Signing Out: ER's Finale Episodes

ER used to be appointment television for myself and others in the 90's. Watching parties or going to hang out to see the show was the norm. Fifteen years later, ER ended its run on NBC.

Viewing the last few episodes, reminded me of the people I haven't thought about in years and the good times we had watching the show. It was such a popular program that parties were postponed until after ER ended. Sitting around chatting about who we'd like paired, what may be wrong with a patient and what would happen next was fun. I started watching it because of Sherry Stringfield as I watched her on Guiding Light (and NYPD Blue), and unlike many I already knew and liked George Clooney prior to ER (from when he was on The Facts of Life and Roseanne).

Over the years, I lost interest due to the cast changes and life. Going to school, working nights, and TiVo not existing made keeping up difficult, and eventually I just stopped. The last episodes I saw until this final year was when Dr. Greene died.

The show came full circle with Dr. Carter opening his own clinic in honor of his deceased son and visiting with his former colleagues (like Benton, Lewis, Corday, Weaver) who became his friends and then his family. Even if we no longer will see what is going on in the lives of the people at County General in Chicago and those we met who no longer work there, life and work continues. Rachel, Dr. Mark Greene's daughter, followed in her father's footsteps into emergency medicine. Prior to the last episode, we saw that Dr. Doug Ross and his lady love Carol Hathaway remain together in Seattle.

So seeing it come to the end was bittersweet. I even became weepy and not just because it was the last remnant of NBC's "Must-See TV" programming. There will always be reruns and DVDs, that I can watch at my leisure. One of these days I may start doing that, though my list of shows to watch is ridiculously long. Perhaps then I will get to know more about the last set of doctors and nurses that worked at the ER like Neela, Morris and Banfield.

So raise a glass to ER, a show that lasted a lot longer than anyone expected and provided a lot of entertainment over the years.