After nine years, the show that propelled George Clooney to stardom lured him back in for one last goodbye run– and I do mean last. Clooney as Dr. Doug Ross reappeared three episodes away from ER’s 15th and final season. The long-running hit NBC drama, set in the emergency ward of a Chicago hospital, hasn’t seen Clooney’s character for almost ten years.
As the storyline goes, he was transferred to the Washington State hospital in Seattle alongside his girlfriend-turned-wife, Carol Hathaway. We first met her when she was working at Chicago General as head nurse and was brought into the ER to be treated following a suicide attempt. Since his transfer to Washington, Dr. Ross has worked as an attending physician at the Seattle hospital. In order to write him back into the show, along with three other original cast members, the writers had to rely on a certain amount of coincidence.
During the last three episodes, Noah Wyle returns to play his character, Dr. John Carter, who is at Chicago County General hospital as a patient. He is awaiting a kidney that will prove to be a transplant match for him. Dr. Peter Benton, reprieved by Eriq La Salle, works in the hospital and goes to visit Dr. Carter during his wait.
A matching kidney does in fact become available at at the very Seattle hospital where Dr. Ross and Hathaway work. This leads to all four of these original cast members being reunited for a final farewell to the fifteen year old series.
If that’s not enough to peak your interest in the conclusion of this record-breaking, award-winning series, maybe I should mention the partial Clooney nudity that is thrown in for free at the end of the last episode.
Although it may seem like the end of an era, and, in fact, it is, but the fun won’t stop once you’ve seen the dramatic ending. It will just serve as an opportunity to watch all three hundred and some episodes from all over again from start to finish… or at least your choice favorites; sometimes shows are just better in syndication.
For the maximum in viewing pleasure, check out what DirecTV has to offer if you haven’t already. They will be able to provide more HD channels than you could get from other satellite provider and way more than cable providers. With DirecTV there is also the added benefit that their monthly bill is less than cable with better choices in packages to suit the whole family.
