“ER” closed its doors last night after 15 years of drama. According to Nielsen Research, more than 16.4 million viewers watched the final episode, the most for a drama series finale since "Murder, She Wrote" on CBS in 1996. During its decade-and-a-half run, ER garnered a record 122 Emmy nominations.There were many tearful moments for me, especially on the one-hour retrospective that preceded the two-hour final episode, when many of my favorite doctors, nurses and med students talked about their ER experience.
Having Rachel Greene there (daughter of Dr. Mark Greene, all grown-up and applying for med school) made it kind of special for me, for it provided an opportunity to tie generations together – the current ER staff, former ER staff, and (possibly) future ER staff. You could feel Dr. Greene’s spirit through his daughter’s presence.
Ernest Borgnine’s portrayal of an elderly man who had to watch his wife die after knowing her since the sixth grade represented faithful viewers like me who had to watch one of our favorite series of all time fade into the world of memories.
I was DVR-ing the episode, and when it ended, I went back and watched the last five minutes or so twice more before erasing it. Then, I dried my eyes on my sleeve.
As might be expected, nothing in the final episode was tied up neatly, and that’s okay, because after all, the emergency room never closes.
1 comment:
I watched and thought they did an excellent job. Sometimes finales aren't done very well, but ER was it's usual great self.
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