Recap / ERS 1 E 07 Another Perfect Day

Season 1, Episode 07:

Another Perfect Day

There are no such things as accidents.

As another day begins at Cook County, Jerry arrives at work and hastily pulls a labcoat on as a patient is wheeled into the hospital. He briefly takes a call and goes to deliver some paperwork to another floor in the building, but after he leaves, a man sitting in the waiting room, and wearing a football helmet and sporting a bandage on his arm, walks over to the ringing phone at the front desk and answers it, identifying himself as "Patrick". Benton arrives soon after and sees that Patrick is a patient who shouldn't be there. While attempting to get him away from the desk, Patrick spins around in Jerry's chair, falls off and injures himself.

Carter is sitting in the patient lounge a short while later making calls about getting his own apartment when Benton arrives and summons him to help stitch up an injured patient. At the same time, Doug goes to eat from a basket of bagels delivered to the lounge, but stops short when Benton tells him the bagels were ordered by Tag to give to Carol. Outside, Benton goes to take care of a young stabbing victim, but just before he leaves, Benton claims that he won't be able to aid Carter with another case in the afternoon due to his attendance for an interview regarding the prestigious Starzl Fellowship, which he's competing with Dr. Langworthy for a spot in.

Upon examining the patient, Benton and Haleh realize he's choking on his own blood, and are able to open a passageway and stabilize his condition. Morgenstern, tailed by Carter, arrives afterwards and congratulates Benton on the successful surgery, before reminding him about the Fellowship interview, which he will be participating on as a board member. Carter gently ribs Benton after Morgenstern leaves. Afterwards, Haleh asks Benton to check on a teenage patient, but Benton pawns it off to Carter, despite Haleh's demand for him to do it. Elsewhere, Mark is roused by Jen at their home, and she tells him that she's called him in late so that they can make love.

Back at the hospital, it's established that Susan is celebrating her birthday, and Carol tells her that she's aware the doctor and Dr. Cvetic have been dating for two months — given that he revealed it to the hospital by posting a notice on the bulletin board. Elsewhere in the ER, Carter sews up "Slice", a street thug who was caught by police after an attempted break-and-enter. While the arresting officer, Grabatsky, goes outside to flirt with Lydia after asking Carter about her relationship status, Slice attempts to pick the handcuffs he's been locked to a gurney with via Carter's EKG meter. Carter hastily grabs it back before being called away to attend a surprise staff party for Susan, who is called to the receiving bay and sees the staff burst out of the back of the ambulance while congratulating her.

While the birthday celebrations are going on, Tag pulls Carol up to the roof of the hospital for a few minutes of alone time, and mentions that he hasn't been given an answer for whether she wants to move in with him or not. Carol says that she wants to take things slow, and hasn't made a decision yet. Tag asks her to "take care of any problems" that would keep them apart before leaving, and she sighs in exasperation...

Haleh butts in on Lydia, who is flirting with the police officer, to ask who's taking care of Slice (whose name she reveals is "Mookie"), and discovers that Carter is treating him. Incensed, she goes into the room to find Slice mocking Carter for not being a paid employee of the hospital (due to being a first-year resident) and goes to find Benton after being told he's in the recovery ward.

Elsewhere, Susan complains to Div about him broadcasting news about her birthday to Doug, who she complains is "Dr. Intercom." Malik arrives as Div to passionately kiss Susan, and tells him that he has been trying to get him to see a patient three times. Div slightly snaps at Malik and tells him his patient will have to wait before storming off, leaving Susan at a loss...

Carol calls Doug to assist with a young patient whose major vein leading to his heart has collapses after a boat accident. Together, Doug and Carol are able to reopen the vein leading to the boy's heart, but just as they think the surgery was a success, the boy's heart rate flatlines. They successfully stabilize his heart rate after several shocks with an EKG. As the nurses and Benton wheel the boy up to the recovery ward, Doug and Carol share a quiet moment where they congratulate each other on the success of the operation... and she kisses him. When he apologizes for kissing her, she replies that, "You didn't do it alone," before walking off in a daze. Soon after, Doug sees Carol and gets distracted when he witnesses her talking to Tag, but his attention is brought back when Jerry mentions he still hasn't seen "Linda Farrell", a woman who is implied to be Doug's new girlfriend...

Haleh confronts Benton in the men's change room and asks him why he didn't treat Slice. When Benton complains that he was busy with another patient, Haleh calls him out and points out that Slice needs an authority figure in his life to keep him from a life of crime. Benton shoots back that he is not a Big Brother Mentor, and has far too much on his plate to consider diverting his time to helping every gang member who arrives in the ER. Haleh points out that Slice Used to Be a Sweet Kid before storming off in anger, leaving Benton perplexed as he goes to the Fellowship interview.

Carter and Nurse Connie talk Carter through his first "spinal tap" procedure, on a patient who is in a coma and may have meningitis, while Benton paces outside the interview room nervously. Langworthy also arrives, and they share a brief moment of connection before she's called into the interview room early by Morgenstern. Some time later, Benton nearly falls asleep when the door opens and Langworthy walks out, joking warmly with Morgenstern. Benton is called in soon after and meets with the director in charge of the fellowship admissions process, but the interview doesn't go as he'd hoped — it becomes clear that he doesn't have the required experience due to being a second-year resident, and despite Morgenstern's repeated assertions that Benton is qualified, the director ends the interview early and thanks him for coming. Benton is beleaguered later on when Haleh tells him that she's enrolled Slice in a youth volunteer program — and nominated Benton as his supervisor.

Mark heads across the street from the hospital to a small outdoor diner, where Jen is waiting for him. They discuss each other's schedules, and Jen admits that she's been called to her job in the nearby county to personally help in her new role with a local circuit court. While Mark encourages her to spend time at the new job, she becomes disappointed that she'll miss a performance being hosted by Rachel's daycare. This, coupled with the inability to meet due to their busy schedules, leads her to end the lunch early and walk off in confusion, while Mark continues to sip his coffee...

Carol eventually confronts Doug over their kiss just as she gets off her shift, and tells him that she has decided to move in with Tag. When she calls their kiss "an accident", Doug retorts that there are no such thing as accidents, and sarcastically thanks her for letting him know before she leaves. Outside, she stands around, unsure of her decision...

As the day draws to a close, Mark congratulates Carter on the successful spinal tap operation and gives him a bottle of wine, while Lydia reveals that there's an apartment he could rent in her unit. In the receiving area, Susan is talking with Doug about her birthday when she's horrified to see... Chloe walk in, accompanied by a strung-out man. They both wish her a happy birthday and attempt to get her to drink from a half-full bottle of vodka, leading her to pull them into the staff lounge. Inside, Chloe becomes abrasive and they argue about their childhood and their parents' response towards the former. The conversation gets heated, and Chloe begins ranting at her sister, only to smash up her hand on a window near the front desk and lacerating her hand in the process. Afterwards, Cvetic promises to talk to her about her familial issues, while Susan stands nearby, distraught. Later, she heads to the roof to get some air, which Carter also heads to for a celebration regarding his "perfect day".

As they sit on the rooftop and pop the champagne, they both realize they're not so different due to having "crazy families" and Susan shotguns a glass of champagne to celebrate her birthday...

Tropes:

• Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Invoked, as Doug admits to Mark that he's been focused as of late on women (actually Carol) who are "sullen and withdrawn".
• Artistic License – Medicine: It's incredibly hard to believe that not only would the waiting desk at a hospital (particularly one like Cook County, one of the busiest in the state) be left without a clerk, but that no one on staff is manning the desk, with staff members walking past Patrick (wearing a football helmet) manning the desk both before and after the incident without acknowledging it.
• Big Brother Mentor: Defied - Haleh attempts to convince Benton to become a role model for Slice, but he refuses, citing this trope:
  Benton: Am I supposed to turn every gang kid that walks in here into Nelson Mandela or something?
• Big Damn Kiss: In what will eventually prove to be a recurring event, Doug and Carol end up kissing, with both of them admitting they played a part in it... though Carol later backtracks and acts cool towards him for the rest of the episode.
• Big, Screwed-Up Family: Invoked, as Susan describes her own family in this way when Carter meets her on the rooftop in the last scene. He states that they're the same, as his family is crazy as well (and later seasons and episodes will bear this revelation out).
• Chekhov's Gunman: Cvetic initially refused to treat Chloe in the previous episode, claiming that he couldn't do anything unless she displayed an interest in getting help. When Chloe lacerates her hand in the ER (in an act of anger), Cvetic finally steps in to talk her down.
• Chick Magnet: Doug, in spades. Despite beginning a new relationship with a drug sales rep, Carol is drawn to him after a stressful moment, and they share a long kiss before she walks off in a daze.
• Continuity Nod: Susan calls out Chloe for stealing her television in the previous episode, and muses aloud whether Chloe's boyfriend helped her move it.
• Crazy Jealous Guy: Doug becomes resentful and jealous when he sees Tag talking warmly with Carol, just after the former and the latter shared a kiss in the OR.
• Dare to Be Badass: When Benton brushes off Langworthy's threats about the Stazi Fellowship.
  Benton (to Carter): Did Langworthy tell you that only third-year students get the fellowship?
  Carter: Yeah.
  Benton: In her dreams.
• Did You Just Have Sex?: Doug congratulates Mark on calling in sick to work so he could spend some "quality" time with Jen, despite the latter pretending he was late because of a car accident.
• Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: Jerry begins to tell Carter about how he found his current apartment by waiting until an 85 year-old patient died before taking the property for himself, but cuts himself off and clams up when Benton walks by.
• Fan Disservice: Susan's little black dress is introduced when she has a conversation with her sister Chloe, who storms into the ER drunk (and possibly high), rails at her for not being around when they were younger, and repeatedly shoves her around in the hallway.
• Funny Background Event: Jerry attempts to walk into the men's change room as Haleh is cussing out Benton for refusing to help Slice, then immediately turns around and leaves when he sees the conversation taking place.
• Idiot Ball: Chloe shows up drunk (and possibly high) to the ER to "surprise" Susan... by bringing a half-downed bottle of vodka. Soon after, she begins ranting to Susan about their childhoods, leading to the former smashing a nearby window and lacerating her hand in the process.
• I Need a Freaking Drink: The episode ends with Susan downing a glass of wine as she copes with her turbulent personal life.
• Inelegant Blubbering: Due to being drunk, possibly high on drugs and angered at Susan's responses towards her, Chloe's dialogue devolves into this.
• Insecure Love Interest: Carol has shades of this, acting cagey when Taglieri asks her point-blank on the roof whether she wants to move in with him or not. The fact that the episode juxtaposes two separate scenes of Doug and Carol, with their requisite "Love Theme" playing in the background, alludes to her uncertainty over the situation.
• Inspirationally Disadvantaged: "Patrick," the injured patient who becomes a short-lived Team Mascot for the ER.
• It's All About Me: Discussed — Jen is given a prime opportunity to make her mark in her new job, which will require leaving home for several days. She contends that she needs to do it for the good of her career, but Mark gives no objection and even encourages her to look out for herself first.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Benton gets called out for refusing to play a role model to Slice (Mookie James), though he makes it abundantly clear that even if he wanted to, he has far too much on the go in the hospital to spend time dealing with someone else (especially in light of the previous episode, which showed that he couldn't even help his sister take care of their mother).
• Karma Houdini: It is implied, but not confirmed, that Chloe's boyfriend helped her move Susan's television out of her apartment (ostensibly for drug money). Yet, he gets off scot-free at the end of the episode, and even gets to crash in the hospital's staff lounge.
• Ladykiller in Love: While Doug appears to have "moved on" with a new love interest in Linda Farrell, he's also shown to still be nursing feelings for Carol. Interestingly, she initiates the Big Damn Kiss in the operating room, then claims that it was "no accident", while simultaneously saying she's going to move in with Tag, making it unclear what her intentions are.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Just after Chloe begins shoving Susan around in the receiving area, she shoves her hand through a window, causing her lacerations in the process.
• Last-Name Basis: Discussed in the final scene. Susan muses about whether she should exclusively refer to Carter as "John", but then comments that it would probably be weird, and decides to keep referring to him by his last name.
• Love at First Sight: Officer Grabatsky, one of the officers who arrested Slice, becomes immediately smitten with Lydia and asks Chuny whether she's single. In the next scene, he's seen chatting her up and showing pictures of his family for her benefit.
• Married to the Job: Both Mark and Jen get this, with the tone of the conversation making it clear that their marriage is at risk of falling apart...
• The Mentor: Befitting his role in the ER, Morgenstern is incredibly supportive towards Benton, congratulating him after taking the initiative on a patient whose heart rate was spiking, apologizing profusely for making him wait for the Starzl Fellowship interview, and standing up for him against the interview director, who who wants to minimize his accomplishments.
• "Not So Different" Remark:
  • Jerry establishes some commonality with Carter when they discuss their respective attempts to move out of their family homes and find an apartment.
  • Carter later tells Susan that she's not the only person with a family who's "completely crazy". As later episodes and seasons bear out, Carter's comment is an Understatement.
• Once Done, Never Forgotten: Susan fears that the entire ER will never stop teasing her about her relationship with Cvetic (which she's kept as a secret from them for the last two months), due to Doug posting a notice about it (in tandem with birthday greetings for her) on the staff bulletin board.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Slice, who never gives his first or last name, and is only known to the cops by his "street name". Subverted later, when Haleh identifies him as "Mookie James", and that she used to babysit him when he was younger.
• Police Are Useless: Of the police officers who bring Slice in, one disappears after a couple scenes, never to be seen again, while the second (Officer Grabatsky) spends the majority of his time flirting with Lydia.
• P.O.V. Cam: From the stabbing victim's perspective (lying on a gurney) as Benton directs the EMTs into one of the operating rooms.
• Retargeted Lust: A variation. Carol abruptly decides to move in with Tag, despite earlier telling him that she wasn't ready yet, shortly after sharing a passionate kiss with Doug. Gee, it's almost as if she's afraid of her lingering feelings for him. . .
• Rule of Symbolism: Mark is left sitting alone, in front of Jen's unsipped tea, after their conversation about each other's schedules leads to her walking off in confusion.
• Sanity Slippage: It's implied that Dr. Cvetic is growing increasingly unhinged due to the demands of the hospital, as his reactions when Malik confronts him about not seeing a patient show him going bug-eyed and nearly snarling at him.
• Ship Tease: The Episode.
  • The cop who arrested Slice asks Carter about whether Lydia is single, and chats her up while the doctor is treating Slice.
  • Briefly with Langworthy and Benton, who bond over their respective experiences during the interview process for the internship.
  • Also invoked with Carter and Susan, who share a drink on the roof of the hospital at the end of the episode.
  • Doug and Carol share the Big Damn Kiss... before she goes back to Tag, and it's revealed that Doug's repeated requests for "Linda Farrell" are actually towards his new girlfriend, a sales rep who specializes in selling medical-grade drugs.
• Title Drop: When Carter is "rewarded" with his first successful spinal tap procedure, a bottle of wine from Mark (originally intended to be given to Jen) and a note from Lydia about an available unit in her building, he responds by calling it "a perfect day".
• What the Hell, Hero?: Haleh calls out Benton for refusing to act as a role model for Slice (though given Benton's hectic schedule, he may also be in the right for not wanting to saddle himself with additional responsibilities).
• With Friends Like These...: Chloe tows her (apparent) boyfriend into the ER to "surprise" Susan on her birthday, via bringing a half-finished bottle of vodka. Doug is nonplussed after meeting said boyfriend, and quickly flees the scene at the first opportunity.
• Wrong Genre Savvy: Benton seems to believe he has a strong shot at the Starzl Fellowship, even though Langworthy (rightly) pointed out to Carter that it was for third-year residents only. Despite this, he dresses up for the interview... and is all but mocked by the director, who points out that he doesn't have the extracurricular experience or tenure necessary to be a serious contender, despite Morgenstern sticking up for him.
• You Can't Thwart Stage One: Doug and Carol think that they've stabilized the 12 year-old boat collision patient after reopening one of his veins... only for his heart to stop just as they go to move him out of the operating room.

---