Rob Jensen
2009-03-13 04:26:24 UTC
Added x-post to alt.tv.er
On Thu, 12 Mar 2009 20:07:32 -0700 (PDT), ***@yahoo.com wrote:
>So, was it just me or was that a really, really good episode? Lots of
>familiar faces and yet none of them felt like they were simply jammed
>into the episode for the sake of being there.
It was a really, really good episode, even taking into consideration
that the show was absolutely dreadful from about Anthony Edwards's
last year and a half on the show until Noah Wyle semi-left the show.
(I mean, when he stopped being a lead rather than continuing his 2-4
episodes per year thing for the past three-four years).
What I thought was great was that Wells clearly put the story concerns
above the "Oh my god, I really got George Clooney (and, umm, those
other guys) back!" factor. With the double-A plots in Washington with
Doug & Carol and with Carter & Benton at Northwestern, you got a great
self-contained duology about transplants -- that we may be saving
someone we love without ever even knowing it (in a way) -- that's
almost its own minimovie with Neela and Sam doing cameos, but even at
that, the B-plot, with the abandoned baby, still tied into the
theme/motif of how and when giving something up can be a good thing.
Loved Benton pulling weight in the OR. Seems that transplant doctor
had an even worse reputation than Benton let on. A doctor's not just
a prick (as Benton described the guy) when his entire surgical team
almost unilaterally decide to take Benton's lead in doing the prep
work. So it almost feels like they were implicitly suggesting that
either Benton had the clout at Northwestern (which, after all, is a
teaching hospital and the transplant surgeon wasn't teaching, he was
barking orders) to feel confident that he could take the surgeon down
with no repercussions (I mean, he felt he could get away with it), or
the transplant surgeon was already on so short a leash anyway that
Benton was more or less the one amongst his coworkers who finally had
the type of in that they all were hoping to get to take him down.
Like, perhaps, the chief of surgery, the staff's equivalent of Weaver
or whoever, had told the surgical staff that he (the chief) can't take
the surgeon down without more evdience and Carter's situation just
provided Benton with the opportunity.
Also, I really liked the place that Benton is now at as a person
because he was pretty much inscruitable when he was at County/on the
show. Which is something I kinda also liked about Doug & Carol --
that the story showed that these doctors were much happier now that
their residencies were over and they're well into their careers.
Also, loved the coda that Carol never finds out that the kidney went
to Carter, just to "some doctor." I hope that I wasn't the only one
who figured out by about 40 minutes or so into the show that none of
them, not even Neela or Sam, would find out about Carter.
Also (again), i thought it was interesting at the beginning that all
of the returnees were listed as leads alongside the current regulars,
just kinda hoping that this meant that it was something better than
just the usual cameos that happen 100% of the time, but they story
clearly had them as the stars of the episode, the lead actors of the
episode (alongside Neela, Sam and Uncle Jesse). So this was the one
time that, well, a credit situation like this was done right.
I hope the episode gets nominated for an Emmy for Best
Screenplay/Drama. And that Clooney guy -- he should maybe get
nominated for Best Guest Actor/Drama.
>Plus, how adorable was Shiri Appleby with her short hair?
Shiri Appleby is adorable period.
When the series ends, I hope her character has to transfer her
internship to a certain hospital not called the University of
Washington in Seattle. You know, the one with the crazy blonde who
might be dying of Stage IV metastatic melanoma. That would be
interesting.
-- Rob
On Thu, 12 Mar 2009 20:07:32 -0700 (PDT), ***@yahoo.com wrote:
>So, was it just me or was that a really, really good episode? Lots of
>familiar faces and yet none of them felt like they were simply jammed
>into the episode for the sake of being there.
It was a really, really good episode, even taking into consideration
that the show was absolutely dreadful from about Anthony Edwards's
last year and a half on the show until Noah Wyle semi-left the show.
(I mean, when he stopped being a lead rather than continuing his 2-4
episodes per year thing for the past three-four years).
What I thought was great was that Wells clearly put the story concerns
above the "Oh my god, I really got George Clooney (and, umm, those
other guys) back!" factor. With the double-A plots in Washington with
Doug & Carol and with Carter & Benton at Northwestern, you got a great
self-contained duology about transplants -- that we may be saving
someone we love without ever even knowing it (in a way) -- that's
almost its own minimovie with Neela and Sam doing cameos, but even at
that, the B-plot, with the abandoned baby, still tied into the
theme/motif of how and when giving something up can be a good thing.
Loved Benton pulling weight in the OR. Seems that transplant doctor
had an even worse reputation than Benton let on. A doctor's not just
a prick (as Benton described the guy) when his entire surgical team
almost unilaterally decide to take Benton's lead in doing the prep
work. So it almost feels like they were implicitly suggesting that
either Benton had the clout at Northwestern (which, after all, is a
teaching hospital and the transplant surgeon wasn't teaching, he was
barking orders) to feel confident that he could take the surgeon down
with no repercussions (I mean, he felt he could get away with it), or
the transplant surgeon was already on so short a leash anyway that
Benton was more or less the one amongst his coworkers who finally had
the type of in that they all were hoping to get to take him down.
Like, perhaps, the chief of surgery, the staff's equivalent of Weaver
or whoever, had told the surgical staff that he (the chief) can't take
the surgeon down without more evdience and Carter's situation just
provided Benton with the opportunity.
Also, I really liked the place that Benton is now at as a person
because he was pretty much inscruitable when he was at County/on the
show. Which is something I kinda also liked about Doug & Carol --
that the story showed that these doctors were much happier now that
their residencies were over and they're well into their careers.
Also, loved the coda that Carol never finds out that the kidney went
to Carter, just to "some doctor." I hope that I wasn't the only one
who figured out by about 40 minutes or so into the show that none of
them, not even Neela or Sam, would find out about Carter.
Also (again), i thought it was interesting at the beginning that all
of the returnees were listed as leads alongside the current regulars,
just kinda hoping that this meant that it was something better than
just the usual cameos that happen 100% of the time, but they story
clearly had them as the stars of the episode, the lead actors of the
episode (alongside Neela, Sam and Uncle Jesse). So this was the one
time that, well, a credit situation like this was done right.
I hope the episode gets nominated for an Emmy for Best
Screenplay/Drama. And that Clooney guy -- he should maybe get
nominated for Best Guest Actor/Drama.
>Plus, how adorable was Shiri Appleby with her short hair?
Shiri Appleby is adorable period.
When the series ends, I hope her character has to transfer her
internship to a certain hospital not called the University of
Washington in Seattle. You know, the one with the crazy blonde who
might be dying of Stage IV metastatic melanoma. That would be
interesting.
-- Rob