Okay, let me say first that I DO NOT want a Luka/Carol romance. That would be boring, since she's such a dull, self-righteous thing & would only make him boring (God, I can't wait 'til she's finally gone). I just have one last little dig at Doug. I realize the writers are to blame for his utterly wimpy exit. But really-when you're about to leave the woman you *love* behind, are you really going to go out & play BASKETBALL with your buddy? Come on! He should have been on his knees, BEGGING her to go with him-be a man, for cryin' out, Doug! (or maybe I should aim that at the writers-they could have made him a man; maybe that's why so many people have a grudge against Luka; they wish Doug could have had a little class & dignity, too).

I don't blame her for staying behind, of course. She didn't know she was pregnant at the time, but when she did find out he'd managed to knock her up, she could have at least given in & done the right thing for her babies. I still think he was the same as he was in the first season: a good-looking jerk with a one-dimensional personality. He was horrible alone, disgusting with Carol & ridiculous with anyone else. Whenever she was with him-constantly having to forgive him, I felt sorry for her & wanted to smack her at the same time. "Catch a clue, Carol!" She was pretty bad alone, too, & the Shep & Tag relationships were silly, too. Why were these two so popular? I just don't get it. They had no appeal to me at all. They were just so BORING!

I wish they had killed him off at the end of last season-at least it would have been more *realistic* and there would be no need to argue about why he left her (I mean, he'd be DEAD, after all...I know, that sounds cruel, but it wouldn't be so contrived). We would also not have to make constant comparisons between him & Luka, who is supposedly "replacing" him. Of course, if anyone had paid attention to the end of "Humpty Dumpty", he's actually replacing Dr. Lawrence. I don't think Doug was irreplaceable-he was the weakest part of the show, IMO. I don't hate Clooney, but really-he isn't much of an actor (look at his films, most of which were disappointments or flops-did anyone actually endure "Batman & Robin"?-there has to be a reason for it-"Out of Sight" was obviously well-written, but didn't do too well; I think it's 'cause Clooney is just always George Clooney in every role he takes; you don't see him as the character at all, but just GC in that person's clothes; that's what the ER writers wanted from George, I think-"Just be yourself, George.").

But again, I don't hate George Clooney. His stab at the paparazzi after Princess Diana's death is to be applauded. Those jackals deserved to be fried, not just for what they did to her, but for what they do to a lot of people, *including* George. No one deserves that kind of crap.

Back to what I'm trying to say: you can be cute for a little while, but then you'd better have some substance for me to like you much. Doug just didn't have much substance. He was good with kids...lots of people are. I don't see what the big deal is about that. I wonder how good he is with his first kid?

(I know, this is about a TELEVISION CHARACTER WHO DOES NOT EXIST IN REAL LIFE, but he annoys me a great deal; people like him in real life annoy me, too)

I had to get that off my chest. I am still a rabid Doug-hater. Always will be. I'm not trying to change anyone's opinion of him. Y'all are free to love him & think he hung the moon or that he's the best thing for Carol. I think not-she needs a grown-up now, & those babies need a responsible daddy (not Luka, though), not a charming cad. I just don't see what the appeal is for Doug & never will. He was repulsive, to me. I hope I don't get flamed for these comments. Like I said, I'm not trying to make anyone who loves Doug change their opinion of him. He made a lot of people into ER fans. But it wasn't him that made *me* a fan. It was the good writing, the fine acting (with one notable exception), the interesting stories. Season five was terrible through & through, but now I feel like things are getting better. The new characters (except Cleo) are interesting & you gotta admit, Luka is the most intriguing person in the cast this year. It will continue to get better, IMO, if Doug stays in the great Northwest.

Wow! That's one big, strong soapbox! :>

I welcome any rebuttal from Doug lovers & fellow Doug haters.

-- SLJ (miesque@looksmart.com), December 21, 1999

Answers

Well, I liked the Doug character simply because he was unpredictable, a rebel, sometimes really shallow and sometimes very kind, riled up the others, and, most of all, HUMAN -- just like the Kerry Weaver character, who I really like. These are people who are just as flawed as the rest of us -- I wish the ER writers would make Carol that way again, like she used to be (i.e. my favorite episode of Carol's is when she was outside the church talking to Tag, just before they were supposed to walk up the aisle and get married, and she was brutally honest with him, faced down the fact that he left, and then enjoyed her reception anyway! That was fantastic!), instead of being some holier-than-thou person. As for Kerry, I like her because sometimes she makes me so mad, like when she hung Mark out to dry over the appointment of Romano to be ER chief, and sometimes she's so kind and sweet, like when she was delivering Carol's babies.

One thing I have always felt, though, is that the writers of ER made Carol way too much of a doormat over the whole Doug situation -- love aside, how on earth can she trust this guy who has left her and treated her badly so many times? I'd be really disappointed in her character if she "rides off into the sunset" with Doug at the end of the season, because as she herself said, her family and her life are in Chicago.

My last little gripe is that I thought the ER writers did a shoddy job of getting rid of the Doug character. His exit was weak and confusing, and basically left me wondering what on earth the writers were thinking -- that this relationship which took years to build and had a lot of ups and downs could just end with Doug walking away and going to play hoops with Mark!

-- Cindy (tailchasers51@hotmail.com), December 27, 1999.

Yeah. The writers are to blame for such a shoddy exit. I will be able to forgive Doug somewhat if he does marry her, but if *I* were her (and of course I'm not; I'd kill for hair & skin like that! :>) I wouldn't marry him for anything. I wouldn't have even dated him. Charming cads just do not appeal to me. But that's just me. Lots of people liked him, and even loved him. I just couldn't see it. Still can't.

I like Kerry while disliking her at the same time. Hard to explain. She has a heart, but she doesn't show it very often. And Carol's holier-than-thou attitude is grating sometimes (loved it when Meg called her on it). Personally, I think she's the one with designs on Luka (maybe she sees him as what Doug would be like as a mature adult), not the other way around, but that's just my opinion. If the writers (who seem to spend a lot of time in that writers' room, passing around a single brain cell) match them up, I'll scream. The writers are to blame for the horrific D/C storyline. I came very close--very close--to actually tolerating Doug fairly well last season, but they screwed it up & made it a huge mess once again & now we all have to sit around wondering if he's going to come back & get the woman he *loves* or not. It was writer betrayal of the fans!

-- SLJ (miesque@looksmart.com), December 27, 1999.