NBC
(Season 15 (Final Season), Episode 1 – Season Premiere)
The beginning of the end…in so many ways.
It’s been fourteen years since we met the medical professionals of Chicago’s County General. Now, as the fifteenth season begins, ER takes its final lap around the track. Boy, has it been a trip! During the last fourteen years we have been through so much. The relationships, the medical maladies, the blood, the tears, and the staff changes. Lord, how we’ve been through staff changes! There have also been deaths. Not just deaths of patients that we barely knew, but deaths of many of our favorite ER staff. As a colleague of mine said, County General was the Cabot Cove of hospitals (or something like that. I know I heard Cabot Cove).
The season premiere was no exception to this situation as we faced the death of another doctor. What was a bit surprising was who it was and how quickly it happened.
For over a year now we knew that Mekhi Phifer wanted off of ER; however, with the Writers Strike and the shortened season there was a possibility that he would stay on till the end. I guess that’s not going to happen now, is it? Really, I should have known from the season premiere promos that it was going to be Pratt who met his untimely fate since Sam Taggart had not been on the show that long and Greg’s brother Chaz wasn’t considered a fan favorite at all.
My question is this: why do these people have to die when they leave the show? Is it a decision of the writers, the stars, or both? Is it that deep-seeded urge to eventually come back, like Noah Wyle will be doing this season? And, if the purpose is to hold back that urge, why is it so easy for stars like George Clooney and Eriq La Salle to fight it (well, we know why it’s easy for Clooney – Big Hollywood Star).
Problem with these deaths is they can seem so pointless (I know, all death is pointless) and demeaning to the character. Greg Pratt’s death falls into both of those categories. Pointless because, well, there was no need for him to be in the ambulance at all. That, and everything was looking up for the future Chief of Emergency Medicine. But, ER being ER, everyone’s luck runs out eventually.
Pratt’s death was demeaning because of how he died — slow and painful. It was a death that showed the weakest side of a character we had known for nearly a decade and who we had really started to like. Greg was always a strong, sometimes arrogant, personality and continued to be so during the initial minutes of his entry into Trauma 1. However, as the prognosis became increasingly worse, that strength waned quickly. Eventually, as his neck exploded into a bloody mess, tears were streaming out of his eyes.
Despite these factors, Pratt’s death was still an emotional experience for fans of the show. Pratt was one of those characters who bridged the old and new generation of doctors on ER. It was him, Gallant, Luka and Abby who came along just as Anthony Edwards was ending his run on the series. And, due to his stubbornness at the very beginning of his tenure, many considered him a suitable replacement for the recently departed Peter Benton. It was a symbolic torched being passed. Now, that torch will longer be passed along.
Well, that’s not entirely true. I would think that it will probably be passed along somewhat to the character Angela Bassett plays when she comes to the ER in the next episode. Mostly, the torch will be passed along to Archie Morris, who will have a lot of growing up to do now that he is the senior attending in the ER. Either he will rise to the challenge or revert to an earlier, and more unlikeable, form of himself from earlier seasons.
The rest of the subplots of this episode were fairly inconsequential to the main story line. Neela’s snub of Brenner after their moment of passion was predictable. She definitely knew she screwed things up. By the way, I have an extremely hard time listening to what Brenner has to say on a normal basis. His low and fast voice, coupled with his Australian accent, makes me turn up the volume constantly. It’s like watching a Britcom.
Abby’s luck also continued this time around, with only a few minor injuries to account for after she got caught in the ambulance explosion. It’s no secret that Maura Tierney will be leaving the show before the season ends. Despite her wish to die, it looks like she’ll have luck on her side and will end up leaving on good terms. Well, dammit, I hope so! She deserves it.
Thanks for joining me for this week’s review of the ER season premiere. The show takes a week off due to the Vice Presidential Candidate debate next week, then returns on October 9th. It’s then that we will be introduced to Angela Bassett’s Dr. Banfield as well as a slew of new interns.
Clacked by Richard Keller 
on Sep 26, 2008 @ 11:16 EST5EDT
