Copyright Screen Rant
Although ER is a fantastic medical drama, these episodes are challenging to rewatch. Most of the series is just as moving and impressive as it was when it aired, whether we're wowed by Doug Ross (George Clooney) helping a kid in a storm drain or enjoying the personal and career trajectory of John Carter (Noah Wyle). But despite ER's awe-inspiring 15-season run and many stand-out episodes, there are a few incredibly grim storylines, along with plotlines that seem silly when we revisit them. It's hard not to wince when rewatching these episodes or wonder why these particular plot points were included. “Impulse Control” (Season 10, Episode 14) Like the HBO Max medical drama The Pitt, many episodes of ER are bleak thanks to the dire situations that the patients are in. Season 10's "Impulse Control" is difficult to rewatch thanks to a 16-year-old named Layla (Rheagan Wallace) who is pregnant and whose older fiancé's friend group sexually assaulted her. This was upsetting the first time around, and when watching it again, it's even more disturbing. While of course abuse is an important topic to touch on, the serious storyline becomes melodramatic when Samantha Taggart (Linda Cardellini) punches Layla's fiancé. The focus then shifts to how rebellious Sam is instead of a more nuanced picture of abuse. “300 Patients” (Season 14, Episode 10) Similar to "Impulse Control," "300 Patients" touches on a subject that should be explored more on TV, but not in the right way. The main patient is Lowell (Nicholas Weiland), who has Down syndrome and whose dad said they shouldn't raise him because of it. That would be heartbreaking enough. Then, we learn Lowell and his mother, Melissa Tanner (Elizabeth Graham), got into a car crash because she spends time with him every week even though her husband has no idea. If ER wanted to discuss having a child with Down syndrome, a different storyline would have been less upsetting. Perhaps a pregnant couple could have gotten the news during an ultrasound and said of course they would love their child no matter what. “Reason To Believe” (Season 13, Episode 8) Rather than a devastating or bleak episode, "Reason to Believe" is disappointing. The plot revolves around several unhoused children who are in the hospital, and Tony Gates (John Stamos) tells Neela Rasgotra (Parminder Nagra) that they share made-up tales when they say she's an angel who will make one kid better. The medical drama made an attempt to comment on the problem of youth who live on the streets, but there was no real discussion of mental health, substance abuse, or parental neglect. The young characters were treated as if they were strange rather than with a lot of compassion. “White Guy, Dark Hair” (Season 11, Episode 7) While some ER episodes are fun to rewatch, such as the storyline involving Doug Ross and Carol Hathaway's (Juliana Margulies) romance, "White Guy, Dark Hair" is tough to get through a second time. The doctors help a woman in horrible shape who has been sexually assaulted, and to make the episode even sadder, she passes away. Sam's behavior is the worst part of this episode, though. She messes with the breathing tube and balloon that the woman has because she wants to see if the woman can give her information about the person who raped her. That results in the woman's death. It's odd that Sam wouldn't realize this could be the outcome. “Death And Taxes” (Season 10, Episode 7) While the episode title works since it refers to Benjamin Franklin's saying that "the only certainty in life is death and taxes," there are too many upsetting medical cases, which makes it a rough rewatch. From a young girl who dies of cancer to Ben Hollander (Bob Newhart), an elderly man losing his sight who takes his own life, it's hard to believe that every single patient is dealing with such darkness. The show works much better when there is some humor or at least one light-hearted storyline to balance things out. “Hit And Run” (Season 1, Episode 4) John Carter's journey is a huge part of ER, and season 1, episode 4, "Hit and Run" gives him a sad plotline. After a hit-and-run crash kills a teenager, Carter phones the parents, then realizes he didn't let the right ones know. This is an important part of his development as a person and doctor, and Wyle's amazing performance is one reason why ER is praised even today. It's likely a moment he remembers throughout his entire career. It's still hard to rewatch since you imagine the pain the parents are going through. Besides this unsettling moment, the episode also tells the story of a mother who has schizophrenia, which results in her not being able to take care of her son. Watching two storylines in the same episode about family trauma is a little much, especially since the child is so young and doesn't understand what's going on with his mother. It would be fine to avoid this one. “Baby Shower” (Season 2, Episode 15) Many ER episodes feature storylines about pregnancy and birth, but season 2's "Baby Shower" is silly rather than beautiful and moving. The maternity section of the hospital has a broken sprinkler, which means eight pregnant women are treated in the emergency room. This is a strange idea for an episode since it treats the pregnant characters like dramatic spectacles rather than individuals. Worse of all, one of the patients says she is pregnant because of aliens. If that was wild to watch the first time around, it's even more awkward when rewatching. “Freefall” (Season 10, Episode 8) You know a medical drama is going to have disturbing cases and death scenes that are tough to watch, but it's tough to think that a main character would be hit by a helicopter falling off a roof. This goofy storyline takes place in ER season 10, episode 8, "Freefall," and results in Robert Romano's (Paul McCrane) death. It's hard to rewatch this episode without wondering why Romano died like this and what storytelling purpose it served. Other medical shows, like Grey's Anatomy, have seen many people exit over the years, and they rarely have such a silly departure for a long-term character. “Chaos Theory” (Season 9, Episode 1) "Chaos Theory" is an equally silly ER episode that finds Romano's arm getting cut off by the rotor of a helicopter. It's hard to rewatch and be reminded that this really happened, especially since there were so many other potential storylines that would have been equally dramatic. Of course, this moment becomes even goofier when we think about the fact that just one season later, Romano gets hurt by a helicopter again, but this time, it's fatal. It's best to avoid these two episodes because otherwise, we'll never stop wondering why these story decisions were made. “Love’s Labor Lost” (Season 1, Episode 19) ER has a lot of sad episodes due to the nature of the show, and we know we're going to see suffering, incurable disease, and gruesome accidents when we start watching from the beginning. Still, "Love's Labor Lost" is tough to watch more than once because a pregnant woman dies after her baby is delivered via emergency C-section.
