I believe that was the gist of the message Carter was trying to convey to Lucy last season. I noticed that people on this board have been criticizing Carter for how he treated Lucy on may prove to be her last day. If you follow the show, Carter has had a difficult time dealing with Lucy, because the she had very little respect for Carter and could not acknowledge that he has more experience in dealing with ER situations. That lack of respect may have led up to her ultimate downfall.

Having just completed a successful Psych rotation, she could have done more to get a consult. I believe her arrogance (perhaps thinking she could handle the patient), prevented her from pushing harder to get someone down there to admit the patient.

There have been comparisons on this board to Dennis Gant (The intern who died tragically). I think this is a different situation. There was increasing tension between Dr. Benton and Gant. The situation was not the same with Carter and Lucy. Lucy was unable to respect Carter as a teacher. Carter at the same point in his training as Lucy had a completely different attitude. He wanted to learn. He acknowledged his weeknesses and worked at it. As a result he is becoming a strong teacher. He was very patient with Abby as they dealt with elderly woman that died. When this same situation happened to Carter for the first time, he received no support from Benton and had to deal with it himself. Abby had Carter to lean on.

I hope they dont villify Carter for what happened. In the next few weeks he will have enough to deal recovering emotionally and physically. I find it ironic that alot of the feedback I have heard about the Lucy character was negative. I for one found her irratating. She was like the engergizer bunny. She kept pushing people till she got her way. She is the one that always knows more than anyone else. In the end, she finally got into a situation over her head.

-- judie (jasbel95@aol.com), February 13, 2000

Answers

Bravo!!!! I never liked Lucy's character and I don't blame Kellie Martin for wanting out. The character was a waste of her talent.

Alot of people have been critizing the way Carter treated Lucy, but they need to remember that he coaxed her along during the spinal tap and reasurred her that she could, in fact, do the procedure. He also congratulated her for doing a good job. I did feel that Carter though could've listened to her more rather than cutting her off when she told him she couldn't get ahold of psych.

-- amye (roamyn@aol.com), February 13, 2000.

Oh, thank the powers above, someone has finally shared my dislike for Kellie Martin. I was so enraged when they cast her for this season I wrote emails to the show ...I should get a life. I found her so irritating as an actress on Life Goes On, that I never watched it, and any TV movies she chose, or that other series she was on with Tyne Daly. So I was gratified when her character was obnoxious, too, and overjoyed when I heard she was getting the ax. Well, knife. I never found the "attraction" between her and Carter real, and actualloy found it nauseating. Oh, well. Thanks for stating your (correct) opinion.

-- mary (marygregc@aol.com), February 13, 2000.

I for one liked Kellie Martin, she added to the show, I liked her Lucy character immensley. She cared for all of her patients and was always willing to that extra mile for them. I think Carter did treat her differently - he definitely had a problem dealing with her. Even though on occasion Carter was unnecessarily harsh in his treatment of Lucy and they had a fractious relationship, I think Carter and Lucy did like (if not respect) each other.

-- Ashling (providence@eircom.net), February 14, 2000.

Kellie Martin never struck me as someone who would fit into the "ER" mold. I didn't like or dislike her as an actress, I just didn't know what they were going to do with her character. It's unfortunate that they spent time developing (scantly) her character onto to have her quit a year and a half later. Oh well. I don't think I'll miss her. Now if Carter left, I'd miss him...

-- C (cdenisehaze@usa.net), February 14, 2000.

I liked Lucy. I think she added a great deal to the show. I think Kellie martin played her beautifully. I think that she added the spark and wit the show needed, now they have no one on the show ( besides Carter) than actually smiles once in a while.

-- Jessica (Blondie716@aol.com), February 14, 2000.

My husband and I both liked the character of Lucy. She was empathetic to patients and a go getter, even though I will agree they could have developed her character better. I was disappointed that last season they started this "attraction" with Lucy and Carter, and then it disappeared. Apparently, they did not know where to go with the character of Lucy from the beginning. As an actress I have been a fan of Kellie Martin for a long time, ever since "Christy." However, I realize she is newly married to a law student. I'm sure they do not get a lot of time together. I could understand why she would want out of her contract. I do think though that Carter has been hard on Lucy. I'm not saying her character's actions have been perfect, but his haven't either.

-- Heather (hhc1974@yahoo.com), February 14, 2000.

I never liked Lucy, as a matter of fact I was just beginning to tolerate her, but I do feel badly for being so nasty about it now that Kellie Martin is leaving. It's not that she's not a good actress, just that the writers made her character so irritating, at least last season. In any case, her talents really were being wasted. (I also thought it was a nice touch that tbe writers carried KM's "I don't fit in here" point of view over to her character at the end of "the Domino Heart". . . made me feel guilty as hell, in any case) I, too, think Carter shouldn't really blame himself for what happened (although I'm sure he will). He was just busy. Who hasn't had a day at work where they just blow off certain people and then, at the end of the day, wish they had been more helpful. I don't think this situation deserves comparisons to Benton/Gant at all.

-- (jac301@is9.nyu.edu), February 15, 2000.

I just found this site 3 months ago but never got around to reading all of the threads until now. I'm sorry but I really have to say something about this. I happenend to have liked Lucy. She was my favorite character on the show. I think she matured alot this season. Carter was a real pain in the as* the first couple of seasons IMO but has since matured. That's why I didn't start watching "ER" until the 5th season when KM joined the cast. I have watched all the reuns on TNT and you could tell that Carter matured as well as Lucy. If anyone should be killed off the show it should be Cleo. Anyways Lucy cared about her patients and tried to help the best way she could. Remember in TFWSC when she went to Ramano's home and convinced him to come in to do the heart thing? Now who else would have done that. And as for my last comment about this, I hope you're not saying that it's her fault she got stabbed. It's Paul Sobriki's fault. I'm sure she didn't want to die. Sorry I'm writing this 6 months later but like I said before, I didn't start reading all of the threads until now. And I really wanted to say something about this.

-- Cammie (rmaelhorn@home.com), August 13, 2000.

hi look a couple days ago i was confronted about someone named lucy that was a god of course i had no idea what they were talking about and so it really scared me that someone with a mind would even threat me things such as this i was told everything was going to come to an end of the 2002 and i was told that there isnt a god and everyone was created by the devil now of course i dont believe this but i would really love for someone to please clue me in on this look as soon as someone reads this letter please email me and tell what this person is talking about!!!! please!!!!

-- erika kay (princess20042710@aol.com), January 04, 2001.

What the heck are you talking about?

-- Andie (non@no.com), January 04, 2001.

Umm, okay. First, calm down. If someone is threatening you (I think that's what you're talking about, I'm trying to figure out what you're talking about here) then you need to go report them. Otherwise I have no idea either what you're talking about. Sorry.

-- Cammie (rmaelhorn@home.com), January 04, 2001.

I have been trying to figure what the heck you are talking about. You're scared because someone said the world would end in two years? Why did you bring this up here? And what the heck does it have to do with Lucy on ER who is a character on tv and is dead? I'm not trying to be mean but maybe you need to talk go talk with someone who has more experience in this stuff. I honestly don't know what else to tell you. Sorry.

-- Andie (no@no.com), January 04, 2001.