I just saw the episode "Random Acts" in reruns on TNT. Even though I knew Mark was going to be attacked, the brutality of that scene startled me. When he walked into the restroom and was talking to Jerry, I sucked in a breath and thought to myself, 'Jerry don't leave him alone!' even though I knew he inevitably would. I just started watching this season and was not *obsessed* until "Be Still My Heart"/ "All In The Family." My friends and family had warned me and told me about the scene with Mark being attacked, but it still didn't prepare me for seeing a character that I now know and love (in a real life person loves TV characters like best friends kind of way) brutally attacked like that. I held my breath until the scene was over and then it went to commercial and I had this flashback thing. I saw Carter hitting that floor, looking across, and whispering "Lucy?" and I burst into tears! I was a wreck for the rest of the episode. It was weird how Anna DelAmico had just shown up when that happened, because it draws a parallel to Abby just showing up (in the actual ER, not OB)in an episode prior to "BSMH." And Carol was caught in the robbery on Valentine's Day, too. It gave me the creeps. I almost expected Kerry to hear Mark and be the one to find him first, just because she was right outside and it would have been so similar to "AITF." I'm glad it was Doug, though. "BSMH" was only the third ep. of "ER" I ever saw, and I really had no emotional connection with the characters. I sensed their personalities and barely knew their names and suddenly Carter walks into that darkened room and, well, you know what happens from there. It shocked me. And I cried for about an hour after "AITF." But I don't know how it would affect me now. I guess I'll find out on Thursday. It's funny how things take on a whole different meaning in retrospect, seeing the character earlier before these other horrible things happened. I almost think it makes the rerun episodes more important than they were first-run. (Not that I know, because I didn't see them the first time around.)

What do you think?

Thanks,

Jessica :-)

PS- Sorry for talking so much!

-- Jessica (princessleia913@excite.com), June 20, 2000

Answers

i know what you mean about those feelings. I, however, have watched ER from day one, with a few exceptions--i stopped watching season five for a few weeks and i missed some of this season early on because of college workload. So i knew the characters. I was really shocked when mark was attacked..it was brutal and horrifyng! i had no idea it was coming at all, where as i knew that lucy was going to die. i did not know carter was going to be hurt though, so there was still surprise and horror at that. after be still my heart, my friends and i couldn't wait until next week...it was hard to wait! still, i think that reactions to all in the family were intensified tha much more by the wait...with random acts, we had to wait ten minutes until doug found mark, but we had to wait a week until we learned of the aftermath of carter and lucy. knowing all week that we had to wait and see if they were going to be ok made it that much more unbearable. It's kind of weird, almost, how much we feel affectted when characters on tv are hurt...its almost like our friends were hurt, and we are anxious to find out if ammends can be made. thats quite an inteesting connection. well, sorry i have rambled so much!

-- Erin (earthgirl24@yahoo.com), June 20, 2000.

I think that AITF was more shocking than RA because Lucy died and Carter almost died. What really makes me mas is that after Mark's attack they took steps for future safety of employees and yet after Lucy's death they did nothing more to beef up security. Gee, is Lucy dying less important than Mark getting beat up? What happened there? Hello! Someone died at work so therefore you need to beef up security! What are you guys waiting for? Another death? I hope not!

-- Cammie (rmaelhorn@home.com), June 20, 2000.

I know what you mean Jessica. I about cried tonight when i saw Mark get beat up (even though i had seen it before). I thought about Carter and Lucy too. I saw Carter fall on the floor and Lucy lying there in a flashback. It is true how, even though the people are not real, they are to us, like familt or best friends. I mean, we know everything about them.

-- Stephanie (ERGirl22@aol.com), June 20, 2000.

I had totally forgotten about Mark's beating until tonight's episode, and found it shocking. Loved the last scene though with Doug and Carol talking to him--what a sweet and intimate moment. Poor Mark had a rough season 3, good thing we're almost done on TNT!

Karen

-- Karen (userkto@aol.com), June 20, 2000.

Did you notice too that the camera work was similar in AITF and RA. When we knew that Mark was lying in the bathroom and they showed Kerry and Anna talking the camera was way up showing MEN to the bathroom and we see them sitting there talking and I was like 'Go In There!!' The same way they did with Curtain Area 3 when Helee and Kerry were talking to Pablo down the hall. Amazing!! Dena

-- Dena (Dnahltz@aol.com), June 21, 2000.

Both of the episodes were directed by Jonathan Kaplan, which might explain the similar camera work. I guess he's the go-to guy for an eppy featuring an attack on a main character. Excellent work by him in both.

-- Avan (avanveck@aol.com), June 21, 2000.

Jessica, I was completely in your position! I wasn't "obsessed" with ER until after Be Still My Heart and All in the Family either, though I had watched episodes prior to that on occassion. I didn't really "know" the characters when I watched that episode, although I did love it. I knew Mark was going to be attacked and the minute he walked into the bathroom, my heart started beating faster because I knew what was going to happen. In one of the season five episodes, a scene starts the same way, with Jerry asking him a question, Mark washing his face, and I knew that it was then something was going to happen. Still, I wasn't prepared for what did happen. That was brutal. I'm glad they showed it so detailed, too. My favorite part is when they are working on him and everyone is noticing that it's Mark and then Chuny realizes and wants to stay, but Kerry makes her go and she's like "Kerry, come on!" and looks really worried as she leaves. Strong episode, if only for the last fifteen minutes.

-- Joanne (bucklind@hotmail.com), June 21, 2000.