Is it just me, or does it seem that there are too many drastic, attention getting gimmicks befalling our favorite e.r. doc's lately? Ever since Carter & Lucy were stabbed it seems like the writers are trying to surpass the shock value they achieved in that episode. The interaction between the doctors, nurses and patients are the hallmark of the show. Now, it seems to be mostly about the doctor's private lives with the patients thrown in as an afterthought. Does anyone else agree?

-- Angie Cooper (giecoop83@cs.com), November 24, 2000

Answers

Angie, I agree with your comments. Now Mark has a brain tumor, please!! That's a little too much! Why do the writers have to have such "heavy drama?" And I miss the nurses this season too. It was good to see Chuney last night. At least she had some screen time. If we're going to have such dramatic things happen to the ER staff, can we space it out a little?? Not every week!!!

-- Ellen (dbspunky61@hotmail.com), November 24, 2000.

You know I never thought this would happen but the "Star" magazine may have actually told the truth about something. Remember back in the spring when all those rumors about what would happen came out in the magazine? Well it also said that ever since the stabbings which had high ratings TPTB have been looking for ways to keep viewers interested. I don't remember the exact words but that's pretty much what they said. I agree with you Angie. This is getting ridiculous. I also read in another article before the season that this season would concentrate more on the characters and their lives. Still, they need to tone it down a little. This isn't "Days Of Our Lives".

-- Cammie (rmaelhorn@home.com), November 24, 2000.

Yes, yes yes. WAY too much going on. Last night we saw Benton deal w/ the aftermath of last week's shooting, Abby dealing w/ her bipolar mother, Carter rescuing Abby from a fire, Deb confronting her mother for the FIRST time about being pregnant, Mark finding out he has a brain tumor, Elizabeth's pregnant, Kerry being invited into a lesbian relationship, etc. Every scene was just too fast and there wasn't enought time to even comprehend it. It was like we got new profound information every minute, and then it cut to the next scene. We REALLY need a nice commeraderie episode. Tone it down a bit. It was also WAY too depression...was it REALLY Thanksgiving there?

-- Elaine (mrsclooney78@hotmail.com), November 24, 2000.

I just posted something similar to this on another topic. I am getting so disheartened. A brain tumor? I wasn't upset as much as I was flabbergasted. Now- along with Carter's recovery, Corday's lawsuit, Romano and Benton, Benton and Cleo, Abby with Mom, Abby with Luka, Abby with Carter, Luka and the mugger, Luka with the mysterious past, as ongoing storylines, we now have to deal with two pregnancies and chemotherapy. When do these people have time to see patients?

-- Minnie (tcminnie@aol.com), November 25, 2000.

There has been a lot of discussion about the explosion being the latest in a long line of gimmicks. But you really put your finger on something when you said that the patients have become an afterthought. I have been so engrossed in the personal storylines that I hardly noticed it. The only patient in recent episodes whose story really touched me was the boy in the wheelchair who Carter took up to the roof to fly paper airplanes.

-- Maureen S. (shepcaff@ix.netcom.com), November 30, 2000.

LOL, Minnie. Well said...Rather than calling it,"ER," sometimes I think they should just call it, "And now...About Me." But, you have to admit, the "bangs" are, in part, why we watch it. Perhaps, though, there could be more economy in the use of such stories.

-- Malik (Texdina@aol.com), August 06, 2001.

why does everything have to happen to the doctors and interns why does nothing happen tpo the nurses.The website of er doesn't even mention who plays chuney

-- marnix de smedt (m_de_smedt@hotmail.com), August 20, 2002.