ER: Season 13

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ER: The Complete Thirteenth Season "ER" follows the lives of the emergency room staff and doctors of Chicago's County General Hospital, a Level One Trauma Center where the difference between life and death rests on split-second decisions--and the pressure, joy and guilt are often overwhelming. These medical professionals are determined to save lives in a place where nothing is taken for granted and nothing is certain...nothing except that another desperate person will be rushed through the emergency room doors in the next moment, in need of their help. Some will live, and some will die, but the dedication and passion of these healers will endure. ]]> .com ---- Another longtime cast member departs and another regular joins in ER's 13th season, as the Emmy-hoarding drama neared the end of its run. But first things first: tying up the sensational cliffhanger from the previous season, in which a pregnant Abby (Maura Tierney) was left bleeding on the ER floor and Sam (Linda Cardellini) and her annoying son, Alex (Dominic Janes), were abducted, leading to a deadly conclusion. Luka (Goran Visnjic) remains in limbo with the hospital board, and gets into even more trouble when a carpenter named Curtis Ames (Forest Whitaker in an Emmy-nominated guest appearance) has a stroke and sues him for malpractice. Tony Gates (John Stamos), after making a brief appearance in the previous season, joins the staff as an intern, Archie (Scott Grimes) returns, and Weaver (Laura Innes) is demoted and later hangs on the edge of Luka's budget cuts. Gates is easy on the eyes and attracts the attention of the staff, especially Neela (Parminder Nagra), but his life is complicated by a roommate who might be more than just a roommate, Meg (Paula Malcomson), and her daughter, Sarah (Chloe Greenfield). Pratt (Mekhi Phifer) struggles with his workload, volunteers at a church clinic, and also finds his brother (Sam Jones III) going through a personal crisis. Struggling the most with Neela's interest in Gates is Ray (Shane West), who finally explodes at a surprise party with devastating results. Other arrivals and recurring characters included Busy Philipps as intern Hope, Sally Field as Abby's mom, Leland Orser as surgical supervisor Lucien Dubenko, Annabella Sciorra as Sam's photographer friend, Malaya Rivera Drew as Ray's other love interest, Sean Young as a mentally stricken woman, and Stanley Tucci as ICU chief Kevin Moretti. Also departing this season: James Newton Howard's theme music, a casualty of the trend to do away with time-consuming opening credits. --David Horiuchi