| Homecoming (season premiere) | Carter is released from rehab and makes an uneasy journey home. Meanwhile, a custodial strike leads to chaos in the ER, where patients include a high-school athlete (Wentworth Miller).
| Sand and Water | Parents of a premature baby beg the doctors to save him; a woman (Rosemary Forsyth) brings in her partner; Romano and Benton clash over a patient's treatment; Carter attends an AA meeting and sees someone he knows.
| Mars Attacks | Carter befriends a handicapped youngster (Alex D. Linz); because of a surgeon shortage, Corday instructs Greene via intercom on an operational procedure; some patients are arrested.
| Benton Backwards | Alan Young (of Mister Ed fame) guest stars as a nursing-home patient in this absorbing episode, which contains some scenes of startling violence, both in and out of the ER. Archie Mellonston (Young), who's recently started speaking as if he were back in the Korean War, is brought in for treatment and Weaver takes an interest in him. Meanwhile, the clash between Benton and Romano (Eriq La Salle, Paul McCrane) reaches a surprising climax, and Greene gets special help for a pageant contestant who was injured at a beauty salon.
| Flight of Fancy | Carter has to tell a teen (Blake Heron) a secret concerning the lad's health; Greene has a perilous journey with a heart patient (John Pyper-Ferguson) aboard a helicopter; Kovac tries to identify a mugger.
| The Visit | Two-time Academy Award winner Sally Field makes her first of six appearances (three in a row, three next spring) in a well-scripted episode written by executive producer John Wells. Field plays Maggie, who arrives---exuberantly and unexpectedly---in the ER and says that she's Abby's mother. This occurs on a typically busy day, during which Kovac suspects that a teen is a child-abuse victim; Corday treats a middle-aged surfer with a back problem; and Benton is called upon to try to save his wounded nephew. But when a staffer tells Abby (Maura Tierney) that her mother is there to see her, she denies that the woman is who she claims to be.
| Rescue Me | On Thanksgiving, Abby battles with her mom (Sally Field), while Chen's mother (Nancy Kwan) shows up at the hospital, both Corday and Greene fall ill, and an explosion occurs.
| The Dance We Do | Maggie (Sally Field) goes for a job interview; Greene receives disturbing news; Corday appears at a deposition hearing; Benton's nephew's girlfriend (Toy Connor) is treated.
| The Greatest of Gifts | The compassionate strength of Abby Lockhart (Maura Tierney) shines, albeit briefly, in this well-written episode that focuses on Carter (Noah Wyle). Assigned to night duty, Carter's first shift ends in overtime and he's wiped out. Before he can sleep, however, his pager summons him back to the hospital because Chen (Ming-Na) is about to deliver and he's her birthing coach. A tired Carter then has to act as liaison between the new mother and the adoptive parents, who fear that Chen will renege once she's seen her baby. But when Carter experiences a crucial moment in his recovery, he turns to Abby, who shares a history of substance abuse and has attended AA meetings with him.
| Piece of Mind | Jim Belushi delivers a dramatic turn in this powerful episode. Belushi plays Daniel Harris, a domineering father who is rushed to County after a car accident leaves him with a head injury and his teenage son (Jared Padalecki) in critical condition. But once the truth about the crash comes out, Daniel takes a turn for the worse and soon becomes the one fighting for his life---and for the forgiveness of his wife (Lynda Boyd). Meanwhile, Corday and Green (Alex Kingston, Anthony Edwards) face their worst fears as they visit New York for an experimental surgery to remove Mark's brain tumor.
| Rock, Paper, Scissors | In this well-scripted installment, James Cromwell makes his first appearance as a Catholic bishop, a character who figures prominently in three episodes slated to air in February. The prelate is treated by Kovac (Goran Visnjic), who also has the task of tending to the young victim of a drunken driver, as well as the driver himself. As the drama unfolds, it's time for Carter (Noah Wyle) to have his performance evaluated by Weaver (Laura Innes), but he doesn't necessarily want to tell her about his momentary crisis. And Kynesha (Toy Connor) continues to cause a clash between Benton and Cleo (Eriq La Salle, Michael Michele).
| Surrender | A strong episode focuses on Weaver (Laura Innes). Her day begins on a new relationship plateau with Legaspi (Elizabeth Mitchell). Work becomes particularly stressful after her inquiry as to where an injured illegal immigrant was picked up leads to an accidental sweatshop fire with tragic consequences. Other storylines concern Abby (Maura Tierney), who contends with two retirement-home residents (Tom Poston, Tom Bosley) whose argument over a female retiree got physical; Benton, who's surprised when Romano suddenly gives him a raise and even more stunned when he learns why; and Corday, who has a crisis during surgery.
| Thy Will Be Done | James Cromwell returns as Bishop Stewart, the prelate treated by Kovac (Goran Visnjic) in an earlier episode. The bishop comes back to the hospital and tells Kovac that he will stay there as long as necessary for treatment but refuses to be admitted. Other patients include a 16-year-old (Josh Peck) who doesn't want to have a third heart transplant and a gay man (Robert Beitzel) who won't practice safe sex. Carter, however, isn't concerned about medical matters. In need of a last-minute date for a black-tie charity function, he asks Abby (Maura Tierney) to accompany him.
| A Walk in the Woods | A fast-moving episode begins with most of the women of ER in bed. Cleo awakens to find Benton in a romantic mood; Corday has Greene listening to her rambunctious fetus; a happy Weaver wakes up at Legaspi's; and Abby questions Kovac about his late wife. The work day starts with Chen (Ming-Na) returning after having given birth and immediately being faced with an unconscious 4-year-old. Also: Bishop Stewart (James Cromwell) comes back for a treatment that will allow him to preside at an ordination; Weaver and Greene clash over his ability to work following brain surgery; and Weaver feels awkward when Legaspi and a female friend drop by to invite her to dinner.
| The Crossing | A commuter-train accident provides the backdrop for a riveting episode. Arriving at the wreckage, Carter and Kovac (Noah Wyle, Goran Visnjic) find a firefighter (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) whose rescue attempt has left him trapped beneath the first car of the train. Another victim is a mother (Stacy Haiduk), who, despite being impaled on a shard of metal, is more concerned with the safety of her young son, who had been sitting next to her. At the ER, where some of the injured have been sent, Benton (Eriq La Salle) tries to instruct Carter by telephone on how to perform a double amputation.
| Witch Hunt | A baby is taken from the hospital; detectives and administrators question Legaspi (Elizabeth Mitchell) about a patient's charges; Carter finds out his date's true age.
| Survival of the Fittest | A freak shooting incident takes place during a typically busy shift. In a swamped ER, Benton questions why Mrs. Howard (Adrian Ricard) is present. He operated on the 79-year-old nursing-home resident a month ago, but she's back in the hospital because she hasn't been eating. When two police officers arrive with a gunshot victim, the disoriented Mrs. Howard calls out to them, claiming that her purse has been stolen. Minutes later, she grabs an officer's gun---and shots ring out. In another development, Carter (Noah Wyle, the 2001 TV GUIDE Award winner for Favorite Supporting Actor in a Drama Series) treats an overweight student for an asthma attack and discovers what triggered it.
| April Showers | It's Corday and Greene's wedding day, but---amid a heavy rain that shows no sign of letting up---they seem to be encountering nothing but trouble in getting to the church on time. Things begin on a sentimental note as Corday's mother (Judy Parfitt) presents her with earrings that have been in the family for three generations. Then Greene (Anthony Edwards) realizes that he left his wallet at the hospital, and his trip to retrieve it becomes a series of misadventures that includes his car being towed. Corday (Alex Kingston) has her own auto difficulties---the limousine service knows nothing about arrangements to pick her up. In another storyline, the ER staff deals with injuries caused by an overturned prison van.
| Sailing Away | Superb performances by Sally Field (as Abby's bipolar mother, Maggie) and Maura Tierney (Abby) highlight this episode.After learning that her mom's been holed up in an Oklahoma motel for three weeks, Abby decides to fly there and bring her to Chicago for treatment. Carter (Noah Wyle) offers to go with Abby to help, but his kindness upsets Rena (Lourdes Benedicto), who's jealous of Abby. Luka isn't pleased about it either. The ensuing action alternates between events at the hospital and the car journey back---with Abby arriving home to find her mother unconscious in the back seat.
| Fear of Commitment | Maggie (Sally Field) testifies in a court hearing; Weaver learns that a patient (Bette Ford) was a TV personality she liked as a child; Benton's ex-teacher has a heart attack.
| Where the Heart Is | Maggie (Sally Field) wants to return to where she grew up; Greene suspects that a 7-year-old is being abused; a developmentally challenged woman is an auto-accident victim, along with her brother.
| Rampage (season finale) | A gunman is at large and Greene fears for his family's safety.As Greene (Anthony Edwards) arrives at the hospital, so does a trio of ambulances---carrying victims of a shooter who has wounded more than a dozen people at a foster-care facility. Amid the attempts to save lives, Abby and Kovac disagree about her future, while Weaver clashes with Romano. When the gunman's latest victim is brought in, she tells Greene the identity of the assailant. It's then that he realizes that his family is in jeopardy. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
