This, in my opinion, is ER in its very prime, doing what it does best. In this episode, we really get a true feeling for the stress and the constant nature of life as a staff member in the ER. The episode has a certain focus on Anthony Edwards' Marc Greene who attempts to convince his father to take chemotherapy to treat his lung cancer. Edwards' acting is so good that with minimal dialogue, we can really see that he takes his father's negative decision to heart and it gets to him, affecting his work. But in the end, he learns to appreciate the time he has left with his father in stead of sulking.
Also in the limelight is Carter's continual recovery from the knife attack and it's his first day back at work. I feel that Noah Wyle deserves special attention for this episode in particular as he gets the state of mind spot on. We can see that he is suffering, his acting style shows this but he does it in a way that induces dramatic irony, the other characters don't know about it. He is eventually reunited with his grandmother, something which the writers deserve excellent credit for as this simple move shows how vulnerable the character is feeling.
The reason I didn't give this episode full marks is its skimming over of certain stories. In particular, the brewing love story between Peter Benton and Cleo Finch which only receives one scene of air time. It almost suggests that the relationship isn't important or central to what's going on in Benton's life but considering all of his other stories throughout seasons one to six, it would be of high importance. It also seems a little like this is happening just so the writers can give Benton and Finch a story. At this point, it doesn't seem to be going anywhere.
All in all, with some excellent comedy moments classic to ER, this is a very good episode which I enjoyed thoroughly and would recommend to someone who is either watching the series in order or looking for a random episode. However, it does seem like the screen time is being filled out a little with unnecessary stories just to keep certain characters going.
Also in the limelight is Carter's continual recovery from the knife attack and it's his first day back at work. I feel that Noah Wyle deserves special attention for this episode in particular as he gets the state of mind spot on. We can see that he is suffering, his acting style shows this but he does it in a way that induces dramatic irony, the other characters don't know about it. He is eventually reunited with his grandmother, something which the writers deserve excellent credit for as this simple move shows how vulnerable the character is feeling.
The reason I didn't give this episode full marks is its skimming over of certain stories. In particular, the brewing love story between Peter Benton and Cleo Finch which only receives one scene of air time. It almost suggests that the relationship isn't important or central to what's going on in Benton's life but considering all of his other stories throughout seasons one to six, it would be of high importance. It also seems a little like this is happening just so the writers can give Benton and Finch a story. At this point, it doesn't seem to be going anywhere.
All in all, with some excellent comedy moments classic to ER, this is a very good episode which I enjoyed thoroughly and would recommend to someone who is either watching the series in order or looking for a random episode. However, it does seem like the screen time is being filled out a little with unnecessary stories just to keep certain characters going.
