Re: [ISTATALK-L] Episode of ER

[Robert Abrams <rabrams@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Additional bit of information...

This episode is called "Viable Options" from the 6th Season of ER.  It is
not available on DVD yet, so if anyone has digital cable or TiVo and can
get this episode, it would be greatly appreciated.

Here is a sub-plot cummary from the episode... source for summary is
http://www.digiserve.com/er/episodes/season6/er617s-r.html

Plot 2: The Chorean War
Terry Waters, 46, and Randall James, 25, two drivers involved in an auto
accident and subsequent fistfight, enter the ER under their own steam,
still threatening, shoving and punching each other. The combined efforts
of Romano, Kerry, Jing-Mei, Dave, Zadro, and Doris are required to
separate them and get them to a curtain area for exam, and Randall even
takes a swing at Dave, who overpowers him. The argument between the
motorists continues even after they are placed on gurneys side by side.
Randall rises to throw a tray at Terry, missing and shattering a window
glass; Terry retaliates by viciously stabbing Randall through the cheek
with Romano's pen. When both men are at last subdued, Kerry sardonically
reminds Romano of his earlier comparison of ER duty to "flipping burgers"
as she steps out of the case. Randall still has the pen protruding from
the left side of his face, and Romano cautions Dave not to yank it out, as
they still need to check for damage to the facial nerve, "not to mention
damage to my pen." He responds to Randall's whimpers of protest by telling
him to shut up.
Jing-Mei tends to Terry Waters' minor injuries while listening to his
conversation with his daughter, Jo. Terry is still fuming over the
specifics of the accident, and he continues to be irritable as well as
physically clumsy. In private, Jo tells Jing-Mei that she's never seen her
father this way prior to this week; he has no history of a bad temper, and
she can't believe he ran into a car and stabbed someone with a pen. She
also mentions recent balance problems on his part. Jing-Mei asks a few
questions in pursuit of a diagnostic hunch, and tells the daughter she has
ordered a head CT.
Mark and Jing-Mei review Terry's CT, which shows no mass or lesion. Mark
questions Jing-Mei on the symptoms and family history, and Jing-Mei
reveals that while Terry's mother is living, not much is known about his
father, who committed suicide when Terry was 14. This seems to support a
hunch of Mark's, and he and Jing-Mei go to talk to the patient together.
At Terry's bedside, the two doctors educate him on Huntington's chorea, a
hereditary and progressive neurological disorder with which his
presentation is consistent.
In contrast to his furious reaction to the minor auto accident, he absorbs
the news of this fatal, incurable, and horrifically physically and
mentally debilitating illness with a stunned but calm and dignified
demeanor. Jing-Mei confirms that there is a 50/50 chance that he has
passed the Huntington's gene on his own daughter, Jo.
Jing-Mei later returns to Terry with a Friday genetics appointment to go
over the results of testing, and Terry comments that it is the same
morning as his court date for the pen incident. Jing-Mei reminds him that
uncontrollable temper is a symptom of his disease; he responds, "That's a
pretty lousy excuse." When Jing-Mei broaches the subject of testing for Jo
(who is in the lobby with her fiance), she is surprised to learn that
Terry has no plans to tell Jo of his condition and the possibility that
she carries the gene. Jing-Mei makes a convincing case that Jo deserves to
know, so that if she does have the Huntington's gene and the abbreviated
life span that comes with it, she can make decisions with that knowledge
in mind: whether to work, whether to have children, and so on. However,
Terry is firm in his refusal to share this information with his daughter,
arguing that she is better off not knowing, just as he did not know from
his own father. He feels she will live a happier and less inhibited life
in ignorance, and concludes his argument by saying, "She's had a good life
up until now...I want to keep it that way for as long as I can."
Jing-Mei makes her case to Mark, who agrees with her in spirit but sternly
reminds her that Terry, not Jo, is her patient, and that as questionable
as Terry's choice is, they cannot give Jo information that her father does
not want her to have. As Terry is preparing to leave the hospital,
Jing-Mei chats briefly with Jo and her fiance, who believe that the change
in Terry is due to depression or emotional turmoil, perhaps associated
with the upcoming wedding. Jing-Mei's face reflects her unhappiness about
keeping the secret, but she remains tight-lipped as Terry thanks her and
leaves with Jo. She sadly watches them walk away.

Thanks for your help.

Bob

Robert D. Abrams
Science Department
HF High School
(708) 799-3000 ext. 5638
http://www.misterabrams.com

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