tony gates

(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.

When people who have met John Stamos say that he's a nice, charming, down-to-earth guy, they're not kidding. He's so damned charming that twice during my phone conversation with him last week, I told him that since he already had my number, he should call me to talk about TV off-the record. (Hey, the guy said to me both times that he enjoyed the conversation. And we talked about New Jersey -- he did a movie in Freehold once. So I caved.)

It's that likability that has carried his career for the last twenty-five years, from General Hospital to Full House to ER. It's also what he hopes will draw people to Wedding Wars, an A&E original movie that will air Monday at 9 PM. In the comedy, he plays Shel, a gay party planner who sparks a national pro-gay-marriage movement when he goes on strike while planning the wedding of his brother Ben (Eric Dana).,The strike happens after he finds out Ben wrote an anti-gay marriage speech for his boss, the governor of Maine.

I spoke to Stamos about the movie for The New York Post, but while I had him on the phone, I couldn't resist asking him about ER, his Uncle Jesse mullet, and his friendship with Howard Stern. The interview is after the jump.

(S13E11) McCreamy. Yes, in a, um, subtle jab to another popular medical drama on an opposing network, Neela is introduced to a doctor who has a certain addiction to, well, spanking his monkey (that's the medical term, of course). The interns in the surgical department have nicknamed him McCreamy. He tries to shake Neela's hand after she finds out about his secret, but she makes a hasty getaway.

Okay, that wasn't the main plot of this week's episode, but I wanted to mention it first just so I wouldn't forget it. No, this week was the annual Christmas episode. And, like past seasons, this episode featured hope, good cheer, and some misty eye moments. That, and it was pretty much Abby and Luka free. We only saw them three times this episode. We also learned that Curtis Ames had filed a restraining order against Luka after the good doctor threatened to kill the stroke victim in last week's airing. Luka, Luka, Luka, won't you ever learn?

(S13E10) A few weeks ago one of our avid readers (may have been my brother, actually) said I should mention the radical change that Kerry Weaver has gone through this season. She's a kinder, more gentle Kerry that is on the screen now; a radical change from the authoritative, power-hungry doctor she was since she stepped into County General during the second season. It could be that her recent hip replacement, along with her son, have made her realize that there is more to life then being someone who rules over others. And the fear of homosexuality back in the sixth season? Well, that is completely and totally gone, as seen this week when Kerry snogged the producer of her television segments.

With that out of the way, let's get to the bulk of this week's review.

(S13E09) I'm with my brother Joel about new programming during Thanksgiving. Out of all the holidays we celebrate Thanksgiving should be the one that never has new episodes, even if it falls in the heart of the November sweeps. Why? Well, after ingesting so much sleep-inducing food it's hard to concentrate. If anything, Thanksgiving evenings should be reserved for three-hour long historical-period movies that feature plenty of silent scenes. You know, so you can get some sleep.

Okay, whining over, let's discuss this week's 'ER Event'.

(S13E08) Greetings, all you ER-heads! Just a quick note of clarification. Last week's review was mislabeled as episode six. It was actually number seven of the 13th season of ER. We are now back on track with the numbering.

Now that business is out of the way, let's bound ahead with this week's review. I would label this as a standard episode. Nothing earth-shattering occurred, no huge character developments. Just another episode to move the season along. Not to say it wasn't good, because it was. I guess you could say it was a placeholder episode, taking a breath before something bigger occurs.

Let's highlight a few important points, shall we? First, the plot with the homeless boy who comes in with rabies. Maybe I'm wrong, but it felt very mythical. Almost Lord of the Rings-like. There was the 'Blue Lady' with the secret name who was the heroine, and the 'Blood-Face Lady' who was the villain. Heck, with all of his curly hair the boy named Teller looked like a young Frodo Baggins. I wonder if we'll see those kids again in a future episode.

(S13E07) Hey there! Before I begin I want to thank Jen Creer for filling in for me last week while I was out. You da, er, woman, Jen! And now, let's begin.

I'm not a big fan of the 'one patient' episodes that ER gives us a few times each season. Personally, I love the breakneck pace of seeing a number of patients that the show has been famous for. But, this time it was different. Most likely because it was the doctor who was treating the patient . . . Archie Morris. After wishing for a focus piece on our selfish, red-headed doctor after seeing him at work in the season premiere we finally got one this week.

(S13E04) Could we have finally turned the corner here? After so many mediocre seasons of ER with rotating doctors, uncompleted storylines, and the constant moping of Abby and Sam, is the series back on track? Well, after watching this week's episode, which I thought was the best of this season so far, I would say yes.

Okay, NBC says yes as well, because they decided not to interrupt the show's run for three months in order to air The Black Donnellys. Sure, you can contribute the show's resurgence to weaker competition (Shark on CBS and Six Degrees on ABC), but I also think it's due to the gelling of the cast after last season's adjustment period. Oh, and of course the addition of John Stamos as the new Dr. Ross probably didn't hurt either. I just hope they stay on track this season and not veer too far off into personal stories. The name of the show is ER and it should take place in the ER.

Okay, my rant is done. Let's get going with this week's review.

(S13E03) Okay all of you people out there who said last week's episode of ER was full of dour mopers. We have now moved past the whole Abby 'will the boy live, or will he die' storyline and have returned back to what made the show the long-standing hit it has been . . . the day-to-day workings at County General. Sure, the people have changed, but the concept stays the same.

If I wanted to get technical I would say that this episode was the official start of the 13th season because it was such a change of pace from the first two episodes. Not only did we get to see John Stamos in his first full appearance as Doctor Tony Gates, but we also got to see the new hierarchy of the emergency room, were introduced to a slew of new interns and residents, and welcomed back someone who was on the show a loooonnnggg time ago.

So, let's charge those paddles to 250 and get going with this week's review.