Subj : Re: Episode with No Plot
To   : alt.tv.er
From : Ellen K Hursh
Date : Fri Oct 07 2005 14:50:22

From Newsgroup: alt.tv.er

Banty wrote:
> In article <1128689176.856063.244110@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
> npardue@indiana.edu says...
> >
> >Well.... last weeks eppy was stupid and unbelievable.  Last nights was
> >just BORING. (And had it's share of the stupid and unbelievable too, of
> >course.)

> I liked it.  Introduced a main character, moved ahead on some relationships.
> And we have had "XX's Bad Day" plots before, haven't we?  This was "Luka's
> Really Bad Day".

I like anyone who can so efficiently reduce Morris to a gibbering
wreck, so... I like Eve. :-)

> >Looked to me like Sam and LUka were doing their jobs well. (Certainly
> >better than when Sam threw the kit at him two seasons back because she
> >was jealous of Gillian!) No excuse for Eve to unilaterally inform her
> >that her schedule is being changed AND her hours are being cut.
>
> No defense on the new hours and how that was imposed.  But, there *was* a pretty
> apparent problem with decisions being made based on who wanted to be away from
> whom.  That's not "doing their jobs well".

Seemed that way to me, too.

> >The Me Goodbody scene was cute.
>
> That scene irritated me.  Can't put a finger on why - maybe it just struck me as
> really contrived.

Was never a Slim Goodbody fan, myself, so I didn't care for the scene
either (except, of course, for Neela's "You have no genitalia.").

> >I also found myself enjoying Neela's photo-shoot, at least once she relaxed and
> >learned that smiling is sexier than pouting.
>
> That was cute.

And a *damned* good day to be a lollipop.

> >I didn't care for the plot with the breast-cancer gal at all.  Maybe
> >Doc Sharon can fill me in on the details of her problem, but I don't
> >get why Abby was pressuring her to have this surgery now?  The woman
> >still looks pretty young.  Wouldn't 'watchful waiting' (frequent breast
> >exams and mammograms, and u/s scans of the ovaries) be a reasonable
> >safe route to take for the next 5-10 years; at least long enough to
> >allow her to fulfill her dream of marriage/kids. And Shaina was curious
> >about the "90%" risk reduction that Abby quoted her.  "If she has a
> >mastectomy she won't have any breasts," my brilliant daughet said, "So
> >how would she have even a 10% chance of getting breast cancer?"

Because breast cancer can develop in residual breast tissue or lymph
nodes outside of the breasts.
I notice, too, that the oopharectomy is (at least in the article I
read) recommended for women with the BRCA-1 or -2 mutation who have
finished having children (which, obviously, doesn't include this
patient).

> >The brawl in the trauma room definitely came out of no-where and had no
> >point whatsoever. (And Shaina said that she thought Luka was stronger
> >than that! He shouldn't have needed security's help.)
>
> Again - with two ex's, and the whole question of safety and parenting and
> differences about these, it seemed right on to me.
>
> Although I wondered if Luka was holding back his strength.  Luka was in the
> middle of a Really Bad Day and probably wasn't in a groove that would let him
> just take strong action..

I suppose it's not like the occasion called for bashing the dad's head
open.

> >Kerry tells Luka that the two of them are now the only 2 attendings.
> >(Though I note she uses the phrase 'faculty.'  Is that new
> >terminology?) That can't be.

Unless that means that Luka got tenure at some point in a previous
season. (Yes, that's it... in S9, when he was being a total slut, he
got a multi-million dollar grant for the hospital from a condom
company, and did all the, er, "research" himself. "On the one hand,
you're not very reliable about showing up on time... or even showing
up. On the other hand? Multi-million dollar grant.")

> >We've been told over the past few seasons
> >that there are usually 2 attendings on the floor at any given time.  If
> >we assume that attendings work 4 12/hour shifts a week, that means
> >there have to be 7 attendings in the ER to allow sufficient coverage.
> >While there have never been more than 4 in the main cast, it's assumed
> >that there are some invisible attentings (as well as invisible
> >residents/med students/nurses/of course). Jing Mei left way back last
> >December. She hasn't yet been replaced?  Carter gave sufficient notice
> >to have allowed a search to at least begin before he skipped town. I
> >should hope that Susan gave notice as well, and didn't just up and
> >quit. And then there have to be those 3 or 4 'invisible' attendings.

Maybe the invisible attendings also quit in a huff.

.