ER Discussion Thread

[dragonflies]

Been watching ER On HULU and had forgotten what a great show it was. I'm part ways through Season 5 and love the main characters have grown and aren't one dimensional. I am even starting to like Benton, and he was one character I once hated with a passion lol. I've even come to love Kerry Weaver and like Benton during the original run watching I hated her with a passion as well.

 

Edited May 15, 2021 by dragonflies

[I Am A Swede]

In it's prime ER was probably one of the best shows of all time. The last few seasons were not as good, but it was must-see-tv for almost 10 years.

[Dr Neil Curtis]

I added it to my watch list, I Haven’t started it yet

[KMan101]

LOVE ER! I used to watch the reruns on TNT because I started the show pretty late into it's run (I think it was either the season before or the season Anthony Edwards left). The last few seasons were so-so but I always really enjoyed it. Even if the show isn't terrible, it's always tough for me to enjoy it the same as I did when you had most of the original cast still around. I loved a lot of the new characters. Maura Tierney

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I know it's easier to watch whenever now that it's on Hulu, but Pop's been airing ER for a while now. It's nice to see it back in reruns and available for streaming.

Edited February 12, 2018 by KMan101

[I Am A Swede]

 

Amazing how different we can see things. Abby (Maura Tierney's character) was one of my least favourite on ER.

[KMan101]

I like Tierney but there were a LOT of times Abby grated on my nerves. lol

[DRW50]

 

She's the reason I stopped watching the show (well that and the writing in general had become sour and bitter and also that really bad story with Kerry and Elizabeth Mitchell that came across like Kerry was being indoctrinated). 

 

It's not nice to say but I also wanted someone to give Sally Field's character a hard slap any time she appeared. Just too much of Sally Field Sally Field-ing.

Edited February 12, 2018 by DRW50

[dragonflies]

I didn't care for the later seasons, I stopped watching after Clooney left, then tuned in a bit to see Mark's death(which was well done). 

[I Am A Swede]

Clooney leaving didn't bother me at all. Mark's death on the other hand was a real blow. And after Corday and Weaver had left my interest waned. I didn't even watch the final few seasons, but I came back for the final episode. 

[Shawn]

Love this show, but my favorite character ever was Abby. Maura Tierney played the HELL out of her, and was the MVP during her entire tenure, IMHO.

 

[dragonflies]

I'm on Season 6 already, getting familiar with characters I didn't see much of the original run. Luka is his name? I like him so far. 

[YRBB]

I'm halfway through Season 8 and I love it more than ever. Honestly, I'm finding the middle years just as great, if not greater, than the early ones. The only character I miss is Carol. Doug never clicked all that much, not in the way some of the others did. 

 

I adore Maura Tierney and Abby. Abby's supposed to be annoying at times, just like Weaver has purposefully annoying traits.

 

I think her coming out story, so far, has been done very well.

[Vee]

I kind of detached from the show once it became all about Abby, Luka or Carter's drug addiction or romantic foibles. I also couldn't buy into Greene and Corday together - I loved the actors separately, but I felt ending the pairing with Corday and Benton came from BTS stuff, and I hated that change.

 

The show began to be driven by external stuff that felt hollow to me - adding and then killing Lucy Knight (though that two-parter is still incredible), trying to quickly replace Carol and Doug with Abby and Luka, trying to make the show more of a soap opera or section off Corday and Greene (or Benton and the wooden but less 'controversial' Michael Michele) together, etc. I do wish I'd hung in longer, because I loved Chen coming back and Susan Lewis. I saw a bit of it in those years, but the show also seemed to get driven by more and more stunts. Romano is killed by a helicopter, etc. Mark Greene dies a miserable, unnecessary death. I just couldn't be bothered to dig into that.

 

That being said, the show at its lowlights is still way ahead of most similar shows today. It was a cut above most.

Edited February 14, 2018 by Vee

[I Am A Swede]

 

I agree with practically everything you say, especially the part in bold. Those two episodes, especially the second one, were some of the best ever on television.

I did love everything around Mark's death, except that it had to happen. But it was all superbly done and acted. I'll never forget the image of Kerry reading the message from Corday posted on the noticeboard in the ER and breaking down in tears.

 

[DaytimeFan]

It's the finest medical drama ever made. Nothing has touched it, before or since. 

 

My favourite scene: one of the doctors, I think it was Susan Lewis, is looking at the board and it's clear. The ward is relaxed. Finally. They have a little small talk among the doctors and nurses and then there is a call about a major emergency coming in. Lewis looks at the board and says "Oh, sh*t." Cuts to the theme. 

 

Everyone in medicine has lived that scene.