This is the last season of what, in my opinion, is probably one of the best dramas ever. It has outlasted many great shows including dramas and other medical dramas. The show has been my "comfort food" for 14 years. ER made such a large impact on me for a few reasons, but one of the main reasons is that I could immediately relate to it. The show started just as I was starting my career in Software Development. Some of the stories of the show were similar to what I was experiencing in my life. The hectic schedules, the constant "firefighting", the complex problems that needed to be solved immediately even though they seemed unsolvable were all shared between the show and my life. You'd see an intern on the show that was expected to save a life despite the self-doubt. Similarly, in my life I was in an occupation that had insane schedules, constant challenges and expected much of young people that had just come out of school. We were not expected to "save lives", but at times it seemed like it because of the urgency and the expectations of the clients. At times we felt we were over our heads but just as often, we had the "punching the air" in celebration moments that Peter Benton (played by Eriq La Salle) experienced when he performed at his best. As well as the career similarities, I could relate to the characters; Like me, they were young, they were discovering themselves and they were doing their best to balance work with leisure. They were developing new relationships with co-workers, friends and lovers. They were often dealing with difficult personality types. Sometimes their lives seemed out of control because of all the chaos but at the end of the day, they loved what they did. They learned to deal with their frantic lives and grew to thrive on it. I could relate to all of it. Along with these similaities to my life, the show was impeccably written. The characters and stories were created by the best in the business. There was humor, drama, tension, pain, exultation and sometimes horror. It was like watching an academy award winning movie every week. In my opinion, the quality of the characters and stories never suffered after all these years. Despite many characters/actors coming and going, the cast always seemed exciting, deep and cohesive. Despite the myriad plots over the years, the story lines were always interesting and fresh. In the early years, they were showered with Emmy awards, but lately they were overlooked. That's a shame since the quality of the show deserved to be honored. Some of the new characters on the show like Pratt, Luka and Gates were as good as Ross, Carter, and Greene. Some of the guest stars such as Forest Whitaker deserved awards for their masterful performances. The plots always had new challenges and were never predictable. After all these years, it's sad to see such a great show come to an end. It's been a constant companion of mine for 14 years and saying goodbye is hard. Submitted 10/17/2008 9:08:42 AMComment (0)
