I realize I am the opnly one, but I think Romano is the best of the bunch. He hits his mark every wek.. We love to have him. He is good, but he is a misogynistic pig. This weeks he proved that he had a soft side too, without getting sappy and still getting his trademark sarcasm in there. ("Thank You" to the nurse who told he was out of surgery. And his last comment to Lucy.) Everyone works with someone like him and Paul McCrane plays him to a T every week. This week was so great though, but let's not let him get too soft!

-- 2222 (rachelrr@ivillage.com), February 18, 2000

Answers

Romano has always been such a hardass...but, oh so rarely, we catch a glimpse of him doing something (almost) nice. I loved that we got to see a chink in the armour--first with his dog, Grethel--and then, when he went back (momentarily) to Lucy, before the time of death was called. I'm with you, Rachel, I hope they don't make him too soft, either. He's the only one able to stand up to Benton, believably.

As far as the last comment to Lucy...for Romano, that bordered on mushy (and I thought it was rather touching). He let her know that he was going to do everything he could, WITHOUT getting maudlin enough to scare her. For me, it was the perfect touch.

-- Shari Moore (shari_moore@yahoo.com), February 18, 2000.

I think the writers have done a good job of making Romano a complex character. He's a sexist jerk but sometimes shows a caring side, as with his devotion to his dog Gretel and his frustration in not being able to save Lucy. I have many friends in the medical profession, either as doctors or people who work in hospitals, and they all say that some docs just put on that shell so that they can deal with the life-and-death situations around them every single day. Anyone ever read Erich Segal's book "Doctors"? I wonder if it's true that doctors have higher suicide and drug addiction rates than the rest of the population?

-- Cindy (tailchasers51@hotmail.com), February 22, 2000.