Rampage

Carla grosses out Peter and the viewers with a seduction attempt that's about as sexy as root canal. Mark treats a little boy, Burnthands Ben Fossen, brought in by a neighbor. Mark discovers the boy's Dad beats him. Mark and Adele, the social worker, take the boy away from his Dad and into temporary foster care. Weaver "just says no" to Carter's Chief Resident application.

Day-yam, I like their house. Good job set designers! Mark pads downstairs to find Elizabeth holding Baby Ella. Lizzie ain't gettin no zzzzzs, because the baby didn't sleep well. She asks Mark if he has to leave and he tells her yes. She implores him call in sick, but Mark reluctantly tells her that he can't call in. Wow this baby actress they pick to play Ella Greene is so very cute. Greene gently tells Lizzie to get some rest, and he says that he will leave the van for her.

Mark dozes a bit on his El ride into work. While buying a newspaper, he overhears a few local people talking about the old textile mill getting blown up to put up a mall. Jeez, I'm surprised Joanie Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" doesn't grace us on the ER soundtrack. We hear a rapidly approaching ambulance as Mark rushes over to the ambulance bay. Doris Pickman, the lesbonic EMT, and Carter work on a young boy (First Young Boy) with a Gun Shot Wound. Carter lets Mark know that a guy shot up foster care facility. Kerry directs Mark to another GSW victim. Mark checks stats on several patients. Dave, Chen, Cleo and lesbonic-vibe nurse all work the scene too. Chen’s patient asks Mark if they caught the shooter yet. Mark doesn't know. Mark and Weaver run the show and direct patients to trauma and/or surgery. Awe, they're getting along again. Cleo works on a little girl whose condition seems dire. They wheel the little-girl-in-dire-straights in, and Cleo asks Mark if he just got there. Mark huffs that he was going to call in. He tosses his newspaper aside. The wordless ER credits role. I think I'll make my own words: ER, dadadada. ER dadadada. Doodoodoo. There's Mark Greene, doooodoodoo, Hey take a look, its Carter too. Dadadada. Weaver that stethoscope, looks good on you.

Kerry hurries through the hallway giving orders to Malucci. Dave thinks his patient needs surgery. Kerry gives him a "stand in line!" response. Greene and Cleo work on the little-girl-in-dire-straights. Mark shocks little-girl-in-dire-straights with paddles. It doesn't look good for her. Abby comes in to tell them there is another GSW coming in. The foster care shooter hit the gardener on his way out. Kerry muses she's surprised the shooter even had any bullets left.

Carter works on First Young Boy. Carter asks Kerry if they caught the gunman yet, and she says dispatch doesn't know anything. The boy says the gunman was mad at Mrs. Buckley and waived the gun at her. Carter looks at Kerry and asks about Mrs. B’s condition. Soberly, Kerry responds "DOA." Kerry exits giving Chen and Carter their next assignments. Lesbonic nurse stops Kerry in the hall to sign a form. Hee. They make a date for the midnight showing of "Better Than Chocolate." Before Carter leaves, Chen asks him about his peer review. It is the only thing missing from her Chief Resident application. Carter assures her that he'll finish it on time.

Speedy Kerry spots Benton and tells him that he is needed in the ER as he steps into the elevator. She tells him that she needs surgeons and that has 3 unstable patients. Peter tells her that as soon as he hands this one off to Anspaugh, he will be back. Anspaugh is the man. A police officer approaches Kerry and asks her to procure a bullet out of one of the injured GSW victims for evidence. She said that if he is stable, they would get to him as soon as possible.

Weaver hurries over to the admit desk. In the foreground Kim treats a hypertensive caseworker who witnessed the foster care shooting. Kim catches a view of Weaver out of the corner of her lovely blue eyes. Kim wears her hair up and looks gooood. The caseworker blubbers on about how scared she feels. Kim's all nice and touchy, but the Weaver siting obviously distracts her. Kim tells her she was right not to try any heroics, and then caseworker begs for a cigarette. A few minutes with Legaspi, and she needs a cigarette, hmmm? Kim makes a somewhat abrupt exit and says she'll hook caseworker up with the smokes. She hurries off to talk to Weaver.

Legaspi brings Kerry the caseworker's chart and tells Kerry that she may want to look her over. The chart serves as an excuse, since Kim really wants to talk lesbian drama with Kerry. So of course she picks the most public place at work, the admit desk. Also there's a mass casualty going on. Good timing Legaspi. Kim mentions that she read "the letter." Kerry says, "good I was wondering." They look at each other for an extra second. I think they still are sweet on each other. Frank's gravely voice interrupts their little glance of love like a hot poker to the eye. He tells Kim that Romano wants to talk to her. Too busy in lesbian drama, Kim says, "tell him I'll call him back." She looks at Kerry again and says, in a rehearsed way, "I appreciate the sentiment." Kerry's like, "Sentiment? What choo talkin’ ‘bout Willis?" Frank interrupts again and yells over to Kim, that Rocket says get her ass (mmm Kim's ass) on the phone now to talk about a transfer. Kerry chimes in that she's busy and Romano should be too. Weaver continues, all cranky, "We have as many as 8 GSW’s going on!" Chuny corrects her and says, "9, car jack victim." Kerry grows more frustrated that these pesky patients and doctors keep interrupting her attempt at regaining her lady lovin’. Kim smirks at authoritative Kerry, and continues her reaction to the letter, "anyway, thank you, but I don't think that anything has changed." Ouch for both of them. Kim sounds as pained as Weaver looks after that line. It sounds almost like an invite for Kerry to make a change. I.e. come on out of the closet, but Kerry looks up again and just says, "right, okay." Kim quietly finishes with an, "okay, well I should get back," and Kim walks away. Kerry looks sad.

Kerry tells Chuny to grab Cleo to take the car jack victim because little-girl-in-dire-straights is not going to make it. Cleo tends to the car jack victim, Mr. Jeffries, who has AIDS. Mr. Jeffries is the first GSW victim to describe the shooter/car jacker. He's a white dude in a yellow wind breaker. Hey that sounds like Richard Simmons to me. Anyway, Peter and Cleo begin to work on Jeffries, and head to the elevator. Carla's husband, Roger, appears out of nowhere, and punches Peter squaw’ in the jaw. Malucci steps in to remove Roger. Roger bellows to Peter, "Stay away from my wife! You had your chance." Benton stifles a giggle and says, "Yeah I want raggedy old Carla, when I have fine, young Cleo here!" Cleo looks pissed and hot.

Luka and Abby argue in this scene. I know, it shocks me deeply too, but I just recap here. Luka tells Abby that he mailed in Abby's Med. School application. He seems real happy and maybe like he did a special favor. Abby doesn't see it this way though, she isn't sure she wants to go back. She worries about the money, and Luka offers to help. Abby resists, Luka persists, Abby resists and Luka persists. They argue right in front of patients. Luka, like Kim, brings up personal stuff at an inappropriate time. This only furthers my Luka = lesbian theory.

Kim "the chick magnet" Legaspi tells Rocket "the chick repellant" Romano that Psych nurses are not trained in ostomy care. Romano barks that if the patient needs ostomy care he can change his own damn bag. Kerry yells over to Robert that they need him for 2 more GSW's coming in. Romano brushes off Weaver, and he raises his voice to Kim, "when I call you, you get on the damn phone!" Kerry defends Kim and says that she was helping with the mass causality and she was needed down in the ER. Awe yeah, Kerry needs her awe-ight. Romano growls back, "and I needed to clear recover with the barrage of gun shot wound victims you keep accepting." Kim (porn hands it right back to him that she's not taking responsibility for post-op complications in the psych ward. Romano snipes, "Oh really? Well then we'll have to find someone who is interested in taking responsibility." Kim asks what he means. Romano tells her, that DeRaad will finish her shift. Romano walks away saying "nice knowing you," with the thrill of victory in his voice. Kim, on the other hand, looks like the agony of defeat. Incidentally, where the hell did Kerry take off too? Damn Kerry, leaving the scene again while Kim gets the bend over treatment from Romano? No wonder why Kim won't take you back, even if she's still obviously hot for you.

Next we see the little boy who was shot with his mom. His name is Ted. The EMT says that Ted's mom was wrapped around him protectively, and they both were shot. The boy can speak, and seems OK. They move over to his mother. Mom is the neighbor who brought in Burnthands Ben Fossen last week. She tells Mark that Burnthands Ben's dad shot Ted and her. Mr. Fossen told Mom that if his son was taken away, the he would take her son away. She seems OK at first, but then the a gush of blood wells out her mouth. She rolls over and projectile vomits an assload of bloody chunks. We go to a commercial so everyone can recover from the cool, yet gross, blood vomit special effect.

Neighbor Mom's condition looks grave as Mark fervently works on her. Mark tells the cops about Mr. Fossen. Meanwhile Cleo and Peter want to operate on Jeffries, but he refuses to give consent for surgery. He's dying as is, but Cleo assures him that people live with HIV. He says he knows since he's been living with the disease since 1986. He's faltering, and just wants die. Despite Mark's best efforts, Neighbor Mom dies.

Carter explains to First Young Boy about his blood test and that it may not be cancer. The boy says his mom died of cancer and she was only 35. Carter is nice to the boy. Carter asks if there's anybody to call. FY Boy stoically reminds Carter that he's in foster care, and he's between parents. Day-yam. Good thing I have Kleenex left from last week.

Carter finds Abby in the drug lockup. Abby tells Carter, she took a phone message from a Dr. Rosen regarding the attending position at another hospital. Dr. Rosen. Remember in that movie, ‘Fletch,’ when all the doctors were named Rosen, Rosenfeld, or RosenRosen? Abby asks Carter if he plans on leaving County. He doesn't know, he has up to 3 months of work to make up. Carter says he won't be Chief Resident at County so he wants to look at other options. Abby asks if he ever asked Weaver about an attending position at County? He says, no. Abby suggests that maybe Weaver doesn't know that he is interested, and he should let her know. Carter says that maybe he isn't interested. Do you think that this work conversation reflects the Abby/Carter personal dynamic too? Naw couldn't be. Luka interrupts the personal conversation, and Carter trucks it out of there and actually gets back to work. Luka asks Abby about the medical school application again. Luka tries to encourage Abby, but she resists some more. Once again we see Abby very gabby with Carter, yet Abby very crabby with Luka.

Kerry talks to Neighbor Mom's son, Ted. Mark walks past her and she kindly asks Ted if he knows his dad's work phone number or where he works. Kerry really has a maternal side with kid patients sometimes. She gives Ted a notepad to draw on and heads over to Mark. She asks Mark about Neighbor Mom, and he tells Kerry that she died. Mark decides to stall before telling Ted about his mom. He wants track down his dad first,

A cop shows Greene a photo of Fossen, and Mark confirms his identity. Frank deduces Fossen must be on his way to the hospital. Greene and Weaver grow more agitated. Frank Charlton Hestons, "guns don't kill people, people kill people." Kerry snarls that "you can't affect mass murder with a Chinese throwing star." Hey Kung Pao Chicken and Chinese throwing stars? Is that a shout out to the whole Crouching Weaver, Hidden Lesbian thing? VanHaleh announces another Fossen victim is on the way. Apparently Fossen hit and dragged a cop with a car during an escape attempt. Frank I told you so's Greene and Weaver with his "people will find a way to commit violence" speech, and they shout in unison, "Shut up Frank!"

Cleo and Benton look at Mr. Jeffries’ x-rays. They argue about his course of treatment, but Carla induced drama proves the real source of tension here. Peter "Shaggy" Benton assures Cleo, 'It wasn't me,’ and Carla hit on him, and he declined. Hot Cleo wonders why he didn't tell her any of this. Peter says it was nothing and he didn't want her to be mad. Well Peter, she seems mad all right. Nurse Lilly interrupts the spat, as Jeffries starts crashing. He still refuses surgery. Peter tries to convince him otherwise, but Jeffries has no family and he just wants to go.

Kerry talks to Romano. She says that they're all overworked, but he can't insinuate firing somebody whenever he feels frustrated. Romano confirms that he definitely fired Legaspi, no insinuation there. He adds that Legaspi was already on probation for the Shannon Wallace thing. Kerry reminds him that the charges were dropped. Romano comes up with a lame list of reasons that don't warrant Kim's dismissal: Kim will never sleep with him because she's gay; Kim took lesbonic nurse into the drug lockup; Kim snuck a visit to Doris in her rig; Kim broke the itty-bitty keyboard on County's new Titanium Mac Power Book with her big porn hands. Kerry counters all of Romano’s accusations. As things grow more heated, Van Haleh interrupts Kerry and Romano. She informs them that Adele, the social worker was shot. No, not Coco too! They rush in to work on her. Adele says that the shooter looks familiar and she cannot understand how he knew her address. Romano says anybody can find out anything via the internet. Romano so views porn on the Internet. They piece together that Fossen may head to Mark's next. Mark begins to panic. He tells the police to send someone over to his house immediately. He grabs the nearest phone and calls home, but Elizabeth does not answer.

Mark asks the police to enter his house. Romano tells his staff to page Elizabeth to see if she answers, but she doesn't. The cops bust into Casa Greene, and it appears nobody is home. Romano makes arrangements to take Adele up to surgery. She has no feeling in her legs. Romano shows a lot of concern for Elizabeth and Adele here. I forget to feel pissed off at him for mistreating Kim. OK, I remember again. Dick.

Cleo won't sign surgeon's consent for Jeffries’ surgery, because she respects his wishes. Peter obtains a signature from Romano for the second signature instead. Cleo doesn't agree with Peter's insistence to operate on Jeffries, and she says they should have called Psych. Peter tells her that he did call but nobody showed up. Abby opens the door to the trauma room and wails Cleo as she holds a tube of Jeffries’ blood. The tube shatters and the glass cuts Cleo through her latex glove. They irrigate the wound and start treatment immediately. Okay, so if Romano hadn't fired Kim, she would have done a psych consult, and Cleo wouldn't be in the predicament. Hmmmm.

As the surgical team wheels Adele away, Kerry tells Mark she needs to go upstairs. Mark finally tells Ted that his mom died. Peter gives Cleo meds immediately. He tries to assure Cleo her chances of contracting AIDS is slim. Cleo looks dazed as Benton kisses her forehead and heads back out to work. Phew Benton treats Cleo right in this scene. Finally.

Kerry knocks on the glass of the Psych Ward. Kim sees her and shakes her head no. Kerry knocks again, and Kim buzzes her in. Kim leads Kerry into a locked room, and remarks that she's surprised her code still works. Kerry begins, "this isn't going to happen Kim." Kerry tries to convince Kim that legally they can't let her go. Kim shakes her head and offers that they always planned to fire her, but needed a nice human resource file first. Kerry thinks the human resources file is bogus, and "they'll never get away with it." Kim, deflated, tells Kerry that they already have, and she doesn't want to work where she's not wanted. Kerry quickly responds, "You have the right to due process. We could get a civil rights attorney." Kim repeats "We?" Ooooh, there's a lot of meaning in that "we?" of Kim's. Like, "hey there is no we!" Yet at the same time, its another invite for Kerry to confirm that she really means, "we" as in a publicly acknowledged "we." Kerry physically backs away a few steps. OK, I guess Kerry isn't all down with the "We" as in togetherness thing after all. Kerry looks back at Kim and tries to pep talk her softly, "It's not right Kim. You know why they're firing you. You have to fight it, you have to fight this." In no mood for Kerry's "live from the closet" lecture series, Kim's voice cracks, "I'm supposed to fight? You're hiding, but I'm supposed to fight? Well, I'm sorry but I don't want to fight. I just want to move on, so should you." I like Weaver, but Kim needs a public support, not these little private speeches. Not to mention, Kim looks F-I-N-E. Weaver, just come out of the closet and win her back already.

Carter and Abby discuss First Young Boy and Carter's Chief Resident woes. Abby begins complaining about Luka not knowing her moods. Cripes, he just needs to know one mood for you Abby, bad. Carter cuts her off, and asks her to quit talking about Luka. Carter waxes J. Geils, "You love her, and she loves him and he loves somebody else you just can't win. Love stinks." Carter doesn't want to be Abby's friend anymore. He walks away, leaving Abby with a lot to ponder.

Lizzie is fine, BTW, she was just out at the market. Mark doesn't tell her what all the fuss is about, so not to worry her. Wow, likable Mark seems, so, well likable. Fossen shows up in the ER all bloody. He keeps asking about Ben's whereabouts. He recognizes Mark, and starts sniveling "You stole my son! You ruined my family." Shut up. Don't beat your kid asshole. Mark works on Fossen, and somehow holds his composure.

Carter talks to First Young Boy about his cancerous condition. He attempts to convince the boy it's good they caught it today. He has a 70% chance of survival. Carter abruptly gets called away for more GSW's. Carter and Chen treat the citizens' posse dude who shot Fossen. Carter and Chen act all judgmental that the guy packs heat on his trips to the park. Guns are good, guns are bad, blah, blah, Carter did Chen’s peer review, and he gave her all 5's. OK, get back to Weaver already.

Weaver tracks Romano down and continues lesbian avenger tirade. Kerry tells Robert what big mistake he's made firing Legaspi. He remarks, says he should have fired her 3 months ago when he first "found out." Kerry says, "found out what?" Romano, quips, "that she's incompetent." Kerry challenges, "that's not what you were going to say." He brats, "Really, in addition to your finely honed diagnostic skills, you're a mind reader now?" Kerry nails him with "you're trying to get rid of her because she is gay." Romano, lies "of course I'm not. That would be wrong or at least politically incorrect. I want to get rid of her because she is a pain in the ass." (mmm Kim's ass). Kerry digs into the mysteriously disappeared ER cast list archives and retorts, "like Maggie Doyle was?" Romano tells Kerry to stop right there. Kerry interrupts and slams him with, "and avoid your history of discrimination. If you don't rethink this Robert, there is a good chance that you'll be the one out of a job." Romano, growing more and more aggravated tells Kerry, "Dr. Legaspi has demonstrated not only poor judgment, but a reckless attitude toward her patients, contempt for her colleagues, and a blatant disregard for authority. She out, she's fired, end of discussion."

He tries to duck out in the men's room, but Kerry follows him right in. She blurts out, "if she goes, I go." They start talking over each other. He's like "What did you say?" She affirms that she's outta there that second if Romano doesn't back off. Romano yells that he doesn't respond well to ultimatums. He continues that she should choose her battles very carefully. He tells her that she is the "Chief of Emergency Medicine not the County's Lesbian advocate." Kerry brings on the verbal smack down and slowly and deliberately informs him, "that's where you're wrong Robert, I am both. I am Chief of Emergency Medicine and I am a lesbian. If you pursue this matter any further I will take it to the County Board of Supervisors, the ACLU, the press and anyone who will listen. So I suggest that you choose your battles very carefully!"

Luka and Mark stabilize Fossen. Luka offers to take him up to surgery, but Mark volunteers. Mark pushes Fossen into the elevator. Van Haleh follows but exits when she realizes she forgot the drug box. The door closes and Mark and Fossen enjoy some alone time together. Fossen starts to crash, and Mark whips out the jelly and rubs it on Fossen's chest. (Ooookay, this is serious, I'm not gonna go there with that last line). Anyway Mark holds the paddles down to Fossen's chest. He hesitates, and pulls the paddles away from Fossen's body. He paddles the air as he and Fossen lock eyes. Fossen's eyes widen as Mark checks the EKG tape. Reestablishing eye contact, he performs another faux paddle to the air. Really staring hard now at the fading Fossen, Mark looks indignant as he fake paddles a 3rd time. Damn. Fade to black.

I liked Mark 2 weeks in a row. He looked so bad ass when locking eyes with Fossen in the last scene. Hippocratic Oath, Shmippocratic Oath, for TV drama, what Mark did kicked ass. I enjoyed how in the midst of blood and turmoil Kim, Kerry, Cleo, Benton, Abby, Carter and Luka all made time to talk about their personal lives. Hee. Finally Weaver came out! I knew she would say she was a lesbian, not bi, or Kim was an experiment. Weaver = gay.

No legal action or investigation will take place regarding Mark and Mr. Fossen. Cleo won't have HIV, but her relationship with Benton needs some evaluation. Abby will pull a Kelly Taylor and choose herself rather than pick a Luka or a Carter. Kim will have her job back, dump Lori, reform her chick magnet ways and clash with an authority, particularly Romano. She'll pine away for Kerry, and Kerry will stall reconciliation until February sweeps so she can date some more chicks. Kerry becomes Hathaway to Kim's Ross. Hee hee, Kim = Dyke Ross.