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14 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good show, disappointing DVD release, 28 Jun 2005
Season four of ER has a feel to it similar to season two - that is, a little more "soap", a little less "medical drama". For the first real time we see the bulk of an episode take place outside of the ER, indeed outside of Chicago, in two very character-based episodes, with one centering around Mark Greene and the other around Doug Ross. While both episodes help us to better understand those two characters, I feel it is a bit of a cop-out. For me, the show sparkles more with creativity and intelligence when the characters are revealed through their work place; otherwise the show becomes just yet another soap.The editing in this season is also not up to the high standards of the previous seasons, with many of the medical sub-plots often under developed and under explained, usually in order to give more screen time to the above-mentioned "character drama". This leads to some episodes feeling highly fragmented, although this feeling did subside somewhat on a second viewing. The audio and video transfer are excellent - great depth of sound and colour, I have no complaints in that department. Also good to see is the preservation of the widescreen aspect, although the very first episode is in 4:3 - although I imagine that is because of the conditions under which it was filmed (see below). Where this DVD falls down considerably is its lack of extras. Each double sided disc contains a collection of additional scenes. There is also an easter egg featuring Dr del Amico trading "Yo mamma" jokes with a patient. And that is the sum total of the extras. Missing from this season are the mini documentaries, the blooper reel, and the audio commentaries that were present in previous seasons. The first episode of this season was filmed and transmitted live in the US, and I was definitely expecting a commentary on that episode - I think it would have been fascinating to hear the cast, director, and crew's behind-the-scenes thoughts on this. My experience with ER is limited to seeing the very occasional episode on television, and the DVDs. From what I have heard, the show has progressively become more and more soap-like, and unfortunately I think I can see the beginning of the slide. Making matters worse is the lack of extra materials on the DVD release that I have come to expect. Still an excellent show, but I can see standards slipping, both in the DVD presentation, and the show itself.
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