I can't say that I left the ER this week with the same warm fuzzies and idealistic hopes as last week. I was slowly seeing a return to more plausible story lines and character-based ones. This episode (and according to the previews, next week will be similar) was full of that action stuff Phyl complains that they use to attract younger audiences. Yes, yes, the gang banger sure was a shocker Thursday night. But not only did it shock me, it also disappointed me. I was sitting there YELLING at my TV as that girl blew the other one away, "Come on, WHAT are the chances?" Meaning of course, that Carter is the one that is there at the time having yet another atrociously violent act in the ER affect his life...and also, does anyone recall the security guy stopping Carter for having the wrong badge last week? Which makes sense since there was a stabbing there. Yet a girl with a gun just marches in unopposed. I really had a hard time buying that. As an isolated incident, it wouldn't have left me so sour, but that, combined with the previews of "the hero falling from the sky" just made me disappointed. Leave Mark alone, please! He's had enough tragedy. At any rate, someone once asked WHAT younger audience they are aiming at with these story lines? I am 22, and have been watching ER since it's beginning, when I was 16. And I can honestly tell you I appreciated the higher quality of the early years. BTW, I'm also mad at Peter for not being as smart as most people and knowing he has a case against Romano, and that didn't help my mood! Anyway, don't mean to sound too down. I'm just a little disillusioned and needed to see if I was way off base. Maybe this is the mood the writers intended at this point, I just hope things get better! Any thoughts on this?

-- Becky (pattonrd@muohio.edu), November 04, 2000

Answers

Becky, I agree with you. One tragedy per person, per season is enough for me. Last night's episode was a little over the top as far as violence with the ER staff.

-- Ellen (dbspunky61@hotmail.com), November 04, 2000.

I'm surprised they DIDN'T do a shooting in the ER before. ER's can be very violent places.

-- Tracy (bankybooda@aol.com), November 04, 2000.

They have done a shooting in the ER. Remember the guy that started shooting in the hallway and everyone ran for cover? The security guy was hurt from the glass that was flying everywhere.

-- Ellen (dbspunky61@hotmail.com), November 05, 2000.

Right now, I have a few questions I like to get out. True that there is definitely a lack of security in the ER. And I would definitely believe that nobody can go in a trauma room in a real er without a staff letting them in. But I kinda question why everybody left the room so quickly. I thought the girl was critical enough to go immediately to the OR. If you remember in previous eppys, they usually bring up right away when a patient needs immediate surgery.

-- Abigail (abbyqueen@aol.com), November 05, 2000.

I think I can tell you where security was when the girl shot Carter's patient. Remember when Kerry went over to shoo half the male staff of the hospital away from the beauty pageant contestants? Yep, you guessed it. There was the security guard, in the thick of them. Probably still there when the girl walked into the trauma room.

-- N Wilson (nwilson@wko.com), November 05, 2000.

The hospital security there is much too lax.

The last couple times I have been in an ER (broken ankle for me, and bump on head for daughter (Children's Hosp)).... No one... absolutely NO one was allowed behind the set of doors separating the waiting room and the treatment rooms (except for perhaps a parent at the Children's Hospital, but they are interviewed first for medical and insurance info). The doors were locked and a person was only allowed in by being buzzed in by the receptionest.

Actually I remember a long while ago, when I had a very croupy child, I could walk right into the Children's ER to the main desk. But in the past 5 years it has been remodeled so you can't do that anymore, even the ambulance entrance has been moved away from the waiting area.

It looks like this Chicago hospital is due for a serious security remodel.

-- Chris (lansdaalfamily@home.com), November 07, 2000.

I don't think it would be completely implausible for security to have been so lax in the first season. I've been in several different ERs which don't have metal detectors, or vigilant security guards hovering around, or anything like that. They have doors marked "authorized personnel only" but that's about it. These things are common in modern ERs, but not ever-present.

-However- I do find it totally silly that after all the trouble that has happened during the course of the show they -still- don't have better security. That's just ridiculous.

-- Lynn (lynn@wordsmyth.org), November 09, 2000.

Well, the security was conveniently there last night when Carter told him to escort Mrs. Larson (the grandma of the boy with AIDS) to chairs. I found that rather amusing...its not like she was really dangerous to anyone, but in last weeks epi...well we all know what happened then!

-- amanda (amanda.rehm@home.com), November 10, 2000.

Speaking of the security guy did he look fimiliar to anyone? Well he (I don't know the actors name) plays Sgt. Micheals on "7th Heaven". I thought that was interesting that he plays a plays a Sgt. on "7th Heaven" almost every week and then played a security guard on "ER".

-- Cammie (rmaelhorn@home.com), November 10, 2000.

There has been way more than one shooting in the ER.

-- Teddy (richarr@earthlink.net), August 08, 2001.