lordwow

Dear God, this better not turn into a clips show.

critterdvd

I havn't watched a single episode of this series since coming to college (and I'm a junior)... but I watched it all in Middle school and high school.

I'm excited to tune in tonight, but I'm kinda scared to. From what I've heard it is nothing like the series that I remember, but 300 episodes is just too big of a milestone to not watch...

lordwow

I came up with a few patients from the earlier seasons that are probably the most influential/well known "lost patients":

Patman

ER's 300th episode was pretty decent.

Abby's found the courage to ask for help with her drinking, but only after getting really mean to Neelah after Neelah expressed concern for her relapse into the bottle. She couldn't quite come totally clean with Luka about her drunken dalliance with Moretti.

Sam seems to be getting the Abby uplift out of nursing as she branches out, this time it's riding with the EMTs.

Morris is not above maiming someone for money.

Gates and Doogie Jr. had a good 1-2 punch combo going on in the ER.

btlives

Agreed.
It was a very conservative 300 ep though.
Could have been ALOT better.

I have to say Sam was the best
part of the story line.

And hated that reference to Ray.

Seantn

Does everyone think this is ER's final season? How has it been doing in the ratings?

Legolas

It doesn't matter how it's doing in comparison to it's former glory. NBC still needs it because of how badly the network overall has fallen. Plus all these cast changes keeps the budget relatively low, since you don't have the million dollar per episode budgets of Wylie, Edwards, La Salle, etc.

lordwow

Poor.

ER WAS the most expensive show (and profitable in terms of advertising space for that matter up) until about 2005.

The show cost, in the 2001-2002 season, $13.0 million per episode, and 30 second ad space was at $620,000. It's probably dropped a little, but Thursday 10 PM slots never drop below about $400k for the big 3, meanwhile the cost has definitely gone down, so the show has actually become more profitable.

Michael Corvin

I've tuned out this season (first time ever, since it premiered), but passed over this one last night and noticed Reiko Aylesworth on. Is she a regular, part-timer or one shot deal? She is someone that would make me tune back in.

Abby hitting the bottle is a poor excuse for a storyline and something I haven't missed by not watching.

nateman

Having Peter Fonda as a "special guest star" for the 300th episode was pretty good. He wasn't used as well as ER usually treats its "special guest stars" and his performance wasn't mind-blowing, and it didn't have that "memorable" quality too it either. But still nice too see him on the show, however.

For a show that's in its worst season, IMO, the 300th episode was decent at best. It was a solid episode for ER's 14th season, however.

I still miss "old" ER. I've never hated Abby and Maura Tierney is smokin' hot and she's a good actress, but ER has lost its way. It's become "Thursday's with Abby" (talk about a spin-off for NBC!) pretty much. Give props to Tierney for putting on great performances despite the weak material, however.

critterdvd

So I watched the episode but it wasn't the special spectacle that I was kinda hoping for. At the same time, I havn't watched the show in several years and I honestly had no idea what was going on... I didn't even know half the characters.

And sadly, I couldn't help compare it to "Grey's Anatomy"... it didn't even seem like the same show I used to watch all those years ago. Which is kinda sad...

jjcool

I remember seeing one of thoe that you mention. Was hoping for some older faces to pop up, but alas they didn't. No mention of any of the people that have died that worked in the ER over the years. not even Dr. Mark Greene.
I was a little dissappointed.

nateman

This would've been the perfect episode for him to come back from the dead!

I mean, the remaining viewers ER does have left will probably turn the channel the second he comes back (from the dead! woo, ha, woo, ha), but I'd still be watching. Talk about entertainment!

lordwow

Those were pretty early ones:

raven56706

NBC isnt sure if this is the last ER season but

ILoveDVDs28

ER should have been canceled after Anthony Edwards left, the show isn't the same without him

lordwow

The show had about 2 decent seasons after Anthony Edwards Left (basically until Carter started to disappear), and most of that was just ridiculous, but awesome stuff like the helicopter arm incident. The show was really relying on Carter, Luka, Abby, and to a lesser extent Susan and Romano to carry the show on, but Carter made himself sparse, Susan got stuck with some of the weakest storylines on the show (and ended up leaving not long after), and Luka and Abby are basically it on the show now. Romano was pretty much the only reason to watch the show IMHO for a lot of that. Poor Corday complained she got fired for being too old, but in reality, they probably should have had her character off herself after Mark died because she never saw a decent storyline again, including the absolutely abysmal one they had her leave on.

I think really the biggest problem is that the replacement doctors, for the most part, have been really dull. I really can't stand Morris, Pratt and a lot of the other residents (well I guess they're attendings now, but whatever). The characters just aren't enjoyable to watch. I've been rewatching/watching the first couple of seasons and I really LIKE all the characters on the show, and look forward to see what's going to happen, and ER has completely lost that.

On top of that, they've lost their "very special episode" thing. ER used to have really powerful and emotional episodes about twice a season, the kind even I would get a little choked up on. Now it's like they're a mockery of themselves, and can't come up with anything really original to do. I was watching a few of the episodes this season going "they've done this like 20 times before" with some of the stories. The network really should put this show out of its misery before it goes on another 5 seasons on Friday nights.

Michael Corvin

No way those are two of the best episodes. Good yes, but just one of many silly incidents in the ER to create fake drama. Mark getting beat up was done better than any subsequent incidents like the stabbing, helicopter accidents, tanks, ER shootings, Forrest Whittaker's stalking, etc. The only other major "accident" in the ER that rivaled Mark's ordeal was the death of Omar Epp's character.

Great post lordwow. Yes the docs now are a snoozefest and there isn't a single interesting character on the show anymore. The slide happened when they turned the show into ER 90210. Luka started out as Doug Ross 2.0 and turned into a decent character, but Abby was pretty annoying from the get go saddling her with a dysfunctional family. Sam's first few episodes showed a hint of a great character...then they bring in the dysfunctional family. *sigh. Can't just have a strong character anymore, everyone has to be fucked up in some way.

The last great character that graced the ER was Gallant and the writers totally wasted his character. He was a strong, non-screwed up character which the writers take for boring, I guess.

As for Susan, she was always stuck with terrible storylines. Of the first few seasons she was the only character I didn't enjoy, mainly because of Chloe and little Suzi.

TGM

Well, I hope they figure it out. I wouldn't be sad to see it go, but such a distinguished show should be able to prepare a final story arc, and a final show in advance.

lordwow

I enjoyed the two episodes, but I do agree they are a bit overrated.

I think Love's Labor Lost from Season 1 (the pregnant woman) is among the best hour-long stories the show has ever done, with realistic implications (Mark freaks out about dealing with pregnant women for the next 2 seasons), and his huge inner struggle with if he should settle a potential malpractice suit, when he doesn't feel he was wrong, but everyone else does. I think the episodes after actually strengthened the episode, because I (like I'm sure many other viewers) empathized with Mark (he was basically God in the ER up until that point), and my final acceptance that he had screwed up came at the same time his did, which really says something about the early writing on the show.

The Omar Epps storyline, which I just rewatched last week actually, was very good. I got a kick out of seeing him as an intern (as a big House fan), and the implications of that, specifically Benton's free fall right after was really well done. In fact the last episode I watched was where Benton talks to Hicks (CCH Pounder, another great supporting character during the show's early years), and finally says he doesn't know why he acts the way he does with his interns, and it may have been his fault.

I guess the biggest difference between ER now and then is that the stories were actually meaningful, and *gasp* emotionally fulfilling. It's no wonder the show was among the highest rated on TV for those early seasons.

I hated the kid storyline as well with Susan early on, but I enjoyed her character whenever she wasn't dealing with that. It's unfortunate she left the show when she did, as her character really hit her stride in Season 3, turning down the chief resident position, with an actual logical reason (work isn't everything). "Union Station" where she leaves is really good, and it's too bad because her and Mark would have been great together.

nateman

I completely agree. Also, great post lordwow.

ER hasn't had a "very special episode" in quite awhile, and that's one of ER's biggest problems rite now. First off, they don't really have any characters on the show that people care about enough, for a "very special episode". I mean, in the earlier seasons, Edwards' character (Dr. Greene) had some of the best storylines in the show. Even Clooney (Dr. Ross) had that episode where those kids were stuck in that pipe in the river, and he had to get them out. I don't see episodes like that on ER today.

Thank god for the DVDs, remember the good ole' days of ER.

Does anyone else think the writer's are trying to turn ER into a 1 hour comedy series? I mean, they seem to be trying for jokes all of the time, and most of them come off unwanted and totally out of place. I know its the only 1 hour show for NBC on Thursday, and its after Earl, 30 Rock, The Office & Scrubs, but come on! I want those "very special episodes" and characters I actually give a sh*t about.

As much as I like Doogie 2.0, this isn't a comedy series or Grey's Anatomy.

Michael Corvin

The last great one was two, maybe three seasons back with Ray Liotta. Very powerful episode, IMO. At least as good as the stabbing posted above. They attempted it last season with James Woods, but felt totally forced and didn't work all that well, IMO.

Not to mention the powerful plotlines in the early years didn't require stunt casting.

lordwow

Though oddly enough, a lot of the guest stars from the early years turned into big stars (Bradley Whitford, Lucy Liu, Kristen Dunst)

gatoinfeliz

Lordwow is spot on. I sensed trouble when in season 6 you were able to count 14 cast members out of which 5 or 6 were completely useless (Michael Michelle & Erik Palladino especially).

I stopped watching when it became "Doctors In Africa or other 3rd World Countries". It's a shame they let Alex Kingston go when they did. Her hinted-at-storyline in her last season (possibly dating two guys at once) could have been good stuff but after Anthony Edwards left they basically killed any chance of her staying.

That's sort of what happened with Abby. Once Carter was well into being written out it seems like the writers didn't know what to do with the character. What killed the show for me though was the introduction of Pratt and Morris.

Michael Corvin

I liked Morris the first season he was on. It was interesting to see someone who was in way over his head and didn't know what he was doing but knew enough just to scrape by.

That went to shit somewhere along the line when he became boy genius over night and became head of the ER.