Emily Wagner Movies

When the wife (Swoosie Kurtz) of televangelist Emmitt Chambliss (Gary Grubbs) is brought into the ER suffering the aftereffects of a recent face-lift, Chambliss draws up plans to telecast a fundraiser from the hospital. Elsewhere, Ross (George Clooney) and Carol (Julianna Margulies) put their careers on the line by performing an experimental treatment on six-month-old meth addict Josh McLean instead of returning the baby to his mother. Romano (Paul McCrane) reacts strongly to the relationship between Benton (Eriq La Salle) and Corday (Alex Kingston). And HIV-positive Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) may have contacted pneumonia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

First-year med student Lucy Knight (Kellie Martin) stumbles and bumbles her way through her first emergency-room rotation at Chicago's County General as ER launches it fifth season. Getting off to a bad start by clumsily trying to help a bleeding man on the street before her shift even begins, Lucy can't seem to do anything right at all. She manages to alienate her supervisor, the newly bearded Carter (Noah Wyle), stumbles into a clandestine romantic rendezvous, blurts out the fact that a patient is terminal to the patient's nonplussed wife, and is equally undiplomatic with a woman who may have suffered her third miscarriage. And there's still several hours of her shift to go. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Several weeks after being assaulted and beaten, Greene (Anthony Edwards) returns to work, but it is obvious that he is the worse for his horrendous experience. When Carla (Lisa Nicole Carson) goes into premature labor, Benton (Eriq La Salle) can only stand by helplessly and wait. Carter (Noah Wyle) considers giving up his dreams of being a surgeon so that he can continue with ER work. And Ross (George Clooney) isn't about to let Carol (Julianna Margulies) have a quiet birthday. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The ER staff is galvanized by the brutal beating of Greene (Anthony Edwards) in the men's room. Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) is forced to make several difficult decisions involving the three men in her life. Carol (Julianna Margulies) accuses Ross (George Clooney) of giving preferential treatment to the child of a wealthy and influential family. Carter (Noah Wyle) and Benton (Eriq La Salle) forget their differences long enough to work together during a kidney transplant. And everyone is entranced by a sexy novel that has popped up mysteriously at the admittance desk. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Fearing that something may be wrong with Carla's (Lisa Nicole Carson) unborn baby, Benton (Eriq La Salle) illegally obtains a copy of her ultrasound. Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) finds that she has much in common with would-be suicide patient Suzane Alner (Gia Carides). Anspaugh (John Aylward) refuses to operate on a dying patient, but Carter (Noah Wyle) has other ideas. And Ross (George Clooney) contends with a determined young lady who refuses to miss her senior prom -- even if it kills her. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Greene (Anthony Edwards) treats mentally incompetent Sherry Dunleavy (Ann Hearn) without getting her consent. Benton (Eriq La Salle) publicly berates Gant (Omar Epps), an incident that will have long-ranging tragic consequences. Before leaving for Pakistan, Keaton (Glenne Headly) makes a parting shot at her most egocentric colleague. Carol (Julianna Margulies) is forced by budget cuts to dismiss two of her nurses. And when homeless teenager Charlie (Kirsten Dunst) pops up again at the ER, she accuses Ross (George Clooney) of beating her up. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When a blind homeless man abruptly regains his sight, Benton (Eriq La Salle) is hailed as a miracle worker -- and now dozens of other patients want to be anointed by "Saint Peter." Greene (Anthony Edwards) takes an important step toward getting his life back together during his treatment of 67-year-old rape victim. And Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) and Weaver (Laura Innes) temporarily bury the hatchet during a major crisis in one of their lives. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The first patients for Carol's (Julianna Margulies) new free clinic show up a week before it is supposed to open. Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) accuses Weaver (Laura Innes) of discrimination vis-à-vis Jeanie's termination. After operating on a 12-year-old victim of a hit-and-run, Benton (Eriq La Salle) uses the boy's grieving father as grist for the mill of his upcoming journal article. And Mark (Anthony Edwards) finds out that his attorney Herb Spivak (Dan Hedaya) is slightly off-balance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Everyone in the ER is on call after a devastating accident involving a police car and a school bus. Carol (Julianna Margulies) may lose her job thanks to the accusations of a drugged-up patient whom she found sprawled in the bathroom in a pool of blood. In trying to stem another patient's bleeding, Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) may have exposed him to AIDs. Greene's (Anthony Edwards) bedside manner deteriorates as his domestic problems increase. And Al (Michael Beach) is fired after revealing that he is HIV-positive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This first episode of ER's fourth season originally aired live on September 25, 1997, with two separate telecasts for the East and West Coasts. A TV documentary crew follows Dr. Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards) during a "typical" shift in the emergency room of Chicago's County General Hospital. Still not completely recovered from a brutal beating, Greene is none too happy about being a "TV star," sentiments shared by the ER's attending physician Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes), who regards the camera crew as an invasion of everyone's privacy. As it turns out, the documentary makers get more than they bargained for as they record for posterity a gang fight, an out-of-control patient, and a heart attack. In the midst of all this confusion, Dr. Elizabeth Corday (Alex Kingston) arrives from England to witness American surgical procedures. The syndicated version of "Ambush" combines scenes from both the East and West Coast broadcasts, expunging a number of conspicuous continuity errors and an embarrassing moment in which a crucial prop is misplaced. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While on helicopter-flight rotation, Greene (Anthony Edwards) and Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) try to help a family of four, seriously injured in a van-and-truck accident. But upon arriving at County with the victims, the two doctors are stymied by the incompetence and obstreperous behavior of "floater" nurse Rhonda Sterling (Jill O'Hara). Elsewhere, Keaton (Glenne Headly) confronts Benton (Eriq La Salle) over his rampant egomania. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Having completed medical school, Carter (Noah Wyle) invites Benton (Eriq La Salle) to his graduation -- only to miss the festivities himself because he's too busy comforting his patient TC (Gabrielle Boni). Meanwhile, Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies), fed up with the bureaucracy and backstabbing of hospital politics, quits her job; and Greene (Anthony Edwards) is forced to back Weaver (Laura Innes) for the job of attending physician if he wants to appoint Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) as chief resident. This final episode of ER's second season includes an unresolved plot strand involving Benton, his erstwhile lover, Jeanie (Gloria Reuben), and an HIV examination. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

As the staffers at County General anxiously await news as to which hospital in their county is going to be closed down, a number of personal dramas play themselves out. Both Greene (Anthony Edwards) and Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) strike out with their respective blind dates; Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) begins to understand the negative effect that being HIV-positive will have on her life; and Carter (Noah Wyle) plots revenge against Benton (Eriq La Salle) for making his first day as an ER intern so miserable. John Aylward makes his debut appearance as Dr. Donald Anspaugh, the ER's new chief of staff. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide