February 8, 2007: Dying Is Easy....
So let's start with the important stuff first. I am thrilled to report that all the bad facial hair in the ER has left the building (at least for the time being). The porn 'stache is gone and the Stamos stubble is now a mere (five o'clock) shadow of its former self. The disturbance in the force has been resolved and now we can get back to focusing on important medical matters, like how ridiculously tall, dark and yummy
Goran Visnjic is. (Oh, and you can be sure there will be more on that in a minute. I just need to regroup after all the crying I just did.)
ER has an amazing track record with memorable guest appearances, and that streak continued tonight. As a huge fan of
Six Feet Under and his work on that show, it was great to see
Freddy Rodriguez as Simon, the leukemia-stricken comedian. His interaction with Abby, Sam and Morris was very entertaining and bittersweet, and I was glad to see that he finally got a chance to do his act, albeit from a hospital bed. Sam, for one, was definitely in need of some levity in light of the situation with Alex. It looks like she is going to have a tough decision to make, but I am glad to see that she is coming to terms with the seriousness of his issues. I think Sam understands that bad is possibly embedded in the poor kid's DNA and Alex's troubles run deeper than "a phase." It was also nice to see Ben providing support, though I am still waiting for the other shoe to drop with that guy.
I was relieved that Pratt's situation was resolved swiftly and in his favor. Though I doubt that any medical board would realistically look beyond his actions and give him a break based solely on his good intentions, I think that the story has run its course.... So realism be damned! It will be interesting to see if Pratt will follow through with the challenge to legalize the clinic and what story possibilities that opens up.
Tony and Neela. Tony and Sarah. Tony and Meg. I'm so tired of all of it. If the writers intented to make it painfully obvious that Neela belongs with just about anyone other than Tony, they have succeeded brilliantly. Sure, I feel bad for the guy and especially for the little girl who is still reeling from the loss of her mother, but enough already. How much should Neela really be expected to put up with, considering she has been with this guy for what seems like a week? I've said it before and I'll say it again: I think Ray and Neela are much more appealing as a couple than Neela and Tony, but she really belongs with Dubenko, whom I love more and more every time he appears on screen. (Props once again to
Leland Orser, who has given this character such depth despite his very limited screen time.) Now there's a quality guy who would be worth a little frustration and maybe even an illegitimate kid or two. On a somewhat unrelated note, I did enjoy the little moment between Neela and Crenshaw. I loved that he came out of left field with that compliment when she matter-of-factly explained that she was going to break the rules just to be "nice."
And finally, for those of you hoping to tie up loose ends from last week's standoff, it seems like that ship has sailed. Instead we got the start of a wonderful new chapter for Luka and Abby. What can I say about that reverse proposal except that it just proved once again that
Maura Tierney and Goran Visnjic are really the heart and soul of this revitalized show? They keep me engaged and they keep me coming back for more. On that note, see you next week!
