It’s hard to believe, but ER presented two good episodes in a row. Perhaps there’s hope for this show after all.
I guess it’s not that easy keeping a secret for long in County General, especially a secret as big as an engagement. Granted, Abby may be the worst secret keeper in the world, but Hope was still quite smart to figure it out. Speaking of Hope is it me, or is she the first true “girly girl” on the ER staff we’ve seen in the show’s thirteen seasons? All the other women we’ve seen on the show (And ER has always had a strong female cast) have been tougher, had some sort of edge to them, and Hope is just different from them all, and it’s not a bad thing after all it’s hard to imagine that all the women working in the ER are tough gals. Sure, the ER will make you tougher, but you’re not that tough when you start your run there.
Was anyone surprised by the revelation that Tony’s dad is a drunk? It’s one of the oldest cliché’s in the book, and the messed up parent is a staple of ER. Just like every woman on ER is tough every single person there has parent issues. But Tony also seems to have issues with his in-laws. Even though he looked like he’s going along with the idea to let them raise Sara, it’s obvious he’s not at peace with that idea and he won’t let her go quietly. It’s not just the promise he made her he actually cares about her. We might see a custody battle, but I hope he loses it, because one annoying child is enough on the show, and Alex occupies that slot right now.
Yes, Alex, our resident juvenile delinquent. Good for Sam for realizing she can’t control him by herself, that professional help is needed. It can’t be easy on her, she must feel like she’s giving up on her son, but it was inevitable. It was almost heartbreaking to see her walking away to the sound of Alex crying out for her, but she was strong and didn’t break. Now she has to stay strong and keep Alex there, no matter how hard he begs her. My only hope is that they won’t turn it into some sort of “hell camp” where the kids are abused and molested. All in all, it was an effective way to write Alex off the show for a while.
I wasn’t really excited about the frozen family or the gang-bangers plot. The gang bangers story especially wasn’t that different than many of the other plots we’ve seen over the years. It was a mash of several old storylines estranged parent meets gang shooting meets parents covering up for kids. It was one of the low points of the episodes, but surprisingly enough, Morris was actually one of the bright spots there. I don’t know what it is, but he’s definitely growing on me.
And then there’s Neela – sweet, loveable Neela. After last week’s show of independence, she’s in the dog house as the new star of surgery is Mey-Lee. The only question is whether or not it’s temporary and she’ll back on Dubenko’s good side or it’s really deep and she’ll have to switch back to emergency medicine again. There was a bright spot at the end, when she and Ray finally locked lips. There was a great vibe between them for a very long time, even when Michael was still alive, and then Tony got in the way. I guess now she’ll go through a couple of episodes torn between Tony and ray, and I hope she chooses Ray. Their relationship may not be as anticipated as Josh & Donna on The West Wing or Pam & Jim on The Office but still, it’s something that should happen.
The two parting scenes this week, Ray and Neela’s kiss and Sam leaving Alex were very strong. They capped off a relatively good episode of ER and show promise for the characters. The show finally is back to combing some fun stories (The wedding preparations) with more serious and emotional ones. Let’s just hope the streak of good episodes won’t end at two.
