ER - The Complete Sixth Season (1999)

ER Season 6

Great season, as all the old seasons are. Have 1-7 currently, heading out to buy 8 soon. Had an ER marathon with hubby!!
Amazon rocks January 12, 2008

Most Gripping Episode of ER Is Here In Season 6

ER has had several memorable episodes over the course of its first five seasons. We saw Mark Greene attempt to deliver a baby in Season 1 that cost the life of the mother. Doug Ross in Season 2 courageously saves a boy trapped in a storm drain. And yet, as powerful as those episodes were, even they pale in comparison to Season 6's "All in the Family."

Before I comment on that episode, we see some new additions to the cast of ER. Goran Visnijic debuts as Dr. Kovac. I liked him much better in these earlier seasons before they made him a carbon copy of Doug Ross when he was a womanizer.

Michael Michele comes aboard as Dr. Cleo Finch, the new Attending Pediatric Doctor. Finch is a good doctor who really cares about her patients, and Michele does a great job of demonstrating this.

Erik Palladino is a new, young ER resident, Dr. Dave Malucci. Malucci is the gung-ho doctor who doesn't have much of a bedside manner, but who is over-eager for the most difficult cases. Malucci's impulsiveness tends to land him in hot water, especially with Dr. Weaver.

Ming-Na also makes her return here as Dr. "Deb" Chen. I really liked her in Season 1 of ER, and I was thrilled when she came back. She was always a good counterpart for Carter, as the two always seemed to be competition.

Season 6 also has the first appearance of Abby Lockhart (Maura Tierney) who is doing a rotation as an OBGYN nurse before beginning her rotation down in the ER.

One of the great guest appearances here by Alan Alda playing Dr. Gabriel Lawrence. Dr. Lawrence was the doctor who trained Kerry Weaver, and when a medical condition arises in Dr. Lawrence, Weaver has a difficult time facing her mentor and friend. There is a great scene between these two characters during his final appearance that is touching.

The season is a good one, and the acting talents of Noah Wyle are really put to the test, especially in the episodes that follow after "All in the Family" when Carter tries to deal with his guilt as well as the trauma that he suffers. Wyle was always a strong actor and played Carter with an almost innocent quality. Perhaps this is truly the first time that we see Carter with a loss of that innocence.

This season also sees the exit of the third member of the original cast. One of the small problems in this season is that, at times, you have too many cast members and too little screen time. At one point, there are twelve regular cast members during the course of this season. There simply isn't enough time to really showcase them all, especially the new additions to the cast.

SPOILER ALERT BELOW

Now, on to the episode of "All in the Family." I still recall vividly the first time I saw this episode when it aired. It was unlike anything I'd seen on television before. It was so powerful and poignant, that even seeing it again moves me inexplicably.

Dr. Carter and Lucy Knight have just been brutally stabbed by a psych patient. This occurs as the very end of the previous episode. So, imagine waiting an entire week to find out what happened! This was one of the biggest cliff-hangers that I can remember, and everyone made sure they were available to watch this episode to find out what happened.

The entire ER springs to action when Dr. Weaver discovers them in the trauma room, on the floor in pools of blood. There's nothing like a team coming together for a single purpose, especially when that purpose is dire. There is something especially powerful in such actions.

Benton is nearly out of control when he discovers that Carter has been injured. Perhaps for the first time in the series, we really see and understand how the usually emotionally cold Dr. Benton feels about Carter. It's on his face and in his actions. As Benton tries to assure Carter that he will be all right, Carter says in a cracking voice, "I'm glad it's you," when he realizes that Benton is going to operate on him.

Equally strong is Dr. Corday and Dr. Romano working feverishly to save Lucy's life. Dr. Romano, who seems to care about no one at all, can't even hide his anger, frustration, and grief when it's clear that Lucy can't be saved. In many ways, Romano is the doctor who speaks for the audience. Seeing this episode for the first time, it was unbelievable that Lucy was dead. It wasn't often that a major character was killed in an on-going series, and so Romano expresses his anger and disbelief for us, and he does it well as he sends surgical instruments flying.

Just when you think that ER can no longer surprise you, they came up with this episode. Word has it that Kellie Martin no longer felt comfortable being on the show as her own real-life sister was a traumatic victim of lupus.

You have to credit the writers for coming up with this episode. Very few, if any, characters in television have had such a powerful exit as Kellie's character here on ER. I recall the following Friday everyone talking about it.

There have been previous events in ER that were terrific episodes, and there were even a couple more that would follow after Season 6, but "All in the Family" is still the premiere ER episode that truly defines the pinnacle of a great drama series. July 28, 2007

every day in the er

AS ALWAYS-NEVER FAIL-AN IN DEPTH SERVEY OF THE PEOPLE WHO WORK IN CHICAGO COUNTY HOSPITAL. July 16, 2007

ER nut!

This is probably one of the best seasons of ER! I would definitely recomend it. Five stars! July 5, 2007

er- season six

i know this one will be my favorite because they have the "soul mate" show where nurse hathaway goes to tell dr. ross she loves him. July 3, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...