lukakovac

(S13E14) Lots of cliffhangers to resolve this week. Let's get right to it!

Luka, Abby and Curtis Ames -- Remember Forrest Whitaker in Good Morning, Vietnam? Gosh, he was so sweet and innocent as Private Garlick. Just think back to that, because Curtis Ames is in no way sweet in his final appearance on ER (and I'm not going to tell you why it's his last episode). In fact, I would have to say he is down right crazed, even more so than Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh, the role Whittaker plays on The Shield.

(S13E13) I think ER may have reached a record here. I've lost count, but this could be the five millionth time that the staff at County General have encountered a pair of step-brothers whose father only loves one and not the other. And, the six millionth time that the father seemed to be a bastard. Also, unless I'm mistaken, this is the infinity plus one time that a doctor has confronted that parent and told them, in no uncertain terms, that he was an a**hole. It goes back to the very first days of the show when Dr. Ross (the dashing and dapper George Clooney) would berate a parent at least once an episode.

Man, I've been watching this show too long! This week, the Ray-Neela-Gates love triangle continues, Pratt is in trouble with the law, Abby discovers why Eddie is really in Chicago, and Laura Innes says good-bye to ER.

So, what are you dawdling around for? Let's get going!

(S13E12) Well, that was unexpected.

Laura Innes' character, Doctor Kerry Weaver, wasn't in many episodes over the last few years, but it looked like she was coming back into the normal ER fold. It started late last season when the issues with her degenerative hip condition were resolved, allowing her to walk freely without the need of a crutch. Then, after preventing Kovac from getting fired, she was demoted back down to the ER as a mere attending. She became a medical reporter for a local Chicago news broadcast, and she began dating her segment producer. Things were looking up for Kerry.

Now, it looks like she's leaving for good.

(S13E05) ER tends to get some pretty big names as guest stars. Sally Field has a recurring role as Abby Lockhart's mother, and Danny Glover has appeared has Greg Pratt's Dad. Alan Alda appeared in several episodes, and so did Bob Newhart. Last season, James Woods appeared as a mentor of Abby who was stricken with Lou Gherig's disease.

This season is no different. In this week's episode (and for five more afterwards) we are treated to a guest appearance from Forrest Whitaker, fresh off of his role in The Shield (and as Edie Amin in The Last King of Scotland, at a theater near you). However, he's not one of those warm and cuddly guest stars you normally see. No, he's pissed at County General in general, and with Doctor Luka Kovac in particular, and he wants his day in court to prove how poorly he was treated.

His attorney for this case? Chandler Bing's on-again, off-again girlfriend Janice. No, seriously! Read on, if you dare.

(S13E02) Before we begin this week I wanted to address something a commenter mentioned about Luka's violent outburst in last week's season premiere. The commenter criticized him for acting in that way because Abby could only provide one child to him due to her emergency hysterectomy. I actually don't think that was the reason.

Think about it. He had already lost two other children to war. His reaction wasn't due to Abby's operation, but rather to the feeling that he was going to lose another young child. Plus, add the fact that the mother of his child was injured, the stress of what he endured during Samantha's kidnapping, and watching his premature son hooked up to all of the lines and tubes, and he had to vent his frustration somewhere. At least he did it on a bathroom mirror.

There, now I feel better. Onward and upward to this week's review. (Warning, there are minor spoilers after the jump if you haven't seen this week's episode).

(S13E01) Denny Crane.

Whoops, sorry, wrong review. Let's try this name . . . Abby Lockhart. Ah, much better. Of course, if we are mentioning the perpetually unlucky Abby we must be talking about the veteran medical drama ER. Yes sir, the NBC drama is still on the air and about to start its 13th season. There have been plenty of ups and downs, and all of the original season one cast have gone on their merry way, but the show still gets the ratings.

Abby  Lockhart has become the new Mark Greene.

As fans of the long-running ER know, Dr. Greene (Anthony Edwards) had some of the worst luck and unhappiness in the emergency room staff of County General. First, his wife leaves him, then he gets beaten up in the ER bathroom by a unknown assailant. Both his mother and father die in the same year, he's diagnosed with a brain tumor (which was successfully removed), his daughter feeds his newborn child Escasty, his brain tumor comes back, and he dies while in Hawaii. Needless to say, the man had no luck.

And now Abby (Maura Tierney) looks like she's wearing the albatross around her neck. Well, actually, she's been wearing it for several seasons now. It began when she was kicked out of medical school after her ex-husband failed to pay her tuition. Then, she had a rough set of relationships with Doctors Luka Kovac and John Carter. Her bi-polar mother stop taking her meds and her brother was diagnosed with the same mental disease as her mother. Last season she was kidnapped by a drug dealer who wanted Abby to treat an injured comrade.