Between Luka toting adorable Joe in his Baby Bjorn and Abby's reactions to the various nanny candidates (as well as Morris and Pratt's reaction to the Brazilian hopeful), this episode got off to a deceptively humorous start. However, the tension was quickly ratcheted up when Curtis Ames strolled back into the ER hoping to negotiate a settlement in the wake of the malpractice verdict. Now we have Luka's nemesis stalking an oblivious Abby in the park, and you know this isn't going to go anywhere good. (By the way, is it just me or does it seem at all unusual that Abby would have no idea what Ames looks like?) But aside from introducing that unfortunate twist in
Forest Whitaker's ongoing arc, tonight's episode really belonged to
Scott Grimes.
Poor Archie. He wants so much to be taken seriously by his peers, and yet he frequently undermines himself by coming off as inept and shallow. It is a credit to Scott Grimes that he continues to give a formerly one-dimensional character such unexpected shadings. Just when you think that Archie's sole purpose is to provide a consistent punch line to Frank's jokes, he actually becomes invested in a case and displays a surprising vulnerability by admitting his awareness that he is not respected by his fellow docs. Buoyed by
Shawn Hatosy's intense portrayal of a seriously ill patient whose childhood abuse has resulted in a severe case of dissociative identity disorder, Archie's determination pushes him and Sam to draw out the various personalities that are driving Willis' off-kilter behavior. The scene at the very end, when Morris bonds with the childlike personality, was very powerful and reminded me of some of the best episodes of the past - when the driving force was the feelings that these troubled patients brought to the surface in their ER caretakers. (It's probably not a coincidence that this tightly-crafted episode was helmed by series executive producer
John Wells.)
Meanwhile, as expected, things continued to heat up between Neela and Gates. Perhaps as a reaction to what she learned about Tony's home life, Neela skewered him in the morbidity and mortality review. To the surprise of absolutely no one (thanks to NBC and their spoiler-filled previews) the heated exchange that followed lead to Neela quite literally jumping Tony's bones, with little concern that the blinds on that particular conference room were wide open. Unfortunately, Ray was the lucky spectator and decided to get back at Neela by continuing his dalliance with her surgical gal pal. Of course, is it really getting back at her if she has no idea how he feels? As much as I like Ray and think that he deserves a fighting chance in this love triangle, I do hope that his true feelings are revealed soon. I think this story will be a lot more interesting once Neela has full disclosure and is forced to make an actual choice.
As for some of the night's best lines, I loved it when Abby told Luka that she could "totally take" Crenshaw. (She totally could.) Also, the laugh-out-loud moment for me was Frank's lightning quick response to Morris' admission that he can "do fluff" (in reference to Kerry's job offer to cover medical news for the local TV station). "Word is you're the best fluffer in town." If the reference is escaping you, Google the word "fluffer" and prepare yourself for a good laugh (and some potential adult content).
So what do you all think about how the season is progressing? Do you like Gates more or less? Who do you think Neela should choose? How about the Curtis Ames story line? And how cute is that baby?! I want to hear what you are thinking, so post away!
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Between Luka toting adorable Joe in his Baby Bjorn and Abbys reactions to the various nanny candidates as well as Morris and Pratts reaction to the Brazilian hopeful this episode got off to a deceptively humorous start However the tension was quickly ratcheted up when Curtis Ames strolled back into the ER hoping to negotiate a settlement in the wake of the malpractice verdict Now we have Lukas nemesis stalking an oblivious Abby in the park and you know this isnt going to go anywhere good By the way is it just me or does it seem at all unusual that Abby would have no idea what Ames looks like But aside from introducing that unfortunate twist in Forest Whitakers ongoing arc tonights episode really belonged to Scott Grimes Poor Archie He wants so much to be taken seriously by his peers and yet he frequently undermines himself by coming off as inept and shallow It is a credit to Scott Grimes that he continues to give a formerly one-di
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