure it all worked out, but that is absurd.)

Yeah, that’s not how it works. Amongst other things, they wouldve notified him that there was a complaint and they were investigating.  Then, the hearing would’ve scheduled only if the board felt there was reason to pursue the issue.  All of this would take at least 3-6 months to happen and he would’ve been aware of it long before the hearing.  Also, his license would not be suspended prior to the outcome of the hearing which would not be decided immediately, but a couple weeks down the line.

In addition, the investigation and hearing would be confidential and he’d be notified with registered mail.  Nobody at the hospital would be notified of anything unless his license was pulled and even then, it would be confidential and he wouldn’t be confronted at work in front of coworkers.  There would also be an appeal process and Pratt would be able to have legal counsel throughout.

[CarolMK]

I'm behind a couple of episodes, but I don't understand how the Forest Whitaker character got into Abby and Luka's apartment. And it's Whitaker who has a restraining order against Luka? This is really weird. Watching Pratt get arrested was pretty sad as well. Then we also have Sam's kid starting a fire in her apartment and Gate's ex looked like she had a serious car accident. I'm missing the old days of Benton being surly to Carter and the Doug/Carol romance. Heck, I even wish that Mark Green and Jen had stayed married, I enjoyed seeing their family scenes and never understood why she could only get a job 2 hours away , not in a big city like Chicago. It certainly doesn't feel at all like the original show. Especially now with Weaver leaving. 

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, CarolMK said:

I'm behind a couple of episodes, but I don't understand how the Forest Whitaker character got into Abby and Luka's apartment. And it's Whitaker who has a restraining order against Luka? This is really weird. Watching Pratt get arrested was pretty sad as well. Then we also have Sam's kid starting a fire in her apartment and Gate's ex looked like she had a serious car accident. I'm missing the old days of Benton being surly to Carter and the Doug/Carol romance. Heck, I even wish that Mark Green and Jen had stayed married, I enjoyed seeing their family scenes and never understood why she could only get a job 2 hours away , not in a big city like Chicago. It certainly doesn't feel at all like the original show. Especially now with Weaver leaving. 

Thankfully, all six of the originals (Susan, Carter, Peter, Mark, Carol, and Doug) - and popular characters like Kerry, Elizabeth, and Romano - make appearances in S15. Yes, Romano and Mark, too. The glory of recreated flashbacks.

[Earl Is Dead]

Since this is my first viewing of the later seasons and I can't get home in time to watch every episode every day (and no way am I clogging my DVR with this much volume), I've really appreciated this forum to help clarify what's happening.  One stupid little plot point I haven't caught yet - when and how did Darlene Conner go from being a med student to a nurse?

Also - a question for Doodlebug if you don't mind me asking since you have identified yourself as an OB - several episodes back Luka treated a teenage girl with an unplanned pregnancy by giving her a device to take home with her that would cause a miscarriage so her religious parents would not be aware she had ended the pregnancy herself.  I do not think of myself as someone who lives under a rock but would such a treatment even be safe, assuming it exists (which ... I've never heard of or even seen on TV before)?

ETA: Oh, and add kidney transplant recipient Amy Adams to your guest star bingo game!  

Edited December 22, 2017 by Earl Is Dead

[doodlebug]

3 hours ago, Earl Is Dead said:

Since this is my first viewing of the later seasons and I can't get home in time to watch every episode every day (and no way am I clogging my DVR with this much volume), I've really appreciated this forum to help clarify what's happening.  One stupid little plot point I haven't caught yet - when and how did Darlene Conner go from being a med student to a nurse?

Also - a question for Doodlebug if you don't mind me asking since you have identified yourself as an OB - several episodes back Luka treated a teenage girl with an unplanned pregnancy by giving her a device to take home with her that would cause a miscarriage so her religious parents would not be aware she had ended the pregnancy herself.  I do not think of myself as someone who lives under a rock but would such a treatment even be safe, assuming it exists (which ... I've never heard of or even seen on TV before)?

ETA: Oh, and add kidney transplant recipient Amy Adams to your guest star bingo game!  

Darlene (or whatever her ER name is) is not a nurse.  She was a med student and now she is an intern.  I believe there was some line about her being a nurse because they needed her to do something because a nurse wasn't available.

What Luka did was place several laminaria into her cervix.  Dumb idea and wasn't very likely to work.  Laminaria are about the size of matchsticks and are made of methylcellulose (originally laminaria were a sterilized variety of dried seaweed until pharmaceutical companies learned how to manufacture it).  When placed into the cervix, they absorb fluid from it and swell up which causes passive dilation of the cervix.  Back in the day, they were used to help dilate the cervix prior to second trimester abortions or sometimes before inductions for fetal demise.  They're still used for these things on occasion although there are other options.

Anyway, Luka was betting that the laminaria would stay in her cervix long enough to swell up enough to cause it to dilate to the point where she would miscarry.  There are a lot of ifs in that.  First, you've got to get multiple laminaria into the cervix far enough that they don't fall out and that takes some skill and would be really uncomfortable in a young kid who probably never even had a pelvic exam to that point. Doubtful Luka had much experience with it, so the odds he got enough of them far enough into her cervix to work are low.  It is also quite possible that one or more of them wouldn't fall out and, when she ended up in the ER or at her doctors with bleeding and cramping, someone would find it and Luka would then be charged with felony assault since I have a feeling that the girl would never have been able to admit that she wanted an abortion and consented to it.  Even more likely, they all fall out and she is still pregnant. Or, they'd cause her water to break and she'd get an intrauterine infection from them.  A better way to do it would to be to use misoprostol tablets in the vagina but even those don't work every time, especially in a viable pregnancy.  However, they are also a relatively simple do-it-yourself method, so maybe TPTB didn't want to give anyone any ideas.

In real life, minors are emancipated when it comes to pregnancy, birth control and STD's and the girl wouldn't need her parents' knowledge or permission to have a termination and the ER staff would've given her a card for a local clinic and had her call there.  A pregnancy termination is never an emergency and aborting anyone's pregnancy within hours of diagnosis is a very bad idea in many cases.

I thought the transplant recipient was Amy Adams too, but IMDB doesn't list her in the cast for that episode and ER isn't in her list of credits, either.  Anyone know if she ever used another name professionally?

Edited December 22, 2017 by doodlebug

[RedbirdNelly]

I kind of watched the season 10, Christmas in Africa episode. I say kind of watched because I was not motivated to pay attention. I hope that is the last one there. Only upside was Carter saying he wasn't lost anymore, not that I see Kem as his true love, but at least that is positive.

I generally always really enjoyed the Christmas episodes--perhaps best one was season 1 (blizzard). It's stuck in my head how it starts out all quiet with that Sleigh Ride song.

[doodlebug]

26 minutes ago, RedbirdNelly said:

I kind of watched the season 10, Christmas in Africa episode. I say kind of watched because I was not motivated to pay attention. I hope that is the last one there. Only upside was Carter saying he wasn't lost anymore, not that I see Kem as his true love, but at least that is positive.

I generally always really enjoyed the Christmas episodes--perhaps best one was season 1 (blizzard). It's stuck in my head how it starts out all quiet with that Sleigh Ride song.

Blizzard was the episode that made me fall in love with ER.  Great combination of camaraderie, staff hijinks and ER drama.

Alas, there's more Africa to come.

[RedbirdNelly]

seriously? I keep thinking surely we're done with in-Africa episodes. Darn.

[absnow54]

55 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

I thought the transplant recipient was Amy Adams too, but IMDB doesn't list her in the cast for that episode and ER isn't in her list of credits, either.  Anyone know if she ever used another name professionally?

According to IMDb, the actress is Christie Lynn Smith, who appears to be an Amy Adams doppelgänger. I think by this time of the show's run, Amy Adams was already too famous for a day player. 

[desertflower]

1 hour ago, RedbirdNelly said:

seriously? I keep thinking surely we're done with in-Africa episodes. Darn.

Pratt goes over. There is one episode where they show mostly ER stuff with Pratt traveling over there interspersed. But then the next episode is pretty much all Pratt in Darfur. Had to skip that one.

[slasherboy]

Double Whammy!!  Andy Dick and Manny from "Modern Family".  Did I win?

[doodlebug]

Mom who drank poison with her son's encouragement: Sean Young.

[Earl Is Dead]

Wow. I would have sworn that was Amy Adams. That’s some doppelgänger!

And thank you for the info Doodlebug. I knew that “solution” Luka came up with seemed too convenient to be right. And IIRC he told her to go home and use them which, based on what you say is even less plausible.

Loved seeing little baby Manny today!

[Barb1959]

Those episodes with Curtis Ames was so intense I couldn't look away!  I did not see any of ER the first time around and I am really enjoying this show.  I really love it!  They don't make them like this anymore...

[absnow54]

Haven't mentioned it yet, but I love the Kim Kelly/Lindsay Weir reunion. Especially since Busy and Linda are playing completely different characters. 

[desertflower]

14 hours ago, absnow54 said:

Haven't mentioned it yet, but I love the Kim Kelly/Lindsay Weir reunion. Especially since Busy and Linda are playing completely different characters. 

Oh yeah! When I watched these episodes originally I had not seen Freaks and Geeks yet. I finally caught up last year on Netflix and really loved it. 

[Zoe]

On 12/22/2017 at 0:04 PM, doodlebug said:

Darlene (or whatever her ER name is) is not a nurse.  She was a med student and now she is an intern.  I believe there was some line about her being a nurse because they needed her to do something because a nurse wasn't available.

The nurse jokes started because she had to change into spare nursing clothes after the kid puked all over her.

[slasherboy]

Did Luka just say he had a fire Weaver?

I need to watch this entire show from beginning to end.  I've missed so much these past few weeks.  I haven't a clue what's going on with anybody.

How does Pratt die, somebody?

[CarolMK]

I remember Luka saying yes, he did have to fire Weaver. I don't exactly know why. But I watched the wedding episode today of Abby and Luka. It was pretty well done overall, though I could have done without the fight between Tony and Ray, and everyone wanting to kiss Neela. That was just weird. Not exactly sure who the flower girl was, the daughter of the other surgical student? Not liking Ray getting run over by a truck at the very end.

I don't know how Pratt dies since I am seeing these episodes for the first time. I originally watched up until Lucy and Carter were shot, then I bailed on the rest of the series,Curiosity is keeping me hanging in there now. I do miss Susan more than I thought I would. Somewhere, I read that the actor playing Luka's contract is up, so while they just had the character get married, now he won't be appearing as much next season. Hmm.

[absnow54]

I think Pratt dies in an ambulance explosion at the start of season 15/end of 14. The patient being transported is in witness protection and is the target... or something... maybe. 

Neela having FOUR people obsessed with her is excessive. I wish they never crossed that line with Debanko, because he was a good mentor to her before that. 

[RedbirdNelly]

On ‎11‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 7:05 PM, walnutqueen said:

Heh.  She'd look more pregnant if she swallowed a grape.

in addition to skipping down stairs Kem and Carter went ice skating. Which seemed to me to be a really weird activity to take up while pregnant if you were not experienced already. I would be worried about hurting myself while not pregnant. (still watching season 10)

general thoughts on recently watched episodes:

1) funny moment when Galant catches Pratt at his apartment with Galant's sister--when Galant tells his sister "now I know why you were so interested in my schedule."

2) the NICU episode got to me with the parents whose baby would not make it.

3) hated it when Pratt broke that kid's neck. Ick.

4) agree with others that I wish Carter would shav

[Barb1959]

I loved Luka and Abby's wedding.  I especially loved Busy Phillips and Scott Grimes singing!

[Marathonrunner]

5 hours ago, absnow54 said:

 

Neela having FOUR people obsessed with her is excessive. I wish they never crossed that line with Debanko, because he was a good mentor to her before that. 

I loved the first few years but didn't watch much of the later ones - interesting watching them now & how much the show/characters changed

Amazing how Neela became the world's most wanted woman - soldier husband, Tony, Ray, Debanko & getting kissed by the girl in the bathroom at the wedding - the writers must not have known what else to do with her - she's one of the only major characters who didn't have an oops pregnancy so we'll give her all these people fawning over her instead

[absnow54]

FYI, Pop is playing 6 episodes on Friday of the current rotation starting at 12:30 instead of the usual 3 episodes for those who might want to update their DVR.

[doodlebug]

22 hours ago, slasherboy said:

Did Luka just say he had a fire Weaver?

I need to watch this entire show from beginning to end.  I've missed so much these past few weeks.  I haven't a clue what's going on with anybody.

How does Pratt die, somebody?

Luka had to let Weaver go due to budget problems.  He told her he needed to cut more than $200,000 from the ER budget that year and there were only two doctors making more than that : Weaver and him.  She got all snotty about it and pitched a fit which was ironic considering how she felt so put upon when Jeannie was upset when Weaver fired her for virtually the same reasons.  In the same episode, Weaver got an opportunity to move to Miami for a job as a TV doctor (remember she was doing medical news stories in Chicago) with her new love interest who I think was a producer on the news.  At first, Weaver was going to turn down the full time TV gig, claiming that she loved patient care too much; but, then, she decided that, with Sandy's death and other things; she really wanted a fresh start, so she took the Miami job.

Pratt dies needlessly.  Because by this point, everyone leaving the show has to be killed or maimed.

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, Marathonrunner said:

I loved the first few years but didn't watch much of the later ones - interesting watching them now & how much the show/characters changed

Amazing how Neela became the world's most wanted woman - soldier husband, Tony, Ray, Debanko & getting kissed by the girl in the bathroom at the wedding - the writers must not have known what else to do with her - she's one of the only major characters who didn't have an oops pregnancy so we'll give her all these people fawning over her instead

Well, they married Abby off, so someone had to step into the breach.  Prior to that, Abby was the man magnet.

[slasherboy]

I've come to really like Pratt.  YAY Pratt!

When the truck hit Ray, wasn't that right outside the wedding venue?  Wouldn't everybody have see the wreckage when they came outside?  Then how come nobody knew about him being injured?  Poor fish.

Love, love, love Stanley Tucci.

[ch1]

1 hour ago, doodlebug said:

 

Pratt dies needlessly.  Because by this point, everyone leaving the show has to be killed or maimed.

I could swear I read somewhere that the actor wanted his character killed off.

But at that point it was ridiculous.  Sometimes people just get new jobs.  I think the shark jumped there with Romano.

[slasherboy]

Bingo!  The guy from "WKRP in in Cincinnati"!  The stoner.  Howard something?

Edited December 28, 2017 by slasherboy
Googled the stoner ..... Howard Hesseman who played Dr. Johnny Fever. Ta-da!!

[walnutqueen]

5 hours ago, absnow54 said:

FYI, Pop is playing 6 episodes on Friday of the current rotation starting at 12:30 instead of the usual 3 episodes for those who might want to update their DVR.

Thanks for the heads up - I would've been pissed if I'd missed them.

[ooh.boo]

I’m only in Season 9, so behind you guys. I just need to say Abby is so annoying!! I don’t understand why everyone thinks she is so amazing. Kovac is sad because they broke up, even though they didn’t seem that into each other when they were together. Kerry made her nurse manager because she has more experience than other ER nurses I guess. And she is upset she doesn’t get an opinion about her adult brother’s treatment. Argh!!! 

[justduckey]

I have no recollection of Ray losing his legs. So that was a shocking reveal to me. But seriously how many bad things need to happen to the major characters in one episode. Now Neela.  I know most of us are bemoaning new school ER vs old school but there’s a reason why.

And what with this soundtrack version of er? Seems there’s always a popular-at-the-time song montage at the end of episodes now.

 

Also, Luka left? Does he come back?

Edited December 28, 2017 by justduckey

[doodlebug]

Just now, justduckey said:

I have no recollection of Ray losing his legs. So that was a shocking reveal to me. But seriously how many bad things need to happen to the major characters in one episode. Now Neela.  I know most of us are bemoaning new school ER vs old school but there’s a reason why.

And what with this soundtrack version of er? Seems there’s always a popular-at-the-time montage at the end of episodes now.

 

Also, Luka left? Does he come back?

Yes, he comes back to his lovely bride, who, in a snit because he postponed their honeymoon plans to visit his DYING father; goes on a bender which includes working in the ER while plastered, drunk driving with their child in the car and, finally, hopping into bed with the new ER chief, Morretti.  Just when you think Abby cannot possibly be more unlikaable...

[RedbirdNelly]

On ‎11‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 4:13 PM, Bastet said:

Yeah, well, if the guy who wanted to marry me, then didn't, but still wanted to date me, then sent me a Dear John letter, was suddenly in front of me for the first time since said letter and before we could even exchange pleasantries I learned that approximately five minutes after breaking up with me he'd impregnated someone, I'd indulge in a moment of snark, too.

I like the "So we're okay?" conversation they have in the trauma room.  Also the "You're going to be a great father/You're going to be a great doctor" scene in the NICU episode.  It reminded me I liked them as friends.

I hope Carter shaves soon.

I liked the so we're okay conversation too--esp when he asks Abby to dinner and she says she's not "that' ok--which is very realistic.

[RedbirdNelly]

On ‎11‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 7:44 AM, desertflower said:

 

The tank episode wasn't as bad as I was thinking it was. I thought it got into the ER and messed up the front area; I forgot they stopped it out in the street. Yes, a tank was still over the top but it was more restrained than I had remembered. I think I had the NBC promo for it in mind; they really played up the HORROR OF THE TANK as I recall. I like when Weaver yelled at them to stop crowding around the tv. "It's not the moon landing!" 

Sandy really was gorgeous. Too bad she was one of the many who fell victim to the death-happy writers of these later seasons. 

I don't mind seeing Abby do well in her job. (Like in the NICU.) Lord knows her personal life is a mess; we dont need to see her flailing and miserable at work too. 

I watched the tank episode last night and agree with you. I also remember there being a real case of some guy driving over cars with a tank (I think in LA; late 90s?) so it didn't seem too over the top crazy. And kind of funny when they flash that guys picture up and Morris gets concerned.

The episode does have Abby once again knowing more as a medical student than doctors. It reads at times like they forget she's supposed to be playing a medical student and not a 2nd year resident. I know she has nurse experience, but still. I swear in the helicopter crash episode Gallant comes out to get her because a patient is crashing. It really comes across as Gallant (doctor) needs Abby (student) not because he needs a second pair of hands but because she's like his attending.

I liked Abby fine in the NICU episode. I'm fine with her being good--just wish they did not over do it at times.

On ‎11‎/‎29‎/‎2017 at 2:47 PM, desertflower said:

In one episode Chen mentioned her mom died. I did miss a couple of episodes so I assumed it was the accident, which is also the reason for dad's condition. I think. 

her mom died in China. Chen brought her dad back after he was healthy enough to travel (watching season 10 now).

[Bastet]

I've missed so much of this show, I'm not sure I'm going to bother trying to watch any more.  I missed last week due to a bad mood and pre-holiday madness, and this week I'm off, so don't have it on in the background while sitting at my desk, since I'm not sitting at my desk all day.  I haven't had any urge to turn it on in the living room and actually sit down to watch, even when I've been home while it's on. 

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

I've missed so much of this show, I'm not sure I'm going to bother trying to watch any more.  I missed last week due to a bad mood and pre-holiday madness, and this week I'm off, so don't have it on in the background while sitting at my desk, since I'm not sitting at my desk all day.  I haven't had any urge to turn it on in the living room and actually sit down to watch, even when I've been home while it's on. 

Tune back in to see Season 15, the last season.  It should start Friday January 5.  We just started Season 14.

Edited December 28, 2017 by doodlebug

[Zoe]

Oh, oh, Bingo! The wife of the Latino gunshot victim is Christina Vidal, aka the little girl from Life with Mickey, aka the real life sister of Sandy Lopez.

[dargosmydaddy]

The kid Gates was treating was the kid from Parenthood (Miles something).

 

12 hours ago, justduckey said:

And what with this soundtrack version of er? Seems there’s always a popular-at-the-time song montage at the end of episodes now.

I think this became the point where they were trying to be Grey's Anatomy...

[Bastet]

I'm going to take the Christmas tree and decorations down tomorrow, so maybe I'll have the episodes on while I do that and see if I can get back into the swing of this show.  But with Kerry gone, we're down to Luka, Abby, and Neela as the characters I like.  Three out of a huge cast.

Oops, forgot Sam.  Okay, four.

Edited December 29, 2017 by Bastet

[absnow54]

To add to guest star bingo, wasn't the lady impregnated by her student January Jones?

[absnow54]

14 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Yes, he comes back to his lovely bride, who, in a snit because he postponed their honeymoon plans to visit his DYING father; goes on a bender which includes working in the ER while plastered, drunk driving with their child in the car and, finally, hopping into bed with the new ER chief, Morretti.  Just when you think Abby cannot possibly be more unlikaable...

I guess I didn't see it playing that way. Abby  didn't seem to give a shit about their honeymoon, and was supportive of Luka leaving. The only reason she didn't go with him was because Joe didn't have a passport (she noted it would take at least 4 weeks to get him one in one of today's episodes.) And I found her struggle with taking care of Joe through an emergency without being able to contact him to be pretty sympathetic. Yeah Luka's father needs him, but in this instance she really needed him too. So I didn't see it as Abby going on a bender because Luka chose his father over her. She went on a bender because she had a really traumatic day and couldn't recognize all the support the ER staff was offering her. That doesn't excuse driving drunk and working under the influence and cheating -- that's shitty and selfish. I just find the scenario slightly more nuanced that "Abby is the worst."

Edited December 29, 2017 by absnow54

[KBrownie]

25 minutes ago, absnow54 said:

I guess I didn't see it playing that way.

That's because it didn't.

The entire incident was much more complicated and complex than just the totally non-factual, but often repeated as if it were objective fact, view that Abby got drunk and slept with Moretti simply because she was pissed at Luka for leaving.  As if Joe getting hurt as the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak after Abby was shown to be struggling with Luka's absence never happened.  Nope, it was all just Abby cheating in a passive-aggressive snit.  Like or don't like who you want, but let's try to deal in facts here.  Luka and Abby were fine when he left.  She expressed wanting to meet and for her and Joe to get to know Luka's father.  She wasn't  upset about the honeymoon or Luka having to leave because of his sick father AT ALL.  Yes, she gets upset at not being able to reach Luka when their son is in crisis and at the length of his absence, but those are perfectly reasonable reactions.

The last of today's episodes (and even before that) set up pretty well her fall off the wagon by highlighting the stress Abby felt in caring for Joe on her own along with her equally stressful job as an ER doctor.  She got through Joe's crisis pretty well but seeing the bottle of wine and the disappointment of that telemarketer still not being Luka contacting her to be that ear that she needed to relieve the stress and panic of the day was the last straw.   Abby gets criticized for being superhuman, but when she reacts like a normal human would, she gets bitched at for that too.  And yes, plenty of people have to deal with the same stresses in life that Abby does, but everyone deals with things in their own way.

Edited December 29, 2017 by KBrownie

[doodlebug]

19 minutes ago, KBrownie said:

\\That's because it didn't.

The entire incident was much more complicated and complex than just the totally non-factual, but often repeated as if it were objective fact, view that Abby got drunk and slept with Moretti simply because she was pissed at Luka for leaving.  As if Joe getting hurt as the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak after Abby was shown to be struggling with Luka's absence never happened.  Nope, it was all just Abby cheating in a passive-aggressive snit.  Like or don't like who you want, but let's try to deal in facts here.  Luka and Abby were fine when he left.  She expressed wanting to meet and for her and Joe to get to know Luka's father.  She wasn't  upset about the honeymoon or Luka having to leave because of his sick father AT ALL.  Yes, she gets upset at not being able to reach Luka when their son is in crisis and at the length of his absence, but those are perfectly reasonable reactions.

The last of today's episodes (and even before that) set up pretty well her fall off the wagon by highlighting the stress Abby felt in caring for Joe on her own along with her equally stressful job as an ER doctor.  She got through Joe's crisis pretty well but seeing the bottle of wine and the disappointment of that telemarketer still not being Luka contacting her to be that ear that she needed to relieve the stress and panic of the day was the last straw.   Abby gets criticized for being superhuman, but when she reacts like a normal human would, she gets bitched at for that too.  And yes, plenty of people have to deal with the same stresses in life that Abby does, but everyone deals with things in their own way.

Abby has all the support in the world from her colleagues and coworkers and even her husband, caught up in his own exceptionally stressful situation, regrets that he has no choice. And, yet, she still cannot cope without boozing it up.  We just saw that her mother is in a pretty good place these days and provided tremendous support to her when Joe was born, but Abby doesn't reach out to her, either.  She makes the selfish choice, the self destructive choice, the worst choice. Her almost immediate reach for a bottle because of the awful 'stress' of having a kid and a job just doesn't wash as a 'normal' human response.  When 'dealing with things in her own way' means endangering her patients, her son and almost destroying her marriage; she shows the viewers just how ridiculous TPTB's insistence that she is the most incredible doctor, best friend to all, best wife and mother really is.  I don't criticize Abby for being superhuman, I criticize TPTB for writing her that way. She never makes a  mistake at work; everyone including doctors and nurses with years more experience, idolize her and look to her for leadership and advice.  She's everyone's best friend, she's also the hottest babe on the planet; everyone wants to sex her up.  it's that sort of ridiculously overblown praise for the character than makes her such a cartoon.

I would also dispute that going on an alcoholic bender because of a single bad day at work and home because one cannot reach their spouse to vent and complain is NOT 'normal human behavior' by any stretch of the imagination.  It indicates a seriously messed up individual who shouldn't be responsible for a goldfish let alone a child and whose chosen career as an ER physician is a spectacularly bad idea.  Abby needs to switch to pathology or radiology so her lack of ability to cope won't lead her to endanger others.  And her poor kid needs a full time nanny to protect him from BadMommy. Abby's fall off the wagon is long and hard and she makes  virtually no effort to get her act together until Luka returns.  She's a middle aged woman with a young child and a job where she is responsible for people's lives.  She doesn't have the luxury of wallowing in her self indulgent funk; it's time to grow up.