This episode really made me stop and think about the past seasons of ER and I've come up with a few ironies that the writers through in. Such as: 0 Carter was "ambushed" for a second time in Curtain Three. 0 Carter punched Benton for the first time because Benton wouldn't open up about his feelings about Gant's death. He punched Benton for the second time because he (Carter) wouldn't open up about his feelings about the attack. 0 Carter thought he could handle his cousin Chase's drug problem on his own. Carter thought he could handle his own drug problem on his own. 0 Carter wouldn't take Chase to a drug rehab center. Carter's friends forced Carter to check into a drug rehab center. 0 Benton told Luka that he follows up on all his patients. Benton did no follow up on his patient Carter. Ah, ain't continuity grand? Can you think of any other examples?

-- maryann (map5860@aol.com), May 25, 2000

Answers

There IS the vague irony that Abby is the med student who is used to getting pushed around and reported, but she is the one that ends up reporting Carter.

-- Lauren (whateverchick@aol.com), May 25, 2000.

You have a few mistakes in regard to Chase. Carter did try to get Chase to go into rehab. Chase refused . Then Carter tried to detox Chase . He did not want to, but did so because it was better than doing nothing . He wanted Chase in rehab. Carter tried to help him the best way he knew how.

-- Brenda (jckwfan@aol.com), May 26, 2000.

Did Carter really hit Benton? I thought that Benton pushed Carter later on because he was chasing after him about accepting him as a doctor, and Benton said he should stop looking for his approval. I don't remember which episode that was in. I remember Benton offered to help him up, but he hit his hand away.

Of course there is the irony that Benton always told Carter that he was "just his assigned med student"...and then we see that he is anything but to him. And there is the fact that exactly 1 year ago, Carter was advising Lucy to get off ritalin because she "shouldn't be taking them, they're stimulants" (to paraphrase). He followed her down the hallway trying to convince her to get off them, like Benton followed Carter. Of course the situations are at different levels of severity, but it is VERY ironic.

-- Elaine (mrsclooney78@hotmail.com), May 26, 2000.

Thanks for pointing out that irony about Lucy and Ritalin, elaine. Remember her response to his statement that Ritalin was for hyperactive children and she was too old to be taking it? "And my doctor still prescribes it for me, so I'm not doing anything wrong."

Sounds a lot like his "It was prescribed to me" lament during May Day. He said it three or four times during the eppy. "I'm on prescribed medication for my back, and it doesn't make me a junkie, and I think you all know it."

This could really add to his guilt over Lucy, if you think about it. He gave her a rough time about getting off of Ritalin, then refused to be there for her when she tried to stop taking it. Now, when faced with a similar situation himself (of course to a worse degree), he's been supported by several people, Peter in particular. Add that to being partly responsible for her death, yikes. Let's hope he works this out in therapy!

-- Avan (notgivingit@carterrules.net), May 26, 2000.

Thank you Maryann for pointing out that the intervention took place in curtain 3. For a breif moment when Kerry is walking him back there, you can see a momentary look of pain on Carter's face as he looks at the room he is walking into. I love this whole storyline and I think it is being acted out beautifully. When Benton was standing there with Carter by the van and the scene was playing out, I couldn't help but picture Benton from "All In The Family" saying, "I'm gonna get you through this."

-- darcyjo (chrisleeurie@aol.com), May 28, 2000.

I don't know if this is ironic or anything: but I was rewatching the scene when Carter gets thrown off the gurney, and how he was kicked in the chest. The last time he was kicked in the chest was when Lucy kicked him in Storm Part I.

-- samira (matb_west@chickmail.com), May 28, 2000.