All Roads Still Lead To County

[Darren Thornton]

=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0This past episode would have made a good two hour one.
=A0 So much went on. Most plotlines left you wanting more. They'd
should do a commentary for the DVD. =A0 But I only occasionally watch
them. =A0 It's more of a time factor.
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0I have great disgust for actors who shy away
from roles that made them famous. Do you hear me, Tina Louise and Susan
Dey? =A0 Typecasting may be a problem. =A0 But find a way to make some
peace. Max Baer Jr. did. =A0
Such fame has actually helped others get new jobs. Think Star
Trek and The Brady Bunch. But demand a good script.
I doubt Eve Plumb's ever regretted skipping that Brady Bunch Variety
Hour.
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Eric, George, and Julianne wore
their parts like comfortable old shoes. They still fit! However, the
directions of their characters didn't make much sense. =A0 If Peter left
private practice, why not return to County?
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0It's even harder to imagine Doug not
in pediatrics. =A0 Is Carol's new job still involve nursing? =A0 I'd
pictured them in private practice together. =A0Ironically, Greg Brady
became a pediatrician. His wife was also his nurse.
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0We got another example of the old gang
meeting newer folks. =A0 I would assume that Neela and Sam had heard a
little bit. Tony had heard of a doctor moving to Seattle. One goof was
that they knew Susan Lewis. =A0Wouldn't Neela remember the doctor who
helped save her career?
An episode of Gomer Pyle, USMC comes to mind. =A0 Opie ran off to
join the Marines. =A0 His dad came to get him. He and Sgt. Carter acted
like they'd never met. =A0 Who else remembers the pilot? =A0 Andy
implied that Gomer was a general's son. Sgt. Carter couldn't forget
the man who helped keep Gomer in the Marines.
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0We had at least three Oscar winners in this
episode. =A0 The grandmother plot was similar to one from the first
season. =A0 Peter had transplant teams waiting. =A0 But the wife still
had hope of recovery. Yet Susan did a good job. If only the mother
had cared that much! She didn't even leave a current number or address.
We can add another MASH analogy. Billy was a giving soul. Father
Mulchay once asked if one dying soldier was also generous. =A0 I'm
surprised that this boy wasn't also named Harold.
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0It would have been nice if Doug and
Carol knew that "some doctor" was Carter. =A0 But we still got to relive
another great ER relationship. Was it an early "bromance?" =A0 Suppose
Benton had removed that kidney? Kurtag was who Benton could have been.
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0We still got only bits and pieces of their
post County lives. Benton's still with Cleo. =A0 But did Reese get any
hearing restored? =A0 Is Roger still part of his life? =A0 What happened
to Jackie? Oh yeah, she became a doctor herself-in Miami.
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0I'm surprised that Doug would say hello to
Anspaugh. =A0 But that was a long time ago. Apparently Carol didn't
tell him of the supernurse who helped deliver the twins. Suppose they'd
mentioned Luka. How common are these cross country trips for organs?
We got a little Home Alone moment. Kevin's mom traveled with
a polka group. Neela and Sam flew with a reggae group. They were also
headed for Chicago. Too bad we didn't get to see some of that visit.
The DVD better include some deleted scenes. Wouldn't a backup plane be
available?
Meanwhile back at Chicago, we have another abandoned baby.
Didn't that mother head for the Jumbo Mart. No one went after her. The
poor social worker should look into renting a room at County. This
plotline was too obvious. Cate has a new baby!
Lucy's mother has a new heart. But how long will it last? I
was wondering about it fitting right. We missed another great moment.
Neela and Benton had similar feelings about surgery. Maybe Corday
noticed that. It's been many years since I needed any surgery. As
with any doctor, I want someone competent, realistic, and willing to
fight for me.
We got to see MermaidMan. Ernest Borgenine was a very devoted
husband. This plotline could have been saved for another episode. Is
peach juice really easier to digest? I've never drank any. Does it
taste like the soda?
I didn't post about the previous episode. That documentary
thing's been done too often. But we still got some good moments.
Frank and Jerry deserved to be included. Their piece could be evidence
in their trial.
Giving that shot could qualify as practicing medicine without a
license. Speaking of which, Bob should have shown up somewhere.
She has a practice with Judy Winslow and Chuck Cunningham.
Brennan needs to deal with his problems. The foster dad
shouldn't have walked around in his underwear. But get all the facts
first! That breakup with Neela was super nasty. He should have told
her what happened.
Morris didn't get much airtime in the 3/12 episode. But we
already saw him dealing with Claudia's gunshot. At least it didn't
appear to be an inside job. Marry the girl!
Even a sick Carter was still a great doctor. Sam had to
deal with her grouchy mother. No wonder she went to Seattle! =A0I
need to take neater notes. Sadly, they may have to be for another
show.
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0So another doctor's leaving. =A0
This has gotten too old. Apparently Neela never saw the wall for
herself. Or she could have seen Doug's name tag there. I'd rather see
Cate leave. But it might look too much like Jeanne Boulet's departure.
=A0 At least transfer Carter back to County.
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0I still would have preferred a big reunion back
where it all started. =A0 Talk about a stretch! =A0 Whose post-County
life would you want to see as a series? Did you find those stories more
interesting? That's an idea for a new show. Every week
we'll show a different ER character. Alternate between locations. We
could have occasional crossovers. John Wells has to write and direct
at least a few of these episodes. If he'd stayed
longer, we might not be ending things. We can write the rest.

Sincerely,
Darren Thornton

[Sharon Too]

If Peter left private practice, why not return to County?

He mentioned that Reese was 13. Private practice means taking on-call. If
they were living here and he was practing at Schaumberg (?), that on-call
can be difficult. In any event he apparently got a decent offer at private
Northwestern in general surgery. NW is supposed to be the affluent hospital
in ER-world. I'm sure he'd seen enough of County to want a change, which
probably included much better benefits and vacation time to spend with
family.

It's even harder to imagine Doug not in pediatrics.

I thought he was the primary physician for this kid. Wouldn't that make him
a pediatrician?

Is Carol's new job still involve nursing? I'd pictured them in private
practice together.

Take it from me, working with your spouse in a private practice is rarely
done well or successfully. We have achieved both after 10 years, but there
are still times I want to throttle him and I'm sure he - me. Spouse
vet/manager marriages from the decades of the 60's - present have
considerably dipped. The reason for that is not only burn-out rate of vets,
but of marriages. Big divorce rate there.

Ironically, Greg Brady became a pediatrician. His wife was also his nurse.

Another fantasy of that generation TPTB

Suppose Benton had removed that kidney?

Nine years ago after the stabbing, Benton and Anspaugh saved the kidney. It
was a big deal at the time. Carter mentioned that sometime after the
stabbing his left kidney had failed, then the right was incapacitated in the
long run as a result of schistosomiasis. When kidneys fail, they don't
remove them. In fact, of the kidney transplant recipients I know, the don't
remove them at transplant, just piggyback the new one.

The poor social worker should look into renting a room at County.

Husband remarked the County got rid of all the hot social workers. he wanted
to see "CoCo".

Lucy's mother has a new heart. But how long will it last?

I don't know what average longevity for hearts are, but lungs are about 10
years.

I was wondering about it fitting right.

Size is taken into consideration when assessing for match. My friend who got
new lungs had to have a pediatric transplant (they were from a 10 year old
boy) because she is so petite. On the episode the mother looked like an
average to small/average woman and the donor was an older teen. Close
enough.

Ernest Borgenine was a very devoted husband.

Borgnine is 92 years old!!!!

[sharon]

Post by Sharon Too

If Peter left private practice, why not return to County?

He mentioned that Reese was 13. Private practice means taking on-call. If
they were living here and he was practing at Schaumberg (?), that on-call
can be difficult.

Actually, he went to Schaumberg because the work didn't involve trauma call.
Remember the judge in his custody case didn't like the hours Peter worked.
Suposedly, he was to work in an outpatient surgery center and would be doing
scheduled cases like hernias and such. Not the kind of practice that
actually exists in the real world, BTW.

I presume that, with Reese getting older and spending more time with friends
and other activities, as well as with his relationship with Cleo on stable
footing, Peter wanted to return to a more diverse practice, including trauma
surgery and that's why he went to Northwestern. Reese can undoubtedly look
after himself for an hour or two should Peter be called away emergently and
he's also got an ongoing relationship with Cleo who can be available when
Benton is dealing with emergencies at the hospital.

In any event he apparently got a decent offer at private

Post by Sharon Too
Northwestern in general surgery. NW is supposed to be the affluent
hospital in ER-world. I'm sure he'd seen enough of County to want a
change, which probably included much better benefits and vacation time to
spend with family.

Northwestern is a university hospital, not really private. While they do
have some affiliates in the suburbs (my sister had surgery at Northwestern's
Evanston hospital), the main campus is smack in the middle of the city.
However, like any major university medical center, they do draw a lot of
referral patients, most of whom are insured. Northwestern does, like any
teaching facility, take care of plenty of indigent people, too.

As far as benefits go, County's are probably better than any private medical
corporation could provide. Ask any government employee about their
insurance, vacation time and retirement package. As most pay levels, it is
as good as or superior to anything in the public sector. Also, since
Northwestern is part of the state of Illinois university system, he might
well be getting state employee benefits. Certainly at Ohio State, that's a
big draw for many of the docs. The state mandated retirement benefits,
vacation and insurance package, as well as the malpractice coverage; is far
superior to what any private practice could generate. At OSU, all the
general surgeons are university employed, they are compensated based on the
income they generate. There are no strictly private practitioners working
there.

I worked at the County hospital here for a year and a half. During that
time, my income rose by more than a third from what I had made in private
practice and I saved more for retirement using PERS and the county benefits
in 18 mos than I had saved in the preceding 3 years working privately.
County hospital docs are not working on the cheap. They have far more job
security and better perks than the private sector.

Maybe Northwestern just had the right opportunity available at the right
time. Maybe there was a doc or a program that Peter was interested in
working with. Maybe he didn't want to come back to County since most of the
docs he had worked with before are long gone.

Post by Sharon Too
Nine years ago after the stabbing, Benton and Anspaugh saved the kidney.
It was a big deal at the time. Carter mentioned that sometime after the
stabbing his left kidney had failed, then the right was incapacitated in
the long run as a result of schistosomiasis. When kidneys fail, they don't
remove them. In fact, of the kidney transplant recipients I know, the
don't remove them at transplant, just piggyback the new one.

Yep, they put them into the pelvis through the belly. I scrubbed on one as
a med student and it was pretty cool. I've got a couple of renal
transplant patients in my practice and doing pelvic exams on them is quite
interesting. Even if Carter's kidney hadn't failed after the stabbing, the
amyloidosis from the schistosomiasis would've destroyed it anyway.

snip

Post by Sharon Too

Ernest Borgenine was a very devoted husband.

Borgnine is 92 years old!!!!

He's also still sharp as a tack and hilarious. CBS Sunday Morning did a
pre-Oscar show and he was profiled. It was terrific, he's quite the wit and
seems to be loving life.

Sharon

[Mary]

Post by sharon
As far as benefits go, County's are probably better than any private medical
corporation could provide.  Ask any government employee about their
insurance, vacation time and retirement package.  As most pay levels, it is
as good as or superior to anything in the public sector.  Also, since
Northwestern is part of the state of Illinois university system, he might
well be getting state employee benefits.  Certainly at Ohio State, that's a
big draw for many of the docs.  The state mandated retirement benefits,
vacation and insurance package, as well as the malpractice coverage; is far
superior to what any private practice could generate.  At OSU, all the
general surgeons are university employed, they are compensated based on the
income they generate.  There are no strictly private practitioners working
there.

Thanks very much for your informative post, Sharon. One thing though -
Northwestern is a private university and not part of the state of
Illinois university system.

[sharon]

Post by sharon
As far as benefits go, County's are probably better than any private medical
corporation could provide. Ask any government employee about their
insurance, vacation time and retirement package. As most pay levels, it is
as good as or superior to anything in the public sector. Also, since
Northwestern is part of the state of Illinois university system, he might
well be getting state employee benefits. Certainly at Ohio State, that's a
big draw for many of the docs. The state mandated retirement benefits,
vacation and insurance package, as well as the malpractice coverage; is far
superior to what any private practice could generate. At OSU, all the
general surgeons are university employed, they are compensated based on the
income they generate. There are no strictly private practitioners working
there.

Thanks very much for your informative post, Sharon. One thing though -
Northwestern is a private university and not part of the state of
Illinois university system.

OK, thanks. I figured they were Big 10, so they were probably a state
school.

Sharon (OSU grad X 2)

[sharon]

Post by Mary

Post by sharon
As far as benefits go, County's are probably better than any private medical
corporation could provide. Ask any government employee about their
insurance, vacation time and retirement package. As most pay levels, it is
as good as or superior to anything in the public sector. Also, since
Northwestern is part of the state of Illinois university system, he might
well be getting state employee benefits. Certainly at Ohio State, that's a
big draw for many of the docs. The state mandated retirement benefits,
vacation and insurance package, as well as the malpractice coverage; is far
superior to what any private practice could generate. At OSU, all the
general surgeons are university employed, they are compensated based on the
income they generate. There are no strictly private practitioners working
there.

Thanks very much for your informative post, Sharon. One thing though -
Northwestern is a private university and not part of the state of
Illinois university system.
OK, thanks. I figured they were Big 10, so they were probably a state
school.
Sharon (OSU grad X 2)

Sorry to reply to my own post, but, I forgot to say that, even though
Northwestern is private, it doesn't mean that the docs who work there are
all in private practice and not hospital employed. Here in Cleveland, The
Cleveland Clinic is a private institution, but the only physicians permitted
to have privileges and admit patients there are employed by the Clinic
itself. I'm in private practice and, while I work at a hospital affiliated
with the Clinic, but I am not allowed to admit or treat patients on the main
campus. BTW, Clinic docs make a bundle, far more than I do. However, the
Clinic's main interest is the bottom line and they constantly monitor their
docs and the way they practice, insisting that they take on huge patient
loads and see more patients than I personally feel is safe. If a doc
doesn't want to follow their 'model for practice', he/she is shown the door.
Currently, Clinic 'guidelines' are that Clinic doc should be seeing 40-50
patients a day in their office. I don't think I need to tell you how
quickly they run the patients in and out to achieve that.

Sharon

[Dimitrios Paskoudniakis]

Post by Darren Thornton
Ironically, Greg Brady
became a pediatrician. His wife was also his nurse.

Greg was an OB/GYN, not a pediatrician.

Post by Darren Thornton
We got a little Home Alone moment. Kevin's mom traveled with
a polka group. Neela and Sam flew with a reggae group. They were also
headed for Chicago.

If I recall correctly, the lady who planned the flights indicated the plane
was headed to Cleveland, not Chicago. Therefore, one can assume that they
asked the pilot and band to stop first in Chicago to drop off Neela, Sam,
and the organs.

[sharon]

Post by Dimitrios Paskoudniakis

Post by Darren Thornton
Ironically, Greg Brady
became a pediatrician. His wife was also his nurse.

Greg was an OB/GYN, not a pediatrician.

I was going to mention that, but felt like it was really pretty sad that I
knew that. Glad to see I'm not the only TV geek here.

Post by Dimitrios Paskoudniakis

Post by Darren Thornton
We got a little Home Alone moment. Kevin's mom traveled with
a polka group. Neela and Sam flew with a reggae group. They were also
headed for Chicago.

If I recall correctly, the lady who planned the flights indicated the
plane was headed to Cleveland, not Chicago. Therefore, one can assume
that they asked the pilot and band to stop first in Chicago to drop off
Neela, Sam, and the organs.

Sure, we Clevelanders are very friendly. Any one else catch the clock at
4:20 at that point? ER TPTB like their pot references.

Sharon

[Dimitrios Paskoudniakis]

Post by sharon

Post by Dimitrios Paskoudniakis

Post by Darren Thornton
Ironically, Greg Brady
became a pediatrician. His wife was also his nurse.

Greg was an OB/GYN, not a pediatrician.

I was going to mention that, but felt like it was really pretty sad that I
knew that. Glad to see I'm not the only TV geek here.

Post by Dimitrios Paskoudniakis

Post by Darren Thornton
We got a little Home Alone moment. Kevin's mom traveled with
a polka group. Neela and Sam flew with a reggae group. They were also
headed for Chicago.

If I recall correctly, the lady who planned the flights indicated the
plane was headed to Cleveland, not Chicago. Therefore, one can assume
that they asked the pilot and band to stop first in Chicago to drop off
Neela, Sam, and the organs.

Sure, we Clevelanders are very friendly. Any one else catch the clock at
4:20 at that point? ER TPTB like their pot references.
Sharon

I remember the Spinal Tap concert in Cleveland in 1982 at the Xanadu Star
Theater. The audience received them well and were very patient waiting for
the band to arrive on stage; apparently, the band members were hopelessly
lost backstage for 45 minutes, having difficulty finding their way to the
stage. Bass player Derek Smalls was heard to shout from backstage, "Hello,
Cleveland! Hello, Cleveland!"

[DLCandC]

Post by Darren Thornton
This past episode would have made a good two hour one.

Yeah, it could've. But I don't think George or Julianna wanted it to
seem like they were getting special treatment for coming back. No one
else got a 2-hour return.

Post by Darren Thornton
So much went on. Most plotlines left you wanting more. They'd
should do a commentary for the DVD. But I only occasionally watch
them. It's more of a time factor.

Yep, I always want more of George.....and Julianna. :-) I only have
S1-7 on DVD and have hardly any time to watch them. :-(

Post by Darren Thornton
I have great disgust for actors who shy away
from roles that made them famous.

You & me both!!!

Post by Darren Thornton
Eric, George, and Julianne wore
their parts like comfortable old shoes. They still fit! However, the
directions of their characters didn't make much sense. If Peter left
private practice, why not return to County?

Yes, yes they did. It was wonderful. Like Julianna said in an
interview, "You pick up a slice of their life now," she said. "It's
very satisfying." I was amazed at how comfortable they all were w/
each other. IRL, they are all still good friends. :-)

Maybe he didn't like the idea of having to care for "the wretched of
the earth" (quoting Shep) anymore. Maybe he didn't want to uproot
Reece & make him go to another school; maybe Cleo put her foot down &
he listened. (haha) There's tons of reasons.

Post by Darren Thornton
It's even harder to imagine Doug not
in pediatrics.

Who said he wasn't in pedes?

Post by Darren Thornton
We had at least three Oscar winners in this
episode. The grandmother plot was similar to one from the first
season. Peter had transplant teams waiting. But the wife still
had hope of recovery. Yet Susan did a good job. If only the mother
had cared that much! She didn't even leave a current number or address.

Meth addicts usually don't.

Post by Darren Thornton
It would have been nice if Doug and
Carol knew that "some doctor" was Carter.

Yes & no. But I prefer the way they did it. As long as we the
audience get to know, that's OK.

Post by Darren Thornton
Suppose Benton had removed that kidney? Kurtag was who Benton could have been.

Kurtag was a prick.

Post by Darren Thornton
We got a little Home Alone moment. Kevin's mom traveled with
a polka group. Neela and Sam flew with a reggae group. They were also
headed for Chicago. Too bad we didn't get to see some of that visit.
The DVD better include some deleted scenes. Wouldn't a backup plane be
available?

They knew that there were a lot of people there to p/u organs. I can
understand having to leave early because it was mentioned that one of
the teams was losing a patient back at their hospital. But surely
they would've arranged for another plane. (but if they did that, *we*
wouldn't have gotten our dramatic moment, now, would we?) :-P

Post by Darren Thornton
We got to see MermaidMan. Ernest Borgenine was a very devoted
husband.

Ernie Borgnine! Man, I thought he was dead. He was great in this
eppy. I've always enjoyed him. :-)

Post by Darren Thornton
Is peach juice really easier to digest? I've never drank any. Does it
taste like the soda?

Supposedly he gave it to her b/c it was easier for her to drink. Her
hubby stated she got choked/strangled on water. It doesn't taste like
soda.

Post by Darren Thornton
Giving that shot could qualify as practicing medicine without a
license. Speaking of which, Bob should have shown up somewhere.
She has a practice with Judy Winslow and Chuck Cunningham.

I'm sure she does! ;-)

Post by Darren Thornton
I still would have preferred a big reunion back
where it all started. Talk about a stretch! Whose post-County
life would you want to see as a series?

Maybe Benton's, Malucchi's, or Luka's.

Post by Darren Thornton
Sincerely,
Darren Thornton

----
Lori