Recap / ERS 3 E 11 Night Shift

Season 3, Episode 11:

Night Shift

Directed by Jonathan Kaplan

Written by Paul Manning

During a slow night shift in the ER, Greene puts his career at risk when he decides to perform a spinal tap on a woman with meningitis without her consent due to her current mental state. He also finds himself in bed with Chuny at the end of his shift. Carol is ordered by the nursing management to fire two ER nurses until Randi helps her come up with a solution to prevent it from happening. Jeanie helps Weaver out with her research study. Ross treats Charlie when returns to the ER badly beaten and raped. Gant is unhappy with the way that Benton treats him and tells Dr. Anspaugh about it. The night shift takes a shocking turn when a patient who was hit by the El-Train turns out to be none other than Gant.

Tropes

• Beat: Despite the typical chaos of a trauma situation, everyone freezes in horror upon realizing that the mangled patient that they're working on is a coworker, before kicking it into high gear upon having this revelation.
  Carter: " . . .Dennis?"
• Body Horror: Having been hit by a train, Gant's face and body are so mangled that the ER staff doesn't even realize who they're working on until his pager goes off.
• Driven to Suicide: Being constantly and publicly put down by Benton is the final straw for Gant, who throws himself in front of the El-Train. Officially, it's ruled an accident, but Benton and Carter know the truth.
• False Rape Accusation: When Doug refuses to give Charlie money so she can pay off a pimp she owes, she begins ranting about how he raped and impregnated her and is now refusing to pay for an abortion. Luckily no one pays any attention to her.
• Oh, Crap!: This is everyone's reaction when they realize the identity of the John Doe that was just brought in.
  Maggie: (looking at the pager) Oh my God…
  Carter: What?
  Maggie: The patient! It's Gant!
  Carter: (looks in shock at the patient) …Dennis? Oh, sweet Jesus!
  Benton: Carter, put the tube in!
  Carter: Oh, GOD!
• Sarcasm Mode: Carol's reaction to Charlie's unhinged and untrue ranting about Doug.
  "What a lovely girl."
• Wham Line: When the John Doe who was hit by the train in brought in, Benton asks Lydia to page Gant. But then a beeping is heard not long afterwards.
  Malik: Whose beeper?
  Benton: It's coming from the patient.
  [Malik looks at the beeper]
  Malik: Lydia, what number did you page Gant to?
  Lydia: This room, 3376.
  Malik: That's the number on this pager.