CBS Cancels 'CSI: Miami,' 'Rob' & 'NYC 22,' Renews 'CSI:NY'
'Community' Renewed For Season 4 On NBC
ER: Family Business
(S13E19) Even after 13 seasons and 285 (!) episodes ER can still get to me once in awhile. There will be that one storyline, that one character, that will just hit a raw spot with me and generate a overwhelming feeling of sadness of sympathy. This week's episode had one of those story lines.
It involved a son, who never took care of himself and was dying of heart failure, and his father, who was well into his bout with Alzheimer's Disease. As the episode progressed the son died with the father there to watch. His reaction to his son's death was a bit heart-wrenching to watch. Maybe it's because I have a young son of my own and I would never want to be in a situation where I watch him die before my very eyes.
Later in the episode, when Doctors Kovac and Gates are trying to get the father into a nursing home, we realize that he doesn't remember that his son died, and it begins all over again. By the end of the episode the father again forgets that he watched his son die. This time, instead of repeating what he had said to the man previously, Kovac tells the older gentleman that his son will come and see him in his new place when he can. As he leaves the hospital we see the father smiling to himself with thoughts of how good his son was.
Call it schmaltz, call it sappy, call it over-acting. If it got to you, then it worked. And, that's one of the reasons why ER is still on the air.
As the title of the episode implies, this week's ER definitely dealt with family on both a patient and staff level. I already mentioned the story line that featured a father watching his son die. There was also a story that featured a little boy and his older brother. The older boy had an asthma attack and was rushed to the emergency room by an Armenian-speaking florist, who proceeded to crash his van into a hospital wall. The florist had a brother as well, and that man berated him for crashing the florist's van into the hospital. However, when he found out that his brother was speeding in order to save a young man's life, the brother forgave him.
From the staff of County General we had the further adventures of Tony Gates and Sarah, with a special appearance by Tony's dad. We learned a bit more about Mike, Tony's father, in this episode. Mike was a former firefighter, which may be the reason why Tony became a lifesaver himself. Now, he can't find another job that suits him. Broke and homeless, Mike is now staying with Tony, which is putting the strain on his and Sarah's relationship. Well, there's that, and the fact that Sarah knows that Tony is not her father. This is why she is doing her damnedest to keep a good house for Tony. She probably feels that if she helps take care of Tony that she can continue to stay with him rather than moving to her grandparents' farm. By the way, while we are speaking about Gates, when did he and Pratt get so chummy? Tony was practically kissing Greg's butt this week when he found out that Pratt's brother wanted to become an EMT.
And while we're on the subject of Greg Pratt, he makes amends this week for the idiotic way he treated his brother earlier in the season. Once again, this is another sign of how Pratt is finally growing up after years of channeling Peter Benton. We've seen that with the way he has treated Gates and the other interns and residents over the last few episodes. I'm glad to see Greg get back together with his brother, but it looks like his brother is going to be in trouble pretty fast, according to next week's previews.
The final family connection this week was Abby and her son Joe. This was the only part of ER that I found extremely predictable. Abby brings in a sample of Joe's urine because he's been sick for a week. When Luka finds out Abby throws the specimen into the trash. Then, when Kovac isn't looking, she grabs it out of the trash and has it analyzed anyway. Let me be sarcastic for one moment . . . ahem . . . . Gosh, I didn't see that coming! Thank you. Then, she brings her son into the ER to get checked out. All right, I can accept this because everyone from Dr. Greene to Peter Benton brought their kids in over the years for one reason or another. But, why do you examine him in a room where other sick people reside? Isn't there a potential of getting sicker?
That's it for this week. I don't know what's going on next Thursday, but the previews actually intrigued me. So, take care and I'll see you then. Oh, wait! I almost forgot, on a scale from one to seven, with one being the worst, I give this episode of ER a . . .
10 Comments