"In a Different Light"
As if mothers don't have it tough enough, tonight we got some stellar examples of bad mothers, clueless mothers and mothers dealing with secrets and regret. And that's not even counting our favorite mommy of all, Abby, who was patiently dealing with Luka's absence and Moretti's in-your-face management style.
But first up, we had a visit from our old friend Dr. Anspaugh, who was busy deflecting Pratt's offer to take over as chief. It was quite amusing later on when Moretti let on that he knew Pratt had tried to throw him under the bus. While Pratt can be a little irritating, I am glad to see him stepping up as an authority figure in the ER and trying to be a leader. I was also glad to see that Pratt and Archie acknowledged the situation with Ray as they cleaned out his locker. Archie took a tough situation and put his own inappropriate spin on it by trying to steal Ray's sneakers - the ones he clearly wouldn't need anymore.
Not much to report with Neela since last week, except that her swift recovery offers hope to victims of political-rally stampedes all over the world. I enjoyed a good laugh during the scene where Dr. Crenshaw quizzed her on the status of her bodily functions prior to discharge.
On a more serious note, Archie dealt with the news that Hope will be taking her leave. I've enjoyed their little romance so I am also sad to see her move along, but hopefully this will open the door for someone a little less "WWJD" to step in and sweep Archie off his feet. For the time being, I think he is much better as a frustrated, inept single guy anyway. It leaves so much more room for humor.
Spoiler alert: The coming attractions seemed to foretell a sad twist in that story, though you can never be too sure with NBC.
Now back to those moms. First, we had the dead teenager, his pregnant teacher/girlfriend and his shattered mother who may have inadvertently kicked off the chain of events that lead to his fatal car crash. Then there was the innocent-seeming couple who pulled the wool over Abby and Dubenko's eyes about their role in the neighborhood robbery. I was thrilled at first when Dubenko allegedly "lost" the bullet he removed and then equally happy that it turned up at just the right time. I found that scene with the girl in handcuffs a little bit chilling since she took on a much more sinister look when she was being taken away by the police and glaring at Abby.
Next up we had the mother of the boy in the ICU who befriended Tony. Her preteen son inexplicably managed to keep her in the dark as he expertly diagnosed his own rare neuromuscular disease. His goal was to spare her the agony of dealing with his deterioration and ultimate death, but I am sure it was much more shocking to learn the truth when she'd been thinking he was suffering from pneumonia. I enjoyed the interplay between him and Tony, as he seemed to draw out a more thoughtful side to the wayward doctor. It looks like his visit to the ICU is already working wonders for our dear Dr. Gates.
Finally, we had Sam with her fabulous new 'do and an adorable policeman who is obviously sweet on her. I was touched by
Linda Cardellini's acting in the scene where the mother of the accident victim talked about her fractured relationship with her son and how things had just started to turn around. Sam's tearful reaction definitely showed that the situation with Alex still weighs heavily on her.
Can I just mention that it is great to have
ER back? While I am enjoying a lot of the new shows, it is so nice to have the continuity of Thursday nights at 10. If this turns out to be the last season, I hope we get a chance to say a long and gracious farewell.
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