ER: "Random Acts" Summary/Review
Scott Hollifield
E.R., Season 3, Episode 20, "Random Acts"
Written by: Carol Flint
Directed by: Jonathan Kaplam
PLOT ONE: VIOLENT CASES
Mark runs into more than one confrontational character in the course
of a single day, the most prevalent being Chris Law, the brother of
Kenny Law who died in hospital care after being shot as an innocent
bystander in a drug deal several weeks ago. Chris blames the
hospital, and specifically Mark Greene, for his brother's death, for
what he perceived as racially-motivated procedure on the part of the
ER staff. He shows up at the hospital now with a $19,000 medical
bill which he insists that his mother ("who pays every bill") will
not pay, and he's further incensed by the fact that Kenny's body was
lost for two days after treatment, necessitating a delay for the
funeral. Confronted by Chris in the parking deck, Mark tries to
mollify him, but Chris threatens that if his mother receives any more
paperwork from the hospital, "maybe I'm gonna kick some ass. Maybe
I'll start with yours." Earlier in the day, Mark was also shouted at
by a deranged patient in a wheelchair, and by a father who was angry
at Mark for wanting to leave his daughter in the care of a mere
intern (Maggie Doyle). None of these incidents seem to ruffle Mark;
talking with Doug, he dismisses Chris Law as just trying to "blow off
some steam". Later in the day, Mark is physically assaulted in a
restroom by a man in a dark hood. The attack is fairly prolonged and
vicious, leaving a bloodied Mark unable to speak or walk; he's only
discovered when Doug happens to walk into the restroom. Doug and new
resident Anna Del Amico (see MISC. THREADS) help get Mark stablized
in the ER, and when he finally regains consciousness, he asks Doug,
"What happened?" Doug tells him, "You got beat up, buddy," and
assures him he'll be all right, which doesn't stop Mark from
repeating, "What happened?"
PLOT TWO: TRANSPLANT EXPRESS
Dr. Hicks pulls Peter Benton from a thymectomy to assist specialists
Fecteau and Loesch on a kidney transplant. Honored by the
opportunity, Benton obtains permission for Carter to also assist, on
the donor team side. Delighted that Benton would go the extra mile
for him, Carter tells him gratefully, "It means a lot to me that--",
but Benton interrupts the accolade. "I'll see you up there, okay?"
The transplant is being carried out on a thirty-five year old woman,
Jean Twomey, who has lupus; her new kidney is coming from her younger
brother Carl. Carter immediately makes a connection with the
siblings, who obviously love each other very much, and promises to
check in with them after the operation. Carter actually gets a
chance to assist on both sides of the transplant, as well as being
the one who carries the organ basin from one OR to the other (at
which Benton instinctively murmurs, "Oh my God..."). The operation
isn't flawless, however; Carl Twomey starts hemorrhaging after his
kidney is taken away, which requires additional surgery and
additional time under anesthesia. Carter and Benton both attend, by
invitation, Fecteau and Loesch's "post-game wrap-up" debriefing
session, but Carter silently leaves to check on Jean Twomey once he
receives word she's woken up. Jean is upset to hear that her brother
underwent complications, but Carter assures her that he's all right,
and will be brought in when he awakes. Peter finds him and tries to
chastise him for leaving the debriefing, to which Carter responds
that he promised the siblings that he'd be there for them after the
operation. "Is that a problem?" Hesitance on his face, Peter
replies, "I don't know."
PLOT THREE: LOVE IS THE DRUG
Jeanie has been spending more time with ex-husband Al as of late, and
even spent the night on his sofa, after deciding that she didn't want
to be alone, but didn't feel right asking anyone else. Al placidly
lets her stay, and doesn't ask any questions. Before she has to go
to work, Al lets it slip that his meds routine has a chink because
he's proven "resistant to something-or-other". Jeanie offers to try
to get him into a new study on nucleoside analogs at County, which is
headed up by the infectious disease staff, including Greg Fischer.
Without telling Greg that she's been spending time with Al, she asks
Greg to get Al an interview, to which he agrees. Greg, actually,
decides to interview Al himself, and when he points out that the fact
that Al lives alone is the one mitigating factor against inclusion in
the study, Al eagerly mentions that Jeanie is "kinda back in my life"
and has been staying over recently. Greg gets Al into the study, but
sourly confronts Jeanie in private. He's irritated at having been
left in the dark at these developments, and also intimates that Al is
manipulating Jeanie to "get the latest meds". Jeanie hotly denies
that Al is manipulating her, but when Greg challenges, "But you still
love him, don't you?", Jeanie tentatively answers, "I don't know."
PLOT FOUR: VERY IMPORTANT PATIENT
Doug has resumed an interest in golf, and tries to get Mark into it
as well, despite what Mark calls "the whole doctor-golf cliche".
Doug also seems unusually cozy with Anspaugh, aparently angling to
play at the prestigious Fair Oaks course, at which Anspaugh is a
member. Later, Anspaugh refers a patient to Doug, young P.K. Palmer
("of the railroad Palmers"). The elder Palmer is also a member at
Fair Oaks, and Anspaugh hints that Palmer might make a good
reference. Nine-year-old P.K. took a spill, and as Doug is patching
him up, listens as the boy's nanny tells him that P.K. has had a
number of accidents. Doug tests P.K.'s eyesight, and calls in an
opthamologist. Carol, who's been witnessing the four-star treatment
given young P.K., grumbles to Doug about how being a Palmer must
entitle one to the best possible care. P.K. really does turn out to
have retinitis pigmentosa, an eye disorder, and Doug privately
cautions P.K.'s parents to be kind with him, since sometimes kids
with RP tend to blame themselves for the disorder. After witnessing
this, Carol apologizes for questioning Doug's integrity. "As a
doctor, at least," quips Doug. "You are so glib these days," says
Carol. "I don't know you anymore. I don't know what matters to
you." "Me either," replies Doug.
PLOT FIVE: THE WRITE THING
Someone finds a notebook under the admit desk that contains a story
written like a sleazy romance novel depiction of the ER staffers'
lives, with each character a thinly disguised caricature -- head
nurse "Carly Halloran", attending "Martin Bean", and so on. Thanks
to Jerry making copies, nearly everyone gets their hands on it, and
nearly everyone wonders, who wrote it? By the end of the day,
several people including Kerry, Jerry and Maggie have decided that
the mystery author must be Carol, despite her repeated denials.
MISCELLANEOUS THREADS:
Paramedic Pam Olbes shows up out of uniform for a change, because
it's her day off, and she's bringing in her own grandfather, who's
suffered a stroke. Olbes insisted that her "Gramps" be brought to
County because she knows that they're utilizing a new stroke
treatment program that employs t-PA. After Mark assures Olbes that
they're assessing her grandfather's need for t-PA, he's criticized
privately by an irritated Weaver, who believes the treatment to be
too risky and untested. Mark asks Kerry to talk to Olbes later, not
to help boost t-PA, but to explain the opposite side of the issue, so
that Olbes will understand all the risks. Kerry thanks Mark for the
show of respect, and it turns out that Gramps qualifies for the
treatment after all.
Carla "fires" Peter from her lamaze training. "I cannot work with
you," she tells him good-naturedly. "I don't need you barking
orders at me." Despite this, the two seem to be getting along
a bit better than in recent weeks. Peter receives many messages
from her over the course of the day, the last one being actually
from OB/GYN inside the hospital. Carla's contractions have started
prematurely. Dr. Coburn tells Peter that they managed to get
them stopped, and they've admitted her in the hopes of forstalling
her labor until the appropriate time. Peter visits Carla, where
he finds her scrunched up on her side, a position she's going to
have to maintain to avoid starting up again. The two share a
laugh over remembering the night that the baby was actually
conceived. "Seems like a long time ago," says Carla. "Yeah,
it does," agrees Peter.
The ER sees the addition of a new face, Dr. Anna Del Amico, who
starts her residency in July. She's getting a jump, though, because
she's a pediatrician who's double-boarding in ER medicine.
Introduced to her by Kerry, Doug jokingly complains about the influx
of over-ambitious types.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Normally, I'm skeptical of sweeps months as being
a time for over-promoted, sensationalized television. However,
the May sweeps may be just what the doctor ordered for "ER"; this
week's episode shows a noticeable bounce up from the recent
post-hiatus haze of lackluster episodes.
There were two big stories this week that everyone seems to
be talking about, and the writers set them up to contrast each other
almost brilliantly. The first and heaviest was the assault on Mark
Greene, the dramatic wallop of which tends to make up for the
questionable nature of its background story. Essentially, the
show makes as if to give us three "suspects" for the attack, three
people who were abusive to Mark earlier in the day, but I'm almost
certain that the real culprit, assuming his identity is ever
revealed, will turn out to be none of the three. It's a little
dopey for things to be set up this way, as a challenge-to-the-viewer
whodunit, because not a single "suspect" in the case makes real
sense as the attacker. It's possible that the writers are working
in concert with the title of the episode, "Random Acts", and will
make the attack a completely unmotivated one by an unfamiliar
face, but even that seems lame somehow. I hope that my expectations
are outwritten on this one -- it's happened before -- but I'll be
very interested to see how. Until then, I'm skeptical. What
made up for the perplexing plot was actually seeing Mark Greene
getting his head bashed in. By that, I don't mean that I wish
violence on poor Mark, but as someone who's seen a lot of violent
movies, I consider myself somewhat desensitized to fake violence,
yet Jonathan Kaplan's expertly directed scene of brutality still
managed to shake me. Part of it was that the beating inherently
plays on our familiarity with the show's characters. Mark Greene
is someone we've seen for the last three years, and in a very
real way, have come to know, and it's inordinately unsettling to
see him victimized in this way because of that connection.
Another aspect to the assault scene that made it doubly effective
was how the attacker stopped, and seemingly left the scene, while
Mark struggles feebly to retrieve his glasses -- only to have
the attacker strike again for a second round. The jarring
"not again!" nature of that moment made for an intensely
compelling conclusion to the already-upsetting attack.
I liked the Carter/Benton story a lot, even though it was still more
helpings of Carter's Perfect Bedside Manner, and the by-now familiar
clash between that and Peter's ambitious surgery-for- surgery's-sake
attitude. I think the clincher was the final scene, where Peter
confronts Carter about leaving the big boys to see the patient, and
it was nice to see Carter finally asking the right question ("Is that
a problem?"), forcing Peter into an open-ended position ("I don't
know."). I don't think we can say for sure what motivates Peter's
ambivalence--whether he's really questioning his own priorities, or
adopting a sort of teacherly, "Why don't you tell me?" stance with
his student. Either way, it's good for there to be more dialogue
like this; one of the faintly irritating things about the entire
conflict between these two characters is how they continually dance
around who's approach to medicine is more valid.
The life of Jeanie Boulet takes an interesting turn as she falls back
into the arms of her ex-husband, the man who gave her HIV, in a
storyline as bold as it is convincing. In the fall, I would have
railed against any attempt for Jeanie to reconcile with Al, but by
showing Al as a changed man, humbled by his condition, the writers
have presented Jeanie with someone she can fall back in love with
again, and so far, every line is genuine. The added layer of
questionable morality to this story made it even more tantalizing, as
Greg Fischer tries to find out exactly what's up. It would have been
easy to make Greg the bad guy; his lack of compassion for a patient
two weeks ago was seen by many as a turn-off, and he taints himself
further this week by taking on a personal agenda in interviewing Al
Boulet for the treatment program. However, he's got a real point
when he argues with Jeanie that she should have told him if she had
any reservations about committing with him; they've shown every sign
of a serious relationship, and Jeanie erred somewhat by not keeping
Greg abreast of the course-change of her straying emotions, at least
as far as I'm concerned. I think I'd rather see Jeanie with Al right
now, but she should be square with Greg, is all. Finally, huzzah for
the terrific final scene between Jeanie and Al, which shows them
tangibly re-energizing their bond in front of the camera. Some have
mentioned how right and nice it is for the formerly irresponsible Al
to dash off for a condom, since even though both he and Jeanie have
HIV, he could still infect her with a stronger or different strain.
Hats off to both actors, especially Gloria Reuben, who's really grown
since the days when her character was grappling with Peter Benton two
years ago.
The story of Doug's treatment of a rich family's kid, and the
question of whether he's doing it for a golf club membership or just
because he loves kids, is really a no-brainer (e.g. where did this
golf thing come from all of a sudden?), but I enjoyed it, harboring a
soft spot for seeing Doug do what he does best. I think the story
was intended as gentle fuel for the growing reconnection between Doug
and Carol, especially Carol's remark about how Doug's been very
"glib" lately -- the latest in a series of dropping that point, in my
opinion, to Doug's recent re-attraction to Carol, and more
interestingly, how restrained he's being in showing it. Those who've
read my reviews regularly know that I'm prima facie against
relationships between main characters, but once again, I think I may
have to recant a little. As with Mark and Susan, which we all saw
coming a mile away, the writers have been very patient with Doug and
Carol this season, and if this leading to a renewed relationship
between them, I'm not going to have much left to complain about by
the time it finally rolls around.
The other "much-talked-about" segment of this week's show, aside from
Mark's attack, was the mysterious, torrid "book" written about the ER
folks by one of their own. I'm not sure how I got sucked into this
story, as I've been pretty down on recent efforts at comic relief,
but it sure was a hoot watching the characters read, in astonishment
and amusement, about themselves, and debate aloud as to who the
author could be. I'm not going to cast my vote in that box and
guess, because, like the attack on Mark, this is a mystery at which
mere guessing is fairly irrelevant, but also like the attack, this
story was involving because we know the characters so well. The fact
is that I can see any single one of the characters,
be he or she doctor, nurse or clerk, as the author in question, so
I'll be really interested to see who is revealed to be the
culprit--assuming, yet again like the attack, that we ever actually
find out.
Some assorted comments:
--It was really nice seeing a sharper focus on EMT Pam
Olbes, who actually does more than recite a "bullet" this
week. As Olbes, Lynn A. Henderson has appeared in nearly
every episode of "ER" (as has Emily Wagner as EMT Doris
Pickman), yet these characters are as sketchily drawn
as they are ubiquitous. If you think "ER" has a lot of
regular characters, you don't know the half of it until
you start paying attention to the credits and noticing
folks like Dinah Lenney (as surgical nurse Shirley)
and Lucy Rodriguez (as OR floor nurse Bjerke). Even
though the story didn't really revolve around Olbes,
it was nice to see that the writers remembered that
she's more than a device to get a patient in the door.
--The story that Olbes appeared in was really a nice
conflict between Mark and Kerry that, for once, didn't
have anything to do with Kerry's love of bureaucracy
or academia. As a small story about the expanse of
Mark's interest in his patients, it was a good
illustration of why he's the senior ER attending, and
Kerry's humility at the end was a nice touch.
--The stage is set for the trauma-drama over Carla's
baby, which apparently gets popped out next week if
the trailer is accurate. Other than that, the
highlight of her story continues to be those moments
she shares with Peter, when it's plain how she knows
him better than perhaps any other character on the
show. The scene where she gently yanks his chain
by ordering him to "sit there and entertain me",
followed by Peter nervously stammering, was very
truly played.
--Already the speculation has begun as to who will
be romantically hooked up with new blonde pediatrician
Anna Del Amico (played by Maria Bello of the recently
cancelled "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"). Her field of
specialty makes Doug the obvious choice, but I probably
wasn't the only one who predicted her as a possible
interest for Maggie Doyle, even though there was
really nothing concrete in this episode on which to
base such a presumption.
--Speaking of Maggie Doyle... yep, she's gay. After
noting that the writers were keeping her sexuality
relatively ambiguous (is she gay or bisexual?),
I see Maggie affirm this week, "No men, no meat".
Good for her. Maggie doesn't do much this week, but
there's a sublime expression shot of her reacting
to the whining of a teenage majorette character.
If you saw it, you know what I'm talking about; it's
almost indescribable otherwise.
--For those who saw last year's much-talked-about
indie film Welcome To The Dollhouse, that was Heather
Matarazzo, a.k.a. Dawn Weiner, as the majorette who
got cut with a saw in shop class. Veteran bit part
actor Stanley Kamel (notable as an unscrupulous
psychiatrist from the first season of "Murder One")
can also be seen this week as transplant specialist
Dr. "Fin" Loesch.
--Line of the week--
Deranged patient: "Water cannot wash away prophecy!"
Malik: "Yeah, still, we're gonna start with a shower."
--Line of the week II--
Jerry [about the mysterious story] "You gotta read the
part about the gentle giant at the admit desk."
Chuny: "You didn't mind that he was neanderthal?"
Jerry: "More brawn than brains -- he's a dude."
---
Scott Hollifield * sco...@cris.com * http://www.cris.com/~scotth/
Scott Drone-Silvers
Scott Hollifield (sco...@cris.com) wrote:
: E.R., Season 3, Episode 20, "Random Acts"
: Written by: Carol Flint
: Directed by: Jonathan Kaplam
First, another excellent summary, Scott. The readers of this group are,
again, much in you debt for your priceless contribution to our
discussions.
:
: The life of Jeanie Boulet takes an interesting turn as she falls back
I share your opinions concerning this story thread. I originally hated
Al, and thought that Jeanie was well away from him. But the show's
writers have done an excellent job of re-humanizing him. We see a man who
had a lot to answer for who is trying, as best he can, to admit his
mistakes and do what he can to atone for them. I wish that other viewers
could step back a bit and see this process, too. At least I'm not the
only one who appreciates this.
: --The story that Olbes appeared in was really a
nice conflict between Mark and Kerry that, for once, didn't
: have anything to do with Kerry's love of bureaucracy
: or academia. As a small story about the expanse of
: Mark's interest in his patients, it was a good
: illustration of why he's the senior ER attending, and
: Kerry's humility at the end was a nice touch.
Absolutely. Mark and Kerry have had (and will continue to have) some
fundamental disagreements about procedures (medical and otherwise). What
we saw in this ep was a sign that, unlike many of us on the list, Greene
doesn't _hate_ Kerry, he has a lot of respect for her as a doctor, and
Kerry, for all of her disapproval with some of Greene's practices,
respects his medical accumen as well - even if somewhat grudgingly at times.
Scott Drone-Silvers
Dana
Scott Hollifield wrote:
>
>
> --Already the speculation has begun as to who will
> be romantically hooked up with new blonde pediatrician
> Anna Del Amico (played by Maria Bello of the recently
> cancelled "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"). Her field of
> specialty makes Doug the obvious choice, but I probably
> wasn't the only one who predicted her as a possible
> interest for Maggie Doyle, even though there was
> really nothing concrete in this episode on which to
> base such a presumption.
>
As always, great review, Scott. I have been waiting all weekend to read
your comments on this episode.
I know it's not much, but Maggie did quickly volunteer to get a lab coat
for the new doctor when she asked for it. When Anna Del Amico was
introduced, I mentioned to my boyfriend that Doug would probably be hot
for her, but wouldn't it be interesting if she was interested in
Maggie. When she asked for the coat, and Maggie said she would get it,
my boyfriend said "You may have called that one". Has Doug ever been
turned down by a beautiful woman? That could be very interesting.
Dana Hagerty
"Here's Your Sign"
humant...@geocities.com
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/2927/
Ian J. Ball
In article <336d2162....@news.cris.com>, sco...@cris.com (Scott
Hollifield) wrote:
> E.R., Season 3, Episode 20, "Random Acts"
> Written by: Carol Flint
> Directed by: Jonathan Kaplam
>
>
> I liked the Carter/Benton story a lot...
> I think the clincher was the final scene, where Peter
> confronts Carter about leaving the big boys to see the patient, and
> it was nice to see Carter finally asking the right question ("Is that
> a problem?"), forcing Peter into an open-ended position ("I don't
> know."). I don't think we can say for sure what motivates Peter's
> ambivalence--whether he's really questioning his own priorities, or
> adopting a sort of teacherly, "Why don't you tell me?" stance with
> his student.
Judging by the look on his face, I'd say it was the former. It was almost
as if you could see Peter thinking, "Well, this kind of thing will hurt
Carter's career. And I'd never leave the 'debriefing' to check on a
patient. But maybe Carter has a point..."
That's what I like about Benton: he'll probably never change, but at least
he's beginning to get where Carter is going from.
> The life of Jeanie Boulet takes an interesting turn as she falls back
> into the arms of her ex-husband, the man who gave her HIV, in a
> storyline as bold as it is convincing.
Michael Beach, who was also very good in CBS's excellent (and short-lived)
"Under Suspicion", is, I think, an excellent actor.
(ObTrivia: Eric LaSalle was *also* in "Under Suspicion", in the pilot. But
his character takes an early exit when he's murdered.)
> The other "much-talked-about" segment of this week's show, aside from
> Mark's attack, was the mysterious, torrid "book" written about the ER
> folks by one of their own. I'm not sure how I got sucked into this
> story, as I've been pretty down on recent efforts at comic relief,
> but it sure was a hoot watching the characters read, in astonishment
> and amusement, about themselves, and debate aloud as to who the
> author could be. I'm not going to cast my vote in that box and
> guess, because, like the attack on Mark, this is a mystery at which
> mere guessing is fairly irrelevant, but also like the attack, this
> story was involving because we know the characters so well. The fact
> is that I can see any single one of the characters,
> be he or she doctor, nurse or clerk, as the author in question, so
> I'll be really interested to see who is revealed to be the
> culprit--assuming, yet again like the attack, that we ever actually
> find out.
I *loved* this storyline (first 'comedy relief' story I've liked in a
while). But I doubt the true author will ever be revealed.
Based on the 'reaction shots', I am almost certain (as is Carol) that the
author is Kerry Weaver.
After that, based on the somewhat positive portrayal of Jerry, my next
guess is that Wendy Goldman wrote it (note that she was conspicuously
absent from this episode).
But I doubt they'll ever let us know who wrote it...
> Some assorted comments:
>
> --Already the speculation has begun as to who will
> be romantically hooked up with new blonde pediatrician
> Anna Del Amico (played by Maria Bello of the recently
> cancelled "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"). Her field of
> specialty makes Doug the obvious choice, but I probably
> wasn't the only one who predicted her as a possible
> interest for Maggie Doyle, even though there was
> really nothing concrete in this episode on which to
> base such a presumption.
It was pretty clearly set up that Bello will only be around for the May
episodes. So I'm not sure she'll be there long enough for a romance with
anyone (unless the producers of "ER" like what they see, and hire her
back, much like they did with Julianna Margulies originally).
Even if she does have a romance, it won't be with Doug: Doug (and the
writers) have his sights set on someone else... ;)
--
Ian J. Ball | Want my TV episode guides or rec.arts.tv FAQ?
Grad Student, UCLA | http://members.aol.com/IJBall/WWW/IJBall.html
IJB...@aol.com | ftp://members.aol.com/IJBall3/FTP/
i...@ucla.edu | "What to do, with time so short?..."
Mike Chary
>E.R., Season 3, Episode 20, "Random Acts"
>Written by: Carol Flint
>Directed by: Jonathan Kaplam
>
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> There were two big stories this week that everyone seems to
>be talking about, and the writers set them up to contrast each other
>almost brilliantly. The first and heaviest was the assault on Mark
>Greene, the dramatic wallop of which tends to make up for the
>questionable nature of its background story. Essentially, the
>show makes as if to give us three "suspects" for the attack, three
>people who were abusive to Mark earlier in the day, but I'm almost
>certain that the real culprit, assuming his identity is ever
>revealed, will turn out to be none of the three. It's a little
I hope not. There are moments in tv shows when I decide mentally
they've made a mistake. This was one. Medical dramas exist to show the
people taking care of injured people, not getting injured. Showing Marc
being brutally beaten was not what this show should be about. I am not
saying they shouldn't stray from cetrtain parameters, but this just
didn't make sense to me.
>dopey for things to be set up this way, as a challenge-to-the-viewer
>whodunit, because not a single "suspect" in the case makes real
>sense as the attacker. It's possible that the writers are working
>in concert with the title of the episode, "Random Acts", and will
>make the attack a completely unmotivated one by an unfamiliar
>face, but even that seems lame somehow. I hope that my expectations
>are outwritten on this one -- it's happened before -- but I'll be
>very interested to see how. Until then, I'm skeptical. What
>made up for the perplexing plot was actually seeing Mark Greene
>getting his head bashed in. By that, I don't mean that I wish
>violence on poor Mark, but as someone who's seen a lot of violent
In any event, I have a number of suspects:
Kerry Weaver Her professional jealousy over Marc's teaching abilities
drove her over the edge.
Craig. He wants to adopt Rachel, and this is his way of getting Marc out
of the way.
Anspaugh. Anyone who can't break 50 on the front nine doesn't deserve to
be a doctor.
Malik. He seemed just a bit *too* concerned about Marc's injuries. And
with Marc dead, they'd all move up in rank. Besides, he's a nurse, and
you know how *they* are.
Randi. She's got a history of criminal violence.
Wendy. She has military training, and after Chuny, it was her turn,
dammit, not that psych babe.
Booger. He's finally tracked Greene down after being abandonned in Florida.
And Marc went to all the trouble to change his name too.
William Shatner. The attacker didn't say anything. "He's Ollie North,
the mute marine."
Finally, Stephen Bochco. With one of ER's mopst popular doctors
sidelined, his series would stand a better chance.
I was really hoping Marc would get saved by Maggie or Kerry or Randi coming in
after hearing the noise and beating ther snot out of his assailant.
>adopting a sort of teacherly, "Why don't you tell me?" stance with
>his student. Either way, it's good for there to be more dialogue
>like this; one of the faintly irritating things about the entire
>conflict between these two characters is how they continually dance
>around who's approach to medicine is more valid.
Yeah, but it seemed anticlimactic now.
>The life of Jeanie Boulet takes an interesting turn as she falls back
No it didn't. It took an incredibly boring turn from an even more boring
highway. I kept switching to the NBA playoffs during her storyline.
I don't know why, but the woman just does nothing for me as a character.
I find her annoying, and I seems like she just brings down every scene
shes in with her whininess. (And I like the actress too, not is she
talented, she's kinda a babe.)
>The story of Doug's treatment of a rich family's kid, and the
>question of whether he's doing it for a golf club membership or just
>because he loves kids, is really a no-brainer (e.g. where did this
>golf thing come from all of a sudden?), but I enjoyed it, harboring a
Yeah, bball had always been their sport.
>soft spot for seeing Doug do what he does best. I think the story
>was intended as gentle fuel for the growing reconnection between Doug
>and Carol, especially Carol's remark about how Doug's been very
>"glib" lately -- the latest in a series of dropping that point, in my
>opinion, to Doug's recent re-attraction to Carol, and more
>interestingly, how restrained he's being in showing it. Those who've
>read my reviews regularly know that I'm prima facie against
>relationships between main characters, but once again, I think I may
I wanna see Kerry and Marc get together :)
>have to recant a little. As with Mark and Susan, which we all saw
>coming a mile away, the writers have been very patient with Doug and
>Carol this season, and if this leading to a renewed relationship
>between them, I'm not going to have much left to complain about by
>the time it finally rolls around.
I think Carol was more than a little offensive. When has Doug *ever* done
anything to endanger a kid?
>The other "much-talked-about" segment of this week's show, aside from
>Mark's attack, was the mysterious, torrid "book" written about the ER
>folks by one of their own. I'm not sure how I got sucked into this
>story, as I've been pretty down on recent efforts at comic relief,
>but it sure was a hoot watching the characters read, in astonishment
>and amusement, about themselves, and debate aloud as to who the
>author could be. I'm not going to cast my vote in that box and
>guess, because, like the attack on Mark, this is a mystery at which
>mere guessing is fairly irrelevant, but also like the attack, this
>story was involving because we know the characters so well. The fact
>is that I can see any single one of the characters,
> be he or she doctor, nurse or clerk, as the author in question, so
>I'll be really interested to see who is revealed to be the
>culprit--assuming, yet again like the attack, that we ever actually
>find out.
It was Wendy.
> Mark's interest in his patients, it was a good
> illustration of why he's the senior ER attending, and
I thought he was senior attending because he had been there longer.
> --Already the speculation has begun as to who will
> be romantically hooked up with new blonde pediatrician
> Anna Del Amico (played by Maria Bello of the recently
> cancelled "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"). Her field of
Hah. I knew I recognized her from somewhere. Sadly Mr and Mrs Smith showed
her in more revealing costume than ER will :)
> specialty makes Doug the obvious choice, but I probably
> wasn't the only one who predicted her as a possible
> interest for Maggie Doyle, even though there was
> really nothing concrete in this episode on which to
> base such a presumption.
Maybe she'll give Doug some competition for Carol :)
> --Speaking of Maggie Doyle... yep, she's gay.
Actually, she seems kind of surly to me :)
> --Line of the week II--
> Jerry [about the mysterious story] "You gotta read the
> part about the gentle giant at the admit desk."
> Chuny: "You didn't mind that he was neanderthal?"
> Jerry: "More brawn than brains -- he's a dude."
Jerry's a filthy rotten stinking traitor.
--
Court Philosopher and Barbarian, DNRC http://ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu/~fchary
Thank you, Jackie Robinson
regard
> >E.R., Season 3, Episode 20, "Random Acts"
> >Written by: Carol Flint
> >Directed by: Jonathan Kaplam
You missed one small note I think might be important later, re
the whole golf-doctor cliche -- the country club folks think
Doug is angling to play at is a segregated club - no women, no
blacks, no jews, etc.
--
Adrienne Regard
#standard disclaimers, and I probably chopped out a bunch
of extra stuff.
Scott Hollifield
Mike Chary (fch...@ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu) wrote:
: I hope not. There are moments in tv shows when I decide mentally
: they've made a mistake. This was one. Medical dramas exist to show the
: people taking care of injured people, not getting injured. Showing Marc
: being brutally beaten was not what this show should be about. I am not
: saying they shouldn't stray from cetrtain parameters, but this just
: didn't make sense to me.
But Mike, "ER" isn't just about taking care of injured people. To help
the audience relate to the characters, the show has to do more than show
them work, it has to show a substantial aspect of their lives. If they
can show a character get divorced, fall in love with a co-worker, deal
with his daughter's problems and hit a singles bar, they can show him get
beat up by a stranger, in my opinion.
: Jerry's a filthy rotten stinking traitor.
I know. After his recent quest to assert an IQ of 160, it doesn't seem
right for Jerry to praise "brawn over brains".
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Chary
Alex Elliott <ell...@pantheon.yale.edu> wrote:
>
>Mike Chary (fch...@ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu) wrote:
>
>: >The story of Doug's treatment of a rich family's kid, and the
>: >question of whether he's doing it for a golf club membership or just
>: >because he loves kids, is really a no-brainer (e.g. where did this
>
>: anything to endanger a kid?
>
>Carol was objecting not just because of Doug's possible ulterior
>motives, but also because the golf club he wanted so much to join
>doesn't accept women, blacks, or Jews as members (although Doug
>seemed to think that at least some of this was no longer true).
How did Carol know, anyway?
Mike Chary
>: they've made a mistake. This was one. Medical dramas exist to show the
>: people taking care of injured people, not getting injured. Showing Marc
>: being brutally beaten was not what this show should be about. I am not
>: saying they shouldn't stray from cetrtain parameters, but this just
>: didn't make sense to me.
>
>the audience relate to the characters, the show has to do more than show
>them work, it has to show a substantial aspect of their lives. If they
>can show a character get divorced, fall in love with a co-worker, deal
>with his daughter's problems and hit a singles bar, they can show him get
>beat up by a stranger, in my opinion.
They can, but how often does that *really* happen to doctors in hosptials?
The other stuff generally happens to people all the time. Anmd I am
willing to watch them do extraordinary medical things, like when Carol was
held hostage or when Doug saved that kid in the grate. I mean, I would
have had an easier time with it, if he'd been mugged outside the hospital,
but we're being fed a story in which he's, apparently, being stalked and
beaten by someone. I don't buy it.
>: Jerry's a filthy rotten stinking traitor.
>
>I know. After his recent quest to assert an IQ of 160, it doesn't seem
>right for Jerry to praise "brawn over brains".
Damn straight.
Scott Hollifield
Ian J. Ball (IJB...@aol.com) wrote:
: Michael Beach, who was also very good in CBS's excellent (and short-lived)
: "Under Suspicion", is, I think, an excellent actor.
Ditto. Beach also delivers an impressive performance as an unemotional,
intelligent killer in the film One False Move (which also stars Billy Bob
Thornton).
: After that, based on the somewhat positive portrayal of Jerry, my next
: guess is that Wendy Goldman wrote it (note that she was conspicuously
: absent from this episode).
Good guess. We already know that Wendy writes (recall that she conducted
a series of interviews about Mark for a hospital newsletter).
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Mize
Mike Chary wrote:
> They can, but how often does that *really* happen to doctors in hosptials?
<snip>
How often? Well, how often does it happen on ER? I've been watching
since late first season, and this is the first time I've seen it happen.
Besides, it's not like County is in the greatest of neighborhoods...
Alex Elliott
Mike Chary (fch...@ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu) wrote:
: >The story of Doug's treatment of a rich family's kid, and the
: >question of whether he's doing it for a golf club membership or just
: >because he loves kids, is really a no-brainer (e.g. where did this
: I think Carol was more than a little offensive. When has Doug *ever* done
: anything to endanger a kid?
One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet on the newsgroup was that
Carol was objecting not just because of Doug's possible ulterior
motives, but also because the golf club he wanted so much to join
doesn't accept women, blacks, or Jews as members (although Doug
seemed to think that at least some of this was no longer true).
Alex.
>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<
Alex Elliott
Yale University Physics Department
New Haven, CT, USA
email: ell...@minerva.cis.yale.edu
WWW: http://pantheon.cis.yale.edu/~elliott
>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<
Mike Chary
I am claiming one tim,e is too many.
Kate the Short
Mike Chary <ma...@po.cwru.edu> wrote:
>Alex Elliott <ell...@pantheon.yale.edu> wrote:
>>Mike Chary (fch...@ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu) wrote:
>>
>>: >question of whether he's doing it for a golf club membership or just
>>: >because he loves kids, is really a no-brainer (e.g. where did this
>>
>>: anything to endanger a kid?
>>
>>Carol was objecting not just because of Doug's possible ulterior
>>motives, but also because the golf club he wanted so much to join
>>doesn't accept women, blacks, or Jews as members (although Doug
>>seemed to think that at least some of this was no longer true).
>
Maybe she reads the papers?
Given all of the controversy over Tiger Woods and the Masters and other
courses and clubs which don't accept minorities of one sort or another,
it's quite likely that Carol would have heard at least one story about such
a club. And if she overhears other docs talking about playing a round
there, when you hear interesting things about familiar places, it tends to
stick.
kate.
Kate the Short -(ka...@cicero.spc.uchicago.edu)- at the U. of Chicago
Read FAQs at: http://student-www.uchicago.edu/users/keweizel/faq.html
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BamBam
On 5 May 1997, Scott Hollifield wrote:
>
> Ian J. Ball (IJB...@aol.com) wrote:
> : Michael Beach, who was also very good in CBS's excellent (and short-lived)
> : "Under Suspicion", is, I think, an excellent actor.
>
> Ditto. Beach also delivers an impressive performance as an unemotional,
> intelligent killer in the film One False Move (which also stars Billy Bob
> Thornton).
He's been in a lot of good films (or at least good in a lot of films), but
as someone recently pointed out (here? I'm not sure), a lot of his roles
lately have been "bad boy" roles (i.e. a cheating husband in "Waiting To
Exhale", a batterer in the latest Babyface/Stevie Wonder video, etc).
(And, thank goodness, he is in the "Ajaye Calendar").
> : After that, based on the somewhat positive portrayal of Jerry, my next
> : guess is that Wendy Goldman wrote it (note that she was conspicuously
> : absent from this episode).
Maybe she was in the women's restroom...
"*Don't go in there, Haleh*!"
Rose 'BamBam' Cooper
http://mlss15.cl.msu.edu/~bambam/saveachild.html
bam...@manetheren.cl.msu.edu
*Join me on my quest to save a child*
Alex Elliott
: >One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet on the newsgroup was that
: >Carol was objecting not just because of Doug's possible ulterior
: >motives, but also because the golf club he wanted so much to join
: >doesn't accept women, blacks, or Jews as members (although Doug
: >seemed to think that at least some of this was no longer true).
: How did Carol know, anyway?
Well, it's apparently the most elite golf club in Chicago , at least
in the ER world. Carol has lived in Chicago all her life. Presumably
it's well-known and has made the news in the past when prominent women,
blacks, or Jews have tried to join.
Heather Allen
> >> They can, but how often does that *really* happen to doctors in hosptials?
> ><snip>
> >
> >How often? Well, how often does it happen on ER? I've been watching
> >since late first season, and this is the first time I've seen it happen.
> >Besides, it's not like County is in the greatest of neighborhoods...
>
> I am claiming one tim,e is too many.
>
happen, but it does. In fact just 2 months ago it happened in one of the
hospitals where I live. It's very sad, and just because we think it
shouldn't happen doesn't mean it never can. Unfortunate, but true.
Heather
Ceon Ramon
In article <5km7l7$9ru$1...@dismay.ucs.indiana.edu>,
Mike Chary <ma...@po.cwru.edu> wrote:
>
>In article <336E90...@uwec.edu>, Steve Mize <miz...@uwec.edu> wrote:
>>Mike Chary wrote:
>>
>><snip>
>>
>>How often? Well, how often does it happen on ER? I've been watching
>>since late first season, and this is the first time I've seen it happen.
>>Besides, it's not like County is in the greatest of neighborhoods...
>
>I am claiming one tim,e is too many.
I don't quite understand your point. Are you saying this would never
happen? If I didn't have a memory like a sieve I'd tell you about the
pregnant doctor in (maybe New York) who was waylaid and raped in the
stairwell of her hospital. I don't remember if she was killed -- I have a
vague impression that she was -- but she was most certainly assaulted.
Now, you might say that rape is a "normal" assault whereas being brutally
beaten to no apparent purpose is not, but since it's a mad world I
wouldn't bet the rent that this doesn't occasionally happen.
--Barbara
Mower
Ian J. Ball wrote:
>
>
> Based on the 'reaction shots', I am almost certain (as is Carol) that the
> author is Kerry Weaver.
>
> After that, based on the somewhat positive portrayal of Jerry, my next
> guess is that Wendy Goldman wrote it (note that she was conspicuously
> absent from this episode).
>
> But I doubt they'll ever let us know who wrote it...
Oh, sure they will (I hope I hope I hope I hope)
I think it's Kerry too. Didn't Anspaugh say she was published 7 times?
;)
He never said exactly what she published did he? hahaha..
Oh wait I got it =
Kerry and Anspaugh have some weird thing going on between them, and this
book is one in a series of torrid romance novels depicting the
characters in the ER.
or maybe not.
Mower
http:/www.geocities.com/SoHo/2784/
Mike Wiltberger
Mike Chary wrote:
>
> Scott Hollifield <Sco...@cris.com> wrote:
> >
> >Mike Chary (fch...@ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu) wrote:
> >: they've made a mistake. This was one. Medical dramas exist to show the
> >: people taking care of injured people, not getting injured. Showing Marc
> >: being brutally beaten was not what this show should be about. I am not
> >: saying they shouldn't stray from cetrtain parameters, but this just
> >: didn't make sense to me.
> >
> >the audience relate to the characters, the show has to do more than show
> >them work, it has to show a substantial aspect of their lives. If they
> >can show a character get divorced, fall in love with a co-worker, deal
> >with his daughter's problems and hit a singles bar, they can show him get
> >beat up by a stranger, in my opinion.
>
> willing to watch them do extraordinary medical things, like when Carol was
> held hostage or when Doug saved that kid in the grate. I mean, I would
> have had an easier time with it, if he'd been mugged outside the hospital,
> but we're being fed a story in which he's, apparently, being stalked and
> beaten by someone. I don't buy it.
>
What intrguied me most about the entire beating episode was the reaction
of the ER
staff. Notice how important hos care was to Doug and Carol. The moment
when Chunny (sp?)
comes into the truma room and realizes that it was Mark, her former
lover, they where caring
for was well written and acted. Furthermore they made sure that his
family was taken care of by the baby sitter. Clearly Mark was not the
only one affected by the beating.
--
______________________________________________________
|Michael Wiltberger | |
|Graduate Research Asst. | |
|University of Maryland | |
|Physics Dept | |
|AAV Williams Rm 3340 | |
|(301)405-7936 | |
|wilt...@avl.umd.edu | |
| | |
|_____________________________|_______________________|
M. Emily Cummins
Technical question I haven't yet seen address on the ng:
Seemed to me that the restroom in which Greene was attacked was quite
close to the ER facilities. Remember when Ross just walks a few steps
and enters the bathroom and there Mark is. My point is, it was not the
restroom that, say, patients from the waiting room would use. In fact
the general public use a different bathroom. It just seems to me that
someone would have noticed if a total stranger had walked by and into
that bathroom. This reduces the number of potential attackers we should
consider. Also, it is more likely that someone people have seen around
(such as a patient or relative) would not cause as much attention as
would, well, a more noticeable person like the Law boy. This also could
lead to speculation that someone who works in the hospital was either in
on the attack, or guessed (noticing a suspicious person enter the
bathroom) and maintained silence (tacit approval or understanding of the
person's rage against Mark).
Emily
--
George Washington University | BA '95, Wake Forest University
Political Science Department | "Dear Old Wake Forest,
email: cum...@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu | Thine is a Noble Name!"
* * * WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS - 1995 and 1996 ACC CHAMPS !!! * * *
terry king
In article <5kp955$n...@f1n1.spenet.wfu.edu> M. Emily Cummins,
cumm...@wfu.edu writes:
>Technical question I haven't yet seen address on the ng:
>
>Seemed to me that the restroom in which Greene was attacked was
>quite close to the ER facilities. Remember when Ross just walks
>a few steps and enters the bathroom and there Mark is. My point
>is, it was not the restroom that, say, patients from the waiting
>room would use. In fact the general public use a different
>bathroom. It just seems to me that someone would have noticed
>if a total stranger had walked by and into that bathroom. This
>reduces the number of potential attackers we should consider.
>Also, it is more likely that someone people have seen around
>(such as a patient or relative) would not cause as much attention
>as would, well, a more noticeable person like the Law boy. This
>also could lead to speculation that someone who works in the
>hospital was either in on the attack, or guessed (noticing a
>suspicious person enter the bathroom) and maintained silence
>(tacit approval or understanding of the person's rage against
>Mark).
I've spent more long hours in emergency rooms than I care to remember
(bringing in friends, and as a patient, a hospital employee, and a
student observer) and none of the half dozen facilities I've been in
have had separate restrooms for staff. If someone in the waiting room
needed to use the bathroom, they used the same bathrooms as everyone
else. If anything, I'd expect a smaller, single-commode affair if the
ER restroom had been restricted to employee use, rather than the
multi-stall version we saw (which suggests high traffic - higher than
staff alone).
It was also generally the case that common areas (bathrooms, etc.)
weren't high priorities for monitoring - there are patients to be
looked after, messes to be cleaned up, test results to be hunted down;
if there are a few minutes of down-time, there's coffee to mainline,
jokes to be played, paperwork to fill out, conversation. I've never
been stopped while wandering around a hospital, whether I was in
whites, a hospital gown, or the grungy clothes I threw on when the
phone rang at 2am. I found the scenario altogether too realistic.
| We stand on the brink of millennial panic.
Terry King | From mutated frogs to Fruit Roll-Ups to
prea...@mit.edu | Congressman Sonny Bono, the omens are
| everywhere. - "Apocalypse Wow!" print ad
GSS/H v3.0 c++@ W++ N+++ M+$ t+ 5++ X++ R* b+++ DI++++ x? <*>
DNRC: Sublime Guardian of Paradox, Anachronism, and the Absurd
Callen Hall
terry king wrote:
>
> In article <5kp955$n...@f1n1.spenet.wfu.edu> M. Emily Cummins,
> cumm...@wfu.edu writes:
> >Technical question I haven't yet seen address on the ng:
> >
> >Seemed to me that the restroom in which Greene was attacked was
> >quite close to the ER facilities. Remember when Ross just walks
Okay, my two cents on this (and I've spent WAAAYYY too much time
wondering about it):
I really don't think that the assailant was waiting for Mark, and I
don't think that he came in after Jerry left (I didn't tape the episode,
so I may be wrong). The best conclusion I can come up with is that
someone who was angry at Mark was already in the restroom, and took the
opportunity that being alone with him presented. For that reason, I
think it's the very angry, belligerent father of the cheerleader (or
whatever she was).
Callen
D. Barrington
Callen Hall (ac...@galen.med.virginia.edu) wrote:
: terry king wrote:
: >
: > In article <5kp955$n...@f1n1.spenet.wfu.edu> M. Emily Cummins,
: > cumm...@wfu.edu writes:
: > >Technical question I haven't yet seen address on the ng:
: > >
: > >Seemed to me that the restroom in which Greene was attacked was
: > >quite close to the ER facilities. Remember when Ross just walks
: Okay, my two cents on this (and I've spent WAAAYYY too much time
: wondering about it):
: I really don't think that the assailant was waiting for Mark, and I
: don't think that he came in after Jerry left (I didn't tape the episode,
: so I may be wrong). The best conclusion I can come up with is that
: someone who was angry at Mark was already in the restroom, and took the
: opportunity that being alone with him presented. For that reason, I
: think it's the very angry, belligerent father of the cheerleader (or
: whatever she was).
There has to have been some premeditation in the attacker's dress, unless
it was someone who (unlike the cheerleader dad) habitually dresses like
that. I really had the impression that it was a deliberate act (perhaps
even a professional hired beating) but it's conceivable that it was a
"random act" as a robbery (less likely) or a hate crime (against doctors?
against white people? against white doctors?) where Greene wasn't the
specific target.
Dave MB
Steve Hoffman
Callen Hall <ac...@galen.med.virginia.edu> wrote:
>The best conclusion I can come up with is that
>someone who was angry at Mark was already in the restroom, and took the
>opportunity that being alone with him presented. For that reason, I
>think it's the very angry, belligerent father of the cheerleader (or
>whatever she was).
Gee, I just assumed it was the brother of the black guy who died in
the OR after Greene "ignored" him in the ER. This guy threatened to
come after Greene if his mother received another bill from the
hospital. Since this is such a likely prospect (a virtual
certainty!), I'd bet dollars to donuts that was the guy.
...Steve
janet ann dornhoff
sco...@cris.com (Scott Hollifield) writes:
>Another aspect to the assault scene that made it doubly effective
>was how the attacker stopped, and seemingly left the scene, while
>Mark struggles feebly to retrieve his glasses -- only to have
>the attacker strike again for a second round. The jarring
>"not again!" nature of that moment made for an intensely
>compelling conclusion to the already-upsetting attack.
The thing that got me right in the gut was the very last part of the
assault, where the attacker stomped directly onto Mark's hand. Up til
then, it was still possible that this was a true 'random act.' But for
a doctor, even one who isn't a full-time surgeon, the hands are
incredibly important. I've only done a few surgeries so far, and I
won't take my Boards for another year, but I think losing my hands
would be much worse than going blind or deaf. That final blow made
it clear that the assault was *very* personal.
Which made the after-effects of a head injury have even more impact.
I have to confess, I'm so used to television writers knocking people
out right and left, and wake up again with narry a bump, that I wasn't
all that worried about all those blows to the head. It's really nice
to see them take this seriously enough to give it some consequences.
When I stopped to think about it, the thought of someone who'd made it
through medical school to become an extremely competent doctor suffering
brain damage that would make practice of medicine impossible, had the
same gut-clenching reaction as Mark's hand getting stomped.
Whoever it was who attacked with such personal hatred, they may have
been more successful than they dreamed. I'll certainly be watching
the next episode, and considering that I've got two Surgery finals
Friday, that's saying something indeed.
-Janet <dorn...@uiuc.edu>
Lecture: A process by which the notes of the professor are transferred into
the notebook of the student without passing through either brain.
janet ann dornhoff
dorn...@students.uiuc.edu (janet ann dornhoff) writes:
>Which made the after-effects of a head injury have even more impact.
>I have to confess, I'm so used to television writers knocking people
>out right and left, and wake up again with narry a bump, that I wasn't
>all that worried about all those blows to the head. It's really nice
>to see them take this seriously enough to give it some consequences.
Well, scratch that. No sign of any after-effects other than getting a
little jumpy walking through an empty parking garage. Whoopee.
Okay, now I'm disappointed in the writers.
-Janet <dorn...@uiuc.edu>
Professor: Someone who talks in someone else's sleep.
Angela B
janet ann dornhoff wrote:
>
> dorn...@students.uiuc.edu (janet ann dornhoff) writes:
>
> >Which made the after-effects of a head injury have even more impact.
> >I have to confess, I'm so used to television writers knocking people
> >out right and left, and wake up again with narry a bump, that I wasn't
> >all that worried about all those blows to the head. It's really nice
> >to see them take this seriously enough to give it some consequences.
>
> Well, scratch that. No sign of any after-effects other than getting a
> little jumpy walking through an empty parking garage. Whoopee.
>
> Okay, now I'm disappointed in the writers.
He had a lot of after effects... none of them head trauma related...
from what I understand, short term memory loss is normal, he says he
doesn't really remember (at least I think he does...) what else should
we have seen? He was still in pain, bruised and wearing a cast... makes
sense to me.
Angela
Bart Gerardi
janet ann dornhoff wrote:
> Well, scratch that. No sign of any after-effects other than getting a
> little jumpy walking through an empty parking garage. Whoopee.
>
> Okay, now I'm disappointed in the writers.
I disagree with this. We had Mark rush back to work, the obvious need
to *do something* to forget what had happened. Also, the frustration
that
the police couldn't find the attacker. The change in philosophy about
how
to treat people. The distance he put between himself and his
co-workers,
even his lady-friend.
There were signs of aftershock, even a week later...
Bart
J Lanier
In <5knnt5$3...@nntp4.u.washington.edu> ce...@u.washington.edu (Ceon Ramon) writes:
>>I am claiming one tim,e is too many.
>I don't quite understand your point. Are you saying this would never
>happen? If I didn't have a memory like a sieve I'd tell you about the
>pregnant doctor in (maybe New York) who was waylaid and raped in the
>stairwell of her hospital. I don't remember if she was killed -- I have a
>vague impression that she was -- but she was most certainly assaulted.
I think it was Bellvue Hospital in NYC.
Macy Coffey
: He had a lot of after effects... none of them head trauma related...
: from what I understand, short term memory loss is normal, he says he
: doesn't really remember (at least I think he does...) what else should
: we have seen? He was still in pain, bruised and wearing a cast... makes
: sense to me.
: Angela
I have to agree that they made only a feeble attempt to show any brain
injury. If he had a short term memory problem, he wouldn't have healed
in only a week. He would have been cruising around the E.R. asking
people the same questions and losing his equipment from time to time. I
also find it unlikely he would allowed to make life and death decisions
after only a week, especially when he initially showed signs of brain
injury. But then, I'm only aquainted with severe short term memory
loss. Maybe I'm assuming too much.
Macy
Steve Mize
Macy Coffey wrote:
> I have to agree that they made only a feeble attempt to show any brain
> injury. If he had a short term memory problem, he wouldn't have healed
> in only a week. He would have been cruising around the E.R. asking
> people the same questions and losing his equipment from time to time. I
> also find it unlikely he would allowed to make life and death decisions
> after only a week, especially when he initially showed signs of brain
> injury. But then, I'm only aquainted with severe short term memory
> loss. Maybe I'm assuming too much.
All Greene lost was memory of the incident. As anyone who has ever been
in a fairly severe car accident can attest to, this is ordinary and a
one-time thing.
Ryan Maves
On Mon, 12 May 1997, Steve Mize wrote:
> All Greene lost was memory of the incident. As anyone who has ever been
> in a fairly severe car accident can attest to, this is ordinary and a
> one-time thing.
Indeed. After a skiing accident when I was 16, I had no recollection of
the accident itself (or of the preceding month), but my recall came back
by the next day, although memory of the accident itself was fuzzy. It
still is, eight years later.
Ryan C. Maves
-smit...@u.washington.edu
-http://weber.u.washington.edu/~smithers
University of Washington School of Medicine
"You'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."