Film Guide

Chicago’s County General opens its doors for what is quite possibly the best season yet. The first episode kicks off the action with Pratt and Chen involved in a fatal high-speed chase and the season never really slows down. A lot has changed however since Season 9 (I opted to skip Season 10 when 10 & 11 were release simultaneously) and I was in for a few surprises. Not that that mattered much, as watching a new season of ER, like always, was like being the prodigal son returning home and being welcomed with open arms. Everyone was there, all your favourite characters and a few that you still hated. It was as if you’d never left.

Of course you never did leave, but seasons have a habit of ending forcing you away from your favourite drama from time to time. But I digress, back to Season 11.

ER soon had me under its magical spell as I was drawn into the lives of carter and co along with the everyday action and medical mayhem. With this being the 11th season, it amazes me that the shows writers keep coming up with new material and avoiding cheesiness – though one episode in particular had me worried that ER had lost the plot with a very cheesy start, but this turned out to be a sucker punch as the episode actually dealt with some pertinent issues that forced not only Carter, but the audience as well, to examine their standpoint on certain issues.

Packed with life or death medical situations, fast paced plots and great sets, ER is a polished, well-oiled adrenaline-producing machine. But it’s more than that, the action would only get you so far and with it entering it’s 11th season (on DVD) you realise that ER is more that just keeping the viewer on the edge of their seats, its about community. The Doctors, Nurses, interns, everyone at County General are a close-knit community. It’s a community that welcomes you in episode after episode, full of characters that you want to get to know. It’s here that the true magic of ER exists in the characters and personalties.

Food for thought:
Right at the end of season 11 Carter utters four words as he leaves County General, trying to inspire a new breed of Doctors; You set the tone.

It’s through our actions, our approach to life that we set the tone. It’s this tone that will inspire, or repulse the people around us.

Reviewed by: Jonathan Read.
Rating: R16 – Contains Violence & Content That May Disturb.
Duration: 929 mins.
Genre: Television, Medical Drama.
Actors: Noah Wyle, Mekhi Phifer, Alex Kingston, Goran Visnjic, Maura Tierney.
Distributor: Warner.
Release Date: Available now.