"Under the Influence"
Goran Visnjic phoned it in tonight, literally, as we caught a too-quick glimpse of him and an aggravated (and sadly, hung-over) Abby conversing about his extended stay in Croatia.(Despite this painful separation, Luka still looks as gorgeous as ever with his longer, tousled hair.) We also had a chance to get reacquainted with two old favorites who are still making the
ER rounds. Arrogant, resident-hating cardiologist Dr. Kasen consulted on the unusual case of the young father-to-be suspected of self-inflicting a dangerous arrhythmia with amphetamines. The always-wonderful
Amy Aquino also reprised her role as obstetrician Dr. Coburn, who worked to save the man's baby while offering Abby counsel as she dealt with her fall from the wagon. (Was I the only one who was surprised to learn that Coburn was Abby's sponsor? Was this established previously?)
I have to say that despite Luka's absence, it seems very uncharacteristic of Abby to be handling this situation so badly. As a parent of a young child, I know how hard it can be to deal with the demanding work-life balance, especially when your partner is otherwise engaged, but come on - are we expected to believe that Abby is that susceptible to her demons? It just seems like a cheap storytelling ploy to me and I find it incongruous with the recent development of that character into a wife, mother and leader in the ER.
Meanwhile, there is a character who actually seems to be developing in a more appealing way. I don't know if it is the lack of untamed facial hair or just the detour to the ICU, but Gates has not been nearly as grating this year as I found him last season. He has matured and come into his own in many ways and I loved his interaction with the flirty young chaplain (
Reiko Aylesworth). I would love to see him develop ties with someone other than Neela. (Though between you and me, I think he and Sam would be an excellent match.)
Speaking of Neela, I enjoyed watching her struggle with her preternaturally bright (and very young) surgical intern. While I question the logic of taking advice from Crenshaw, it was fun to watch Neela attempt to intimidate her charge and then eventually revert to a mentoring relationship that is more natural for her. I'm also glad to see that the writers have backed off the Tony-Neela angle. Let's give the girl 15 minutes to recover from the Ray situation before they push her into a relationship.
While you all know what a fan I am of Archie, his storyline left me cold. I'm glad he finally got some... satisfaction, but why are the writers keeping him tethered to Hope at this point? Let the boy move on with his life.
Finally tonight, I was glad to see that they are going to give Moretti some backstory. It seems that his son will figure into the story soon, and I am anxious to see what kind of impact that will have on his unflappable facade.
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