| Dr. Carter, I Presume (season premiere) | As Carter---make that Dr. Carter (Noah Wyle)---reports for the first day of his surgical residency, he is assigned to replace Benton as the ER's surgical consultant, which proves to be complex---and comical. Meanwhile, Benton (Eriq La Salle) and Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) learn the results of their HIV tests, and Weaver (Laura Innes) plunges into her new duties as attending physician, making life miserable for everyone. On the romantic front, Ross (George Clooney) shocks the staff with his latest companion (Michelle Clunie), and Hathaway runs into Shep---and his new girlfriend---at a softball game.
| Let the Games Begin | The staff nervously awaits the county's decision on which area hospital will permanently close its doors. Meanwhile, a new chief of staff (John Aylward) comes aboard and threatens to make life unbearable for everyone.
| Don't Ask, Don't Tell | Anspaugh (John Aylward) makes life hellish for everyone by implementing patient quotas for each doctor; Benton and Jeanie square off concerning her HIV status and whether she should continue to work; Greene is befuddled by Lewis's invitation to go on a joint vacation.
| Last Call | In an emotionally wrenching episode, Doug Ross's troubled personal life hits rock bottom---and his professional judgment is questioned by Weaver and Greene---when a one-night stand turns into a tragedy. Ross (George Clooney) picks up a woman (Lisa Darr) at a bar, and they proceed to his apartment. When she's too drunk to drive home, he volunteers to take her. On the way, she's stricken with a seizure, and Ross rushes her to the ER. While she fights for her life, he battles his private demons and the stares and accusations of his colleagues, who are shocked to learn he doesn't even know her name.
| Ghosts | On Halloween night, an 8-year-old girl (Lauren Robinson) and her dad fight for their lives after being involved in a hit-and-run accident. Meanwhile, Ross and Hathaway get a jolt of life on the streets when they man the roving Health Mobile.
| Fear of Flying | Benton (Eriq La Salle) has the most devastating experience of his career on a powerful episode about a truck's collision with a van---and the victims' treatment at County General. Greene and Lewis (Anthony Edwards, Sherry Stringfield) are the first to arrive at the scene, where they learn that the trucker is dead and a family (including a 7-year-old boy and a 10-day-old girl) has suffered severe injuries. Although the family is freed from the wreckage, the tragedy escalates at the hospital because of the inexperience---and arrogance---of a nurse (Jenny O'Hara) and Benton's stubborn behavior.
| No Brain, No Gain | Benton (Eriq La Salle) tries to save a young gang member who has already been pronounced dead by Ross. Meanwhile, Greene suspects that Lewis is dating Morgenstern (William H. Macy), and Carter becomes involved in a surprising relationship.
| Union Station | Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) prepares to leave for Phoenix, while Greene struggles with whether to tell her how he feels; Doyle becomes outraged at a pregnant woman who tried to kill her unborn baby; and Al surprises Jeanie with an unexpected act of kindness.
| Ask Me No Questions, I'll Tell You No Lies | Greene makes life miserable for everyone with his new no-nonsense leadership style, and goes into Jeanie's private file to learn whether she's HIV-positive, which leads to a volatile confrontation. Meanwhile, Keaton surprises Carter with her traveling plans.
| Homeless for the Holidays | Greene and Weaver try to hammer out a policy concerning workers with HIV, as rumors fly over which staff member tested positive for the disease; Charlie brings in a critically ill baby she's caring for and Ross has an explosive run-in with the child's mother (Tia Texada).
| Night Shift | Greene puts his job on the line when he treats a mentally incompetent woman without her consent; Gant seeks help from Anspaugh after Benton publicly berates him; Charlie (Kirsten Dunst) arrives in the hospital and accuses Ross of abusing her.
| Post Mortem | Carter and Benton exchange heated words in the aftermath of a tragedy and Ross (George Clooney) learns some surprising information about Charlie's past. Meanwhile, Hathaway (Julianna Margulies) must deal with a nurses walkout.
| Fortune's Fools | Benton (Eriq La Salle) refuses to seek help following Gant's death, despite a growing listlessness that becomes apparent to everyone, especially Carter, who confronts him. Meanwhile, Greene and Weaver each shepherd a trio of prospective interns through the E.R.
| Whose Appy Now? | Greene sets up dates with three women for the same night; Ross ponders whether to honor a 17-year-old's wish to not be resuscitated; Benton complains of abdominal pains and is whisked into surgery.
| The Long Way Around | Julianna Margulies and guest star Ewan McGregor deliver powerful performances in this nerve-jangling episode. A convenience store turns into a bloody emergency room for Hathaway (Margulies). Moments after Carol strolls into a local market, two thugs (McGregor, Currie Graham) announce a holdup. The store's owner brandishes a rifle and shots ring out, leaving the owner and one of the hoods critically wounded. With cops swarming outside, victims bleeding inside and the customers held hostage, Hathaway summons her courage to help keep the wounded alive and prevent further casualties.
| Faith | Greene and Doyle try to persuade an unyielding Pomerantz (Jami Gertz) to place a woman with Down syndrome on the heart-transplant list; Fischer shocks Jeanie with a surprising request; and an 18-year-old with cystic fibrosis asks Ross to take him off life support.
| Tribes | Two teen gunshot victims, one white, one black, arrive in the E.R., and Greene is accused of being racially biased in his treatment by one of the victim's brothers (Joe Torry). Meanwhile, Carla, six months pregnant, comes in for treatment after being in a minor car accident.
| You Bet Your Life | Benton goes into Carla's private hospital files when he fears that something may be wrong with their baby; Jeanie treats a suicidal woman (Gia Carides) who reveals a surprising secret; and Greene learns that Rachel has been lying about her health.
| Calling Dr. Hathaway | Hathaway (Julianna Margulies) receives her medical exam score and must decide whether to pursue medical school. Meanwhile, Ross tries valiantly to save a 2-year-old boy's life; and Carter catches Dale (Matthew Glave) falsifying a patient's record and considers turning him in.
| Random Acts | Jeanie is faced with a dilemma when she agrees to ask Fischer (Harry J. Lennix) to approve Al for an experimental AIDS-treatment program; Hathaway accuses Ross of preferential treatment in regards to the child of a wealthy businessman; Carter and Benton assist in a kidney transplant operation.
| Make a Wish | Benton and Carla (Lisa Nicole Carson) fear for their baby's life when complications arise and the child is born two months prematurely; Carter rethinks his plans to be a surgeon; and Ross invites Hathaway out for her birthday.
| One More for the Road (season finale) | A moving---and, at times, disturbing---episode, in which most of the major characters face life-altering situations. Benton and Carla ponder their uncertain future together as they watch their premature son struggle for life. Meanwhile, Greene suffers psychological aftereffects from his traumatic attack; Carter incurs Anspaugh's wrath when he requests permission to leave the surgical program; Charlie (Kirsten Dunst) resurfaces; and both Ross and Hathaway pursue relationships with co-workers. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
