I heard from a reliable source that told my mom a week before "All in the Family" about Lucy dying...that Carol is going to commit suicide...AGAIN...and this time it will work. she's going to die? then the twins---poor things -- will be sent to Doug? What the heck? why is ER suddenly so morbid and depressing and acting like death is the only thing entertaining? This made me very mad -- I thought the writers would think of something more creative than her dying...the deaths are getting old and depressing!! But, is it true? I heard it was in the National Enquirer and I know that's not very reliable but this person my mom knows IS a good source...I believe it... I hate the way ER sometimes treats death...there's too much of the staff dying!! I know it's an emergency room but come on!

-- Katie (WriteGrl@aol.com), March 17, 2000

Answers

I don't believe this at all. First of all, many people knew about Lucy dying much more than a week before the episode aired. It was common knowledge. I don't Carol will commit suicide.

-- Phyl (erfan@flash.net), March 17, 2000.

I don't believe this either. Popular characters *attempt* suicide and stay popular (as does the show); they don't *commit* suicide. Suicide is something that leaves people angry and distanced -- including an audience. Carol is a popular character, whether or not J.M. is leaving the show, I hardly think they'd kill her off for starters, much less in that fashion. Let's face it, part of the reason why St. Elsewhere went bad in the end is because they got too existential and grim in a very self indulgent way. That isn't the way ER has been written and I don't foresee them writing out Carol this way. It would leave a very bad taste in fans' mouths and I don't believe the writers are that dumb.

-- Ellen (skatabase@aol.com), March 17, 2000.

I don't believe this for a minute...I agree with Ellen. The fans would totally revolt if this happened. There is no reason to think she would commit suicide (she has not shown any behavior lately that would lead to that) and now that she is a mother she has too much to live for. By the way (off the topic) does anyone know if Doug is on the birth cert. and if these twins have the name Ross or Hathaway? Just wondering.

-- amanda (amanda.rehm@home.com), March 17, 2000.

I agree, I think these are just tabloid rumors. No one knows how Carol is going to leave. First of all, in the pilot episode of ER, Carol Hathaway was supposed to die after her suicide attempt, but fans liked the character so much that the ER writers made her a regular. Another suicide attempt wouldn't be believable. Secondly, Carol has come a LONG way to finding herself and being happy - buying a house, not marrying Tag, getting back together with Doug, choosing to have children. A suicide attempt would be totally out of character, but then again ... I'm not an ER writer. :-) I think Carol's exit will be dramatic, but not a death. I'm voting for she goes to med school!

-- Cindy (tailchasers51@hotmail.com), March 17, 2000.

I agree, it would be a bad idea. No one wants to think of the babies without a mom, and there would have to be almost a season-long buildup for something like that --an act SHE commits, rather than violence imposed on her by someone else-- to be believable. BUT--given that it was the way she was originally to go out in the pilot it is a tiny bit interesting. Carol has this bit of darkness in her, despite the fact that we want her to be well and happy and for things to be stable in her life.

-- nancy (tbc@po.cwru.edu), March 17, 2000.

I really don't think they should write JM's character off in this manner. What somebody said above is very true, that a popular character can have his or her life endangered, but in order to not alienate the fans, this character pulls through and finds hidden strength. Carol Hathaway is popular, both with the audience and other characters, so it seems highly unlikely that she would be written off as a suicide.

Perhaps Mark begins to worry that she will (whether it's an unfounded fear or not)? There have been no signs to indicate this, though if you recall back to the Pilot, Doug said he had been joking around with her that very day and never saw it coming. Since I am still hoping for a Clooney return, that is one possible way to write him in (Mark calls Doug and expresses his concern, Doug rushes back to Chicago).

In all honesty, hasn't this character been through enough? Doug cheated on her, she lost Tatiana, Tag left her, Raul died, she had to break-up with Shep (who was soon seen dating a blonde), Doug left town and she's now raising their two daughters on her own. While we could say "all the more reason," Carol is strong and deserves a happy ending!! (Some of which I'd like to see.)

-- Leigh (WillnGraceNYC@yahoo.com), March 17, 2000.

I doubt that will happen as a few weeeks ago JM was in town promoting her movie at the Sundance Film Festival and a local news lady asked how she would leave and would it include GC and she said that she sisn't know what TPTB had in mind and that SHE and George would be the last to know because they were being hounded by reporters. So I doubt that anyone really knows yet just what will happen. Besides, everyone will be ticked off enough if Carol and Doug don't ride off together into the sunset, can you imagine the furor if she killed herself? ER writers may be suffering from some significant lapses of judgement in the last season and a half (not counting the last few episodes), but i doubt they are THAT stoned.

-- 2222 (rachelrr@ivillage.com), March 17, 2000.

Well, well, well, We'll just get to see if Katies moms reliable source is right later on wont we? I remember Rosie O talking to JM on that show behind the scenes, and there she told Rosie that she just wants her caracter to leave the show happy. I'm gonna be surprised if JM lets the writers write her off like that. As I said. We'll see!!!!

-- Ina (ifelsch@mail.com), March 17, 2000.

thanks for those answers! I'm relieved that the fans of ER don't agree with this -- and don't believe this -- but just don't beat up on me if my mom's source is wrong!! :-) If I'm wrong, we'll just say I caused a stir...an innocent one...:-)

-- Katie (WriteGrl@aol.com), March 17, 2000.

I think it is more likely that the suicide attempt would be from Carter not Carol. I think it would be an interesting evolution to have her counsel him about suicide. She would be the only one there who could truly say she knows what he is going through considering how she came into ER. I think this would have a nice symmetry to it for the character of Carol (not that I want to see one hair on Carter's head harmed!)

-- maryann (map5860@aol.com), March 18, 2000.

Ina made me remember something from the Rosie O'Donnell show. Juliana did say that she thought the writers would not write her character out in a way that she did not agree with. And as Ina said, JM said she wanted Carol to be happy. So I definitely don't think this suicide thing is going to be linked to her.

-- amanda (amanda.rehm@home.com), March 18, 2000.

I saw the same article in the National Enquirer. Not a very reliable source of information, but there's no doubt some truth to the suicide report. Like the previous writer who mentioned Carter, I agree that his character is the most likely to attempt suicide as the result of the trauma he has suffered himself, and probably from the guilt he may feel for Lucy's death. Of course, the writers can't kill off Carter because Wylie is signed on to the show until 2002, but if anyone goes through serious turmoil, it would logically be his character, not Carol Hathaway's. It's interesting to ponder the possible ways the show may go at the end of this season.

-- Sandra Bit (sbit@oznewmedia.com), March 18, 2000.

After reading all the posible endings for the show this season, I will be disturbed if Carol simply gets on a plane with her babies to go to Doug In Washington. That will be just too easy! The writers just can't try to make the viewers accept their reunion without actually seeing them together. Mr. & Ms. Writers---Do you read this? Hello?

-- joan (joanofarc24@hotmail.com), March 19, 2000.

Lucy Knight already died, and that is enough death for one seasaon. Also I don't think they would make Carol commit suicide again after she already tried. The tabloids are fun to read, but I doubt that any of them are true!

-- Sparky (iluver@hotmail.com), March 19, 2000.

Even though they don't show it, I believe that Carol loves her girls TOO much to leave them "orphaned."

-- Linda (l.brown@mindspring.com), March 19, 2000.

The only possible way for Carol to even consider suicide again would be if either something happened to Doug or to her twins. I agree with all the previous messages - she has a lot to live for now. But how she leaves should still be interesting nonetheless.

-- Tom (tparsonst5@hotmail.com), March 21, 2000.

I will personally kill the writers if Noah Wyle leaves ER. Now, Carol can leave anytime, can't stand her. Thank GOODNESS she's supposedly leaving at the end of this season. BUT, we don't need another death, I'm tired of "doc/nurse/med student dies, one episode later, doc mentions to other doc some short line about a memorial service, two episodes later, she's hardly mentioned." Death without reprecussions (sp?) just doesn't happen. Carol can leave Chicago or something, go work in another department or hospital, just GET HER OUT OF COUNTY!!!

-- Mo (moni4987@teen.com), April 04, 2000.