ER: The Complete Fourteenth Season

Written by Hombre Divertido

In a season scheduled to be its last, fans actually benefited by the writers’ strike, as ER was brought back for a fifteenth season. Unfortunately the fourteenth season, released on DVD from Warner Home Video on January 11th, 2011, is extremely uneven in its storytelling. Luckily the performances of the actors, both guest and regular, make this season worth watching.

Most notable of the excellent performances by a guest is that of Stanley Tucci as Dr. Daniel Moretti whose subtle brilliance as the new head honcho brings a sense of class to the show from his appearance in the season opener: "The War Comes Home". Despite the fine performance of Tucci, the impact of a new chief on the ER has simply been seen too many times before, and thus the first few episodes of season fourteen seem disappointingly familiar. Like many of the storylines throughout the season, that of the restrained Dr. Moretti takes an abrupt turn as writers struggle to get rid of someone who had not signed on for a fifteenth season. The same can be said for many relationships throughout the season, as storylines begin and end awkwardly.

In anticipation of the end of the series, the cast of regulars had been whittled down to just six (Parminder Nagra as Dr. Neela Rasgotra, Linda Cardellini as Nurse Sam Taggart, Scott Grimes as Dr. Archie Morris, John Stamos as Dr. Tony Gates, Maura Tierney as Dr. Abby Lockhart, and Mekhi Phifer as Dr. Greg Pratt) and that allows for not only the audience to truly appreciate those that are there, but also for each of the talented actors to be given plenty of time to shine. Tierney takes full advantage of the opportunity as Abby runs the gambit of trials and tribulations throughout the entire season. One could only hope that Abby would find happiness in season fifteen, because there is not much to be had here.

Season fourteen includes the 300th episode which is celebrated with a unique episode in which Dr. Morris wagers three hundred dollars that the ER can treat 300 patients in one 24-hour period. This storyline is wrought with forced comedy that fails to payoff. Other disappointments in this numerically historic episode include a return appearance by former regular Goran Visnjic as Dr. Lukka Kovac and a guest appearance by legendary actor turned infomercial host Peter Fonda. Fonda’s character is dealing with a terminally ill wife and an introduction to a son with Downs Syndrome that he had given up at birth. Visnjic and Fonda never share any screen time in this episode but still manage to compete for the most stoic and one-dimensional performance. Episode 300 does include a pleasant but far too brief look back and some of the more memorable patients that have stopped in to the ER.

Other guest appearances in season fourteen include: Charlotte Rae, Eddie Mekka, Hal Holbrook, Patrick Cassidy, Jesse Borrego, Howard Hesseman, and Steve Buscemi who appears in the final episode of the season. Buscemi works well with what he is given, but the cliffhanger to ponder over the course of the summer, like most of season fourteen, is far too contrived.

The bonus features include ER at 300: Highlights from the ER 300th Episode Tribute at the Paley Center for Media featuring cast and crew, Gag Reel, Outpatient Outtakes: Unaired Scenes, and Subtitles. Like in previous season releases, the gag reels seem staged and simply aren’t enjoyable to watch. Even more disappointing is the tribute which is poorly edited and will leave you wondering why they didn’t give us the whole event. The reasons for exclusion of the Outpatient Outtakes: Unaired Scenes will be obvious when you watch them.

Recommendation: This release has potential to irritate the most loyal of fans for many reasons, the least of which is that Warner Home Video changed the size of the packaging from the previous thirteen releases. Thanks for ruining the uniformity of the collection guys. The episodes are a mixed bag full of good performances lost in poor storytelling.

Season fourteen is worth buying for the performances and for the true fan that needs to complete the collection and does not care how it looks on the shelf.

ER: The Complete Thirteenth Season

Written by Hombre Divertido

ER: Season 13 is a treasure…hunt.

On July 6th 2010, Warner Home Video released all twenty-three episodes of the classic hospital dram ER. Though there are certainly some gems in this season, one must dig through many overwritten and acted stories that include rehashed and cartoon characters.

In the opening episode, we return to Cook County Hospital in Chicago, to wrap up one of the worst cliffhangers in the history of the series. Sam (Linda Cardellini) and her son Alex (Dominic Janes) have been kidnapped by her escaped convict husband Steve (Garret Dillahunt). Jerry (Abraham Benrubi) has been shot, and unbeknownst to everyone else on staff, a pregnant and bleeding Abby (Maura Tierney) has passed out and Luka (Goran Visnjic) has been tied to a bed and intubated. Yes, there is a lot going on. Unfortunately it plays out like pure desperation on the part of the writers. The kidnapping especially is horribly contrived, poorly written and executed.

In the second episode efforts are made to get things back to order, but there are too many fragments from the first episode bomb, to make this episode worth watching.

The first gem of the season is found in the guest performance by John Mahoney as an older gay man who comes into the ER with his partner. The entire episode may not be great, but the performance by Mahoney and the direction of the episode by Stephen Cragg are.

Eventually the season does get going, and there are some fine stories and performances including those of guest stars Forest Whitaker, Sally Field, Robert Prosky, Stacy Keach, and the afore mentioned Mahoney.

In season thirteen J. P. Manoux as Dr. Dustin Crenshaw, is the primary antagonist and what would appear to be an attempt to replace Paul McCrane as Dr. Robert Romano. The character of Dr. Crenshaw is far too much of a cartoon for this series. Eventually Stanly Tucci as Dr. Kevin Moretti would take over ER operations and serve as a far superior antagonist as the character has much more depth. Also jumping into many storylines in season 13 is John Stamos as former EMT and new intern Tony Gates. In many scenes Stamos appears to be channeling a young George Clooney, and it is extremely distracting.

Though season thirteen makes a valiant effort to balance the stories revolving around the personal lives of the staff at the ER, and the stories of the patients, the failure comes in the writing of the plots for the regular cast. The episodes revolving around the love triangle between Neela (Parminder Nagra), Gates, and Ray (Shane West) is boring and the outcome is fat too contrived.

Season thirteen ends with a far more reasonable cliffhanger than that of the twelfth season, and leaves the audience with an optimistic perspective of Season fourteen.

Recommendation: Season thirteen is worth owning due primarily to the guest performances. There are more bad episodes than good, but generally the direction of the episodes in season thirteen are superior to previous seasons. Many episodes feature music that is both poignant and powerful.

Season thirteen appears to contain more sexual situations than previous seasons, and there is an unusual amount of blood as choices are made to show many of the procedures in graphic detail.

The only bonus material is the “Outpatient Outtakes” and in most cases it is clear why these scenes were deleted.

Article first published as DVD Review: ER - The Complete Thirteenth Season on Blogcritics.

ER - The Complete Twelfth Season

Written by Hombre Divertido

As the twelfth season of the classic hospital drama hit the shelves on January 12th, 2010, one could not help but be intrigued by packaging that, for the first time, displayed no pictures of any original cast members. With the virtual disappearance of Sherry Stringfield’s Doctor Susan Lewis (apparently if you leave a hit show a second time, it is without fanfare) and the departure of Noah Wiley’s Doctor John Carter (who does manage to make a few appearances in season twelve, but only as a special guest) the show embarks on a new season with the changing of the guard now complete.

Due to the eleventh-year ending with one of the weaker season finales in the history of the series, season twelve opens with a mess to clean up. The first episode ("Cañon City") accomplishes that, but Linda Cardellini’s performance as Sam the frantic mom in search of her runaway son is a bit tired, and stretches the competent actress beyond her abilities. On the bright side, the episode marks the beginning of the end for the relationship between Sam and Luka (Goran Visinjic). Said relationship struggled through season eleven almost as much as the audience struggled to watch the storyline.

Where season eleven faltered with writing for the series veterans, season twelve gives the audience more of what they want. Shane West as Dr. Ray Barnett and Scott Grimes as Dr. Archie Morris were underutilized in season eleven, but are given the opportunity to shine in season twelve. West’s Barnett brings a youthful energy to the series not seen in the ER in years, while Grimes’ Morris brings subtle humor to the show for the first time. Though Grimes would remain with the show through the final season, his comedic abilities remained unappreciated.

Along with Grimes and West, the more experienced members of the ER cast are certainly given their respective time to show what they can do. Most noticeable is the performance of Maura Tierney in episode eleven “If Not Now” where Abby ponders a life-changing decision. Let us also mention that though the packaging may not show their pictures, there are some cast members who have been around since season one and they are given some solid screen time in season twelve as well. Yvette Freeman gets some wonderful storylines as Haleh and does great work, and Abraham Benrubi as the endearing Jerry steals scenes in several episodes.

Where the regulars shine, the newcomers tend to come up short as continued attempts to add an antagonist fail. Kristen Johnston as Nurse Manager Eve Peyton certainly added an imposing female force to the cast, and the characters ability to be imposing yet less confrontational than Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes) was entertaining, but eventually there was little for her to do. Also added to the mix was new attending Doctor Victor Clemente portrayed by John Leguizamo. His performance was solid albeit limited in dimension, and ultimately, arrogant and screwed up have both been done better by previous characterizations.

Whereas the performances of the series regulars were consistently good, the writing in season twelve hits both highs and lows rarely seen in years past. The episodes spent following Doctor Carter in Africa are interesting, but ultimately too much time is spent away from the ER, and both the character of Doctor Greg Pratt and the performance of Mekhi Phifer seem lost. Nonetheless, anytime spent in Africa in season twelve is preferable to the time spent in episode six “Dream House”. From the treating of a monkey to the antics of Dr Dabenko (Leland Orser) on the two-way mobile television, this is one of the worst episodes in the series. The writing rebounds in episode eight “Two Ships” which smoothly blends exciting storylines featuring not only our regular cast but those involving patients, visitors, and characters normally found outside the ER.

The season finale certainly is filled with excitement, but the script is too contrived, the guest performances are weak, and ultimately it’s just enough already with the stories about Sam’s family.

Many of the episodes of season twelve are enhanced by music like never before in the series. Martin Davich’s work with the music in the final scene of “If Not Now” is amazing as he frames a picture in sound worthy of award consideration.

Above all else it is directing that leads the way in season twelve as ER displays true elegance in its storytelling. Episode 13 “Body and Soul” features a subtly brilliant performance by James Woods, but it is the writing of Joe Sachs and the directing of our old friend Paul McCrane that makes this star shine.

Unaired scenes make up the bonus material in this release, and the lack of any other extras continues to be a disappointment with each new set of "ER" DVDs.

Recommendation: After a disappointing season eleven, it is time to check back into County General. ER comes back stronger in season twelve and lays some promising groundwork for the coming years.

ER - The Complete Eleventh Season

Written by Hombre Divertido

On July 14th Warner Home Video released Season Eleven of this immensely popular series ER, and though it marks the last for popular regulars Ming Na as Dr. Jing Mei “Deb” Chen, Alex Kingston as Dr. Elizabeth Corday, Sherry Stringfield as Dr. Susan Lewis, and Noah Wylie as Dr. John Carter, their respective exits were anticlimactic at best, if even acknowledged at all. This season certainly represented a changing of the guard, unfortunately, with writing that took a step down from Season Ten, and one-dimensional performances, said guard-changing came a season too late.

Season Eleven was one of conflict. Some in the relationships within the show, but more so in the factions that existed within the cast and writers. Attempts to write stories for the cast members that had been with the show longer yielded poor results, and simply not enough storylines were given to burgeoning stars such as Shane West as Dr. Ray Barnett and Scott Grimes as Dr. Archie Morris. The performance of Grimes on ER would prove to be under-appreciated throughout his tenure on the show, as he brought a comedic element to the show worthy of The Office (US), long before it was a hit.

In Season Twelve, the writers would set things right as more storylines are dedicated to the people the fans want to see, and storylines such as the relationship between Luka (Goran Visnjic) and Sam (Linda Cardellini) are done away with in favor of those less annoying such as Luka and Abby (Maura Tierney). Nonetheless, much awkwardness is endured throughout this season.

Quality guest appearances are also few and far between here, and though Ray Liotta garnered an Emmy for his performance in “Time of Death,” it was the writing and directing that was worthy of awards more than the limited performance of Liotta. Legendary actor Red Buttons gives a superior performance as Jules “Ruby” Rubadoux, the husband of a former patient of a young Dr. Carter. He is now in the ER as a patient and wants nothing to do with the doctor that he believes killed his wife. Cynthia Nixon gives a fine performance as a stroke victim in “Alone in a Crowd.” The writing in is reminiscent and as innovative as an episode of M*A*S*H. We are also introduced to Charlie Pratt (Danny Glover), father of ER doctor Greg Pratt. Like much of the cast, Glover would have more opportunities to truly display his acting chops in Season Twelve.

Not much to be said of the performances of the regular cast member, though Maura Tierney gives a credible performance when she is kidnapped in “Skin,” which would have made a far superior season finale than “The Show Must Go On” in which we are left wondering what will become of Sam’s runaway son Alex (Oliver Davis).

Where as previous releases have included gag reels as part of the bonus material, Season Eleven only provides outpatient outtakes and unaired scenes, the majority of which were justifiably left on the cutting room floor.

Recommendation: Season Eleven simply as not as good as Season Nine or Twelve. There is probably enough here for the true fan, but little for those not truly hooked. Better that you check out of the ER for a year rather than checking out this season.

ER - The Complete Eleventh Season

Written by Senora Bicho

ER ended its 15-year run in April 2009. I was a huge fan from the initial episode but lost interest after several key characters left the show. It just wasn’t the same without George Clooney, Anthony Edwards, and Eriq La Salle. Season 11 aired from 2004-1005 and saw a drop in the ratings from #8 to #16. While not stellar in the ratings, it did offer pivotal storylines, great acting, and intense drama.

Abby Lockheart (Maura Tierney) is forced to make the transition from nurse to doctor quickly after earning her M.D. at the end of Season 10. Neela Kaur Rasgotra (Parminder Nagra) is also a new graduate. She turned down an internship at the hospital due to an identity crisis. Dr. Susan Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) recently promoted to Chief of Emergency Medicine convinces her to come back. Dr. John Carter (Noah Wyle) and his girlfriend Kem (Thandie Newton) are struggling to stay together after the death of their baby. Dr. Luka Kova? (Goran Visnjic) chases after girlfriend Nurse Samantha Taggart (Linda Cardellini) and her son who is on the run from her ex-husband. He manages to talk her into coming back and they eventually move in together. This season provides plenty of ups and downs for all of the characters along with challenging and profoundly influential patients.

In addition to all of the drama, there are some major casting changes. Shane West from Once and Again and A Walk to Remember joins the cast as Dr. Ray Barnett, an intern by day and rock star by night. Dr. Michael Gallant (Sharif Atkins) who left the series after three seasons for a tour of duty in Iraq makes a short return. Dr. Elizabeth Corday (Alex Kingston) and Dr. Jing-Mei Chen (Ming-Na) leave the show after eight and six seasons, respectively. The biggest and most impactful change is the farewell of original cast member Wyle in the finale.

The season had a number of well-known guest stars. Ray Liotta won an Emmy for his role as Charlie Metcalf in “Time of Death,” a unique and enthralling episode that involves no side plots and takes place in real time. Gorgeous Mädchen Amick appears in ten episodes as a love interest for Carter. Red Buttons reprises his role for the fifth and final time as Jules 'Ruby' Rubadoux in “Ruby Redux” while Danny Glover begins his recurring role as Charlie Pratt Sr., Dr. Greg Pratt’s (Mekhi Phifer) estranged father. In the fascinating and creative “Alone in a Crowd,” Cynthia Nixon plays a stroke victim that can still think clearly but is unable to communicate.

The DVD collection includes all 22 episodes. The only extra feature is deleted scenes labeled as “Outpatient Outtakes,” available altogether or per episode.

Watching Season 11 rekindled my appreciation of the series and makes other medical dramas, such as Grey’s Anatomy, pale in comparison. If you were ever a fan of the show and missed out on all this season has to offer when it originally aired, I suggest you fake an injury and spend sometime in the ER.

ER - The Complete Tenth Season

Written by Hombre Divertido

After an extremely weak ninth season that marked the first full season without the stabilizing force of the now-deceased Dr. Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards), whose absence was felt throughout a season that fraught with one-dimensional performances, limited storylines, and the shark-jumping helicopter accident that lead to the ruining of one of the best antagonists on television, one might have easily seen the ninth season as the beginning of the end to this long-running television drama. Luckily for fans of ER, the writers, producers, etc. bounced back with an extremely strong season filled with new cast members and well written stories for our veterans.

On March 3rd Warner Home Video released the complete tenth season of ER on a six-disc set, and from the opening segment of the first episode, “Now What?” in which Carter (Noah Wyle) returns from Africa to the bedside of Abby (Maura Tierney) in a moment so well-crafted visually and musically to be described as nothing less than elegant, just before Abby awakes and rips Carter’s heart out in a manner sure to make all men shudder, fans were notified that ER was truly back and this season was to be something special.

For the most part this season lives up to the expectations established by the opening segment of the first episode. Though the second episode does not take place in the ER, but rather in Africa as Carter returns in search of Lukas’ (Goran Visnjic) body after the staff is informed of his death, it contains some of the most dramatic, well-written, and well-acted moments of the series thus far.

The writing this season does, to an extent, return to the roots of the show, and allow for the stories of the patients to take more of the focus than in the ninth season, and this is a welcome relief. Yes, there are still plenty of wonderful storylines revolving around the cast including those already mentioned from the second episode, but the show was built on a balance of the two, and this season reflects a quality found in balance.

Bob Newhart makes several appearances in a heartfelt, Emmy-nominated performance as a suicidal elderly man, slowly losing his sight, who is befriended by Susan Lewis (Sherry Stringfield). There are many other well-written storylines that revolve around visitors to the ER including a mother who sets fire to herself in front of her son in “Out of Africa,” a visit from some Amish teenagers in “Missing,” the family in crisis in “NICU,” and many more.

Unfortunately not all the stories are golden. Dr. Romano (Paul McCrane) now only has one arm, and though this situation creates some reasonably enjoyable moments as in “Dear Abby,” the character is no longer as much fun as he used to be. The writers have fixed something that was oh so far from broken, and it just does not work. The final appearance of Dr. Romano in “Freefall” marks some of the worst writing of the season, and the loss of the best antagonist ever to hit the ER before or after. McCrane deserves much praise for his performance, as the likes of the Rocket will not be seen again on television anytime soon.

There is great chemistry in the cast, but simply not enough for everyone to do. They would be thinned in coming years, and though some members will be missed, it is for the best. Though the tenth season marks the introduction of some fine new characters including Scott Grimes as Dr. Archie Morris and Parminder Nagra as Neela Rasgotra, both of which play key roles in the success of the show beyond this season, Linda Cardellini takes a bit longer to settle into her shoes as youthful take-charge nurse Sam Taggert. Her storylines are simply too contrived during this season, and the performance is inconsistent.

As in previous releases there is not a lot of bonus material. For the most part the deleted scenes entitled “Outpatient Outtakes” have been deservedly deleted. The exception may be the clips from “Blood Relations” where the scenes are actually enjoyable to watch after viewing the episode. The one gag reel is cute at best.

Recommendation: The tenth season is for both the true fan of the show or someone new to ER. This is simply quality television to be enjoyed by all.

ER - The Complete Ninth Season.

Written by Hombre Divertido

It’s rare that the jumping of the shark in a television series can be spotted so easily, but there it is in all its gory glory in the first episode (“Chaos Theory”) of season nine of ER. The proverbial shark in this case turned out to be the rotor blade of a helicopter that famed surgeon Dr. Robert “Rocket” Romano (Paul McCrane) manages to walk into resulting in the amputation of his arm. This shockingly graphic plot twist would eventually lead to the ruining of one of the greatest antagonists on television. Though attempts would be made in future years to introduce similar characters, none have been as well acted or appreciated.

Season nine also marks the first full season without the stabilizing force of the now deceased Dr. Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards). That absence is felt throughout the season, as other leaders such as Dr. John Carter (Noah Wyle) and Dr. Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes) attempt to be a calming force in the ER. No help is given by other characters such as Luka Kovac who spends most of the season going from one bed and problem to another or Abby Lockhart RN (Maura Tierney) who spends a substantial amount of time dealing with her family and her relationships.

The family issues of Abby do allow for all-star gust appearances by Sally Field as her mother and Tom Everett Scott as her brother. Unfortunately the characters are one-dimensional, and the writing allows for little range by these talented actors.

The success of ER was built on the stories revolving around the patients coming into the hospital. After a trend that began years earlier, the ER storylines really hit a low point in season nine as the focus is solely on the lives of the doctors and little screen time is spent on the stories of the patients.

Along with the set-up for the departure of the Rocket, we see the slow departure of Dr. Elizabeth Corday (Alex Kingston) and the second departure of Dr. Susan Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) as the writers struggle with writing for women in a season dominated by male characters.

This season is not without good episodes. The opening episode of the season is certainly shocking, and the last (“Kisangani”) would lead to many great episodes in season 10. The writing is fine, but the focus could certainly have been more diverse. Season nine also includes appearances by Academy Award-nominated actor Don Cheadle as the Parkinson-stricken medical student Paul Nathan. Though the performance is solid, the character appears to only serve the purpose of giving Dr. Corday something to do.

Not a lot of extras here. The deleted scenes are interesting in a few cases, but for the most part it is clear why they were deleted. The gag reel is fun.

Recommendation: This is only for the true fans. Generally the writing and bringing in of guest stars seems desperate. Better episodes in season eight and ten.