Dr. Mark Greene's last episode and an excellent farewell to a wonderful character that ER fans have admired for eight years. His brain tumor has already been discovered as non-operable and in the last episode, he chose not to undergo any further treatment so that he could live his life as "two or three good months, instead of six long months." He has already left the ER without much of a goodbye, and in the last episode "The Letter," the staff receives news that he has died. In this episode, he tries to do all the things that he wanted to do, and on that list it includes "fixing Rachel," his out of control teenage daughter. He takes her to Hawaii, the longest place he ever stayed at because of his father's Naval duties. While in Hawaii, he's bonding with his daughter and telling her about his childhood and how he was. He says that he didn't get along with his father, but regrets that he didn't have a better relationship with him. Rachel doesn't want to hear any of it but Mark wants to help her with no resolve. He finally falls to the ground suffering from a Grand Mal Seizure, and his wife, Elizabeth Corday rushes to his side from Chicago. It is now evident of the brain tumor's effects on Mark and that his death will be soon. Elizabeth talks to Rachel and tells her to snap out of it, that her father is dying and if she doesn't bond with him now, that she will regret it for the rest of her life. Mark, who looks terrible, and can hardly move, asks Elizabeth to write letters for him to his two children for them to open on their special days: graduation, weddings, and etc since he wouldn't be there. Rachel finally tries to connect with Mark and he tells her that he was thinking about what a father should tell his daughter and he finally realizes it, he tells her "I was trying to figure out what I should have already told you, but I never have. Something important. Something every father should impart to his daughter. I finally got it. Generosity. Be generous. With your time...with your love....with your life." He goes back to sleep because he's exhausted. He dreams of walking through the ER which is completely empty. That is the last time we see him. The next scene is of the funeral. An excellent episode, but the most depressing episode of the ER series. One important question: Where were Doug Ross and Carol Hathaway? They were not at the wedding and were Mark's best friends.
Review of On the Beach
