Great acting, brilliant storylines, still gripping
Disadvantages:
None
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
I've been a fan of E.R. for a few years now, and have slowly been catching up with the earlier seasons I missed when they are shown in the afternoons on More 4. I've loved them so much that I am now in the process of collecting the box sets, so far I've got Seasons 5-9, so only a few more to go! They are fantastic viewing and each season is so packed with fantastic stories, you can help but want to keep watching to find out how its going to develop further.
The seventh season of ER was a fantastic one, and one of the earlier seasons that I watched first of all. The season was originally aired from October 2000 until May 2001, so is the first series of the 21st century. It was an explosive season, with some hard hitting storylines, as well as hitting the major milestone of 150 episodes. This season contains 22 episodes. The show is set in County General Hospital in Chicago, mainly in the Emergency Room (ER), although we do often visit the OR (operating) floor throughout the series too.
ER does tend to have a high turnover of characters, but Season 7 isn't too affected by this. The main cast consists of 3 original cast members who are Anthony Edwards who plays the lovely Dr Mark Greene, Noah Wyle who is Dr John Carter and Eriq La Salle, surgeon Dr Peter Benton. Laura Innes is still in the ER as Dr Kerry Weaver, Michael Michele is paediatrician Dr Cleo Finch, also Benton's girlfriend, British actress Alex Kingston plays surgeon Dr Elizabeth Corday, Goran Vsjinic is Croatian Dr Luka Kovac, and finally one of the newer characters nurse Abby Lockhart is played by Maura Tierney.
Instead of going through an episode by episode synopsis of the season, which might be boring to read, I'll write an overall impression of the season, as well as speak about the major storylines that featured in this dramatic season. The most dramatic storyline in the history of E.R has to be the stabbings of Doctor John Carter and Medical Student Lucy Knight, the former survived and the latter sadly died. This storyline happened in Season 6, but the fallout passes through into season 7 as well. It's a prominent theme relating to Carter throughout this season, as he is tackling a drug addiction which occured after his stabbing. In fact, the whole season begins by showing us Carter in a drug rehab centre for Doctors in Atlanta. The subsequent storyline during the season of Carter being monitored by all of the ER staff, not being allowed to partake in traumas and his recovery is widely covered through the 7th season, and is a powerful storyline. Wyle really grasps the frustration of Carter at not being able to perform in his job properly, and there are some fantastic scenes between Carter and his superiors Drs Greene and Weaver (Edwards and Innes).
Nurse Abby Lockhart is another character who features heavily throughout season 7, and her character develops dramatically in this series, opening her up to become a main player in many of the later seasons of the show. Firstly Abby's status within the ER changes when her husband stops paying her medical school tuition, so she has to go from being a Medical Student to Nurse once more, replacing Nurse Carol Hathaway. Abby becomes Carter's AA sponsor, as she is a reformed alcoholic, and the friendship between the pair grows and changes as the season progresses. However, Abby's main storyline comes courtesy of her family dramas, and the superb Sally Field who plays Abby's bi-polar suffering mother Maggi Wycenski. Abby is embarassed by her mother, and struggles to balance a work-life balance when her mother reeks havoc in Chicago. The two have the most amazing on-screen relationship and have some of the best stories and scenes in the history of the show. Tierney really comes into her own in these scenes, and the story of Abby's family continues into both seasons 8 and 9 as well.
Dr Mark Greene also has a very powerful and emotional storyline throughout seasons 7 and 8. He is dating surgeon Elizabeth Corday, and the romance between the pair heats up during this series when the pair marry and become parents to their baby daughter Ella. However, Mark is hiding a terrible secret from his new wife - he has an inoperable brain tumour, and he decides not to tell Elizabeth or any of his colleagues so he can continue his job. It's an emotional storyline, showing the strain such an illness can put on a marriage and children, and the on-screen relationship between Edwards and Kingston is incredibly well done, with the acting being very strong and believable. It's realistic all the way, as is often the case with ER, and is one of the best storylines ever to come out of ER. The whole thing reaches its tragic end during season 8, but season 7 does a fantastic start to the story.
Another interesting and possibly controversial storyline of the seventh series is the one involving Dr Jing-Mei Chen, played by Ming Na. Chen discovers she is pregnant, and is in emotional turmoil about what to do. I won't say anymore about this storyline because it is so powerful and emotional to watch. It's been fantastically tackled by the actors and writers, and makes for a great watchable season. As well as these main storylines, there are smaller sub-stories as well. James Cromwell guest stars in a few episodes as a priest who is determined to make Kovac face his demons of his past. Elizabeth Mitchell plays Dr Kim Legaspi, a psychiatrist in the hospital and a special friend to Dr Kerry Weaver. And finally, there is a great love triangle between Abby, Kovac and Carter which keeps you guessing right through the series as poor old Abby can't seem to make her mind up!
Off the back of a powerful sixth season, ER pulls out all the stops for its seventh series, and really does well. It's cast are as fantastic as ever, with 3 of its cast still around from the very first series, and more characters introduced as the season progresses. The season contains some great guest stars, mainly Sally Field who is a joy to watch and her role is recurring for a few more seasons to come. It has an explosive finale which keeps you on the edge of your seat right up until the credits roll at the end. It's writing is as good as ever, the camera work and special effects are amazing, and the action is top. It's the greatest medical drama to come out of the US in my opinion, and season 7 is certainly up in the top 3 for me.
Cast: Anthony Edwards - Dr Mark Greene Alex Kingston - Dr Elizabeth Corday Laura Innes - Dr Kerry Weaver Erik Palladino - Dr Dave Malluci Eriq La Salle - Dr Peter Benton Ming Na - Dr Jing-Mei Chen Noah Wyle - Dr John Carter Maura Tierney - Nurse Abby Lockart Michael Michele - Dr Cleo Finch Goran Vsjnic - Dr Luka Kovac Paul Crane - Dr Robert Romano
Episodes: Homecoming | Sand and Water | Mars Attacks | Benton Backwards | Flight of Fancy | The Visit | Rescue Me | The Dance We Do | The Greatest of Gifts | Piece of Mind | Rock, Paper, Scissors | Surrender | Thy Will Be Done | A Walk in the Woods | The Crossing | Witch Hunt | Survival of the Fittest | April Showers | Sailing Away | Fear of Commitment | Where the Heart Is | Rampage
The DVD boxset contains 3 discs which contain all 2 eipsodes of the series. It costs £11.98 and was released in September 2006. It has a certificate of 15 in the UK, beware of some gory operating scenes if you are afraid of blood! Released by Warner Home Video.
ER TV show official website: www.nbc.com/ER For ER trivia and information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ER_(TV_series)
