Imagine that ER continues on to its last season (2004) with all of its veteran cast still on the show (I'm talking Mark, Peter, Kerry, Carter, and Liz, at the very least). How would you have the series end for these characters, personally and professionally? Would you want Cook County General to close, or would you want it to stay open (like the bar did in the series finale of "Cheers" where everyone more or less kept where they were, but we wouldn't be able to see them any more because the show ended). I would want Mark to GET MARRIED to someone good (if not Liz, then someone else) and be happy for a change - but I would still want him working in an ER somewhere. He seems world weary all the time and has since the beginning but I couldn't imagine him outside an ER and I don't think he could either. As for Peter, I think he would be awarded a big juicy surgical position somewhere, like head of surgery. Kerry... hmmm... I'd prefer we never find out about what happened to her leg! I'd like to see her at least end the series with a love interest too. Professionally, maybe she could go back to Africa! Carter... I would want to see him go into some sort of clinic-outreach work or his own private practice, something where he could be close to his patients like he's always wanted to. I'd also like to see him reconcile with his parents.

-- debbie (riccardoiii@aol.com), June 16, 2000

Answers

I was just thinking about that the other day! They were always talking about how the city always threatened to close County General. I think they should end with them finally closing it. You know, they could have a party to celebrate the hospitals history. All the old characters could come back and the entire cast all slip away somewhere else and talk about all the good and bad things that have happned to them over the years. They could remember staff members who have died or been killed (i.e. Lucy, Dennis) and show all their emotions. I hope TPTB are reading this!

-- Stephanie (ERGirl22@aol.com), June 16, 2000.

I would want Peter to go back to Mississippi and take over practicing w/that lady and raise Reese in a laid-back, safe, happy little place after Carla and Rog go off to wherever.

I want Kerry to go off to the Mayo Clinic or somewhere important to be a big time hot-shot member of management. She seems to want that very badly.

I want Liz & Mark to get married and Liz to assume Romano's role and Mark to be the big man in the ER but I don't think he's cut out for the admin stuff so he'll just have to remain attending but give him tenure and let him teach as well. Maybe he & Liz could have kids and he could be a hands-on Dad while Liz is the big-bucks-bread-winner.

I want Carter to become a geriatric specialist whether in his own practice or in someone elses'private practice. He has a way w/senior citizens and he should act on it.

I want Deb to go back where she came from and go to work w/her mom.

I want Randi to go off on an endless search for Jerry and Bob and Anna and Doyle armed with lots of money left to her by a patient who died in the ER but fell in love w/her upon first site.

I want Hileah, Chuny, Lidia and all of those girls to be transferred to CICU.

I want Romano to go to the Mayo Clinic w/Kerry. I want Cleo to get run over by an ambulance and I want Dr. Dave to grow up and discover that he wants to be a pediatric oncologist.

I want County to continue as it always has - same as the bar in Cheers.

If I've forgotten anyone, I want them to all live happily ever after. That's my wish list.

-- Linda (l.brown@mindspring.com), June 16, 2000.

Linda, You forgot about Luka! Nevermind, don't worry, I'll take good care of him!

-- Lisa (lisayas@yahoo.com), June 16, 2000.

County would close it's doors for good. But before that the cast would remember the good times as well as the bad times by showing clips of past shows accompianed by music. I would like to see Susan, Doug, and Carol come back just to say goodbye. And a special tribute for Lucy would be nice. I loved Linda's idea of Cleo getting runned over.

-- Cammie (rmaelhorn@home.com), June 16, 2000.

JMHO, but I hate clip shows, and I think it would be really disappointing if Er decided to do something that witless for the series finale.

-- Anna (azuraine@yahoo.com), June 16, 2000.

True Anna, but they could do what they did on "Beverly Hills 90210". One week they had a remeberance kind of thing where they show clips from past shows then the following week they had the actual series finale. What do you think should be a good way to end it?

-- Cammie (rmaelhorn@home.com), June 16, 2000.

I've been hoping for a "clip-show" for awhile, it seems like every show does this at least once in it's lifetime and I think with a show like ER when everything changes, it would be interesting to go all the way back and remember. I wouldn't want this for a series finale. I've actually been thinking that if Carter comes back, maybe three episodes into season seven (though I don't know the chances of this) and they do a Carter flashback episode like this. Carter has changed a lot, gone through a lot and I think his return from rehab would be the best time to recognize it.

As for the finale, I would hate to know that everyone at County would have to find new jobs. I would like it to be like Cheers, where everything goes on without us. Preferably, it would end on some big trauma where we see everyone in action for one last time.

-- Joanne (bucklind@hotmail.com), June 16, 2000.

OK......maybe this is just too farfetched.....but I keep trying to think of a reason all the old characters would come to Chicago.....and I think Mark Greene would be the connection. Simply being named head of the ER ( maybe the hospital??) might not do it.....but what if, Mark, having been pushed into some far reaching reasearch project, actuall won the Nobel Prize for Medicine. I said it was a reach, OK? Elizabeth gets Carol to help, and they contact all of the long losts.....maybe even Bob?........to arrange a surprise party upon Mark's return from the awards presentation. Lots of recollections, hugs, ( even clips).....and in the last 5 min. a plane crashes and the party rushes to Cook County in full swing. OK, maybe this would work better on the Guiding Light!

-- Deb (KHege@AOL.com), June 17, 2000.

Very interesting Deb, I was thinking of ways for the whole cast to come back together too. For me, it would be a Carter wedding. Though they need some fast-paced drama too. Where Doug and Carol come back, and Jeanne. I would like to see Susan back too, but she really doesn't have much connection with anyone, and it's been so long. Jeanne at least is still there in Chicago, and Carol and Doug still have Chicago connections (Mark, both of their mothers, plus it just seems more likely for them to keep contact w/ Carter and the others than Susan). As for the clips idea, I was thinking about THAT too...it's not a very ER-ish thing, and it might not fit, but I could stand it. Esp. with Carter, since he has changed so much, just like Joanne said. Maybe we'd see some emotion then.

As for the cast, I wouldn't want county to close down, I'm sure it would be a sweet show, but too sad. I loved that CHeers stayed open and we could find out in "Frasier" when Sam visited, that everyone was still there. First, I want to see Carter with a son or daughter (Bobby, for a boy, or Lucy for a girl...:) So this is my dilemma...I want to see Carter with a child, but I want him to be married first (not that I'm against this, but they've done it already with D&C and Benton and Carla.) So, I would love to see Carter married on the finale, so that everyone could come back, but I also want to see him with his own child. And heading some great, charitable medical program of some sort. Anyways, I would like to see Mark with some prestigous job, but still in the ER. And maybe married to ELizabeth. Benton should settle down soon, and have Reese permantently, because I used to like Carla, but I don't now. Maybe he could go back to Mississippi, like someone said. Kerry should get inspiration from Mlungisi to return to Africa in some medical outreach program, but not 'til the final episode. Randi should get with Dave, Deb should take over Carol's clinic with supernurse, and Deb and Carter could plan for their kids to play together. Luka finds out his family survived the bombing and they track him down (ok, a bit too much, I know) and Abby could be an OB doctor. Okay, I rambled, but I was going to ask this too eventually!

-- Elaine (mrsclooney78@hotmail.com), June 17, 2000.

I forgot to mention, I wouldn't mind if Chuney were the wife and mother of Carter's child.

-- Elaine (mrsclooney78@hotmail.com), June 17, 2000.

All I hope for is that the ending show BETTER be atleast 2 hours long!!!

-- Joy (joijoy@webtv.net), June 18, 2000.

Elaine, I'm with you. If Carter were to be married and have a child with any present ER staff member, it would have to be Chuny. I see such a potential relationship there. Not to mention they look a little more natural together than Mark and Chuny.

As for everyone coming back, I think that would work to an extent. ER has always been a realistic show and it would not be realistic if Susan came back from Phoenix, Doug and Carol from Seattle, Abby from Pakistan, Jerry, Maggie and Bob from wherever the hell they went. I think a few people returning would be awesome, but I also think clips and andicdotes of the others would be great too. Definetly in two hour version!

-- Joanne (bucklind@hotmail.com), June 18, 2000.

I'd want to see Bob, Jerry, and Doyle come back and bust everybody for never talking about how they disappeared into thin air.

-- Chris Bragg (cdbragg@hotmail.com), June 18, 2000.

Does anyone remember back during the Amanda Lee thing how Mark was possibly going to be hooking up with NASA to be a payload specialist on a future shuttle mission? Well that could be the catalyst that brought everyone back together - to see him off.

As for Luka - I didn't forget him, I just assumed that you all would know that he and I would be riding off into the sunset together :-) !!

-- Linda (l.brown@mindspring.com), June 18, 2000.

Hey Linda...I forgot about that. That could be good. I can't remember...What ever came about with that? Why did he not do it?

-- amanda (amanda.rehm@home.com), June 19, 2000.

I had read somewhere during the 5th season that "Chicago Hope" was accusing "ER" of stealing that plotline about Mark going into space from them. It turns out that Christine Lahti's chracter was going to do the same thing before "ER" did the same thing so they probably dropped it before all he** broke lose between the two shows.

-- Cammie (rmaelhorn@home.com), June 19, 2000.

I have no clue about how I want to end but I have 4 more seasons to think about it. But any of the upcoming seasons I would like to see: I really really really want to see is a Doug and Carol wedding. But I don't think that will ever happen. I really would like to see a clip show also that would cool if we saw Carter and Mark get married.

-- Christine (chris500swim@aol.com), June 19, 2000.

I have often told my friend Dena that I would love to see Carter married and with a child. He deserves some true happiness in his life. I would like to see him reconcile with his parents. I think I want the hospital to close. It would be so hard to think that they were just going on without us. [Yes, I'm way too into this show :) ] I want to see Luka miraculously reunited with his family. (A little far-fetched but this type of thing actually happened with some holocaust survivors 50 years later.) I want to see Mark and Elizabeth married with children. Kerry definately in a very happy relationship. Robert Romano in a relationship with a strong woman who could take him down a few pegs. I like the idea of Cleo getting run over by an ambulance...

-- Kristal (teetle1@juno.com), June 19, 2000.

Christine: I realize that some fanfic people want Mark and Carter together, but Elizabeth wouldn't like it- and I think she could beat Carter in a fight if she wanted too!

-- May (archerl@cadvision.com), June 20, 2000.