ER (season 11)

ER: The Complete Eleventh Season
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	22
Broadcast
Original channel	NBC
Original run	September 23, 2004 – May 19, 2005
Home video release
DVD release date	July 14, 2009 (Widescreen, Boxset)[1]
Season chronology
← Previous ER season 10 Next → ER season 12

The eleventh season of the American fictional drama television series ER first aired on September 23, 2004 and concluded on May 19, 2005. The eleventh season consists of 22 episodes.

Plot

Several long term character exit the series including Corday who quits after performing an illegal operation while Chen leaves to care for her ailing father while Carter also departs the ER to return to Africa with Kem. Elsewhere Lewis is promoted to ER Chief, Abby and Neela begin their internships along with newcomer Ray Barnett, Carter and Lewis compete for tenure, Weaver finally meets her biological mother, Kovac and Sam’s relationship deteriorates and Gallant makes an unexpected return from Iraq.

Cast

Main cast

• Noah Wyle as Dr. John Carter - Attending Physician
• Maura Tierney as Dr. Abby Lockhart - ER Intern
• Mekhi Phifer as Dr. Greg Pratt - Third Year Resident
• Alex Kingston as Dr. Elizabeth Corday - Chief of Surgery
• Goran Visnjic as Dr. Luka Kovač - Attending Physician
• Sherry Stringfield as Dr. Susan Lewis - Chief of Emergency Medicine
• Ming-Na as Dr. Jing-Mei Chen - Attending Physician
• Parminder Nagra as Neela Rasgotra - ER Intern
• Linda Cardellini as Nurse Samantha Taggart
• Shane West as Dr. Ray Barnett - ER Intern
• Laura Innes as Dr. Kerry Weaver - Chief of Staff

Supporting cast

Doctors and medical students

• Sam Anderson as Dr. Jack Kayson - Chief of Cardiology
• Amy Aquino as Dr. Janet Coburn - Chief of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
• John Aylward as Dr. Donald Anspaugh - Senior Surgeon & Hospital Board Member
• Leland Orser as Dr. Lucien Dubenko - Surgical Attending Physician
• Scott Grimes as Dr. Archie Morris - ER Third Year Resident
• Sara Gilbert as Jane Figler - Medical Student
• Eion Bailey as Jake Scanlon - Medical Student
• Lou Richards as Dr. Perkins
• Francesco Quinn as Dr. Alfonso Ramirez
• Norbert Weisser as Dr. Adler

Nurses

• Deezer D as Nurse Malik McGrath
• Laura Cerón as Nurse Chuny Marquez
• Yvette Freeman as Nurse Haleh Adams
• Lily Mariye as Nurse Lily Jarvik
• Dinah Lenney as Nurse Shirley
• Bellina Logan as Nurse Kit
• Kyle Richards as Nurse Dori
• Liza Del Mundo as Nurse Severa
• Nadia Shazana as OR Nurse Jacy

Staff and paramedics

• Abraham Benrubi as Desk Clerk Jerry Markovic
• Mädchen Amick as Social Worker Wendall Meade
• Troy Evans as Desk Clerk Frank Martin
• Emily Wagner as Paramedic Doris Pickman
• Monte Russell as Paramedic Zadro White
• Lyn. A Henderson as Paramedic Pamela Olbes
• Demitrius Navarro as Paramedic Morales
• Brian Lester as Paramedic Brian Dumar
• Louie Liberti as Paramedic Bardelli
• Pamela Sinha as Desk Clerk Amira

Family

• Garret Dillahunt as Steve, Alex's father

Guest stars

• Sharif Atkins as Dr. Michael Gallant

Production

Episodes

See also: List of ER episodes

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

Season #	Series #	Title	Writer(s)	Director	Original airdate
1	224	"One for the Road"	Joe Sachs	Christopher Chulack	September 23, 2004 (2004-09-23)
Pratt, Chen, and Elgin are rescued after eluding gunfire and crashing into the Chicago River, but Elgin does not survive the ordeal, and both Pratt and Chen require surgery. Kovač attempts to persuade Sam to return to County after receiving a phone call from Sam's son Alex during their trip to Louisville. Three new interns, including Abby and Ray Barnett, arrive at County. Carter and Kem say goodbye to their son and Kem leaves Chicago. Abby starts her career as a doctor by dealing with a drug-smuggling patient. First Appearance of Dr. Ray Barnett. Note: Nielsen Ratings: 19.7 million viewers
2	225	"Damaged"	David Zabel	Paul McCrane	October 7, 2004 (2004-10-07)
Carter suffers with insomnia and depression over his separation from Kem and crosses some lines while treating an injured Iraq War veteran. Abby deals with resentful nurses while trying to follow Weaver's advice and tends to a young woman kidnapped and forced into sexual slavery, before a gay-bashing crime unites the medical team behind her. Elsewhere, Kovač makes an honest confession to a returning Sam. Neela gets a surprise visit but little support from her domineering, old-school parents and fails in her attempt to get a job at County.
3	226	"Try Carter"	R. Scott Gemmill	Jonathan Kaplan	October 14, 2004 (2004-10-14)
Corday angrily confronts Weaver on the hiring of Dr. Dubenko as County reels under the weight of a busy 4th of July caseload, and Carter then convinces Corday to perform an illegal transplant operation between two HIV+ men. Abby and Ray argue on the course of treatment of an altered bicycle messenger. Abby notices problems with fellow intern Howard. Neela looks for employment without much success before taking a job far below her expectations. Carter discovers Ray's unusual living conditions.
4	227	"Fear"	Dee Johnson	Lesli Linka Glatter	October 21, 2004 (2004-10-21)
Two small children are rushed to the ER after falling from a third story window, allegedly escaping their mother's violent, abusive ex-husband; however, additional facts reveal a different cause. Corday is disciplined over her illegal surgery, and instead of taking a non-tenure track position, she decides to call it quits and return to England. Howard resigns his position after Abby tries to discuss his OCD. After a chaotic search for a replacement, Lewis, the new Chief of Emergency Medicine, offers Neela an ER internship at County, and she accepts. Final Regular Appearance of Dr. Elizabeth Corday.
5	228	"An Intern's Guide to the Galaxy"	Lisa Zwerling	Arthur Albert	November 4, 2004 (2004-11-04)
It is Neela's first day back at the ER and Pratt expects the interns to take a large patient load during their shifts, tracking their output. Neela struggles with frustration as she trails in the competition and is asked rude personal questions by a medical student. Ray leads the competition but makes a major mistake by greenlighting organ donation against the family's wishes after he sped through the paperwork. Abby fakes a needle prick in order to get HIV-protective medication for a worried patient. Carter asks new social worker Wendall Meade to walk out with him.
6	229	"Time of Death"	David Zabel	Christopher Chulack	November 11, 2004 (2004-11-11)
Kovač, Abby, Pratt, and Sam try to save the life of an ex-con and alcoholic named Charlie Metcalfe (Ray Liotta), who might be living his final minutes due to cirrhosis-related illnesses. Charlie tries to make amends with his son, whom he has not seen since being released from prison, with Sam's help. Pratt is angry about the effort and expense of treating Charlie until Kovač makes him confront his feelings about his own absent father. Ultimately, Charlie opts to cease treatment and await his death. The entire episode consists of this one plot line and takes place in real time.
7	230	"White Guy, Dark Hair"	Lydia Woodward	Nelson McCormick	November 18, 2004 (2004-11-18)
Kovač and Sam treat a critically injured woman who was brutally beaten and raped by a serial predator. Wanting to help police identify the perpetrator, Sam gets the woman's consent for a risky procedure to help the woman speak, but it backfires and leads to her death. Lewis schedules a JCAHO emergency drill without telling the staff, creating chaos. Carter crosses some lines when he treats a teenage girl denying her newly born baby, as his pain from his son's death is evident to all.
8	231	"A Shot in the Dark"	Joe Sachs	Jonathan Kaplan	December 2, 2004 (2004-12-02)
Lewis, Neela, and Ray treat a police officer shot during a robbery. His 15-year-old son must make a difficult decision on his father's course of treatment and he turns to Ray for advice. Ray promises to help the boy explain his decision to his mother, but he instead leaves for a gig and later gets an angry earful from Neela after the boy is browbeaten into changing his mind. Abby and Dubenko help a young girl whose mother does not want her to have critical surgery at County, but her condition worsens before her transfer can go through. Carter and Wendall have their first date, for a casual dinner. Pratt finds out that Chen's father's condition is deteriorating.
9	232	"Twas the Night"	Julie Hebert	Julie Hebert	December 9, 2004 (2004-12-09)
It is Christmas Eve in the ER, and the hospital is overrun by homeless. When Chen can't find someone to cover her shift, she quits, leaving Carter as the only ER attending. Carter and an off-duty Ray save a critically injured boy, and Ray learns the real story of his injury from his little sister. Abby and new medical student Jake treat a dialysis patient who is in critical condition, but she can't reach his physician, who is supposed to be on call. With encouragement from Carter and Dubenko, she breaks the rules to save the patient's life. Pratt heads to Chen's house and finds she is about to euthanize her father, who has begged her to do so in his lucid moments, and then take his body back to China. Neela and Abby, with Wendall's help, arrange for presents for the homeless children in County. Final Appearance of Dr. Jing-Mei "Deb" Chen.
10	233	"Skin"	Dee Johnson	Stephen Cragg	January 13, 2005 (2005-01-13)
While on a smoke break, Abby is kidnapped at gunpoint by two gang members in the hope that she can save their wounded leader. After much effort, she fails but, instead of being executed as she expects, they return her to the hospital. Ray begins treatment on a woman who soon requests a new doctor because she recognizes he is not comfortable being herself. Lewis has a difficult time coping with the stressful parts of her new administrative position, such as low patient satisfaction scores, and succeeds in alienating everyone before receiving some advice from Weaver. Kovač tries to build Neela's confidence by praising her technical skills.
11	234	"Only Connect"	Yahlin Chang	Jonathan Kaplan	January 20, 2005 (2005-01-20)
Lewis assigns Kovač to teach the residents how to communicate more effectively with their patients. The effort fizzles when Pratt and Neela direct the families of two unidentified teenagers, who were brought to the ER with gunshot wounds and had different outcomes, to the wrong people, and the only person aware of the confusion is medical student Jane, who is ignored. Lawyer Herb Spivak shows up at the ER and tries to generate lawsuits against County until he ends up a patient himself. Pratt continues to dazzle with his medical skills but struggles with his teaching role. Abby returns to work while still recovering from her post-abduction trauma, but med student Jake helps her overcome it.
12	235	"The Providers"	David Zabel	Christopher Chulack	January 27, 2005 (2005-01-27)
Carter treats a 16-year-old girl who is suffering kidney failure after taking a new drug to control her seizures. Carter's old medical student, George Henry, is the girl's doctor and is a paid consultant to the manufacturer. When things get worse, the father commits suicide so that he can give his daughter his remaining kidney. Carter's search for information about the drug's side effects and subsequent public comments may lead the drug manufacturer to withdraw grants from County, which enrages Weaver and could hurt Lewis' aspirations for tenure.
13	236	"Middleman"	Lisa Zwerling	Ernest Dickerson	February 3, 2005 (2005-02-03)
Kovač and Pratt examine a man who was shot after he confronted his boss with a gun. Kovač and Dubenko disagree about possible internal injuries, leading Kovač to try several procedures to test his theory. Ultimately Kovač is proven correct, while the patient refers to the day as the best of his life. Pratt also treats a boy with a suspicious gash but releases him despite Wendall's objections, with tragic results. Jake tries to convince Abby that they should date and changes shifts with Jane so that Abby is no longer his supervisor.
14	237	"Just As I Am"	Lydia Woodward	Richard Thorpe	February 10, 2005 (2005-02-10)
Weaver treats an evasive patient (Frances Fisher), who reveals that she is Weaver's birth mother. As they spend time together, Weaver learns the story of her birth (when her mother was 15) and that her mother was unaware of her birth defect (which is why she needs a crutch). However, when Weaver reveals to her mother - an evangelical Christian - that she is gay, their meeting turns rocky. Abby and Jake adjust to their changed relationship. Jane impresses Pratt when she shows him she can handle an agitated patient.
15	238	"Alone in a Crowd"	Dee Johnson	Jonathan Kaplan	February 17, 2005 (2005-02-17)
When a young mother of three (Cynthia Nixon) suffers a paralyzing stroke, Kovač and Sam race to save her. After learning that a controversial surgical procedure is his wife's only shot at a full recovery, her husband must decide whether to risk her life in order to save her quality of life. Pratt confronts Morris about his stupid behavior and impresses Lewis, but then surprises her by saying he is not interested in becoming Chief Resident. Dubenko casually pursues Abby with an offer to co-write an article. As Carter and Wendall's relationship deepens, an overnight phone call from Kem reveals its limitations, and Wendall walks away.
16	239	"Here and There"	David Zabel	Christopher Chulack	February 24, 2005 (2005-02-24)
The focus is the contrast and similarities between Neela's life at County and Gallant's with a CASH in Iraq. A young girl in Iraq is severely burned in an RPG attack just outside the CASH and local hospitals are unequipped to help, so Gallant enlists Neela's help to secure the needed treatment at County. However, getting the girl to the United States proves to be more difficult than expected. Due to her loneliness, Neela nearly sleeps with one of Ray's band members before drawing away.
17	240	"Back in the World"	David Zabel and Lisa Zwerling	Jonathan Kaplan	March 24, 2005 (2005-03-24)
Neela is surprised when she hears that Gallant came to the ER with the young Iraqi burn victim, but they later connect on a personal level. Sam's ex-husband Steve visits, and desk clerk Frank learns that he has been in prison in Colorado. Steve loots Sam and Kovač's apartment, but Kovač blocks him from leaving with Alex. Pratt treats a child whose gun went off in his pocket and learns that he received the gun from his mother, while being attracted to a young woman who runs an anti-violence program.
18	241	"Refusal of Care"	Joe Sachs	Gloria Muzio	April 21, 2005 (2005-04-21)
Lewis, Neela, and Sam are legally blocked from treating a woman dying from the effects of a hunger strike designed to prevent her son from being deported, but when her son is brought in by INS to talk to her, he shows no concern for her at all. Abby believes but is unable to prove that an injured 72-year-old woman is the victim of elder abuse, and she and her sister are released to resume panhandling. Pratt's crush helps him and Ray lead a breast cancer patient who is refusing surgery towards getting treatment, and Pratt tells Lewis that he is still uninterested in becoming chief resident despite his leadership among the residents.
19	242	"Ruby Redux"	Lisa Zwerling and Lydia Woodward	Paul McCrane	April 28, 2005 (2005-04-28)
Healing old wounds is not easy. 85-year-old Jules Rubadoux (Red Buttons) is brought in and accuses Carter of killing his wife ten years ago, when he was a medical student and had her moved to a different facility at the end of a research study. Although Abby believes Rubadoux is too old and frail to undertake surgery to correct a heart murmur, the attending doctors (including Anspaugh) opt to go ahead with the operation, and Carter has to decide whether to try to convince Rubadoux otherwise despite their history. Also, Morris may end up with the chief resident job despite a disastrous presentation, Ray angers Carter when he does not follow procedures when the elderly panhandlers show up in the ER again, Lewis does her presentation for tenure, and Sam takes a home pregnancy test.
20	243	"You Are Here"	Karen Maser and Dee Johnson	Ernest Dickerson	May 5, 2005 (2005-05-05)
Morris has been appointed the new chief resident and immediately locks horns with Pratt as they deal with the casualties from a fire at an apartment building. Carter, whose family foundation is starting to build a new health care center for the hospital, receives tenure, while Lewis does not (for bringing in too few grants), and Lewis takes out her frustration from not earning tenure on him and on Ray, who is secretly helping a sexually abused teenager. Kovač finds Sam's negative pregnancy test, and they jointly lament their lack of communication skills. Abby has a fairly enjoyable day at a Catholic ceremony with Jake's family.
21	244	"Carter est Amoureux"	John Wells	Christopher Chulack	May 12, 2005 (2005-05-12)
After hearing that Kem's mother is sick, Carter flies to Paris to see Kem. While there, Carter offers to move back to Africa to start all over. Abby, Ray, and Neela all make medical mistakes. While in counseling, Sam reveals that she thinks that she and Kovač should not be together. Abby makes it clear that she and Jake do not have a future together.
22	245	"The Show Must Go On"	David Zabel	John Wells	May 19, 2005 (2005-05-19)
It is Carter's last shift in the ER. Kovač and most of the ER staff take Carter on a surprise goodbye party. Meanwhile, Ray and Morris attend their own party that soon is interrupted by disaster; the doctors treat the injured at County where Abby, Neela, and Ray must step up to the challenge all on their own. Also, Sam learns that her son Alex has run away. Final Regular Appearance of Dr. John Carter. Note: Nielsen Ratings: 18.8 million viewers

Reception

References

1. ^ http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/ER-Season-11-Press-Release/11543

External links

• Event data as RDF