Setting the Tone: An ER Retrospective Setting The Tone

Television, ostensibly anyway, is supposed to be a bit of escapism. Escaping to County General is one of my favorite multi-media pastimes. Re-watching ER with this as a supplement has heightened my enjoyment during this rewatch immensely. The hosts put a noticeable amount of work into delivering thoughtful analysis of the show, characters, and story lines. I consider this pod to be an irreplaceable part of my experiencing the show and I will venture into the later seasons this time around just to keep up with the pod. I would, as a very mild side note, warn those who are ‘right of center’ politically (or maybe those seeking a podcast to enable escaping from the contentious issues of today and the past) to proceed with caution. The hosts do vocalize their beliefs and opinions with direct impartiality that could be distracting and occasionally offensive (i.e. suggesting that President Reagan’s grave should be considered a “gender neutral bathroom”, or generally that white people may be inherently evil, even in jest). That being said, this is their platform and you can get more than enough ER content to brush aside anything objectionable.

There isn’t enough thought put into the character motives, relationships and development. For example, when Benton’s mother falls ill and he pushes to get in her operating room, the hosts just declare he is being “Benton” and don’t analyze why he is being that way—it would have been more interesting to discuss how his character could have an internalized mistrust of how drs will treat his mother based on systemic racism. Or when Green begins to spiral after his attack and he gives a great monologue at the end of the live episode, there is no discussion of how he is exhibiting that fear in his behavior, rather they just say he’s a jerk. I find myself turning the podcast on with hopes it will improve but after 4 seasons I have lost hope. I also find the dynamic between the hosts to be awkward and disjointed at times. It seems like they are friends but there are many awkward silences and solo laughs that cause me to wonder if they are actually listening to each other or just waiting for their turn to speak.

Had to immediately stop in the middle of the first episode because of an ATOMIC BOMB of a series spoiler. I haven’t finished the series and I really enjoy watching a show like this and listening to a podcast in tandem. I realize it’s an old show, but to divulge a major plot point several seasons in advance with zero warning is a no-can-do.