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Nervous, Carter submits to a videotaped interview for a
documentary film about emergency care in the 21st century. Carter can't
believe that he started at County 15 years ago as a med student -- it's
mind-blowing. Although it never gets easier, and is sometimes the loneliest
place in the world, sometimes the ER presents exactly what's needed. Feeling
frisky, Morris doesn't see why Claudia can't be a little later for work --
what's so important? Claudia has to interview suspects for a murder
investigation, and she's on shaky ground with new partner, Bernstein. When
Morris asks if Claudia really hates the décor of his apartment, she tells him
to lose the futon, and that his walls are the color of feces. Once she rushes
out the door, Morris prepares to make over his apartment to please Claudia.
Claudia and her partner Bernstein knock on the door of a tenement apartment,
as Carter tells the interviewers that you never know what's coming in the ER.
When no one answers the door, Claudia turns to walk away, only to have someone
shoot her in the back. Bernstein shoots through the door several times, and
then tends to Claudia, who's bleeding out on the floor. Haleh halts Carter's
interview -- two gunshot wounds are five minutes out, a police detective among
the victims. Chuny, Grady and Haleh enjoy their time with the documentary
team, but Frank is offended that he and Jerry, the mighty desk clerks, have
been frozen out of the interviews since they're "non-essential" personnel.
Frank pulls out his Flip camera and has Jerry start taping their documentary.
With nothing but a stack of files, a broken stapler and a three-hole punch,
the admit desk is the nerve center of the ER.
Gates and Carter meet the ambulance containing Claudia, who's
irate that Dickie the perp shot her in the back. Claudia bit her tongue, but she
was wearing her bulletproof vest. Suffering multiple gunshot wounds, Dickie is
already unconscious and intubated, in bad shape. Pale and shaky, Carter is beset
with a racking cough while wheeling Claudia into the ER. Neela stops by Morris'
apartment. Morris explains he's painting in anticipation of asking Claudia to
move in -- he's nervous. When he asks Neela how things are going with Brenner,
she looks troubled, claiming Brenner is hard to figure. Morris thinks that's
understandable, considering that Brenner was sexually molested as a child.
Stunned, Neela rushes off to digest this news, as Morris gulps, realizing she
didn't know. That's when his phone rings with the bad news about Claudia. Morris
can barely bring himself to enter the ER. Once he's inside, he defers the
decisions about Claudia's care to Gates and Carter. One bullet entered Claudia's
shoulder and exited her chest; the other is lodged in her pelvic bone and may
have hit her bladder or uterus. Gates and Carter debate the course of treatment.
As fluid gathers around Claudia's liver, Morris sides with Carter -- time to
intubate. Meanwhile, Dickie's aorta has been transected by a bullet. Grady wants
to try a thoracotomy, but Brenner insists he's a goner. Sam visits her mom Mary
in the nursing home.
Unable to smoke, Mary is mad at the world and spiteful
towards Sam. When Mary points out that Kelly stayed home to take care of her,
Sam fights back. Mary kicked pregnant Sam out of the house when she was 15,
calling her a slut that no one would miss. And by the way, Mary's grandson's
name is Alex. Morris asks where Bernstein was when Claudia got shot. Insisting
Bernstein had her back; Claudia loses lucidity, and then passes out. When
Bernstein checks in, Morris lays into him, demanding to know if he really had
Claudia's back. Offended, Bernstein snaps back, prompting Morris to lunge at
him. Woozy, Carter steps in the middle and is thrown to the side, then crumples
to the floor. Jerry and Frank enlist Boris from media services to shoot their
documentary on the unsung heroes of the ER. Boris is relieved not to be on
camera, as the guys interview testy Sadiq, the computer guy, cranky Crystal the
pharmacy tech, and spooky Fred, custodial engineer. Everyone explains how their
job is essential to the smooth function of the ER, except Latina patient Marta,
whom Frank and Jerry mistake for a cafeteria lady. Morris, Gates and puzzle over
Carter's loss of consciousness -- his dialysis is now public knowledge. Morris
calls for an echocardiogram and a nephrology consult. Carter tells him to call
his nephrologist from Northwestern, Gustavo Petrov. Morris walks into Trauma One
where Neela and Brenner argue their way through Claudia's surgical consult.
When Brenner accuses Neela of being unsystematic, Morris
steps in, telling them to decide -- now. Carter pipes in from the next bed,
siding with Neela: Claudia needs the OR. In her interview with the
documentarians, Neela claims that the ER demands being instinctual in the
moment. She prefers to think things through, thus she's more cut out for
surgery. Back at the nursing home, Mary smokes out her window. Sam warns that
she could get kicked out, but Mary doesn't care, and refuses Sam's invitation to
wipe the slate clean. When Sam smells urine on Mary's blanket, she offers to
clean it, and a tug-of-war ensues. Mary loses her grip and stumbles; just as
physical therapist Claire comes to get her for a "flex and fun" session. Claire
claims that Mary's stroke affected her frontal lobe, which often results in a
loss of empathy and the ability to self-censor. Explaining that she's a nurse,
Sam knows that Mary hasn't changed a bit. Meanwhile, Gates performs a
periocardiocentesis on a conscious Carter, who's a bit of a back seat driver.
Morris steps in to consult with Neela, who explains that Claudia will be
operated on by three surgeons -- once they get inside, they'll be able to
determine if her situation warrants a hysterectomy.
Carter passes out and
starts coding on the table. Morris and Gates rush to shock his heart is a med
student Emily arrives for the nephrology consult. Outraged, Morris sends Emily
to get her attending, pronto. By the time the nephrology attending shows up,
Carter is thanking Morris for saving his life; he'll never live it down. Sam
gets called into work to pick up a heart. She says goodbye to Mary, claiming
she'll wash the blanket and bring it back that night. Whatever happens, Sam's
not going to let Mary go through it alone. Knowing that the UNOS can take a long
time, Gates asks Carter if he's looked into County's direct donation program for
a liver. Carter has, but he hasn't talked to wife Kem yet, much less told her
exactly what's going on. She's still in France visiting her family. Gates runs
into Sam, who's just returned from visiting her mom. Since Sam has to fly to
Seattle to pick up a transplant heart, Gates offers to wash and return Mary's
blanket. Morris explains his history in the ER for the documentarians. It took a
while to find him, but now he's ready to take the next step, having found a
woman with whom he'd like to start a family. Realizing that may no longer be
possible, Morris chokes up and stops the interview. Jerry and Frank continue
their documentary as Margie is brought in with a peanut allergy. When nary a
doctor is to be found, Jerry grabs an Epi pen to relieve Mary's symptoms. Whose
"non-essential personnel" now? Neela bumps into Brenner while grabbing a coffee
for her flight to Seattle with Sam to fetch the transplant heart.
Before long, Neela and Brenner are arguing about their relationship. They hit a
speed bump week ago, and Brenner has reacted by disappearing and accusing Neela
of being irrational. Is there something he hasn't told her? When Neela lets
Brenner know that she knows about his sexual abuse, he falls apart, crying and
punching a car. Although Neela's sorry about what happened to Brenner, one
thing's clear: they're not meant to be together. Frank, Jerry and Haleh pack
Carter into an ambulance bound for Northwestern, teasing him that he's bailing
on County when it comes to his own medical care. Relieved to learn that
hysterectomy was unnecessary, Morris holds Claudia's hand as she recovers from
surgery. When he wonders if she's interested in making a gaggle of olive-skinned
kids with red hair, an unconscious Claudia wiggles her finger. Gates stops by
the nursing home to return Mary's blanket, introducing himself. Complaining that
she's the youngest person in the nursing home by 15 years, Mary wonders why her?
And where's Sam? Assuring Mary that Sam will be back tomorrow, Gates advises her
to get to know her daughter. When Mary claims that Sam hates her, Gates reminds
her that she can change that. The documentarians wrap up their day talking to
Carter, now in a hospital bed at Northwestern. Five years ago, he started
feeling that every day was the same old thing. Now, he tries to embrace the idea
that everything is new, because obviously the unexpected is always happening.
When his monitor stops beeping, Carter reaches over and turns it off with a
smile for the camera.
Reviewed by Jocelyn on March 27, 2009
NBC Review
THE STORY OF COUNTY GENERAL—NOAH WYLE AND AMY MADIGAN
(“GREY’S ANATOMY”) GUEST STAR—A camera crew interviews the staff at County
General for a documentary on emergency medicine. Morris’ (Scott Grimes) cop
girlfriend gets injured on the job and is rushed into the ER with gunshot
wounds. Neela (Parminder Nagra) wonders why her relationship with Brenner (David
Lyons) lacks so much communication. Sam (Linda Cardellini) struggles to make
amends with her mother (guest star Amy Madigan).
TV Guide Review
March 05, 2009 :
What We Do:
The doctors deal with relationship issues under
the watchful eye of a film crew shooting a
documentary on emergency medicine. Morris'
girlfriend is rushed to the ER with gunshot
wounds, Neela tries to understand her
communication difficulties with Brenner, and Sam
hopes to make amends with her mother (Amy
Madigan). Noah Wyle guest stars.
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Amy Madigan - Mary Taggart
