Benton, Weaver, and Romano's reactions were all great, but I was honestly surprised to see Anspaugh practically sprinting into the operating room to work on Carter. And still having the presence of mind to talk Benton down when he was scared out of his mind. John Aylward's done a great job on this show since he came on in season 3, especially during the storyline with his son dying, but to see him working on Carter last night was almost better. Anyone else have an opinion?

-- Will Harrison (wharrison51@hotmail.com), February 19, 2000

Answers

I've made several comments about Dr Anspaugh all over the place :) Synopsis: Wouldn't have been the same without him, he is a rock, great to see him, anyone who can control Peter and actually get a thankyou out of him gets my vote. Did you notice his scrub hat in the Xmas epi?

-- May Archer (archerl@cadvision.com), February 19, 2000.

Yep, I was surprised to see Anspaugh last night.. and he did a superb job of steadying the tottering Benton. I loved seeing Benton dealing with his own frailties and shortcomings. I enjoyed seeing his affection and admiration of Carter. Kudos.. this was a WOW episode.

-- Sandi (sthores2@css.edu), February 19, 2000.

I also appreciated Anspaugh in this episode. He was a steady, reassuring force. It was an interesting contrast to Benton's jumpiness (for lack of a better word). It made me realize how young the rest of them really are. He has probably seen it all at this point. Not that he wasn't affected by the incident, but he was able to stay focused and reasonable.

-- Polly (pollywhitaker@juno.com), February 19, 2000.

I agree, having Anspaugh there was a wonderful touch. His scenes with Peter were just right.

I hope he continues to pop in now and again. John Aylward's time may be limited, though, as he's a cast member of the new show "The Others," which seems to me to be rather a waste of his talent. But maybe I'm just being a snob :-)

-- Mary (mslyman@erols.com), February 19, 2000.

Two summers ago we got to see John Aylward at the Seattle ACT Theatre play Willy Loman in a Death of a Salesman. He is a great actor and my favorite on ER. Just discovered that was him tonight on The Others playing the grouch Albert.

-- Jo Reed (jojoreed@home.com), February 20, 2000.

Please don't think I am mean, but I laughed when Anspaugh told Carter to "hang in there". I was crying like a baby and for some reason that comment reminded me of some wacky thing that would happen on star track. Anybody elese?

-- Cara Noblitt (cnoblitt@usa.net), February 20, 2000.

I hate to admit it but when I saw Anspaugh running down the hall, I started to cry. The big gun arriving...our folks are in trouble. This is only the third episode of ER that made me cry. The first was Jody O'Brien's death and the second was Scott Anspaugh's memorial service.

I always like the episodes with Anspaugh. He brings a level of maturity to the ER when it is often sorely needed.

-- Rachel (Rachel_L_Stephens@prodigy.net), February 22, 2000.

John Aylward reminds me that the gritty "character actors" (frequently overlooked for praise) are every bit as important as the pretty "leading actors." He is a phenominal asset to ER, and in the scheme of the "family," could easily be identified as the father or grandfather. He was certainly playing dad to Peter when Peter was about to lose it in the OR. His sharp comment of, "Peter, will you calm down and listen!!" was wonderful.

-- Chris A. (movibuf@juno.com), February 22, 2000.