Emergencies: How does it end?

Warning, spoilers. The following article will reveal the main plot points of ER as well as its ending.

On April 2, 2009, after 15 years of good and faithful service, Urgences finally closed its doors after ruling the television world for 15 seasons and 331 episodes. Michael Crichton’s iconic series, which won 23 Emmy Awards, averaged 16.2 million viewers per special 2-hour episode. It is called “Finally” in the original version or “NFS, chimie, iono…curtain” in our case. We still don’t know exactly what these three assays measure, but here we instinctively go back in time…

Season 15, episode 22 opens with new interns entering the living corridors of Cook County.

A teenage girl in an alcoholic coma, an HIV-positive gay patient who discovers he has terminal cancer and decides, with the support of a friend, not to seek treatment, an elderly patient with a broken wrist who ends up in the hospital twice. Wandering, a bride and her new mother-in-law are injured in a drunken wedding brawl, which continues to argue, leaving the groom torn between caring for his mother or his wife’s lover…

Cook County ER truly never sleeps! Dr. Carter (Noah Wylie) and Dr. Brenner (David Lyons), meanwhile, tend to have twins. But when the second child comes, complications begin. It is discovered that the mother has an inverted uterus and requires an emergency C-section. If the second child requires intensive care, the mother ends up leaving the husband devastated, and the surgeons do everything they can to save him.

And as if one disaster wasn’t enough, Marjorie Manning, an elderly former patient with multiple sclerosis, sepsis and pulmonary edema, ends up in the emergency room with her husband. The latter does not want to let his wife go at first, but with the advice of Dr. Tony Gates (John Stamos) he finally accepts the inevitable.

Before Marjorie dies, her daughter confides to Dr. Samantha Taggart (Linda Cardellini) that her mother was an incredibly difficult woman, but she still loved her. A situation reminiscent of Sam calling his own mother.

It’s also Sam’s birthday, and Alex and Tony decide to give him an unforgettable present. Sam and Tony’s day ends on a sour note with reconciliation in the air.

Mark Green’s daughter, Rachel (Hally Hirsch), meanwhile, visits the hospital as a potential medical student and interviews for a place in the training program. He is interviewed by Dr. Catherine Banfield (Angela Bassett), who then confides in Carter that he passed the first stage.

The latter then shows him around the building, which he will need for admission to medical school. So it looks like another Dr. Green will be practicing in Cook County: the circle is complete.

John opens a clinic for the needy. In the audience we can see Peter Benton (Eric La Salle), his son Reese (Matthew Watkins), Carrie Weaver (Laura Innes) or even Susan Lewis (Sherry Stringfield). Carter names the facility after his late son, Joshua, and after this event, a glimmer of hope appears: a possible reconciliation between him and Cam (then Newton), Joshua’s mother.

He later finds himself drinking with some of his old friends, including Elizabeth Corday (Alex Kingston), who has come to his interview with Rachel. Benton and Corday hang around after everyone goes their separate ways, while John, Susan and Rachel head to Cook County to start the clock.

The episode, and thus the series, ends with… an emergency! Several victims of an industrial explosion are taken to the hospital. Dr. Morris (Scott Grimes) is ordered to triage patients. In the parking lot, Dr. Carter calls a young Dr. Green to help with the treatment.

Six critically ill patients follow each other before the series’ theme music begins. The camera then pulls back to reveal Cook County for the first and only time. If this is the end of the emergency, the emergency does not stop.