Ten Memorable Episodes of ER - Page 5

7. "Middle of Nowhere" - Season 5, Episode 107, Airdate: February 25, 1999

To change things up, the show would usually do at least one episode a season away from the hospital, putting a spotlight on a character or pair of characters. Earlier examples include season three's Hathaway spotlight "The Long Way Around" and season four's "Fathers and Sons", which followed Ross and Greene's daddy issues-fuelled road trip in California. I chose to go with season five's Benton spotlight "Middle of Nowhere" both because I wanted to spread out the episodes on this list throughout several seasons, and because it stood out for its portrayal of Peter Benton.

Benton travels to Mississippi to fill in for a local doctor to earn some extra money to help out with his son's therapy, and finds things in the rural south much different than what he's accustomed to. What I love about this episode is how it shows the depth of Peter Benton that he usually keeps hidden behind his veneer of arrogance and stoicism. Being removed from the pressures of County General does wonders for him in this episode, as he overcomes his initial disdain for the slower pace and culture shock he encounters, presenting a happier, more relaxed Benton, even while dealing with the overt racism of his environment. Dude actually laughs and smiles in this one. I always liked Benton, with episodes like this being the reason why.

8. "Be Still My Heart" - Season 6, Episode 126, Airdate: February 10, 2000

The list moves from one of the warmest episodes to probably the most horrifying in series history. You could argue that the following episode, "All in the Family", is the superior episode, dealing with the fallout from the end of this one, but it doesn't get much more memorable than the moment when Carter is silently stabbed from behind by a psych case (played by David Krumholtz). When I think about Carter falling to the floor in pain, only to reveal that his med student Lucy Knight (Kellie Martin) had already been stabbed, it still gives me a sick feeling. Everything prior to that moment was standard ER stuff, with plans for the Valentine's party afoot, Carter ignoring Lucy's difficulties with what seemed to be a routine patient, and Rocket Romano (Paul McCrane) performing surgery on his dog. Little did we know that they were setting us up for a moment that is still difficult for me to think about nine years later.

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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