Ellie

I love Carter/Kem..I really do! But I shall leave my squealing for the other thread. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

The thing I want to comment about the most is that Carter and Luka are actually.. *gasp* friends! Yay! I've been wanting to see this a while now, and it's great how their relationship has changed and they seem to be building a friendship now, I really enjoyed seeing that in this ep.

**Susie**

Still no Susan. [img]smilies/furious.gif[/img] Can we switch Morris for Susan screentime, please? Ick.

Anyway, poor Pratt. The last scene with the patient almost made me cry. And I don't cry over TV shows that often, trust me. [img]smilies/sigh.gif[/img] I still like Pratt *nods*

See, I like this Sam/Luka thing. I mean, it's kinda obvious they like each other and although Sam's kinda a bitch sometimes, we allll know she wants him [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Carter/Kem was really cute. She just seems to be really carefree and I think that's what Carter needs right now.

Whimsical Fairy

Ok, I had told myself I wouldn't write anything in this thread, because I might be gushing here and I'm not supposed to, but :: meh.

First of all, all I'll say about K&C is that they seem so happy together that it's just adorable. [img]smilies/glow.gif[/img] <-that was so Carter throughout the episode.

[img]smilies/frown.gif[/img] I miss Susan...

[img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] The Kerry/Luka scene in the end was so funny, that was my favorite Luka scene of the night.

About Pratt... I felt sorry for him at the end of the episode. That whole scene with Valerie and Gallant in the beginning was sort of funny, when he kisses her before he leaves.

:/ Ok, that's it, I think... I'll probably ramble on LJ anyway. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

-Bianca-

The ratings (at least the overnights) were up for this episode:

Source

~*SorrowfulBeauty*~

Okay, I didn't see the last 15 minutes *I fell asleep*...What happened in through that time? Can someone please tell me.

It really ticked me off that they didn't put Susan in this one. It's not the same without her...it misses something... [img]smilies/confused.gif[/img]

~Sarah~

Mely

I just want to say, because Ellie mentioned something like this as well... You can definitely gush here! Sus and I said no bashing, but you can gush all you want.

Glad to see ER is first for it's timeslot. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Ellie

Thanks for that Noa. But I was refraining from my gushing here, as I didn't want to subject everyone to my squeals! [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] Because right now, I think I could go on for years!

SweetMadness

Teehee, I made Noa's sig!! [img]smilies/glow.gif[/img]

She does, though! I even had to check to see if the actress was dating a guy IRL (she is). Was this Morocco's first episode?

Mely

I think it is, I can't find anything earlier than this one.

Whimsical Fairy

[img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] Thanks, m'Noa...! but are you sure you want to let me gush here...? [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

[img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] Hee, I forgot to mention...I love the relationship between Luka and Carter now. I love Suby and now I love Luka/Carter.

[img]smilies/glow.gif[/img] And Luka looks so.good.in.scrubs... [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img]

CarterKerry

I tolerate Carter/Kem much more than I did Carter/Lucy. I don't think their relationship will last. I still think Carter is more in love with being a daddy and being loved by someone than having deep feelings for Kem. Carter loves the attention and affection with Kem. kem is part of Congo that he ran to avoidall his problems and insecurites,. he is now back in reality. We will see what happens to his Cono world when it meest with his real chicago word full of issues/insecurities.

I've been a carter fan for ten seasons. I want Carter to be happy in a healthy way and I just don't think Carter is healthy right now despite his "happiness" with Kem. I think carter's beard, greasy unkempt hair is a reflection that all is not what it seems with Carter. I think reality will set in before the season ends. Why should I care about a relationship that has been rushed and happened offscreen . why should I accept one that occured inat a time when carter was running and not dealing with his issues. I've still not gotten any clues that he really has dealt with his issues and really happy. We went from Carter knowing this person to her being pregnant in less than a full eppy. Relationships that develop this quickly are plot devices the vast majority of time. They have done this many times ovwer the year with carter where some guest star was brought in. I used to try to accept it and enjoy it in the past because it involved carter, but I am tired of it. I just don't get vibes that carter really is Happy and healthy right now. Until they show he is or we see things fall apart, I will be weary of all this.

I still have question about the paternity since Makemba IMO made it clear that carter/Kem did not hook up until November. Kem is around four months pregnant now and it is early January. That means the baby was conceived in Sept. Maybe , TPTB are just lousy at Math. I also noticed how uncomfortable Kem was when all the staff hugged him. Its like she realizes that this is really home to Carter and she really does not fit in. I also found oit interesting that we get a scene where The cook or the maid was unhappy with Kem. If Carter /Kem are longlasting and TPTB want us all to believe that this is it , why show ius in her first eppy in Chicago that the mansion staff is not happy with Kem. They could bring stuff like this in the equation much later if they were long term, not upon out initial viewing of her in chicago. Also, why did they make carter's mansion much more opulent than they have since the shows inception.

If carby is trully over why make the episode more about Carter's return, abby's reaction and carby interaction. That's not how TPTB normally work when a relationship is over for good and they know it. There have been links or edit cuts to carby in 10.8,10.10, and plenty in this eppy. Even if carby do not get babck together, it was great to see the great chemistry together in theior scenes. They work so well together. It was intyeresting to see a bot of a role reversal in this eppy that it was quite clear that abby still has deep feelings for carter, but was being a good sport about it and being gracuiois. I still picked up on carter noticing abby and that he still has feelings for her. His reaction to the mention of Abby in Makemba showed this as well as the subtle hints we got in this eppy.

SweetMadness

I think the whole thing with the cook was to show how Kem isn't comfortable with being served and how it's instinctive to cook for the servants - "again," as she put it. Also, I think the majesty of the mansion was to contrast the somewhat less fantastic dwellings of the Congo, and maybe because Thorpe has a crush on Tom Cruise [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Also with the Carby, I was really surprised how obvious their tension was, no matter how one chose to interpret it. Last season it would have simply been avoided in order to showcase a less popular storyline - "Abby's out sick again" or something. Also, new main writers usually like to steer clear of major arc business [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

[ 01-09-2004: Message edited SweetMadness ]

CarterKerry

The writer of this episode has been a medical adviser on ER for years. I have an interview with him on a cable healthy channel dating back 3-4 years ago.
I think TPTB wrote in the tension , yet having them work so well together to show the chemistry and to remind us how well they work together.

I think there were other ways to show that Kem is a from a different worls than in her first eppy in the states we are shown that the house staff has issues with her. Are we going to see members of the hospital staff have issues with her in the future. I think we got hints in this episode that Kem will not fit in Carter's chicago world.

Mrs S Eyre

They included Abby's reaction to Carter's return because it would be ridiculous not to; and they could have chosen other ways to point up the difference between Carter's background and Kem's but they chose this one as being quick and easily assimilated.

And actually no-one fits in with Carter's Chicago world; he's unique in the position he occupies. Abby never even made it to the mansion even though they were together for a year, did she? Is that some sort of code for "Abby couldn't deal with this"? Of course not. The wealth issues were clearly there as a point of friction with Carter and Abby and they may be for Kem and Carter too but it doesn't make Kem uniquely unsuited as Carter's partner. There's no-one on the show who shares his background.

[ 01-09-2004: Message edited Mrs Eyre ]

Lysie

Abby probably never went to the mansion because Gamma still lived there, and she did have her own apartment and Carter had an apartment, too. She had been to it before anyway. I don't think it's because "she didn't make it." It just didn't make a lot of sense for them to go there when they could be alone at her apartment. Kem obviously doesn't have an apartment in Chicago. I thought Kem seemed incredibly uncomfortable in the ER, too. I'm not sure what to think of that. I don't have a problem with Kem, but I really think her and Carter just don't fit (maybe if Carter would shave that would help). And either TPTB messed up or I missed something, but she's too far along for Carter to be the father, if they were only together seven weeks before she told him she got pregnant. He said she was in her second trimester. Abby said he must have knocked her up the second he got there, but he didn't (I realize she was technically joking, but her facts were probably straight). Wasn't it at least a couple of months? I don't know. SOmething just seems wrong (besides the beard).
I enjoyed Abby in this episode (yeah, I know. I enjoy Abby in every episode). I read another board that some people were saying she was pulling her little self-pity, "poor me" thing again. But that's a load of crap. I thought she showed a lot of her growth. She did not whine about Carter to anyone (her comment seemed like a jab at an old friend). She even approached him. The old Abby would have hidden from him all day. And their conversation at the end didn't seem that uncomfortable. It seemed genuine. SHe also showed some maturity when she didn't tell Weaver that the Valium was in her lab coat. I'd have thrown a fit if my boss had me stay because of her own stupidity.
I actually felt bad for Pratt in this one. I wasn't really expecting that from Valerie. That was just cruel.
I, too, missed Susan. I did not miss Chen. I really missed drunk Neela. Sober Neela does nothing for me. I could have done with more Elizabeth, but at least she was in the episode.