All Episodes Talk: What's Up Doc?

[RedbirdNelly]

19 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

Ok i'm going to need a 24 hour hiatus after watching both "Baby Shower" and "The Healers." Raul's death was one of the saddest ER episodes of all time, and Baby Shower was also masterful for the way it interwove so many pregnancies and their individual storylines within one hour. I still remember watching the mother who was dying of cancer holding her baby and cried, just like I did so many years ago.

 

the mom with the baby got to me when I re-watched that episode the first Pop-run through. Really sad. Agree also on Raul.

[LizDC]

13 hours ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

Speaking of Carol, there were two memorable times that really made me want to punch her in her smug face:

I can add to the list:

- when she and Doyle were in a trauma and Doyle asked for some heart medicine, Carol objected and said it would compromise the patient's kidneys.  Doyle said that they needed to fix the heart problem first and Carol was still reluctant and then Doug walked in and agreed with Doyle.  Carol never apologized or admitted she was wrong and was all offended when Doyle confronted her about it.  

- Doug and Carol had been living together for a while and had decided to get married, maybe at the beginning of the episode where this takes place. Carol goes out on a paramedic run with George Eads and they bonded over something and they kiss.  Carol tells Doug about it and gets mad at him when he's not happy about it. 

[Growsonwalls]

Well finishing up Season 2. A few thoughts:

1) I'm glad they showed that even a good stand-up guy like Mark has a dark side and blind spots. Him covering up for Doug's mistake and then ostracizing Peter Benton was pretty shitty, as was the rest of the hospital staff treating Peter like he had rabies. Granted Peter was also not right for not speaking up about the fraudulent study earlier but those episodes of Peter being all alone in the ER with people refusing to even go near him in the lounge were hard to watch. Even when he won resident of the year no one particularly wanted to celebrate with him.

2) Loved Shift in the Night. A classic episode. Loved how cranky and curt Mark became as the emergencies piled up and no one was on call.

3) The storyline with Carter, Harper and the Harvard intern was light but it showed that beneath the maturity that Carter shows as a medical student he's still a kid and can be petty as hell in his personal life. Also liked the fact that Doug wasn't much nicer to Carter when Carter did his peds residency than Benton had been to Carter. I guess being snide towards meds students is a universal ritual.

4) Thought Doug Ross sleeping with his dad's girlfriend was the character jumping the shark a bit. Doug is a playboy and hotheaded. He's not a mean guy. Him sleeping with his dad's girlfriend was the ER writers taking this "Omg George Clooney is hot and can get in every woman's pants in 2 minutes" arc too far.

5) Still love the little humorous moments like the doctors trying to make a coffee filter from paper towels and the fact that Doug watches Days of Our Lives and Mark admitting that he'd only slept with Jen and that convo being recorded. In other news, ew, go away Jen.

6) I like that Kerry showed compassion for Susan who was freaking out about the shaken baby. Susan's been bitchy to Kerry all season and on rewatch Kerry is a lot more likable than I remembered. And her sensitivity towards Jeanie was wonderful.

7) With that being said LOVE the fact that the season ends with people finally saying "Dr. Carter."

Edited August 22, 2018 by Growsonwalls

[txhorns79]

Quote

As for their ages, we know that Carter was exactly a year older than NW, same birthday and all.  The show debuted in 1994 when Noah was 23, so Carter would've been 24.  I don't think we ever got a birth date on Susan, but, she was a second year ER resident in 1994-95.  Presuming she went straight through from high school to undergrad to medical school and then residency; she would've been about 28 in 1994.  The age gap between Carter and Susan was just about the same as the one between Sherry and Noah, 4 years.  Nobody would've batted an eye if the genders were reversed; a 24 year old woman with a 28 year old man would seem quite normal.

For fun, John Stamos is about 12 years older than Parminder Nagra, and I don't recall their relationship ever being referred to as May-December. 

Quote

Susan's been bitchy to Kerry all season and on rewatch Kerry is a lot more likable than I remembered. And her sensitivity towards Jeanie was wonderful.

On rewatch, I've found Kerry more sympathetic.  She's in a position where she has to run a department, make difficult decisions and put the ER above personal relationships.  While there are times when it feels like all she does is yell at people, there are still those nice moments where you can see she cares. 

[Dr.OO7]

7 hours ago, LizDC said:

Doug and Carol had been living together for a while and had decided to get married, maybe at the beginning of the episode where this takes place. Carol goes out on a paramedic run with George Eads and they bonded over something and they kiss.  Carol tells Doug about it and gets mad at him when he's not happy about it. 

I really hated that. Granted, Doug didn't have the best history, but he'd been knocking himself out being the best boyfriend possible to prove that he'd changed and this is the thanks he gets.  Maybe he did push too much on the "let's get married right now!" front, but she handled it very poorly. You can't just tell the man you need him to slow down and wait? You have to pull this passive-aggressive crap? Then the whole thing gets so turned around that SHE'S mad at HIM and HE ends up apologizing to HER.

"How dare you get your act together and be 100% faithful to me and want to marry me!"

37 minutes ago, Growsonwalls said:

Thought Doug Ross sleeping with his dad's girlfriend was the character jumping the shark a bit. Doug is a playboy and hotheaded. He's not a mean guy. Him sleeping with his dad's girlfriend was the ER writers taking this "Omg George Clooney is hot and can get in every woman's pants in 2 minutes" arc too far.

That was such a stupid and pointless storyline. FYI, it's the girlfriend who was to die of an OD and force Doug to get his act together, not some random one night stand as happened. Apparently, the actress couldn't or wouldn't return.

[Growsonwalls]

2 minutes ago, Camille said:

I really hated that. Granted, Doug didn't have the best history, but he'd been knocking himself out being the best boyfriend possible to prove that he'd changed and this is the thanks he gets.  Maybe he did push too much on the "let's get married right now!" front, but she handled it very poorly. You can't just tell the man you need him to slow down and wait? You have to pull this passive-aggressive crap? Then the whole thing gets so turned around that SHE'S mad at HIM and HE ends up apologizing to HER.

"How dare you get your act together and be 100% faithful to me and want to marry me!"

That was such a stupid and pointless storyline. FYI, it's the girlfriend who was to die of an OD and force Doug to get his act together, not some random one night stand as happened. Apparently, the actress couldn't or wouldn't return.

Oh I never knew that! That would make more sense, although I still say that Doug is a playboy but sleeping with his dad's gf was going one step too far with that crap.

As for Carol/Doug, yeah I remember that paramedic kiss being annoying but it's consistent with their relationship. They had a really volatile relationship before the show started and those relationships don't just become cozy and domestic overnight without a learning curve. I love Carol and Doug. They're one of my favorite TV relationships of all time. But in real life they're totally the annoying couple who has a huge fight at the Christmas party and makes it all awkward for everyone and then waltzes in the next day with hickeys on their necks like nothing happened.

[Bastet]

8 hours ago, LizDC said:

Doug and Carol had been living together for a while and had decided to get married, maybe at the beginning of the episode where this takes place. Carol goes out on a paramedic run with George Eads and they bonded over something and they kiss.  

Just like she'd kissed Doug when engaged to Tag (I think she'd slept with Doug earlier in their relationship, but this was somethings he did once they were truly committed), so she's apparently congenitally incapable of keeping her lips to herself when engaged to another.  Just one of the many reasons I think Doug and Carol both suck donkey balls as romantic partners and thus spared humanity by getting together for good. 

1 hour ago, Growsonwalls said:

And [Kerry's] sensitivity towards Jeanie was wonderful.

For which she was rewarded by Jeanie shitting all over her when she filed suit, treating Kerry the same as Anspaugh et al.  Now, yes, one can call this karma for the times Kerry doesn't treat people as they deserve to be treated, but she was great to Jeanie and Jeanie did not acknowledge that. 

[debraran]

Carol had some great moments and some I hated. I know emotions rule over head at times (well many times) but Carol getting upset about Tatiana, the young girl with AIDS she wanted to adopt I felt was odd. Carol didn't loosely attempt suicide in the manner some do, a cry for help, she overdosed with a lethal amount, they planned on killing her, her drug percentages were extremely high, usually fatal.  To think she could have adopted the child was not well thought out especially as a nurse.   The agency of course would consider the stress involved and the fact that it was only a year later. She also was doing it without her fiance's okay. So as much as I wanted to see that adorable girl adopted, Carol wasn't the right person.  And although it was cute to joke with Doug about how boring Tag was etc. after the aborted wedding, she almost married him and I felt wasn't fair to him, he would make another a nice partner, why use him to sort out your feelings about Doug? I was surprised the writers had Tag do it that way but I guess he saw the writing on the wall and didn't let his emotions make him make a mistake that would end up in divorce later.

Another sad moment, when Doug tells Carol at her engagement party, "Tell him that you don't think about me when you're with him" was the most narcissist comment yet. I'm Adonis and everyone else will pale. ; )  It reminded me of a "tom cruise" look a like at a pharmacy I worked at in a hospital.  Wasn't my type, but he slept around with everyone, hurt some, never really cared. He told me when he left after his residency I was "the only one he couldn't get"  I wasn't sure how to respond, so I just said "Lucky me".  I heard he got married and had kids many years later, I hope for her sake, his behavior changed. 

Edited August 22, 2018 by debraran

[Growsonwalls]

Up to Episode 5 of Season 3. 

- The Jeanie Boulet storyline has been so compelling to rewatch. Especially the contrast between Benton's cold response and Weaver's sensitivity. 

- Ghosts was one of the funniest episodes of ER. The sight of Benton taking those kids trick or treating still makes me laugh. Especially his attempt to be "cool" by doing that headstand. I also loved seeing the cast dressed up in those goofy costumes.

- I actually thought the "Doug reforms himself after his hookup died on him" storyline was handled well. The reactions of his colleagues was very realistic, from Greene's disgust to Carol's "so what else is new"?. And once again Weaver shows her sensitive side if only for a moment by chiding the hospital not to gossip about this delicate situation. 

- The writers must have been mad at Stringfield. The writing for her character was so weak. One minute she's in Maui, the next she's having this almost no-mance with Greene. Stringfield must have been checked out too.

[Dr.OO7]

4 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

I actually thought the "Doug reforms himself after his hookup died on him" storyline was handled well. The reactions of his colleagues was very realistic, from Greene's disgust to Carol's "so what else is new"?. And once again Weaver shows her sensitive side if only for a moment by chiding the hospital not to gossip about this delicate situation. 

I did too. The ending, with him standing in his kitchen, fully realizing how screwed up his life is, is haunting. I just wish we could have seen his therapy sessions.

[Growsonwalls]

21 minutes ago, Camille said:

I did too. The ending, with him standing in his kitchen, fully realizing how screwed up his life is, is haunting. I just wish we could have seen his therapy sessions.

Eh, I'm kind of glad they didn't show his therapy sessions. I think Tony Soprano is the only TV character whose therapy sessions were interesting.

I kind of forgot that Season 3 of ER after Doug had his epiphany was nonstop Eye Fucking between Carol and Doug. 

Just watched "Union Station." Again, this is one episode I remembered so well. I felt so bad for Mark not only because Susan left but because while it was clear that Susan loved Mark as a friend, she didn't quite love him the way he loved her. Which is the story of Mark's life. 

[txhorns79]

Okay.  I’m deep in Season 13.  You can see how Grey’s Anatomy is influencing ER.  Neela currently has three doctors in love with her.   I fully am expecting Luka and Abby to ask her for some kind of threesome.  And WTF was that Curtis Ames storyline?   The trial was interesting, showing both Curtis’ view of how the ER staff treated him, along with how Luka viewed the same situation.  It then suddenly turned into a horror movie and I just wanted it to end.  

[Growsonwalls]

Ok watching those episodes with Glenne Headley reminded me that the true lovable ABBY of the series was Glenne Headley's Abby. I loved her character and her relationship with Carter. I also love that this bubbly, sweet woman (so not the "stereotypical" surgeon) was the only person who could really shake Peter Benton, as she steadfastly refused to recommend him to pediatric surgery. Then I looked online and found out Glenne Headley passed away last year. Wow. She was so young too. 

I never really bought into the Charlie (Kristen Dunst) storyline. I believed Doug and Carol would have helped this runaway prostitute. Doug and Carol are compassionate people who totally would help a kid like Charlie. But Dunst's acting was just off. So brittle and unlikable. I also don't think that Carol and Doug were THAT compassionate that they'd go out of their way to help Charlie even after she robbed both of them, lied to them, accused Doug of raping her, etc. And this after Carol took her in for Christmas. I mean they're compassionate but not stupid.

Edited August 23, 2018 by Growsonwalls

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Growsonwalls said:

as she steadfastly refused to recommend him to pediatric surgery.

Oh, yes; that part of her storyline I liked.  I didn't like her relationship with Carter (he was so boyish and she was so maternal that the vibe was all off), or think much about her one way or the other in general, but when I watched the first round of syndication on Pop, I took one look at Keaton and immediately remembered the, "If that baby dies, it will be my responsibility, but it will be your fault!" confrontation with Benton. 

Edited August 23, 2018 by Bastet

[debraran]

8 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

Okay.  I’m deep in Season 13.  You can see how Grey’s Anatomy is influencing ER.  Neela currently has three doctors in love with her.   I fully am expecting Luka and Abby to ask her for some kind of threesome.  And WTF was that Curtis Ames storyline?   The trial was interesting, showing both Curtis’ view of how the ER staff treated him, along with how Luka viewed the same situation.  It then suddenly turned into a horror movie and I just wanted it to end.  

I agree 100% with that Ames story line. The trial was fine, and well done, but that other stuff, the horror filled house, it was a mixture of Criminal Minds and Law and Order and if I wanted to watch them I would.  Horrible.

Neela was crazy too but nice to see someone not white and blonde get attention but that was crazy with any actress and unrealistic.

Edited August 23, 2018 by debraran

[txhorns79]

14 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

I never really bought into the Charlie (Kristen Dunst) storyline. Not that I wouldn't have believed Doug and Carol would have helped this runaway prostitute. Doug and Carol are compassionate people who totally would help a kid like Charlie. But Dunst's acting was just off. So brittle and unlikable. I also don't think that Carol and Doug were THAT compassionate that they'd go out of their way to help Charlie even after she robbed both of them, lied to them, accused Doug of raping her, etc. And this after Carol took her in for Christmas. I mean they're compassionate but not stupid.

 

It reminded me a lot of the later storyline where Peter and Cleo take in the girlfriend of Peter’s dead nephew.  It literally took her destroying Cleo’s house before Peter finally took Cleo’s side about sending her on her way.  I mean, Peter is not a warm person (outside of his relationship with Reese) on a good day.  There’s no way he would have tolerated this situation as presented on the show for as long as he did. 

Edited August 23, 2018 by txhorns79

[RedbirdNelly]

agreeing with so much of the above:

* Kerry has a likeable side but I will say when I re-watched I still had plenty of "disliking Kerry" moments. She is nice and then pulls something self-centered. I do give kudos to the writers, though, for making her a complex character and avoiding the trope of tough character, becomes super nice eventually (or becomes total bad guy).

* that being said, Jeanie was a real jerk to Kerry. Kerry really had stuck up for her with her HIV status and Jeanie acted like none of that had happened.

* Carol really annoyed me when she kissed the guy and then got mad at Doug for "not giving her the one thing" she asked for--when she had not really asked for anything. Stupid.

* I did not like the Carter/pediatrician Dr. Abby romance. I was not convinced by it at all, and I would have preferred for the successful female surgeon to behave more professionally. Granted, eventually it seems like just about everybody sleeps with a medical student, but at that point in the show, it had not happened. If she'd had a romance with Benton, though she should not as his supervisor, that would have not been bad. But Carter was too young and a student and I could not see a successful professional acting in that way.

*I did not like the Dough/dates Dad's girlfriend storyline. It was all kind of weird and then she just seems to disappear if I'm remembering correctly.

* I am close to the end of Season 15. Last night watched the one where William H. Macy makes his cameo return. Nice to see him. Right now Dr. Brenner (simon-Austraila dude) is dating Neela and I must say they are not convincing as a couple at all.

[Growsonwalls]

2 hours ago, RedbirdNelly said:

* I did not like the Carter/pediatrician Dr. Abby romance. I was not convinced by it at all, and I would have preferred for the successful female surgeon to behave more professionally. Granted, eventually it seems like just about everybody sleeps with a medical student, but at that point in the show, it had not happened. If she'd had a romance with Benton, though she should not as his supervisor, that would have not been bad. But Carter was too young and a student and I could not see a successful professional acting in that way.

*I did not like the Dough/dates Dad's girlfriend storyline. It was all kind of weird and then she just seems to disappear if I'm remembering correctly.

Well technically Carter had graduated med school and was already "Dr. Carter." So he was young and green, but he wasn't a student. And as for them having a romance, Carter was a young good-looking guy from a rich family. I think a lot of people would have slept with Carter if given the opportunity.

As for Doug and his dad's gf, in the last episode of Season 2 he mentioned that she had used his script-pad to write more painkillers than he prescribed? Something like that.

ETA: Saw this on Instagram. It's really nice that Eriq La Salle and Noah Wyle remain tight in real life. 

Edited August 23, 2018 by Growsonwalls

[RedbirdNelly]

I love that instagram picture and I love that they are tight in real life. I know they were playing characters, but somehow it would be sad to me if there was not a real friendship behind it. Carter and Benton's friendship was my favorite relationship on that show.

[Dr.OO7]

6 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

As for Doug and his dad's gf, in the last episode of Season 2 he mentioned that she had used his script-pad to write more painkillers than he prescribed? Something like that.

Yes. It was his first inkling that she was trouble. Presumably, that was the set up for HER to be the one to die of a drug overdose.

While I think it would have been effective, I think the way it ultimately played out was better, as a huge part of the embarrassment over the other girl's death was that he didn't even know her name.

[Growsonwalls]

1 hour ago, Camille said:

Yes. It was his first inkling that she was trouble. Presumably, that was the set up for HER to be the one to die of a drug overdose.

While I think it would have been effective, I think the way it ultimately played out was better, as a huge part of the embarrassment over the other girl's death was that he didn't even know her name.

I agree, the random hookup dying on Doug was very well-written and an effective way to show Doug's redemption arc as he goes to therapy and quits the one-night stands. It was also an effective way to restart the Doug/Carol romance as Doug's abstinence spell coincided with Carol being single again.

Night Shift was such a great episode. Poor Gant. Peter was taking his frustration at not getting the peds surgical residency out on Gant, Carter was blowing Gant off because he was too busy screwing Abby, and Anspaugh was being a dick. Then just as Doug and Carol have a nice stroll down memory lane as they revisit their out hospital quickie spot Charlie has to come back and ruin their lives ... again. 

As for Noah Wyle and Eriq LaSalle, there are many cute photos of them on LaSalle's instagram account. One shows them then and now.

Edited August 24, 2018 by Growsonwalls

[Growsonwalls]

Just watched "Whose Appy Now?" and it's easily one of my favorite episodes ever. It was great to see the lighter side of everyone, from Mark overbooking x 3 to Carter's glee at taking out Benton's appendix to the tracing of the staph infection to Jerry. I also loved the two big bromances having some cute moments:

1) Carter and Benton chuckle together after Benton's anesthesia wears off. Is this the first time we've ever see Benton actually laugh around Carter?

2) Mark having a candlelit dinner with Doug after all three dates peace out on him.

[Dr.OO7]

40 minutes ago, Growsonwalls said:

Mark having a candlelit dinner with Doug after all three dates peace out on him.

That was one of the funniest scenes in the show's history. 

That episode was a great mix of humor and seriousness.

The third season was possibly the show's best. While it was a shame to see Sherry leave, I feel like everything absolutely clicked and some major, yet realistic character arcs began--Doug getting his act together, Weaver softening (the 3rd season is the only one where I liked her and I wish they'd kept her in that persona), Mark getting edgier, etc.

[Growsonwalls]

4 minutes ago, Camille said:

That was one of the funniest scenes in the show's history. 

That episode was a great mix of humor and seriousness.

The third season was possibly the show's best. While it was a shame to see Sherry leave, I feel like everything absolutely clicked and some major, yet realistic character arcs began--Doug getting his act together, Weaver softening (the 3rd season is the only one where I liked her and I wish they'd kept her in that persona), Mark getting edgier, etc.

Unfortunately I had to follow up with "The Long Way Around." I understand that they were trying to recreate the gold of "Hell or High Water." The parallels are clear: Doug has professional trouble and redeems himself by saving the drowning boy. Carol has been suspended and becomes the heroine of a convenience store robbery/holdout. However lightning did not strike twice. For one, Carol's instant connection to wounded bird Ewan McGregor (Duncan) felt very forced and like ER was excited about stunt-casting. Second of all, "Hell and High Water" was completely consistent with Doug's character. He's reckless, he'll do anything to save kids. But while Carol is compassionate and brave nothing we've seen of her suggests that she'd be so instantly comfortable with a guy like Duncan and even develop a mini-crush on him. 

Second of all I didn't like that Carol was allowed to scream and boss around Doug and Kerry in the ER in an effort to save Duncan. I know in "Hell and High Water" Doug got right to work to save the boy, but the boy was innocent. There's no way Carol wouldn't have been talking to detectives and undergoing a psych exam after that experience in the hold-up. I did like how it was Doug who told her to back off and she did apologize to him but again, the whole storyline felt forced.

In what's generally a great season without a weak episode I just found "The Long Way Around" a very poorly written episode. 

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Growsonwalls said:

Just watched "Whose Appy Now?" and it's easily one of my favorite episodes ever. It was great to see the lighter side of everyone, from Mark overbooking x 3 to Carter's glee at taking out Benton's appendix

I love those two things!  Every moment of Carter and Benton in the OR is pure delight, and I love that gross player Mark* winds up dining not with any of the women he has in mind, but Doug.  The two actors play that perfectly.

*Doug as Doug is bad enough; divorcing/divorced Mark as the new Doug is just unbearable.

[Growsonwalls]

10 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I love those two things!  Every moment of Carter and Benton in the OR is pure delight, and I love that gross player Mark* winds up dining not with any of the women he has in mind, but Doug.  The two actors play that perfectly.

*Doug as Doug is bad enough; divorcing/divorced Mark as the new Doug is just unbearable.

The best thing about those two scenes is that in both scenes the actors are clearly cracking up filming the scenes, and I think the directors just decided to go with those takes because it was so much fun to watch the actors laughing so hard at their own lines. Like during the candlelit romantic dinner between Mark and Doug George Clooney is giggling uncontrollably* throughout. So much fun to see that. 

*If there's one thing that I think makes George Clooney so appealing it's his giggle. It's so warm and appealing. 

Because this will never be not funny:

 

 

[starri]

7 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

In what's generally a great season without a weak episode I just found "The Long Way Around" a very poorly written episode. 

I HAAAAAAATE most of the "out of the ER" episodes.  And I seem to remember that one getting a lot of good press when it aired originally.

The one that I ended up liking the most was, of all things, "On the Beach," which I had purposefully skipped back in the day because I was so sick of the storyline.  Mark's dying is a lot better when compressed into binge-able form, and I think about my own mortality a lot more at 40 then I did at 22-ish.

[ch1]

11 hours ago, Camille said:

That was one of the funniest scenes in the show's history. 

That episode was a great mix of humor and seriousness.

The third season was possibly the show's best. While it was a shame to see Sherry leave, I feel like everything absolutely clicked and some major, yet realistic character arcs began--Doug getting his act together, Weaver softening (the 3rd season is the only one where I liked her and I wish they'd kept her in that persona), Mark getting edgier, etc.

The 3rd season is my favorite.  So many good episodes.

I think one of my favorite things of Whose Appy Now is Dr. Hicks.  She was a great character.

[Growsonwalls]

4 hours ago, starri said:

I HAAAAAAATE most of the "out of the ER" episodes.  And I seem to remember that one getting a lot of good press when it aired originally.

The one that I ended up liking the most was, of all things, "On the Beach," which I had purposefully skipped back in the day because I was so sick of the storyline.  Mark's dying is a lot better when compressed into binge-able form, and I think about my own mortality a lot more at 40 then I did at 22-ish.

I really liked "Fathers and Sons." The road trip with Mark and Doug was a lot of fun. Edwards and Clooney had great rapport together and I always got the sense that some of their scenes together were ad-libbed. Also nice to see Doug working out some of his issues with his father once and for all.

[Dr.OO7]

12 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

But while Carol is compassionate and brave nothing we've seen of her suggests that she'd be so instantly comfortable with a guy like Duncan and even develop a mini-crush on him. 

Yes, her Stockholm Syndrome made no sense.

11 hours ago, Bastet said:

Doug as Doug is bad enough; divorcing/divorced Mark as the new Doug is just unbearable.

But hysterical. Doug would have had all three of laughing and returning to his place. Mark of course gets dumped.

 

4 hours ago, starri said:

I HAAAAAAATE most of the "out of the ER" episodes.  And I seem to remember that one getting a lot of good press when it aired originally.

The one that I ended up liking the most was, of all things, "On the Beach," which I had purposefully skipped back in the day because I was so sick of the storyline

I only like "Hell & High Water", "The Long Way Around", and "Fathers & Sons". Probably because not only were they excellent episodes (IMO), but because they were rare. After a while, such episodes became way too frequent. Remember how we would get maybe only 1-2 mass casualty episodes a season? Suddenly, around Season 7, they were literally every other week. I remember my mother actually asking "Is this a repeat?" because the plot was so similar to something that had aired recently. And then the same thing happened with the "out-of-the-ER" episodes too.

11 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

If there's one thing that I think makes George Clooney so appealing it's his giggle. It's so warm and appealing. 

I LOVE it. Even at the end of "Such Sweet Sorrow" the recapper (on another site), noted "his trademark chuckle".

[txhorns79]

Quote

I HAAAAAAATE most of the "out of the ER" episodes.  And I seem to remember that one getting a lot of good press when it aired originally.

I really disliked the Africa episodes of later seasons.  They broke up the momentum of the prior episodes, and felt like they belonged on an entirely different show. 

[Art]

Hello, all. I am new to this forum. I was wondering if someone could help me remember which ER episode included a favorite scene of mine. The scene was a simple one: Anthony Edwards and George Clooney are sitting on (as I recall) a moving elevated subway train discussing their lives. I believe it was towards the end of their time together, and the dialogue was so natural and profound that I suspected it was ad-libbed. Would love to see this moving scene again.

[Growsonwalls]

13 minutes ago, Art said:

Hello, all. I am new to this forum. I was wondering if someone could help me remember which ER episode included a favorite scene of mine. The scene was a simple one: Anthony Edwards and George Clooney are sitting on (as I recall) a moving elevated subway train discussing their lives. I believe it was towards the end of their time together, and the dialogue was so natural and profound that I suspected it was ad-libbed. Would love to see this moving scene again.

This one?

 

36 minutes ago, Camille said:

But hysterical. Doug would have had all three of laughing and returning to his place. Mark of course gets dumped.

Reminds me of this scene where Carol admits that they never even made it to their first date: he rang her doorbell and they were having sex on the kitchen floor. Paralleled years later when Carol said that it was "only the third date" so Toby definitely didn't get to come inside, but Doug shows up at her door unannounced and it takes maybe 5 seconds for them to be playing suckface.

Edited August 26, 2018 by Growsonwalls

[Art]

That's a sweet scene, but I am reasonably certain the one I recall had them chatting on a moving train. But I do thank you for trying, Growsonwalls :)

[justduckey]

That scene in the bathroom stall is one of my all time favorites! Lighthearted er was just as good as serious er.

[Dr.OO7]

1 hour ago, Art said:

That's a sweet scene, but I am reasonably certain the one I recall had them chatting on a moving train. But I do thank you for trying, Growsonwalls :)

I don't have the clip, but I think you're referring to a scene from "Full Moon, Saturday Night", which took place a week after "Love's Labor Lost". Mark is in a Heroic BSOD over his mishandling of the case and over his failing marriage and Doug, who is ironically in the opposite situation, is trying to console him.

[Art]

Thank you so very much, @Camille, but I've just gone through several good synopses of that episode, and the scene wasn't there. I believe it came from much later in the series.

[ch1]

2 hours ago, justduckey said:

That scene in the bathroom stall is one of my all time favorites! Lighthearted er was just as good as serious er.

I think light hearted ER is why the show became a phenomenon.  It wasn’t all heavy medical stories and those comedic glimpses is one of the reasons why people fell in love with the characters.  

[MVFrostsMyPie]

5 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

I really liked "Fathers and Sons." The road trip with Mark and Doug was a lot of fun. Edwards and Clooney had great rapport together and I always got the sense that some of their scenes together were ad-libbed. Also nice to see Doug working out some of his issues with his father once and for all.

Heh, I tend to skip that one. I'm not a fan of the 'out of ER' episodes, and that one (along with the Benton one where he goes down south) is one of my least favorite episodes. 

And I say least favorite not because I hate the episodes, but I just found them boring and I didn't really care about the characters enough, I guess. 

[Growsonwalls]

13 minutes ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

Heh, I tend to skip that one. I'm not a fan of the 'out of ER' episodes, and that one (along with the Benton one where he goes down south) is one of my least favorite episodes. 

And I say least favorite not because I hate the episodes, but I just found them boring and I didn't really care about the characters enough, I guess. 

Well two bromances on ER are never tiresome. Carter and Benton and Doug and Mark.

As I said, I really wonder how much of the dialogue up to 2:02 in the video is ad-libbed. Stuff like "your mouth's open" just sounds like things George Clooney would say off the cuff. I also think that in "Sons and Fathers" the "out of ER" storyline went nicely with the "in the ER' storyline because Mark was struggling so much after being attacked. The road trip with Doug was exactly what the doctor ordered, pun intended. 

 

As for Carter/Benton:

[Dr.OO7]

3 hours ago, Art said:

Thank you so very much, @Camille, but I've just gone through several good synopses of that episode, and the scene wasn't there. I believe it came from much later in the series.

There's another one, the episode just before "Hell & High Water", where it's Doug in the Heroic BSOD and is inexplicably fucking up his life and career at every turn--sleeping with a medical student, defying his superiors, etc. He's standing on the El platform (frankly, IMO, contemplating jumping), while Mark is  all but begging him to talk to him and tell him why he's acting like this, and Doug just blows him off.

[Art]

The scene I recall definitely involved an elevated line...I will see if that is the scene. I truly appreciate your efforts on my behalf.

[txhorns79]

Can someone help me understand the timeline of the final three episodes of Season 13?  In the first episode, Luka and Abby have their surprise wedding, Ray gets drunk and ends up getting hit by a truck.  Neela then looks for Ray during the next episode, but cannot find him until she gets a call from Ray at the end of the episode.  In the season finale, Neela finds Ray at the hospital where he reveals his legs were crushed by the truck, then amputated and now he's returning home for rehab, which he does at the end of season finale.  The entire story appears to happen within only a few days.  I get they were writing Shane West out of the show, it just didn't seem possible to me that he would have been able to go through a highly traumatic injury and surgery, only to be ready for transfer in such a short period of time.     

[RedbirdNelly]

2 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

Can someone help me understand the timeline of the final three episodes of Season 13?  In the first episode, Luka and Abby have their surprise wedding, Ray gets drunk and ends up getting hit by a truck.  Neela then looks for Ray during the next episode, but cannot find him until she gets a call from Ray at the end of the episode.  In the season finale, Neela finds Ray at the hospital where he reveals his legs were crushed by the truck, then amputated and now he's returning home for rehab, which he does at the end of season finale.  The entire story appears to happen within only a few days.  I get they were writing Shane West out of the show, it just didn't seem possible to me that he would have been able to go through a highly traumatic injury and surgery, only to be ready for transfer in such a short period of time.     

I can't really explain it only to add that the timeline was hard to follow and kind of odd.

I agree with all the non-fans of "outside the ER episodes." It's not so bad when it's a brief scene but if it's the entire episode I start out from a standpoint of "probably won't like this" and the show needs to overcome that bias. Even though Hell or High Water is mostly outside the ER it doesn't really feel like it partly because it's so good.

The Mark/Doug road trip is one of the better ones though not sure I really enjoy watching it. Again, I like the ER action better.

I also 100% agree with the Doug/George Clooney chuckle. It is so warm and it's what gets you on his side.

Early ER was very good with having light hearted moments but not over doing it. A lot of shows assign certain characters the "joke storyline of the night" and sometimes that is fun, but often it takes you out of the emotion of the more serious storylines. ER was better at having humor that felt real and part of what real people in a stressful job would really do.

[RedbirdNelly]

also wanted to add the Mark/Doug road trip (though not my favorite to watch) stands out for tying in to the larger plot. Often the "outside the ER" episodes are doubly annoying because they do not really relate to what is going on otherwise during the season. I don't recall Carol's experience impacting other episodes though maybe I've forgotten it. You understood Mark better from that episode and it moves forward with Doug/Carol.

[Growsonwalls]

Ok so I saw another episode that brought back memories. "You Bet Your Life" had the case of the woman who killed herself because she had AIDS and gave it to her daughter, and I remember her hallucinating and begging for forgiveness and Dr. Fischer not being comfortable saying he forgave her. That storyline was so heartwrenching. I remember that scene so well and to watch it again was great. However I didn't really buy that the whole incident would cause Jeanie to shack up with Al again. 

Carol and Doyle in that episode were also pretty interesting, because Carol's pre-med studies were causing her to get a swelled head. She was in effect acting like a cocky intern who thought she knew it all. I thought it was all sorts of awesome that Doug didn't take her side nor did he back her up when she had it out with Doyle later. I actually love that part about ER: the fact that the main characters could be very close but when one was being a shithead the others didn't enable the behavior. That's what real friends are like.

I also liked the episode "Tribes" where Mark had to confront the fact that he made some covertly racist assumptions about the basketball kid who was shot. I love classic ER in that it really showed all the characters at their very best and their very worst. 

P.S. Mark's dog is so cute.

Edited August 28, 2018 by Growsonwalls

[RedbirdNelly]

I watched another season 15 episode (one where Morris ends up dressing up as a superhero to try to impress his police officer/detective girlfriend). I have a question for all medically-knowledgeable posters--in that episode a mom (who actually is the aunt) crashes her car into the ambulance bay and turns out her heart is "all scar tissue" because some virus attacked her heart---Dr. Brenner says maybe you had a cold in the last 12 months. . . and that this is rare.

My question is--how rare is this exactly? how often does a person catch a simple virus and end up in heart failure? my oldest is currently fighting a cold and never occurred to me I might should add "hope he doesn't develop a heart condition" to my list of worries.  Would you have any inkling that this virus is going hard core before your heart is a gonner?

on the topic of the episode Neela and Brenner continue their romance which I must say I don't buy. Not compelling. I forgot this happened in the last few episodes of the show.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I am watching the rerun of the death of Carter's grandmother, and can't believe how cold and self centered she was about his grandmother, and how she ran off for her brother, who I'm sure they only wrote them meeting up so they could have that ludicrous drunken performance at the grandmother's burial.        After he comes back from the Congo, after her brother's actions at the funeral, and the nasty way she treated him, then Carter comes to see her, and her only reaction is to ask for her key back.   She shouldn't have been surprised that he moved on to another woman.    And Abby couldn't figure out why Carter dumped her? 

 

The Abby character started off so well, and then went totally off the rails.    Was her readmission to med. school through residency, and being an attending the fastest in history?    And the way she always gave her mother and brother another chance to screw her over was absurd.     In her place, when Le Gaspi (spelling?) said that the mother should be released, and live with Abby, I would have walked out of the office, and told her mommy could live with Le Gaspi, not me.     Was anyone surprised when mom goes off the rails again?      I was glad the brother disappeared from the show, because I was sick of him.     

Edited August 28, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[MVFrostsMyPie]

The Carter/Abby relationship was also frustrating because essentially there was the will they/won't they for more than a season before they even finally kissed, and then when they got together it was just mostly drama. It was interesting how pissed Abby was about getting dumped by a letter, I mean the whole thing was weird, because she had already essentially dumped him by asking for her key back and putting all his stuff in a plastic bag on his locker. So weren't they essentially done anyway? Plus as Gillian said, long-distance calls were unreliable and obviously he wasn't going to fly back just to break up with her in person. I think her pride/ego were more hurt than anything. 

I feel like that relationship did have some potential to be a good thing, but the writers fucked it up. I just wanted them to have more happy times together. All that peroxide from her fake blonder hair must have messed even more with Abby's brain ;) 

[CrazyInAlabama]

What ridiculous kind of hospital treats a patient with the family, and wandering other people standing in the trauma room while they work?   

The episode where Corday needs to talk to a patient's husband, she's operating on the wife, so they bring the husband to the OR observation room is totally absurd.    

Edited August 30, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama