I didn't want to be the first one to post, but no one else has so I must! Everyone not watching ER tonight felt a strange wave of delight flow through the universe, and wondered at the cause! First moral: never believe the press or producers! I was all ready not to see Doug, but then when Carol started to run out of the ER I knew we would, and I was never so glad! and surprised. It was perfect in a long line of perfect episodes- to think I lived before watching this show :D . More comments to follow once I get a hold on myself.

-- May (archerl@cadvision.com), May 11, 2000

Answers

i was nervous that when they went from the shot of carol in plane and then went to mark and rachel that that was going to be the last that we saw of her. but as soon as i saw doug on the dock, i started screaming and jumping up and down! (my mom was taping it to watch later, and she said "thanks for spoiling it"...oh, well) i'm so thrilled that he came back, and I KNEW IT!!! i'm just so happy :)

-- Marcia (mlg244@is9.nyu.edu), May 11, 2000.

I loved this episode. It was the way that I wanted Carol to leave and it was nice to see Doug. I'm all for happy endings.

-- Angela (cbandhb@aol.com), May 11, 2000.

I wholeheartedly agree! They could not have ended the show more perfectly! The scene with Doug was priceless! It reminded me of the day that I got a note from my now husband asking me on a date (it took a year for that to happen). I just cried and cried! I absolutely loved it! Carol's impulsiveness was fantastic. Now I know why I still love this show despite all its faults!

-- cherry (hoffner@mail.icongrp.com), May 11, 2000.

OMG!! I am SOO happy!!!!

-- Arianne (CarolRossSusanGreene@yahoo.com), May 11, 2000.

Marcia- My mum was going to watch it later too bu tgave in at the last minute because she knew that I would scream and jump up and down too and come and tell her the ending. Angela- Exactly- there are enough sad endings for the patients, let's have some happiness for our main characters. Everything about Carter!! When he shut himself in the stall I just bawled. And Luka's face at the end was so beautiful- I'm glad Goran is married or I would feel dreadful for him. I'm such a baby!

-- May (archerl@cadvision.com), May 11, 2000.

Didn't I tell everyone we were being scammed?? I KNEW we would see Doug. TPTB just wouldn't do that to us!

-- S. Trelles (trelles@ix.netcom.com), May 11, 2000.

trelles, you're so right. i knew deep down, just like you, that he HAD to be there. i had resigned myself to accept it if he didn't show up, but i still really believed that he would.

-- Marcia (mlg244@is9.nyu.edu), May 11, 2000.

Bravo trelles! I didn't read that you thought that, and I'm glad I didn't because it was a complete surprise, the best way. On Carol's impulsiveness: she has Always been that way, and so has Doug, and some decisions happen that way (or at least seem to- I mean that often we know what we really want but ti takes something big to make us realize it). And Poor Poor Luka! He looked as though he really really cared about Carol, not like they we just sort of dating.

-- May (archerl@cadvision.com), May 11, 2000.

During Carol's last scene with Luka when she was describing how long she had loved Doug, it seemed like we finally had the old Carol back, after a year and a half without her. In fact, it seemed like we finally had the real Doug/Carol storyline back, the one we had all been watching up until he left last year. Somehow, the storyline was salvaged and the ending was wonderful. And now I can watch reruns of Doug and Carol without feeling sad, but knowing that it will all end up okay:)

-- Marty (angellmm@earthlink.net), May 11, 2000.

marty, good point about reruns. i watch them on tnt every night, and if i knew that it didn't end happily, it definitely would be hard to watch them together. but luckily, they ended the way they should - together at last.

-- Marcia (mlg244@is9.nyu.edu), May 11, 2000.

You know, as happy as I felt for Carol (and I felt much happier than I thought I would), I feld so sad for Carter. He REALLY looked so sad this episode. I mean, the look on his face in the bathroom really got to me.

-- L. (bearcatiscool@yahoo.com), May 11, 2000.

I also agree about Carters look in the bathroom, it seemed really eerie (sp?)!! And then to watch him crying in the bathroom was too much for me to handle. I don't how I am going to be able to wait until next fall to see what really happens!! And to make things worse they probably won't even really get into until after the first few episodes!! Won't that be a bummer? :-(

-- Paula (pbranden@dwave.net), May 12, 2000.

I ALMOST DIED!!!! I swear, I was so happy to see Doug standing there, I was running around the room, jumping on the bed! How perfect was it? I too knew the minute we saw Carol in the airport, we would see her with Doug and there was no better way to do it. More would be too much, less wouldn't be enough. BEAUTIFUL!

-- Joanne (bucklind@hotmail.com), May 12, 2000.

I was happy to know that Doug would return to ER before I saw the show. That way I could go through the entire show withthe fear that my hopes would be dashed when it reached the end. I also, jumped up and down and screamed "there he is!". Even though it was extremely brief, it was one of the most satisfying Carol and Doug moments I've ever seen.

-- chris (lisbgem01@aol.com), May 13, 2000.

About Carol and Carter...it was pretty hard watching this whole show, knowing that most of us will be ecstatic about Carol returning to Doug (but sad that they're both gone now!), but then switching to watch Carter suffer like that. I was crying with happiness for Carol and Doug, but SO sad for Carter at his worst. It was such a parallel, esp. with the opening, both of them dealing and it is so unfortunate, because Carter has always seemed to be the happiest for her (Doug's proposal, her announcement that she's pregnant w/ twins, and the eager look on his face as she is brought in to deliver) and although they will most likely wish each other well (off-screen), Carter does not have his usual disposition to be the rallier (is that a word?) in her send off. I know it shouldn't even matter, since it won't be seen, but it does to me!

-- Elaine (mrsclooney78@hotmail.com), May 14, 2000.

Elaine- that's what I love about this show! What happens off-stage actually Matters, we have to think about what happens there to get a full appreciation of the on-stage stuff.

-- May (archerl@cadvision.com), May 16, 2000.

I wish they'd kept with the continuity of Carter being the first to congratulate Carol when she was making life-changing announcements. They'd obviously known each other for a long time... but then again, we all can't have what we want:)

-- samira (matb_west@chickmail.com), May 16, 2000.

Did anybody realize how Carol's speech to Luka is a lot like Doug's speech to Mark in "Fathers & Sons"? Hmm...it would have been perfect if she had said it to Mark, but oh well. :-)

"Carol...I'm in love with her...I mean, I used to think I knew what love was. I cared about a lot of women, I just don't think I've ever really been in love...I think about her all the time...I don't like it when I'm not with her, I don't want to be with anyone else. That's love, isn't it?" -- Doug Ross

"If he's still in love with me...because...I'm in love with him. I am. I've been in love with him since I was twenty-three years old. He's everything to me. He's my life. I feel complete when I'm with him and I feel empty when we're apart...and...he's the father of my children...and he's my soulmate." -- Carol Hathaway

So Carol was a lot more eloquent, but that's Doug for you, and the situation was different two and a half years ago (when "Fathers & Sons" aired).

-- Arianne (CarolRossSusanGreene@yahoo.com), May 16, 2000.