ER: "Shades of Grey" Summary/Review

[Kryativ1]

Shades of Grey - Season 4, Episode 19 - Original Airdate April 23, 1998

Written By: Samantha Howard Corbin
Directed By: Lance Gentile

Plot 1 - Benton, Corday, and Morgenstern
The morning begins as the surgeons are preparing for the M&M meeting regarding
the death of Dr. Swanson. Morgenstern thanks Benton before the meeting for his
"evenhanded" report. During the meeting Benton admits that he shoved
Morgenstern out of the way and took over during surgery. Morgenstern disagrees
with Benton that the actions he took were vital to attempt to save Swanson's
life. Dr. Kayson suggests they adjourn the meeting to convene a resident
review.
The resident committee (including Dr. Kayson, Dr. Romano, and Kerry) tell
Morgenstern that Benton's actions leave them with only one course of action.
Benton is called into the room and told that he is suspended pending a formal
inquiry. Benton stares at Morgenstern, who looks guilty.
Two final victims of the abortion clinic bombing blast are brought in. They
are a clinic janitor, and Allison Beaumont, both of whom were trapped under the
rubble. Benton is leaving the hospital as Mark calls him to help on the
trauma. Benton tells him "I've been suspended" to which Mark replies "Not by
me you haven't". Benton assists Mark in working on the janitor.
The janitor has severe bleeding, and Benton is forced to keep his hand clamped
on his aorta as he is brought up to surgery. Dr. Kayson sees Benton in the
elevator, but Mark tells him that it was his decision and Benton is vitally
needed now. They enter the surgical room, and despite the nurses' protest that
the environment is not sterile, begin to repair the damage. Morgenstern comes
in and takes over the operation.
Romano and Corday work on Allison. Corday goes above and beyond in her
treatment, continuing after Romano tells her to call it. Corday angrily tells
Romano "why don't you stop being such a prick". Allison stabilizes and is
brought up to surgery, which is successful. Corday is relieved, but shaken by
the experience, and leans against Benton for support. Later Romano apologizes
to Corday regarding his behavior and invites her to dinner, which she declines.
Kerry finds Morgenstern sitting reflectively in his office. He tells her "I
forgot about teamwork …I let the situation get completely out of hand … I was
covering my own ass". He shows her the videotape Swanson's operation, which he
admits he has been "too chicken to look at". The two watch the tape together.
Later Morgenstern finds Benton as he is leaving. Morgenstern tells him that
"one of my last two acts as chief of surgery was to rescind your suspension …
the last to resign". Benton is shocked, and Morgenstern explains "I was a
great surgeon but what I allowed to happen proves that I'm not a very great man
- that's what I've got to work on".
Benton arrives at Corday's apartment; she tells him that she heard about
Morgenstern. Benton tells her "I've lost my mentor today". He talks about
losing people that you are close to without getting the chance to tell them how
much they mean to you. He then kisses Corday.

Plot 2 - Scott
The first mention we have that Scott died was the surgeons discussing the fact
that Anspaugh will not be at the M&M meeting because the funeral is today. We
then see Jeanie practicing a hymn in the shower.
Anspaugh tells Jeanie that he will not be giving a eulogy since he has never
felt comfortable in his wife's Quaker church. He tells Jeanie that her parents
were less than thrilled when she brought home a West Point man. Anspaugh gives
Jeanie a box of Scott's things that he wanted her to have. Among the trophies
and other things are the Green Day CD, and back issues of Soap Opera Digest,
which Jeanie smiles reflectively on.
At the funeral, after others have eulogized Scott, Jeanie gets up. She tells
the congregation that she had intended to sing a hymn, but decided instead to
sing Scott's favorite song. She than sings a verse of "Time of Your Life".
After the service Anspaugh finds Jeanie alone in the church. He tells her
that when Scott was very ill he read his journal "hoping to understand him the
way you and his mother seemed to". Jeanie tells Anspaugh that Scott loved him
very much, and surprises him by telling him that Scott wanted to join the Army.

Plot 3 - Kerry and Anna
Kerry and Anna treat one of the first patients from the abortion clinic
bombing. She is a young woman named Brianna Thomas that is eighteen weeks
pregnant. Anna finds a strong fetal heartbeat, and is shocked when Kerry tells
her that Brianna was scheduled for an abortion. Brianna starts hemorrhaging,
and Kerry tells Anna to complete the unfinished abortion. Anna tells Kerry
that she can't, so Kerry does the procedure.
Later Kerry talks to Anna. Anna tells her that she froze, she felt the baby
was too far along to abort. Kerry tells Anna that she can't let her personal
feelings get in the way of treating patients.
Anna then treats an eye injury on Ms. Martinez. She was one of the protesters
outside the clinic, but tells Anna that she is against violence. When Anna is
finished with the treatment Ms. Martinez leaves, but leaves Anna a pro-life
pamphlet that Anna had told her that she didn't want. Ms. Martinez also has a
large poster showing a bloody fetus. Anna angrily gives her the pamphlet back
and tells her that "you're not a peaceful protester - that poster is a call to
arms".
Anna than brings Brianna a tray of food, which Brianna declines, saying that
she just wants to leave. Brianna finds Kerry and thanks her for her help,
telling her it is the most memorable abortion that she ever had. Kerry is
shocked that Brianna is using abortion as birth control, and tells Brianna that
she should seek other methods of family planning. Brianna asks her "why are
you being such a bitch", to which Kerry responds "because you are being
irresponsible". Brianna than tells Kerry that "more likely its because you
aren't getting any yourself" and leaves.
Later Kerry tells Anna about work that she did in Africa, where abortion is
illegal. She talks of the horror of seeing young women in septic shock due to
botched procedures, that is why she is determined to respect her patients'
decisions. Anna tells her that she is still unsure of her own feelings, and
how she'll react in the future.

Plot 4 - Doug and Carol
Doug and Carol treat a teenage girl named Zoe who is six months pregnant. She
was at the clinic for a normal prenatal check up with her boyfriend Donny when
the bombing occurred. Although she did not seem critical at first, Zoe
crashes. Doug and Carol work on her, but discover that she had a blood clot in
her lung, which deprived her brain of oxygen for too long, leaving her brain
dead. Doug shows Donny the ultrasound of the baby, which is a girl and still
OK.
Zoe's parents are brought in. The are furious with Donny, telling him that he
killed their daughter. Doug explains to them the choices they have regarding
the baby. They could do a cesarean on Zoe and deliver the baby very premature,
and it would spend months in intensive care. The other option is to keep Zoe
on life support until they can deliver the baby full term. Zoe's parents are
against their daughter being used as a human incubator, but Donny tells them
how much Zoe wanted her baby.
Doug later visits with Zoe's parents. They tell him that they have decided to
keep Zoe on life support until the baby is term. They also tell him that they
have decided to file for sole custody of their granddaughter. Doug tries to
talk them into letting Donny be a part of the baby's life, but they are
adamantly against that.
Carol treats a woman that was in the bombing who only suffered minor
lacerations. The woman tells Carol that she doesn't want to use her insurance
card because she doesn't want her husband to know she was at the clinic. She
explains that she thought she was too old to get pregnant, but it happened, and
now she has to find another place to have the abortion. She doesn't want her
husband to find out because he would be against it. She tells Carol that her
husband worked five years past retirement to put all four of their children
through college, and she doesn't want to burden him again.

Plot 5 - Carter
Carter's day begins trying to get a loan from a bank. The loan officer is
surprised that Carter only has one tax return, on which he made $28,000 as a
surgical resident. Carter explains that he never had another job, and had
always lived off the trust that is in his grandfather's name. The loan officer
suggests Carter get his grandfather to co-sign a loan, and Carter disagrees,
saying, "I want my application judged on its own merits". The application is
of course rejected.
Anna teases Carter about his reversal of fortune, suggesting that he sell
Amway or Tupperware. Carter tells her "you're really enjoying this, aren't
you"! Carter than treats a drunk man named Mr. Lembreaux who has a fractured
wrist. While alone in the trauma room Mr. Lembreaux begins harassing a young
boy with asthma and his mother. Doug orders Carter to get his patient away
from the boy, telling him "nobody gives a damn about pedes".
Carter than treats an elderly man named Mr. Newton, brought in by his son
Burke. Burke is upset that Carter is ordering so many tests on his father.
Carter discovers that Mr. Newton is severely neglected, with malnutrition,
dehydration and horrible bedsores. Carter shows this to a hospital social
worker, who files a report and tells Carter she'll recommend placement for Mr.
Newton in an adult care facility.
Carter tells Burke about the charge, and Burke is irate, telling Carter that
he will sue. After Mr. Newton is more coherent after receiving treatment,
Carter tells him that he will be going to a nursing home. Mr. Newton protests,
telling him that "I'm eighty-six years old, I've slept in the same bed for
seventy years. I want to die in my own bed".
The social worker arrives to take Mr. Newton away. Carter tells her that
maybe he made a mistake, and to let Mr. Newton go home. The social worker
refuses, telling him that if necessary she will involve the police. Against
his protests, Mr. Newton is taken away.
Carter ends the day glumly eating a dinner of Ramen. Doug teases him about
his finances and takes him out to dinner.

Review
I felt this was a very interesting episode, and definitely suited its title -
that not all issues are black and white. I wasn't surprised that the
Morgenstern/Benton issue was resolved so quickly - I assumed they would have
Morgenstern be truthful to his character. I didn't expect him to completely
resign; I will miss William H. Macy's presence on the show. I also was
confused about his title of Chief of Surgery. I thought that Anspaugh was
Chief of Surgery and Morgenstern was Chief of Emergency Medicine (that is how
Kerry introduced him to Corday two episodes ago). Its possible that
Morgenstern was acting as Chief of Surgery temporarily while Anspaugh is on
leave, but that wasn't explained.
I wasn't surprised that Benton sought comfort with Corday at the end of the
episode. The recent rerun of the pilot episode showed that Benton had respect
for Morgenstern, and I'm sure he feels his loss deeply. Also, it seems that
whenever Benton is in an emotional crisis he initiates a relationship with a
woman. He first kissed Jeanie after the death of his mother, and began his
relationship with Carla on the day he found out he was HIV negative. I think
that Corday and Benton are an interesting couple, and even though I'm against
multiple pairings in the ER, I enjoy their scenes together.
I was shocked at the way Scott's death was mentioned, and that we didn't see
the actual scene. However, I think it was more effective this way, since there
had been so many scenes of Scott's suffering, particularly in the last few
episodes. I thought the scenes with Anspaugh and Jeanie were moving, and liked
the way that Jeanie sang Scott's favorite song. When the Emmy nominations are
announced I expect to see both Gloria Reuben and Alex Kingston nominated for
supporting actress and it will be hard to choose one of them.
I wasn't overly thrilled with the whole abortion clinic bombing storyline. I
feel abortion is one of the most controversial issues that we have, and people
who are firmly pro or anti are not likely to change their ways. I was glad
that they showed both sides; and that no easy conclusions were reached, but I
really felt the whole story wasn't necessary.
I was also confused by an aspect of the Zoe storyline. Since Carol and Doug
were right there when she arrested, why was she deprived of oxygen for enough
time to cause brain damage? I'm interested to see James' notes on this one. I
also thought the scene between Doug and the parents was significant when Doug
reminded them that many men twice Donny's age aren't as concerned fathers
(perhaps reminiscent of his own experience). We still don't know the reasons
why Doug is not involved in his own son's life and I'm anxious to see that
explored.
Finally, the scenes with Carter attempting to live within his means were
amusing. I especially liked Anna's teasing him. I wonder how long his poverty
will last. I thought the Newton case was perhaps a reminder to Carter to
maintain a good relationship with his own grandparents. Even though his
grandparents and Mr. Newton are worlds apart, family is still family, and
emotional neglect can be as painful as physical.

[B.W.]

Kryativ1 wrote:

> <<Snip>>

> I was also confused by an aspect of the Zoe storyline. Since Carol and Doug
> were right there when she arrested, why was she deprived of oxygen for enough
> time to cause brain damage? I'm interested to see James' notes on this one. I
> also thought the scene between Doug and the parents was significant when Doug
> reminded them that many men twice Donny's age aren't as concerned fathers
> (perhaps reminiscent of his own experience). We still don't know the reasons
> why Doug is not involved in his own son's life and I'm anxious to see that
> explored.
>

When did Doug get a son? Can someone email me and let me know what storyline I missed? I
think I might have missed one or two episodes this season and none previously but I don't
remember Doug having a son. Thanks.

--
B.W. (lkj...@MMMSPAM.Hotmail.com)
Did you ever notice? Anyone who drives slower than you is an idiot and anyone who drives
faster than you is a maniac. - George Carlin

Remove MMMSPAM to email me.

[Jerry B. Ray]

In article <199804241806...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
Kryativ1 <krya...@aol.com> wrote:

>I wasn't surprised that Benton sought comfort with Corday at the end of the
>episode. The recent rerun of the pilot episode showed that Benton had respect
>for Morgenstern, and I'm sure he feels his loss deeply.

I'm really wondering just how much of an effect that reruning that pilot
had. I'd never seen it before the recent repeat, and I was surprised to
see Benton in the pilot joking, showing emotion, fraternizing with the
other doctors, stuff that has been rare in the intervening years.

Now, in the last few weeks of episodes, I've been noticing a lot more
of that side of his character coming out. I'm actually _liking_ Benton,
for really the first time. I wonder if seeing him in the pilot made
me notice those aspects more, if the writers watched the pilot again
as well and started putting that stuff in again, or if it's just
a coincidence...

>I wasn't overly thrilled with the whole abortion clinic bombing storyline. I
>feel abortion is one of the most controversial issues that we have, and people
>who are firmly pro or anti are not likely to change their ways. I was glad
>that they showed both sides; and that no easy conclusions were reached, but I
>really felt the whole story wasn't necessary.

Yeah, I thought that this particular "issue story" wasn't really written all
that well.

JRjr
--
%%%%% vap...@prism.gatech.edu %%%%%%%% Jerry B. Ray, Jr. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
"I am so amazingly cool you could keep a side of meat in me for a month.
I am so hip I have difficulty seeing over my pelvis."
-- Zaphod Beeblebrox