February 1, 2007: Murmurs of the Heart
It looks like 2007 is turning out be a very good year for
Forest Whitaker. The Oscar nominee (and, by most accounts, front-runner) has turned in yet another bravado performance as the mentally unstable former ER patient Curtis Ames. I don't think it is a stretch to assume that later this year, this gifted actor will be adding an Emmy to his growing collection of acting accolades. Whitaker really has an uncanny ability to capture the humanity and vulnerability of emotionally tortured characters. (Though I haven't had a chance to see
The Last King of Scotland yet, I have heard he works similar magic with his charismatic portrayal of the supremely unsympathetic Idi Amin.) Even while you hate Ames for torturing our beloved Dr. Kovac, you never lose sight of the fact that the man is operating from a deep reservoir of resentment, pain and loss.
I have to admit that I wasn't at all surprised with the denouement of this particular story line. I knew that ultimately Ames was going to take his own life. And frankly, in this age of spoilers run amuck, it is nearly impossible for TV shows to pull off shocking deaths of major characters anymore. I did not doubt for one minute that Luka was going to make it through (though that hand-in-the-vise thing definitely made me wince). What did keep me riveted was
Maura Tierney's performance throughout the entire ordeal. Abby's instinct to find common ground with Ames was smart, and her mix of grit, anger and genuine fear were all very realistic reactions to a terrifying situation. (As a mom, I can only hope I would hold it together so well.) Also tonight, the connection between Luka and Abby was truly palpable and electrifying. I could almost feel the relief wash over Abby when she saw Luka walk out of that building. I'm sure the impact of this event will have some immediate and long-term repercussions for their relationship. (We won't even talk about those pesky previews.)
On the opposite end of the moms-holding-it-together spectrum, we had Meg dying a very untimely, self-induced death, with her poor daughter looking on helplessly as Tony tried every heroic measure in the book. I just have to say that I can't even imagine the desperation that would lead a person to cause that kind of pain for their child. (And by the way, how many shows does poor
Paula Malcomson have to die on?) Meg's deathbed admission to Tony about Sarah's paternity came as a shock, and I am hoping that we will learn a little more about this situation in the coming weeks. (For you spoiler lovers, click
here for some Gates-related casting scoop.)
Finally, we had Sam dealing with the aftermath of the fire and Pratt dealing with the aftermath of his arrest. Both stories sort of got sidelined tonight as the Ames story wrapped up, but I am sure we will be hearing more on both fronts in the coming weeks.
So, now I've told you what I thought about the resolution of the Ames story. What did you all think? Did the writers do a good job of wrapping up this story arc or are you feeling at all dissatisfied? Until next week, happy commenting!
