Best ever season of a phenomenal show (ER: Emergency Room - The Complete Season 5 (DVD))

Member Name: bruffyboy

Product:	ER: Emergency Room - The Complete Season 5 (DVD)
Date:	04/09/09 (27 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: the plot

Disadvantages: none

Five or six years ago, I was addicted to ER. I wanted the DVDs so bad, but there was only one way of getting them in Region 2 format, which was to import them from Japan. They cost £80 a series, and the tax was £20, so it was £100 investment. I didn't have enough to buy them all, so I could only afford one series; I bought series 5.

ABOUT THE SHOW:
This long running US TV show follows the adventures of the ER (that's A&E here in the UK) in a US hospital. The show is award winning, and can be found in the UK on Channel 4. Each episode developed the back stories of the main characters, whilst including a range of medical scenarios to be dealt with.

ABOUT SERIES 5:
Without a doubt, this is the best season of ER ever. It is incredibly well written, with a terrible and poignant major storyline. These were the glory years for ER, mainly because of the incredibly strong cast the show had. The characters who worked in the ER were expertly written, crafted and acted, to the point where they seemed completely real. Peter Benton, John Carter et al were just brilliant, the authenticity coming partly from the ultra-realistic medical scenes. The themes in each episode were also really powerful and sensitively dealt with: euthanasia, abuse, death of parents etc all fell under the watchful eye of the writers.

The series begins with Lucy Knight joining the regular cast as a trainee doc. Her mentor is John Carter, who takes her under his wing. Now, it's very hard to review this series without giving bits away, but there is a major storyline revolving around regular cast-members being involved in a serious incident. As a sixteen year old I cried, and literally grieved for days about this event. As an adult there were no tears, but it was still incredibly emotional.

This series has such a powerful effect on you, it's a painful but wonderful experience to watch it.

The acting is solid, the camera-work and soundtrack inobtrusive but artistic, and the casting just phenomenal. It really is a wonderful show, completely authentic to the point where you can get lost in the magic.

All in all, a wonderful season to own, made all the more powerful for those who know the characters in previous seasons.

Summary: do it