| Pilot Episode (2 hours) (Series and season premiere) | In the series opener, Greene considers joining a private practice; Carter arrives for the first day of his internship; and Hathaway (Julianna Margulies) attempts suicide.
| Day One | Ross (George Clooney) fights to save a girl hit by a drunken driver; Lewis seeks help for an emotionally disturbed man.
| Going Home | Less than a month after it premiered on NBC, "ER" produced its first classic episode---"Going Home," telecast on Sept. 29, 1994. It's fun to watch the early work of two characters who later developed into stalwarts of the series: Nurse Carol Hathaway (future Emmy winner Julianna Margulies), who returns to work after recovering from a suicide attempt, and John Carter (Noah Wyle), then a scout-like intern who needs help diagnosing an Alzheimer's patient (Emmy-nominated guest star Rosemary Clooney). Dubbed "Madame X," Clooney's character thinks it's 1948, but she manages to teach Carter a lesson in compassion when they talk about the music of yesteryear.
| Hit and Run | Carter (Noah Wyle) reexamines his future after a teenage hit-and-run victim dies---and he is given the task of notifying the parents. Meanwhile, Lewis and Benton square off following a misdiagnosed case, and Hathaway gets a surprise visit from Ross.
| Into That Good Night | Greene tries to find a transplant for a critically ill heart patient (Alan Rosenberg); Ross gets personally involved when a girl's family is unable to afford her medication.
| Chicago Heat | A surprise heat wave generates a suffocating caseload in the E.R. Meanwhile, Greene takes his daughter (Yvonne Zima) to work, where she learns that dad can't always make things better.
| Another Perfect Day | Hathaway (Julianna Margulies) has mixed emotions about moving in with Tagliari after she kisses Ross. Meanwhile, Benton interviews for a prestigious fellowship, and Lewis receives more than her share of birthday surprises.
| 9 1/2 hours | Greene calls in sick to spend time with Jennifer (Christine Harnos), leaving Ross to cover for him. Meanwhile, Hathaway comforts a rape victim (Brigid Walsh) who is on the verge of suicide.
| ER Confidential | Dr. Cvetic (John Terry) struggles with a growing sense of hatred toward his patients; Hathaway faces an ethical crisis when a patient confides in her the details of an accident; and Carter does some soul-searching regarding his treatment of a transvestite (Vondie Curtis-Hall).
| Blizzard | A severe winter storm blankets the Windy City with snow, bringing the E.R. to a virtual standstill---then, victims from a 32 car pileup arrive, along with a new doctor (CCH Pounder).
| The Gift | After an organ-donor card is discovered on a patient who is declared brain dead, Benton (Eriq La Salle) lines up potential recipients and promises "a merry Christmas for a few lucky people." But he can't get consent from the dying man's estranged wife (Cynthia Ettinger)---who demands a second opinion on her husband's condition. With time running out, transplant teams flying in, and hopeful patients and families waiting, Dr. Hicks (CCH Pounder) confronts Benton with a question: "If we can't harvest, what are you going to tell these people?"
| Happy New Year | Lewis tangles with a by-the-book cardiologist (Sam Anderson) after a heart patient (Michael Monks) she released is re-admitted in critical condition; and Carter complains to Benton about doing the resident's "scut work."
| Luck of the Draw | Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) is devastated after Morgenstern reprimands her for lacking confidence; Carter breaks in a new student (Ming-Na Wen); Greene tends to a "body packer" who has a half-kilo of cocaine packets secreted in his stomach.
| Long Day's Journey | Ross (George Clooney) feels overwhelmed by a caseload that includes parent abuse, a suicide, a child with cancer and a teen prostitute with AIDS. Meanwhile, Benton is confronted by his sister (Khandi Alexander).
| February 5, '95 | Morgenstern offers Greene a permanent position, but Jennifer has other plans; Hathaway deals with a patient (Bobcat Goldthwaite) who thinks he's dead; the staff searches frantically for a poisonous snake; and a cancer patient checks in to die.
| Make of Two Hearts | Hathaway becomes emotionally involved when a newly adopted 6-year-old girl (Milana Vayntrub) from Russia is abandoned by her American mother (Meg Foster); Kayson brings Lewis flowers and asks her out to dinner.
| The Birthday Party | Hicks (CCH Pounder) informs Benton that his mother's declining health is interfering with his residency and suggests that he take a hiatus.
| Sleepless in Chicago | Carter inadvertently prolongs the life of a terminally ill patient (Sanford Meisner) who wants to die; Ross asks Diane (Lisa Zane) to dinner, then receives a visit from Hathaway.
| Love's Labor Lost | The explosive almost-too-painful-to-watch "Love's Labor Lost" (originally telecast March 9, 1995, and named by TV Guide among the 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time) is the most riveting, harrowing and visceral hour of medical drama ever aired. What seems like a routine day in the ER turns sour for Dr. Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards). Distracted by personal and professional problems, he misdiagnoses a pregnant woman and begins a downward spiral of missteps and questionable procedures that continues until all present are in over their heads, panic is thick in the air and, just as in real life, bad things happen to good people---with shocking speed.
| Full Moon, Saturday Night | The staff welcomes the new chief (Michael Ironside), a perfectionist who shakes things up with his management style. Meanwhile, Greene remains inconsolable over a patient's death.
| House of Cards | Swift (Michael Ironside) requests that Greene go before a hospital conference to present the details of a case involving a patient's death. Meanwhile, Deb's desire to accumulate procedures leads to a critical error in judgment.
| Men Plan, God Laughs | Feeling helpless to improve his mother's condition, a gentle Benton (Eriq La Salle) goes to great lengths to provide care and comfort for his patients. Meanwhile, Greene goes to Milwaukee hoping to reconcile with Jennifer (Christine Harnos).
| Love Among the Ruins | A young woman (Catherine Lloyd Burns) must make an agonizing decision after her boyfriend attempts suicide, and a novice nun (Amy Ryan) is faced with a crisis of faith and commitment. Meanwhile, an intriguing aspect of Carter's life is revealed.
| Motherhood | Oscar-winning screenwriter Quentin Tarantino directed this episode, which is set on Mother's Day. Like Tarantino's movies, it's full of offbeat humor and shocking surprises. "I never realized [Mother's Day] could be so dangerous," says Carter (Noah Wyle) during a frenetic 24 hours that begins with the birth of Chloe's baby and ends with Benton (Eriq La Salle) reaching a dramatic turning point in his personal and professional life. In between, Ross, Carter and Lewis are each dealt devastating blows that could affect their futures.
| Everything Old is New Again (season finale) | Hathaway and Taglieri's wedding day arrives with complications: bridesmaid Lewis can't locate Chloe to take care of the baby, and the priest can't find the groom. Meanwhile, Carter prepares for his last day. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
