The ER thread

[Brent]

I KNOW this is not ALREADY a rerun!!!!

Everything except Ugly Betty and Deal or No Deal on the Big 4(besides the World Series) is a rerun tonight. November Sweeps start next Thursday.

[simplykristi]

I can't believe it was a re-run Thursday night of the season pemiere!

I want NEW episodes!

Kristi.... a big ER fan

[simplykristi]

All you St. Elsewhere fans like me... Season 1 comes out in late November! I have mine pre-ordered.

The first five seasons of ER are out on DVD. The sixth season is due out on Dec. 12th.

Kristi

[Miss Mary]

I know what I'll be asking for xmas! It's about time St. E. comes out on DVD - it's long overdue.

[fci]

Now THAT was a great show.
Quirky, launching pad for several BIG NAME actors (actresses) careers!

[Miss Mary]

fci - a friend introduced me to St. Elsewhere, a season or two into it's run. Needless to say I loved it. A few years ago I managed to watch the entire series, in reruns on Hallmark I believe. I didn't save them but taped each daily show. I was in St. E. Heaven there for a while - it was a great show, no doubt. Ahead of it's time, ground breaking and yes it did launch many careers. Most notably Denzel Washington.

It's funny, but William Daniels who played Mark Craig also played Mr. Feeny on Boy Meets World. Whenever he guests on a TV show, I always refer to him as Dr. Craig and my daughter always says - Mr. Feeny! Sme with Howie Mandel - I'll always think of him as Fiscus and with hair!

Now I miss it.....

Back to ER.

Mary

[GalvestonDuck]

For me, William Daniels will always be K.I.T.T.

Mary, which one was it -- Mandel's character or Mark Harmon's -- that got HIV after being stuck with a needle? I vaguely remember the scene, but I remember gasping out loud because I was shocked when I happened and I knew how serious it was...and that was back with AIDS and HIV were still new to all of us.

[Miss Mary]

Mark Harmon's character got it. And he was quite the ladies man at the time, character wise. It was a shock but the story had a clear message - if you sleep around, you'd better use protection. And in the end his character got AIDS. Sadly.

[GalvestonDuck]

Mark Harmon's character got it. And he was quite the ladies man at the time, character wise. It was a shock but the story had a clear message - if you sleep around, you'd better use protection. And in the end his character got AIDS. Sadly.

But, wait, he didn't get it from an accidental needlestick? I thought I remembered him drawing blood and then accidentally nicking himself with the needle. Then he blamed the patient -- something to the effect of "Dammit, look what you made me do!"

I'm probably confused -- maybe it was another doctor who got stuck and he just got the scare of his life but never contracted the virus. But Mark Harmon's character did. I watched SE a lot, but I guess I didn't retain all the info on it like I did my favorite shows like Facts Of Life.

[Miss Mary]

Shawn - I do recall something of a needle stick but I guess from this fan's point of view, the way his life turned out was a shock. A successful surgeon/doctor on top of the world, never needing dates, etc. and he contracted AIDS. I don't remember exactly how it all came down but I do recall, the shock waves his dx sent when the "staff" found out. If you have time, you might find out this info at this site. I'm logging off soon, hopefully for days and not hours, so I wanted to respond before this topic gets buried again:
http://epguides.com/StElsewhere/

Mary

[GalvestonDuck]

Aha, that did help, Mary! I was totally off -- it was neither Harmon nor Mandel I was thinking of.

I saw the listing of earlier episodes that dealt with Mark Harmon's character contracting HIV. But then I kept searching and found a reference to a guy named "Griffin" who was "impatient with an AIDS patient" and then in a later episode "put his future in God's hands." So, I researched a bit more (having the name helped) and found out that Griffin was played by Bruce Greenwood and then I could picture him better and recall the scene. The patient, Brett Johnson, was played by Kyle Secor, who I know better from the NBC series Homicide: Life on the Streets.

This site nailed it for me: http://www.brucegreenwood.com/mov-tv/st ... el7305.htm

The Night of the Living Bed
#7305
aired 10/28/87

The most important Seth Griffin episode of the season, he pricks himself with an AIDS infected needle and alters his life forever.

This Halloween episode was full of complicated and fascinating stories, the most prominent of all being Seth's. Eager to rid himself of Brett Johnson as a patient, Seth goes to Dr. Kiem to expedite the release. She lectures him about his AIDS attitude, but agrees to Brett's release as soon as Seth can arrange a final CBC test. Irritated by the constant delays, Seth opts to draw Brett's blood himself, but hurrying through it, he inadvertently pricks himself as he's bottling the results, possibly infecting himself. Consumed with fear and fury, Seth takes his anger out on Fiscus, Novino, a philosophically contrite Brett Johnson and even Gideon before eventually seeking out Dr. Kiem for the comfort he obviously needs.

All Seth's scenes are wonderfully written and acted in this episode, but there's a small one with Philip Chandler that's particularly telling -- for both characters. Seth enters the lab to seek his test results and with a flippant comment provides Chandler with a diagnosis Phil's been working on throughout the episode in order to impress Gideon. Excited over the unexpected discovery, Chandler completely forgets Seth's own dilemma and what the offhand remark means to him.

Since this was the Halloween episode, a lot of the storylines were played for laughs. Elliot hates Halloween, setting himself up for a ghoulish practical joke in the morgue -- delivered by Fiscus and a playful Carol Novino. Ehrlich and Wade are exalting in the fame they can expect as part of Craig's transplant team, but Ehrlich loses the patient -- a sheep Craig affectionately names Flash after a lost boyhood pet. Despite Ehrlich's irritating sheep banter, the operation's successful. Dr. Kiem bonds with a Frenchman whose tests reveal prostrate cancer. Gideon meets Ellen Craig and is clearly interested. And the most involved story of all: Dr. Chandler takes over the case of Mr. Bermudes when he's told the patient is a friend of Dr. Gideon's. He can't figure out what's wrong, however, until a chance remark from Seth gives him the unexpected answer. Mr. Bermudes is occupying a room that seems to be haunted, with lights and tv going off and on at will. In the middle of the night his bed is literally pulled through the floorboards by what's discovered to be a magnetic field created by the tearing down of the hospital's parking lot. A horrified Mr. Bermudes leaves St. Elegius immediately and a bemused Chandler discovers the "friend" was actually Gideon's plumber.

Of course, there are episodes that follow that deal with Griffin waiting to find out if he's infected, as well as other eps that also feature Brett Johnson.

LOL, this is so OT. *slapping hand * "Bad duckie!"

[simplykristi]

Just change the name of the thread to ER and St. Elsewhere. LOL

Kristi

[Miss Mary]

Duckie - now I remember Griffin!!! That actor went onto to play a devious character on Knots Landing, Pearce Lawton I think. Couldn't stand him on that show either. LOL

Back to ER.....

My DVR didn't record ER! I didn't notice it wasn't recording until 10:53. So I quickly tuned in and saw the girls in the bar. Then Neela calling Uncle Jesse, oh wait Gates' cell phone. And that chick that got killed recently on Lost answered. Got all that? LOL

Our DVR is kaput we think, it's been messing up big-time lately. Grrrrrrr.....time for a new one or to switch to cable, with a new DVR box.

That said, I need a good synopsis for last night's show - previews looked great. Can anyone post a summary for me?

Or better yet, let me know if you watch these on NBC or iTunes? That's what I'll probably end up doing if that's an option.

Thanks so much.
Mary

[GalvestonDuck]

I had to d/l SVU on Itunes because my satellite wasn't working when I came home Monday night (SVU was on Tuesday). Luckily, I got to watch Grey's and ER last night at my best friend's house.

Get this -- I came home from work Monday night and found an ad on my door from a local cable dude, with a special for installation. Then, I walk in, get settled, and turn on my TV only to find that my dish wasn't receiving a signal. I rebooted my DVR and tried again...no luck. Called the Dish Network techs and they walked me through a bunch of stuff...still no luck. Couldn't get a tech out until today because it's my first day off this week since it happened. I asked the tech on the phone Monday night, "You don't think the cable guy sabotaged my signal somehow do you? I find it awfully suspicious that I don't have a signal after he stopped by." I did everything they asked me to do in an effort to reset my receiver and get a signal. I checked outside to see if I could see anywhere where the line from the dish into the house might have been cut. Didn't see anything.

So then today, the tech comes out. Guess what he finds? A "terminator" on my satellite cable. Apparently, the cable dude thought he had the right to clip the cable and then make it look "re-connected" with a little metal piece that prevents the signal from getting to the house. I was so mad!! I had never noticed it not being there before, so when I saw it, I thought it belonged. I called him up and raised Cain. Asked him where he got off messing with my satellite link? He said he was "training" a new guy and that the new guy was supposed to put blocks on lines going into non-Time-Warner customer's homes. The Dish guy said, "Wrong!" He's not supposed to mess with them without asking the homeowner/renter to voluntarily disconnect first and/or give a notice warning of the disconnect. If that had happened, then they would have found out from me that it was NOT a cable feed, but a satellite feed going into my house. I can understand them not wanting people to get cable illegally. But they need to learn what they're messing with before they start cutting lines. Besides, what if it had been a security system? Don't security cameras connect with the same type of line?

Grrrrrr.....!

Sorry, rant over, but it just ticked me off to no end!

[Regit]

I had to d/l SVU on Itunes because my satellite wasn't working when I came home Monday night (SVU was on Tuesday). Luckily, I got to watch Grey's and ER last night at my best friend's house.

Get this -- I came home from work Monday night and found an ad on my door from a local cable dude, with a special for installation. Then, I walk in, get settled, and turn on my TV only to find that my dish wasn't receiving a signal. I rebooted my DVR and tried again...no luck. Called the Dish Network techs and they walked me through a bunch of stuff...still no luck. Couldn't get a tech out until today because it's my first day off this week since it happened. I asked the tech on the phone Monday night, "You don't think the cable guy sabotaged my signal somehow do you? I find it awfully suspicious that I don't have a signal after he stopped by." I did everything they asked me to do in an effort to reset my receiver and get a signal. I checked outside to see if I could see anywhere where the line from the dish into the house might have been cut. Didn't see anything.

So then today, the tech comes out. Guess what he finds? A "terminator" on my satellite cable. Apparently, the cable dude thought he had the right to clip the cable and then make it look "re-connected" with a little metal piece that prevents the signal from getting to the house. I was so mad!! I had never noticed it not being there before, so when I saw it, I thought it belonged. I called him up and raised Cain. Asked him where he got off messing with my satellite link? He said he was "training" a new guy and that the new guy was supposed to put blocks on lines going into non-Time-Warner customer's homes. The Dish guy said, "Wrong!" He's not supposed to mess with them without asking the homeowner/renter to voluntarily disconnect first and/or give a notice warning of the disconnect. If that had happened, then they would have found out from me that it was NOT a cable feed, but a satellite feed going into my house. I can understand them not wanting people to get cable illegally. But they need to learn what they're messing with before they start cutting lines. Besides, what if it had been a security system? Don't security cameras connect with the same type of line?

Grrrrrr.....!

Sorry, rant over, but it just ticked me off to no end!

There's not much that ticks me off more than incompetent businesspeople. I'd threaten to press charges to teach the company a lesson. Maybe even file a police report and send them a copy. Tampering with private property is a clear crime.

[GalvestonDuck]

Getting back on the subject of ER --

First of all, I just don't like Gates and Neela together. Neela and Ray -- good. Neela and Gallant -- better (although impossible now that he's deceased).

As much as I don't like Morris, it was great to see him tell ole Romano-wannabe off. Well done.

Laura Innes actually directed this episode and had a decent amount of screen time. I'm impressed. Most of the time, when she's behind the camera, she stays there and doesn't appear much, if at all, as Weaver. Not sure how much longer she'll be on the show, but I hear she's leaving soon. But what's with having Weaver date a Sandy Lopez-lookalike? Did they not think we'd noticed that she rebounded to a twin of her deceased significant other? I still preferred Kim Legaspi over Sandy and this one. At least the last Kerry scene was a good one.

Luka, Abby, Luka, Abby...eh.

[GalvestonDuck]

This is surprising:

http://www.imdb.com/poll/results/2006-12-16

Who would have thought it would be such a close vote in a showdown between ER and Grey's Anatomy?

[simplykristi]

That's interesting! BTW, I like both shows.

Kristi

[Yankeegirl]

I cant get into Greys.... I dunno....

[Brent]

I cant get into Greys.... I dunno....

and I watch Grey's but don't really like ER. Go figure.