ER "the Providers" -- 01.27.2005

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Spoiler:
the Providers

A FATHER'S DESPERATE ACT IS THE ONLY THING THAT CAN SAVE HIS LITTLE GIRL - When a sixteen-year-old girl who had received a kidney transplant from her father arrives at the ER feeling dizzy, Carter (Noah Wyle) traces the problem to a new drug called Zarictal that the girl was taking to control seizures related to her kidney dysfunction. Her father feels guilty because he was the one who pushed for her to take the new drug and its side effects may mean his daughter will have to go back on dialysis. Carter asks Neela (Parminder Nagra) to post questions about the drug's side effects on the internet, which causes an uproar when the pharmaceutical company finds out. After Abby (Maura Tierney) and Neela complain about their lackluster dating lives, they end up assigned to work with Jake (Eion Bailey) and Kovac (Goran Visjnic) whom they each seem to have a crush on. Also starring Sherry Stringfield, Laura Innes, Mekhi Phifer, Linda Cardellini, Shane West.
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Spoiler:
So that's how they are going to get rid of Carter by season's end.


Great episode. Good drama w/ some very humorous moments thrown in between.
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Definitely a good episode!
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While the tragic ending was telegraphed, just knowing it was coming didn't make it any more comfortable to watch the drama unfold. Can you imagined it if Unos didn't approve the transplant after the father's sacrifice? Holy moly, that would have been rough.

I LOL'd at the "Punjabi Powerhouse" appellation that Carter gave to Neela.

Neela's infatuation with Luka was cute, glad the air was cleared with both Luka and then later with Sam.

Dibanco (anyone how to spell his name?) continues to show some really grounded humanity in his bedside manner.

Carter's passion and subsequent short-sightedness in handling his outrage at the side effects of Zirixil may spell his tenure at the ER. Time will tell. Then again, he is one rich mofo, so what does he really care.

Jake makes his move on Abby, but Abby puts the brakes on really fast. The cases they had to handle was pretty funny given Abby and Neela's earlier discusson about being in a long dry spell.
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at the beginning when abby said "so neither of us have gotten any in a long time" I was like "well you two could move back in together for some girl on girl action"
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Quote: I LOL'd at the "Punjabi Powerhouse" appellation that Carter gave to Neela.
I almost woke up my daughter when I started laughing. Wyle delivered that line perfectly.
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I missed tonight's episode, could someone spoil what happened with Carter?

Thanks!
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Quote: I LOL'd at the "Punjabi Powerhouse" appellation that Carter gave to Neela.
Yeah, that made me laugh too.

Quote: Dibanco (anyone how to spell his name?) continues to show some really grounded humanity in his bedside manner.
I know what you mean. I really love they way he talks to people, especially Abby. He's just so calming.
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Quote: I missed tonight's episode, could someone spoil what happened with Carter?

Thanks!
Basically a girl came into the ER from a car accident and which ended up leading the doctors to find that her kidney (which had been transplanted from her father a year ago) was failing. Eventually it was found that she was on a relatively new drug to prevent seizures that she had only been taking for 3 months. Carter started researching the drug (which he was unfamiliar with) and found 4 cases of it leading to renal failure. He posts on a doctors message board to find if anyone has experienced this which ends up getting back to Weaver. Weaver and Carter have a big yelling match with Weaver telling him that he's jeopardizing hospital funds from pharmacutical companies by badmouthing drugs that are reliable in 99% of other situations. Ultimately, the kidney girl's father (who earlier offered to give away his remaining kidney) kills himself outside the hospital when he knows theres little chance anyone else will get a kidney for his daughter (his kidney is later transplanted to her). Word gets out to the press and Carter is sent out to do a press conference, for which he is told to be very vague about the whole situation. Instead, he mentions the drug by name and what it did to the child.
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Thanks fallfan! Sounds like i missed a great episode.
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I'm loving the writers bringing back old characters. Last week we had Herb Spivak from Season 4, now we have George Henry, Carter's former med student from Season 4. Nice to see some continuity.
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Maybe this IS Carter's goodbye tour, given all the characters coming out of the woodwork.
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THanks for the recap. i fell asleep right after the guy shot himself.
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Quote: THanks for the recap. i fell asleep right after the guy shot himself.
Wow..Me too...I actually slept very well last night.

Does anyone miss Randi? (Kristen Minter) was one
of the desk clerks like Jerry. I read she headed
over to daytime Tv.
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Yeah, she's on General Hospital.
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How do people fall asleep after watching a guy shoot himself through the mouth into his cranium?
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I blame society.
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Quote: How do people fall asleep after watching a guy shoot himself through the mouth into his cranium?


Especially when they did such a good job of making it seem realistic.
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Great episode. I was thinking this was the beginning of the end for Carter also.

Loved the opening when they pulled the couple out of the ambulance and Sam's face when Abby and Jake were flirting while working on a patient.

I don't get why Susan was so mad at Carter, she's the head of the department, she should be speaking to the press.
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Great episode, though the anit-Bush remark was unfortunate.

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Quote: Great episode, though the anit-Bush remark was unfortunate.

agreed. it was completely unneeded on a show that has ZERO to do with politics
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"Is there any discharge?"
"Oh yes!"
"Not that kind!"

Really good episode. I was into everybody's plot lines.

Regarding next week's episode preview:
Spoiler:
How many times does Pratt get to kill somebody because he's an idiot?


Gotta love the narrator's overdramatic hyping of next week's episode, though. Sometimes that's what I look forward to the most--how can they tell us this is going to be the most intense episode ever each week.
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