My Top 10 Favorite Moments From "ER"

Ok let's talk drama!

I will wait while the shock of that sets in. As most know I am not a drama fan I prefer sitcoms. However, one show was so well written and acted that I became a fan anyway. Which show was that?

How could a show created by Michael Crichton and Steven Spielberg possibly miss? This was supposed to be a movie, which becomes clear when you watch the pilot episode. This show was amazing, fast paced with no less than three stories per episode. Didn't care for one story then you probably stayed for one of the others. And yet they also found time for rich character development. You really knew and cared for these people. I always loved how every episode really was "another day in the ER", always showing just one day. Anyway, this show premiered in 1994 and, to say the least, was a hit. It made NBC's Must See TV a powerhouse, and was on the air for 14 years (about four too long, but I digress). This show was also unique in that they used a hand camera, which tended to make it feel like you were right in the middle of the action. They also used accurate medical terminology which I think really helped.

I didn't watch this show at first but thanks to my now-ex got hooked before too long was a fan. Here now is my top 10 favorite moments, and as always this is just my opinion.

#10. Theme Song

I am cheating a bit, since this isn't a moment so much as the title sequence that appeared before every episode. But I loved this opening, and this music. How much? I bought the soundtrack album and the extended version of the theme is still on my IPod to this day. I also had it as a ring tone on my phone, and it made a real nice one too. This cool theme was one of the first things I noticed about the show.

#9 Dr Romano’s death

In the later years ER did lots of stunts to keep viewers interested. One involving a tank was so mind numbingly boring I still can't believe it. This was another one, but it worked. I guess it was time to finally kill off Dr.Romano, one of the meanest characters on TV. He was so hated fans transferred that hate to the actor, Paul McCrane. A med flight helicopter is lifting off but gets snagged, hits the building and explodes, and ends up landing right on our good doctor. The thing about the episode is, no one ever finds out about this. People figure he disappeared, and since no likes him no one cares. Kind of a rough way to kill off a character, even if he is a jerk. No redemption? Nothing? The final scene of the episode is the copter being pulled up so people finally can see what is under it, and that's it! I guess karma really is a bitch, or in this case a flaming helicopter. To be fair the scene can be nitpicked for being a tad silly the show was getting tired but it was still a memorable moment. Better then the lame tank thing a few episodes later. Oh, and in case you’re wondering the whole getting  his arm slashes off thing was gross, but kind of awesome.

#8.The Pilot and First Season

Yeah, that's it. The first season. I mean, how in the world do you pick a favorite from that year? The writing was at its best, the acting and pacing was solid. I don't usually make DVD recommendations but if you're looking for some quality TV, you can't go wrong picking this one up. There is a famous episode where Dr.Green spends the whole show trying to deliver a woman’s baby, and the mother ends up dying. It was a great hour but I saw it years later on DVD, after I had heard about it. There is no way words can explain this one, if you’ve never see it I suggest you check it out. When a show like this has a  stand out episode, you know it’s going to be something special. ER was unique in many ways. ER had lots of gripping episodes where something unusual happens and throws the hospital in chaos. The first season also had a great show about a disaster coming in after a 32 car pileup during a snowstorm, meaning dozens of injured people all at once! This was one of my favorites. This episode moved so fast that it was quite frankly amazing.

#7.Dr. Carter punches Dr.Benton.

Sometimes it's a little moment that can really stand out, and this is a great example. This happened at the end of season 6, after Carter was stabbed (oh we'll get to that) and got hooked on the pain medication. Several of characters confront Carter and tell him he is to board a van and go to rehab, or lose his job. Carter is angry and defiant and storms off. Benton follows, and argues with Carter that he is going whether he wants to or not. Carter is so angry that he finally lashes out at Benton, literally striking him. Benton says the cool line "If you want to fight that's cool man, but either way you're getting you ass on the van." I was never a big Benton fan but that was a great line, followed by Carter breaking down and collapsing in his arms. In the course of the series it was hard  to tell if Benton and Carter were really friends, the way Benton acted  in this scene we see that they truly are.

#6.Dr Corday and Dr.Green’s first kiss

I may be alone in this one, but I loved this relationship. I know that some may disagree with me, but I just thought it worked. They let it develop and grow, and they were just really good together. My favorite moment is when they had their first kiss in a season 5 episode.  After casually seeing each other a few times they reveal that they really like each other, and while they are both a little nervous due to previous relationship woes they basically decide not to miss what could be a good thing, to take it slow and see where it goes since they seem to get along real good may even be perfect for each other. The moment ends with their first kiss, and that remains one of my favorite scenes. Of course they would go on to get married and have a baby. Later when Mark gets the brain tumor, Elizabeth stands by him and we never doubt how much she loves, or he him her, for a moment.

#5.The final moments of Season 4

When Seinfeld had their final episode, I enjoyed the episode of ER that followed it more. It was a great, exciting episode which made me forget how much I despised that Seinfeld show (oh, we'll get to that my friends). The episode is called "A Hole in the Heart".  Let me give you the set up. There is a suicidal patient in the ER who is allowed to leave. Toward the end of the episode the man comes in covered in blood and lets slip that his family is in a car in front of the hospital. And he shot them. Suddenly realizing time is of the essence, Carol races out into the rain shouting for Mark and Doug, who happened to be outside talking, to help. They smash the windows of the car and get the family into the ER. This frantic moment ends with the doctors working to save the family, and that was how the episode ended. Good, strong way to end a season and it stands out in my memory because I actually enjoyed it much more than the show which preceded it.

#4.Dr.Green's Return

Had a tough time with this one because the whole death of Dr.Green was a sad arc. The key word there is "arc". It went on way to long! The episodes, yes episodes, where he dies were very poignant but it just dragged on a bit too much. The scene with Carter reading the announcement was the one standout moment. However, instead I give you an episode from the last season. Angela Bassett's character flashes back to when she visited the ER when Dr.Green was on duty one night, and hearing that he was going to be on the show compelled me to watch. You know, it was a really good episode. I mean it really felt like an episode from years earlier, and getting to see Dr.Green again for one last time was really nice. The episode also had some cameos from past cast members, including Dr.Romano, to help really give it a classic feel.  Actually that whole last season was filled with cameos including Dr.Ross and Dr.Hathaway, but this one was my favorite. This episode did its job, because I was paying attention again after it had aired.

#3. Nurse Hathaway's Happy Ending

No I am not trying to make a dirty joke! Toward the end of Season 6, Juliana Margulies decided she wanted out of the show. That seemed crazy at the time but she has done pretty well since then. Anyway, in her last episode she finally drops everything to go to Seattle to be with the man she loves. That man, of course, was Doug. George Clooney had left the show a few years earlier, but was nice enough to film this one scene for the end of the episode. The funny thing was that hardly anyone knew about it, including the network! This was done almost on the sly, but as they embrace and kiss you can’t help but smile to see the couple, who had many ups and downs, finally together. it is still a very good moment and a real nice way to send off a character who was actually never supposed to live past the pilot!

#2.Dr Green gets beaten up

You know when most shows decide a character is going to get attacked, they do it off-screen or in a subtle way. Sure you know what's happening but you don't see it in full detail. Leave it to ER to 180 that one! This happened at the end of the third season. Wow is all I could say after this scene. I admit in hindsight this scene may not contain quite the same punch, but I will never forget when I first saw this episode. I literally couldn't watch. The set up is that after a bunch of angry patients, Dr.Green is alone in the bathroom when someone wearing all black appears and literally kicks his ass. This is followed by a great scene of the team rallying to help him, and we see how much of a friend he is to Dr.Ross in a very quick shot of him holding back tears. The other thing is that this had lasting repercussions; it was several episodes before Dr.Green could come to terms with his attack and make peace with it which he did with a little help from his friends.

#1. Dr.Carter gets stabbed

This may have been one of my favorite hours of television ever. This episode was so well done, so emotional, that I actually saw the re-run when they showed it and I never did that. It was season 6 and Kelly Martin played Lucy. In the first episode there is a patient with mental problems, and in the end we see him stab Carter. When he falls, we also see Lucy has been stabbed. The follow up episode begins with Weaver discovering them, and the episode is basically the frantic efforts to save their lives! If you've never seen this and want to, going to spoil it so don't keep reading. Anyway, while the surgeons work on Carter, Lucy is being treated by Elizabeth and Romano. It looks like all is going to be ok, when a blood clot suddenly claims Lucy's life. This was such a powerful, well done episode. Romano even respected Lucy, and actually can't accept her death at first actually slamming a table onto the floor in rage. Of course it’s Carter who really lives with the events in this episode. This episode may be a perfect example of a solid episode, as we see tense drama, action, and strong character moments. This episode was the closest the show came to a “water cooler” episode, and was the highest rated for the season.

In case you’re wondering, this show did light and funny moments well to. I just couldn't think of any to add to the list. Favorite episode? One would have to be "Exodus". Hazard materials are brought into the ER which shuts the place down. When Dr.Weaver is knocked out of commission Carter has to take charge, and it's one of the first times in the series he had to. We also get Doug and Carol stuck in an elevator with a critical patient with renal failure. Just a very tight episode and well put together. There are very few episodes of this show I have on tape recorded to watch over and over. Meet the exception.

Of course there are LOTS of things left off here, like when Pratt died. Honestly, I missed that since I had stopped watching the show then. George Clooney got a three episode arc when his character left, which was pretty well done. Maura Tierney’s character of Abby Lockhart was a late addition to the cast bit she blended in real well with a very complex character. I could also do a whole article on the relationship between Dr. Green and Dr.Lewis, one of my favorite TV friendships. I love in the episode where Carter is reading the fax about Mark's death; she knows what it says just by reading Carter's face. There was also an episode about guns where Dr.Green lets the gunman who shot up a school die that was a powerful moment. We had Gloria Reuben who played a character who was HIV positive, Laura Innes as Kerry Weaver one of my favorites, and as the show went on others like Neela and Linda Cardellini came in to fill the shows of those that had left. There were lots of guest stars; I could be here all day listing them all. Sally Field was great as Abby's mother, Cynthia Nixon was in a real good episode where is a stroke victim and we see things from point of view, and James Woods, Ray Liota, James Cromwell, and Rosemary Clooney only begin the list of amazing talent on this show.

Was this show always perfect? Heavens no. Kovac never grew on me, The "spotlight" episodes which took a cast member out of the ER were usually dull, and there is one season where an arc of episodes involving James Cromwell were so boring that I nearly gave up on the show then. The live episode was creative but in the end was also pretty bad. And John Stamos? Really? I did give up when Carter left the show, and hardly watched the last couple years. I was however compelled to see the series finale. This show was a big part of my past (it lasted longer than my marriage!) so how could I not be on hand for the final episode? The episode was very well done, a fitting send off to one of the most critically acclaimed, Emmy away winning, landmark drama's ever to air on television. They just don't make TV like that anymore.

Did I miss your favorite moment? Please feel free to comment and let me know what I left off, or disagree with the choices I have. For one last treat, here is the ER theme song.