ER (season 9)

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ER: The Complete Ninth Season
Image:ER Season 9.jpg
Series ER
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
Network NBC
Original run September 26, 2002 – May 15, 2003
No. of episodes 22
DVD release date June 17, 2008 (Widescreen, Boxset)
Previous season ER: Season 8
Next season ER: Season 10
For more details on this topic, see List of ER episodes.

The ninth season of the American fictional drama television series ER first aired on September 26, 2002 and concluded on May 15, 2003. The ninth season consists of 22 episodes.

Contents

[edit] Plot

[edit] Production

[edit] Cast

[edit] Starring cast

Noah Wyle as Dr. John Carter - Chief Resident
Laura Innes as Dr. Kerry Weaver - Chief of Emergency Medicine (Promoted to Chief of Staff, Episode 196 'The Advocate')
Mekhi Phifer as Dr. Greg Pratt - Intern
Alex Kingston as Dr. Elizabeth Corday - Attending Trauma Surgeon
Goran Visnjic as Dr. Luka Kovac - Attending Physcian
Maura Tierney as Abby Lockhart - Nurse
Sherry Stringfeild as Dr. Susan Lewis - Senior Attending Physician
Ming-Na as Dr. Jing-Mei Chen - Attending Physician
Sharif Atkins as Michael Gallant - Medical Student
And Paul McCrane as Dr. Robert Romano - Chief of Staff & Surgery (Demoted to Chief of Emergency Medicine, Episode 197 'Finders Keepers')

[edit] Supporting cast

[edit] Crew

[edit] Episodes

See also: List of ER episodes

"Series #" refers to the episode's number in the overall series, whereas "Season #" refers to the episode's number in this particular season.

Season # Series # Title Writer(s) Director Original airdate
1 180 "Chaos Theory"  Jack Orman and R. Scott Gemmill Jonathan Kaplan September 26, 2002
Carter, Abby and others remain quarantined while County General's evacuation goes awry during the smallpox crisis. Meanwhile, a grieving Corday heads home to London, where her Americanized ways raise eyebrows among her UK colleagues, and Romano's arm is amputated by a helicopter rotor and barely re-attached in time by Dr. Anspaugh. 
2 181 "Dead Again"  Dee Johnson Richard Thorpe October 3, 2002
Local ER closings wreak havoc at County, as Carter tries to keep the peace. Weaver steps on a still-grieving Corday's toes and a med student awaits her overdue orientation. Meanwhile, Pratt's inability to follow orders results in tragedy for a mother of two. Gallant drives everyone crazy during his psych rotation. 
3 182 "Insurrection"  Yahlin Chang and Jack Orman Charles Haid October 10, 2002
Carter takes drastic steps to improve security conditions at County after a frustrated patient takes matters into his own hands - violently. Meanwhile, Gallant tends to a hypochondriac who refuses to leave any symptom unchecked; Pratt is keeping a secret about his home situation; and Kovac has an unhappy ex-lover to contend with. 
4 183 "Walk Like A Man"  David Zabel Felix Enriquez Alcala October 17, 2002
Tensions between meek med student Gallant and arrogant intern Pratt reach a fever pitch as they battle over two troubled patients. Abby tries to set the record straight with Carter about her drinking and Weaver makes a disastrous television appearance. 
5 184 "A Hopeless Wound"  Julie Hebert and Joe Sachs Laura Innes October 31, 2002
A suspicious fire on Halloween floods the ER with many bizarrely costumed victims. Marquez threatens to file a grievance against Kovac, Romano's rehab lags behind his expectations as he begins to doubt that his role in surgery is still an option, and the staff greets an older but wiser surgical intern, Paul Nathan, who tries to overcome a daunting physical handicap. 
6 185 "One Can Only Hope"  Bruce Miller Jonathan Kaplan November 7, 2002
Corday clashes with the new surgical resident, Paul Nathan, over his intervention in the treatment of a sickly young woman who signs a "Do Not Resuscitate" agreement. Abby's brother Eric returns with some all-too-familiar manic tendencies, Chen gives in to Pratt's sort-of-tender loving care after a violent patient gets under her skin, and tensions between the nurses and doctors hit a fever pitch as a petition against Kovac leaves the ER short-staffed. 
7 186 "Tell Me Where It Hurts"  R. Scott Gemmill Richard Thorpe November 14, 2002
Kovac hits a new low in his search for a sexual high, Corday and Nathan reach an impasse regarding his future in medicine, Chen helps Carter treat a Chinese immigrant being exploited by her employer, and Abby fears the worse when her brother Eric disappears. 
8 187 "First Snowfall"  Jack Orman Jack Orman November 21, 2002
Abby's family nightmare continues when she and her mother, Maggie, go in search of her AWOL brother, Eric. Meanwhile, back in Chicago, a blizzard hampers Nathan and Corday's desperate attempt to save a family torn apart by a drunk driver. 
9 188 "Next of Kin"  Dee Johnson Paul McCrane December 5, 2002
Abby races to stop Maggie from taking manic-depressive Eric out of treatment and Kovac hits a new low when an elderly woman tips him for his medical services. Meanwhile, an abandoned baby dredges up painful memories for Chen and Pratt goes to bat for Leon after he's fired for allegedly stealing from his job. 
10 189 "Hindsight"  David Nutter David Zabel December 12, 2002
After a late-night car accident involving the increasingly self-destructive Kovac and med student Harkins, the hour unfolds backwards to recount the troubling events leading up to the crash. A boozy holiday party, rumors of an illicit tryst and a run-in with his ex, Abby, all plague Kovac, but it's his tragic misdiagnosis of a patient that ultimately sends him racing off on a reckless ride. Meanwhile, the ER is awash in Christmas casualties. 
11 190 "A Little Help From My Friends"  Julie Hebert Alan J. Levi January 9, 2003
Kovac pays the price for his misdiagnosis that left a patient with brain damage. Pratt is caught bringing a gun into the emergency room, Weaver hopes to keep her pregnancy a secret, but physical complications might compromise her plans, and Lewis keeps a wary eye on a self-destructive patient who admits to molesting young boys. 
12 191 "A Saint in the City"  Arthur Albert and Bruce Miller Peggy Rajski January 16, 2003
Ethical crises abound after Weaver agrees to hide a politician's sexually transmitted disease. Kovac plays God to get a critical patient into surgery and Pratt ignores a dying mother's orders in hopes of keeping her kids out of foster care. Meanwhile, Carter's family fortunes fail to pay off for an ailing doctor running a local clinic. 
13 192 "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished"  R. Scott Gemmill Nelson McCormick January 30, 2003
Carter's plan to help an ailing doctor leads to a dead-end — and a decision about his own career path. Pratt intervenes after a burglary lands Leon's pal in the ER, along with the cop he shot. Weaver's ethics are tested even further while setting up a photo-op for a politician hiding a severe condition. Corday is caught off guard by hot-shot new surgeon, Dr. Dorset, and Romano risks his standing at County by overseeing an operation he's incapable of completing. 
14 193 "No Strings Attached"  Dee Johnson Jonathan Kaplan February 6, 2003
A downed plane over the Great Lakes sends Abby's world into a tailspin. Romano's surgical career is altered forever, a teen is suspected of intentionally running down her classmates, Weaver gets a promotion from a grateful alderman, and a terminal patient helps Lewis weigh the pros and cons of a blind date while she handles a case where an unpopular student either mistakenly or deliberately ran down her classmates. Meanwhile, Pratt has an unexpected reaction to Chen's revelation about her baby. 
15 194 "A Boy Falling Out of the Sky"  R. Scott Gemmill and Yahlin Chang Charles Haid February 13, 2003
Carter comes to the rescue when the stalled search for Abby's brother, Eric — and the arrival of her mother, Maggie — pushes the nurse to her limit. Meanwhile, Kovac comes back to work just in time to save an overdose case from frying his own brain. Pratt digs himself into a deeper hole with Chen during his stint with the EMTs and Lewis is also flattered by her teenaged admirer. 
16 195 "A Thousand Cranes"  David Zabel Jonathan Kaplan February 20, 2003
Three persons are murdered during a holdup at Doc Magoo's, and Chen's partial description of one of the perps leads to an unpleasant morning for Pratt and Gallant. Lewis befriends a teenage cancer patient, despite his mother's disapproval, and Carter decides to propose to Abby, who's having difficulty finding someone to give her mother a ride to the bus station for her trip back to Wisconsin. 
17 196 "The Advocate"  Joe Sachs Julie Hebert March 13, 2003
A favor for a popular but closeted politician has dire results for Weaver — and a patient. Carter and Abby come to terms with their ailing romance. Kovac finds an unusual outlet for his inner demons and Romano's days as Chief of Staff begin to wane when Anspaugh assigns Weaver to replace him. 
18 197 "Finders Keepers"  Dee Johnson TR Babu Subramaniam April 3, 2003
Heads roll and hearts break after Romano is demoted to the ER, where a mom-to-be hears grim news about her own health. Pratt's faux pas spoils Chen's birthday and Kovac implores Weaver and Corday to help him arrange a pro-bono operation for a dying Croatian child. Meanwhile, a patient's broken wrist leads to tragic complications — and a change of perspective for a County newlywed. 
19 198 "Things Change"  R. Scott Gemmill Richard Thorpe April 24, 2003
Weaver treats a lethargic 6-week-old baby. Lewis works with a mentally ill man who took too much of his anti-psychotic medication, Kovac welcomes an old friend - a fellow Croatian doctor - to observe the chaos of an American inner-city hospital, Romano discusses grave options about his arm with Corday, and Carter receives some emotional news from home. 
20 199 "Foreign Affairs"  David Zabel Jonathan Kaplan May 1, 2003
Kovac breaks every rule in the book to get a dying Croatian boy to Chicago in a race to save his life. Lewis waffles on whether she wants to end things with her "husband" Chuck, Carter's sad family gathering is interrupted by Abby's mentally troubled brother Eric. A minor league baseball player with a serious heart ailment is treated on the eve of his pitching debut with the Chicago Cubs, and Romano makes a dramatic decision about his mangled arm. Also, Kovac departs for the Congo after saying goodbye to Abby. 
21 200 "When Night Meets Day"  Jack Orman Jack Orman May 8, 2003
As a solar eclipse approaches, the early shift sees a weary Carter fielding a slew of casualties from a cult's suicide pact. Intercut with that chaos are scenes of Pratt, whose skills are tested on the final night of his residency. Meanwhile, Corday offers support as Romano undergoes surgery to amputate his arm, and Kovac calls from Africa for backup... and it comes from an unlikely source. 
22 201 "Kisangani"  John Wells Christopher Chulack May 15, 2003
After weeks of professional and personal setbacks, Carter leaves the ER — and Abby — behind to join the equally troubled Kovac on a relief mission in war-torn Africa. But upon arrival, the hellish conditions, lack of supplies and rampant disease soon have him clamoring for the comforts (and even the chaos) of Chicago. In time, these unlikely allies realize they are exactly where they're needed most, especially after a skirmish between local rebels and the African government's Army triggers the docs' bloody battle to save a child caught in the crossfire. Nielsen Ratings: 21.6 million viewers 

[edit] Reception

[edit] References