3. "Everything Old Is New Again" - Season 1, Episode 25, Airdate: May 18, 1995
I said in the first episode write-up that the appeal of ER wasn't the medical drama so much as it was the characters and personalities that made the show. They were well-rounded, flawed characters to be sure, but all in all, they were people I enjoyed spending time with. In fact, more than anything else, what made me finally stop watching the show was that as the years went on, the series kept trying to equal the big dramatic heights of the classic period of the show, but didn't have the natural chemistry and camaraderie of the original cast to make all the dramatic highs and lows more palatable. It's that chemistry and camaraderie that makes the first season finale a memorable and cherished one for me. I can't even remember any of the medical stuff from the episode, other than the fact that it was Carter's last day as a first-year intern. Instead, this is the episode of Hathaway's almost-marriage to Tag (Rick Rossovich), which to no one's surprise, never made it all the way down the aisle. Tag was always set up as a foil to Doug Ross, so I don't think many viewers actually believed he and Carol would go through with the wedding. But they handled it deftly by having Taglieri be the one to pull out at the last minute, preserving some of the character's dignity in the process, while giving Carol and Doug a nice moment together that showed that while they had more than their share of problems in the past, there was obviously some good times as well. Then the series sends us off for the summer with a joyous celebration of the characters we had grown to love, as Carol's invited guests join her in some silly dancing to reveal that everything would be alright with these characters, at least for a little while. When I think about how much I enjoyed the original cast of this show, this is how I choose to remember them.
4. "Hell and High Water" - Season 2, Episode 32, Airdate: November 9, 1995
This is the other most memorable episode of ER and the one that made George Clooney a full caps STAR. He was obviously already on his way, which is why the ensemble show turned over most of an episode to Doug Ross' adventure outside of County General, but once the episode was finished, there was no doubt who the marquee player of the cast was. With his career in jeopardy and his personal life constantly sabatoged by his own worst impulses, Doug is out on a rainy night looking for the bottom of the barrel. But just as he's about to fire up a joint, a young boy knocks on his window, frantically enlisting Doug's help with his brother who is stuck in a flooding culvert. George Clooney action hero is born as he saves the kid from drowning, as TV helicopters record the daring rescue. It's a great action episode, that's balanced dramatically with Benton and Carter's inability to save the life of another child in the ER.
Article comments
1 - Clare
I will miss ER so much.
Thanks for the article, Andy. You really captured the great episodes.
2 - James
Good choices. I just finished watching the last season on dvd, and before watching the very last episode I watched the series pilot. Yes - it's very noticeable how much less 'fancy medicine', as you put it,is in the earlier seasons, and how relatively slow- moving it is compared to the camera-batics on season 15 (but then slower can be better....see The Wire, The Killing, et al). The medical equipment looks positively medieval! But it's a more rounded show, encompassing politics, with several references to insurance and other financial issues, and Benton's surgical disdain for the "pill pushers" of the ER; not to mention the various interesting relationships of the first seasons (compared to which the Ray-Neela relationship of later seasons was a damp squib - I honestly didn't get any romantic spark at all, or much of any spark really). And young Carter! A masterpiece of goofy, loveable comedy, fresh-faced and fresh-minded, before the tragedies that were to befall him. I was glad you included the stabbing episode - I too find it difficult to think about, because Lucy was such a wonderful character, so well played by Kellie Martin, and her flirtacious back-and-forth with the the still young and loveable Carter was one of the highlights of the entire series for me. I vividly recall Romano overturning the table in anger when she died, and feeling upset for the rest of the day (which never normally happens with fictional TV, I hasten to add!) The story arc which followed over the next couple of seasons, with Carter becoming addicted to drugs and Benton ultimately helping him through it, was one of the most moving I have ever experienced. When that fizzled out, and Greene and Benton left, and Carter became hardened (great performance by Noah Wyle to show the change) is when I stopped watching. I've recently watched the later shows on dvd and, while there are slapstick moments and lots of fancy procedures, they lack the heart and the magic of the early years.
Wow, didn't expect to write that much! I just enjoyed the show, and I guess that whole period of my youth, so much. Thanks ER :)