I admit I have not watched the show in the past few weeks, but tonight’s ep. looks interesting. Forest Whitaker’s character escalates his need for revenge on Luka, while Sam figures out who set fire to her home. Gonna tape it. In the meantime, dig in.
You know a few years ago I went to england for a few months. While over there I tricked my friends (who are Huge Er fans) into thinking that Sams Kid had died in the last episode. Every freaking time that brat comes on TV I wish that were the case.
WHen are they going to put a 12 gauge to that kids head and end our misery?
My girlfriend chided me for wishing death on the child as well. I guess they need to show us Alex nursing a wounded bird back to health or something, he’s just not humanized enough to keep me from thinking the gene pool’d be better off without him.
Good episode.
Didn’t find much to like in this episode. Poor Paula Malcomson. She needs a new agent.
I didn’t care that Meg died. She was written into the show just so she could die. Much like most ER characters, especially patients, but it was different with her. Shouldn’t we have cared about her just a little bit? I don’t care about Sarah either, and the death scene was awful. Stamos looked grieved – grieved that he was stuck in that room with a crying kid.
Now Sam thinks that Alex set the fire on purpose. Oy, the drama to come! Not.
I almost liked the few minutes where it seemed like Luka felt some of Curtis Ames’ pain, but Luka’s felt pain before, so that didn’t even work.
Terrible episode, IMHO.
Maybe someone who was paying more attention can answer a question I have about this ep.
Did Curtis Ames (Forrest Whittaker) shoot himself twice, or did I not hear two gunshots?
Yeah, I heard two also. Was one a SWAT bullet, maybe?
Did anyone else just want Luka to say, “Look, you entitled piece of shit: I’ve lost everything, too! I had a wife and kids and a country I love torn apart by war. Shot in my own house - dead baby in the crib! Did I sit around sobbing and spitting and ruining other people’s lives seeking revenge? No, I fucking got back up, got a medical degree and started my life over again, asshole. Don’t tell me I don’t know what it’s like! Don’t come crying to me because I made a simple mistake in a horrible environment for practicing medicine. You still have one hand, and two good legs, which is more than a whole lot of people in my old country have after a decade of war, motherfucker. At least all your kids are still alive, you selfish prick! Maybe if you didn’t whine at them all the time, they’d want you at their recitals.”?
The two shots were IITS (“It’s in the script”) so we’d wonder if it was a murder/suicide. I’ll fanwank it by saying that either the first bullet missed, or it didn’t, and his hand clenched involuntarily a second time and shot a second bullet either wild or into the same hole. SWAT didn’t make it up there until after Ames fired two shots.
My guess is that the writer simply didn't remember that part of Luka's backstory.That’s basically what I was thinking through that whole scene–and through the whole story arc–though without quite as much detail. It’s not like Luka’s never felt serious emotional pain, yet there’s been basically no reference to that fact, at all, at any point while the other guy was going on and on about Luka not understanding his loss.
It’s because that story arc was primarily to showcase Forest Whitaker. Luka and Abby were basically used as scenery for him to chew.
the only positive thing I can say about that episode is that Forrest Whitaker is an EXCELLENT actor… the rest was “meh…”
Most of us probably thought the same thing as WhyNot. We see people in worse shape than Ames every day, and they manage. I had a hard time feeling any sympathy for Ames. He had options, and he had children.
Exactly! I did so want Luka to tell him everything, as WhyNot suggested, although I think too that Luka probably realized that Ames’ had totally gone off the rails, so to speak; no matter what he said it wouldn’t have made any difference to Ames.
There are plenty of people who have it much worse than Ames and don’t go off the rails like he did. I suggest that Ames was “off” (at least a bit of the ways) before, and his experience in the hospital and then later with Luka was just enough to push him the rest of the way.
I don’t know what to say about Alex other than to acknowledge that that is one really fucked up kid. While he didn’t deliberately start the fire this time, it’s only a matter of time until he progresses to something like that which will be deliberate. I too had hoped that he would perish in the fire, and I feel awful for thinking that about a kid. 
There are too many unlikeable characters on ER this year, because I didn’t really care about Meg, and I don’t like Gates all that much (Uncle Jesse and Blackie …).
I think you nailed it. His wife probably wouldn’t have dumped him so quickly otherwise. Even if Ames had won his lawsuit, he would have come after Luka. Or someone.
And he could have hired someone to help him finish the work on that building. Take on an apprentice, share your knowledge. The guy seemed totally self-centered.
I was glad they didn’t drag out the “Was it Luka?” too long. And I didn’t see why SWAT couldn’t have shot him from the top of one of the neighboring buildings.
I have to confess that I almost hoped Luka would be killed so I could stop watching the show. His beauty is the only reason I tune in anymore.
Did the neighbor die from the fire? I missed that part.
Me too. It was silly that it never came up, either from Luka or from Ames who seems to have done some homework on Luka. Bad writing, IMO.
I had no hopes for this season when it started due to the cliff hanger last season, then some hopes as things got better. This episode is a big step backwards.
This ep. was depressing and wretched, kinda like Cold Case but without all the murders.
I think so. Gracie asked Sam about him and Sam said he was doing okay.
My thoughts exactly. The two shots were particularly galling; no amount of fanwanking will let me forgive them for that contrived piece of manipulation.
One thought I did have was when Luka and Ames were in the car, and Luka said that he’d had a gun pointed at him before. My first thought was “and I killed that guy with my bare hands,” mistakenly thinking of his first date with Abby. After a second or two I remembered that the homeless mugger guy didn’t have a gun, but rather a knife or pipe or something. Next I thought maybe he was referencing a piece of off-camera Croatian backstory. Then I remembered the horrid Africa episodes. So not only did this episode suck on its own merits, but it also had callbacks to other shitty episodes. Fuckers!
Next week looks pretty good, thankfully. Back to the ER and patients and stuff. The overly-important voiceover during the promo was hysterical as usual. Something like “All fans of ER will want to watch it.” Ha! Obviously they meant “as opposed to this shitty contrived mess of an emmy-grab.”
In fairness to the writers, Ames wasn’t really complaining about losing his family. He was complaining about the loss of his manhood, which is not the same kind of loss Luka suffered in Croatia. As evidenced by Abby and Joe, it is possible to rebuild your life after you lose your family. It is not possible to rebuild your life after your manhood has been taken from you. Crushing/chopping off Luka’s hands would have been a much bigger loss for Luka than anything that happened to him in Croatia.
I’m scared it was something like “A Valentine’s Day all fans of ER will want to watch.” Uummm, maybe not.