Subj : Re: Episode with No Plot
To   : alt.tv.er
From : Dropping The Helicopter
Date : Sat Oct 08 2005 04:15:39

From Newsgroup: alt.tv.er

Ellen K Hursh wrote:
> 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. :-)
> 

Wait - Morris is always a gibbering wreck! ;-)

>>> 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.
> 

It also seemed that way to me, and it seemed completely unbelievable. 
Luka has boned every woman that's passed through that hospital and a 
goodly number of the men, and now all of a sudden he's going to be 
endangering the lives of patients because some single mom with an 
insufferable fake kid, a nice hairdo, and junk in the trunk kicks him to 
the curb?  Er... I mean kicks herself and her kid to the curb?  Come on.

And that's not even considering:
- Abby's going to take him back.
- I bet Abby will have some babies with him.

Get a hold of yourself, Doctor!

>>> 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.").
> 

That was what I thought was nauseating, but it was still HI-larious.

>>> 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.
> 

It was disturbing.  She looked like she was about to cry.

>>> 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

Oprahectomy?

;-)

> 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.
> 

LUKA DOESN'T NEED A REASON TO BEAT SOMEONE TO DEATH, HE NEEDS AN 
EXCUSE!!!  It was a completely wasted opportunity to inject back some of 
the awesome that has drained out of this mess we call 'ER'.

FAT PSYCHODAD: "Go ahead, make my day you Balkan punk!"
LUKA: "IN THE CROATIAN TIME ZONE, THE DAY'S ALREADY OVER!  EAT ASBESTOS 
FLOOR TILE, JERK!!!  WRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!" [Beats Fat Psychodad's 
head into the floor until the pain goes away]

>>> 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.")
> 

Heheheee!

>>> 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.
> 

OH.  MY.  GOD.  HOW BAD.  Does a SHOW HAVE TO GET.  For the CHARACTERS 
THAT ARE NOT EVEN PLAYED BY ANYONE TO START BAILING?!?!???!?!?

.