| "There Are No Angels Here" | |||
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| ER episode | |||
| Episode no. | Season 12 Episode 20 |
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| Directed by | Christopher Chulack | ||
| Written by | R. Scott Gemmill and David Zabel | ||
| Original air date | May 4, 2006 (NBC) | ||
| Episode chronology | |||
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| List of ER episodes | |||
There Are No Angels Here is the 265th episode of the NBC television series, ER.
Contents |
This episode is set exclusively in Darfur. Pratt is still put out and feeling out of place as he tries to work in the clinic. He argues with Dr Dakarai on the solutions to Darfur's problems. Pratt thinks that Sudan should sort itself out. Dr Dakarai pulls him up on this and Pratt notes that just because he's black doesn't mean he has to feel at home in Africa. They spot a mother with a sick baby and persuade her to come to the clinic but when she is there they find there is nothing they can do for her. Pratt wants to try but Carter tells him they don’t have the resources to keep the baby alive. Carter tells the woman about his own son dying in hospital (see episode "Midnight") but she says she finds it hard to believe that babies die in western hospitals.
A man comes in with gunshot wounds. Carter, Pratt and Debbie try to stabilize him but they need to transport him to hospital to get him into surgery. The police turn up. The injured man is a Sheik who has spoken out against the killings in Darfur. Carter pleads for them to let him treat the man first but the police drag the injured man out of the clinic. When Pratt tries to stop them he gets a rifle butt to the head.
Carter stitches up Pratt’s head. The Sheik’s wife arrives; she is heavily pregnant and distressed about the situation with her husband. She starts to go into labour. They must take her back to their camp as it is the only place that has electricity at night. The woman’s labor is progressing when the police arrive looking for her. The staff say that she is not there but the police force their way in anyway. Debbie hides with the woman in the bathroom. When the police force their way in they are embarrassed to find Debbie naked in the shower and hurry out. The pregnant woman is hiding behind the door.
When the police have gone the woman gives birth to a daughter but there are post-partum complication and she needs to be taken to the hospital for a hysterectomy. Pratt and Dr Dakarai take one jeep to the hospital, Carter and Debbie take another to the police station in hope of finding and treating the Sheik.
Pratt and Dr. Dakarai encounter janjaweed soldiers but reckless Pratt drives through their barrier rather than stop. A hail of bullets rains down on them but they manage to escape. The car is not so lucky and when they are far enough away they stop at a burnt out village to change the punctured tire and cool the broken radiator. A janjaweed soldier catches up with them and in a tussle with Pratt is shot. Shocked, Pratt attempts to resuscitate him but Dr. Dakarai tells him it is too late and they need to leave before the rest arrive. Pratt tries to start the car but it won’t work. They must walk to the hospital but Dr. Dakarai is too ill to move. Pratt prepares to take the woman by himself. She calls them angels. Dr. Dakarai says “there are no angels here”; [1] Pratt replies "speak for yourself". He leaves Dr. Dakarai in the jeep with the gun and starts to drag the woman towards the hospital.
Meanwhile Carter and Debbie reach the police station and speak to the officer in charge. He won’t even let them see the prisoner. Carter threatens to report them for walking in on Debbie in the shower. With this threat and a bribe they are allowed into the cells. Carter finds the Sheik and inspects him. He’s tells the guard that the man is dead. They are allowed to take the body and they load him into the back of the jeep. As soon as they are away from the police station Carter starts to treat the Sheik – he is not dead, but he is close to it.
Pratt drags his patient through the desert. A jeep approaches. Exhausted, he collapses, not caring if it's friend or foe. It's friend – a father and son, the latter of whom speaks English. Pratt and his patient get a lift to the El Fashir hospital. Pratt asks for a lift back to the camp. They drive past the burnt village and find that the jeep Pratt left Dr. Dakarai in is now also burnt with no sign of a body.
In the camp Carter and Debbie have saved the Sheik. He is holding his daughter for the first time. Pratt arrives and relays the news. The Sheik’s wife will live but Dr. Dakarai is missing. Debbie, Dr. Dakarai’s partner, wants to go out and search but it is too late in the day. An exhausted Pratt walks through the camp looking at the people. In the distance he sees a commotion. It is Dr. Dakarai walking back into camp. He left the jeep as soon as Pratt had gone and has been walking back ever since. Pratt hugs him. Debbie kisses him. Carter is amazed. The Sheik and his wife give their daughter a name that means ‘hope’.
Staff -
Others -
"Gua" by Emmanuel Jal
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