TV Review: ER Episode 12.10

Thursday, December 08, 2005

From NBC: After a little girl is mistakenly shot, Pratt (Mekhi Phifer) and Weaver (Laura Innes) desperately try to bring her back to life. Meanwhile, nurse Haleh (Yvette Freeman) holds her annual choir tryouts and everyone is surprised at who is chosen to sing the solo. Eve (Kristen Johnston) crosses the line with a patient and causes management to get involved. Abby (Maura Tierney) and Kovac (Goran Visnjic) exchange Christmas gifts but, Abby's gift to him is bigger than expected. Also starring Shane West, Parminder Nagra, John Leguizamo and Linda Cardellini. TV-14

My Rating: 4 out of 4

A touching and packed episode for tonight's ER; this episode titled "All about Christmas Eve" had a good mix with all the characters involved in the action somehow. We also had some shocking developments, both of which I was quite pleased to see. Let's discuss this episode.

It is Christmas Eve in ER, and we begin the episode with Luka entering in high spirits. So high he is playing Santa, giving people gifts and letting people have the night off. Neela wins the night off, and she is on her way to Jamaica on her honeymoon with Gallant. Although she is a bit nervous here because they plan to stop off and have Christmas dinner with his family. Gallant told them that he was married over the phone, and according to Neela they hung up on him. Ouch! She's soon off though.

We have one main case this episode. A young girl is accidentally shot in her home. The bullet went through the intended victim, and it hits her. Weaver and Pratt work hard to save her, but her heart stops beating repeatedly. At one point, they think there is no hope, and they bring the mother in to say her goodbyes.

However, a Christmas miracle happens here. Even with repeated problems, the girl somehow makes it through, and she is taken to the OR for surgery. Outside, a crowd had gathered to hold vigil with candles, praying for her survival. This is something that shocks Pratt. His girlfriend makes a return in this episode. She's called in as a social worker for the mother.

The medical aspect isn't the main focus on tonight's episode. We focus on the characters here. A group of Santa's come in from a Christmas party, and the one Santa is crude and not good to know. A group of blind kids begin to sing a Christmas carol, and the Santa begins to chime in with his two cents. Eve overhears him, and she ends up punching him and pouring a container of his pee on him. He threatens to call his lawyer, and this brings in administration. Yes, on Christmas Eve.

I thought that was a bit quick, but after Sam discusses with the powers to be along with Luka, we learn that Eve is getting fired on Christmas Eve. Not only that, but her boyfriend breaks up with her as well. Double ouch here!  Eve is angered when she learns she is fired, and she leaves the ER in a huff, yelling at everyone about how horrid the ER is.

I've honestly never liked her character. Out of their two new additions this season, she was the one I least liked. However, this was a bit rushed how they got rid of her here in this episode. Perhaps, they could see the character not working out, and this was the way they decided to handle it. I actually felt just a bit bad for her here.

Another part of this episode deals with Haleh looking for someone to sing with her for Christmas. After holding auditions in the ER, she picks Morris! Shocking, but yes it worked. The scene with them at the end plays along with another important scene involving two of ER's major characters. Over the last few episodes, we've been following the rekindled romance of Luka and Abby. At first, it looked like the two would end up going back to just friends, but things heated up at the end of last week's episode. Now, Abby has a very big gift to Luka on this Christmas Eve. She is pregnant, and yes I will assume it is his.

This is so great. A big reason why the relationship between him and Sam ended is because he wanted a family, and she didn't. She had her son, and that was enough. Now he has the chance for a family with Abby. I really think these two make a great couple. Of course I loved her with Carter, but this couple was a close second.

Sam also makes an appearance in this episode. Not only with Eve and her dismissal, but her husband has been transferred to jail in Chicago, and he wants to see their son. At first she is against it, but she ends up taking her son to the jail at the end of the episode. We also see Clemente's married ex make an appearance briefly.

A lot happened in this episode of ER - a lot that will set up things to come in the New Year for our characters here on ER. I'm really excited to see what happens next here, but it looks like we will have to wait until after the New Year, unless we have an episode for New Year's!