Ten Memorable Episodes of ER - Page 3

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 Author: Andy Sayers

Andy Sayers is a technical writer from Canada, which automatically makes him funnier than people from other countries. When not writing about pop culture, he is consuming it alongside his loving wife.

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