ER 13.8 Reason to Believe
Previously on ER: Abby shakes hands with Curtis Ames, aka Forest Whitaker, who played Charlie Parker in Bird; Since he obviously doesn’t know her, Bird tells her “It’s nice to meet you” and Abby reciprocates, and thanks him for the hot dog he bought for her; As Abby pushes away the stroller carrying her son, Mongo Joe Kovac, or MoJo, Bird notices that MoJo dropped his toy frog and picks it up, but makes no attempt to return it to Abby; Pratt introduces his brother Chaz to Tina, the Radiology Woman who asks Chaz if he’s moving in and Pratt says “yeah”; Pratt’s Barbershop owner friend, who looks like an older Cedric the Entertainer tells Pratt that up at the First Mission Baptist Church, Pastor Watkins does a drug exchange program; Pratt tells the pastor that what he’s doing is dangerous and illegal; Frank tells Weaver that the “TV news gal” Courtney Brown, with the Tina Turner hair, called for her again; Morris asks what she wanted and Weaver says that Courtney offered her a job as a reporter and that she thought it was about time somebody put something worthwhile on television; Neela got all closed-mouthed kissing busy with Intern Tony Gates, aka John Stamos, aka Uncle Jesse from Full House, but because of his comments in the media about how he’s pretty much all that and a bag of chips, and of course so much sexier than McDreamy or McSteamy on Grey’s Anatomy, I think he should be called McEgo, or Uncle Ego, depending on my mood; In between the kissing, Neela tells McEgo that she called him the other night and a woman answered, but he says he can explain that.
We hear thunder clapping as McEgo walks into the Lounge, waking up Neela, who was asleep on the couch in her blue scrubs. He tells her to rise and shine, calling her “Mayday”, and that it’s too early for her to be taking a nap. Thanks, McRooster. Neela wants to know if it’s morning already and McEgo, getting some coffee, says it has been for a while. Neela complains that Surgical Chief Resident Dustin Crenshaw, who looks like Moby, has been running her ragged and she’s been on since midnight on Tuesday. He tells her “no wonder you haven’t returned my calls”. Yeah, I’m sure that’s the reason, McEgo, and it has nothing to do with the razor burn you gave her with the McStubble. Neela thinks that Surgery is not for sissies. How do you explain Moby then, Neela, ‘cause he seems like quite the sissy boy to me. McEgo walks over and sits down next to her, putting the two cups of coffee he’s poured on to the table and reaching over to push her hair off her forehead. Putting his arm behind her, he leans closer and tells her that he wants to talk to her about their “mutual groping” thing and she says that it was a mistake. That’s an understatement, Neela. Caressing her knee he says “yeah” but in a tone that’s clearly not agreeing with what she said. She reminds him that he lives with someone. He admits that he does, but qualifies it with “not exactly”. He takes her hand as she says “… And there’s a little girl”, which McEgo tells her isn’t his, but she doesn’t seem too convinced. He explains that the father is his friend. Neela asks “In the Gulf?” How did she guess that? He didn’t mention anything about that war, so why did she automatically assume? Annoying. McEgo says that when they came back his friend couldn’t keep it together and he’d always told him that if something ever happened, he’d make sure the family made it through. Neela thinks that’s a big promise. He explains his McEgo by telling her that he always says “Go big, or go home”. Oh, please go home, McEgo. He leans in to kiss her as I struggle to keep down my dinner and the lounge door opens. They pull apart and McEgo stands up. Abby enters carrying a pizza and a coffee carrier with four coffees. Guess the lounge stuff ain’t good enough for you, huh, Abby? It’s good enough for McEgo, and we all know he’s “worth it” … or at least he thinks he is … She pushes off her hood, notices that she’s interrupted something, and smirking says pointedly “Hello”. Neela doesn’t turn around, just rests her head in her hand. Abby tells McEgo that his DVT patient is still waiting on a ride to Oncology and the nurses have started a pool on when somebody is finally going to tap his Ascites’s guy’s belly. McEgo tells her he’s going to go take care of the DVT guy first as Abby nods at him and he heads out. Abby stands with her hands on her hips and looks over at Neela, who finally glances over at her, then away again. Abby takes off her jacket and hangs it on a coat tree, telling Neela that there’s an ambulance on its way in with a stab wound/OD and it’s nine minutes out. Neela rolls her eyes and lays back on the couch, telling Abby to “wake me up in eight”.
Pratt is at the church hall, checking out a heavy-set church lady. Church Lady says that whenever she moves her head, everything spins. Oh, I feel you on the vertigo, Church Lady. She says her nephew says it’s a tumor. Pratt assures her that her neuro exam’s normal, so it’s not a brain tumor and it’s not a stroke. He gives her meclizine and tells her that she’s going to take one every eight hours if she gets dizzy. He writes a prescription for her and tells her that when she runs out of the samples, she can fill it for a month’s supply. Church Lady asks if she takes that to the pharmacy and Pratt “yes, ma’am” ‘s her. She asks “and I have to pay?” Pratt thinks her insurance will cover some of it. He hands the scrip to a not happy Church Lady as Pastor asks to see him. Pastor tells him that Mrs. Skinner’s bp is 185/100. Pratt wants to know if she took the meds he gave her, and Pastor says she did, until she used up the samples. Pratt asks about the prescription. Pastor explains that it’s $60 for a month’s supply and that she’s saving up, but she hopes her son will send her a check by Thanksgiving. Pratt says that he’s going out of his way to get “you people set up right” but the Pastor has to help make sure they stay on the program. Pastor says that all he needs is an extra $100,000 a year, and he thinks that will cover the costs for his congregation. Pratt’s all “So, what, I need to figure out a way to pay for all this, too?” Pastor thinks “in for a penny, in for a pound”. Pratt asks “Who said that? Jesus?” Pastor answers “Clemmons Daniel, III. My bookie”.
Pouring rain and two ragamuffin kids are pushing a third in a shopping cart. One of the Dead End Kids is telling “Teller” that the “water burns”. Burns? Who are you? The Wicked Witch of the West? Better watch out before somebody drops a house on you. “Teller” says that they’ve got to make sure “they” see “him”, I guess meaning the kid in the cart. Other walking kid says that they’re going to get in trouble. Cart Kid says that demons come through the sewers when it rains. As they’re pushing the cart under the El tracks, they spot a homeless woman standing in front of the garage door in the
Cart Kid is thrashing around, talking about demons and that “you can see them from the lake”. “Teller” says to “shut up”, and that “they don’t know”, then tells them that he has a boy for sale … He’s going cheap … Only seven guineas … That – or thereabouts … Busy is trying to hold Cart Kid’s head steady so that McEgo can treat his head wound. They’re in Trauma Green and McEgo calls for ativan to calm Cart Kid down. Busy’s hair is hanging down around her face, and threatening to get into the wound. Nice, Busy. I’m sure Sam’s got an extra dollar store hair clip lying around that she could loan you, ‘cause you are so contaminating the field with your cooties. McEgo wants Busy to irrigate the hell out of the cut on Cart Kid’s ear. “Teller” looks over to Trauma Yellow where Abby and Neela are working on Stab Wounded OD Girl. He keeps watching Neela, then glances back at Cart Kid, who’s eyes are rolling back in his head as they put a neck brace on him. “Teller” looks over again into Trauma Yellow, just in time to see Stab Wounded OD Girl sit straight up on the gurney and take a deep breath. Neela is standing at the head of the bed and is the only other person visible. “Teller” is spellbound. He comes closer to Cart Kid, telling him that it’s going to be okay, and to consider himself at home. “Teller” smiles saying that “The Blue Lady is here!” as McEgo and Busy stare at him, then check their pockets for their wallets and we move to funky new graphic montage.
Pratt enters his apartment, talking on his cell phone. He’s saying that he was running around all shift and never got to it, and he was coming off an overnight and figured that McEgo could handle it, as he tosses his keys at the counter, where there’s a half-eaten pizza and some empty beer bottles. Switch to Luka standing at Admit and bitching into the phone that McEgo didn’t and now he can’t because he’s in a trauma. Pratt says that it’s just a paricentesis and “maybe you can do it”. Ooh, I’m guessing that’s not going to go down so well, Pratt. Luka tells him “Look, you’re an Attending. You shouldn’t have left this unfinished”. Pratt justifies that he had some place to be. Luka wants to know what was so important that he’d walk out on a guy who had been there all night. Pratt admits that he had to go to church, as we hear the shower running. Luka doesn’t believe him and tells him he’s a terrible liar and to get back there and deal with it right now, and hangs up. Pratt hangs up his phone and heads over to the bathroom door. He knocks and asks if Chaz is going to chip in on the water bill. As he opens the door, he sees Chaz and another guy naked except for towels around their waists. Chaz is standing behind Naked Guy with one hand on his shoulder and the other on his hip. They’re totally deer-caught-in-headlights as Pratt stares at them. And my boy Chaz is pretty buff. Chaz tells Pratt he thought he was at work. Naked Guy asks if that’s his brother and Chaz says “yeah”. Pratt finally finds his voice and tells Naked Guy to get out of there. Chaz starts to protest but Pratt’s having none of it and angrily shouts “Get the hell out of here!” Naked Guy hightails it out of there. Pratt turns to Chaz and tells him “You, too … By the time I get back, I want you gone!”, then he storms out.
Cart Kid is still fighting them, telling them to let go and asking “why do you want to kill me?” “Teller” who I can see a little better now, and he’s looking a lot like a cross between the Les Miserables waif and a homeless Elijah Wood, tells Cart Kid to stop it or “she ain’t gonna come!” ‘Cause she ain’t here for business, she’s only here for fun, Cart Kid. Busy asks McEgo if she should list Cart Kid as a “John Doe” on the chart, but Elijah bitches that he told her, Cart Kid’s name is “Paulie”. Busy asks for a last name, but apparently Cart Kid doesn’t have one, so I guess it’s just “Paulie”, like “Elvis” … or “
Weaver and TV Tina Turner are walking down the hall. Tina is telling her that lunchtime is at noon and she’ll be there with the crew by 11. Weaver says this isn’t quite what she signed on for and she thought she’d be reporting on topical medical issues, not doing puff pieces on Botox. Oh, you so need to make Sam and Neela watch that report, Weaver. The way those two scowl, they’ll look like they have an ass in the middle of their foreheads by the time they are forty. Good times. Weaver continues bitching about the piece on unsanitary manicures, which Tina thinks was “strong” and that people all over
Frank drops a padded envelope on the Admit Desk and says “This came for you Special Delivery”. We see a pair of hands pick up the envelope and start opening it. The camera pans up to show that those hands are attached to … Luka … yum. How I wish I were a padded envelope so that Luka could open me … Sigh … We hear thunder rolling as Luka looks in the package. Luka looks up intensely, like he’s trying to understand something. Ooh, what’s in there that could make Luka look so disturbed? The bill for the mirror he broke in the Men’s Room in the Season Premiere? … Maybe it’s both Maggie’s and Eric’s meds – they’re off them, and they’re coming to visit … Gamma’s ring? … A medicine man box? … The photos taken from miles away of Abby and Carter line dancing? That’d be downright frightening … Considering the smirk MoJo sported during the nanny auditions last week, maybe it’s the DNA results and he’s not the father … Maybe it’s the answers to all of those dropped plotlines over the years – Like who was the real Angel of Death when Corday’s patients kept dying … Or like whatever happened to Carter’s sister … Or when did animal crackers become such a big thing for Doug and Carol … Frank leans over his shoulder and asks “Baby gift?” Oh, maybe it’s the surveillance tape from the dressing room at the baby store where he and Abby got a little busy … Or the squeaking elephant they got busy on, though I thought I saw that in Luka’s Bat Cave apartment a couple of eps ago … Luka distractedly says “Uh, yeah”. And what are you wearing, Luka? That is so not the coordinated type outfit you usually are decked out in. Grey shirt and monochromatic striped maroon tie. Either your Shirt Color Mood Ring is telling us this isn’t a good day, or else you’re way behind on your laundry. I’m thinking maybe you and Abby have been spending too much time in the Salon and have been neglecting other stuff … Bitch … Might be time to change from playing the Hairdresser and Shampoo Boy game, and start up with the Laundromat, as Dry Cleaner and her Steam Press Boy … At least until you get back into your signature Luka Blues … And, Bitch … Frank moves away as we hear the door buzz open and Sam calling out “Charles Hadley … multiple wounds after a bar fight”. Camera shifts to show Sam, Abby, and a Generic Paramedic bringing in a gurney, with a weary-looking woman walking behind it. Weary Woman says that Charles passed out on the couch last night and this morning she couldn’t wake him up. Luka joins them as they head to an Exam Room and shines his penlight in Charles’ eyes, asking him to look at him. Oh, lucky you, Charles … being that close to The Pretty and actually having him ask you to look at him … You’d never have to ask me, Luka, because I’d never have stopped looking at you … Just saying … Luka says that the pupils are equal at 4 mm, as Abby looks over at Weary and asks “Are you alright there, ma’am?” and points to the large bruise on her left cheek. Weary wearily waves it off as nothing. Abby thinks they should take a look at it, but Weary insists that she’s alright. And Abby is looking pretty good again this ep, with her brown button-up blouse and wearing her hair parted on the side, pulled back and clipped with a barrette, but not pulled back off her forehead, which was really not a good look for her. Just more evidence that the Salon’s been up and running … Bitch …
Luka takes the neck brace off of an awfully bloodied face Charles and calls for a CBC, chem panel, blood alcohol, c-spine, head and facial CT, as Abby looks in Charles’ ears. She says that there’s dried blood in the left ear canal and positive “battle signs” as Luka listens to his chest. Sam guides Weary to a chair as Luka says that the chest is clear and Abby tells him that the abdomen is soft, no rebound or guarding. Sam is checking out Weary, shining a penlight in her eyes and asking if Charles did this. Weary not very believably says “no”, then hesitatingly adds that “he didn’t know what he was doing”. Luka looks up at this and asks “Are you saying your husband hit you, ma’am?” Weary claims that it was an accident, she was helping Charles down on the couch and he slipped. She winces as Sam touches her bruise, then tells Luka that Charles’ elbow knocked her. Grabbing x-ray aprons and handing them to Luka and Sam, Abby says that Charles’ pelvis is stable and Sam tells Luka that Weary is going to need a facial series. Busy rushes into the room and tells Luka that they’ve got a pretty sick little boy in Trauma 2 and there are no parents. As he starts to put on the apron, Luka tells her to keep trying to reach them, but Busy replies that they think he’s homeless. She then tells him that Neela and McEgo are worried that it’s rabies, which makes Luka stop in his tracks and stare at her. He looks over at Abby and tells her, “Uh … you’re good”, then nods at her and channels the Governator saying, “I’ll be back”, before dropping the apron and hurrying after Busy.
Luka questions “Rabies?” as they walk through Trauma Yellow. Busy tells him that Paulie was in a building infested with bats. Luka asks how the trauma workup is and Busy tells him that the CT is negative but he’s altered and ataxic as they enter into Trauma Green. Paulie is babbling about a river running through the city and how the “good streets” are on the other side, but they can’t get across. Luka asks how he’s doing and Neela says that Paulie is responsive, but he isn’t making much sense. Elijah tells her that Paulie isn’t crazy and that the stuff he is talking about it real. Sotto voce, Luka asks McEgo “You’re thinking rabies?” and McEgo kind of imperiously replies “What else it could be?” Luka thinks it could be encephalitis or any number of viruses and rattles off “
Cueball, with a leg splint on his right leg, is being pushed in a wheelchair out into the
Back with prattling Paulie, who’s going on about something with a dog, but he’s got a mask on now, which makes it even harder to understand what the hell he’s saying. Neela, whose hair is now finally pulled up in a bun after it’s already contaminated the trauma field, is asking Paulie if he can hear her and if he can, to touch his nose. Paulie lifts his right hand, which is shaking uncontrollably, up to his face, but can’t quite get it to his nose. Neela watches him worriedly, as Elijah gently moves Paulie’s hand where it’s supposed to be. McEgo comes in, hair still wet and dressed with the Doug Ross dark-shirt-under-scrub-top look, and asks Neela how Paulie is doing. Neela mumbles something about reversing ataxia as McEgo grabs a cloth and puts it to his still bleeding lip. He had time to change but didn’t have time to wipe his mouth? Annoying. Neela looks at McEgo questioningly and he tells her that he bit his lip. He shows her the labs that the skin biopsy came back positive for rabies. Neela says sadly that rabies is 100% fatal. Oh, that sucks for you, Paulie … Visualize the earth descending on you clod for clod … You can’t come back when you’re buried … Underneath the … sod … Consider yourself part of the furniture, then, Paulie … McEgo corrects her that it is only 99.9% … Oh, in that case the odds are totally in your favor then, Paulie … McDipshit … McEgo tells Neela that there was a little girl in Wisconsin in 2004 who survived. Neela says that’s just one case and McEgo assures her that they’re going to make it two cases as Luka bursts in the room. He hands Neela some papers and she asks “What’s this?” He tells her it’s from the New England Journal of Medicine and she needs to order ketamine, midazolam, ribavirin, and amantadine from the pharmacy. Neela questions Luka “We’re going to induce a coma?” Luka says that the midazolam will suppress brain activity. McEgo explains to Neela that it will give the brain a rest while they administer anti-virals. Why is he explaining that to her? I know he’s the Bestest Intern to Grace Our Presence Since Carter, but even though Neela is a Surgical Intern, she did complete two years of Residency in Emergency Medicine and … she’s not an idiot … McJackass … Luka says they need to call Neurology because Paulie is going to need continuous EEG monitoring. Lily says there are no isolation beds in the PICU and Neela says that Paulie will have to stay down there for now. Why is Neela still with this case? It’s not surgical … As if just the sight of McEgo didn’t hurt my head enough … McEgo is on the phone to the pharmacy. Sam and her typical too blonde hair come in and say “Luka, this guy’s taking a nosedive”. He tells her he’s coming and as he starts to follow her out, he asks McEgo if he’s notified Public Health. McEgo says that he’s already on it and they’re bringing in the CDC. Luka tells him that anyone else exposed needs rabies prophylaxis vaccine and immunoglobulin.
Luka follows Sam through Trauma Yellow and she tells him that “our party animal’s more disoriented” as they head into the Exam Room. Sam says that the head CT shows basilar skull fracture. Luka asks if there’s intracranial hemorrhage, but Sam shakes her head and says “Got lucky there” as they move over to Charles. Abby is standing there with one hand on her hip, looking at the CT scan. As Luka approaches, she tells him that the GCS (Glasgow Coma Scale) is down from 14 to 8. Luka rubs Charles’ sternum, saying “Mr. Hadley? Open your eyes”. Abby tells him that Charles is diaphoretic and asks if the labs are back yet, but Sam says they’re not. Luka thinks they need to repeat the head CT to see if there’s a delayed bleed. Sam calls out that the sat’s dropping and Luka orders a 100% non-rebreather. Frank comes in and tells Luka that some guy called for him a couple of times, but didn’t leave a message. Luka asks Frank if he got a name, but Frank says that the guy wouldn’t say. As he rolls Charles, an annoyed Luka wants to know why Frank is telling him this. Frank thought Luka would want to know, adding “It’s probably a creditor”. Luka replies sarcastically “Great. Thank you … Thank you, Frank”, as Sam pulls the backboard out from under Charles. Abby has hold of Charles’ left arm and Sam asks her “You’re doing an Accucheck?” Luka tells Abby, “Uh, he’s not a diabetic”. Looking at the Accucheck monitor, Abby thinks that if he’s a chronic alcoholic who’s not eating, he might be hypoglycemic. As he listens to Charles’ chest, Luka just glances over at her, biting his lip. The Accucheck beeps and sounding satisfied, Abby says, “There it is. The blood sugar is 34”. Sam thinks that’s pretty low, as Luka still doesn’t say anything. Abby calls for an amp of D-50 and 100 mg of thiamin. Abby thinks Charles must be a bigger drinker than they thought. Weary chimes in that Charles wasn’t always this bad. Luka says that advanced liver disease diminishes his glycogen stores. Abby explains to Weary that Charles’ body can’t respond to low blood sugar. Charles sits up suddenly and pulls the oxygen mask off. Luka adjusts the bed so that he’s sitting up. Charles looks over at Weary, who just gives him a weary look back before looking down. Speech slurring a bit, Charles wants to know “what the hell’s going on?” Examining his eyes, Luka asks him if he knows where he is. He answers “
Pratt places two huge jars of shitty colored liquid on the Admit Desk in front of Frank, saying “Here”. Frank jumps back and asks “What the hell is that?” Pratt says that it’s the belly tap from his Ascites guy. He tells Frank to send it for a cell count, culture and cytology. As Frank walks away with the shit jars, Pratt breaks a cold pack on the desk, then puts it on his right hand. A looks-like-she’s-leaving Weaver smiles and jokes that she hopes that he didn’t get that from hitting a patient. Pratt answers “Intern” and Weaver just glances at him. Weaver wants to know why Pratt is even there. Pratt tells her he had to do a paracentesis that McEgo couldn’t handle. Weaver cheekily welcomes him to being an Attending. Getting that Pratt may not have been kidding, Weaver stutters “Wait … you and Gates … didn’t …” then as she leaves says “You know what? I don’t need to know”. Hee. I guess Weaver wanted to see McEgo pummeled as much as I did. McEgo walks past Pratt and they just look at each other. Pratt asks him how the lip is. McEgo thinks it’s better than Pratt’s hand and that he hits “like a girl”. Oh yeah, a girl who knocked you on your ass, McEgo. Pratt comes over and apologizes for blowing his cool like that, he was having a terrible morning. Pratt says that’s no excuse and starts to tell McEgo that if he wants to file a grievance with Human Resources, he can call … McEgo interrupts and says “I was there, too”, and admits that it wasn’t the first time he let something like that get out of hand, and they nod at each other. As much as I feel McEgo so deserved to be smacked, and hate that Pratt apologized, I like that Pratt owned up to how wrong his actions were and was going to tell McEgo how he could make a complaint.
Charles is sitting up in bed, a food tray on the table in front of him, as Abby fiddles with his IV. She asks if he’s tried getting into a program to help him stop drinking. Charles bitches “Like I wanna hear everybody else’s problems” as the camera pans back to show Luka standing at the end of the bed, writing on the chart. Jeez, Luka’s been writing a lot on this chart … Maybe he’s writing his autobiography … What would it be titled? Something like Life After Hair Color? Perms & Passion: A Salon Handbook? Can You Cut It So It Looks Longer: A Hairdresser’s Memoirs? Me and You and All This Shampoo? Abby takes off her gloves, looking at him sympathetically as Charles slurs “What good is a lot of talk going to do me?” Luka glances up at this before returning to Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: How I Supplanted the Smirk. Looking at Luka, Charles says “It’s not going to bring my son back”. Abby asks gently “He died?” Charles says it was a DUI, and that his son got his mother’s looks and his alcoholism, as Abby watches him compassionately. Putting Squeaking Elephants and Crumpled Butterfly Sheets: A Day at the Spa aside and peeking quickly at Abby, Luka purses his lips and says curtly, “What about what you are doing to your wife?” Charles doesn’t know why Weary hasn’t left him before. Abby intently focuses on Charles as he emphatically tells Luka “It should be me, Doc, it should be me that’s dead. Not Kenny”. Luka tells Charles that Weary came here with an injury … What’s that smell? … I’m getting a whiff of something distinctly … barnyard … Oh, no … Please don’t tell me that Luka’s High Horse of Moral Superiority has galloped in … I thought since we hadn’t seen it in a while that maybe Abby has a “no farm animals allowed” policy at the Bat Cave, and instead of just corralling it, Luka decided to put it out to pasture. Well, it seems to have broken off its bridle … Luka asks Charles if he hit Weary. Charles is confused “What?” Luka asks a little more forcefully, “Did you hit her?” Charles looks out the door to see Weary on the phone at Admit. Bewildered, he says that he would never hurt his wife. Luka tells him disapprovingly “But you did”, his tone making Abby turn her head to look over at him. Luka glances at her, then looks down before shifting his gaze to Charles. Seeming really shaken and holding his hand up to the side of his head like he’s trying to remember, Charles stammers “I did?”, then lip quivering, says “No …” and that it wasn’t on purpose. Shooting a quick look at Abby, Luka sighs a little indignantly then looks back at him. Charles looks pleadingly at Abby and earnestly says “I love her”. Luka tells Abby to check Charles’ glucose in an hour then heads out. She turns to watch him start to leave, then back to Charles who is protesting that he really loves his wife. Abby smiles at him benevolently and says that she’ll be back, then follows Luka out.
Abby trails Luka to Admit, asking if he thinks that Charles’ concussion and low blood sugar “contributed to this?” Writing on another chart, Crème Rinses and Curling Irons: A How-To Guide, Luka doesn’t look up at her as he asks “To what?” A little disbelievingly, Abby says that she thinks Charles is altered, as Luka puts his pen back in his pocket and starts to walk away. She walks with him continuing “… and he hurt her accidentally”. Luka thinks they have to report it and if it’s nothing, it will get dropped. Abby protests that the wife said Charles never hit her. Luka rationalizes that the police will sort it out. Abby tries to get him to stop and talk about this saying “Hey”. When he keeps going, she repeats it a little more sharply to get his attention, “Hey!” Luka turns around impatiently “What? What? What? She’s got a bruised face”. Abby can’t believe he wants to put Charles in a locked facility with a bunch of criminals. Luka’s High Horse clip clops along side him as he tells her that she heard Charles and he’s not going to get help unless he’s forced to and it’s time someone scared some sense into him. Scratching her forehead and conceding to him that he might be right about this, she tries to tell him that she has a feeling, when his High Horse cuts her off patronizingly, “Look, let’s try this. You be the Resident, I’ll be the Attending. Okay?” Nice, Luka’s High Horse. Normally I’d be all atwitter at Luka going caveman and pulling a total Tarzan “You Resident, Me Attending”, but right now, though it pains me to say it … and I only seem to have to say it whenever there’s an equine presence … I think he’s just being an ass. An absolutely amazingly adorably attractive ass, mind you, but an ass all the same. Abby wasn’t steamrolling in like she does sometimes, it seemed like she’s just trying to get him to look at another point of view. Considering she knows from alcoholics, you’d think Luka would at least listen to her. I guess you’re a little preoccupied by the package you received, and from the intense chart-writing, I’m guessing it was an advance on the book coupled with an impossible deadline … but still … Time to stable up the High Horse again, Luka. Abby looks a little taken aback and with a “WTF was that?” expression, she watches Luka’s High Horse trot away, then exaggeratedly says “O - kay”, and rolls her eyes a bit before heading back towards Admit.
Pratt channels Carter, only he’s got a box instead of someone’s hockey duffel bag, and is taking stuff from the drug lockup. Busy comes in and asks if she can help him find something. He asks her if they are out of diuretics and she says that she thinks there are some samples and opens up the samples’ closet, which Pratt seems to have forgotten about. He’s all excited and sort of one-armed hugs her as he tells her she’s a genius. Oh, okay. She’s a genius, and McStubbly is sexy. I see how this alternate universe works. So while I’m here in La La Land, I might as well go with the flow and speculate about when Carter and his Sanctimonious Smirk of Condescending Righteousness is going to swoop in and knock Luka off his High Horse of Moral Superiority to reclaim the girl who didn’t look back twice after he left her ... But I shouldn’t question, because the motto here is "I’ve made up my mind … Don’t try to confuse me with the facts". Pratt starts loading up his box and Busy tells him that she thought he wasn’t working this shift. He says “that’s right” and she asks why he’s there. He explains that he’s running low on some supplies for some people he’s helping at church, which of course is right up Busy’s alley. She says she didn’t know Pratt volunteered at church. Pratt doesn’t answer, but says this isn’t going to be enough and wants to know if they have anything anywhere else. Busy says that there was a drug rep there earlier and maybe they restocked. Busy says that she even brought pizza, which I guess explains the one Abby was carrying into the lounge when she busted in on the Egola virus mutating earlier. Busy babbles about what a sweet girl the rep was and that she’s from
McEgo places a tray of food down in front of a now un-hatted Elijah. And he really does look like Elijah Wood now – with that mop of hair he’s got on his head, he’s a total Hobbit. So now I have to call him Frodo. Thanks for making me go through three name changes, Frodo. You freak. Frodo says he’s not hungry but McEgo tells him that it might make him feel better and the soup is “da bomb”. Oh, that McEgo. So down with the lingo of our youth … McPoser … McEgo says that he’s serious and they call it “da bomb” soup down there and if Frodo eats it, he’s going to “fart like a cannon”. Well, since you’re an asshole, you’d know all about anal acoustics, wouldn’t you, McFlatulence? He touches Frodo on the nose playfully, but Frodo just stares at him with a “you’re such a douchebag” look that mimics my own. Lily jargons some stuff about the ketamine being ready to go. Frodo asks McEgo when Paulie is going to wake up. McEgo says that he doesn’t know and that they’re going to make Paulie sleep for a while so hopefully his body can heal. Lily tells McEgo that amantadine needs to be given by mouth and gives him a cup with a straw in it. McEgo tries to get Paulie to drink. Paulie starts choking and machines start beeping as McEgo says that the rabies is making it hard for him to swallow. Frodo tells him that the rabies isn’t why. It’s because Bloody Mary saw his face. Oh … Frodo was a paranoid gnome … McEgo glances over at him then says that he’s going to put a tube down Paulie’s throat to help him to breathe. Frodo watches them work on Paulie, then runs out of the room. McEgo yells after him “Teller!” as Ray LaMontagne’s haunting “Till the Sun Turns Black” starts playing … Frodo walks apprehensively down the halls. He passes a janitor mopping the floor, then a bloody-headed guy freaking out on a gurney gets rolled past him and Frodo jumps back, scared. He continues slowly, looking at everything around him like it’s all foreign. He sees patients hooked up to oxygen and IV’s or spitting into emesis basins who just stare at him as he walks by. He starts up the steps as Ray sings … Can you see the young and pretty … Frodo runs back down when he sees people coming towards him … Confident as cops … Frodo dashes onto an elevator with some surgical garbed people … Blooming, laughing in the shops … Surgical Garbs just stare at the half-pint hobo … Till the sun turns black … Frodo looks frightened as he knows they as watching him, and he keeps looking at the floor numbers going up … Can you see the old and lonely, walking through a park … The door opens and Surgical Garbs shoot looks at him when they exit … Pushing grocery carts … Frodo waits until they are all off before following … Till the sun turns black … Frodo sees stairs with a sign saying “To Surgical Observation Level”, and heads up them … He enters the gallery above an Operating Theatre as the song moves to instrumental. He looks down to see Neela standing off to the side, watching the operation on a screen and answering questions that are being asked of her. Frodo rushes into the theatre crying “Paulie can’t breathe! You have to come help!” A no-name surgeon asks “Who the hell is that?” as Neela tells Frodo that he can’t be in there. A distraught Frodo keeps yelling that she has to come help. Neela ushers him out and tells him to go back downstairs and that she can’t come with him. He says that she has to, adding “You’re the Blue Lady”. He then pleads for her to please just help Paulie. Neela says that she can’t, Paulie is very sick as Ray starts moaning Oh … Oh … Oh … Oh … Frodo says that the other girl was sleeping and Neela brought her back to life. Neela tells him that it was different, but he doesn’t seem to understand. He tells her that she can’t say no, as her beeper beeps and she looks down at it. Oh … Oh … Oh … Oh … Frodo again says that she can’t, then tells her “I know your ‘secret name’ … ‘Mayday’ …” as Neela looks up at him, surprised, probably because she thought her secret name was Fuzzy Bunny-Pie … Could be worse, Neela … Your secret name could be Tumbleflump Floppy-Baubles, like Abby’s …
Pastor is in the pulpit, working on a sermon. Pratt and Busy enter, triumphantly carrying boxes and bags of meds. Pratt proudly tells Pastor that he’s got “enough meds for 90% of your people”. Pastor asks how he managed it and Pratt responds that he sold his soul to a drug company. Pratt takes the bags from Busy and says that he’s going to go lock up the meds in the closet. Taking off her jacket, Busy tells Pastor that Pratt told her about what he’s doing there and she’d love to be a part of it, and it’s why she took her break time to help out Pratt. Pastor comes down the steps to shake her hand. He asks if she’s a med student and she happily introduces herself and says that she’s an Intern. She smilingly tells him that it’s the same thing as a first year Resident but they call them Interns and she doesn’t really know why. She gasps excitedly as she looks around, saying how much she loves old churches. She has her back to Pastor and he asks her “Do you?”, and she says “It’s so big”. Pastor finds religion as he checks out Busy’s ass and mutters smiling “Yes it is, isn’t it”.
Weaver is reporting in a school cafeteria, talking about how it is estimated that 10 -20% of the youth in this country are obese. Yikes. That’s depressing … I think I need to have a Happy Meal to console myself … maybe I will Supersize it, too … Weaver’s obviously been to the Salon, because she’s looking fab. Her hair’s all highlight-y, her makeup looks good, and she’s wearing a light gray checked jacket over a black v-neck with a dark pink shell underneath, and she’s got a beaded choker on. Much more stylish than our frumpy local medical reporter, who looks like she goes for the Big Mac-large fry-cherry pie-with-a-chocolate-shake-chaser-combo at Micky D’s on a regular basis. As Weaver is going into all the stuff that obesity could lead to, we hear a kid yell out that someone’s choking. Weaver rushes over to a girl who is standing up clutching her throat as the camera crew follows her. Weaver asks Choking Kid if she can breathe, but Choking shakes her head. Weaver gets behind her and starts to do the Heimlich Maneuver …You know, if you're choking in a restaurant you can just say the magic words, "Heimlich maneuver," and all will be well. Trouble is, it's difficult to say "Heimlich maneuver" when you're choking to death … and it’s not really a maneuver at the moment … it’s more of a gesture … A hand, a fist, hoocha hoocha hoocha....lobster... The Heimlich doesn’t seem to be working on Choking Kid, so Weaver clears the table and lays her down, saying that she needs some help. Tina asks what’s happening, and Weaver says that Choking Kid probably has a piece of food obstructing her trachea. Weaver starts to do CPR as all the kids are standing around staring. Weaver yells to a cafeteria lady, complete with shower cap, to get a kitchen knife with a sharp point and a drinking straw. Now is not the time for arts and crafts, Weaver, no matter how much fun it is to make Jumping Spider Puppets … Cafeteria Lady rushes over with the stuff. Weaver tells Choking Kid that it’s going to hurt for a second, then pierces a hole in her throat, as all the kids react like I do, all shocked and going “Ewwww”. One kid says “Oh, that’s nasty” as another kid unnecessarily yells like we didn’t just watch it, “Ew, she’s cutting her throat!” Duh, kid. Idiot. Weaver moves to stick the straw in the hole as we cut to:
Frodo, back in Trauma Green, asking if Paulie is still sleeping. McEgo is updating Neela and tells her that Paulie is going to need a central line, but Neela thinks it’s too risky because with a DIC, Paulie could bleed out. McEgo thinks they have to do something and Neela asks “What about a saphenous cutdown?”, which provides quick venous access for rapid volume repletion. Thanks, Medscape. And isn’t that the procedure that Luka showed Neela how to do when she was all warm for his form with the schoolgirl crush back in Season 11? Glad you got over that fantasy, Neela. I really didn’t want to have to hurt you. Though if you keep up the Egola infection, I think I just might have to on principle. Ugh. McEgo thanks Neela for getting down there so fast, he thought they were going to lose Paulie. Frodo tells him that Neela had to come. Neela explains that Frodo says she’s the “Blue Lady”. Isn’t that a drink with gin, blue
Abby is at Admit and spots Weary. Abby asks her if she’s leaving. Weary wearily says that she tried to get Charles to get some help, but he won’t listen to her. She starts to head out and brokenly says that she lost a son, and now it looks like she’s going to lose a husband, too. Abby follows and tells her “Well, not if you don’t want to”. Weary wants to know how bad does it have to get before he realizes that there’s a problem, and does he have to doze off with a cigarette in his hand and burn the place down. Oh, that reminds me of a drunk and downcast Luka last year who fell asleep with a cigarette burning next to him after he sadly told Abby that he wondered if anyone would recognize him if he had been as badly burned as their Crispy patient in Man With No Name. And though he looked so somberly sexy … so not good times … Abby tells Weary that alcoholism is a disease and offers that maybe the two of them together could convince him to get some treatment. Weary, who looks about at her wit’s end, tearily and wearily tells Abby, “I love him … I really do … and he’s a good man … he just can’t seem to get over this”. Hmmm … that sounds familiar … And it seems to be quite the theme with Luka’s patients this year … Abby thinks Charles is starting to understand that he has to make some changes. Weary wearily gives in, and Abby rubs her arm sympathetically and encouragingly as she heads back to her husband’s Exam Room.
Abby walks up to Luka at Admit and starts handing him charts and updating him on patients’ conditions. Luka keeps his head bowed, but is watching her intently as she gives him each chart saying, “Humindinger’s been DC’d, Winston is in Radiology, and Barnaby died”. After handing over the last chart, she presses her luck, attempting to talk with him again, and doing so in a reasonable tone, “Now, listen … about the Hadleys”. He tries to preempt her, “Abby …”, but she keeps going “Look … they love each other … They’re struggling right now”. He cuts her off, saying that she’s defending spousal abuse, but she doesn’t think that’s what happened. Luka gestures his hand towards the Exam Room, brusquely dismissing “The guy’s an alcoholic”. Abby looks fixedly at him and earnestly asserts “Yeah … well … so am I”. Luka stares at her blankly for a second, almost like he’d forgotten about that. He looks down, slightly abashed, then back up at her as he says in a quiet, almost regretful, but resigned tone “I already reported it … The cops are on their way”. Abby gapes at him disbelievingly, then grits her teeth a bit. She purses her lips as she scrutinizes him, shaking her head slightly, obviously disappointed with him. Not saying a word, she walks away, leaving him to shake his head at himself, his insensitivity, and his High Horse’s High Handedness.
Weaver brings in Choking Kid on a gurney, saying that she criked for upper airway obstruction. Luka and Sam rush over. Luka asks what happened and Weaver explains that she was doing a report at a middle school lunch room as Choking Kid started choking.
Chaz is packing up his stuff as Pratt comes in. They eyeball each other, then Chaz goes back to what he was doing. Pratt goes into the refrigerator to get a beer as neither says a word and the tension is thick. Chaz finally addresses Pratt, telling him that he knows Pratt probably thinks that he wanted to move in there because of this. In a gruff voice, Pratt says that Chaz told him that he wanted to be closer to school. Chaz said he did, and he thought that they could be brothers like they talked about last year. Pratt scoffs at this and tells him that he thinks Chaz just needed a little more privacy than living with the family could get him. Chaz tells him it’s not like that, but Pratt doesn’t believe him. He thinks Chaz lied to him and he’s “not cool with that”. Chaz says that he didn’t lie, but Pratt still says he’s not cool with it. Chaz wants to know if he had told him the truth “then you would have been cool with it?” Pratt doesn’t answer and Chaz asks him if he thinks it is easy for him. Chaz protests that it’s not like it’s something that has been going on a long time, it just happened. Pratt chuckles bitterly and doesn’t answer. He starts to leave the room and Chaz says that it’s “like a phase or something”, but Pratt isn’t listening as he heads into the bathroom and slams the door. Pratt looks at himself in the mirror for a second, then sighs and sits down on the closed lid of the toilet, thinking about what just happened as another musical interlude begins. This time it’s Johnathan Rice’s “Break So Easy” … Late in the summer, children run without clothes … Chill of the winter not far down the road … Chaz is walking down the street carrying his bags. As he passes Starbucks, like ya do, because there’s one on every corner, Johnathan continues And in the windows are silhouettes of husbands and wives … Pratt comes running down the street … Watching in silence till the evening arrives … He catches up to Chaz in the middle of the street and seems to be trying to talk Chaz into coming back. He grabs at Chaz’ bag, and Chaz makes to move it away, but Pratt insists. Chaz lets him take it and Pratt walks away. Chaz hesitates, then follows him as the acoustical guitar music finishes with a flourish.
Paulie is bradying down. Busy comes in and McEgo wants to know where she’s been. She apologizes that she was helping Pratt with something, and having her ass checked out by a man of God. Busy starts compressions and Neela calls for an amp of epi as McEgo tells Lily to call Luka. Luka bursts in and asks what the rhythm is and McEgo says “PEA”. Frodo and Other Walking Kid are watching all of this, wide-eyed. Luka thinks Paulie had a small pneumo that converted to tension with intubation. Monitors beep as Busy calls out that there’s still no pulse. McEgo charges the paddles to 360 as Luka says that the rabies can damage the conduction system of the heart. They shock him, but there is no change. Luka says that the virus is too advanced, as Frodo distraughtly stares at Neela. McEgo calls for 100 of lidocaine and Luka says quietly that he doesn’t think Paulie’s going to make it. Other Walking Kid grabs their stuff and pushes a stunned Frodo out the door, as Luka this time calls for the lidocaine. Neela sees them go and shouts at “Teller!’ as she hands Luka the ambu-bag she was squeezing and chases after them. She rushes out through the
Neela is sitting on the bottom of the El steps as Busy comes running up to her to tell her that they need her inside, saying happily “We got him back!” Neela can’t believe it, but Paulie’s got a pulse and a BP. Neela thinks that’s not possible, but Busy tells her that McEgo put a pulse ox on Paulie’s finger and the kid grabbed his hand, and “It’s like a miracle”. Of course it is. It’s McEgo, the McOmnipotent after all. McUgh. They run back towards the hospital.
Weaver is waiting to load Choking Kid on an elevator, when the doors open to reveal Tina. They smile at each other and say hi, and Weaver says “You’re still here?” as the random orderly pulls Choking Kid’s gurney through the doors. As they head away from the elevators, Tina said that she wanted to make sure that Choking Kid was okay and tells Weaver that she got permission from Choking’s parents to air what happened. Weaver’s surprised and asks “Why?” Tina asks if she’s kidding and tells her that if a male doctor pulled that off on TV, he’d have his own syndication deal. Weaver waves that off. All impressed, Tina tells her that seriously, it was pretty incredible, and that she’s “still buzzing”. Oh, really? Gee, wonder where this is leading … Tina wants to know how Weaver comes down from something like that. Weaver tells her “a glass of wine and a hot bath”. Works for me, Weaver. Especially if my hair is being shampooed by a certain Shampoo Boy at the time … Just saying … Apparently, it works for Tina, too, as she shrugs and flirtingly says “Sounds good to me”, and they beam at each other a little before Weaver walks away, a little embarrassed. You go, Weaver! It’s about time you got yourself a little action …
Paulie, all hooked up to all kinds of stuff, opens his eyes as a Neuro guy is saying that it’s a good sign that he has spontaneous eye opening, but they need to deepen his coma so they have to up the midazolam. Neuro Guy says he’ll check back later, and heads out, leaving McEgo, Neela and Busy all standing around Paulie’s bed, until Busy notices that Paulie’s got goosebumps and leaves to get a warming blanket. Great. Neela and McEgo are alone. God, I’m hoping they don’t start groping. Neela thinks that Busy’s right, that it’s a miracle that Paulie’s still alive. McEgo thinks that maybe she’s the “Blue Lady” after all. He thinks that if he were “these kids” he sure as hell would want to believe that. McEgo thinks that if you believe in something hard enough … but doesn’t finish. Neela asks him “what?” and he says that he’s talked himself into believing stuff that wasn’t true plenty of times. She wants to know what sort of things, and he answers “stuff about myself”. Oh, you mean like how you’ve pretty much single-handedly saved this show? And the network? Or that the hair on your face is seriously sexy stubble rather than unruly ugly undergrowth? Or that people are actually finding yours and Neela’s relationship … Egola … delectable and steamy, rather than despicable and sleazy? He continues “… my job … people in my life” and looks over at her. He thinks that everything seems to be a lot clearer now though as she looks away from him. He touches her hand and says that he has something to and he’ll see her tomorrow. Still not looking at him, she answers “Yeah, okay”. He stops at the door and says that she never told him what her “secret name” was. Well, if she told you, then it wouldn’t be a secret, McNitwit. She chuckles and tells him that he’s the one who gave it to her. He asks “Mayday?” Duh, McSimpleton. Unless there’s another name that you call her … and if there is, I don’t want to hear it. I really don’t need to know that you two have terms of endearment for each other, like Razor Burn, Velcro, or Itchy and Scratchy, or something like that … Neela thinks Frodo must have overheard him, then says that McEgo never told her what it means. Oh, for God’s sake, Neela. You can’t tell me you’ve never heard that word before. I think that along with your common sense and self-respect, your IQ has dropped considerably since you’ve been stricken by Egola … McEgo smiles, pretending to be all mysterious, and heads out of the room.
Luka is in the hall talking to the only semi-regular police officer we see anymore, the cop who last year had a buzz-cut, then grew it a little, and now has it closely cropped, so that I’ve taken to calling him Officer Former Buzz Cut. Luka is telling him that Weary doesn’t want to press charges, as we see Abby, carrying her jacket and with her purse slung over her shoulder, walking towards them. Luka continues a little loftily “… but the fact is, he hit her”. Nice, Luka. Guess you didn’t get what Abby was trying to tell you after all. Abby approaches him and scratching the back of her head, asks mildly if she can talk to him for a sec. He blows her off, pointing towards Officer Former Buzz Cut to show her that she’s interrupting and says “Just a minute”. Abby crosses her arms and rolls her eyes and looks towards the ceiling as Luka turns back to Officer FBC, who tells him that he’ll still need to get a statement from the wife. Luka nods and says “That’s fine” as Abby looks at him and smiles wryly, announcing that she’s going to Ike’s to get some dinner, and turns to walk away. Luka distractedly calls after her “Okay … uh, I’ll pick you up there”. Luka turns back to Officer FBC and utters the words I’ve been waiting for him to say to me, “Uh, before you do that, there’s something else I need to ask you … In private”.
Luka leads Officer FBC into the lounge, where he picks up the envelope he received earlier. Officer FBC asks him if he’s okay. Luka opens the package, reaches in and hands what looks like the End Table Frog that Luka and Abby lobbed at each other in Parenthood, (not to be confused with Dining Table Frog that they just ignored), and that MoJo dropped last week and Bird picked up. Uh oh … It also looks like there’s a note. Maybe Bird is just writing to admonish them for not teaching their kid to have more respect for his toys. Officer FBC asks what it is. Luka tells him that it belongs to his son and that it was sent to him here. Officer FBC holds up the note that reads “Dear Abby, By the time you read this letter, Luka should be safe in America and you will probably be wondering why I'm not with him …” Oh wait … wrong letter … This one says “I thought you might be missing this”. Then it finishes “The light is dying. I don't want to waste any more kerosene” … Actually, it’s just signed “
Abby is sitting at the bar at Ike’s, talking on her red cell. Her hair is looking really good in this scene, no longer clipped back with the barrette, it’s down, and she has it pushed behind her ears. She puts her napkin on her plate, like she’s finished eating, and as she pushes the plate away she says into the phone “Okay … Okay … Well, give him four more ounces and I’ll be back in a half hour”. The camera pans around to show an older guy in a flannel shirt sitting next to her. Hey, it’s Fred Ward! I love him … He was Gus Grissom in The Right Stuff, he played Henry Miller in Henry and June, he Escaped from Alcatraz with Clint Eastwood, and most importantly … since he was Earl in Tremors … he’s only one degree from Kevin Bacon! But to me he’ll always be the title character from the cult-classic tongue-in-cheek action flick Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins. Good times. Though he’s gotten a little old looking. I used to think he was sort of cute, but craggy. Now he’s looking a bit baggy, saggy, and shaggy. His gray hair is a little on the longish side and it’s kind of slicked back. And the lines in his face that I had found rugged and kind of charming, are now deepened and kind of alarming. He’s looking a bit like a Shar-pei. Remo is watching Abby as she finishes up her phone call. As she checks her watch, he strikes up a conversation with her by saying “Cell phones … How did we ever survive without them?” Abby grins a little and apologizes to him. She explains that it was her babysitter. He raises his eyebrows at her and quips “Aren’t you a little old to be needing a babysitter?” Pushing her hair back with her right hand, she looks over at him and says quietly in an ironic tone “It’s for my baby”. He laughs and asks her “Well, aren’t you a little young to have one of those?” Oh, no, Remo. Please don’t tell me you are hitting on Abby. Besides the fact that you are way too old for her, I’m thinking that this is so not going to sit well with Luka. Hasn’t your face suffered enough? Please don’t provoke The Pretty. Abby snickers tolerantly and glances over at him. He asks if he can buy her a beer. She tells him “No thanks” and looking quickly at him, adds, “I never touch the stuff”. Remo considers this, then changes tactics in his attempts to talk to her and asks, “So? Boy or girl?” Abby grins and says “Boy” kind of proudly. She tells him that the baby’s six months old. Abby opens then closes the phone, sighing and looking away like she’s reconsidered the call she was going to make. I guess maybe she was going to call to see where Luka is, but chooses to just wait instead, because she starts to ask Remo questions like she’s decided she might as well pass the time. She asks “So, do you have kids?” He holds up his hand and says “Five”. She questions “Five?” and he says that he has a boy and girl of his own and three stepdaughters. Playing with the straw in her drink, Abby asks if he lives in
McEgo is leaving what looks like Jumbo Mart with his live-in, Meg, aka Paula Malcolmson, aka Trixie the Whore from Deadwood; her daughter Sarah, who I think could be one of the Tanners from Full House so I call her Deej, and some boy. McEgo is carrying a bag and Deej asks him for her chips. Trixie bitches at her “What are you going to eat in the movie?” Chips in a movie? Whatever happened to popcorn? Or SnoCaps? Or Raisinettes? And since when are you allowed to bring bags of your own food into the movie theatre? Annoying. Deej sarcastically replies “That’s why we got the licorice”. McEgo tosses the chips and says “Think fast, Horn Dog”. Oh, so I guess this is the boy, Adam, that Deej was talking about to McEgo about back in Parenthood. And I can’t believe I actually remember that. I’d honestly thought that I’ve blocked all prior McEgo scenes from my mind … though I guess that was just wishful thinking. Like thinking Carter and Abby are getting back together … You know, I could really go for some pie right about now … and maybe a cup of coffee … McEgo asks Trixie what she thinks of Adam, and she thinks he seems okay, and that he’s kind of polite and quiet. McEgo thinks those are common traits of a serial killer. Mark Greene was a serial killer? Trixie can’t believe that Deej is going to be dating soon. Well, isn’t that kind of what she’s doing with Adam? At her age, hanging out with someone by the lockers is equivalent to “going steady”. McEgo tells her that there’s been something on his mind, and she says “Yeah, me too”. She tells him that she’s been thinking about “moving forward”, that Deej is old enough to accept it now, then looking at him adds “In fact, I think it would make her happy”. He asks “What would?” and she tells him “Us making this permanent”. Yeah, do it, McEgo. Egoxie is much preferable to Egola … Especially since Trixie’s only a guest star, and I’d only be subjected to the pairing sporadically, as opposed to Neela, who’s runner-up, in the event that Abby cannot fulfill her duties as “Female Lead”. Trixie thinks they’ve danced around it long enough. McEgo tells her that he can’t do this anymore – them living together without really living together, and sleeping with each other when they need to. Ugh, Trixie. I realize that you’re a Whore, but still … Ewww … He thinks it’s too easy and it’s like a “placeholder”. Oh, sort of like Sam was for Luka … McEgo thinks it’s stopping them from moving on with their lives. Trixie's getting upset and wants to know what he’s talking about, “This is our life!” He says that he doesn’t want it to be. Nice, McEgo. Way to let the girl down gently. And real sensitive having the discussion in the middle of the street. Hell, why didn’t you just write a letter? McAsshole. Trixie is hurt and just stares at him as he tells her that they fell into this, and that he cares about her and Deej, but he has to do his “own thing”. Well, it’s your thing, do what you wanna do, McEgo. I can’t tell you who to sock it to. A pissy Trixie asks “What’s her name?” McEgo tries to deny it, but Trixie call him on it, “So you want to screw some other girl … Won’t be the first time”. She tells him “they never last”. Well, of course not, Trixie. No girl’s love can ever compare to how much McEgo loves himself. He tells her “It’s more than that”. Uh oh, Neela. Run now ... Get vaccinated before it’s too late … Trixie asks him if he thinks he can take what he wants and leave the rest. Well, duh, Trixie. Do you not know him at all? She keeps going about being “part of our lives, but not commit”. She tells him that it doesn’t work that way. He says that he committed fully for a long time, and she knows it. Trixie tearily tells him “We love you … and you love us”. Hello? Were you not listening to what I just said, Trixie? McEgo just standing there looking at you, because, again, “no girl’s love” yada yada yada. Idiot. She says “I know you don’t want to blow that” before walking away towards the theatre.
Luka walks up towards Ike’s, carrying the padded envelope. He looks through the window and spots Abby at the bar, talking to Remo. Luka watches her for a second, chewing on his lips, contemplating something. He raises the envelope up in his hand and looks down at it. And the way he’s holding it so lightly, with basically just his fingertips, it looks like it might be empty. It looks a little lumpy, particularly at the bottom, but padded envelopes are like that, especially after they’ve had something in them. I guess since he gave End Table Frog to Officer FBC, maybe it and the note are evidence now, especially if the police are going to talk to Bird. But why would Luka still have the envelope? Luka looks up, like he’s made a decision, glances around him a bit, then begins to crumple up the envelope. Luka’s left hand starts to squish it right on the bulge where End Table frog would be if it were in there. He crumples it a bit more, and then he brings his fingers around it, squeezing it even more before tossing it in the trashcan. Thing looks pretty much squashed up to me and I'm almost certain by the way he squeezes it that there was nothing in it. Believe me, I worked for Staples for years, and I know from envelopes. This is where everyone should get the idea that I’m some sort of office supply whore. ‘Cause I am. I suppose if End Table Frog were in there, we would have heard some telltale squeaking in protest from the crushing, or at least from getting dumped in the trash. And if you were in there, then it’s par for the course for you, End Table Frog, what with Abby and Luka hurling you at each other, and MoJo chucking you out of his stroller, splattering you to the ground. No respect. And MoJo’s shit out of luck if he wants you back. Throwing away the envelope, with or sans frog, pretty much says that Luka’s going to keep this all from Abby. Not a smart move, Luka. I’m sure you’re just trying to protect her and don’t want to upset her unnecessarily, especially if Officer FBC takes care of this, but I’m thinking Abby’s not going to be too pleased you kept if from her when she finds out, Luka. And, of course, she will find out. That’s how these things go.
Abby is facing Remo now and is telling him that
Outside Ike’s, as they start to walk down the sidewalk, Abby turns to Luka and calls him on what’s been going on by asking if he wants to talk about what’s bugging him. He says “no”. Abby stops and faces him, “No … you don’t want to talk about it? Or no … nothing’s bugging you?” Luka tells her “Something was … but I took care of it, now”. Not looking at her, he tries to assure her, though he’s really not very convincing, “Nothing to worry about”. She tilts her head and looks at him a moment, considering. Then she decides to choose her battles wisely and lets him off the hook, saying “Okay”, then continues to walk, throwing one last speculative look at him. The camera follows them from behind in an aesthetically nice shot as they are illuminated by the blue lights from the stores they pass. They stroll down the sidewalk, side-by-side, but not right next to each other. He briefly glances at her as Ray Montagne starts up again. Luka takes his right hand out of his pocket and reaches over to her, touching her left arm, and she extends her hand as he slides his hand down into hers. It’s like they’re reconnecting, and it’s very natural and effortless. She squeezes his hand and he pulls hers slightly closer to him, adjusting his hand to get a better grasp on hers, then closes his fingers, gripping hers tighter as they keep walking … Can you see the young and pretty … Oh, yes, Ray … I can definitely see The Pretty … Luka and Abby continue down the street, hands clasped, not looking at each other, but still connected … Confident as cops … As we cut to:
An unconscious Paulie, still hooked up to machines in Trauma Green … Blooming, laughing in the shops … Camera pans over to show Neela, sitting by the bed, head resting in her hand, looking likes she’s asleep .. Till the sun turns black … Busy looks in and sees her, then opens up the doors and calls her name … Can you see the old and lonely … Neela apologizes and says she must have nodded off … Walking through the park … Busy asks rhetorically if she’s been working a lot, and Neela says that it’s coming up on 30 hours now … Pushing grocery carts … Busy asks if Neela if she wants her to get her anything, but Neela thanks her but says that she’s fine … Till the sun turns black … Busy asks how Paulie’s doing. Instrumental part starts as Neela says that Paulie needs to be in a coma for two weeks, until increased levels of rabies antibodies appear in his spinal fluid. Then they’ll wean him off sedation and see if any neurological function returns. Busy says that she prayed for Paulie in church today. She says that she heard that Paulie’s friends have a whole story about demons and spirits, but Neela keeps mum. Busy says “Who are we to judge, right? Everybody needs something to believe in”. Busy is really growing on me. She doesn’t annoy me nearly as much as she did in her first eps. Which in itself is annoying. Ray LaMontagne goes into the next verse as I just now realize that Ray Barnett was not in this episode. Guess he hasn’t regained his eyesight after having been subjected to the blindingly horrifying spectacle of the Egola virus in action … Don’t blame you, Ray, I’ve barely recovered from that myself … Can you see the working classes … Busy smiles and tells Neela that she’ll see her tomorrow … Trudging through their days …. Neela wishes her a good night … Time goes slowly when you’re only waiting … Camera angle switches to outside the Trauma Room doors, looking in the window to see Neela watching Paulie … Till the sun turns black … Camera moves slowly back … Can you see the wise man simply living loving quietly … Every breath he takes eternity … Till the sun turns black …
posted by CrankyRecaps @ 9:45 PM
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