Setting the Tone: An ER Retrospective

"Drive"

·1 hr 25 min·5 clips
Lauren is out with kidney stones as Elizabeth and Daniel recap the season 10 finale of ER titled 'Drive'.
The episode begins with hosts Elizabeth and Daniel noting Lauren's absence due to kidney stones. They provide cultural context for May 2004, mentioning Kate Gosselin's sextuplets, the documentary 'Supersize Me', and the series finale of 'Frasier'. The recap focuses on ER's 'Drive', directed by Jonathan Kaplan and written by D. Johnson. Key plot points include Abby Lockhart working a nursing shift while awaiting board results, Neela preparing to move to Michigan, and Carter returning to work after his mother's death. A car accident involves Luka Kovac helping a stranded motorist, Linda, whose legs are crushed, leading to amputation. Another patient, Mr. Gould, an elderly man with end-stage colon cancer, receives visits from former students. The hosts analyze the episode as a 'transitional' finale, blending ER's earlier hopeful tones with later dramatic cliffhangers. They critique subplots like Carrie Weaver's rushed custody battle for her son Henry and Sam Taggart's abrupt departure with Alex. The episode ends with a cliffhanger where Pratt and Chen are carjacked by a patient, Elgin. The hosts rate the finale as middling, noting rehashed storylines and lack of memorability. They conclude by announcing a one-month podcast hiatus to recharge, with plans to return for season 11 in May.

As heard by us

A season finale rewatch caught between unfinished grief, rushed turns, and the end of scary Steve.

Setting the Tone closes season 10 with a review of "Drive" that treats the finale as a stack of unresolved business. Carrie's court case and grief over Sandy's death sit alongside Steve's sudden job opportunity and the pull toward Dallas, giving the hour a crowded,…

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Why you'd press play

You get a season 10 finale where Steve's Dallas trip doubles as a goodbye to scary Steve, with the hosts already eyeing the hillbilly Steve return.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
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