Warner Bros. | 2007 | 825 mins. | NR
As ER began its fourteenth season, everyone believed it would be its last. However, a combination of the writers’ strike and strong ratings for the series 300th episode brought the show back for a fifteenth season. Unfortunately the fourteenth season, released on DVD from Warner Home Video on January 11th, 2011, is extremely uneven, showing a noticeable lack of direction. However, the show still has moments of strength, due in large part to the performances of the regular cast and an impressive slate of guest appearances.
The most notable regular appearance is by Stanley Tucci as Dr. Daniel Moretti, the new head of the ER. Though harsh and abrupt, he proves himself to be adept at handling patients from the start, in the season opener: “The War Comes Home”. However, Tucci is only a supporting player here, and was gone before his character really had a chance to develop. One assumes he wasn’t signed for the fifteenth season.
Likely believing the fourteenth season to be their last, the cast of regulars had been pared down to six: (Parminder Nagra as Dr. Neela Rasgotra, Linda Cardellini as Nurse Sam Taggart, Scott Grimes as Dr. Archie Morris, John Stamos as Dr. Tony Gates, Maura Tierney as Dr. Abby Lockhart, and Mekhi Phifer as Dr. Greg Pratt) and that allows for not only the audience to really get to know the characters, but also for each of the actors to show what they can do. Tierney takes full advantage of the opportunity as Abby falls off the wagon and experiences a myriad of issues.
The landmark 300th episode, “300 Patients” is a bit of a disappointment. Morris wagers three hundred dollars that the ER can treat 300 patients in one 24-hour period. While former regular Goran Visnjic returns as Dr. Luka Kovac and Peter Fonda turns up as a man dealing with a terminally ill wife and an introduction to a son with Down Syndrome that he had given up at birth, there’s no heart in either of their performances.
Other guest appearances include: Charlotte Rae, Eddie Mekka, Hal Holbrook, Patrick Cassidy, Jesse Borrego, Howard Hesseman, and Steve Buscemi who appears in the final episode of the season. As you would expect from Buscemi, he gives everything he has to the part, but in the end, the episode is contrived.
While the fourteenth season of ER definitely shows its age, fans of the show will want to add this to their collections. There are still some good performances to be had.
The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfers on ER: The Complete Fourteenth Season are similar to those from seasons past. Black levels are deep and consistent, finely grained detail is sharp and impressive, and color accuracy is very good.
These Dolby Surround 2.0 mixes continue to disappoint; not much is done with the soundscape at all. The show’s mostly synthesized soundtrack comes through cleanly, and while atmospherics aren’t implicitly noticeable, these mixes treat effects nicely. Dialogue also sounds passable.
There are some deleted scenes – some are intriguing glimpses into storylines that might have been, but most were excised for a reason – as well as a featurette(ER at 300 – a look at the show’s tricentennial episode) and a blooper reel.
[xrrgroup][xrr label=”Video:” rating=”4.0/5″ group=”s1″ ] [xrr label=”Audio:” rating=”3.0/5″ group=”s1″] [xrr label=”Extras:” rating=”2.0/5″ group=”s1″] [xrr label=”Film Value:” rating=”2.0/5″ group=”s1″] [/xrrgroup]
