Okay, some of you guys said, "They went too far with that episode", "Far too graphic for prime time",and "I am disappointed in NBC, don't they know kids watch this show?" I bet that if you watch ER most of you are watching "Trauma, Life in the ER" on TLC too! Come on, be honest! Don't harp on NBC for showing a couple blood splatters! :)

-- Joy Norrie (joijoy@webtv.net), February 12, 2000

Answers

I am 23 and I DO NOT think it was too graphic, it was not any worse than a show like NYPD, Cops, Trauma, Law and Order etc... I think it is sooo funny when people say oh the poor teens who saw taht, they'll be traumatized, umm no. Teens and kids are a lot smarter than people give them credit for(also young children should have been in bed by then anyway) some peole just like to live in this illusive fantasy world, where they think nothing bad ever happens. So they tell their children nothing and dont' bother to talk to them about drugs, sex etc.. and get mad when they grow up and start having opinions and ideas of their own. I also noticed that the great majority of people who saw the show had NO Problem with it. The ones who did well, hello it is a MEDICAL DRAMA, guess what people die on medical dramas, and there are people like that in the world who suffer from mental illness, this show will maybe be able to raise awereness of those conditions. Do you people watch the news even, if you cant' handle a primetime 10pm tv show, then how can you handle the news(at least this was TV, news is real life) also seeing a show like that is NOT Going to cause a teen to go shoot up their school. All of those shootings or a vast majority were done because the kids were teased by thier peers, because adults said, oh well kids will be kids and did nothing to stop it. My SR year of high school I was terrorized by this girl who hated me(and was very jealous of me-something I have had many peolple, even former friends of hers tell me) and she threatened to bash my head in with a hammer, I was scared to death of her, but I told no one because back then none of the school shooting had even happened yet, and I knew if I told anyone i'd just get the, well that's how high schoolers act response. But I never ever thought of hurting her or shooting her or anything. I get so tired of seeing adults put down people in my generation or the generation below me and saying we are stupid or dont know anything. I am not stupid, I have my views, opinions and ideas and I have a right to think how I want as do others. I think the acting, directing, camera angles, etc.. were excellent in this episode, I do not think it was any worse than any other episode, so there was a stabbing, there are things like that in those law shows and shows like Trauma, Cops, and made for tv movies all the time. If you thought this was too much then maybe you shouldn't watch medical shows or prime time dramas, and should stick to comedies or pbs.

-- Alex (rfamily45@hotmail.com), February 12, 2000.

Well, It was not to graphic for adults, but in fact if parents actually let their kids stay up that late to watch ER then that's their fault. Most young children up until early teens are a sleep by 10PM I would think, so don't blame the show. This particular show will most likely land ER a much deserved Emmy!

-- mckenzie (cwbsierraangel@aol.com), February 12, 2000.

I'm only 13, and it wasn't too graphic for me! Mind you, I can stomach more than most adults, including my parents, cuz I'm gonna go to med school, but It wasn't even that graphic. It was just Kellie and Noah's superb acting skills shining through!

-- Lisa (Shaniakicks@hotmail.com), February 12, 2000.

I'm 15, hoping to go to Med School on day, and I don't think that this episode was too graphic. The blood was fine, I can stand that. It was the look on Kelli's face that kept me up all night. And then the wondering if the killer was still there. I have another question though...where was she stabbed? I know Noah was stabbed in the back. I can't wait till next week!

-- "Dani" (DPSax4@aol.com), February 12, 2000.

My only problem is that it is on network TV and where I live it is on at 9:00. It is really not that far fetched to believe that a young child could be awake at 9:00. I thought the episode was great, freaky, but great. I was more unsettled by it though. I am studying to be a midwife and I see a lot of blood, but it is natural. Most of the blood in ER is the natural result of an illness or accident, but to see someone willfully and violently rob another person of their life...that is different than medical drama. Also, on ER you rarely see the actual injury causing incident, just the effects. Here you saw it all. I think people were just not prepared to see the whole thing and that is part of the concern here. I did like the episode a lot though and I thought all of the foreshadowing and symbolism was nice. Those last few shots will stay in my mind for a long time though and I will see the anesthesiologist putting an epidural in differently for a very long time!

-- 2222 (rachelrr@ivillage.com), February 12, 2000.

I'm 17 and I want to work in the medical prof too so to me it was not scary at all or too bloody. The thing about the man being there hidingand al, yes it was kind of freaky, but it was due to the fantastic directing and acting, music etc... I think this was a great episode that hopefully will lead to an Emmy and that will make people more aware of mental illness. I also think it will wonderfully work with the process of dealing with grief(since Lucy is more than likely to die and Carter will live and have to deal with it) The answer to when and where Lucy was attacked(someone asked in another post) well I think it was soon after she went in the room, rembmber when Carter was yelling and all mad at her for not seeng any other patients and she got angry and yelled back and slammed the door to the room. I think the door slamming was a foreshadowing of something being finalized(like the fact that she was then trapped in the room) of course no one saw what went on when she was attacked, but I think Josh(was that his name??) was prob just sitting there and acting normal and then prob attatcked really fast(so she couldnt' scream) they don't say,(prob til next week) but I think he cut her in the neck/throat area. I also think that maybe when she looked at Carter and truied to talk that she was maybe trying to apologize for not being able to warn him or to stop Josh from hurting him too. I do not think this episode was bad or distasteful at all, I think adults need to give us more credit as to what we can handle, and I think it was one of the best, if not the best episodes of ER or any tv show I have ever seen(recently).

-- Kaylie (actress_dancer@ivillage.com), February 13, 2000.

I agree. I am only 13, but this show, if anything, caused me to realize how horrible violence and murder is. And kids are smart, don't stereotype all of them on the few rotton ones. BTW, fantastic show on Thursday and it wasn't bloody at all.

-- April (mohawk@xmissin.com), February 13, 2000.

2222 - You and several others here (can't remember the names right now) have mentioned that ER comes on at 9pm in your area and children could conceivable still be watching TV at that time. This may be true, but the stabbing scenes weren't until the last 3-5 mins of the program, which puts it at almost 10pm. Letting children watch a 1/2 hr program from 9 - 930 pm would be realistic, but letting them stay up til 10pm wouldn't. And if the parents aren't putting them to bed by 930, well then I guess they (the parents) feel their children can handle the drama. JMO

~Lolina~

-- Lolina (lbmorgan@tcsn.net), February 15, 2000.

Nope, never said it was on at 9pm where I am. It's on at 10, and this is the point I was trying to make (same as your's) that kids shouldn't be up that late anyways. I didn't think it was too graphic at all....freaky, yes!

-- Joy Norrie (joijoy@webtv.net), February 15, 2000.

Where I live ER airs at 8:30pm, which is quiet early compared to the times written in the above discussions. As you would imagine lots of young kids are still up at this time. Usually the tv station will put out a warning about the episode just before it airs, if they feel it requires one. For example "labour lost love" was rated MA which means it is restricted to 15 year olds and over(other ER episodes are M), basically they stated the episode consisted of adult themes, detailed medical procedures etc..."that may offend some viewers" While I realise that curious kids are not going to care about such a warning you would hope that it may influence the decision of some parents to let their kids watch the episode(particulaly young kids). Anyway i was just wondering was a warning broadcasted just before the episode "be still in my heart"???

-- Emma (empatto@hotmail.com), February 16, 2000.

I LOVE those real life operating room shows!!! Wasn't the gore that bothered me- it was the shock. Wasn't expecting it at all, since I had given up on the "shocking moment" at around 10:45. In fact, I was pretty mad at NBC at that time for having suckered me. As for the tots watching, I don't let my kid watch it- if he's up late (he's 3), I tape the show. But I don't see how it's inconceivable that kids would be up at that hour. I work nights frequently and if mine went to bed at an "acceptable" hour every night I would average 3 hours of sleep.

-- Sam (amoeba9999@yahoo.com), February 16, 2000.

JUST BECAUSE SHOW IS ON AT 8 OR 9 PM, DOES THAT MAKE IT OK FOR YOUR KIDS TO WATCH IT??? good mentality people!! maybe you should tell them to go to their room and read a book or something, after all, you are their parent. the writers, directors, producers are not the parents of your child, and are not at your home to monitor YOUR kids, so dont blame them for your own laziness!!

-- Alexis (lexicat1@webtv.net), February 18, 2000.