TV Review: ER Episode 12.13

Friday, February 03, 2006

From NBC: When a wandering ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) patient arrives at the ER, many of the doctors are shocked when they recognize the former medical school professor (Guest star James Woods). Abby (Maura Tierney) and Kovac (Goran Visnjic) try to understand Dr. Lennox's wishes for his life after the professor is struck with pneumonia as well as the nerve degenerating disease. As his condition deteriorates, Abby struggles with the possibility of losing her beloved professor. After a controversial decision to perform a trake procedure to help Dr. Lennox breathe, Abby and Fran (Guest star Ally Walker) wonder if they made the right choice.

My Rating: 3 out of 4

Tonight's episode of ER titled Body & Soul brought a very special man and guest star into County General's ER room/ John Woods made an appearance as Dr. Lennox, a man suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease. What makes this man so special i he was the teacher responsible for a good many of the staff becoming the doctors they are today. Abby is especially fond of her medical professor. He helped tutor her during her first year of medical school when she was about to fail out of biochemistry.

She isn't the only one that knows this special man. He has been in the ER several times since his diagnosis of ALS back in 1999. This episode chronicles his past visits in flash backs, while jumping back to the present day to follow his current hospital visit. In the past, he'd been treated by most of the ER doctors - including Kovac and Pratt. Abby and Sam have also been involved in his treatment.

Current day, he is suffering from pneumonia. Ray gets the case, with Sam being his nurse. Kovac is the lead on it, until Abby hears her beloved professor is in the ER. She gets quickly involved, deciding Nate Lennox needs help to breath. She soon tries to talk him into a trake. At this point, he can only communicate using eye movements.

That method will also soon no longer be available to him. Using his computer assisted program, he communicates with the doctors, and Abby swears he consented to the procedure. The other doctors, and the man's assistant, all feel he didn't. However, Kovac gives Abby the benefit of the doubt, and they move forward the procedure.

Dubenko is called to perform the necessary surgery, but there are complications. Neela is in to assist since she is now into her surgical rotation. they finally pull Nate through, and eventually he does become coherent. As soon as he does, he tells Abby and his assistant, Fran, played by Ally Walker, that he wants the trake taken out. Abby won't, and she begs him to stay in the hospital so he can be treated. She is sure he will recover from the pneumonia. He wants to leave the hospital anyway. he does begin to leave with his assistant, but somehow Abby is able to talk to him into staying. This is when we see Abby's own history with the professor.

Tonight's episode of ER was sad and touching, but it wasn't the best of episodes. It didn't fit with a lot of the things going on right now in ER's world. There is no mention of Abby's pregnancy, and the Clemente story line is nowhere to be seen. On next week's episode, Dr. Carter does return! How much you want to bet its in the few minutes, leaving us wait til after the show returns post-Olympics?