ER 13.14 Murmurs of the Heart
Previously on ER: Pastor Watkins tells Pratt that the Medical Board called him and they’re issuing a letter for them to cease and desist their drug program; Pratt is arrested for violation of the Controlled Substance Act, taken away in handcuffs, booked, and looking mighty unhappy in his jail cell; Sam blows out a candle in her apartment, getting ready to bask in the Sunshine, aka Kip Pardue, who played a character with that name in Remember the Titans, and telling him that he can sleep there; Sam’s son New Alex, or Newlex, but better known to me as Splinter for his wooden acting abilities that are eerily reminiscent of those of Neela’s dead husband Gallant, aka Plank, erroneously believing that wood doesn’t burn, picks up a glass of alcohol that he’s lit on fire, then immediately drops it because it is indeed hot, thus setting Sam’s apartment ablaze; Meg, aka Paula Malcomson, aka Trixie from Deadwood, the ex live-in convenient bang buddy of Intern Tony Gates, aka John Stamos, aka Uncle Jesse from Full House, but now referred to as Uncle Ego or McEgo for reasons that should be blatantly obvious, is unconscious and her daughter Sarah, who reminds me of one of the Tanner kids from Full House so I’ve dubbed her Deej, is trying to wake her up while crying into the phone to McEgo that he has to come help; Abby, who is holding her son, Mongo Joe Kovac, or MoJo for short, is startled to see Curtis Ames, aka Forest Whitaker, who played Charlie Parker in Bird, sitting in a chair in Luka’s Bat Cave apartment; Scared, Abby clutches a crying MoJo closer to her, as Bird tells her to “Call your husband”.
We begin fading in from black to the sounds of MoJo still crying, though much more loudly than the whimpering he was doing when we left Abby in this predicament at the end of the last episode. Holding something in his good right hand that I still can’t figure out what it is, Bird motions impatiently to Abby, telling her “Call him”. Abby shifts MoJo to her other side, replying “I just called him, he didn’t pick up”. Camera angle switches to show us both Bird and Abby in the same shot. Bird is sitting slouched in a chair across the room, while Abby stands between MoJo’s pentagonal playpen/crib thingy and the dining table. Never taking her eyes off Bird, Abby’s trying to comfort the wailing MoJo. Bird, who it seems has been holding a family picture of Luka, Abby and MoJo, disgustedly drops it on the coffee table in front of him, telling her to try again. Visibly upset, Abby protests that she doesn’t know where he is or even what he’s doing right now. Looking down, Bird holds up his semi-gloved-with-the-fingers-cut-out right hand and waves it dismissively, signaling her to stop with the excuses and tells her to “Try again”. Abby, realizing she should try a different tactic, looks up for a second, then closes her eyes as she holds MoJo closely for a moment. Attempting to reason with Bird, she addresses him, “Mr. Ames, why don’t you just go … Okay … Please, go …” She shifts MoJo again and rubs his back soothingly to calm him, insisting to Bird, “I’m sure Luka will be happy to talk to you about whatever it is you want some other time, okay?” Bird, mouth set grimly, narrows his eyes at her and spits out “What I want?” MoJo actually stops crying and looks over at Bird, allowing Maura Tierney’s next line to come out unimpeded, and giving my ears a rest. Thanks, MoJo. Abby, still shielding MoJo and trying to keep her emotions in check, pleads “Whatever the reason is that you’re here … Just go, okay … Please go, and there won’t be any trouble … I promise”. Bird, apparently offended by what she’s just said, tilts his head and glares at her as he stands up, mocking her use of the word, “Trouble?” MoJo doesn’t seem to like it either, because he’s all starting up with the crying again. Abby looks even more frightened as Bird angrily repeats, “Trouble?!?!” He yells “You don’t know what ‘trouble’ is!!!” as he gestures towards her to make the point, revealing the gun he’s holding in his hand. Yikes!!! Abby and I both let out a distressed “Oh God” and she jumps back, alarmed, maternally clasping MoJo tighter. Fed up, Bird shouts at her, “Abby … Abby … You call Luka, NOW!!!” Holding a now screaming MoJo even more protectively, Abby purposely averts her gaze from Bird, not wanting to provoke him any further.
Sam, having let the Sunshine in, is asleep, lying with him on her bed. Sunshine opens his eyes and looks up, something having awoken him. Realizing where he is and what he’s done, Sunshine practically pole-vaults off the mattress as he asks “Sam, do you smell that?” Sam doesn’t really respond, probably because she barely even notices the stench of trailer trash anymore. Sunshine tells her that something’s on fire, and judging from the fact that he couldn’t jump out of her bed quickly enough, I’m guessing it ain’t his desire that’s burning anymore. Sunshine throws on his pants as we hear Splinter yell, sounding kind of bored … though considering it’s Splinter I guess that should be “board” … “Mom! … Mom, help!” I really don’t think the writer or director of this ep imagined that you would deliver that line in the total Willy Wonka deadpan “Help … Police … Murder” , way, Splinter. Jeez ... Can’t even muster up the emotion when you’re in danger of being reduced to kindling, can you? Sunshine opens the bedroom door to the … goodness … gracious … great balls of fire outside. Sam, who’s apparently not too concerned by Splinter’s bark for help, takes her ol’ sweet time driving in her car, turning on the radio, throwing on her robe and cinching it with a grip so tight you couldn’t tear it apart, her nerves all jumping acting like a fool, before finally moseying on over to watch the forest fire.
Deej is frantically shaking Trixie and imploring her to wake up. McEgo and Neela pull up in his truck, get out, and run over to Trixie’s car. McEgo wants to know what happened as he now starts shaking Trixie. Deej says that Trixie got dizzy and pulled the car over. Neela tells McEgo that Trixie has stridorous resps and they need to lay her down, so they recline her seat. McEgo rubs Trixie’s sternum. Trixie is conscious, her eyes being held open by Neela, like she’s Alex DeLarge going through the Ludovico technique in A Clockwork Orange or something. Weird. McEgo asks Trixie what she took and she wheezes out “A bunch of stuff”. Neela tells McEgo “Definitely ETOH”, or Ethyl alcohol. Thanks, Wikipedia. Neela yells at Trixie “What else did you take?” Deej bitches at Neela “Nothing!” and wants to know what she’s talking about, as McEgo tells her to be quiet. McEgo more calmly asks Trixie what she took and she mutters something. He asks “Alprazolam?” and she groans, “Works fast”. McEgo finds a pill bottle and looks at the label. He tells Neela that it's “Amitriptyline”, and she snatches the bottle from him. Deej says that’s Trixie’s “pick-me-up” medicine and Neela says that it’s a tricyclic and they need a cardiac monitor. McEgo asks Trixie how long she’s been on antidepressants. Trixie tells him that normally she’s a gum chewer, but when she heard about this leaving thing of his, she laid off the gum and switched to candy skittles, instead … Neela dumps the bottle’s remaining pills into her palm. There are only three and an alarmed Neela tells McEgo there should be a lot more pills in there. Trixie starts to make gagging noises like she’s going to hurl and they roll her on her side so that she doesn’t upchuck on them. Oh, Trixie, didn’t you know you’ll get a stomachache if you swallow like that …
Luka, like all good eye-candy, is looking magically delicious dressed entirely in black – black jacket, black turtleneck, black pants … Sigh … He sure mixes it with love and makes the world taste good, doesn’t he? … Scrumpdiddleumptious … Yum …He is at the police station trying to tell the indifferent desk sergeant he’ll take a Triple Cream Cup and a Sizzler … and that there’s no need for all this because Pratt hasn’t broken the law, as his cell phone keeps ringing. Indifferent tells Luka that he’ll be able to post bail in a few hours. We can see Pratt through the window over Indifferent’s shoulder, removing his tie and handing it to an even more apathetic looking police officer. Luka keeps ignoring the ringing to argue with Indifferent that this isn’t a criminal matter, it’s just a misunderstanding. Indifferent scoffs that he’s never heard that one. Luka finally answers the phone. He turns and moves away from the desk as he says, obviously knowing who’s calling, “Hey … uh … Sorry I couldn’t pick up before, I’m at the Police Station”. Through the phone, Abby says, “Luka”. He can hear something in her voice because he asks her if she’s okay. Abby, still holding a now calm MoJo, is on the phone in the foreground with her back towards Bird, who is listening on the extension behind her. The gun is sitting in front of him, on top of a placemat on the dining table. Obviously conflicted, Abby asks Luka, “Can you come home now?” He tells her that he’ll probably be a couple of hours because Pratt’s been arrested. Clearly not wanting to do this but having no choice, Abby closes her eyes for a moment before stating deliberately, “You need to come home … now”. Getting that something’s amiss, Luka asks her what’s wrong. Realizing that Luka can tell that something’s not right, but knowing that Bird is listening and not wanting to antagonize him further, Abby changes her tone, trying to tell Luka that nothing is wrong, it’s just that something has happened and they need to discuss it. Luka wants to know if MoJo is okay. Abby assures him that MoJo is fine, and asks a little more pleadingly “Just come home”. Luka’s really getting worried now and wants her to tell him what’s the matter. Abby shuts her eyes again, afraid of what will happen both if Luka does come home, or if he doesn’t. Damn, what an absolutely impossible situation she’s in – tip off Luka and risk Bird turning his wrath on her, or much worse, MoJo, or lure Luka back home to God-knows what Bird has planned for him. No wonder Abby looks like she’s in pain as she’s doing this. Jesus … She says into the phone “I need to see you”. Not sure what’s going on but knowing that Abby wouldn’t take him away from helping out Pratt without good reason, Luka acquiesces, saying that he’ll be right there and hangs up. Abby closes her eyes once more with a “God, I hope I did the right thing” expression, and puts down her phone. Bird shuts his off, too, then thanks her. Reaching for the gun again, he adds, as if he’s being perfectly reasonable, “I appreciate that”. Looking like she’s trying to figure some way out of all this, Abby doesn’t turn around to face him yet as we go into this season’s funky opening graphical montage …
After commercial, fire trucks pull up outside Sam’s apartment building. Flames are shooting out of a second floor window and residents are flooding out the front door. Are the fires of hell a-glowing? Is the grisly reaper mowing? Rescue workers are moving onlookers away from the building. A half-naked Sunshine, and not the good half, is leading Sam’s Gaudy Grandma Gracie over towards where the other evacuees are. She’s asking where Sam and Splinter are, telling Sunshine that they should all stay together. Sunshine says that Sam went back in to get Splinter and they must be around here where everyone else is standing. Gaudy’s all upset thinking that they’re still inside, but Sunshine insists that they must be out here somewhere. A fireman points Gaudy towards the ambulances to be assessed as Sunshine doubles back, looking for Sam. Oh, you can’t get out backwards, Sunshine. Gotta go forward to go back … Better press on … Gaudy tells the Fire Guy that her granddaughter might still be in the building.
Back in the
Damn, but Maura Tierney is good - this scene just proving it once again. The thing that I’ve always admired about what she does with the character of Abby is that she is not afraid to let the character get down and dirty and show the most extreme vulnerability. Some actors can’t seem to let the vision of what they’ve created for their characters get tarnished so don’t ever reach showing that level of weakness, yet she never shirks from letting that happen. What is compelling about her Abby, and Goran Visnjic’s Luka, too, and is one of the reasons why they are so good together, is that their acting is fearless and they’ve taken their characters to almost as low as they can possibly go, yet somehow always remaining true to them and never causing the audience to lose sympathy. This scene was no exception. Abby totally lays bare here what has to be an extremely raw, painful and demeaning memory for her, and it was both courageous and a very smart thing for her to do. It was a different tactic to diffuse the situation and hopefully diminish some of Bird’s animosity. She’d tried misdirecting him, she tried pleading with him, and then she tried confronting him, before realizing that what might work would be relating to him, showing him that they really aren’t so different. She frankly reveals to him her past shameful behavior, something I doubt she’s shared with many, if any, before … even if her timeline is a bit off. She says “nine years ago”, though that can’t be right if she was telling the truth to Carter in Sand & Water back in Season 7 when she said she had been sober for five years. Seeing as she drank enough to blackout after picking up some drug addict that wasn’t Carter, maybe she was too much of a pie-eyed drunk to remember it correctly … Easy there, Abby, no one likes a sloppy drunk … But considering how engrossing she was in the scene just now, I guess I’ll let the continuity shenanigans slide … again … Just like I did last year in Body & Soul with the fudging of the timing of her first year of med school … And don’t even get me started on City of Mercy and Luka’s inability to correctly remember that “Jasna” was his daughter’s name and not his wife’s … Jeez …
Ambulance shows up for Trixie. McEgo tells his former paramedic partner, Zadro, that he needs sux and an intubation kit as they get the stuff from the rig. McEgo guesses they didn’t tell Zadro that it was him, and Zadro quips “Why do you think we took our time?” and supposes this “lady” is pretty messed up. If she’s a lady, I’m a Vermicious Knid, Zadro. McEgo tells him that it’s Trixie and Zadro apologizes, saying he didn’t know. They get over to Trixie and Deej asks if they’re going to give her medicine. McEgo tells Neela to take Deej to the rig, but she says that she wants to stay there. McEgo insists, because he needs room to work. Deej brattily shouts that she wants the world … she wants the whole world … she wants to lock it all up in her pocket, it’s her bar of chocolate … and to give it to her now … And that she wants to stay there with Trixie. Neela leads Deej out of the car so they can work on her mom. Trixie, who ain’t looking too good, murmurs to McEgo that she needs to tell him something. He strokes her hair gently as he tells her that they’re going to place a tube in her throat that’s going to help her breathe. Trixie asks McRoadkill to come closer. I don’t think that now’s the time to be adding exposure to a deadly disease on top of the overdosing, Trixie … You really should know by now that John Stamos Has Rabies … McEgo leans closer to her and Trixie whispers “Sarah … she’s yours, Tony”. Impossible, my dear lady! That’s absurd! Unthinkable! … And, oh wow, am I feeling sorry for you, Deej. McDaddy … Yuck … McEgo tells her that he’s a trifle deaf in this ear and to speak a little louder next time …
Pratt’s sitting on a bench in a jail cell, eyes closed, sighing and leaning his head back against the cage. An angry bald guy in a wife-beater glares at him, then slaps Pratt’s foot to get his attention. Wife Beater’s all pissy and wants to know, “What? You too good to talk to me?” Uh oh, Pratt .. Don’t you know that if you do go to prison you should burn yourself with a cigarette so they think you’re crazy … Of course, that can backfire … some men like their bitches crazy … Pratt just looks at him, sighs again and says “No”. Wife Beater is all with the sarcasm and says “And you don’t belong here, huh?” Pratt obviously doesn’t think he does, but asks Wife Beater, “Do you?” Well, duh, Pratt ... of course he does. Didn’t I just tell you that Wife Beater is wearing a wife-beater, which is the official criminal uniform. Haven’t you ever seen Cops??? Wife Beater wants to know what Pratt’s in for, but Pratt doesn’t want to get into it so just tells him that “it’s complicated”. Wife Beater thinks that now Pratt is calling him stupid. Pratt, attempting to avoid an ass-whoopin’, explains that he “helped some people get some medications they needed”. Wife Beater asks if he means drugs and Pratt says yeah. Wife Beater and the guy with a gang bandana round his head sitting next to him chuckle. Wife Beater thinks that they do all belong because they’re the same – “Getting drugs to people who need them”. Pratt starts to protest this when we hear Pastor say “Greg?” Pratt turns to see him, then disgustedly scoffs “Oh, great … Just in the nick of time”. Pratt tells Wife Beater that Pastor’s his “spiritual advisor”. Really, Pratt? Pastor? I mean, you work with The Pretty, so if you want to view paradise … simply look around and view it … Dumbass … I feel an Oompa Loompa smackdown coming on …
What do you get from just sitting in jail?
Waiting there for the Luscious to post bail
Why don’t you try making friends with the crooks?
Hope they don’t like you for your looks
Just don’t go to the showers …
Back at the Towering Inferno, Gaudy and Sunshine are wrapped in blankets and sitting with similarly draped survivors. Gaudy’s sucks on some oxygen … because you can suck ‘em and suck ‘em and suck ‘em and they never get any smaller … then asks Sunshine where Sam and Splinter are, because it’s been too long. Sunshine thinks that maybe they went out the back or up to the roof. Gaudy wants him to ask Fire Guy again. Sunshine goes over and says that his “friend” and her son are up in
But no, because we cut immediately to the hospital, where Ray and a soot-covered Sam are wheeling in Splinter on a gurney. Sam tells Dawn the nurse that Splinter has tree rot … sorry, I mean “smoke inhalation” … no thermal burns and the sap … I mean “sat” … is 94%. Ray and the pornstache he’s still sporting tell Dawn to get a chest x-ray. She says that she’ll put Splinter in Exam 2 and tells Sam that she’ll take a look at the cut she has on her hand. See, Sam, you should have stuck with just throwing sutures kits … Sam says that she’ll do it herself, but Ray tells her she’ll need stitches and he’ll get to her next. Sam tells Splinter that she’ll go check on Gaudy and be right back. He drones, “Fine”. Sam and Ray start down the hall and he asks if Gaudy is okay. Sam says she is and that she’s on her way in with Sunshine. Ray asks if she means Sunshine the murse, aka “male nurse”. Sam tells him that Sunshine was over for dinner, but neglects to inform him about taking the sunrise and sprinkling it with dew … Ray assures her that he’ll fix up Splinter, because fortunately small boys are extremely springy and elastic, so he thinks they’ll put him in his special leaf-y-pulling machine and that should do the trick … As Sam is about to head out to the Ambulance Bay, Morris and another paramedic are bringing in a Kentucky-fried codger… Yikes … Sam tells them that he’s Mr. Owen, her neighbor, and that he had been asleep. She tries to assure him that he’s going to be okay, but neither KFC nor I are really believing her. Moving KFC into a trauma room, Morris asks Sam how the fire got started, but she says that she’s not sure and that Splinter said that he had knocked over a candle.
The framed photo of smiling, happy Abby and Luka with MoJo is laying on a table, a gun and a bottle nearby. What??? You mean they actually did have bourbon in the
Wait a minute … Husband? … Did I hear that right? … Did Abby just actually refer to Luka as her … husband??? I guess time is of the essence here, so I imagine it’s definitely easier for her to call Luka that than “my baby-daddy/co-cave dweller/live-in lover/sublimely stimulating sexy Slavic Shampoo Boy”… Bitch … Considering what just transpired between you, even though it may not be officially true, “husband” is clearly what he is to you, Abby. Amazing just how much was communicated between them with very few words. They weren’t needed –- their expressions spoke volumes. So powerful ..
Turning to the Tremendously Tiresome Tale of Troubled Tottering Trixies, Zadro’s lost the pulse. Nice going, Zadro. Don’t you think that’s something you should be keeping track of? I wonder if you can get a Clapper to help you with that … Clap on, clap off, Zadro … Trixie’s in v-fib. McEgo starts compressions as Neela calls for an amp of epi and bicarb, and that the paddles to be charged to 360. Deej places her hands on Trixie’s face but McEgo shoves her away, yelling “Back off! Back off!” Jeez, McEgo, you’ve only known she’s your daughter for like five minutes and you’re already starting with the child abuse? Why don’t you get Pratt to introduce you to his cellmate so you can complete the image by borrowing Wife Beater’s wife-beater … McDaddyDearest … Neela shocks Trixie but it doesn’t do any good. McEgo tells Deej that they’re taking her mom in the ambulance and he wants her to go with Neela in the car. Deej is not liking that and wants to stay with him. McEgo wearily says “Sarah, please, I need you to do this”. Deej doesn’t care how, she wants it now. McEgo mcshouts at her to go with Neela now, but she decides that if she doesn’t get the things she is after, she’s going to scream, and does, “No!!!” Neela drags Deej away towards the car as they load Trixie into the rig.
Bird is sitting in the backseat of a car, looking down somberly, eyes like slits, as the alcohol seems to have really affected him. From the look of the car’s seats, it seems like they’re in an older model Volvo. He monotonically tells Luka, who’s driving, to go straight. Licking his lips contemplatively before speaking, Luka tells Bird that he can help him find another job, “… if that’s the problem”. Bird tilts his head and looks away sort of disgustedly, but doesn’t answer. Luka sighs and keeps chewing on the inside of his mouth as he tries to figure out what the best approach is. Wanting to cut to the chase, Luka asks “Look, do you need money? I have money”, then glances expectantly at Bird through the rearview mirror. An impassive Bird tells him to “Just turn right, right over here”. Luka wants Bird to talk to him “… I thought that’s what you wanted …”. Still subdued, Bird flatly instructs Luka to “Pull up here … park it … turn off the lights”.
Abby is giving info to a detective guy, whom I recognize and really can’t see as anyone except Subcommander N’vek from an old episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Shut up!!! I have a thing for men in form-fitting uniforms … Except, I guess the ones on that show were actually more like tights … or one-piece jumpsuits … with no zippers on the front … which must have made opening up hailing frequencies for access to the photon torpedo most difficult … and hindered the chances for a quick beam up and turbo thrusting … But it was a really good episode – you know, the one where Counselor Troi had some seriously bad plastic surgery and ended up looking like a Romulan, and then had to pretend to … Er … ahem … okay … anyway … The police are at the Bat Cave. Subcommander is asking Abby “… and you have no idea how he got in?” A weary Abby, traces of tears on her cheeks, rubs her forehead tiredly with her right hand, and obviously annoyed, impatiently responds “No”. Looking like she’s just barely keeping a rein on her emotions, she asks why they’re not looking for him because she already told them, she saw the car. Abby looks so drained here, both physically and emotionally, but she’s somehow managing to keep some level of composure, like she knows it won’t do Luka any good if she breaks down. Over Abby’s shoulder, we can see an older lady, pacing back and forth as she holds a sleeping MoJo, his head on her shoulder. Sucommander verifies “A ’96 station wagon … Light tan?”, and Abby says that she thinks so. Um … hate to be a stickler and point out glitches again, but I’m pretty sure Volvo had stopped making seats with headrests like the ones in Bird’s car by 1996 … Just saying … Subcommander says that they ran a check and Bird has one registered, so they’re already on it. Abby tries to confirm “So you know him … his history …
Morris, Ray, Dawn and Sam are treating KFC in … dun dun DUN … Trauma Yellow … aka The Trauma Room of Impending Doom. Oh, you’re so fried, KFC … probably should have gone for the Original Recipe rather than the Extra Crispy … Ray and Morris are going back and forth about where to place a central line, but both subclavian and femoral have too much risk. KFC rasps out to Sam, “The fire … started downstairs” … Sam nods and admits to him that it started in her apartment. KFC is either clearing a phlegm plug or else he’s asking Sam “How?” Must be the latter, because she tells him that she’s not sure. Sam, looking mighty distressed because she pretty much knows that common sense apparently doesn’t grow on trees, tells him that she thinks it was a candle. She tells him how sorry she is. Considering KFC bears a striking resemblance to what happens to the cheese from pizza when it’s drips into the bottom of my toaster oven, I’m so sure that your words of regret and sorrow are a huge comfort to him right now, Sam … Teary-eyed, Sam asks if they can give KFC something for the pain. Morris, doing an ultrasound to find a vein in the arm, orders 5mg of morphine IV. Ray tells Morris that KFC’s nasal hairs are singed and wants to know if they should go fiberoptic. Morris says that there’s not enough time because KFC’s airway is already swollen and they’ve got to get in before it closes. KFC, evidently in a great deal of pain, horrible wheezing sounds emanating from him, keeps looking towards Sam for solace. Oh, dude … you’re screwed.
Trixie’s Overdose Entourage heads to the hospital. In McEgo’s McGasGuzzler, Deej asks Neela if Trixie’s going to be okay. Then incredibly adds, “Tony’s going to fix her?” Well, seeing as he hasn’t been able to fix a simple thing like his razor to tame the roadkill yet this season, I’m really not holding out a lot of hope that he can patch up Trixie, Deej. And seriously, c’mon, McEgo … you can buy twin blades at the Dollar Store, for chrissakes, so, really, there’s just no excuse for not curtailing the chinchilla … Neela tries to explain to Deej what a douchebag McEgo is … oh, wait … I think that was just a fanfic I read … She’s actually telling Deej that Trixie took too much of a medicine that’s bad for the heart and that they’re trying to get it started again. Oh, that totally sucks, Trixie … Why am I suddenly hearing a falsetto asking me how to mend a broken heart … or stop the rain from falling down … or how to stop the sun from shining … Well, actually that last one I have an answer for, Barry Gibb … Let it sleep with Sam … Deej tries to reassure herself, “Tony can fix her”, as Neela looks over at her like “oh, you poor deluded half-animal, half-human child” …
Ray’s pornstache is trying to intubate KFC, but he can’t see the chords because there’s too much edema. Dawn calls out that the pulse ox is 78 as Morris tells Ray to help him out, because they really don’t want to have to crich KFC. Ray says he’s working on it and Morris puts his hand to KFC’s drumstick … sorry, I meant to say “neck” … to give him crichoid pressure. Ray says that the anatomy is too distorted so Morris calls for a crich tray. Sam, desperately wanting to help KFC, tells them to hold on. She rushes to get a stool and brings it over next to the gurney. She tells them to watch carefully for bubbles as she stands on the stool and starts to press at the base of KFC’s ribcage. She tells Morris and Ray that this will force the air back up to the trachea and the bubbles will show them where to place the tube. A surprised Morris asks “That works?” and Sam, voice distorted from the effort to force the air up from KFC’s lungs answers “Once in a while”. Ray’s all excited because it worked and he can see it as he is now able to tube KFC. He gets the tube in and Dawn starts to squeeze the ambu-bag. Morris listens to KFC’s chest and happily tells them that they’re in, adding “Sam is the Man!” Um, I think you left off the end of that descriptor, Morris. I’m sure you meant to say that … Sam is the man ... "eating shrew who had lovely luscious Luka ludicrously emasculated and wussy for almost two full gut wrenching seasons in which Cranky so just wanted to feed her fingertips to the wolverines" … “Ugh” does not even come close to describing it …
Sam enters the darkened Curtain Area to look in on Gaudy and Splinter. Splinter, with a cannula in his nose is turned away from where she enters out of The Trauma Room of Impending Doom, sawing wood in his bed, but Gaudy is awake. Gaudy tells Sam that Sunshine went to find them some clothes. Sam answers “Oh, good”, never taking her eyes off Splinter … because you know, if you don’t watch them, they could easily become infected … Gaudy asks if KFC is alright and Sam says that she thinks he’s going to be. Huh? The man looked like popcorn chicken that’d been left in the fryer too long --- and he’s going to be alright??? Ridiculous … Gaudy thinks KFC is a nice man and tells Sam that he helped her with the groceries the other day, adding that KFC “drinks too much”. Well, seeing as what he’s just been through, Gaudy, I’m sure there’s no way he could drink enough … Sam wants to know if Splinter’s said anything but Gaudy says he hasn’t and that Splinter won’t talk to her. Gaudy wants to know what happened tonight, but Sam says she doesn’t know, as Splinter opens his eyes, his leaves … I mean “ears” … burning because they’re talking about him. Sam adds, “But if it’s what I think … it scares the hell out of me”. Yeah, well, Splinter has scared the hell out of me, too, Sam, pretty much since the two of you came on this show and he first appeared in his other “human” form … Gaudy touches Sam’s arm comfortingly. If you’re really that hornswaggled to not know what happened, then I think you definitely need an Educated Eggdicator, Sam, because it can tell the difference between a good egg and a bad egg … And, c’mon, let’s be honest here, Sam … Splinter’s not fresh and ready for packaging. So you just know he’s got to go where all the other bad eggs go … And honestly, really don’t care how … I want it nooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww …
Who do you blame when your kid’s made of wood?
With all the charm of a common baked good
Blaming the tree is so wrong and real Lame
But you do it just the same
Because you’re a bad mother …
Bardelli the Paramedic is at the desk saying to Frank that he heard that the cops took Pratt on the “long walk of shame”. What, did Pratt sleep with Sam, too? Frank, glaring at him, informs him that if they did, they got it wrong and defends Pratt because “Pratt’s as good as they come”. Frank then grumbles at him to get away from “my desk” as we hear the door buzzer sound. Bartelli apologizes and says he was just asking. An anxious Abby, followed by some policemen, hurries to the desk saying “Frank”, but Frank’s too busy bitching after Bartelli, “Keep it to yourself!” Abby says his name again, trying to get his attention. Frank, keeping up his crotchety persona, snarks to her that she’s either a little late or very early. Absolutely not in the mood for this, Abby cuts him off, saying that she needs him to call up to Records and tell them to pull Curtis Ames’ chart. Frank clarifies “Kovac’s guy?” and Abby tells him to just do it. Frank starts to protest “You know, this late …”, but Abby, clearly at the end of her rope, snaps and screams at him, “Frank, just DO IT!!!” Frank stares at her, getting that something is very, very wrong.
Considering what she’s been through already tonight, I’m surprised that Abby has been able to hold it together this long. First, she and Luka purged professionalism, perennially partaking in pointless prepubescent pissing contests. After that, she has to say goodbye to Weaver, a long-time friend. Next, she finds out that the patient she’d bonded with and had been worried about was none other than her long-lost deadbeat dad who had walked out on her family when she was a kid. Then, she comes home to find a gun-slinging, unstable guy with a huge grievance against her Shampoo Boy sitting in a chair in her living room. Ending with the pistol-packing psycho person profligately pirating The Pretty for possible precarious punishment purposes. Yikes … Frankly, it’s a wonder she hasn’t come unglued before now … I know I’m on the verge of it …
Face bathed in shadows and breathing hard, Bird is still sitting in the back of the car. Luka, leaning his left arm on the driver's door armrest, left hand to his face, resting his mouth against his fingers, looks out the window, wondering why they are there. They are parked on a residential street of rowhomes, the one directly across from them is darkened. Luka asks who lives there. Bird shushes him and whispers for him to be quiet. Luka sits back a little and looking like he's trying to decide what to do or say next, watches Bird through the rearview mirror. Not taking his eyes from the reflection, Luka tells Bird that he's had a gun pointed at him before. Still hoping to be able to reason with him, Luka tries to convey that he knows that Bird is just overwhelmed by everything that's happened and wouldn't normally take such desperate measures by saying "I know you're not the type of man to use that". Proving just how wrong Luka is, Bird quickly and forcefully belts him in the mouth with the butt of the gun. NOOOO!!!! Not the face!!! Anything but the FACE!!! Why do all the criminal types on this show insist on purposefully pummeling Pretty's positively perfect profile??? If you thought I was pissed before about using The Pretty picture as a coaster for your glass of liquid courage, Bird, I'm warning you now that I so cannot be held responsible for what I'll do to you if you forever fouled up, fractured or flawed those fabulously foxy fantastically faultless features. Luka leans forward, groaning a bit from the pain, his right hand clutching his mouth. Bird sits back in the shadows, quietly but menacingly telling him, "You see … I used it". Yikes. Please don't provoke him again, Luka. Luka grimaces, his hand still holding his mouth. Bird watches as some people enter a gate in front of one of the brownstones. He tells Luka "There's Cheryl … there she is" … Cheryl??? WTF??? I thought Mrs. Bird's name was Sonya??? … Jeez, this is like the episode of Star Trek where they're in the parallel universe and everything's the same except everyone's on heroin … Who the hell is ER's Continuity Supervisor -- Mr. Turkentine? "I've just decided to switch our Friday schedule to Monday, which means that the test we take each Friday on what we learned during the week will now take place on Monday before we've learned it. But since today is Tuesday, it doesn't matter in the slightest" … God, this show makes my brain hurt … Bird asks Luka if he remembers her, as a still grimacing Luka, blood visible on his mouth and his hand as he keeps touching the spot where he was hit, nods that he does. Luka tries opening his mouth slightly, making sure he can still move it. Yeah, he'd better still be able to work that mouth, Bird. Watching his ex-wife, their kids and a man enter the house, Bird tells Luka that Cheryl remarried in October … Oh no … Bird says that he's a banker, in investments or something, as Luka looks at the blood on his fingers, trying to see how bad it is. Bird says that his daughter's recital was tonight while Luka holds his scarf to his bleeding mouth. Seeing the family through the house's front window, Bird ruefully says that they asked him not to come this time. Luka listens as he continues to try to clean off his face. Bird says he was told that they would try rotating. Bird, lips trembling like he's trying not to cry but speaking in a voice tainted with bitterness, tells Luka that at the movies last week, his kids wanted to know if it would be okay with him if they called the new guy "dad" … Oh, that sucks … Luka, still tasting the blood in his mouth, silently watches Bird through the rearview. Bird continues that the kids told him they would still call him that. Then contemptuously mocking, "But they wanted to know if it was okay if they called this new guy that, too". Man, talk about kicking someone when they're down. Bird fumes that he knows ex-Mrs. Bird put them up to it. Through the rearview, we can see Luka closing his eyes at the realization that Bird seemingly has lost everything, as Bird keeps raging over and over about "Cheryl" instigating it. Blood running down his chin, Luka keeps his head down almost submissively, but sneaks glances through the mirror at Bird. In a broken voice full of hurt and resignation, Bird sadly says that the fact is, he thinks the kids like the idea. Feeling that he should say something but not wanting to instigate any more violent outbursts, Luka quietly tries to assure him that his children are just confused and that Bird can help them understand. Luka winces as he runs his tongue along the inside of his mouth. Bird watches his ex and her new husband embracing. Never shifting his glare, tone dripping with rancor, he says that pretty soon they will be going to bed. Bird then looks towards Luka saying forlornly, "He's going to be screwing my wife … with my children sleeping in the next room". Still not raising his head, Luka again closes his eyes and chews on his lips at this. With an undertone of irony and a bit of envy, Bird continues "She gets to move on … she gets to be happy …". Luka, opening his mouth and working his jaw, starts when Bird leans forward towards him. In kinship, Bird tells Luka that "Guys like you and me? We gotta live with it". Luka raises his eyes to the mirror, understanding.
You know, I had almost re-mustered some sympathy for you, Bird, but then I saw again Luka's lovely lips lacerated, so now I just wish so hard that you could see yourself the way that I see you … as a ranting, raving crazy little man with a – a monkey head! …
Trixie ain’t lookin’ too good in Trauma Green. McEgo is doing CPR and Ray is squeezing the ambu-bag. Ray tells him “She’s gone, man”, and that there’s nothing else they can do. What? She’s dead??? But … but … How can that be??? She’s not in Trauma Yellow for chrissakes!!! A worn-out looking McEgo turns to see Neela and Deej anxiously standing outside the door. He asks Morris, who is on the other side of the table, if he can please have more time. Morris tells him to take as long as he needs, then heads to the door to let in Deej and Neela. McEgo orders another round of epi and bicarb. As Deej approaches the table, McEgo asks if she wants to talk to her mom. Deej asks if her heart is beating now. McEgo shakes his head and tells her that they’re giving her more medicine. Deej wants to know if she’s getting better, but McEgo just sadly shakes his head again, “I don’t know”. Deej asks if Trixie can hear her. Neela answers when McEgo doesn’t and tells her that she’s sure Trixie would like to hear Deej’s voice now that she’s here with her. Deej shoots a look at Neela, then glances back at McEgo. Holding Trixie’s hand, she asks him if her mom’s going to die. Not trusting his voice, he can’t answer her and just keeps doing compressions. Deej moves to stand next to Trixie’s head, leans down, strokes her hair and says “Mom … Mom … I’m here”. Crying, Deej tells her, “I’m sorry … I’m sorry that you were so sad … I’m sorry if you have more pain … but Mom, you gotta fight right now, okay?”. Oh, this is so sad. Weeping, Deej says, “You always said we were survivors …”. Then touching Trixie’s face lovingly she continues “Didn’t you say that?” Oh, that did it -- I’m totally crying along with her now. Deej begs her “So please Mommy … please … you gotta survive this ”. Voice totally breaking, she tells Trixie, “I know you can do it … I know you can do it”. Damn, this kid is good. McEgo’s face is contorted with grief, probably because even he has to realize how much this kid can out-act him. And how much does that suck for you, Trixie, being in Trauma Green on what has to be Opposite Day … I mean, how the hell else do you explain my feeling a smidge of sympathy for McEgo, Sam actually getting some, and The Pretty getting pistol-punched?
What do you get when you guzzle down drugs?
Grieving the loss of the McRoadkill bugs
Why did you dread being tossed from his bed?
What good does it do you dead?
Leaving the Police Station, Pratt thanks Pastor for bailing him out and as he tries to walk quickly away, promising that he’ll get the money right back. Pastor calls after him “Greg” and Pratt turns around and bitches that he told Pastor to shut it down and wants to know why he didn’t do it. Pastor says “Because the day hadn’t come yet” and Pratt wants to know what the hell that’s supposed to mean. Pastor says “Let me tell you about my favorite prophet”. Pratt scoffs “Is this about your bookie again?” Pastor tells him that Isaiah knew the day would come when the spirit of God would unburden the brokenhearted, give strength to the meek and open the prisons so the captives could go free. Pratt thinks Pastor sounds like the lovechild of David Koresh and Al Sharpton. Hee. Pastor thinks Pratt is looking for something and that he saw that the first time Pratt walked into his church. Pastor thinks Pratt needed to feel like he belongs to a family and tells him “Well, we are your family”. Pratt sarcastically says that Isaiah’s all fine, but he prefers the one about the Prodigal Son. Pastor responds that even he came back eventually. As he walks away, Pratt tells him “Don’t hold your breath”. Oh, Pratt, you should never, never doubt what nobody is sure about …
Back in Trauma Green with the Drama Queen … McEgo tells Deej that they’ve been working on her mom and giving her medicine for over an hour now, but Deej cuts him off pleading “Fix her”. She reminds him that’s why he wanted to be a doctor, so he can fix people. Neela, who’s working the ambu-bag, chimes in that sometimes you can’t fix people if they’ve taken too much … But Deej has had enough and stamps her foot brattily as she screams “I want today … I want tomorrow … I want to wear them like braids in my hair and I don’t want to share ‘em” then bitches at Neela, “Shut up! Go away! Why are you even here? We don’t want you here! She doesn’t want you here!” McEgo tries to stop her “Sarah …” but she’s not done and shouts in Neela’s face “We don’t want you!!!” Neela, taken aback back by Deej’s outburst, gasps, opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water, not knowing how to react. McEgo reaches over and touches her hand, telling her that it’s okay. Neela stops bagging, tells Deej “I’m sorry … I’m so sorry” and leaves. A teary Deej stares at McEgo, who is now just going through the motions of CPR. He looks exhausted, and he probably is if he’s been keeping up the compressions for the past hour. He looks Deej in the eye and tells her that he’s going to stop CPR. She sadly holds his look, biting her lip as her eyes fill even more. He says that if Trixie’s heartbeat comes back, it’s good, but if it doesn’t, that means that her mom has died. Deej just stares at him, her eyes trying to will it not to be true. He asks if she’s ready. She closes her eyes for a moment in sorrow, then opens them and nods her head. He holds compressions and the monitor flatlines. Deej watches it and can’t hold back the tears anymore. She cries “No, Tony, no”. He looks at her sadly as she wails that he can’t let this happen. She starts shaking Trixie, pleading with her to wake up. Oh, man, she has so gotten to me again. Good thing this shirt is drip-dry. McEgo wearily sits down in the stool next to the table and puts his head in his hands as Deej bawls, begging Trixie to wake up. Deej sinks to the floor, lowers her head onto her arms and sobs uncontrollably … Heartbreaking …
An old tan Volvo station wagon pulls up in front of a darkened townhouse. Bird gets out of the car and tells Luka, “Okay, let’s go”. Luka’s got a huge wound on the right side of his mouth and a bruise on his cheek. He gets out and asks Bird uncertainly, “Curtis, please … just tell me … what are we doing?” Bird responds “I’m sorry, but all questions must be submitted in writing” … Actually, Bird grabs him by the arm, forcing him forward and telling him “You’re going to like this”. … Uh oh … Bird says that he’s going to show Luka something that’s really beautiful, then pushes him to keep moving. Oh, I’ve got such a bad feeling about this … Please don’t hurt The Pretty … Luka’s not going fast enough for Bird because he just keeps impatiently pushing him “Let’s go … let’s go … c’mon … c’mon” …
Luka bursts threw a door, Bird shoving him, “Get in!” Luka, facing Bird and looking unsure, backs up slowly into the dark room, all the windows covered by sheets of plastic, as Bird slams the door. Bird turns on a flashlight that sits on what seems to be a carpenter’s workbench with tools, wood shavings, and ornate pieces that look like they’re being carved. Bird closes his eyes and inhales deeply … Hold your breath. Make a wish. Count to three, Bird … Bird looks almost like he’s breathing the place in, his face showing relief. Luka eyes Bird cagily. Bird starts to chuckle, then really laugh, doubling over at something only he finds funny. Chortling, he tells Luka that he should have said “this could have been beautiful, right?” Luka, realizing that Bird’s laughter is bitter, asks “Is this yours?” as the camera pulls back to show us that this house is not finished, it’s a work in progress, but that progress has apparently been halted. Not laughing now, Bird corrects him “Was” and starts to stalk around the room. Luka stays where he is, but never takes his eyes off of Bird. Is Luka maybe waiting for a chance to try and overpower him? He’s done rash things when having a gun pointed at him before, like when he tried to take down Sam’s sleazy prison-escapee ex Steve in 21 Guns last year and ended up paralyzed and intubated for his trouble, having to lay there strapped to a table in Sutures and just watch helplessly while Abby collapsed in Trauma Green. Maybe that’s why he’s being so cautious here. He’s afraid of not being able to help Abby again – if he tries to disarm Bird and fails, Bird could go back and try to harm Abby and MoJo. Even though Bird only has one working wing, he is still a big, strong guy, and he is armed. Now don’t get excited. Don’t lose your head, Luka. We wouldn’t want anyone to lose that … yet … Especially you … Because it is just so Pretty … Just saying … Bird tells Luka that he bought this place four years ago. Pointing up the stairs, he says that he’d figured they’d live on the bottom two floors and they’d rent out the top. He started working on it and fixing it up with his own two hands. Luka takes in the implications of this. Pointing with the gun towards the staircase, Bird shows him the intricacy of the spindles and says in a quiet, almost reverent, voice, full of unmistakable pride but tinged with inveterate sadness, “Yeah … that’s me”. Describing his detailed work like any master craftsman would, Bird tells him that the paneling took him two months. Well, invention, my dear Bird, is ninety-three percent perspiration, six percent electricity, four percent evaporation, and two percent butterscotch ripple … Adding sourly as he strides back across the room towards the windows on the other side of the table from Luka, “… before I had to stop”. Luka asks if he still owns it. Bird says that he held onto it even after everything that happened. Bird explains that he tried to keep working on it, adding sadly “But it just took me … so long …”. Resentment building, he says “I couldn’t be … as detailed … as I used to be”. Understanding that they’re getting to the heart of why Bird brought him here, Luka uncomfortably shifts his weight from one foot to the other. Walking towards Luka, Bird tells him that he gave ex-Mrs. Bird half the market value in the divorce. Luka keeps his eyes on the gun, even tilting his body slightly when Bird does, so he can keep it in sight as Bird waves it around saying how stupid it was and he doesn’t know why he didn’t just sell it. Bird tells him that now the bank owns the house. Luka looks down for a second before meeting Bird’s gaze, trying to keep his face neutral as he waits for Bird to continue. Circling around behind Luka like a Bird of prey, he says that there was a time that he thought “That we understood each other”. Luka doesn’t move as Bird comes closer, “We were … we were hearing each other”. Walking past Luka, still waving the gun around and getting more animated, Bird reminds him about that time out by the river, and says spitefully, “But you were just ‘talking’, weren’t you?”, as he turns to face Luka again. Bird spits out “Because you never really felt me!” Exasperated, Luka throws his hands up “I … I don’t know what else you expected … I don’t know what you want … Tell me what you want”. Waving the gun again, Bird asks him, “Are you a rightie or are you a leftie?” … Uh oh … Luka stares at him, not knowing what he’s up to but knowing it’s not good and asks suspiciously “Why?” Bird points the gun deliberately at him and cocks it. Keeping this from escalating, Luka shrugs his shoulders submissively and quickly answers “I’m right-handed … I’m right-handed”, then again asks why. In a monotone voice that is decidedly ominous, Bird points with the gun at the tool table and tells him “I want you to … uh … put your hand … in that vise there”. … Oh no … Bird tells him “I want you to … feel … that”. Luka reflexively balls his right hand into a fist, clenching it, then refuses “No”. Bird, still keeping his voice low and steady, tells him “Do it”. Luka tries to reason with him, putting his hands out, palms down in a placating gesture, “Look, Curtis … You’re confused … I know you’re upset …”, but Bird is done talking. He aims and fires the gun twice in rapid succession at a can of paint thinner behind Luka, who startles at the noise, instinctively ducking and putting his hands up to cover his head. Bird hit the can with both shots and the liquid pours out, pooling on the floor under it … Oh, man … Bird’s obviously been practicing with the pistol. Luka straightens up, looking wide-eyed at Bird. Unwavering, glaring and holding the gun on him, Bird menacingly orders Luka, “Do … it”. Luka tentatively walks towards the table, arms at his sides, holding his palms up compliantly. He hesitates slightly before placing his right hand in the vise … Oh! I wouldn’t do that, Luka, I really wouldn’t … and waits. Bird watches him, an almost gleeful expression that he’s getting Luka to do this dancing in his eyes. He tells Luka “Tighten it” … No, please no … Not looking at Bird and certainly not wanting to be doing this, Luka tries again to talk to him, “Curtis … look”, but Bird cuts him off, repeating, “Tighten it”. Luka looks at him, realizes that there’s no way out of this, grits his teeth, then reaches over to the crank with his left hand and starts to move it … Jesus … Luka turns it, making complete revolutions … once … twice … three times … As he starts the fourth revolution, it’s getting harder to crank, he winces as it starts to put real pressure on his hand … Oh, God … Bird, mouth hanging open and nodding in anticipation, watches intently as Luka continues to turn it, grimacing as it gets tighter. Luka, lips pressed tightly together and mouth set against what is obviously hurting, breathing hard with nostrils flaring, looks unblinkingly and almost defiantly over at Bird.
Abby is in the Lounge with the Police. She has her back towards them, lost in thought. She turns at the sound of a female dispatcher’s voice coming over the police radio, “Report sighting of suspect’s vehicle outside a residence formerly owned by suspect located at 321 Parkdale”. Subcommander rushes over to get his jacket up off of a chair. He instructs the two officers in the room with them to get over there to help secure the scene while he goes to pick up ex-Mrs. Bird. Abby asks Subcommander, “Did they find them?”, but he tells her not yet, just the car. Abby quickly grabs her coat off the sofa and tells Subcommander that she’s going with him. As she’s putting her jacket on, the dispatcher can be heard saying “… 321 Parkdale … possible shots fired”. Abby freezes at this, frightened. Subcommander starts to head out, grabbing the radio off the table and telling her that the best thing for her to do is to stay put until they have more information. Alarmed, Abby asks, “Did she say ‘shots fired’???” Almost to the door, Subcommander condescendingly tells her that he knows this can’t be easy. Grabbing what looks like a file off the table, Abby follows him saying more forcefully each time “No … no … No!” Subcommander says that he’ll send an officer back to stay with her and she’ll be apprised of everything at every moment. Abby can’t believe this and snaps at him incredulously, “Are you kidding me?!? I’m not just going to wait here …”. He cuts her off, “I’m sorry … You need to trust us now”, then walks out, leaving Abby alone, standing there, stunned, shaken, and very scared.
Deej is sitting on the steps in the doorway on the opposite side of the
Bird is staring at Luka and asks rhetorically, “It hurts … doesn’t it?”, as Luka makes gasping sounds of pain, breathing hard, leaning on the table and wincing. With nostrils flaring, Bird scowls, not satisfied. He lifts his foot determinedly and with all his weight behind it, stomps down on the crank, forcing the jaws of the vise grip closed, completely crushing Luka’s hand … Oh my God … Oh my God … Luka cries out and falls to his knees, in unbelievable agony … Oh, God … Bird growls at him “Don’t be so easy on yourself!” … The pain is so intense, so excruciating, that Luka can’t even scream … His mouth is wide open and he’s choking out horrible, anguished, guttural sounds as he doubles over … Jesus Christ, this is hard to watch. Goran Visnjic is so incredibly convincing, his face so wracked with such indescribable pain that you actually believe he is really experiencing it … Callously watching Luka’s suffering, Bird asks him purposely, “Tell me how it feels”. Luka exhales in raspy breaths as he tries to contain the pain. He closes his eyes and grits his teeth as he grunts, trying to get control. But he can’t quite yet, and emits a sharp gasp. Bird wants Luka to tell him “What it’s doing to you”. Luka swallows hard, grimacing and panting as he tries to force the words out, “Aaaah … I can, uh … I can feel, uh …”, then squeezing his eyes shut tight, and through gritted teeth, “… crushing of the metacarpal heads … uh … the digital nerves being compressed …” Bird starts shaking his head – this isn’t what he wanted to hear. He starts impatiently rocking from side to side as Luka continues through labored breaths “… I’m losing … sensation … uh … motor control …” … Oh, man … Bird holds the gun up to stop Luka’s litany, angrily insisting, “You know what I mean … You know what I mean!” Luka shakes his head and looks up at him pleadingly, protesting, “I don’t …”. Bird, irked and nodding his head like Luka’s playing games with him says, “You know what I mean!”, then takes a step back and lifts his leg like he’s going to stamp the lever again … Oh, please God, no … Luka cries out “I don’t! I don’t!… Wait! Wait! Wait! … Hey … Hey … Stop … Please”. Bird relents and furiously orders him “You tell me … how … it … feels!!!” Out-of-breath, Luka hesitates, not knowing what Bird wants, “I … I …” then whispers “… Just stop it …” Bird shouts at him “C’mon Luka!!! … C’mon … You see people in pain every day … You tell me how it feels!!!” The beam from the flashlight is shining directly on him so we can see Luka’s features contorted with pain, eyes squeezed tightly shut, grasping the side of the vise with his left hand and still on his knees. Luka groans then twists his head to the side, opening his eyes to glare at Bird and curses through gritted teeth “Oh … son … of … a … bitch …” Luka inhales sharply and lowers his head again at the pain. Leaning over him, Bird asks “So, do you feel me … now?” Camera closes in on Luka’s clamped and bloodied hand. Head still bowed and breathing fast, Luka, fed up, asks “What do you want from me, huh?” Then anger taking hold of him, he starts to raise up as he screams “WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME …”, but his sudden movement causes the crank to move and a new wave of pain hits him hard as the vise tightens and he doubles over again … Oh, God, I can’t take much more of this … Bird stares at him with a distressed expression that implores “c’mon, just tell me what I want to hear”. Luka glowers at him, then lowers his head and, for a brief moment, actually chuckles grimly. Panting hard but forcing the words out in a strong voice between breaths, “I can’t … do it without my hands”. Looking up at Bird, he fiercely spits out “I’m a doctor … I have a wife … a child!” Bird throws his head back and looks toward the ceiling, almost laughing in relief because Luka finally gets it, then asks him in a knowing voice, “It’s hard, right?” Luka, head down and nodding bitterly asks cuttingly, “Is that what you want, huh? … Is that WHAT YOU WANT?!?!” He glares at Bird as he pants “I won’t be able … to take care of my family”. Bird narrows his eyes at him as we see blue lights start to flash through the plastic-covered windows behind him. Knowing that this is exactly what Bird wanted and why he was brought here, Luka contemptuously concedes, voice getting more and more spiteful, “I won’t be able to do anything … I’m nothing, okay … I’M NOTHING!!!” As the blue lights continue to flash behind him, Bird, eyes watery, nods with satisfaction. Luka, not able to take it anymore, asks him “You want to kill me, huh?”, then, adrenalin making him forget the pain, Luka lunges forward screaming “Is that what you want? You want to kill me? KILL ME NOW!!!” Bird howls “NOW YOU GET IT! NOW YOU’RE SAYING SOMETHING!” Luka’s leaning over the table, eyes squeezed shut again, obviously hurting. Bird gets in his face, pounding on the table as he bellows, “NOW YOU FINALLY UNDERSTAND A LITTLE!!!” As he stands up, Bird now notices the flashing lights. Filled with rage, he goes to the window shouting, “Get the hell outta here! This is MY HOUSE!!!” You get the hell outta here!” Camera focuses on Luka, taking painful, shuddering breaths, wondering what happens next … as we finally, thankfully, go to commercial and I can finally let out the breath that I’ve been holding … Absolutely horrifying …
Damn, that was intense … unrelentingly so ... Riveting … The performances of both actors so believable that you actually felt as if you were watching someone being mercilessly tortured. Harrowing. And yet, throughout this whole scene, and this whole storyline arc for that matter, Forest Whitaker’s portrayal of this broken, desperate, forsaken man forces you to empathize with him, even at his most barbaric moments. No other actor could come close to eliciting such sympathy while portraying such brutality. Simply brilliant. Now, that being said, Bird still has to pay the price for parading particularly perverse pleasure producing Pretty’s penultimate penetrating pain.
But hurting The Pretty means you have to go
Crushing his hand was revolting and wrong
This must be your last swan song
Or I will so go bitchcakes …
Abby is driving in her car, tense. So much for staying put, Abby. The best thing that could have happened for Abby was having Subcommander annoy the crap out of her – it galvanized her, forced her to act. Doing something, anything, is better than sitting around waiting. It gave her a focus, to help keep her from giving into the worry and breaking down. She approaches the crime scene, where lots of curious onlookers are gathered behind the makeshift barricade of emergency vehicles. Abby pulls over and jumps out, taking the file with her. In her haste, she leaves the driver’s door wide open. She pushes determinedly through the crowd, heading towards the center of the action, and ducks under the yellow police tape. A policeman spots her and yells to her to get back as he rushes over to block her. Abby keeps moving, telling the officer over and over that she has to talk to someone and that she knows “him”. A police helicopter hovers overhead, illuminating the scene. Abby spots a grey-haired, bespectacled, suited guy who seems to be in charge, so he must be the Commander. She starts waving her hand, trying to get his attention, as she shouts over the noise of the chopper blades, “Hey … hey … hey … I work at County, I know Curtis Ames!” Commander signals for the officer to let Abby through and she hurries over, telling him that she brought Bird’s medical record and it’s the reason why he’s doing this. She starts to say that there’s a lot of information in the file, but he cuts her off, asking “Who are you again?” Abby tells him almost frantically, “That’s my husband in there with him!” Commander clarifies “Your husband?”, Abby tells him yes, and handing the file over, explains hurriedly “We both work at County and I thought that maybe your negotiator could use that …”, as Commander responds to something said over his radio “Yeah, move in!” Abby looks towards the building the police have surrounded, knowing that Luka is in there. All the while sirens continue to wail and the chopper holds its place over the scene. The police are everywhere, moving about, and there is so much going on – the loudness and sheer scope of it all is overpowering and more than a bit intimidating. Commander looks distractedly through the file, as we see a SWAT team slowly advancing on the house. Commander holds up his hand towards Abby in a placating gesture, thanking her, but telling her that he doesn’t think this is going to help. Abby, who had been looking at him scared but hopeful, believing that the medical record would be of use, now looks at him dismayed, the staggering fear that she has been trying to keep at bay through action starting to seep through as she turns again to look towards the house.
SWAT team bursts through the door, entering the house with guns raised, moving to cover the whole room as the lights from the scopes on their rifles pan the area. One light zeroes in on what looks like Luka’s bloodied scarf, discarded on the floor. SWAT Guy reports in to Commander that somebody was there and there are signs of a struggle.
Luka walks through a stairwell door, onto the roof, looking up at the police helicopter overhead and moving forward as Bird appears behind him, slamming the door, which won’t stay latched. Luka pivots to face Bird and actually looks scared as he sees what Bird is doing. Bird picks up a long 2x4 and wedges it under the knob, effectively barricading the door and locking them in. Bird turns toward Luka, a predatory look of hatred on his face. Oh, man.
Abby stands with the police looking over at the building. She closes her eyes and lowers her head in apprehension when the copter pilot starts to radio in to Commander that there are two men on the roof. She lifts her anxious gaze to the roof, tears staining her cheeks, as she listens to the pilot say “One of them is armed”. Abby puts her right hand to her mouth, petrified and trying not to lose it. Commander says into the radio that he wants the chopper to back off and orders the pilot to “Get some altitude, now!” Abby and Commander watch as the helicopter circles away from the building. He turns to her and asks if Luka has a cell phone with him. Abby nods, informing him that she tried to call Luka before, but he didn’t answer. Teary-eyed and barely containing her emotions, Abby pleads with Commander for some kind of answer, “What does he want? … I mean, what does he want? If he wanted to kill Luka, he could have shot him an hour ago …” Incredibly, Commander turns to her and says levelly, “Well, maybe he wanted a bigger audience” … Oh my God … Abby blanches, her eyes widening as she literally starts to crumble at this, terrified. Jesus … What a horribly insensitive thing to tell someone, anyone, whose loved one is being held at gunpoint by a man that you know for certain has absolutely nothing left to lose, Commander, you prick. Commander, after dropping this on her, turns back towards the building, asking into the radio for a status report from the SWAT team, who respond that they’re securing the second floor. Abby glances back up at the roof, then turns and slumps back against the squad car, and looks down, overwhelmed, visibly shaken and fraught with fear.
On the roof, keeping an eye on the gun, Luka tells Bird, “Curtis, it’s time to let this go”. Luka is standing a few feet away from him and they are facing each other, adversarial. There is a railing next to them that runs the perimeter of the roof. The helicopter can be heard above them, its spotlight alternately bathing them in light or leaving them in shadows as it circles. Bird bitterly spits out, “The hospital said it … the court said it … the damn lawyers said it … even my own wife …” Breathing hard and waving the gun around as he mocks “ ‘Curtis, Let it go’ … ‘Let it go” “. Luka watches him, body tense and on guard, right arm bent at the elbow as he holds it stiffly at his side. Bird, eyes tearing, entreats Luka, “You know … what it’s like … to lose everything …” Luka’s face conveys that he knows exactly what that’s like as he looks down soberly. Bird despondently tells him that it’s not just about the arm, “It’s about … feeling … like everything … that ever made you … a man … has been taken … away …”, his voice breaking as it trails off. Luka takes this in, not able to look at him, but then lifts his gaze to meet Bird’s when the hand with the gun moves as Bird makes his point, plaintively whispering, “How’re you supposed to … fix that???” Aggrieved, Bird wants to know “How am I supposed to just … let … this … go???” Luka doesn’t know what to say. His cell phone starts to ring, startling Bird who raises the gun and aims it at Luka. Luka holds his uninjured left hand yieldingly towards him, saying that it’s probably just “them” again. Panting hard from his emotional exertion, Bird lowers the gun, allowing Luka to answer. Camera focuses on Luka’s hands as he opens the phone with his left, the back of his right a bloody mess, distended, disfigured and discolored by grisly contusions, fingers curled claw-like and unmoving as Luka holds his arm steady, favoring it. Luka pushes the button to answer and puts the phone to his ear, saying “Yeah, this is Kovac”, adding “We’re both here” as he glances up at Bird. Luka says “Yeah, hold on” into the phone, before holding it out to Bird, telling him that it’s the police and they want to talk to him. Bird doesn’t take it, instead instructing Luka to “Put it on ‘speaker’ “. … Oh no … He really does want an audience … Shit … Luka presses the button and we hear Commander’s voice saying “Mr. Ames?”
Abby, standing with arms folded, keeps looking anxiously up at the roof as Commander speaks into the radio, introducing himself to Bird as “Deputy Superintendent John Valentine” and telling him that they would like to resolve this quickly and peacefully. He asks Bird if there’s anything they can get him. A subdued Bird asks “Yeah … could you just … go away?” There are speakers set up on the trunk of a squad car, Bird’s request coming through them loud and clear. You mean, Abby’s going to have to listen to whatever is going to happen??? Oh, man … Dejectedly, Bird asks “Can you just … leave me alone?” Luka holds the phone out to him saying “Curtis”, but Bird doesn’t want to hear it, pointing his gun towards the edge of the building and ordering Luka to go there, repeating more forcefully “Just get over there!” Abby’s all hunched into herself, on edge, as she listens intently to this. She lifts her head towards the roof when she hears Luka’s voice come over the speakers, “Curtis … Curtis … We both have families …”
Bird has the gun pointed at Luka’s chest forcing him to back up towards the edge … Oh no … With a pleading tone, Luka goes on, “… children we love … a lot to live for … “ as he moves backward, still holding the phone. Abby, face showing just how distressed she is, hears Luka say “… this won’t solve anything”. Commander tries to get Bird’s attention, asking “Mr. Ames?”, but Bird is fixed on Luka right now, unaware of anything else. Deliberately going through what happened to him at the hospital as he unyieldingly presses Luka further along the roof’s border, Bird demands “The numbness happened twice … so it was TIA .. Right? … RIGHT?!?!” Still moving backwards, Bird’s gun inches from his heart, Luka, knowing that there is no way out of this confrontation, agrees with him, “Yes!” Commander looks questioningly to Abby but she just shakes her head, distraught, and warily looks back up towards the roof as she hears Bird tell Luka that he didn’t consider that and he should have. Luka exasperatedly defends that he thought it was from sleeping on the gurney and that they’ve been through all of this. As we see the flashing lights of the emergency vehicles on the street below them, Bird caustically tells him that intermittent numbness is associated with TIA and Luka should have considered that, he should have thought about Bird’s heart. Luka continues covering “It was noisy … I explained that”. Bird berates him “That’s because you listened with a steth! But the standard of care would have been a cardiac echo”. Not knowing what more Bird wants from him, Luka protests, “It doesn’t matter!”, which was the wrong thing to say to Bird, who slaps the phone out of his hand, knocking it to the ground, savagely shouting, “IT DOES!” Abby, right hand to her mouth, terrified, as she listens to Bird’s ferocity escalate, “IT DOES!!!” She presses her lips together tightly and pinches her fingers closed, resting her mouth against them, the extreme tension evident, everything in her so completely focused on Luka.
Luka, realizing he has made a grave error, tenses and just listens to Bird, who, with eyes tearing, tells him “Because you would have seen the patent foramen ovale”. Bird then ferociously shouts at him, “And you would have pulled the central line!!!” Finally admitting it to himself and to Bird, Luka blurts out, “Yes! Ok!?!? Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!” Bird is dumbstruck that Luka is actually acknowledging this. Coming completely clean, Luka confesses to him “You’re right … You were right all along … I blew it … I missed it … I missed the murmur! … And I’m sorry for that”. … Oh man … Tears welling, Bird desperately whispers “Why didn’t you … ever … just say that, man???” Luka tells him remorsefully, “I’m saying it now, okay?” Penitent, he says, “Maybe I needed all this to …”, then hesitates before adding ruefully, “I’m not innocent … I’m … I’m … I’m just …” Luka adamantly professes in a way that says just how much he wishes he could, “If I can take it all back … If I can fix it … But I can’t … Okay … I can’t … I just can’t!" Bird looks down, as the realization that finally getting this admission from Luka doesn’t change anything starts to hit him. Luka raises his arms up yieldingly and shrugs his shoulders apologetically, the pained expression on his face and his tone of voice both reflecting “there’s just nothing else I can do” as he says again, “I can’t”.
Abby closes her eyes in pain, having heard Luka’s confession and knowing that he just gave Bird the one thing he’s been wanting all along, the one thing that has kept Bird hounding him all these months, and she’s terrified of what might happen now that Bird has gotten it. Face full of anguish, she looks up towards the roof and breathes his name “Luka”, like a quiet prayer.
Wow … Abby and Luka aren’t even in this scene together, yet the connection between them is so alive, so tangible, that it’s almost as if they were.
The interplay between Goran Visnjic and Forest Whitaker is riveting, but it is Maura Tierney who is mesmerizing throughout this whole ordeal. Where they have been playing off each other, locked in the back-and-forth of their prolonged, suspenseful, terrifying game of cat-and-mouse, she has had the unenviable task of the silent victim, the one on the sidelines, interlaced with everything that is occurring, yet powerless in the face of it, forced to simply wait, hope and pray. They can take their cues and react off one another, but she has had to make what is internal, external, and she’s doing it brilliantly. Even without speaking, she has this amazing ability to flood a scene with feelings. Where they have you wondering how you would act if you were either one of them in this scenario, she has made you know exactly what you would feel if you were Abby … Just superb …
Commander is still trying to get Bird’s attention, but Bird is lost within himself right now. Breathing heavily, Luka watches Bird worriedly, uncertain of what happens now. Bird looks down at the gun in his hand. Luka apprehensively follows his gaze. Bird slowly raises the gun towards Luka … Oh no … Luka closes his eyes as he shrinks back from it. Bird flips off the safety as Luka says his name pleadingly, “Curtis”. Bird, taking shuddering breaths, his features twisted in misery, points the gun at Luka’s chest and pulls the hammer back, cocking it … No … no … no … Luka closes his eyes in despair, waiting for the bullet … Oh, please, no … Bird, an awful, hopeless look of desperation on his face, takes a stumbling step towards Luka …
Abby jumps as a gunshot rings out, looking towards the roof in horror … Oh my God … When a second shot sounds, she recoils almost as if she felt the bullet herself, a look of sheer and utter terror on her face … Oh, God … no … Commander wants to know who fired, there was no command to fire. Through the radio we hear “It came from the roof”. Abby, looking up at the roof, can’t sit by anymore without knowing what happened and starts to run towards the house. Commander yells for somebody to grab her and a policeman stops her, pulling her back. She frantically fights against him, screaming, “No! … NO!!! … Let me go!!!”, as she desperately tries to get to Luka. Commander orders the SWAT team to take the roof.
The door to the roof is burst open by a battering ram. The SWAT team enters, guns drawn. In unison, they slowly advance across the roof.
Abby is standing with Commander, eyes glued to the roof, an officer by her side making her stay put. Commander asks for a status report. The SWAT team calls in “We have a man down. We have a man down”. Abby looks down in heartache, murmuring plaintively, “Oh God”. She starts to move towards the house again, and the officer grabs her arm. Fighting him, she pleads “Oh, no … you have to let me go …” She attempts to reason with him as she keeps trying to pull away, “Listen, I’m an ER doc … Just let me go! … “ She wrenches her arm free, turning towards the house. She stumbles, faltering, stopped short by what she sees. Abby stares towards the house disbelievingly, hopefully, as … a SWAT guy comes out … followed closely by … LUKA!!! … Oh, thank God … Thank GOD … As he comes down the steps escorted by two SWAT guys, Luka spots Abby and walks directly towards her. As the realization that he is really alive sinks in to Abby, you can actually see the relief course through her. She closes the distance between them by running to him, throwing her arms around him. He instinctively embraces her, forgetting about his injury, then winces when he feels the pain. Favoring his right hand, he readjusts his arms so that he can hold her tighter. The camera begins to circle them. She has her right arm tight around his neck, her left on his back, her eyes closed and face pressed into his shoulder. The camera moves to show Luka, leaning into her, his eyes open, a look of shock and dismay at what he’s just been through on his face before he closes his eyes, grateful to be holding Abby. The camera continues around them as they just hold onto each other. Abby opens her eyes now, knowing this could have ended differently, before closing them again, so thankful that it didn’t. Circling to Luka, whose eyes are open again, as the look of shock on his face changes to an expression tinged with sorrow, before he closes his eyes again, letting himself comfort and be comforted by, Abby. Neither has uttered a word, a sound … There’s no need … The emotions emanating off them in waves. It’s so real, so palpable, it washes over the whole scene, engulfing. The camera moves to long-shot, Luka and Abby still clinging to each other, his head leaning against hers as he gently rocks her back and forth, rubbing his left hand in circles on her back, soothingly. We start to pan up and away from them as they stand there, locked in their embrace, neither wanting to let go. …
Police lights are still flashing as the camera moves up the building and into the spotlight on the roof. It passes through the light, to show the SWAT team standing in a semi-circle, lights pointed at the ground. Then it narrows in on Bird, lying there, gun in hand, bullet hole in his temple, blood pooling under his head, before pulling back to the Chicago skyline then down to the street, where the emergency vehicles are still parked, waiting to be used … but there is no need anymore … Fade to black …
Wow … just … wow …
You know, I always thought it was “killing two birds with one stone”, not killing one Bird with two bullets … Hmmm …
Bye bye, Bird-ie …
I need a drink …
posted by CrankyRecaps @ 1:03 AM
12 comments
