This season starts off right
where we left off. Pratt, Jing-Mei and Elgin are experiencing “road rage” at
its finest. Pratt’s adrenaline is pumping and he seems to be driving like a
maniac. I do not think that Elgin “flipping the bird” helped matters either.
The man pulls out a gun and fires it toward them. Chen ends up getting shot,
but it is not that serious. Pratt loses control of his vehicle and heads
through a construction area and over the bridge into the river. The vehicle
begins to sink and Elgin is unable to move his lower body. Deb calls 911 on a
cell phone.
Chen is beginning to feel the
pain of her gunshot wound and the coldness of the water. Pratt tells her to
remove her seatbelt, but she is unable to do so. The vehicle keeps sinking
deeper into the water.
In the ER, Frank and Morris
are at the front desk and Morris is complaining about not having much time off
for vacation. Frank doesn’t seem to care. Dr. Lewis is the Attending on
duty, but she is still on maternity leave. Morris hopes that Carter or Luka
will be the attending. Dr. Weaver comes down and is upset with Morris for not
seeing more patients than he has. He has been there for fifteen minutes.
Carter’s shift is over and Luka left early (to chase after Sam and Alex).
Pratt. Jing-Mei and Elgin are still in the water and are struggling to stay
alert. Sam and Alex are still on their way out of Chicago. They are heading
for Louisville and Alex isn’t happy about it. Sam just wants to get away from
her ex-husband. She tries to make it sound like an adventure, but Alex isn’t
buying it. Pratt’s vehicle is fully submerged now and is at the bottom of the
river. All three just sit there helpless, not seeming to see the urgency of
getting out. Sam and Alex arrive at a Motel. Alex tells the guy at the front
desk to call the police because he has been kidnapped. Sam looks at the man
and grins. Pratt finally gets Jing-Mei out of her seatbelt and she swims to
the top of the river. Pratt has to free Elgin now, which is going to be a
tougher job. The rescuers help Jing-Mei and she tells them that there are
still two more under the water. Pratt comes to the top of the water, but was
unable to get Elgin. He wants to go back down to get him, but is told that
they will handle it.
Carter is with Weaver and Luka
walks back in. Kerry yells at Luka for leaving his shift and tells him to go
home. Luka insists on working. Luka tells Frank to call the head of nursing
to tell them that Sam will not be back in, she quit. Carter asks Kerry how
the court case is going, but is interrupted by Morris, who has a patient (a
hooker) that needs a pelvic exam. Weaver tells Morris and the officer who
brought the patient in that they can not legally do a pelvic exam on the
patient. Carter’s shift is over and he is on his way out. Carter finds Luka
outside and asks him about Sam and Alex. Luka tells Carter that they left and
he is not sure that they will be back. Luka assures Carter that he is okay
with it, but Carter can see that he is upset. Luka tells Carter to tell Kem
good-bye before she leaves. Abby is working her last nursing shift before her
internship begins that morning. Neela has come back and shows up in the ER to
speak with Abby. A call comes in about a multi-victim accident that is on its
way in. Weaver tells Abby to stick around to help cover Luka and Carter’s
absence. Chen is loaded into the ambulance and Pratt watches as Elgin is
pulled from the river. Elgin has no vitals.
Abby and Morris are outside in
the ambulance bay awaiting the arrival of the multi-victim car accident.
Neela is with them and wanting to help, but Weaver tells her no, she doesn’t
work there anymore. They are surprised to see Chen and Pratt. Chen sees the
other driver being taken in. Pratt wants to assist with Jing-Mei, but is
unable to. Neela stays with him until Elizabeth arrives to look him over.
Weaver tells Abby that she is officially an Intern now and can start treating
patients, since they are short staffed. Elgin arrives and is taken in to the
ER. He is not doing well. Pratt watches on as they work
on Jing-Mei. He tells them what they need to do and Kerry tells him to back
off and let them work on her.
Kerry walks over to check on how Abby is doing
when Frank interrupts her. He tells her that Sandy’s brother is on the phone
and she asks if everything is okay with Henry. The detective who came in with
the hooker tells Kerry that they found a judge who will allow for a body
search and he wants a pelvic to be done on Morris’ patient. Frank tells Kerry
that Henry is okay, but Sandy’s brother still wants to talk to her. Neela is
still hanging around and Kerry reminds her that she does not work there any
longer. Morris is suturing Pratt’s cut head. Pratt goes unconscious and
Morris sees that he has blown a pupil. Elgin’s vitals are dropping and Abby
opens his chest, which was unnecessary. Neela tries to get Elgin’s mother on
the phone, but Elgin dies before she is able to get there. Neela wants to get
his chest closed up before she sees him. Carter arrives home and finds Kem
lying on the couch with all of the lights off watching television. He wants
to take her out, but she tells him that she would prefer to stay in. She
doesn’t seem to want to be near him or wanting him to touch her. Neela wants
to stay and tell Elgin’s mother about what happened. Abby tries to find out
what happened with Neela leaving and coming back to Chicago, but she does not
want to talk about it.
Luka tries to get in touch
with Sam on the phone. Sam sees the call, but does not answer it. Kem is
sleeping and Carter looks at her with a sad expression on his face. Her bags
are packed and she is getting ready to leave back to Africa. Pratt has been
in surgery. The morning has arrived and Luka comes in for his shift. Frank
tells Kerry that she has had two more calls from Sandy’s brother. The ER has
a new resident and his name is Ray Barnett. He is there for orientation.
Another new resident is there also. His name is Howard and he seems to be a
germaphobe. Abby has been excused from the orientation. Dr. Weaver has given
Abby a lab coat with her name on it. The detective seems to be waiting for
Abby to do the pelvic on Morris’ patient. Luka is working on a baby who seems
to have botulism, which the parents blame on each other. Luka tells Abby that
they are not going to do the pelvic on Morris’ patient. Abby tends to a man
who is bleeding from his mouth. Haleh is the nurse who is assisting her.
Alex is in the motel pool floating as if he has drowned. Sam watches and
begins to worry, but Alex finally comes up for air. Alex wants to go back to
Chicago, but Sam still wants to keep running. Sam jumps into the pool with
Alex, fully clothed. Abby’s bleeding patient has tonsil cancer. He tells her
that he is ready to die. Abby is unable to stay with him, but Haleh assures
him that she will stay to make sure that he is comfortable. Abby is sensing
the change from being a nurse to being a doctor. Pratt wakes up from his
surgery. He wants to have the intubating tube removed. Chen is next to him
and explains what has happened. Luka sees Abby and tells her that she looks
good in her white lab coat. Luka gets a collect call. Neela has been
sleeping in the ER. She wakes up and asks Abby if she would like to go get
some breakfast and talk. Weaver is in court. Sandy’s brother is there. He
tells Kerry that Sandy’s parents have reached a compromise and she can keep
Henry. They just want to make sure that he is in childcare when Kerry is
working and that they can continue to visit him. Weaver is very greatful.
Abby was wondering why the
other residents were not seeing patients and Chuny tells Abby that Luka has
left. Luka arrives at the motel where Alex and Sam are staying. Alex meets
him and is glad to see him there. Sam is not as excited. Kem and Carter are
carrying a small box with their son’s ashes in it. They are going to say
their goodbyes to him and spill his remains into the river. Kem says her
goodbyes in French and Carter can not understand what she has said. Carter
tries to be strong. He asks her to stay and get married, but she wants to
move on. Abby ends up doing the pelvic on Morris’ patient and the detective
gets his evidence that she was concealing. Abby’s tonsil patient has died.
Haleh has her sign the death certificate. Abby and Neela talk about what has
been going on with her. Neela is not sure if she wants to practice medicine
any longer. Luka tries to talk Sam in to coming back to Chicago with him.
She tells him that all she knows is running away. Luka tells her to trust
him. He will be there for her and Alex. Kem explains to Carter why she has
to go back to Africa. She needs to get away for a while. She tells him that
she loves him and Carter begins to cry.
Reviewed by Tony on December 16,
2004
NBC Review
IN SEASON PREMIERE, "ER" PUTS PEDAL TO THE METAL FOLLOWING
HAIRPIN FINALE CLIFFHANGER; SHANE WEST JOINS REGULAR CAST -- The season
premiere resumes from last year's full-throttle finale as Dr. Pratt (Mekhi
Phifer) and his passengers -- Dr. Chen (Ming-Na) and Elgin (guest star James
Earl) -- try to elude gunfire from another motorist until Pratt loses control
of his sports car and crashes into the Chicago River -- trapping them
underwater as rescue crews troll overhead. When recovered, all three are
hospitalized with serious injuries that soon spiral downward. Elsewhere, Nurse
Sam (Linda Cardellini) seeks to escape her returning boyfriend and hits the
road to find a new life with her son Alex (guest star Oliver Davis) just as
Neela (Parminder Nagra) makes a surprising entrance in the E.R. In addition, a
somber Dr. Carter (Noah Wyle) and Kem (guest star Thandie Newton, "Mission:
Impossible") deal with their unborn son's remains, Dr. Weaver (Laura Innes)
intercedes when a cop wants to perform a pelvic exam on a young woman who's
hiding a stash of marijuana in a private body part -- and two new interns
(including new series regular Shane West, "A Walk to Remember") make an
immediate impact. Alex Kingston, Goran Visnjic and Maura Tierney also star.
TV-14
