I don't know where people got the impression that Lahti came on after Patinkin left the first time. They were on the show together, quite memorably in my opinion. Lahti was either part of the original cast or added very shortly after it began. And no one is talking about Tommy Wilmette, the ex-husband. He was evil-brilliant. My favorite episode (which I still have on VHS in a packing box somewhere) was when an argument broke out between Geiger and Willmette in the corridor.
They were facing each other, sort of countering each other's aggression by moving in a circle, and the camera circled with them, giving us a view of both of them, and they were talking over each other at exactly the same decibel, yet you could sort of understand what each was saying. Finally Wilmette prevailed, raising his voice. Geiger says, "That was fun. I'd go two for three, but I have surgery," turned around and left. It was classic! And while I agree it was a mistake to write out Peter MacNichol's character, the lawyer, his death was some of the best dramatic writing I've ever seen in television. He was shot by a patient, and as he was struggling to speak, he said, "You can take steps to make sure the hospital assumes no liability for this..." the gathered cast then cheers and says, "He's going to be just fine!" which as it turns out he wasn't, but he was in every cell of his body a lawyer until the end.
Then there was the time Camille Schut had, inexplicably, slept with Billy Cronk. The next day she encountered Aaron at a funeral for their mutual longtime rabbi. "You smell like sex," he told her as they were standing around the burial site. "Excuse me," she says. "You smell like sex," he replies, "I've had sex with you and I know that you smell like sex." I thought Diane Grad and Billy Cronk were a great storyline - until they got married. I liked Aaron Schut and his struggle after his stroke. It gave him a chance to really explore his anger. Prior to that, the extent of his emotional range was whining to Hector Elizondo, "Why is everyone else more important than me?" Most of the time I think crossover shows are stupid, but there was one with Picket Fences where reference was made to Cook County General (the hospital portrayed on ER) and Hector Elizondo said, "We never talk about that other hospital." Anyway, Christine Lahti was on with Patinkin during his original stint with the show. His torment of her and his ardent dislike for Tommy WIlmette was one of the points of watching. It was far and above ER in terms of quality and writing. But it did go downhill in the last two seasons.
They were facing each other, sort of countering each other's aggression by moving in a circle, and the camera circled with them, giving us a view of both of them, and they were talking over each other at exactly the same decibel, yet you could sort of understand what each was saying. Finally Wilmette prevailed, raising his voice. Geiger says, "That was fun. I'd go two for three, but I have surgery," turned around and left. It was classic! And while I agree it was a mistake to write out Peter MacNichol's character, the lawyer, his death was some of the best dramatic writing I've ever seen in television. He was shot by a patient, and as he was struggling to speak, he said, "You can take steps to make sure the hospital assumes no liability for this..." the gathered cast then cheers and says, "He's going to be just fine!" which as it turns out he wasn't, but he was in every cell of his body a lawyer until the end.
Then there was the time Camille Schut had, inexplicably, slept with Billy Cronk. The next day she encountered Aaron at a funeral for their mutual longtime rabbi. "You smell like sex," he told her as they were standing around the burial site. "Excuse me," she says. "You smell like sex," he replies, "I've had sex with you and I know that you smell like sex." I thought Diane Grad and Billy Cronk were a great storyline - until they got married. I liked Aaron Schut and his struggle after his stroke. It gave him a chance to really explore his anger. Prior to that, the extent of his emotional range was whining to Hector Elizondo, "Why is everyone else more important than me?" Most of the time I think crossover shows are stupid, but there was one with Picket Fences where reference was made to Cook County General (the hospital portrayed on ER) and Hector Elizondo said, "We never talk about that other hospital." Anyway, Christine Lahti was on with Patinkin during his original stint with the show. His torment of her and his ardent dislike for Tommy WIlmette was one of the points of watching. It was far and above ER in terms of quality and writing. But it did go downhill in the last two seasons.