A:  No, I'm not kidding.  I love the Romano character.  Paul McCrane describes him as "gleefully malicious", and I feel compelled to add unapologetic to that fabulous decription.  We all know someone (in real life) who is just like Romano - they will do whatever it takes to get what they want, and they don't care who they trample in the path.  Powerful? Absolutely.  Intimidating?  Definitely.  Evil?  No way.  He's a softie on the inside, especially when it comes to treating children (and Elizabeth!).

 

A:  No, I'm not kidding.  I love Elizabeth too.  She is my brassy surgeon alter-ego.  Except, Alex Kingston is so gorgeous!  And you would screech too, if RacHell had left drugs out so your precious baby could get at them.

 

I really don't see what Elizabeth ever saw in her previous boyfriends, but she could have significantly improved her life by hooking up with Romano.

 

A:  We really don't know.  He called her that in his first episode, "Good Touch, Bad Touch", and in most of their shared scenes since then.  Occasionally he will call her "Elizabeth" (in tender moments) or "Dr. Corday" (in front of colleagues), but "Lizzie" is his term of endearment, usually saved for Snarkalicious comments.

 

A:  Romano has worked with Elizabeth's father in the past, and I'm speculating that they met in England, and he offered her a fellowship back in the states.

 

Of course, the proper answer is "I don't know".

 

A:  No way.  Dude, he's married.

 

It's all about the personality.  From what I understand, PMC is nothing like Romano, and the "gleefully malicious" side of Romano is the one I find attractive.  Well, sort of.  It's hard to explain.

 

 

A:  Elizabeth's deceased husband's name was "Mark", but she always pronounced it "Mahk".  Sort of like "Pee-Tah" or "Roh-but". 

 

And yes, I know how to spell.  It's just more fun to type "Mahk".

 

A:  Elizabeth has a lovely baby girl, Ella.  Both her parents are living in England, happily divorced and pursuing their own careers.  Mr. Corday is a cardio-thorasic surgeon and Mrs. Corday is an astronomer (not astrologer!).

 

Romano had a mother in Season 5 and a niece in Season 6.  Also in Season 6, we saw him operate on his Bouvier, Gretel  ("A hardy dog, you might say."), but she was mysteriously absent in 9.20, when we saw his kitchen.  Unfortunately, that's all we know about the Rocket.

 

A:  Thrice verbally, once non-verbally. 

 

Verbal Rejection:  In Season 4, he asked her to join him at a fancy Christmas party, asked her out for a drink, and then put his heart on his sleeve and asked for a date.  A real one.  Read scene summaries of all these here.

 

Non-Verbal Rejection:  In Season 9's infamous AHW Lounge Scene, she pulls away from his cheek caress in shock.  He didn't take it very well.  Read a scene summary here or watch it here.

 

A:  Elizabeth doesn't hate him...anymore.  True, he wasn't her favorite person in the early seasons, but her icy heart started to melt, and those feelings seemed to disappear in Season 7. 

 

In 9.2 "Dead Again", Elizabeth goes to visit Romano during his physical therapy (they haven't seen each other in months), and their faces light up at each other.  It was like watching lightning bugs or something...except their butts weren't glowing.  At least, I don't think they were.

 

In late season 9, it became pretty obvious to all the Cordanos that Elizabeth's feelings are shifting.  "I'll be there, Robert."  Seriously.  They're gonna hook up.

 

Anyway, they seem to be getting along brilliantly now, and TPTB has my vote to send this relationship full steam ahead!

 

Still, why do I want them to get together?

 

1.  They don't have other friends.  They need each other!

2.  Elizabeth will not let him trample her, like he does everyone else.  He respects and admires her...and he will treat her like Queen Elizabeth.  Cherry Garcia, anyone?

3.  Ella could pass for Romano's child.  She never has to know Mahk existed.

4.  They are of equal intelligence and wit.

5.  Why not?

 

A:  Because the writers, producers, and everyone that works for NBC seems to hate me.  Even though I've never met any of them.  Sucky, isn't it?

 

A:  Yes, Romano's really gone.  From what I understand, the producers of the show called him in and told him that the character's time was up.  Keep your eyes peeled for media droppings about his future as an actor and director, but don't look for Romano to be resurrected on ER.

A:  While the producers of ER and Alex Kingston's publicity crew will deny she was let go because of her age, I think it's a little fishy that they're getting rid of all the mature actors and hiring more young people than they know what to with -- they get rid of everyone established and interesting and try to replace them with babies.  (Shut up, Shane West.)

 

I hope, for her sake, Alex Kingston won't go back to ER in the future.  She is a brilliant actress, and she deserves better.

A:  Well, let's see...

 

Strike One:  The Arm Chop mutilated my favorite character in the history of television and sent him on a downward spiral from entertaining evil to painful-to-watch evil.

 

Strike Two:  He admitted his love to Elizabeth and she did nothing.  How?  Are you a woman or a robot?  (Oh, right.  Cleo's been gone for years.)

 

Strike Three:  The Live Cremation.  My hatred for TPTB grows insurmountably.

 

Strike Four:  Sharif Atkins (Dr. Michael Gallant) was sent to Iraq.  Okay, they've taken away my entertainment and they've taken away my pretty.  What else could the possibly do?

 

Strike Five:  Firing Alex Kingston.

 

If you know anything about baseball, you know that after three strikes, you're out.  I gave it five, then gave up.

 

I stopped watching after Sharif Atkins left, but watching the couple of episodes Alex Kingston was given as an exit arc reminded me of the many, many reasons I don't watch the show anymore.  It's a soap opera -- and I'm not saying that in a complimentary way.  Whatever happened to the focus on the patients?  The bond between doctors and nurses (and I don't mean smooching)?  ER used to be must-see-TV for me, but now?  I can't be bothered to stay up that late to watch the latest disaster or heartbreak or shattered glass.

A:  Some videos are links to other websites (like zap2it.com), but all the episode clips were created and uploaded by my lovely Cordano friends.  Thank you!

 

I write the scene summaries, but everything in "quotes" is word-for-word from the episode.  Therefore, nothing in "quotes" is mine.  Please don't sue me.

 

The screencaps are copied from all over the web, with permission from the site owners.  See the links page for more specifics.

A:  Try Television Without Pity, the best website ever.  :)