TV Review: ER - Season Premiere

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Another popular season opens for NBC’s hit medical drama, ER - a long time staple of NBC’s Thursday night must-see television line-up. The majority of this episode followed a story line for the show that began last season and culminated in the season finale with the son of one of the ER nurses, Sam Taggert, running away. Sam is divorced from the boy’s father, and has been living with ER doc Luka for a bit of time now, but the boy, Alex, wants his father. He goes off in search of him, knowing he is in Colorado, just not where in the state exactly. This running off poses a problem. Alex is diabetic, and without his dose of insulin his health is in danger.

Sam is determined to find him, reporting him missing to the police. They do locate a boy in Iowa, but it turns out not to be Alex. Sam decides to drive to Colorado in hopes of locating him. This is a high intensity situation for Sam, and her mood is definitely on edge. Definitely understandable under the circumstances. During the drive to Colorado, Sam hits an antelope, and this damages their car. Luka and Sam then have to hitch a ride to Colorado, and during this time the couple talks.

Their discussion is difficult, and it might be telling of just where this relationship is going - and that is nowhere fast. Luka wants marriage and family. Sam doesn’t. They are at direct odds with each other. In an anti-climatic result, the boy is found, unharmed and quite quickly. Sam tells her son his father is in jail, and they go to see him. Outside the jail, Sam and Luka talk again, and she walks away from him.

Back at the ER, we have new interns, and last year’s new residents are in charge. They are now expected to teach and treat patients all at the same time. Abby is Miss work all on her own. Neela is Miss Smarty Parts, and Ray is Mr. I don’t know how to teach - let me do it all! Definitely doesn’t make for the best teaching atmosphere in the ER. None of the new interns really stood out to me, but their is new cast additions coming into the ER soon, and hopefully these additions will bring some more life into the place.

The end of last season saw the exit of one of the original cast members when Noah Wyle’s John Carter left the ER for life with Kem in Africa. Carter left some big pretty shoes to fill. With news that this season will also more than likely see the exit of Susan Lewis from County General, things are beginning to look a bit dim.

Hardly any of the original cast is left. We’re left with new faces or faces of those that came in later on in the game. The scenes with Sam and her son particularly spoke to me, but the ER scenes did very little for me. Will this ER deal well with the loss of John Carter? That is yet to be seen. Carter played a major force on the show for quite some time. I’m looking forward to seeing what the additions of Kristen Johnston and John Leguizamo does for the cast.