Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
I'll confess: I watched ER last week, arms folded, daring them to make me care about a cast that is largely made up of what I always thought to be supporting characters. I was a big fan of Carol Hathaway and Doug Ross, and thought that they, along with Mark, Carter, and Benton, were always the backbone of the show. I'm not nuts about Ming Na Wen's character. I've never really liked Kerry Weaver. I think Euro-Clooney (Luka for anyone who cares) always comes off as an also-ran. But there's little touches that keep me coming back to this show. I think Paul McCrane is wonderful on it. Maura Tierney can't work enough for my taste. I think the pace of the show remains breathtaking. And I guess I'll give this season a few more episodes before I decide if I'm pulling the plug or not. Here's HERC with a great look at why tonight's worth tuning in for...
ER 7.2 FAQ
WHAT’S IT CALLED?
“Sand and Water.”
WHY?
There’s a baptism. And ice. If there was sand in the episode, I missed it. Perhaps the storytellers were making an hourglass reference -- time IS an important element of the story.
WHO’S RESPONSIBLE?
Teleplay is credited to executive producer Jack Orman.
HOW IS IT?
Incredible. At the beginning of its seventh season, “ER” is as moving, fascinating and kinetic as ever.
YOU DON’T MISS CAROL HATHAWAY?
Sure I do. And Lucy Knight. And Doug Ross. And Jeanie Boulet. And Susan Lewis. And Anna Del Amico. And Maggie Doyle. And David Morgenstern. But at least with Carol gone, we are now getting our first glimpses into the personal lives of the fabulous Abby Lockhart and Jing-Mei Chen!
DOES BIG STUFF HAPPEN?
Things change for key players.
WHAT’S THE BIGGEST NEWS?
In the episode’s closing moments, Mark Green proposes to Elizabeth Corday.
DO WE GET CARTER?
We do, but not much. Following his summer stewing in a drug rehabilitation center, John is largely on the sidelines this episode. He begins the installment by attending an AA meeting, where he runs into – of all people – Abby, the med student who uncovered his addiction at the end of last season. Later, as a condition of John’s return to work, Mark and Kerry make him agree to random urine testing and insist that he ingest daily doses of Naltrex, a substance which counteracts the euphoric effects of narcotics. Because Naltrex takes a week to kick in, Dr. Carter will not begin seeing patients again for at least another seven days.
ABBY WAS SUSPENDED FROM MED SCHOOL LAST EPISODE. IS SHE ON THE SIDELINES OF THE SHOW ALSO?
Actually, we get to see more of her than ever before. Forced to interrupt her pursuit of a medical degree due to lack of funds, she has returned to working nursing shifts in County’s maternity ward. But when a woman suddenly goes into labor with a 22-week-old fetus, and no obstetricians are available, Abby is summoned back to help in the ER.
IS A FETUS VIABLE AT 22 WEEKS?
No preemie this small has every survived more than a few hours, and Abby must help its parents deal with one of the most emotionally devastating situations imaginable. Knowing the child has so little time, Abby scrambles to help the parents fulfill their wish to get it baptised. This is undoubtably the hour’s most harrowing and dramatic storyline. Its most moving moment comes when the baby’s father suggests they take the doomed infant to a lake or a park. “I don’t want him to die in here,” he says, but is afraid to remove his son before clergy arrives for fear of depriving him of the baptism. Thanks to Abby’s efforts, the baby receives his baptism in a park-like setting (shortly before passsing away at the age of nine hours).
DIDN’T YOU SAY WE LEARN MORE OF JING-MEI?
I did. The doctor formerly known as Deb Chen flees a trauma room right after delivering the preemie. When Kerry confronts her, Jing-Mei finally confesses that she herself is 22 weeks pregnant! When a shocked Kerry asks why Jing-Mei didn’t tell her earlier, Jing-Mei replies, “My parents are going to kill me.”
ANY BIG FIGHTS LIKE LAST WEEK’S FOOTBALL MELEE?
No, just little ones:
1) Abby bitches out a doctor for being a little too clinical in his examination of the live (if doomed) preemie.
2) Luka takes on Kerry over a lesbian who wants to end the life of her stroke-victim “partner” of 27 years. Luka wants to give the significant other the right to terminate the suffering. Kerry insists the law would not recognize her right to do so.
3) Benton and Romano lock horns over a patient who needs a new dialysis shunt – and whose HMO went bankrupt. When Romano refuses, Benton secretly summons the deputy inspector general who monitors the hospital’s Medicare compliance. When Romano sees her, he immediately wheels the patient into shunt surgery. Nonetheless, the deputy inspector general informs Romano that she will be auditing all of Romano’s patient transfers for the last month. Romano looks very pissed at Benton.
HOW DOES IT END?
Carter runs into Abby at Doc Magoo’s Diner. Carter thanks her for saving his life. Abby reveals she has been sober for five years. John asks her to be his sponsor. Abby points out that men and women are not supposed to sponsor each other, but agrees anyway.
HOW LONG BEFORE ABBY AND JOHN BEGIN SLEEPING TOGETHER?
I give them two episodes.
HERC’S RATING FOR “ER” 7.2?
****
The Hercules T. Strong Rating System:
**** better than most motion pictures
*** actually worth your valuable time
** as horrible as most stuff on TV
* makes you quietly pray for bulletins
I will hospitalize you if you defy me!
