ER (season 4)

infobox tvseason
season_name = ER: The Complete Fourth Season
show_name = "ER"


caption =
dvd_release_date = December 20, 2005
dvd_format = Widescreen, Boxset
country = USA
network = NBC
first_aired = September 25, 1997
last_aired = May 14, 1998
num_episodes = 22
prev_season = ""
next_season = ""

This article contains a summary of the fourth season of the American fictional drama television series "ER".

The season first aired on September 25, 1997 and concluded on May 14, 1998. The fourth season has 22 episodes.

Plot

Season four starts out with the live episode Ambush, which is filmed twice (once for the east coast, once for the west coast). This episode is seen through documentary cameras, which accounts for the lack of the normal film quality. In this episode, Dr. Morgenstern, head of the ER, has a heart attack, deeply threatening his life. Weaver has agreed to temporarily step in until he recovers. Unfortunately, when Morgenstern does come back, he cannot perform surgery like he used to do because he now knows what it’s like to be a patient. After a surgical accident that takes a man’s life, Morgenstern decides to permanently step down as head of the ER and he leaves the hospital. Season four also sees two new characters: Dr. Anna Del Amico (who made a three episode cameo at the end of season three) played by Maria Bello and a new British surgeon Dr. Elizabeth Corday, played by Alex Kingston. Corday come to America under the fellowship of Dr. Robert “Rocket” Romano (played by Paul McCrane), but their relationship sours towards the end of the season. After she rejects Romano when he asks her out, he decides not to renew her fellowship. She is forced to choose whether she moves back to England or stays in America as an intern. She chooses to be an intern. Meanwhile, as Greene copes with his beating, he and Ross take a vacation to Arizona to bury Ross’s dad. While there, Greene visits his own parents, where he finds out that his mother is sick, and his relationship with his dad is estranged, at best. Back in Chicago, he begins to date new ER desk clerk Cynthia Hooper (played by Mariska Hargitay). The relationship is purely physical, and when Greene has to visit his parents again later in the season, she comes along, only to realize that Greene doesn’t love her. After the awkward break up, Cynthia leaves, but Greene stays to better take care of his ailing mother and begin to mend his relationship with his father. Ross and Hathaway get more serious as the season goes along. Ross surprises Hathaway and proposes to her in front of the ER staff, which she accepts. She later has commitment issues when she kisses a vulnerable paramedic. She tells Ross, and he reacts angrily. After a short time, Ross forgives her and tells her he’ll wait until she’s ready to be married. In addition, Hathaway is able to open a free clinic in the ER with the help of Carter’s grandmother. Plus, Ross vies for a pediatric attending position in the ER. Benton finds out that his son is hearing impaired. When he finds this out, he seriously considers trying to get it repaired surgically. After meeting with hearing impaired people, he decides against it. In the meantime, a lonely Corday starts a relationship with Benton, which cause friction with Benton’s family and Carla because she’s white. Weaver attends a Synergix seminar to see how to better manage the ER. She begins to date a Synergix representative, Ellis West, who advises her to fire a physician’s assistant, which happens to be Jeanie Boulet. Jeanie fights for her job, claiming that she is getting fired because of her HIV status, and wins. Weavers begins to see Synergix’s dark side, and breaks up with West because she felt he was using her, effectively cutting off all ties with Synergix. During all of this, Jeanie’s ex husband/current partner Al is forced to reveal his HIV status. This gets him fired and forces him to look to Atlanta for a job, and he asks Jeanie to join him. Jeanie refuses, and Al leaves her. Later in the season, Jeanie cares for Anspaugh’s dying son, because she is the only person able to get through to him. After he dies, Anspaugh feels a lot gratitude and remorse towards Jeanie because he was willing to fire her. Carter pretends to be poor in order to get in Anna’s good graces, which fails because she finds out he was lying to her. But, the two still become good friends, and she helps Carter help his cousin Chase detoxifies from a heroin addiction. She had experience in the subject, considering her ex boyfriend went through a similar experience. Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain, because Chase started using again, eventually crippling him for life. At the end of the season, Anna’s boyfriend comes to the hospital to access the ER, to see if it is in need of a peds attending. Anna is still in love with him, and she leaves with him between seasons four and five (presumably because actress Maria Bello decided not to come back to the show).

Production

Cast

Starring cast

* Anthony Edwards as Dr. Mark Greene- Attending Physician
* George Clooney as Dr. Doug Ross- Peadiatric Fellow
* Noah Wyle as Dr. John Carter - ER Intern
* Julianna Margulies as Nurse Carol Hathaway- Nurse Manager
* Gloria Reuben as PA Jeanie Boulet - Physician Assistant
* Laura Innes as Dr. Kerry Weaver- Attending Physician
* Maria Bello as Dr. Anna Del Amico- ER Intern/ Pediatrician
* Alex Kingston as Dr. Elizabeth Corday- Surgical Fellow
* Eriq La Salle as Dr. Peter Benton- Senior Surgical Resident

upporting cast

Doctors:
* William H. Macy as Dr. David Morgenstern
* John Aylward as Dr. Anspaugh
* CCH Pounder as Dr. Angela Hicks
* Paul McCrane as Dr. Robert Romano
* Clancy Brown as Dr. Ellis West
* James LeGros as Dr. Max Rosher
* Dennis Boutsikaris as Dr. Kotlowitz
* Jorja Fox as Dr. Maggie Doyle
* Matthew Glave as Dr. Dale Edson
* Sam Anderson as Dr. Jack Kayson
* Michael Buchman Silver as Dr. Paul Meyers
* Amy Aquino as Dr. Janet Coburn
* Iqbal Theba as Dr. Zagerby
* David Brisban as Dr. Alexander Babcock
* John Doman as as Dr. Carl DeRaad

Nurses:
*Ellen Crawford as Nurse Lydia Wright
*Deezer D as Nurse Malik McGrath
*Yvette Freeman as Nurse Haleh Adams
*Conni Marie Brazelton as Nurse Conni Oligario
*Lily Mariye as Nurse Lily Jarvik
*Laura Cerón as Nurse Chuny Marquez
*Vanessa Marquez as Student nurse Wendy Goldman
*Gedde Watanabe as Yosh Takata
*Lucy Rodriguez as Nurse Bjerke
*Kyle Richards as Nurse Dori
*Bellina Logan as Nurse Kit
*Dinah Lenney as Nurse Shirley

Other Staff:
*Abraham Benrubi as desk clerk Jerry Markovic
*Kristin Minter as desk clerk Miranda "Randi" Fronczak
*Mariska Hargitay as desk clerk Cynthia Hooper
*Chad Lowe as George Henry
*George Eads as Dean Powell
*Monté Russell as Paramedic Dwight Zadro
*Emily Wagner as Paramedic Doris Pickman
*Lyn Alicia Henderson as Paramedic Pamela Obles
*Claudine Claudio as Paramdeic Silva
*Mike Genovese as Officer Al Grabarsky
*Erica Gimpel as social worker Adele Neuman

Other:
*Christine Harnos as Jennifer "Jenn" Greene
*Yvonne Zima as Rachel Greene
*Bonnie Bartlett as Ruth Greene
*John Cullum as David Greene
*Joe Torry as Chris Law
*Jonathan Scarfe as Chase Carter
*Frances Sternhagen as Millicent Carter
*Michael Beach as Al Boulet
*Khandi Alexander as Jackie Benton-Robbins
*Lisa Nicole Carson as Carla Reese
*Victor Williams as Roger McGrath
*Mathew Watkins as Reese Benton

Episodes

"Series #" refers to the episode's number in the overall series, whereas "Season #" refers to the episode's number in this particular season.

Reception

References