Gloria Reuben, introduced late in the first season, quickly rose through the ER ranks as Jeanie Boulet, a married physical therapist who first has an affair with Dr. Benton (Eriq La Salle), then learns that her husband (Michael Beach) has contracted the AIDS virus. Even better was the addition of hard-ass Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes), an abrasive doctor/administrator whose great skill in the ER falls hand-in-hand with an incredible inability to work with people. The character would regrettably fall into the realm of caricature and self-parody by the show's eighth season, but for several years Dr. Weaver was everyone's worst boss come to life.

The second season continues to develop its various series regulars. Fourth-year medical student Carter (Noah Wyle) becomes a surgical intern for tough-to-please Benton. Dr. Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) continues to fight with her irresponsible sister Chloe (Kathleen Wilhoite) over the care of the latter's newborn baby.

Nurse Hathaway (Julianna Margulies) begins a romance with a paramedic (Ron Eldard) that goes sour when he loses his partner in the line of duty and suffers a guilt-driven mental collapse. And, in one of the better developments in the second year of the show, Doug Ross's refusal to play by the hospital's rules begins to catch up with him, especially in straining his relationship with friend and supervisor Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards).

As stated in this writer's review of ER: The Complete First Season, the program recently has become outlandish, mean, and high on cheap visceral thrills. It's interesting to note, however, how much material is repeated in its earliest seasons without ever seeming tired or repetitive. Over and over these early shows focus on crazy homeless patients, wife and child beaters, violent gangbangers, drunk drivers, ER screw-ups, administration vs. doctor shows, and the like.

One never gets tired of these situations because a) they're real, and b) the subtle variations in their stories -- each case is unique. Moreover, even when the same situations involve the same doctor, their reaction is always going to be different because of their state of mind at the time they intersect with a particular patient. Also, as recurring characters enter and leave the series, their interaction with older, established characters also keeps things interesting. It's a shame ER's producers and writers felt they had to up the ante (or whatever) to keep the show fresh -- it always was. Now they've cheapened it with cartoonish melodrama and unearned emotion, possibly to the point of no return.

Like the previous season, ER is full of terrific guest stars in one-shot or recurring roles. Among those making an impression in ER's second year: Lucy Liu, Ron Rifkin, Paul Dooley and Valerie Perrine (as Lewisfs parents), Piper Laurie, Lindsay Crouse, and the inimitable Red Buttons.

Video & Audio

As before, ER: The Complete Second Season is presented in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen, though the opening titles retain their original 4:3 composition. The show looks at least as good as the previous season, despite some rather odd formatting with the discs, possibly due to the change from 24 episodes in its first year to 22 here. The first two discs cram four 44-minute shows on each side, the third disc has only three episodes per side, while the entire fourth disc has but 50 minutes of special features limited to a single side. The episodes have English-only audio tracks, with optional English and French subtitles. The Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo is quite good for what it is, given the show's emergency room environment, and more action-oriented episodes like "Hell and High Water."

Extras

The second year DVD of ER is disappointingly short on extras. The main supplements are two short featurettes, neither of which really discuss the development and changes in the show during its second season, especially in terms of its characters. ER Specialists -- Anatomy of an Episode: Hell and High Water looks at that show from a production standpoint, and as a vehicle for rising star George Clooney. Interviewed are writer/executive story editor Neal Baer, producer/director Christopher Chulack, DP Richard Thorpe, and editor Jacque Toberen, among others. This piece runs just under nine minutes.

The 11-minute On Call: Life of an ER Director is rather meandering as it explores the trials and tribulations of helming varied episodes. The piece lacks focus and seems forced, though there are bits of interesting information here and there, such as the fact that by Year Two scripts were running close to 75 pages (fiendishly long because of all the medical jargon and multi-layered dialogue), yet shot in just eight days. Unlike the previous season, which offered interviews with most of the show's key cast and staff, the two documentaries here have fewer interview subjects. The only cast members that turn up (in new interviews) are Laura Innes and Gloria Reuben.

Unlike the First Season's Outpatient Outtakes, Season Two's 14 minutes of deleted scenes are put into context, with each piece named and identified with a particular episode. Also, the cut scenes this time are mostly interesting and flesh out ideas and characters. CUTups is a brief, two-minute montage of bloopers.

None of these features has subtitle options, and all are in 4:3 standard format. Gone is the Intern's Handbook feature of the first season box, though the full color booklet functions in much the same way, offering brief plot descriptions and airdates of each episode. More detail could be used here, however, including more complete cast lists (with guest stars) and a breakdown of the fourth disc's special features.

Parting Thoughts

ER: The Complete Second Season is more of the same. The supplements are okay, but a bit lacking in ways mentioned above. Of course, it's the show itself that counts most, and if you enjoyed the first season, you'll likely find Year Two even better.

Stuart Galbraith IV is a Los Angeles and Kyoto-based film historian whose work includes The Emperor and the Wolf -- The Lives and Films of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune. He is presently writing a new book on Japanese cinema for Taschen.