ER: The Complete Fourth Season

The 22 episodes of the 1997-98 fourth season witness big changes at County General's Trauma Center—changes that begin to take ER in a different direction from the one initiated by show creator Michael Crichton, as the focus continues to shift from workplace interaction to the personal lives of the doctors and nurses. Following the departure of Sherry Stringfield's Dr. Susan Lewis, the series welcomes two new characters for the fourth season: doctors Elizabeth Corday (Alex Kingston) and Anna Del Amico (Maria Bello). This year also witnesses the winding down of William H. Macy's participation in the show, as his character, Dr. Morganstern, is sidelined early on by a heart attack and he delegates his authority to Dr. Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes). The season opener “Ambush” features a contemporary network TV primetime innovation: ostensibly the product of a TV crew shooting a documentary, it was broadcast live. “When the Bough Breaks” finds tempers flaring when the ER is flooded with children injured in a school-bus accident. The Christmas episode “Do You See What I See?” centers on the apparent miracle of Dr. Peter Barton (Eriq La Salle) curing a blind man, just as Dr. Doug Ross (George Clooney) and nurse Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies) tell the staff about their previously clandestine relationship. Doug takes center stage in the season finale “A Hole in the Heart,” which finds him under a cloud after performing an illegal treatment. While still distinguished by top-flight writing and acting, the fourth season reflects a growing problem that will afflict ER in years to come: too many principals vying for screen time and juicy subplots (Bello, for example, left the show after this one season). Still, this collection maintains the high standard, overall, that the series set for itself early on. DVD extras include two featurettes on the season opener, deleted scenes, and a gag reel. Recommended. (E. Hulse)