THE SERIES E.R. has been on the air for twelve seasons, and while each season
seems to lose the entertaining and energetic nature of the show’s early
years on the air, the excellent DVD releases by Warner Home Entertainment make
it possible to re-experience the chaotic first days of Lucy Knight, the rule
breaking Dr. Doug Ross, and Carol Hathaway, dealing with a pregnancy all by
herself. While Season Five of E.R. is best known for George
Clooney’s exit from the show, it is the wonderfully spunky and niave Lucy
Knight’s (Kellie Martin) arrive that brings another surge of energy to
the show for another two years.
THE SEASON
Lucy Knight stumbles upon a bleeding man as she exits the L-train. Walking toward
her first day in County General, she expected to get blood on her lab coat,
but little did she know that it would happen before she ever stepped in the
door. Once she finally enters the halls of County General, Lucy is given a blistering
tour by Mark Green (Anthony Edwards) before told to simply “grab a chart
and jump right in.”
As this season follows Lucy’s struggle to get acclimated to her new life
as a 24 hour slave to the hospital, we also follow the doctor’s we have
known for the last few years as they encounter knew loves, losses and personal
issues. Dr. Green first has to overcome his attack last year before he is able
to move on with his life and connect with his daughter and the mysterious new
hospital employee Amanda Lee. While Carol Hathaway (Juliana Margulies) stands
by, Dr. Doug Ross is forced to make a decision for his future, break the rules
to treat a child or keep his job. With her ability to stay in this country at
risk, Dr. Cordday (Alex Kingston) must struggle with the hardships of being
an intern all over again. Perhaps the most affected during this new season is
Dr. Benton (Eriq La Salle). First he discovers his son is deaf, then has to
hide his blooming relationship with Cordday, all while concerning himself with
the health of his friend and coworker Dr. Boulet (Gloria Reuben). Season five
also marks the first time that Dr. Carter (Noah Wyle) reveals a more tormented
side as he struggles with his family, his living situation (as an RA at the
local Medical School), and his conflicting feelings for Lucy Knight.
Ultimately, Season five all comes back to Knight, a source of renewed energy,
storylines and character that allows E.R. to truly reinvent
itself for perhaps its first time, shifting the focus to some of the previously
underused actors on the show. The second best season of the series (following
closely behind the spectacular Season Four), these episodes are a reminder that
E.R. used to be challenging, deep and full of emotion, instead
of some “stunt for the week” program that it has developed into.
SOUND AND VISION As Warner Brothers has increased their television releases, the
quality of the transfer has improved. Where as the first season was presented
in full frame, this season of E.R. is presented in a crisp, better than when
it aired 16x9 anamorphic widescreen presentation. A nice treat to have such
a nice presentation. The audio is also strong, presented in a nice 5.1 surround
sound. There are also English, Spanish and French subtitles.
PACKAGING AND LAYOUT Warner has kept consistent in the style of releases for its recent
drama series. In a foldout digipack comes six discs, all decorated with similar
(in E.R.’s case the same) artwork featuring characters
from the specific series. This season’s image features Dr. Carter in action
as seen on the front cover of the packaging. The graphic design of the box carries
on the same style as the previous releases, looking nice on the shelf with the
first four seasons. Really, the only change that Warner has made is to the digipack
itself. Rather than including a booklet that lists the episodes, Warner has
revised the digipack to include disc content such as episode synopsis and special
features. This is a suitable change that really doesn’t detract from the
overall presentation. The menu remains the same as previous seasons as well.
In effect, Warner has treated the E.R. releases with consistency
in presentation and style.
SPECIAL FEATURES Yet this is where Warner Home Video is not consistent. Though
not renowned for their TV boxed set extras, Warner has always included a few
featurettes, some deleted scenes and a gag reel with their previous releases.
While these are never anything truly impressive, they are a nice summary of
the season, focusing on a special episode or storyline. This time, Warner has
excised the featurettes, instead merely including the deleted scenes and gag
reel.
• Outpatient Outtakes: Unaired Scenes- Spread across the six discs are
these deleted scenes. Each one is linked to the specific episode from which
it came. While none are incredible, it is nice to see their inclusion as it
makes the DVD set more special than merely watching the show in syndication.
What is rather interesting is how these are labeled outtakes? Although the intent
is clear, it seems rather confusing due to the “gag reel” being
commonly referred to as outtakes.
• Cutups: Gagreel- And shouldn’t the scenes edited out of the episode
be refered to as the “cutups.” Even though Warner Home Entertainment
may have got their labeling wrong, this is a fun, albeit short inclusion to
the overall set.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Consistency is Warner’s goal as it releases the fifth season on DVD. For
those who have followed E.R. and enjoy it, this is one of the
best seasons of the series. While the episodes are run in syndication very often,
it is nice to have them remastered in widescreen format. While there are some
minor packaging, layout and special feature changes, E.R.:- The Complete
Fifth Season is merely a continuation in the overall style of the E.R.
DVD series. Recommended for fans of the show (especially at the nice price that
Warner is offering it at), this is one of the most entertaining seasons that
remind viewers of what a great series it was.
Overall Series Score: A-
Overall Season Score: A-
Overall Sound + Vision Score: A-
Overall Packaging and Layout Score: B+
Overall Special Features Score: C+ Overall DVD Score: B+
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