Wednesday, April 1, 2009

My time at County General

Tomorrow is the last episode of ER. When I heard that ER was going to be cancelled I was not that upset. There had been rumors for years. No show can last forever (maybe the Simpsons) and it is just a TV show after all.
But as I have watched this season I found myself savoring each episode. Then as the promos started say "Only three episodes left" and the such, I started to get a sentimental as I tend to do.
I can't remember why I started watching, and I know it wasn't from the beginning. I think it caught my attention in the middle of the second season.

I don't know how many times after watching an episode I was convinced that I should go to medical school. But after a good night's sleep that usually went away.

The show was therapeutic. It made me cry countless times, either for one of the characters, a patient or sometimes myself.

In some ways it's good the show is ending. As I began to become attached to the characters on the show I soon realized they could never be happy there (Sometimes I thought the writers were a tad sadistic). Mostly it was in relationships. Whether it was Nurse Hathaway and Dr. Ross, who had to move to Seattle and recently we learned are still happy together. Or Abby and Luka who also moved for a fresh start. If the show is over then I can imagine everyone is living happily every after (Archy and cop lady; Sam and Tony; Neela and Ray).

Some complain that they changed characters too much on the show, but I grew to like this. Just like a real ER. It would take me a while to like new characters, but then I really felt invested in their lives.
Dr. Green I will miss you most of all

While I don't have lines from the show memorized or posters of doctors on my walls, friends knew not to call on Thursday nights and I have not missed a show since I started watching. By my rough calculations I have spent more than 200 hours in the ER. I know the first thing to do in an emergency is order a CBC and get the patient started on a saline drip. There is a part of me that thinks I deserve at least a few credits towards a medical degree.

Every Thursday night for almost half my life I spent an hour at County General, and yea, I think I'm going to miss it.