In one of his well-known speeches, Abraham Lincoln declared that "a house divided against itself cannot stand" - a sentiment echoed in tonight's episode title and story lines. And boy, all of our favorite
ER docs and nurses were definitely facing some sort of domestic or personal turmoil that spilled over into the workplace. And isn't that just the way we like it?
But first (how very
Julie Chen of me), let's start at the ending. I nearly jumped off my couch when
Forest Whitaker turned up in that apartment. Talk about a bad day. After a shift-long snipe fest with Luka, Abby has to say goodbye to her friend and mentor Kerry (more on that later), then finds out that mystery patient Eddie (
Fred Ward) is actually her long-lost father (we'll also come back to that one) and ends her day by coming home with her infant son to an over-the-edge stalker. It certainly puts my "it's 11 pm and we are out of milk" crisis into perspective.
Though no one who reads the comments on this blog was surprised by Eddie's paternal link to Abby, I did find one thing a little disconcerting. As he confessed, he mentioned that he had spoken to Maggie and gotten an update on Abby and her brother. Is it wrong of me to think that most mothers would have alerted their children to the fact that their absentee father had suddenly come out of the woodwork? Doesn't she ever call to check in on baby Joe? I know
Sally Field is busy playing matriarch over on
Brothers & Sisters, but come on people, improvise!
Back at the hospital, little Alex continues to go all troubled teen while Sam slides into another ill-timed romance with a coworker. Hey, so far, Ben has given us very little reason not to trust him, and I am still hopeful that he will turn out to be a good guy. As a matter of fact, I nearly broke into applause when he grabbed Alex by the back of his jacket for his "tour" of the hospital. But does this girl learn nothing from past mistakes? Maybe you should try to take this new relationship slowly, considering the fact that your sullen, smart-mouthed, identity-stealing kid is now slapping old ladies around and playing
Firestarter in your living room.
The case with the two stepbrothers injured in the bobsled accident provided yet another opportunity for Tony and Ray to butt heads, something that I am starting to find very tedious. Speaking of tedious, the Tony/Meg/Sarah situation continues to escalate. What happened between the time she left the hospital and the panicked phone call? Had Meg actually taken something prior to getting into the car with her kid? The lady is certainly not going to win any parenting awards as she continues to use her daughter as a pawn in her dysfunctional relationship with Tony. And can someone please explain to me what Neela could possibly still see in this guy? She is way too smart to be putting up with this crap. (
Spoiler alert) For anyone who is curious to read about what's in store for Neela and one of her men, click
here and Michael Ausiello will enlighten you.
I don't know what to say about Pratt and his drug-exchange escapades. Now he is in jail on a felony charge and that clueless minister is still going to continue the program, even after receiving an order to cease and desist. I can't imagine how Greg is going to be able to get out of this mess right now. Between Luka's malpractice case and this, the ER docs are certainly keeping the hospital lawyers occupied.
Finally, tonight was Kerry's swan song. For anyone who was still in denial that
Laura Innes was really leaving, her heartfelt goodbyes definitely sealed the deal. (For more on what's in store for the actress/director, click
here for her interview with TV Guide's Ileane Rudolph.) The scene between Abby and Kerry was just as emotional and bittersweet as I hoped, and her parting words to Luka - "A good hospital is about people and medicine" - were ironic and hard-won for someone who had spent so much time mired in the bureaucracy of health care. Personally, I am very sad for this particular departure - even sadder in many ways than I was when
Noah Wyle took his leave. Though not an original cast member, during her nearly 12 years in the role, Laura Innes brought intelligence, charm, fire and wit to a challenging character. She was never easy to like but always hard to hate, and I think the ambivalence that people feel about her character was born out of a realistic, textured portrayal. A little piece of
ER history walks out the door with her. Actress and character will both be missed.
Unfortunately, there will be no new episodes for the next few weeks, but let's keep things lively anyway. What do you think Ames has up his sleeve? What will happen with Eddie and Abby? Will Ray ever lose the 'stache? Comment away!
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In one of his well-known speeches Abraham Lincoln declared that a house divided against itself cannot stand a sentiment echoed in tonights episode title and story lines And boy all of our favorite ER docs and nurses were definitely facing some sort of domestic or personal turmoil that spilled over into the workplace And isnt that just the way we like it But first how very Julie Chen of me lets start at the ending I nearly jumped off my couch when Forest Whitaker turned up in that apartment Talk about a bad day After a shift-long snipe fest with Luka Abby has to say goodbye to her friend and mentor Kerry more on that later then finds out that mystery patient Eddie Fred Ward is actually her long-lost father well also come back to that one and ends her day by coming home with her infant son to an over-the-edge stalker It certainly puts my its 11 pm and we are out of milk crisis into perspectiveThough no
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