I'd like to know if the character who is Luka is going to remain. He is marvelous in Clooney absence. He is heart warming, gentle looking, intellegent and intuitive of nature in his roll. I think he is a great asset to the program and I think that he would be a marvelous daddy for the babies in Clooney's being gone... of course that is if Clooney is not going to be back. I also didn't care for the Alan Alda character and Carries dismissal of Luka without any explainations or anything... I thought her far to smug and disrespectful of the European element that he brings to the show. Let's look at "this" minority if we are looking for equality of people. I'm not predujdice and love seeing all peoples working together as it should be in real life, lets not leave out a nationality that has been in turmoil from oppressors for years.

-- R. Bowman (verann@harborside.com), October 15, 1999

Answers

Luka (Goran Visjic) is a regular character; he's in the opening credits along with everyone else. But he's a "moonlighting" doctor for Cook County (as he mentioned in the season premiere), so he'll probably always show up in future episodes as a "fill-in" for that particular day of work. I didn't like the way Kerry dismissed him either. But the girl has no people skills.

-- Chris A. (MCA1962@aol.com), October 15, 1999.

Personally, I love it when Luka is on screen because he is so good-looking! I know, it's a femalr response, but whenever he looks at anyone with those eyes, it just sets me off. Plus, he seems to be a very caring doctor. However, please tell me that they aren't setting us up for a Luka/Carol romance. That would be too obvious.

-- Bliss Bednar (blissteach@hotmail.com), October 15, 1999.

I agree that he is a good, kind hearted person. And I really hope a carol/Luka romance never happens. It would a stupid act on the writers part to put them together after all those years of getting her and doug together. I liked Alan Alda's character though. He will bring a element og stability to the show. Besides Alan Alda is just a great actor.

-- Heather (Aphotic13@scififan.com), October 15, 1999.

Add me to the list of people who hope that the writers don't find it necessary to create a Carol-Luka romance. Or to make Luka into a Clooney replacement.

Gotta admit, though, the man is gorgeous.

Re Kerry's dismissal of him--oh, so Kerry-like!--it hadn't occurred to me that they might keep him as a moonlighter forever, as Chris suggested. I was thinking they'd create a plot development that would result in his being hired as regular staff. Chris, wanna take bets on this?

-- Mary Lyman (mslyman@erols.com), October 15, 1999.

Well, hello Mary....Sure, I'll take that bet!! Though I must admit I hadn't considered the possibility of Luka's position being expanded (since Alan Alda's guest turn is only for a half-dozen or so episodes). Future stories could very well have Luka be promoted to take up the absence left by G. Lawrence, but he's already mentioned that he doesn't think Kerry and Mark think very highly of him as a doctor- and since the writers seem to be trying so hard to make him a Doug clone, anyway.....

-- Chris A. (MCA1962@aol.com), October 18, 1999.

I didn't want to, but I absolutely adore Luka. He seems like such a kind and caring man... and he has the most beautiful, expressive eyes! Based on looks alone, it is quite obvious he was hired to fill the tall-dark-and-handsome role that Doug Ross once played... But I'm thankful that their personalities are not at all alike. I agree w/ most here that a Luka/Carol hook-up would be way too contrived and ridiculous. I wouldn't mind if Luka developed feelings for her--as long as she stays true to Doug and he eventually sweeps in to help w/ those little babies... We'll see.

-- Shabba92 (shabba92@chickmail.com), October 18, 1999.

Do you think Luka's resemblance to Doug is on purpose? No razzing for stating the obvious, but maybe it's not just for the audience to notice. The way Carol looks at him makes me think that she's not necessarily attracted to him, but that she notices that he looks like Doug. She seems intrigued by him for some reason (maybe it's not because he's simply gorgeous).

-- Bliss Bednar (blissteach@hotmail.com), October 18, 1999.

GC and the actor who plays Luka just look TOO much alike for it be a coincidence (on the PTB's part). While I'm not complaining (I love watching Luka), I find it laughable.

-- Shabba92 (shabba92@chickmail.com), October 21, 1999.

I've read that Goran Visnjic (Luka) is signed on to do fifteen episodes of ER this season. Since it was addressed in "Sins of the Fathers" that the ER was understaffed, I'm pretty sure he'll return after Dr. Lawrence has his breakdown (or whatever). I agree with the consensus in here that a Carol/Luka romance would be wrong on TPTB, but I don't think ER's been "dumbed down" that much! Yes, GV is gorgeous, but I'm more than willing to give his character a chance. I hope the writers explore his past more in the coming episodes.

-- Chelsea (JJern84042@aol.com), October 28, 1999.

For what it's worth, I think Luka will come back earlier than expected (er flooded with patients) and that Hawkeye Pierce, er Gabe Lawrence will be the one to reveal to the world that this is one heck of a doc, with war experience in treating major traumas to boot! This will gain him some respect from Kerry, so that by the time Gabe leaves (deteriorating skills due to Alzheimer's or whatever), Kerry will want to promote him to a regular position. I also think his early bonding with Carol is there as a way for him to later reveal (probably to Carol) that he was once married with a child (born or not yet born) both of whom were killed in the war in Bosnia, causing him to flee to the U.S. I am having fun projecting plot lines for this character, thanks to whom I have quickly gotten over my exasperation with the way season 5 ended and Doug was summarily and so unbelievable "executed", despite the very convincing way in which his personnality had finally stabilized and blossomed.

-- confidential (tisseyre@point-net.com), November 02, 1999.

I have to agree with "confidential"- I feel that Luka will be back before the "birth episode". The teaser had him carrying Carol and yelling "Carrie!!"- not "Help" or "Dr. Weaver", etc. He had said in past episodes that he wasn't on a first-name basis with people in the ER- so IMHO he has to get to that point before Thanksgiving.

-- jo (Joranger@aol.com), November 02, 1999.

Hello, everyone. I'm a new "ER" fan. I started watching at the beginning of this season because I had read that Goran Visnjic had signed on to the cast (before the last episode of season 5, I had never seen the show), but I have since watched several of the reruns on TNT. Anyway, I'd like to let everyone know about the first (and so far, only) Goran Visnjic web site. It's run by Sarah Lake, and is at http://www.angelfire.com/on2/goran. I hope you will all visit it, as some of the people on the message board there are looking forward to starting a Goran Visnjic web ring, but there aren't enough sites yet to do so. Thank you! :)

-- Jaime Jeske (jaimej78@GoranVisnjicFan.zzn.com), November 05, 1999.

I thought I heard somewhere (sorry that I can't remember the source) that the producers said that when they were doing the casting for Luka, they were looking for some sort of a combination between Doug Ross and John Carter. At least on a basic level, I do see the similarities.

-- Earl R. (earlthepearl@rocketmail.com), February 19, 2000.