Patman

"The Show Must Go On"

Pretty crazy shot of 4 stories of balconies dropping on top of one another when a party has too many people on the top balcony, causing a busy night at the E.R., with Ray and tag-a-long Morris at the party.

While the attendings are giving Carter a going-away party around the corner, the E.R. interns and residents have their hands full, and Abby does a bit of surgery on a pregnant woman to allow her child to be delivered through the birth canal. Kovach was impressed by Abby's work in crunch time. Neelah also had her hands full.

Ray has second thoughts about signing his contract to work in the E.R. due to Susan challenging him to not be a part-time doctor if he works in the E.R. After getting Carter's pep talk (he finds the letter Green had Carter write to himself as a resident, to be read on the last day of his time in the E.R.), Ray re-ups for another year.

Carter's final patient ends up being the girl he delivered in the E.R. 11 years ago when he started in the E.R. Carter tried to give the "Carter, you set the tone." speech given to him by Mark Green, but with Morris puking in the streets, it just didn't go over all that well, much to Carter's chagrin as he heads out to a new adventure with Kem in Africa.

We got to see the new interns for next season, and Sara Gilbert was brought back, but she wasn't all that happy about it. The rest of the interns were pretty green and one got a case of the throw-up heaves.

Sam's kid is obsessed with living with his dirtbag dad in Colorado, and runs away, and is last seen hitchhiking and getting picked up by a vehicle with the Illinois plates 115775 (I don't know why I remember that detail), just hope he doesn't end up dead. Kovach and Sam go looking for him.

dadaluholla

This show is still on? It all has to end next season, right???

At least we didn't have to endure ER Miami or ER New York or ER Special Patients Unit, etc...

B.A.

Damn, Sam's brat ran away. That means they will start off next season looking for him in some form.

I guess Ray is going to stay - I was kind of hoping he'd leave.

And why couldn't Morris have been under that porch?



So long Carter - come back to your E.R. sooner rather than later.

And Maura Tierney is now officially the star of the show.

Patman

Maura is the bomb, I'd carry her children.

sailor_moon

Wow. That was a great episode. I loved the lines said by Dr. Green. Seriously brought a tear to my eye.

invisiblegt

While a great episode, I was thoroughly disappointed in the ending. I mean, after 11 years, Carter's last episode is a shot of that punk kid getting in a truck with some guy?

I was really hoping for something like Carter walks through the doors of the ER, and they close. Fade to credits. Or, gives the little speech to Morris, and then walks off as an ambulance pulls into the ER, showing that the ER will continue on without him.

Something other than that damned kid...

MrX

Nope, NBC renewed it through the 07-08 season.

Carter was probably shitting his pants when the couple asked him if he remembered them after the incident with Ruby a few episodes back

I guess Law & Order isn't the only show that does "ripped from the headlines" stories because the porch collapse in Wrigleyville happened for real a few years ago.

It's going to be weird not having Dr. Carter in the ER next year, wonder who they're going to bring in next year.

Is it wrong to hope we've seen the last of Alex?

MikeL.

Maura Tierney's already carrying my child.

I was hoping for a more one on one goodbye's for Carter but I guess because Noah Wyle will be returning to guest star, the writers handled it this way.

No reunin with Kem in the end. No goodbye to Abby.

mikehunt

and here I am hoping that he turns up tortured to death in the most painful way possible

Tscott

"I think I'm going to puke again."
"You set the tone, Morris."

I burst out laughing at that line.

Roto

I think that's the first time I've seen anyone here say that about Alex. Considering the rest of the thread, it'll probably be the last. I never understood all the hatred for the kid. He's not even on the show all that often, but whenever he is you can count seeing at least one death wish here.

Great episode, but I agree Carter's farewell episode should've been about Carter, not about Ray proving himself. They probably should've saved Red Buttons' return for the last episode.

The balcony scene freaked me out! That was Ray's apartment building? How do you get all the neighbors to agree to that?

Legolas

Scott Bakula? Dennis Franz? Dennis Miller? Blair Underwood? Heather Locklear? Joe Mantegna? David James Elliott? Bebe Neuwirth? Tim Daly? Whoever gets bumped off during the 24 season finale? Who else had a show canned this year?

How about Rob Lowe, who could even play the brother of Chad Lowe's character?

Roto

No, not Tim Daly! I'm still holding out hope!

dcprules

I thought this was an alright season finale. The balcony shot was just awesome (I watched that a couple of times on my TIVO), but as a signoff for Carter it was pretty weak. Come on, John Wells. It was nowhere near as powerful as Green's final episode (which I think was the most emotional episode ever for ER), and they really should have concentrated more on Carter than on Ray. Anyways, I guess since he's signed on to do like four episodes next year they didn't think he deserved a big, full episode signoff.

Patman

I'm guessing they'll put Carter's episode in the sweeps months next season. Otherwise, Wyle is off to film the sequel to "The Librarian"!!!!

Gasspasser

Agreed. That was pretty lame.

MikeL.

His leaving was lame and it also feels incomplete. Again, I think it's because we'll see him again.
He's going to Kem, a woman who received him rather coldly. Remember it wasn't exactly a loving reunion. It was more a lonely Carter latching on to Kem. Remember how he latched on to Wendell then when she left, is not back to Kem.

Carter's still a mess and I think as we see him over the next couple of seasons, we'll see the old Carter slowly emerging.

dunno260

Very, very weak episode considering all it could have been. I think Alan Alda got a better sendoff episode than Carter did. Clooney and Greene (and I concur about it being the most emotional episode they did) certainly got even better send offs. And unlike in the past, they aren't losing someone nearly as important to the show. It would have seemed like it would have been better.

Where was the Carter and Abby scene? Carter and Lewis?

And if carter was going to give the speach to anyone, it should have been anyone but Morris. Abby, Pratt, or even Ray would all have made more sense than the idiot Morris.

This show desperately needs some new interesting characters, particullarly a hard ass surgeon ala Benton or Romano. We also really need another Greene/Carter type character on the show. But thats obviously not going to happen.

This episode would have been better last week, with last weeks and this one combined.

Filmmaker

Balcony crash aside, this episode fuckin' sucked...Noah Wylie has been my favorite character in ER's history...no final words with Sherry Stringfield or Maura Tierney or Laura Innes? ...everybody checks out on his party? ...he was a supporting player in his own finale? ...the last shot is not related to Carter? What the hell??? Possibly the most aggravating waste of opportunity I've seen on ER to date. I don't care if Wylie will guest star now and again, this was his final bow as a series regular--the longest in ER's history, mind you--and he deserved so much more...

Oh, and by the way, the doctor in the balcony scene (his name escapes me, but it's not Scott Grimes)...who the fuck picked him out of the casting call?! ...he is an atrocious actor and stands out like Hayden Christiansen in the new STAR WARSs movies as being an amateur in a cast of giants...

LorenzoL

I have to agree with you that Shane West is a weak link.

MikeL.

I understand everyone's frustation in this being Carter's final episode and how unemotional it was but remember he'll be back.
The writers couldn't tie up all his storylines because he'll be back. If they had him leaving to live happily ever after then what would be the point in seeing him again.

When we see him again my money is on Carter and Kem not living happily ever after. Eventuall Carter willl return to County. It may be at the very end of the series but he'll be back.

Filmmaker

He'll be back as a guest star sure, but he still deserved a proper send-off as the last remaining, and best, of the original cast...

Legolas

After giving Benton a nice sendoff, they decided to capitalize on La Salle still being under contract and brought him back for a meaningless scene several episodes later. But later on it was nice to actually see him at Greene's funeral.

MikeL.

IMO, there's a difference in Wyle coming back. Carter IMO, is still just as messed up as he was when his gamma died so there is a story to continue with Carter. His head is in the clouds and I think he's in for a big surprise when he returns to Kem.

She should have done what Abby did to Jake in the previous eppy. Abby told him not to do it for her. Kem should have done the same for Carter.