ER Discussion Thread

[Wendy]

 

And Abby was what made me peace the hell out. But I did come back for S15. I HAAAAAAAAAAAATE Abby. Me, I loved the Original Six and watched the first 6 seasons faithfully. After that came the wreck of Luka/Abby/Carter. And, no thank you.

 

I did tune back in in S8 to see Susan's return. But the writers then never "got" her, and I drifted away again.

[YRBB]

Abby Lockhart sees all y'all's shade and...

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Perhaps one of THE most shocking moments of TV. Deserves to be rewatched.

 

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I can see how the big focus on those three could rattle some, but I am loving it as I properly watch for the first time. I'm willing to follow where the show is going, provided they keep me entertained.

 

The show did become more soap opera by season 6 -- and therefore, more addictive and entertaining than ever. After 6 or 7 seasons, I think that's why they were able to keep interest going for several more years. The key is not to let the stunts become too much, which I will have to keep watching to find out.

Edited February 15, 2018 by YRBB

[Vee]

I just felt they could not remotely compare to Doug, Carol, etc. And I also felt manipulated by the forced pairing of Corday and Greene.

I remember that Lo-Fidelity All-Stars/Pigeonhed song in that famous scene with Lucy on the floor - I was very into British techno at the time and I geeked out when it played on the show.

Edited February 15, 2018 by Vee

[Wendy]

 

Alas, you can "thank" Eriq LaSalle for Corday/Greene (in a roundabout way). While he says he had no trouble with Alex Kingston, he felt finally having a successful relationship with a white woman sent a bad message, hence their split and Cleo-Bot, Michael Michelle, coming on.

[Vee]

Oh, I know it was him. I was being polite. I can't believe they couldn't have found a better love interest for him if they'd absolutely had to change things - they could've put him back with Jeanie Boulet. But I never got over the Corday thing.

[Wendy]

At least Benton/Corday had that nice alone scene in the finale. And I was even more impressed to see the show had snagged original Reese, Matthew Watkins, to come back as a tween.

[Vee]

I didn't know until I checked Wikipedia that Jeanie's life sounded so miserable when she returned in the penultimate season. Separated from her husband, kid likely had full-blown AIDS, but still working hard for other AIDS patients. I guess that's something. Gloria Reuben left the show to be a backup singer for Tina Turner - she's acting a lot again today.

 

I never got the Weaver gay thing. It seemed like a weird direction to take a complicated, prickly character, like they thought 'other'ing her would explain her. And pairing her with a woman who soon dies horribly was a tired cliche even then. I fúcking loved Laura Innes. I hope she's still doing a lot.

 

ETA: Wow - she's directing a ton of TV.

Edited February 15, 2018 by Vee

[YRBB]

 

I agree about Carol, but Doug? They tried to make him a tortured man but I never felt it took off. IT's like he was meant to be this very complicated man, but I would not care for him if not for Carol. Perhaps I need to rewatch.

 

 

 

Oooooooh! I did not know about this! It always struck me as weird that they ended Benton/Corday when it was really working and they had really good chemistry. And then Corday/Greene just... happened. The only reason I care for the couple is the actors.

[YRBB]

OK, but I don't know about Susan/Carter... 

[dragonflies]

I loved Lucy and adore Kellie Martin, I don't get why people say the character was a failure. 

 

Edited February 15, 2018 by dragonflies

[Wendy]

 

I think - had they had better writing - they maybe could have worked. (I thought they had chemistry in Susan's early years.) But then, the writers were different, Abby was a factor, and they were admittedly a mess. For the record, it doesn't last long. But they remain friends.

[Soaplovers]

 

I don't think she was on long enough to be considered a failure... I think the writers hinting at a Carter/Lucy pairing is what colors people to her character.  I know Kellie Martin had a family member sick, and she couldn't be on a medical show while that was going on so she asked to leave.  I figured she'd die.. but I was still surprised at how it came about.

 

In the earlier seasons, I would say Maria Bello's character D'amico (not sure if the right character name or not) was more of a failture then Kellie Martin's character.

[DRW50]

 

I wouldn't say that she was a "failure," per se, but there was a fan backlash to Lucy, as she was heavily showcased early on and a lot of people found her irritating. 

[Vee]

I know Martin talked about how she and the writers felt there was nowhere else to go with Lucy as a character, that it hadn't worked out. She was certainly seen as an annoying youth-oriented "Scrappy-Doo" type by the audience and critics when she first arrived, and in her second and final season was mostly irrelevant til she got killed off. But her death became a seminal moment.

 

Maria Bello quit on her own AFAIK, which is a shame because she was (and is) great. Same with Jorja Fox as Maggie Doyle.

Edited February 15, 2018 by Vee

[YRBB]

 

That's good to know. I'm not seeing a lot of chemistry in the present and it feels a little forced. I'm glad they don't end up hating each other's guts.

 

If I remember correctly from when I first watched, it did feel like she came on board and suddenly it was all about her all the time. An exaggeration, but considering she was a little annoying...

 

Considering I was mostly too young the first time around for this show, all this backstage reasons/info is very fascinating.

 

I agree that Lucy had run her course by the time she was stabbed.