Mathoms, etc.

I have always loved medical dramas on television. I remember watching St. Elsewhere as a kid, and wanting to be somehow part of the healthcare profession. When ER first came out in 1994, I was hooked. It was ground-breaking TV. The camerawork captured the energy of an emergency room. The stories were human, always heartwrenching, thought-provoking and inspirational. I even loved the theme music. Must-see TV Thursdays...Friends, Frasier, always ending with ER. It was my weekly crying/therapy session, my weekly I-wish-I-became-a-doctor and I'm-glad-I'm-not-a-doctor moment. As an allied medical professional just starting her career then, I identified with the doctors and nurses questioning or second-guessing themselves, getting involved in their patients' lives, trying to do their best but not always succeeding in helping their patients.

I stopped watching the show probably after Season 5, when the original characters started leaving. I watched the series finale tonight, and it didn't disappoint. The show came full circle, from Dr. Carter's (I still love Noah Wyle!) first day as an intern at Chicago's (fictional) County General Hospital, to Dr. Mark Greene's grown-up daughter Rachel as a medical student looking to get into emergency medicine like her illustrious dad. No surprises, no ridiculous ending, just life in the ER moving on. Michael Crichton would have been proud.