Now this is the ER I know and love.

Don't get me wrong. I liked Homecoming. I really did. But it was the premiere. And the premiere, by definition, means ratings, ratings and ratings. Hence the broken glass, the riot, the screaming. But this episode was something different.

I'll start with Carter, since he started off the episode. How sad was it to see Carter just sitting there are Benton walked by, dealing with his attending duties? I was really glad to see this scene, because after the bonding we saw in May Day, the 6^th season finale, I wanted to know that Peter would continue to be there for Carter -- to at least provide some support. And he's genuinely glad to see Carter; he compliments him, and in his own Peter Benton way tells Carter that he shouldn't be worried, that the meeting Carter's about to go into will go just fine.

Ah, the meeting. Kerry, bless her heart, not wanting to keep Carter waiting. But I'll get into that more in a minute. I really felt for Carter, sitting there, going over the contract that was set up for him, reading the conditions of his return to work. Yes, Carter, it's going to be hard. Yes, it's going to be crappy in many ways. Carter may be ready to get his life back, as he said in Homecoming, but he hasn't lost the slightly edgy attitude quite yet. Nice to see that he came prepared with a pen, but what struck me most about this whole scene was the fact that things have never, ever been this stilted with Carter and Mark, or Carter and Kerry. The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife, despite Mark's attempts to keep things light. Noah Wyle did some amazing work here, proving once again that he can say so much with just a simple facial expression.

Let's move on to Mark and Elizabeth. Elizabeth before her coffee reminds me of myself before I've had my caffiene. I am assuming that she hasn't exactly moved in with Mark yet, although it sure seems like things were heading that way…whoops, maybe not. The way Mark just stood there, eating his cereal, as Elizabeth stormed about was priceless, and such a male thing to do. I have to say, the whole empty milk carton exchange was my favorite moment for these two.

If you know me, you know that I live for spoilers, so I knew that the engagement ring was going to be in the freezer of Mark's fab new house. And I was dreading the sappy scene that I expected to see. Boy, was I surprised. These two may not have talked about marriage yet, but Elizabeth sure looked overwhelmed when she saw it (closing the freezer in shock was a nice touch) and she did say yes, and they sure looked happy. I had a tear in my eye, I really did.

Abby, oh Abby. I was impressed by her in the premiere, and in this episode she really knocked me out. Her care of the preemie and of the parents was top notch, and just perfect in every way. Declaring the trauma room off limits to Malucci may not have gone over well with some, but I thought it was perfectly appropriate. I felt much the same way about her reaction to the neonatologist's "examination" of the baby. I was cringing throughout that scene, knowing that the baby's father was just outside the room, and I think Abby responded in a way that proves to me that this woman cares about her patients.

And we learned that Abby's a drunk. And as she puts it, "It's not that interesting." I find it fascinating, so please, TPTB, keep developing this character, and Maura Tierney, I am seeing you in a whole new, wonderful light.

Peter/Cleo/Romano/Mr. Fletcher. Yes, nice continuity. Mr. Fletcher, your one liners are amusing. And Romano, we all know you're a bastard. So why didn't this storyline do anything for me? Maybe it was the seriousness of the other storylines in this episode; I wasn't into this. Cleo simply irritated me; if the writers are going to keep her on the show, which I assume they are, I wish they would make her less annoying and a little more likeable. Michael Michele is a beautiful woman; however, I want to see her act. The only thing about this whole thread that had me smiling was Romano's plan to put Mr. Fletcher on a bus to Milwaukee. Oh, Dr. Romano, you aren't that terrible of a person, are you? Oh, wait -- yes, you are. And I love you for it.

On to Luka, and his whole involvement with Kerry and the stroke patient. You know, I am starting to worry, because I liked Luka when he started on the show. I think Goran is a good actor. However, I am getting tired of watching Luka be holier-than-thou, walking around, acting as if he is the only one to contemplate the moral judgements of the world.

I can understand why Luka felt that he wanted to hand this patient off to Kerry. Yes, it's a terrible thing to know that this woman will likely never come off the vent if she's intubated, and it's terrible for her and for her partner. Life is cruel that way. But the fact of the matter is, he was being insubordinate to Kerry by refusing to intubate the patient. Kerry allowed it, and basically allowed him to walk away (and I'm still wondering why she continues to do that -- allow him to just make those choices with no ramifications). Kerry had these same kinds of disagreements with Doug, but I found them to be more compelling.

And speaking of Kerry and Luka and his refusal to intubate. I got goosebumps when Luka said, "No," in response to Kerry's orders. Laura Innes, much like Noah Wyle, can speak volumes with her facial expressions. She made it look like Kerry had never heard the word "no" before, as if she couldn't believe he would say such a thing.

Which brings me around to the rest of my observations of Kerry. She was involved in so many of the storylines in this episode. She questioned Deb and reminded her of her responsibility to her patient (the preemie's mother). And when Deb confessed that she was pregnant, we got what was likely the most compassionate Kerry Weaver we have seen in a while. I don't think I can ever remember her calling anyone "sweetie" with the exception of pediatric patients. Her words, and her attitude with Deb made me understand that Kerry isn't just the Chief of the ER; in some ways, she's also the mother figure for a lot of people, even though they don't realize it. She cares about her co-workers -- who are in some respects like her children -- and wants to see them achieve great things, but also she wants to protect them and comfort them. This is a side of Kerry I want to see more of.

In regards to Kerry's actions with the stroke patient, I was not at all surprised to see her decide not to bend the rules in this situation. For a moment, I thought maybe she would -- but no. Kerry knows that she has to do what the law says is right, even though she knows in her heart that it's not even remotely the right thing to do. I've seen the ER staff intubate people in a snap, but her slow and deliberate intubation of the stroke patient just underscored for me how hard it was for her to perform this act. Intubating a patient usually is done to save a life; I can't imagine how hard it must be as a doctor, as in this case, to know that you are doing it with the knowledge that you are destroying what is left of someone's life. Not to mention what you are doing to the lives of the people who love that patient.

Kerry was fantastic with Carter as well -- concerned, cautious, optimistic. She wants him to be all right; we can see that in her eyes and on her face. I can't say enough about Laura Innes and her performance tonight; she was just remendous in every scene.

Some people didn't like the song at the end that was used in the montage of the baby's baptism, Kerry intubating, and at the end with Carter and Abby at Doc's. However, I thought it was appropriate for the tone of the episode -- and the words, when I found them after the episode, and learned the circumstances under which they were written -- made me want to cry.

Overall, a great episode.

Romano: "You. Malatucci." I was sorry to see so little of Dave in this episode, but the look on

his face when Romano called him this made me just smile.

Loved Deb's explanation to Kerry about her pregnancy and Kerry's response:

This was really nice.

Cleo, do me a favor. Don't exploit anything. Not a spot on Peter, not a moment of screen time. You just make me want to toss you onto an open flame.

Romano, redux: "Not a word, Peter. Not a (pause to hold back a naughty word) single word." Oh, but we know what you wanted to say, Rocket.

Carter, was that you smiling? Thank God! We've been worried about you.

And while we're on the subject of Carter, let's not have him fall in love with Abby. This show needs a platonic male/female friendship, badly, and this pairing would be really nice.

Those are fighting words. I couldn't have said it better myself.

I have to say it again. When Kerry said, "Oh, sweetie," to Deb, I almost cried. I want to be Kerry Weaver. What a woman.

I know the "baby" they used for the preemie was not a real baby. But boy, it sure gave me the shivers to see how small it was. And how frighteningly real it looked.

Shirley!! So good to see you again.

And…we got Randi AND Randiwear! Double bonus!

Dr. Coburn. Go. Get a life. Now. And while you're at it, hire a few more OB docs up there. You're starting to make me think you're the only OB working at County.

Foreshadowing for Kerry's storyline later in the season? Hm. Not sure. I'll get back to you.

In case you're wondering, the name of the song was "Sand and Water" by Beth Neilson Chapman.

The lyrics are below.

See you next week!