I think that It would be nice if TPTB next year introduced a character that had a really nice, normal, down-to-earth family with no divorce. It would be a nice contrast to everyone else on the show whose personal lives are superficial(Cleo and Benton) if not stagnant(Weaver). I know there are already alot of people on the show, so please don't raise that issue. You would think these great writers could write about stuff other than "who's doing who".

-- H C Tuson (cdls1840@msn.com), May 22, 2000

Answers

Aren't some of the nurses happily married?

-- Cecelia (evilstoat@hotmail.com), May 22, 2000.

Lydia is married, Conni has kids, I don't know if she's married, though I'm thinking she is. The rest are always talking about dating, so I don't know. It does kind of seem ridiculous that all these really nice looking, caring, (and good personalitity-wise) doctors aren't married. At least Carol and Doug are a family now, and Jeannie, but they all had to leave the show to be one. I would expect one of these days Carter, Mark, Elizabeth, etc. should be starting a family. I hope they get Carter into a serious relationship. And I think Peter's sister's right, he is ready to settle down. But I know, it's easier for TV shows the way it is now.

As for too many work relationships...I know it seems like too much, but at my job, like 40% of my coworkers were coupled up one summer. Work is a typical place to get to know people well and hook up with. It's not too unrealistic, but I know, it can get redundant.

-- Elaine (mrsclooney78@hotmail.com), May 22, 2000.

Imagine John Carter, the father! Wouldn't that make for some interesting acting?!

-- Laura (alulak@earthlink.net), May 23, 2000.

We DO have a family man on ER: Luka. Unfortunately, his family is dead.

-- debbie (riccardoiii@aol.com), May 23, 2000.

I know Haleh is married with kids; she once mentioned her husband "who works nights," or something like that, and *four* kids. Conni was profiled, more or less, in the "Baby Shower" episode a few seasons ago (the actress was really pregnant at the time; the character first mentioned her pregnancy to Susan). Lydia, of course, married Al in the "Union Station" episode in season 3, but I think they are childless.

-- Chris A. (movibuf@juno.com), May 23, 2000.

Perhaps the show is trying to be representative of the real lives of medical professionals ... after all, it was created by Michael Crichton, who was himself a doctor. According to statistics, doctors have much higher rates of divorce and suicide than the average population. I don't know about nurses.

-- Cindy (tailchasers51@hotmail.com), May 23, 2000.

haha Debbie that just struck me as funny! I also wanted to ask about this: Luka, maybe just because of his backround (country he came from) seems to be a really, really moral guy that seems to be working really hard at saving the world. I mean, you never see him making out with anybody, drinking (correct me if I'm wrong there), doing drugs, and besides that his decisions when it comes to medicine and patients are all very... well, he always looks at good/bad, not legal/liable/medically priveleged and all that. Maybe just because of his backround. anyway this is an interesting thread.

BTW, I think that it would be really, really funny to see Carter married/settled down, whatever. However I have to say that I think the writers will leave him open and available-- but who knows, after rehab that could be the next Carter thread!

-- Lauren (whateverchick@aol.com), May 23, 2000.

I would love to see Carter happily married and have children. I think once he full recovers that he would make a good husband and father. he is no longer a bumbling medical student. Carter has matured over the years. I think he is quite capable of being in a serious,happy, and mature relationship. It just has not happened. I don't hthink his bout with PTSD/survivors guilt/chronic pain/pain killer use after a very traumatic events means that he can't heal emotionally from them and settle down in a secure relationship.

-- Brenda (jckwfan@aol.com), May 23, 2000.

I have been saying for awhile that I would love to see a Daddy Carter, so I'm glad others think so too. I would so love to see him as a father (married first of course)...so I guess to do that they would have to get him a serious relationship pretty quickly. The best would be to see him playing baseball or something with his young toddler, but I guess things would have to move pretty quickly in the next year for that. I guess this is just about me missing the guys playing basketball outside. I loved the scenes of Doug, Mark, Carter, etc. playing basketball. The last time we saw that was when Mark and Cleo played a long time ago. Maybe Carter, Mark, and Cleo could play for one of these days.

-- Elaine (mrsclooney78@hotmail.com), May 23, 2000.

Maybe Carter will hook up with someone from that rehab center. Didn't Chloe meet her husband at a rehab center back in Season Two? I've heard a lot of tales that people who go to rehab end up meeting their life partner there, and go on supporting each other in their recovery. Though I, personally, would like it if Carter would get together with someone OUTSIDE of the medical profession, and this rehab is for doctors.

-- Cecelia (evilstoat@hotmail.com), May 23, 2000.

Chloe's husband, Joe?, also said that getting mixed up with someone new in recovery is discouraged. Extremely discourage, I might add...a newly recovering person is encouraged by a good sponsor to not become involved in a new romance for the first year. They have too much other stuff to deal with.

-- Diana (dilynne@juno.com), May 24, 2000.

wasnt chloe's husband a cop? i didnt't know she met him in rehab!

-- ALexis Springer (lexicat1@webtv.net), May 25, 2000.

Yes, he was a cop, Alexis. I think she met him at 12-step meetings after she got out of rehab. He had several years (I'm thinking 8 but I might be wrong) of recovery and she was a newcomer.

-- Diana (dilynne@juno.com), May 25, 2000.

When you think about it, none of the main characters we know about, except Benton, had much of a "traditional" family life growing up. Mark, kind of, but he was an only child and didn't get along with his father.

Carter & Chen are from wealthy families whose parents were really never around (except for cocktail parties)

Carol's father committed suicide, and her mother was a man-hater all that time.

Doug's father was a bum. Ran off, stole money, never supported his family emotionally.

Susan parent's - man, what a trip they were. The father, though seemed to be 1/2 way decent.

Elizabeth's parents were divorced and also don't appear to have had too much emotional connection to her when she was growing up.

Maybe not having the traditional family with emotional support of two parents has made most of the main characters reluctant to settle down in their own traditional families.

-- AmyE (roamyn@aol.com), May 26, 2000.

That's true...even the one's with traditional families were somewhat "neglected". But, continuing with the Carter as a father idea...wouldn't it be great to see an anxious soon-to-be Carter running around the delivery room while his wife is in labor? I would really love to see that sometime before the show is over (since we didn't get to see that with Carol/Doug)...I mean after watching Great Expectations, I love the smile and happiness Carter gets after he knows that Carol is in labor. You'd think he was the dad! (and since I'm talking about Great Expectations, I loved the snowball fight w/ Carter and Chuny...I still think they could hook up)

-- Elaine (mrsclooney78@hotmail.com), May 26, 2000.