A spirited new nurse, Samantha "Sam" Taggart, replaces Abby - who returns to medical school but also continues to work as a nurse to afford the tuition. Lewis fears for a distraught architect, Ben Hollander ( Bob Newhart), whose degenerating eyesight makes him despondent. Kovač's first day back in the ER is a busy one. Neela deals with a little girl who arrives with her beloved grandmother whose status is DNR. Abby, seeking funds to return to medical school, has a frosty meeting with her ex-husband. Pratt and Weaver wind up on the wrong side of two judgment calls during a hellacious night shift that also finds Morris doing his best to dodge involvement in anything serious. Also, three new second-year residents join the staff - including bumbling Archie Morris and the self-assured Dr. Pratt uneasily meets Chen's old-fashioned parents for dinner in what turns into the last supper of their relationship. Romano's mood gets nastier when he is fitted with an antiquated hook for his missing arm. After rescuing his friend, Carter arranges for Kovač's return to Chicago while volunteering to stay himself.Ībby's frustrating day starts with an awful round of managing triage and gets worse when she gets a special "Dear Abby" letter from Carter in the Congo while her fellow nurses threaten a walkout and her opinions are ignored. Carter, however, learns that the rebels mistook Kovač for a priest, thanks to a cross necklace given to him by a patient, and left Kovač alive. Kovač's story in the Congo after Carter's departure is told in flashbacks as he battles debilitating malaria while delaying evacuation and is captured by the rebels, who murder a number of Westerners and un-affiliated Congo citizens. NOTE: First Appearance of medical student (later Dr.) Neela Rasgotra.Ĭarter returns to the Congo to search for Kovač's body and reunites with several associates. When Neela informs the ER of Luka's supposed death in Africa, Carter returns to Africa in the hope of finding Luka's body. Kerry delivers all of her statements by screaming at whoever is near her. Romano sports a new look after removal of his arm. Meanwhile, a new medical student, Neela Rasgotra, causes a stir when she unexpectedly helps a patient - and angers Chen as Pratt flirts with her. Carter returns from Africa to find a hostile Abby and they exchange numerous unhappy, bitter words. The ER is undergoing extensive renovations.
Conni Marie Brazelton as Nurse Conni Oligario.Shi Ne Nelson as Sheila – Medical Student.
Rossif Sutherland as Lester Kertzenstein – Medical Student.Donald Anspaugh – Surgeon and Hospital Board Member Janet Coburn – Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology Robert Romano – Chief of Emergency Medicine (episodes 1-8) Linda Cardellini as Nurse Samantha Taggart (episodes 5-22).Parminder Nagra as Neela Rasgotra – Fourth-year Medical Student.Michael Gallant – Intern PGY-1 (episodes 1-18) Maura Tierney as Abby Lockhart – Nurse Manager/Fourth-year Medical Student.Elizabeth Corday – Associate Chief of Surgery Sam and Kovač share a relationship but Sam's ex-boyfriend arrives. Kovač returns from Africa, determined to settle his affairs and return. The aftermath of Kovač and Carter's mission in Africa becomes a key story throughout the season, a Thanksgiving tragedy sees the end of Romano, Lewis copes with an unexpected pregnancy, Pratt's professionalism is tested again by his colleagues, Gallant is deployed to Iraq and Chen and Weaver both deal with personal losses. New characters arrive in the form of medical student Neela Rasgotra, hapless resident Archie Morris, and Nurse Samantha Taggart who fills the void left by Abby who returns to medical school.