Motherhood (ER)

Last updated

"Motherhood"
ER episode
Motherhood - ER episode.png
Carol and Susan take a break to sunbathe on the roof of the hospital, in a scene Decider found reminiscent of Reservoir Dogs . [1]
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 24
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Written by Lydia Woodward
Featured musicMartin Davich
Cinematography byRichard Thorpe
Editing byJim Gross
Production code456623
Original air dateMay 11, 1995 (1995-05-11)
Running time47 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Love Among the Ruins"		Next →
"Everything Old Is New Again"
ER (season 1)
List of episodes

"Motherhood" is the twenty-fourth and penultimate episode of the first season of the American medical drama ER . Written by supervising producer Lydia Woodward and directed by Quentin Tarantino, the episode was first broadcast on NBC on May 11, 1995.

Contents

In the Mother's Day-themed episode, Susan Lewis helps her sister Chloe give birth, John Carter learns the true outcome of his surgical internship application, and Peter Benton is told tragic news about his mother. Writing the episode, Woodward said she did not create the script with Tarantino in mind, but that she did try to "gross out" the screenplay after learning he would direct.

In its initial airing, "Motherhood" received the highest rating of the week, in front of episodes from Friends and Seinfeld , and was watched in a total of 21.8 million homes by 33.1 million viewers. The episode also received generally positive reviews from critics, who enjoyed the episode but also said that for ER, the directing style of Tarantino did not stand out.

Synopsis

Late at night, pregnant Chloe (Kathleen Wilhoite) tells her sister Susan Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) that she is experiencing frequent contractions. At the hospital, Chloe gives birth and sings "Blackbird" to her newly born daughter, who she names "Little Susan" after her sister. On Mother's Day, Susan learns from her mother Cookie Lewis (Valerie Perrine) that she will have to help Chloe take care of her daughter. Meanwhile, John Carter (Noah Wyle) learns that he has not been accepted to the surgical internship he applied for, and Peter Benton (Eriq La Salle) learns that his mother has died. Additionally, Doug Ross (George Clooney) takes a long time to decide whether he wants to move in with his girlfriend Diane Leeds (Lisa Zane), who later rejects him after seeing him with his former girlfriend Linda. At night, Benton expresses his grief over his mother's death and Chloe sings "Blackbird" to help her baby fall asleep.

Production

"Motherhood" was directed by Quentin Tarantino and written by ER supervising producer Lydia Woodward. Tarantino decided to come on board as director after George Clooney (the actor who was portraying Doug Ross on ER) gave him the idea after filming From Dusk till Dawn . Writing the episode, Woodward said that she did not create the script with Tarantino in mind, but did try to "gross out" the scenes featured in the episode after learning he would direct. [2] [3]

For his work on the episode, Tarantino received $30,000 from NBC. [4] Filming it, Tarantino said he "liked the ER style" and the use of Steadicams to shoot long takes. On set, the director encountered a problem with executive producer John Wells, who told him to go back and reshoot a scene. Tarantino said that the incident taught him that in television, the choices were actually made by the producers as it was "their show. I'm directing the episode, and then I'm leaving". [5] Julianna Margulies mentioned that Tarantino would only shoot one take for the scenes so the network would be forced to accept his cut of the episode without any interference. [6]

Reception

Viewership

According to the ratings system developed by Nielsen Media Research, "Motherhood" was the highest-rated television episode of the week from May 8 to May 14, 1995, in front of episodes from Friends ("The One with the Birth") and Seinfeld ("The Face Painter") that aired the same week. [7] With a household rating of 22.9 and an audience share of 37, the NBC episode was watched by 33.1 million viewers in a total of 21.8 million homes. [8] [9]

Critical response

Various critics said the directing style of Quentin Tarantino did not stand out to them in the episode. Quentin Tarantino by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Various critics said the directing style of Quentin Tarantino did not stand out to them in the episode.

The ER episode received generally positive reviews from critics, who gave generally positive notes to director Quentin Tarantino. [1] In a review from the Detroit Free Press , a critic said that the episode was "high-powered, fast-paced, [and] darkly funny", and said that the episode contained "sudden moments of intense, emotion-grabbing sentiment." [10] Writing for The Boston Globe , Frederic M. Biddle said that NBC's choice of hiring a film director like Tarantino was risky, but ultimately said that the "gift of mischief dazzles." [11]

Additionally, television critic Hal Boedeker simply called the episode "memorable", and said that it revealed "unexpected tenderness" from the director. [12] [13] In a positive note, David Zurawik from The Baltimore Sun compared Tarantino's dark humor to the jokes found in M*A*S*H and St. Elsewhere , [14] while Richard Helm, writing for the Edmonton Journal , said that he felt Tarantino was "[fighting] the temptation" of applying his "reputation on shock violence and dark humor" to the episode. [15] On a mixed review from The News-Press , Kinney Littlefield said that Tarantino's directing style on the episode was "edgy" but that for ER, it did not stand out. [16]

From the South Florida Sun Sentinel , Tom Jicha wrote that overall, the episode was not worse than others from the season. [17] Writing for The Indianapolis Star , Steve Hall gave the episode two and a half stars out of five, and said Tarantino's unique style of directing was "almost undetectable". [18] In his weekday column on the Lansing State Journal , Mike Hughes said the episode was not special compared to others on ER, writing that "Tarantino is smart enough to avoid overwhelming the show. He adds his few touches, but mainly lets ER be itself." [19] In 2019, Gold Derby ranked it as the 20th best episode in the series. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quentin Tarantino</span> American filmmaker (born 1963)

Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to popular culture. His work has earned a cult following alongside critical and commercial success; he has been named by some as the single most influential director of his generation and has received numerous awards and nominations, including two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards.

<i>ER</i> (TV series) American medical drama television series (1994–2009)

ER is an American medical drama television series created by Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994, to April 2, 2009, with a total of 331 episodes spanning 15 seasons. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Television, in association with Warner Bros. Television. ER follows the inner life of the emergency room (ER) of Cook County General Hospital, a fictionalized version of the real Cook County Hospital, in Chicago, and the various critical professional, ethical, and personal issues faced by the department's physicians, nurses, and staff.

<i>Veronicas Closet</i> American television sitcom

Veronica's Closet is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman. It aired on NBC for three seasons, from September 25, 1997 to December 7, 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKMG-TV</span> TV station in Orlando, Florida

WKMG-TV is a television station in Orlando, Florida, United States, affiliated with CBS and owned by Graham Media Group. The station's studios are located on John Young Parkway in Orlando, and its transmitter is located on Brown Road near Christmas, Florida.

<i>Law & Order</i> season 7 Season of television series

The following is a list of Law & Order episodes from the series' seventh season (1996–1997): During the seventh season, Law & Order was becoming more popular than ever on television and was NBC's 2nd most-popular drama; however, the ratings were usually half the size of the network's hit drama ER. NBC decided to give Law & Order some additional promotion by airing episodes 149 "D-Girl", 150 "Turnaround" & 151 "Showtime" on Thursday nights at 10pm ET instead of ER reruns. Ratings for all three episodes were strong and helped establish the show on NBC's schedule for years to come. Episode 152 "Mad Dog" was supposed to air on a Thursday night as well, but NBC moved Law & Order back to Wednesdays at 10pm ET when their midseason show, the police drama Prince Street, bombed in the ratings in that same time slot. Law & Order won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series for their work in the 7th season.

<i>Seinfeld</i> season 6 Season of television series

The sixth season of Seinfeld, an American comedy television series created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, began airing on September 22, 1994, and concluded on May 18, 1995, on NBC. Season six placed first in the Nielsen ratings, above Home Improvement and ER.

<i>ER</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the American fictional drama television series ER aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to May 18, 1995. This season, containing 25 episodes, is the longest running of the series.

<i>ER</i> season 2 Season of television series

The second season of the American fictional drama television series ER first aired on NBC from September 21, 1995 to May 16, 1996. The second season consists of 22 episodes.

<i>ER</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of the American fictional drama television series ER first aired on September 24, 1998, and concluded on May 20, 1999. The fifth season consists of 22 episodes, including the series' 100th episode.

<i>Friends</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the American television sitcom Friends aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 18, 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quentin Tarantino filmography</span>

Quentin Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer who has directed ten films. He first began his career in the 1980s by directing and writing Love Birds In Bondage and writing, directing and starring in the black-and-white My Best Friend's Birthday, an amateur short film which was never officially released. He impersonated musician Elvis Presley in a small role in the sitcom The Golden Girls (1988), and briefly appeared in Eddie Presley (1992). As an independent filmmaker, he directed, wrote, and appeared in the violent crime thriller Reservoir Dogs (1992), which tells the story of six strangers brought together for a jewelry heist. Proving to be Tarantino's breakthrough film, it was named the greatest independent film of all time by Empire. Tarantino's screenplay for Tony Scott's True Romance (1993) was nominated for a Saturn Award. Also in 1993, he served as an executive producer for Killing Zoe and wrote two other films.

The following is a list of unproduced Quentin Tarantino projects in roughly chronological order. During his career, American film director Quentin Tarantino has worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these projects were officially cancelled and scrapped or fell into development hell.

Star Trek 4 is the working title of an American science fiction film in development at Paramount Pictures based on the television series Star Trek by Gene Roddenberry. It is intended to be the 15th feature film in the Star Trek film franchise and the 5th of the franchise's reboot films. There have been several different iterations of the film in development since 2015.

"Ambush" is the premiere episode of the fourth season of the American medical drama ER. The 70th episode overall, it was written by executive producer Carol Flint and directed by Thomas Schlamme and it was first broadcast on NBC on September 25, 1997, as a live episode, filmed twice for the East and West Coast. The episode was also pre-filmed in the event a technical issue happened.

References

  1. 1 2 Reid, Joe (May 11, 2017). "Today in TV History: Quentin Tarantino Brought Some Blood to the ER". Decider . Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  2. ↑ Rossen, Jake (January 14, 2016). "When Quentin Tarantino Directed an Episode of ER". Mental Floss . Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  3. ↑ Holmes, Anna (August 25, 1995). "Quentin Tarantino directs an episode of ER". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  4. ↑ Frere, Jackie (August 2, 2019). "40 Behind-the-Scenes Photos on Set With Quentin Tarantino". Esquire . Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  5. ↑ Quentin Tarantino: Interviews. Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. 1998. p. 188. ISBN   978-1-578-06051-1.
  6. ↑ Sharf, Zack (April 23, 2021). "Quentin Tarantino Directed ER in One-Takes So NBC Would Be Forced to Use His Cut". IndieWire . Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  7. ↑ Elber, Lynn (May 18, 1995). "NBC tops Nielsen ratings, leads in May sweep". The Spokesman-Review . Spokane, Washington. p. 43. Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Prime-Time Ratings Top 10 TV Shows". Green Bay Press-Gazette . Green Bay, Wisconsin. May 18, 1995. p. 39. Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Nielsen ratings". USA Today . May 17, 1995. p. 3D.
  10. ↑ "Tarantino's punk flair meets its match in ER". Detroit Free Press . Detroit, Michigan. May 11, 1995. p. 41. Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ M. Biddle, Frederic (May 11, 1995). "ER gets a twist of Tarantino". The Boston Globe . Boston, Massachusetts. p. 72. Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Boedeker, Hal (May 11, 1995). "Quirky Tarantino directs tonight's ER". York Daily Record . York, Pennsylvania. p. 30. Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ Boedeker, Hal (May 11, 1995). "Quirky director does ER proud". The Orlando Sentinel . Orlando, Florida. p. 37. Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Zurawik, David (May 11, 1995). "Blood count rises with Tarantino directing ER". The Baltimore Sun . Baltimore, Maryland. p. 57. Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ Helm, Richard (May 11, 1995). "ER plus Tarantino a can't-miss combo". Edmonton Journal . Edmonton, Alberta. p. 56. Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ Littlefield, Kinney (May 11, 1995). "Tarantino's ER tame, but edgy". The News-Press . Fort Myers, Florida. p. 52. Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ Jicha, Tom (May 11, 1995). "Tarantino nurtures Mother's Day ER". South Florida Sun Sentinel . Fort Lauderdale, Florida. p. 63. Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ Hall, Steve (May 10, 1995). "Quentin does ER". The Indianapolis Star . Indianapolis, Indiana. p. 31. Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ Hughes, Mike (May 11, 1995). "Flaws are actor's specialty". Lansing State Journal . Lansing, Michigan. p. 29. Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ "'ER': 25 greatest episodes ranked worst to best". Gold Derby . September 18, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.