# Damn you, Lou Grant! (ER SPOILERS 1-30) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 31, 2003, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-you-lou-grant-er-spoilers-1-30/151802 "2003-01-31T04:02:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-you-lou-grant-er-spoilers-1-30/151802/1 "2003-01-31T04:02:40Z")
Man, I didn’t see that scam coming. Poor Carter, his first attempt at philanthropy goes horribly awry. ☹ Beyond that I don’t have much to say about this episode; hopefully sweeps during the next three weeks will be better. Happy ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-you-lou-grant-er-spoilers-1-30/151802/2 "2003-01-31T04:46:11Z")
Well, couldn’t Carter, I dunno-stop payment on the check? ---
**Author:** ![NotWithoutRage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NotWithoutRage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotWithoutRage)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-you-lou-grant-er-spoilers-1-30/151802/3 "2003-01-31T04:56:20Z")
Good episode. Rocket Romano breaks my itsy bitsy little heart. ---
**Author:** ![23skidoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/f04885/32.png) [@23skidoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/23skidoo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-you-lou-grant-er-spoilers-1-30/151802/4 "2003-01-31T05:04:15Z")
I’m glad they sent Makai Pfeiffer’s brother away before they starting having people guest star as the guy that gets stabbed or shot on a weekly basis. Next week on a very special ER, Gary Coleman: “He got shot, G! He got shot!” ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-you-lou-grant-er-spoilers-1-30/151802/5 "2003-01-31T14:42:31Z")
I dont watch ER that often, but I’ve gotten into it lately. Whats up with Romano’s arm? Did he get injured at some point? Parkinsons? (though they did that with that other guy…Pratt?). I just didn’t get that whole thing. I’m getting annoyed at that guys brother, too. First of all, even if he was reported to the police (and its gonna come out eventually), the fact that he’s mentally ill will mean that he wont be put in jail like your average gang dude. Secondly…how many of his friends need to get shot before someone figures things out a little. Is no one paying attention to this? ARrgghhh…That whole plot line bugs me. Get back to Luka and his insanity - it was far less redundant. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-you-lou-grant-er-spoilers-1-30/151802/6 "2003-01-31T15:27:24Z")
I didn’t see the episode, but I believe it was cut off by a helicopter rotor blade on the roof of the hospital and had to be reattached But I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-you-lou-grant-er-spoilers-1-30/151802/7 "2003-01-31T15:34:43Z")
**ob** ’s right about the arm. As for last night, I fell asleep and now I’m curious. What happened? Who scammed who? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-you-lou-grant-er-spoilers-1-30/151802/8 "2003-01-31T15:35:00Z")
So, was Asner’s character a doctor at all? He clearly had medical knowledge, and his own health problems were obviously real. What’s with Luka? He went mental over the bulimic patient (though I loved what he said about “a real eating disorder” [though why did the girl’s actions cost the hospital $3,000? Had they specifically said she was uninsured?) and American whiners, yet he’s gone sports-car and expensive call girl happy in the last few episodes. Be consistent. Mnemosyne- it was a chopper blade. Romano was always a brilliant surgeon in addition to being a total horse’s ass; now he’s afraid he’s just the latter. Also, if you haven’t watched the show for very long then you might not know that Luka’s a widower; his wife and 2 small children were killed in the Balkan war. Total ditto on the “enough with the retarded brother” plotline. Enough with Pheiffer for my part, unless they change his character from “Angry Black Man Doctor” [from the producers of Joe Millionaire] to somebody more interesting. Total LOL on the Gary Coleman comment. ---
**Author:** ![NotWithoutRage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NotWithoutRage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotWithoutRage)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-you-lou-grant-er-spoilers-1-30/151802/9 "2003-01-31T15:35:16Z")
**obfusciatrist** is correct. It happened in this season’s premiere. ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-you-lou-grant-er-spoilers-1-30/151802/10 "2003-01-31T15:54:43Z")
I’m going to actively resist the contrived soon-to-be romance (I’m just guessing) between Corday and the handsome young surgeon whose character name I don’t remember but is played by Bruno Campos. Their exchange at the front desk had to be some of the most awkward, clunky dialogue I’ve heard on ER. On the whole, an uninteresting episode. But Romano laying a big wet one on Weaver was priceless. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-you-lou-grant-er-spoilers-1-30/151802/11 "2003-01-31T16:04:20Z")
Mr. S and I laughed out loud at the ending. What a scam! Good one, Lou! What a pro – he even tore up Carter’s personal check (which was probably hefty enough) last episode, just to help reel in the big fat one from the foundation. Wonder how much his “wife” got? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-you-lou-grant-er-spoilers-1-30/151802/12 "2003-01-31T16:05:28Z")
I’m assuming Asner’s character was a con artist, pure and simple. He must have known enough about medicine to pull off the con, and clearly he had diabetis. The best cons are the ones you never see coming, and the best marks are intelligent people. A stop payment should work, I doubt he could draw on those funds until the check clears. I was sure Carter was going to end up working at the clinic instead of going to Bosnia or Africa. (The clinic was a fly-by-night operation, and he was just setting Carter up to write a big enough check. Find a sympathetic rich doctor who takes pity on the poor hard working doc at an inner city clinic with diabetis.) I think Luka is going through a crisis about not taking responsibility for his own actions, and getting mad at others for doing the same thing. He never contacted the medical student he injured while she was in the hospital, although he did take responsibility for killing the patient in the ER when hungover. The new love interest for Corday was poorly written, or acted, or both. Both of them were trying to act with their eyes in the OR and it came off pretty stilted and campy. The front desk scene wasn’t much better, with the other female docs lusting after him. And I want to hear more about the semen stain on the sweater?! ---
**Author:** ![80sHairMetalMaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/8/ed655f/32.png) [@80sHairMetalMaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/80sHairMetalMaven)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-you-lou-grant-er-spoilers-1-30/151802/13 "2003-01-31T16:32:40Z")
It wasn’t a semen stain;) It was club soda. Or at least that what Jing-Mei said when she was asked anyway.😉 “It’s not like I’m some ER slut going around with spunk on my shirt.” HA! I’ll believe that when cows fly and Carrie becomes a hetero.😉 IDBB ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-you-lou-grant-er-spoilers-1-30/151802/14 "2003-01-31T16:38:15Z")
Yabbut, then she threw it out in the break room. I think it **was** spunk. I didn’t catch what she said to Susan about the club soda showing up under the lamp, but I thought those lamps only showed certain types of bodily fliuds – ? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-you-lou-grant-er-spoilers-1-30/151802/15 "2003-01-31T17:05:08Z")
**Scarlett** , I’m thinking that the winky faces meant that **IDBB** was joking, she got it. The club soda bit (while presumably true) was her way of covering for the fact that she’s embarressed about it. She thinks of herself as an ER slut, which might make a good band name. ---
**Author:** ![TJ555\_The\_Golfer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@TJ555\_The\_Golfer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJ555_The_Golfer)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-you-lou-grant-er-spoilers-1-30/151802/16 "2003-01-31T17:51:51Z")
I am thinking it was a cashier’s check and he would be able to draw funds as soon as he went to a bank. ---
**Author:** ![AV8R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AV8R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AV8R)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-you-lou-grant-er-spoilers-1-30/151802/17 "2003-01-31T18:53:53Z")
> [@](#): > > Well, couldn’t Carter, I dunno-stop payment on the check? > [@](#): > > I am thinking it was a cashier’s check and he would be able to draw funds as soon as he went to a bank. It really isn’t about the money. Whether he’s out the money or not, it was the principal of the thing. Being scammed like that is going to be much more of an annoyance to Carter than losing the money. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-you-lou-grant-er-spoilers-1-30/151802/18 "2003-01-31T21:17:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TJ555 The Golfer \* > \*\*I am thinking it was a cashier’s check and he would be able to draw funds as soon as he went to a bank. \*\* No, it was delivered by courier and was from the Carter Family Foundation. Asner’s character even looked at it and asked if he had to name it after the Carter Family Foundation. I find it highly unlikely the CFF would write a check for a measly $10, let alone whatever astronomical amount that check must have been without checking into the clinic a little more. That whole storyline screamed “contrivance” to me. He set up that phony clinic and pretended to have diabetes and went to County to hope to meet Carter, just to scam him out of millions? How did he know he’d even hook up with Carter, once at County? How did he know Carter wouldn’t drop by his clinic and want to help out with patients? Please, give us a decent storyline. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-you-lou-grant-er-spoilers-1-30/151802/19 "2003-01-31T21:25:50Z")
My take was that Asner’s character (what was his name?) really had diabetes, and his first visit to Cook County was legitimate. From there things just happened- Asner was probably as shocked as anybody that Carter started chunking money at him. My guess: he’s either not really a doctor or had his license revoked and illegal clinics was his bread and butter for years until Carter’s check landed in his lap. Liz Torres’ character will be the key. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-you-lou-grant-er-spoilers-1-30/151802/20 "2003-01-31T21:27:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AV8R \* > \*\*It really isn’t about the money. Whether he’s out the money or not, it was the principal of the thing. Being scammed like that is going to be much more of an annoyance to Carter than losing the money. \*\* More of an annoyance, I think he was on the verge of taking Abbey’s advice and getting into the “family business” (at least part time), but this may have been the thing that convinced him he was right all along to avoid philanthropy as a vocation. But a pretty crappy episode overall. Maybe during sweeps, Romano will have his other arm ripped of by a subway. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-you-lou-grant-er-spoilers-1-30/151802.md?page=2)