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ER SEASON 1 EPISODE 01
" 24 HOURS "
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WRITTEN BY: Michael Crichton
DIRECTED BY: Ron Holcomb
US VIEWERS: 23.8M
DURATION: 2 hours
AIR DATE: September 19, 1994
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Dr. Mark Greene, sleeping in an exam room, is woken by nurse Lydia to take care of a drunk Dr. Doug Ross. In-between rambling about his date, Doug asks about Mark's family; Mark says he and his wife are OK. Mark and nurse Wendy discuss Doug's recurrent alcohol abuse.
Mark returns to bed and is woken by Lydia to make treatment decisions, then again at 6:30 AM.
The morning shift begins with the arrival of Dr. Susan Lewis and Dr. Peter Benton, as TV broadcasts news of a nearby building collapse. Twelve injured patients, seven of them critical, are sent to the County General ER. As Mark is dictating his treatment orders, patients start arriving from the collapse.
Mr. Wilson arrives with a partial amputation of the right wrist and is cared for by Peter. Doug is caring for an elderly woman vomiting blood. Mr. Wilson is handed off to a vascular surgery team; the lead surgeon keeps benton from participating in the surgery, despite his obvious confidence and enthusiasm.
Mr. Barr, with a possible facial fracture, is cared for by Susan, who deftly deflects his flirting. Peter examines Doug's patient and decides to send her to the OR; before she can be moved, she loses her pulse. Susan cares for a patient with an open arm fracture while Peter performs CPR and defibrillates Doug's patient; her heartbeat returns.
Mark delivers news of a patient's death from heart attack to his son, who reacts with violent anger, before breaking down in tears.
Susan's open fracture patient is sent to the OR. The last two of the collapse patients are dead on arrival, and the staff take a break.
The doctors discuss their patients status in the doctor's lounge. Peter tries to get coffee, only to discover none is left. He gets agitated and blames nurses for it, bringing up the issue with head nurse Carol, who tells him his coffee is not the nurses' responsibility. Peter complains about his low pay, but ultimately concedes and makes his own coffee.
Mark meets his wife and daughter in the hospital cafeteria. Mark and Jenn discuss his sleep deprivation, his long hours, her studying for her bar exam, and the toll they are taking on their relationship. She reminds Mark that he is meeting with a Dr. Harris about a job opportunity.
Medical student John Carter arrives for his first day at the ER, and is greeted by a skeptical staff who comment on his tailored white coat. Peter, Carter's supervisor, introduces himself and gives Carter a brief and overwhelming introduction to the ER. Carter, coming to the ER after his dermatology and psychiatry rotations, doesn't yet know how to start an IV; Peter quickly demonstrated. Peter is particularly enthusiastic about showing the trauma rooms, where "the real action happens". Carter meets Dr. David Morgenstern, the head of ER. Dr. Morgenstern commends Peter on "everything except his attitude". At the end of the tour, Peter takes Carter to a patient with a cut in her hand, to show him how to suture.
Third year medical student Tracy Youngarrives and is greeted by Doug. She immediately brushes him off, making it clear that his suave demeanor is unwelcome.
As Peter is showing Carter how to suture, he is pulled away to care for a gunshot wound, leaving Carter to finish the suturing.
Tracy is taking the history of a young boy, Billy, whose mother is answering every question and not letting billy speak. Doug escorts the mother out of the exam room and quickly finishes examining billy, who—with his mother out of the room—is willing to communicate with the doctors, if only non-verbally. Doug comments on never before seeing an eight-year-old ulcer patient.
Peter stops by Carter, who is still suturing, and hurries him along. Carter finishes and clumsily attempts to answer the patient's questions about aftercare.
During a short walk through the ER, Carol is approached by Susan, Wendy, nurse Haleh, and clerk Timmy, quickly providing them with information about patients and the inventory. Finally, she is accosted by Doug, who makes a reference to her significant other, leading Carol to tell him that he "had his chance" and is "still a fool".
Carter takes three tries to start an IV on a officer Martin, who shot himself in the leg.
Mark cares for a patient who was seeing double when he got up, but is now fine. After taking the patient's history, Mark tells him there is no need to refer him to a neurologist, and instructs him to return if the problem recurs. The patient resentfully objects, accusing Mark of talking down to him because he is black and Mark is Jewish. Mark says he is just trying to save him money because he is uninsured, but finally refers the patient to a neurologist.
A taxi driver runs into the ER looking for help for a woman in labor in his car. Mark and Carter step out into the snow to help. As she is being wheeled in on a gurney, a confused carter is instructed to hold the baby's head in with his hand, to keep the woman from delivering in the hallway. Mark decides to deliver the baby in the ER; the delivery proceeds without complications. Peter pulls Carter away from the delivery to care for patients waiting for sutures.
Dr. Steve Flint reads Frank's x-rays, while an impatient Peter waits to take Frank to surgery.
Mark cares for a patient with a fractured ankle, whose primary concern appears to be whether he will get worker's compensation. Mark chides him for his attitude. Doug cares for an infant with a middle-ear infection; Haleh and the patient's mother comment on ross's looks and attitude. Mark angrily dresses down a lab worker over the phone. Carter is sent off to lunch by Peter.
Lewis is caring for a combative trauma patient—a 13-year old drug dealer with multiple GSWs. Security is called for fear of gang members trying to come into the ER to kill the patient.
Mark leaves the ER and meets with Dr. Harris, who shows mark around his posh offices, enticing him with offers of high pay, ski vacations, and paid-for conference trips.
Susan cares for a chronic smoker. She is initially evasive about the diagnosis, but, after the patient insists, tells him he probably has lung cancer and no more than 6–12 months left to live. The patient breaks down in tears and hugs her.
Mrs. Raskin, a regular in the ER, approaches Mark and asks him to treat her hangnail. While he's caring for her, they discuss his personal life.
On her way out at the end of her shift, Carol removes something from the medicine cabinet.
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Losowe❝ THE HEART OF ANY EMERGENCY ROOM IS THE ADMIT DESK. INFORMATION IS THE BLOOD THAT COURSES THROUGH IT, AND THE DESK CLERK IS LIKE THE TRICUSPID VALVE, IF YOU WILL. ❞ in which we provide all 311 plotlines of the ER episo...
