Top 10 Most Emotional ER Moments
#10: “That Old Black Magic”
“Day One”
In this early episode, the show is still finding its footing. But one thing that’s present from the beginning is “ER’s” unflinching look at grief in the face of death. An elderly couple presents the doctors with an ethical dilemma. Afraid to face the death of his ailing wife, a man refuses to honor her DNR. However, she convinces him to let her go. A touching scene shows him singing to her after she has passed away. It’s dramatic, tragic, and achingly human. And it’s one of the moments that set the tone for the show.
#9: Abby Admits She Needs Help
“300 Patients”
Dr. Abby Lockhart and Luka Kovač were a great couple. But they had their fair share of troubles. Abby’s alcohol use disorder is a major storyline throughout the show’s latter half, and her relapse in season 14 demonstrates how difficult sobriety can be. She bravely but sadly admits that she needs help. Luka is compassionate, but he also balances it with accountability. There’s nothing neat or simple about it. Tackling this issue has already taken so much out of both of them, but they’ll do it together. It’s not melodramatic. It’s simply two people who love each other and want to work together to make things better.
#8: Jesse’s Death
“The Visit”
Dr. Peter Benton lives out what must be the nightmare of any ER doctor. He becomes the doctor keeping someone he loves alive. His nephew, Jesse, is introduced in the seventh season as a young boy in need of guidance. Jesse arrives at the hospital with a gunshot wound a few episodes later. Peter frantically tries to save him. However, his efforts are in vain. Jesse passes away on the table, and Peter is left to give his sister—the boy’s mother—the news. Eriq La Salle’s performance is incredible here. His guilt and anger make it a truly unforgettable moment.
#7: Neela Finds Out About Michael
“The Gallant Hero & the Tragic Victor”
One of the more shocking deaths in the show’s history, Michael Gallant more than lived up to his name. His military service was a defining trait. But in season 12, he’s killed by a bomb during his tour of duty in Iraq. The moment his wife finds out is absolutely devastating. Dr. Neela Rasgotra is understandably stunned and even in denial when she finds out her life has fallen apart. She just tries to go back to work with tears in her eyes. Her arc in the wake of his death is deeply emotional and realistically rendered.
#6: Pratt’s Accident
“Life After Death”
Picking up from the cliffhanger of the previous season, “ER’s” 15th and final season begins by killing off one of its most transformed characters. Dr. Pratt went from roguish and arrogant to a real leader. So, when he is involved in an ambulance explosion that leaves him fighting for his life, it feels especially heartbreaking because of how far he’s come. There’s plenty of reason to think the show won’t go there and that surely Pratt will survive. But you’d be wrong. Despite their best efforts, Pratt is pronounced braindead with his colleagues gathered around him.
#5: Carter & Kem Lose Their Baby
“Midnight”
Dr. Carter returns from his trip to Africa with a new girlfriend, Makemba, and the news that they are having a baby. The two prepare for parenthood, but are forced to confront every expectant parent’s greatest fear. Their child is stillborn. Carter tries to help Kem come to terms with it while barely able to confront it himself. It’s a deeply intimate and profoundly sad reflection of real life tragedies that face many parents every day. And the show doesn’t shy away from any of it. The scene lingers on the couple as they grieve.
#4: Dennis Gant’s Death
“Night Shift”
When the victim of a train accident is brought into the ER, the doctors have to act fast. They don’t have time to ask too many questions. But little by little, they get some answers. They learn that the man purposefully jumped onto the train tracks. Even more devastating, it’s troubled surgical intern Dennis Gant, who had been struggling to keep up in his internship program. Gant passes away, leaving Dr. Carter and Benton to reflect on their relationships with him. His death is an absolute gut punch, putting into perspective his growing isolation and unhappiness.
#3: The Jodi O’Brien Case
“Love’s Labor Lost”
Dr. Mark Greene tries to save a pregnant patient and is forced to help her deliver the baby in the emergency room. But her case is too complicated, and she dies after giving birth. Greene is stoic throughout the rest of the episode. He stays strong for his team, who are clearly feeling the weight of it. It’s not until Mark is on the El train home that he breaks down, with the weight of his shift and the loss finally crushing him. There’s a reason that “Love’s Labor Lost” is widely considered the best episode of the series.
#2: Lucy’s Stabbing
“Be Still My Heart” & “All in the Family”
A patient in the middle of a mental health crisis attacks Dr. Carter and stabs him. As he lies on the floor, he sees his protégé Lucy Knight bleeding out. We see the aftermath in the next episode. Both fight for their lives, but Lucy’s condition is too fragile. Her colleagues desperately try to save her life and comfort her in her last moments. But she doesn’t make it. It’s even more tragic because Lucy was young and still in training, but probably on her way to becoming a gifted physician. Her death had major ramifications for the show’s tone and the overall feel of the hospital. Even the doctors weren’t safe now.
#1: Mark Greene’s Death
“On the Beach”
When a character becomes the heart, soul, and conscience of an entire TV show, losing them feels so much more shattering. Dr. Mark Greene’s recurring brain tumor was an inevitable exit ramp from the show for actor Anthony Edwards. Inevitable as it may have been, it was still a shock to the system. Greene dies in epic but ethereal fashion. He passes away serenely with his daughter, Rachel, by his side. It’s a more than proper sendoff. On a show that has done its best to destroy us, it’s a rare moment of complete peace that’s as devastating as it is beautiful.
Did this list have you gearing up for an “ER” rewatch? Tell us in the comments.
