John & Deb

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I hope next season the writers and producers do something with this. John and Deb make a good team, working together and as friends. As for any possible romantic involvement, well, we'll see. Not in the near future--that boy needs to recover before he becomes Cassanova again.

I was watching "Family Matters" last Thursday and just watching those two interact, just made me smile. It's nice to see Carter with a friend, and with someone who treats him as an equal, and who he treats as an equal. It was also good to see that after all that time it only took them a matter of seconds to get back to the comfort level they were with each other back in season one.

I particularly liked the scene where Carter and Deb were leaving the ER and Malucchi asked Deb if she was working the next day, and the reaction both of them had after Dave was out of earshot. Carter pushing her playfully to the side and laughing at the situation. And then the "call me Jing-Mei" thing--and how Carter has obviously not been doing that, and how Deb doesn't seem to mind.

The care she's shown for him consistantly after the stabbing--please, please TPTB, don't completely forget about that!

-- Lynda (unabashedly_masochistic@yahoo.com), June 03, 2000

Answers

I totally agree! I would love to see the Carter and Jing Mei friendship expanded. They really are good together...their rivalry, respect for each other, good natured teasing, etc. I just wonder how he will react to Jing Mei (and the others who confronted him) when he returns. Its good to see him have a friendship like this. I for one would NOT be disappointed if, over time it developed into more!

-- amanda (amanda.rehm@home.com), June 03, 2000.

Yeah, but Deb bugs me! She was ok in the beginning, but now she's so pushy and I really hope there is absolutely no romantic involvement between Carter and her...keep it platonic at the least! I have little interest in her, really...she was better in the 1st season...does anyone else feel this way?

-- Katie (writegrl@aol.com), June 04, 2000.

Actually, I think Deb's actually M-E-L-L-O-W-E-D in the second half of this season. In her first few episodes back she was in old form, but with Carter's accident, she's taken a step down in the competetive department. She's talked to him--asked him how he's been, helped out with his paperwork-. As for her with the rest of the people in the ER, I haven't seen where she's been too abrasive, although she pushed a little with the testing thing with Romano, but I was glad to see that.

I think that a lot of people were colored by first impressions of her and that doesn't allow them to accept change. I've read discussions where people seemed confused or appalled that Deb was included in the room of people when Carter was finally confronted--why? She's the only one that has shown more than a hair's width of friendship towards him since he was stabbed. That, and she's only been on half a season and I don't think it's time to kick her off the show yet, like some people have suggested. Cleo, that's another story. She's been on for a while. :)

And this whole thing with people thinking Abby "saved" Carter--how is that? She tattled and the others finally decided to take some action. Save? Hardly.

-- Lynda (unabashedly_masochistic@yahoo.com), June 04, 2000.


I do not want anything romantic to happen between Carter and Chen. I still don't care all that much about her. If she was to leave the show, I would not be upset at all. Cleo and Chen are at the top of my must go list.

-- Brenda (jckwfan@aol.com), June 04, 2000.

I don't think the writers intend to have Carter and Chen get "involved." They would have done that already. But I agree it is great to have them as friends. The show lost a lot when Doug and Mark's friendship ended (because of plot events and George Clooney's departure).

What the show needs are characters who have histories together -- not necessarily romantic histories. Something that viewers can feel connected to the past by. That's what's great about Carter and Benton, there's all those past events that happened between them, so that a simple short pair of scenes (the end of "May Day") have a huge impact. Having Chen and Carter be friends and equals, makes for a similar comfort level.

-- debbie (riccardoiii@aol.com), June 04, 2000.



TPTB were smart enough to get rid of the dead-end character Deb in the first place, so I can't understand them bringing her back. She's such a bore, and IMO brings little to most scenes she's in. I hope they don't hook her up with Carter because I'm afraid she'd do to him what Cleo has done to Peter...make me consider hitting fast forward.

-- Diana (dilynne@juno.com), June 04, 2000.

Tell us how you really feel :)

Well, it doesn't matter if there's a romantic relationship or not--I honestly don't see the writer's doing that for one reason or another, but I want to see the friendship continue and allow Deb more growth as a character so people who hate her now maybe don't hate her as much as they have come to dislike other characters.

-- Lynda (unabashedly_masochistic@yahoo.com), June 04, 2000.


I really like the Carter & Deb friendship...esp. since she was the one to bother to check up on him. I think she will feel she has to prove to be a good friend next season, and I'm looking forward to that. As for a romantic situation, I wouldnt really mind if they go there, but I can't really see it, I like their friendship. The only reason I would advocate it is that romantic relationships are more fun to watch develop when there is a history between the two (as opposed to poor Benton and Cleo, who no one seems to like!)

-- Elaine (mrsclooney78@hotmail.com), June 04, 2000.

Deb fans unite! "Family Matters" was one of my favorite episodes from Season 6. I think Deb & Carter make an excellent pair, platonic or otherwise.

-- anne (sapphire_172@hotmail.com), June 05, 2000.

Hey, I'm with you, Diana. She makes me want to slam my head against a wall.

-- joy (joygirl01@yahoo.com), June 05, 2000.


Funny, because I do like Deb a lot and am very glad that they brought her back (Okay, so there're just too many characters, but hey! I like her character as much as I like Carter. What can I say?). I really don't see why people are labelling her as 'boring'. She didn't have a lot of scenes anyway except for the first few eps, but when she had some screen time, she was anything but boring. The jokes with Carter were fun. She's grown much for as a physician and does respect Mark, Kerri and other senier doctors (from the Skinner episode:)) Not only that, she sort of gave a punch to Romano which was cool with me. And most importantly, I think she's excellent as a foil to Carter. It seemed, to me at least, that she cares a lot for Carter and expresses much more concern for him than some other characters.

To be honest, with the amount of Deb hating population, I get ths feeling that if it was Deb who'd been stabbed, people would say she probably deserved it, not taking sympathy like we do with Carter. I guess we're all biased in some way.

I don't have problem with John and Deb romance, but I do think there're just too many romances going around here. I do like them as good friends. We haven't seen good friends hanging outside ER for a while in the show after Doug...gone. I'd like to see some friendly actions.

-- Rachel (jiwon@sprint.ca), June 06, 2000.


It amazes me how hard every one is on the characters that are new this season. Do the math here, there are only 3 of the originals left (another board is calling them the magnificient 6, pardon me while I gag on that one.)They had good chemistry, no doubt,and they were around for 6 seasons, but we need some new blood. Carter, Greene, and Benton alone, now that would be boring. The problem is, except that no one likes strong women characters, that I don't know the new ones as well as I do the old ones. The old stories are just that, old, done, over. It is time to move on to different people and different story lines instead of trying to do the same trick with new dogs. I like Deb, more that when she was on before, she is much more confident now. Abby's problems aren't all hers, where is that lazy Dr. Dave??? I couldn't believe they gave him a med student, I can't believe he is a resident. Personally, I am tired of star-crossed loves, soulmates,and Carter's blonde habit. Hopefully they will do some heavy character development in season 7.

-- Casey (steinbec00@netscape.net), June 06, 2000.

Thank you!

That does seem to be a trend--the hating of the newer characters, especially the female ones. I don't like Cleo much, but after seeing "Family Matters" I actually softened up to her because of the plotline with Tamara. Although with all the characterization from the other episodes, she's not faring any better.

With Abby--I liked her at first, but she's progressed "I-can-save- everyone-myself" ode, but where she doesn't have the authority or the knowledge to do so. Hopefully she'll take a step back before it's too late. As for the whole "she saved Carter! They should now be romatnically involved" stuff that's going around--egad, make me gag. That's bound to make me dislike her more...yeeech...let's stretch situations as much as we possibly can so the characters on the show can fit our grand scheme...sorry...off topic a wee bit.. :)

anyway...

-- Lynda (unabashedly_masochistic@yahoo.com), June 06, 2000.


There's a thread called "Too Many Main Characters" where someone questioned a dislike of Deb being because she's new...I added a post there a day or two ago stating that she isn't and...well, I won't repeat it here...but she's not a new character, just an old one who came back, but for what reason I'm still not sure. As for her being boring, the epi where she coerced Romano into signing the petition is the best example. Yawn! (That's about her, not to your comments!!!)

-- Diana (dilynne@juno.com), June 06, 2000.

Hey, if it wasn't for Deb figuring it out that something was wrong with Carter who knows what might have happened. So you gotta give her credit there.

-- Cammie (rmaelhorn@home.com), June 07, 2000.


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