| Episode Title | Description
| Ambush (season premiere) | A film crew shooting a documentary on a "typical" day in the ER follows Dr. Greene (Anthony Edwards), who's still dealing with the aftereffects of a violent attack.
| Something New | Benton breaks in a new surgical resident, Elizabeth Corday (Alex Kingston), from England; Carter and Del Amico (Maria Bello) start training two new med students; Greene is surprised when he is served a subpoena; and Benton and Carla name their baby boy.
| Friendly Fire | Weaver (Laura Innes), the new acting chief of emergency services, makes some controversial policy changes; Al is injured in a construction accident; and Benton and Carla disagree over whether to circumcise their son.
| When the Bough Breaks | In a particularly heartrending episode, an accident involving a school bus filled with junior-high students floods the ER with multiple victims. Hathaway (Julianna Margulies) takes the urgent radio call from the rescue crew asking how many of the injured kids County can handle. "Three major and 10 minor," she responds. But the ambulances unload 10 major cases, including a 13-year-old boy with severe head trauma and a 12-year-old girl with a nearly severed arm. As if that weren't enough, a damning accusation is made against Hathaway by a drug-crazed woman she finds lying in a pool of blood in the bathroom.
| Good Touch, Bad Touch | Hathaway approaches Weaver with the idea of starting a free clinic in the ER; Del Amico runs into an embarrassing situation when she examines a male marathoner (Coby Bell); and Greene confronts Chris Law about his beating while giving a deposition.
| Ground Zero | Hathaway meets with Carter's grandmother (Frances Sternhagen) to try to obtain funds for an E.R. free clinic; Weaver is faced with laying off staffers to reduce the budget; Carter tries to hide his family's wealth from Del Amico; and Al considers moving to Atlanta to find work.
| Fathers and Sons | There's no medical crisis to solve and no patients to see in a change-of-pace episode that sends Doug (George Clooney) and Mark (Anthony Edwards) on a cathartic road trip out West. A tragic death in Doug's family prompts the doctors to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, which in turn leads them to a remote town along a near-deserted stretch of California. On the way, they make an impromptu side trip to San Diego to visit Greene's vivacious mom (Bonnie Bartlett) and indifferent dad (John Cullum). The journey proves to be a revealing one for both men, culminating in disturbing insights into past events that shaped their characters and may affect their futures.
| Freak Show | Hathaway (Julianna Margulies) is caught off guard when a crowd shows up for the opening of the E.R.'s free clinic---a week before she intended for it to open; Benton operates on a 12-year-old hit-and-run victim; Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) confronts Weaver over her termination.
| Obstruction of Justice | Jeanie and Weaver clash when Jeanie reports back to work. Meanwhile, Greene's eccentric attorney (Dan Hedaya) arrives to play doctor for a day in exchange for his legal help; and Carter is confronted by a belligerent cop when he disposes of evidence in a domestic case.
| Do You See What I See? | Miraculous events make for an unusually thoughtful Christmas episode. First, Benton (Eriq La Salle) is hailed as a miracle worker by a blind, homeless man whose sight suddenly returns just as the doctor touches his neck. Soon, other disabled patients are lining up to see "Saint Peter." Meanwhile, Greene is so strongly moved by the plight of a 67-year-old rape victim that he summons the courage to make a surprising admission. Also, Jeanie and Weaver are forced to put aside their pride---and their differences---when an emergency situation develops in Jeanie's life.
| Think Warm Thoughts | Anspaugh's 12-year-old son, a former cancer patient, arrives in the ER complaining of abdominal pains; Dr. Swift (Michael Ironside) returns to the hospital as a Synergix attending physician; Hathaway makes a disturbing discovery about an elderly patient.
| Sharp Relief | Ross plans to surprise Hathaway with a quickie wedding, but she has a surprise of her own; Weaver (Laura Innes) uncovers some disturbing facts about Synergix that makes her question her relationship with Ellis; Carter's cousin, Chase, tries to kick his heroin habit.
| Carter's Choice | A blizzard strands the E.R.'s new blood supply at the airport, and Carter must decide whether to give the remaining units to a rapist or save them for a more respectable patient. Meanwhile, Corday makes advances toward Benton.
| Family Practice | Greene flies to San Diego when his mother (Bonnie Bartlett) falls and is hospitalized. His concern increases when he finds her acting "completely loony and out of control." To make matters worse, he butts heads with his dad (John Cullum) over her care.
| Exodus | Corday (Alex Kingston) crawls through a collapsed building to rescue a man whose right arm is trapped under the rubble; a toxic chemical spill turns the ER into a hazardous zone and has Carter (Noah Wyle) and staffers scrambling to evacuate patients.
| My Brother's Keeper | Ross (George Clooney) prepares to present a paper on pediatrics, and he treats a 6-year-old boy who may have been poisoned by a family member; Carter is shocked to discover a familiar face when a group of overdosed heroin users are brought in.
| A Bloody Mess | Jeanie fears Scott Anspaugh's cancer may have returned; Hathaway learns a disturbing secret about a 16-year-old girl; a pregnant patient (Kimberly Russell) fears she'll miscarry; Morgenstern (William H. Macy) returns to work, but perhaps too soon after his heart attack.
| Gut Reaction | What the series does so well---blend stories about the ordinary events of life with the extraordinary ones---is exemplified by "Gut Reaction," which first aired April 16, 1998. As Mark Greene deals with the details of an off-premises bash he's throwing for his staff, two emergent dramas unfold within the hospital. An unsure Morgenstern clashes with Benton as a colleague lays dying because of a botched surgery; and, in the stillness of an oncology isolation unit, Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) helps a young cancer patient who admires her decide if he wants to continue his debilitating treatment. Their memorable scene together still evokes tears.
| Shades of Gray | Del Amico, Ross and Corday confront disturbing situations after the bombing of a women's clinic; Benton (Eriq La Salle) comes under review for controversial actions in the OR; Jeanie endures one of the most difficult days of her life as she says goodbye to a friend.
| Of Past Regret and Future Fear | A 31-year-old security guard is brought in suffering from severe chemical burns, and a 21-year-old man is wheeled in after falling 75 feet into a river. Meanwhile, Benton is upset that Carla's boyfriend is part of Reese's baptism.
| Suffer the Little Children | Ross treats a 6-month-old recovering from methadone withdrawal; a televangelist and his wife (Swoosie Kurtz), who's suffering from an infection, plan a broadcast from the ER; Del Amico's old boyfriend (James Le Gros) arrives; and Jeanie fears her health is rapidly declining.
| A Hole in the Heart (season finale) | Ross, Hathaway and Corday's futures at County General are in jeopardy in this jolting episode. As it begins, Ross and Hathaway are continuing their controversial and unauthorized efforts to aid a 7-month-old boy born addicted to heroin. But when the procedure is discovered, it could lead to their terminations. Meanwhile, Corday is stunned to receive a brusque letter from Romano concerning her sponsorship; Carter suspects Del Amico's boyfriend (James Le Gros) when drugs are stolen; and a despondent patient shocks the staff with an unusually vicious and violent act. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
