Mark Greene *Spoiler* Question

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I just heard from a friend (via email) that Mark Greene will get untreatable brain cancer sometime during this season. Soon, I think Anyone known if this is true? I haven't been reading spoilers (I came across this one by mistake), so if this *is* true and has already been discussed, please forgive me. ;)

-- Mary (mimiwannabe@discocow.com), November 04, 2000

Answers

OMIGOD jls where are you and is this true. I know he is supposed to get some bad news but brain cancer???

-- Cheese (iluver@hotmail.com), November 04, 2000.

I really hope not, because AE is the main character, there's no way they could kill him, so if they say he's sick and then he is not this is going to be too soap-opera. BTW, I like him when he's happy, hey you PTB, give him a break...=)

-- jules (jules@operamail.com), November 04, 2000.

Why must they kill off a character alot of people like? I hope this isn't true. JLS, please tell us this isn't true.

-- Cammie (rmaelhorn@home.com), November 04, 2000.

JLS is a poster at the alt.tv.er forums, and there she confirmed that it is indeed true.

-- Lindsay (SoccerGL31@aol.com), November 04, 2000.

Does anyone know if Anthony Edwards has renewed his contract? Even if not, I think giving Mark Greene brain cancer is going WAYYYYY overboard in the melodramatic category ... too much tragedy in the ER!!! I would NOT want to watch that, and after losing Lucy and Mark's dad in such tragic ways last year, it would be too much. I would love to see he and Elizabeth have a nice happy life together!

-- Cindy (tailchasers51@hotmail.com), November 04, 2000.


NOOO! First they kill Lucy. Now they want to kill Mark? TPTB are very sick people IMO. If this does happen I will NEVER watch ER again. You hear me TPTB? And I'll probably not be the only one either.

-- Andie (non@no.com), November 04, 2000.

I find this situation with Mark more believable than some of them. Acutally I was thinking about it the other day....Mark really hasn't gone through a lot more than many men his age. Okay so the beating is unsual and so is a brain tumor, but most people who are in their 30's and 40's have parents who die, it's just a fact of life and people who reach their late 60's and 70's are more likely to die from cancer or heart disease. Half of all marriages end in divorce, so that isn't unusal either. I agree that Mark does seem to have a lot of what would call tragedy in his life (most of it I wouldn't consider tragedy, it's just really sad and happened to have occured in a short amount of time), but I don't think that he's suffered much more than Jeanie, Carter or other characters on the show. And basically there are just some people who seem to be put through hell and back, while others seem to just coast alone.

-- Emma (webbef@hotmail.com), November 04, 2000.

I dont care if the other character have suffered or not, sweeps or not, ratings or not I dont want him to be sick because he's my favorite character, buaaaaah... Sorry, but I just had to get that off my chest. And I dont like what they did to Carter in "Benton Backwards" either, I think TPTB are throwing too much into Mark's and Carter's plates, and needlessly. Marriage and drug problems (well, getting over drugs) would be more than enough conflict for an intelligent writer. How much misery can they take, really? or better yet, how much misery can WE take before we switch to something less tragic in a different channel?

-- jules (jules@operamail.com), November 04, 2000.

Thanks for confirming that, Lindsay, soon after I posted I read alt.tv.er on Deja and I read the confirmation. (I would have checked over there first, but Deja wasn't working for me. I really need to go out and buy the software...)

I think this plotline could be interesting. Unlike most people (or maybe I should say, like most fanfic writers ;), I enjoy angst, as long as its somewhat believable. If this is done right, I, for one, will be interested.

-- Mary (mimiwannabe@discocow.com), November 04, 2000.


I dont know, if this really happens I'll lost my hope on TV, I'll sell mine or give it away and join the foreign legion or go into the most stupid thing I can find...soap operas, Pokemon, Pokemon soap operas, soap operish ER fanfic crossovers with Pokemon, whatever...can you feel the pain? am I alone or is there hope we can make a therapy group or something? ;)

-- jules (jules@operamail.com), November 04, 2000.


Jules wrote: "...soap operish ER fanfic crossovers with Pokemon, whatever..."

:) LOL!

-- Mary (mimiwannabe@discocow.com), November 04, 2000.


I find this very disturbing and all I can say is if they kill off another character after all the deaths we had last year I definately WILL NOT watch ER again. I can garentee that too. After they cancelled "Another World" I said I wouldn't watch Days of Our Lives again and I haven't. So I hope TPTB read this and I hope others feel the same way.

-- James (eorejim@aol.com), November 04, 2000.

Anthony Edwards' contract isn't up until the end of the 2001-02 season. I highly doubt they will kill Mark off before then -- if at all.

This could actually be quite interesting, along the lines of Alan Alda's character last season. What will Mark do now that he has a dangerous illness? Will he keep working full tilt in the ER, or will he try to get into administrative work? I think, if the writers do it well, this could put Mark in some interesting situations as he wrestles with the reality of a serious illness and not knowing how much time he has left.

-- Tracy (bankybooda@aol.com), November 04, 2000.


Lindsay, sorry to sound so clueless, but how do I get to alt.tv.er forums?

This whole story line makes my stomach ache!! Why oh why can't Mark be happy????? Arrrghhhh!!

-- ELyons (Elyons@msl.net), November 04, 2000.


ELyons, the easist way to get on alt.tv.er is probably to go to http://www.deja.com and search for alt.tv.er in discussions.

Or just go to http://www.deja.com/group/alt.tv.er

-- Mary (mimiwannabe@discocow.com), November 04, 2000.



Tracy, I agree that well handled, it could work. But, now I know how Jeannie's fans must have felt, thinking that Jennie would die and they would see it happen. And I dont like it...the curious thing is I do like fanfics, but somehow, I dont appreciate this fanfic sounding plot.

-- jules (jules@operamail.com), November 04, 2000.

SPOILER-

I have heard that they are writing in Alex's pregnancy. I don't know if that'll be good or not if this is going to happen.

-- Cammie (rmaelhorn@home.com), November 04, 2000.


Good, he has a mortal disease and a kid coming...like Michael Keaton and Nicole Kidman in that teary movie...I'm just going to love to seat and watch this depressing plot...Now that we are into it, why dont we throw Liz to the subway and have her lost her legs, just for the fun of it? And make both of them lost their job, that will cheer it up...sorry, I guess Dr Badluck had to much happiness in the first episodes.

-- jules (jules@operamail.com), November 04, 2000.

What?! Are you serious?! What the hel* are they thinking?! It's like their sitting around saying "Hm, what problems can we give Mark this season? I know. Let's give him brain cancer. Alex is pregnant? Well then, let's write it in and give him more angst." Honestly! I'm not kidding here. If they do this, I'm never watching this show again!

-- Andie (non@no.com), November 04, 2000.

Oh, yes you will... :-)

-- Ellen (eedgert1@twcny.rr.com), November 04, 2000.

Better get used to it Andie. Elizabeth finds out she's pregnant, and Mark finds out about his tumor in the SAME episode. *snort*

-- JLS (ewwhatevr@aol.com), November 04, 2000.

Maybe Elizabeth's not really carrying a child. Maybe it's just a huge tumor/false pregnancy type thing. She and Mark could be the Tumor Twins.

-- Ellen (eedgert1@twcny.rr.com), November 04, 2000.

What with Mark having a tumor, Luka flipping out, Abby (possibly) about to fall off the wagon, and Peter out of a job, it may seem bizarre, but Carter is probably the happiest and healthiest of everyone in the ER right about now! Weird!

-- Tracy (bankybooda@aol.com), November 04, 2000.

If they go with this, we are going to need plenty of medication and tissues...

-- jules (jules@operamail.com), November 04, 2000.

In the same episode? God, now *I* think I have a beautiful spirit and this stinking plot is beating it out of me...Enough, I'm going into the dark side, I'm becoming a Cleo fan, that way if something ugly happens to her I wont be affected because I wont be able to tell by her facial expression.

-- jules (jules@operamail.com), November 04, 2000.

Well since this is going to happen Anthony, Alex, and even Noah (I know he has nothing to do with this storyline but I had to mention him anyway) better get Emmy nominations next year.

-- Cammie (rmaelhorn@home.com), November 04, 2000.

I think I am going to call Mark Greene "Dr. Badluck" from now on.

I love all your comments. Imagine TPTB turning us all into Cleo-fans because none of us really care about her. Go ahead TPTB have her run over by a truck!

-- maryann (map5860@aol.com), November 04, 2000.


Sorry, I'm with Jules and Andie, this is TOO MUCH angst, other shows have intelligent and intense storylines without killing off characters left and right (Jeanie has HIV Lucy was stabbed and died, multiple characters leave never to be seen or heard from again. The setting of an ER is enough to produce that given the patients' conditions (one of my favorite old episodes is the one where the heart patients dies before he can get a transplant and says goodbye to his family, etc.) I've had people tell me my life is melodramatic, but I tell you it is nothing compared to the clients I saw doing mental health work and that would be a show itself, no need to get my life's BS into it, etc. Why can't we be happy for characters and have them function in an intense settin as normal functioning people. The writers have gone over the top and will lose viewership with this much tragedy to main characters. One of ER's strengths has been to show the rebound and resiliency of life, also. Mark's smile when he brought back the football player was priceless. We the public need some joy in our entertainment.....

-- patti c. (pmcponygrl@aol.com), November 04, 2000.

Emmy nominations...hehehehe...no offense, I'd love to see it, that way my suffering...uh, their suffering, wouldnt be in vain...but I dont think so, the critics are too much into fads.

-- jules (jules@operamail.com), November 04, 2000.

Hey, Does anyone remember what Happened to chicago hope when they got rid of all the better docotrs. TPTB better watch out or ER might share the same fate. JMHO. I'm all for becoming a Cleo fan they get rid of all the characters that I liked: Lucy, Jeannie,Carol, Doug, and can't forget Jerry.

-- James (eorejim@aol.com), November 04, 2000.

They could bring back the minister who prayed with Jeanne (and Peter) and then her hepititis went away! Seriously, I liked when they did that. I was just told recently about two people who had cancer and now it's gone. I wouldn't mind a little more of the mystic on ER. Better than another pregnancy. :)

-- Diana (dilynne@juno.com), November 04, 2000.

WHY IS EVERYONE ASSUMING WE ARE GOING TO SEE MARK DIE FROM THIS?

Sorry to shout with the caps, but this handwringing is just a bit much. Just because something is inoperable does not equal instant death. Doesn't anyone else think this will make an interesting situation for Mark? Living under the shadow and all that.

-- Tracy (bankybooda@aol.com), November 05, 2000.


Tracey, I think this will be interesting, and I agree that this does not nessacarily mean Mark will die. He could have Chemo or Radition therapy.

-- Mary (mimiwannabe@discocow.com), November 05, 2000.

I'm with Tracy. Why must Mark die from this? I know it may be inoperable, but there still are chances that he can survive. I think the best way for this to go is to see Mark beating it. The baby will be his will to live, and he will be able to beat this. Mark does not have to be another character lost. Besides, I'm not sure I'd be able to take it.

-- Joanne (bucklind@hotmail.com), November 05, 2000.

I guess you're right, Tracy...This is somewhat like finding out a character is going to get AIDS. AIDS won't kill you right away, but there's still no cure and the death, when it comes, will be, er, nasty. "Inoperable" may not mean "instant and agonizing death" or even "long-term angsty pain and suffering," but it still means death, probably sooner than later.

I'm actually pissed. Now I (sort of) know how Phyl felt when she knew Julianna Margulies was leaving the show. Sort of. ;)

-- Cecelia (evilstoat@hotmail.com), November 05, 2000.


Is it definitely going to be cancerous? I know a girl who has lived with a non-cancerous brain tumor for years. She just takes meds so it won't grow and gets it checked every so often. Then there was my high school teacher who found out he had a cancerous brain tumor and was dead within a month.

I don't know the stats on cancerous brain tumors but I don't think the survival rate is very high. I can't believe they are going to do this with Mark!! I really wish they wouldn't do this storyline with him! How are they going to do this? It will be interesting to see how he deals with it and the effects the brain tumor has because brain tumors can cause people to lose certain functions depending on where it is. Will Mark still be able to be a doctor? I can't believe they're doing this but since they are it better be good! :)

-- amanda (amanda.rehm@home.com), November 05, 2000.


I sure hope that's not the bad news he's supposed to receive. That would just be too much.Then again he smoked for years, as did his dad. I thought Anthony Edwards had signed a contract for another 2 or 3 years like NOah and Eriq though. I doubt he'll be killed off anytime soon. Does anyone get good news in the er anymore?

-- Laura (laurelc@wincom.net), November 05, 2000.

This is not about Mark dying in front of us. It's about this show's writting sounding like "lets see how far we can get before the public goes nuts". They dont need to throw so much into the pot to keep us interested, take Carter as an example, his drug problem is more than enough for a season, if well written. But noooooo, lets see how much more we can pile up his shoulders before the fans start shouting "90210" and runaway. I dont like that because a)its bad writing and b)its minimizing problems that do happen. Think on your own lives, if you are a hard working person with a tricky schedule and an exhausting job and get married to another with the same characteristics, there's bound to be trouble, that's common sense and you'll have to work it out somehow, ask anyone who is or has been married. A married couple struggling to be happy -maybe including a newborn- gives you enough material, specially because both Greene and Corday are well defined characters by now and you could spend more time developing the new kids in town or to not so new characters like Kerry. Its like they were saying that marriage, drug problems and losing your family in war are not enough, and that is insulting. If all the ensemble was as pathethic as MM, I'd understand their need to give lots of material to the actors, but they are GREAT actors, so why bother? I'll tell you why, I think they are desperate to stay in the Thursday spot and to grab more prizes and attract every living creature to watch them.

-- jules (jules@operamail.com), November 05, 2000.

Jules, you're a scream! As to the other, there was a case in my home town of a fellow that had a brain tumor, diagosed as inoperable and basically untreatable. He survived and is fine now. It caused some pretty bizzare behavior for a while, which in a fictional case such as Mark Greene's could make for a very interesting plotline.

But as for going "over to the darkside" and beginning to like Cleo, you are on your own.

-- N Wilson (nwilson@wko.com), November 05, 2000.


Gee, I dont know, does anybody know how many "Miracle Cure" cards are allowed in a drama show? I thought they had used them all with Jeannie, but maybe they got another one out of a "Holes in Plots" cereal box.

-- jules (jules@operamail.com), November 05, 2000.

I am with Jules and everyone else against this. Everytime I read spoilers like this, I think that someone will write in and say it's not true. (like when they announced Deb would be pregnant). I assumed they would make Elizabeth pregnant, but gosh, I BRAIN TUMOR!? Gee, where did they get that idea from? I realize killing Billy off of Ally McBeal was good for ratings, but first of all, they AREN'T going to kill Mark off, unless they're keeping his leaving the show more secret than GC's appearance, but I don't think so! I cannot *believe* they are going here with this. "Untreatable"!? And after next week's great heroic flight, of COURSE he needs to develop a brain tumor after dropping from an airplane next week. Really, I know that I will probably watch and be totally caught up in this, but couldn't they have given someone ELSE a brain tumor, like Malluchi or Cleo (not that I want either of them to die, but they need some substance).

-- Elaine (mrsclooney78@hotmail.com), November 05, 2000.

Sorry, sent it out too early. Also, agreeing w/ Jules, I was hoping for a little more focus on Carter before they move onto Luka's killing a man and Mark's cancer. I know, this is totally selfish on my part, but I was hoping for a whole Carter scene similar to Mark's in Gut Reaction (the banquet) and now it seems that it will be Mark's, Carter's, Luka's, Abby's, Deb's, and whoever elses.

By the way, to those asking about alt.tv.er forums, I thought that was what this WAS. ???

-- Elaine (mrsclooney78@hotmail.com), November 05, 2000.


No one has mentioned the upcoming helicopter crash (which was shown in the preview for next week's episode). So are we to assume that this crash will not prove fatal? Maybe the crash is the writers' way of preparing us to lose Mark.

Also-- I think that the sudden influx of personal tragedies shows that the writers are getting desperate-- if they keep this up, pretty soon there will be nothing that separates ER from all of the other silly melodramas on TV.

-- Molly (mmalouf@law.uoregon.edu), November 05, 2000.


Elaine, if possible I'd like to buy a vowel because I dont get the question. =)

-- jules (jules@operamail.com), November 05, 2000.

Good point Molly. Okay, does anyone else think this is turning into a soap plot?

-- Andie (non@no.com), November 05, 2000.

This is kinda OT but maybe the writers are getting desperate. This may be because of a possible writers strike next spring. They want to make sure if that happens that we'll still watch it after it's over. Does anyone have any new news about this?

-- Cammie (rmaelhorn@home.com), November 05, 2000.

I don't know about anyone else but the reason I took it that Mark would eventually die was the original post to this thread said "untreatable". Not inoperable, untreatable. That means nothing can be done. Having said that, I'm now more open to other alternatives, like a slow-growing tumor or something. I'm wondering how it will effect his ability to practice medicine in the future however. Guess we'll all see.

-- Diana (dilynne@juno.com), November 05, 2000.

I'd understand it if it was treatable, he'd receive treatment and it would be a good storyline (compared to the untreatable), he'd be a patient and that would be an interesting perspective, we'd see the fine points of treatment, ok. But, untreatable for Papa Smurf's sake! In Party of Five they had one of the guys sick and he got treatment and he lived to tell, I can believe that Party of Five writers could do better than ER's. When someone you care about may have cancer, you just freeze and hope for the best, and you are in angstwaiting to get the results, and even if it is treatable, you cant sleep even after they tell you they took it out, you might get better after the next revisions when they tell you it isnt back. Why did they have to make it untreatable, like "treatable" cancer was small potatoes? Really...

-- jules (jules@operamail.com), November 05, 2000.

Untreatable sort of does wrap it up, and basically gives away the outcome. But what about the technicalities? I thought Anthony Edwards had two more years on his contract? Is this going to be the kind of thing that runs on and on? Would they really even think of killing Mark off? I think I would have trouble watching reruns ever again if I knew that Mark was now gone.

-- Joanne (bucklind@hotmail.com), November 05, 2000.

Of course they would think of killing Mark off. Why? Well look at the high ratings they got from killing off Lucy and no alot of people objected to that. So they probably think noone will care in this case either.

-- Andie (non@no.com), November 05, 2000.

One can live with an untreatable brain tumor for more than two years. Or even more than four years.

Translation: WE ARE NOT NECESSARILY GOING TO SEE MARK DIE FROM THIS.

What we probably WILL see is Mark living under a cloud of uncertainty for the rest of his life.

-- Tracy (bankybooda@aol.com), November 06, 2000.


...or until the show becomes unpopular and they cancel it, whichever comes first.

-- Cecelia (evilstoat@hotmail.com), November 06, 2000.

All this "thing" reminded me of something, and now I know what. I have one of those specials of MAD magazine, with reprints of old satires. There's one about St Elseswhere, one of the characters says the folowing (lets see if you find it familiar): "I'm Dr. Whatever. Like this show, I've been given one year of life since 1983. With some luck I could milk it for another 5 years" =) Now I know where they get their ideas: fanfics and MAD satires.

-- jules (jules@operamail.com), November 06, 2000.

I almost think that it would be worse to end the series not knowing what would happen to Mark. Kind of a "well, he's fine now, but you will never find out" kind of thing. Either that or they kill Mark off and it is a sick and twisted sort of way to get Benton and Corday back together: him with Reese, her with Greene Jr. It is not like he and Cleo have any chemistry whatsoever.

-- Laura (ulaks@goldengate.net), November 06, 2000.

I don't know. I think that would be an interesting way to end the series.

-- Tracy (bankybooda@aol.com), November 06, 2000.

No, the worst would be if they killed him off at the very end, in a way to pull everyone together. I will be afraid of that happening. I really hope this disease isn't really untreatable.

-- Elaine (mrsclooney78@hotmail.com), November 06, 2000.

I know some people around here actually have a clue how medical things work, which I don't, so I'm asking. What are the survival chances of a brain tumor that is not cancerous? Does an inoperable tumor necessarily have to be cancerous, and if not, how much does it affect the brain? Is it possible that we'll see Mark lose certain functions from this tumor, even if it is benign? I think this stuff will help to see how this storyline will go.

-- Joanne (bucklind@hotmail.com), November 06, 2000.

Oh my God! This might be the end of his hockey career...:)

-- jules (jules@operamail.com), November 06, 2000.

Okay, you know what? Realistic or not, I do tire of the never-ending personal crises. As someone mentioned above, the ER patients provide plenty of drama themselves. This is not to say the main characters can't have lives outside their work, but the show seems to be skewing way more to the personal than it used to. Let's get back to work.

-- Barbara (goodbabs@zdnetonebox.com), November 06, 2000.

That may be so, but anything would be better than the dry bore the show was last season. Yeah, like I want to go back to seeing week after week of Kerry arguing with someone over intubations.

-- Tracy (bankybooda@aol.com), November 06, 2000.

True dat!

-- Barbara (goodbabs@zdnetonebox.com), November 07, 2000.

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