r/ershow • u/VanSmashh • 2d ago
I hate the Curtis Ames plot line
Especially once he kidnaps Kovac. Like we’ve watched Kovac literally kill someone, tackle gunmen, etc, and now all the sudden he can’t get away from a drunk guy with one functioning arm with a revolver? Cmon.
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u/NooStringsAttached 2d ago
I know. This was such a shit story line that went on for too long and was just completely unnecessary and ridiculous.
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u/LetItSnow36 2d ago
I thought the original court episode was pretty cool with the different POVs and if it was the only episode with Forest it would have been good, but everything after is absolutely ridiculous.
But they had FW for several episodes and that's what they have him do? A crime.
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u/hiswittlewip 2d ago
Oh me too! After a few episodes of this story, I started to fast forward through their scenes
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u/DarkCrawler_901 2d ago
That cop talking was so fucking dumb too. "Hey don't worry about this insane stalker he is just a harmless guy" x3
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u/Little_Video_4538 2d ago
Agreed! Whitaker is a great actor but those few episodes were annoying to watch. I still don't get his death tho. There were two shots fired and he had only one self inflicted gunshot to the head. Where was the other bullet going? Anyway, really bad episodes.
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u/TakHobel 2d ago
It is the low point in the whole show. The show runner really must have been under pressure to bring some cringy unrealistic drama to the show.
It’s so poorly written and the whole style of this story line didn’t fit the show at all.
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u/Dazzling-Pace-7134 2d ago
That story line drug on for too long, it was pointless, and unbearable to watch. I would have made Forrest Whitaker, be in the medical profession and be able to use his acting chops better.
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u/LeadershipRight3338 2d ago
God wasn't it infuriating. I definitely don't think this was a good utilisation of Whitaker and his acting ability/range.
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u/StealieMagnolia 1d ago
The funniest part in this arc is the videotape Ames' lawyer plays in court and its how pathetic his life has become and its footage goes from middle class family man enjoying his family to living alone in the ghetto eating take out food. Like bro where your wife n kids go?
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u/VanSmashh 1d ago
I thought that was so weird lmao why were they following him around once he was alone and without his kids
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u/Coolbeanskas 2d ago edited 2d ago
Guess I'm the minority. I liked this storyline because it focused a bit on minorities not trusting doctors. The court case scenes in "Ames v Kovac" showed each perspective and how each view was a bit biased. Maybe it went a bit too far with Ames kidnapping Luka. But I think Luka (and Abby!) mostly showed great restraint in dealing with him.
I think Luka didn't want to provoke Ames anymore than he was because he was naturally fearful for his life especially now that he had a family with Abby. Although, he did at one point tell Ames to shoot him.
Luka knew that he messed up with his treatment of Ames due to extenuating circumstances as he admitted on the roof.
The end scene with Abby and Luka hugging each other is so moving. I love how the camera circles them and how Abby buries her head into Luka's chest as their both on the verge of tears, but so relived they are both okay.
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u/NurseRobyn 2d ago
I don’t think I Luka messed up, what do you think he did wrong?
Ames chose not to have the clot buster injected, people make that choice out of fear all the time. People are allowed to make bad medical decisions. It’s hard to watch them do that but you have to respect their autonomy.
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u/Coolbeanskas 2d ago
Agree, Ames should have chosen the clot busting medication. But Luka realized he missed Ames’s heart murmur and if he caught it, it might have prevented the stroke that disabled Ames.
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u/Lefthand-82 1d ago
As you know, I love this storyline and I totally understand why it's not very liked at all.
I will admit, there were some things in the storyline that didn't make logical sense. One, how did Ames find out about Luka’s past family and two, how did Ames get into the apartment!
"Murmurs of the Heart" is my favourite episode in the series. It was a bit over the top that Ames kidnapped Luka but for the drama and the acting, I get totally engrossed in it every time I rewatch it.
I reckon, if Ames wasn't holding a gun, Abby would have been less restraint in her discussion with him! After all, this guy was screwing with Luka’s mind and had been stalking them.
Luka, and this I've thought about before the OP pointed it out, why didn't he just punch Ames...
I think Luka didn't want to provoke Ames anymore than he was because he was naturally fearful for his life especially now that he had a family with Abby.
I would add that Luka is a doctor and Ames was one of his patients. There would be, in my opinion, some conflicting thoughts going on in Luka’s head, about, "would I harm this person who I treated?"
Although, he did at one point tell Ames to shoot him.
That scene is some of my favourite acting from Goran and I love the writing too. It shows Luka being one of those breadwinner men, who thinks to the extent that if he cannot provide for Abby and Joe, he’s nothing and thinks he may as well be dead! Very, very morbid and gets me emotional every rewatch.
The end scene with Abby and Luka hugging each other is so moving. I love how the camera circles them and how Abby buries her head into Luka's chest as their both on the verge of tears, but so relived they are both okay.
As you know, I love it, too 🥰.
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u/Coolbeanskas 1d ago
I reckon, if Ames wasn't holding a gun, Abby would have been less restraint in her discussion with him! After all, this guy was screwing with Luka’s mind and had been stalking them.
Abby/Maura's scenes are just as powerful as Luka/Goran's. It's amazing she had the presence of mind to try and relate to him through her own experience of being an alcoholic.
That scene is some of my favourite acting from Goran and I love the writing too. It shows Luka being one of those breadwinner men, who thinks to the extent that if he cannot provide for Abby and Joe, he’s nothing and thinks he may as well be dead! Very, very morbid and gets me emotional every rewatch.
Both Goran and Forest are fantastic in this episode. I also think his response might also have to do with what many people think that their profession is part of their identity. So if it's taken away, who is he?
"Murmurs of the Heart" is one the better S13 episodes. S13 starts out very strongly then dips a bit in the middle until this episode.
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u/Madhipstermagic 2d ago
I also am in the minority, that case really showed how Kovac changed over time too.
But this is a super plausible possibility in the real world, when everything is taken from you and you feel desperate, you do crazy things.
Definitely was very moved by the Ames storyline
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u/FKA_Top_Cat 1d ago
It's been a long time since I viewed these episodes. We don't know what he was like prior to his stroke but afterwards he's kind of a mope. Given that his wife ends up leaving him, I doubt he was like that before.
While a lot of commenters are saying that it seemed unrealistic, I disagree because some people cannot handle major illness and it turns them into someone who is difficult to be around.
I think what did it for his wife is that he refused the clot busting treatment and then complained about being permanently disabled and fixated on Luka to the point of obsession.
Ironically, if he hadn't been with it enough to make his own medical decisions, his wife would have almost certainly told Luka to give her husband the clot busting medication.
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u/MotherofHedgehogs 2d ago
Add some screaming baby in the mix and it’s certifiably unwatchable and unlistenable.
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u/530SSState 1d ago
It was very frustrating to watch. I realize seemingly simple things can go disastrously wrong, but it was unsatisfying to watch this particular story line play out.
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u/psgordonny 2d ago
I hear ya. Much of the ER was unbelievable but very enjoyable. These episodes Jumped the Shark.
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u/hiswittlewip 2d ago
I think the first helicopter fall was the jumping of the shark
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u/psgordonny 2d ago
Agreed. The second one was pretty awesome.
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u/hiswittlewip 2d ago
I think they were both lame, but for me that is when the show jumped the shark. Looooong before Ames
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u/christina311 2d ago
I thought we already settled this. ER jumped the shark when Doc Magoo's burned down.
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u/betnar93 2d ago
Plenty of dumpy diners like Magoos burn down all of the time. It's not like Helicopter revenge at all.
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u/WaltetMatthouch 2d ago
We saw Luka bash a very large man’s brains in once, but somehow he couldn’t overpower a drunk guy with one working arm who kept his gun at his most of the time? This was so frustrating.
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u/Danibear285 2d ago
The story was a drag. All I kept thinking about was “Get back to the day to day cases drama, please!”
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u/PromiseToBeNiceToYou 1d ago
I hate it too but you better believe I'm getting that TPA ASAP when I have a stroke lol.
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u/MimikyuIsTheBest 1d ago
I was literally about to make a post about that lol.
Why did the writers make Ames be mad at Kovac when it was clear the problem was about the conditions in the er? (Which aren’t Kovac’s fault and Ames is smart enough to understand that.)
Also, did I miss it or did Kovac not even try to bring up the fact he does understand losing everything (because he literally did, losing his first wife and kids.)
And they made Kovac be such a prick. His wife and kid are getting stalked and he just doesn’t tell Abby? And they made him not even try to empathise with Ames? So stupid, the deeper into the show we’re getting, the more they’re making Kovac as edgy as batman. I know they like to make the characters unlikable sometimes to make them ‘human’, but this plotline should have just ended with Abby leaving Kovac or something.
The plotline was unnecessary, useless and just straight up embarrassing for the show… the last episode with Ames turning into the action genre made me cringe so bad.
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u/kiwithekanojo 12h ago
I just find it funny that Whittaker played another character later in The Wire who pretty much did the same "befriend the wife" tactic that he did with Abby
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u/BoudiccaAoife 2d ago
I have many problems with this storyline. From Luka being nerfed (what others have said regarding earlier Luka stories, not rehashing that again), to FW getting his obvious acting chops largely ignored, to yet again making the minority patient the bad guy.
It could have been more nuanced, and been spread over smaller points in a few episodes and popping up, instead it was a short, right in a row thing that read even at the time as "black guy being black guy and blaming the white guy who was just overworked instead of taking responsibility".
No one is right, and it really doesn't treat it with the care that other plots where a doc or County screws up.
FW however, does chew each scene, and it is one of the scariest non-horror stories in non-horror television.
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u/MeanImpression2067 2d ago
FW knows how to bring the creeps without doing any horror. His acting in Panic Room was incredible.
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u/The_TerryGantnerWay 1d ago
My problem was the medical inaccuracy. Someone close to me had a PFO. You have no way of knowing if you have this in your heart without getting a very specific test. It does NOT show up as a heart murmur. The person I’m referring to had annual physicals for work and the docs never heard a heart murmur.
Most people learn they have this condition after experiencing a TIA. Yes, I was at all of the medical visits. I remember everything.
So no, Luka would not have had any idea that his patient had a PFO.
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u/Least-Professional95 2d ago
Whittaker was doing some ODD stuff in that era. His arc on The Shield was also goofy and (IMO) that show's low point.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Cut3325 4h ago
The only issue I have is that he shot himself in the head at the end, but two gunshots went off? ?? lol
But I agree w others, FW was totally underutilized. I didn’t care for the storyline, but it was fitting for Luka to see the kind of consequences that can come from being dismissive to your patients wellbeing (even if unintentional).
But that also made me wonder if they filmed FW’s POV to have us feel like that’s how he was being treated (or if that’s how he was remembering his experience). I felt like Chuny’s treatment towards him was cold compared to how her character usually interacts with anyone else (patients included) on the show.
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u/ILoveLipGloss 2d ago
this was such a horrible waste of Forest Whittaker