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ER recap: “And in the End. . .”

by Freeman Montaque
04.06.2009

Chances are, if you own a TV, a computer, an ipod, a newspaper subscription or any type of access to the primetime television world, you knew that March 30, 2009, was the last episode for the critically-acclaimed medical drama ER. After 15 years on the air, the show was finally saying goodbye in a fitting 2-hour finale that promised to bring back a few original favorites. And with all that hype and excitement and expectation, the most enthusiastic response I can muster is a lukewarm. . .eh.

Let me start by admitting that I have not been watching the show regularly for a long time now. Like most, I felt the show’s better days were behind it. The originality in the stories seemed to have waned a bit, and once Maura Tierney (Abby) left, I really lost a lot of interest. But with all the hype around it, and the fact that I was supposed to be doing work for a class, of course, I felt compelled to give in and see if the show got the proper sendoff it deserved.

I don’t know if it’s because I wanted original cast members to take up the majority of the screen time, or because the first hour never pulled me in, but this did not feel like the end of an era to me. It felt like end of the fifteenth season. Nothing more.

Sure, Dr. Carter was in the mix for basically the entire show, what with the opening of his new exhibit and catching up with old pals Dr. Weaver, Dr. Lewis and, of course, Dr. Benton. It was good to see some of the old gang back. Lewis (Sherry Stringfield), as Carter acknowledged, looked great. Hot, I would go so far as to say. And it was pretty thrilling to see Eriq La Salle back as Benton, too. He was, in my opinion, the best part of the show throughout its entire run, and it was nice to see his character’s relationship with Carter end with the two being close friends.

But when the focus wasn’t on the original cast members, I found it harder to care about what was happening. Newbie Julia Wise (Alexis Bledel) struggles to cope with the news of a mother who’s just died. She, I guess we can assume, is the new Carter. Dr. Gates (John Stamos, who may have finally shed his Step by Step image), goes after a parent for not noticing his daughter’s near-fatal drinking habits. It’s not that these stories aren’t interesting, or that the actors don’t deliver. They are, and they do. This is all fine for a regular episode. But for a finale? I don’t know. For a show that’s been on for over a decade and promised us the world, I wasn’t as blown away as I felt I should have been.

This is not to say that the show was a total disappointment. Fans partial to the old ER will greatly appreciate that the show’s original James Newton Howard intro theme is intact here (as well as during the final shot). Veteran actor Ernest Borngnine was absolutely terrific as Paul Manning, a man struggling to let his wife go. I may not support the idea of giving this season an Emmy nomination for Drama Series, but Borgnine should definitely be on the official list for his guest spot.

I do find it fitting that the show ends the same year that its creator, Michael Crichton, passed away. There’s something undeniably appropriate about that. And while I was moderately engaged in the episode as a whole, I loved the way it ended, with Carter looking at Mark’s daughter and asking her, "Dr. Greene, you coming?" as the original intro once again plays in the background. Now if only the rest of the episode had been that clever and engrossing.