TV & FilmTV ReviewsExplicit

Setting the Tone: An ER Retrospective

Setting The Tone

Join Elizabeth, Lauren, and Daniel as we recap our favorite medical drama! We're taking a weekly look back at each episode of the hit TV series "ER". We'll break down every episode, as well as look at how each episode impacts the overall story of the iconic 15 season show. Theme music provided by Andrew Edwards of Blue Police Box Music.

Play

Open in

23 episodes
weekly
Avg 1 hr 9 min
English

Episodes 23

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.

S15 · E14
Thursday · 58 min
S15E14 "A Long, Strange Trip"
This week: A pioneer of emergency medicine wanders from his nursing home to the ER and makes a life altering save on a woman thought to have advanced cancer, Morris tries to find a way to help a poor diabetic woman stay out of jail after she was caught shoplifting, Neela goes behind Dubenko's back to get an experimental surgery for a man in an iron lung, and Sam's sister makes a surprise visit to Chicago with news about their mom.
S15 · E13
August 27 · 1 hr 4 min
S15E13 "Love Is A Battlefield"
This week: Luck strikes at the Jumbo Mart as 5 employees split a $90 million lottery prize, Sam is being her best passive aggressive self with Daria, Gates treats an older woman and her ex-husband who have been married and divorced 3 times, Morris suspects there may be more to a teenager's story after a car vs bicycle accident, The staff play hot potato with a very gross patient, Banfield attempts to have her eggs harvested for IVF, and the writers are still trying to make Brenner and Neela happen against our will.
S15 · E12
August 20 · 1 hr 4 min
S15E12 "Dream Runner"
This week: Neela's day plays out three separate ways as she and Dubenko decide on the best course of action for Anastasia, a man with a unique neurological condition comes in having fallen out of a second floor window, the season 15 cameopalooza continues with a surprise appearance of Dr. Corday, Jerry has a gift for Morris, Gates attempts to reconnect with Sam, and Brenner has three very different interactions with Neela.
S15 · E11
August 13 · 56 min
S15E11 "Separation Anxiety"
This week: Gates does some good for Max but also does something stupid with Daria, A drug deal gone bad leaves brings three victims to the ER including two brothers, Morris is clearly falling for an undercover cop, Neela treats a young girl having a sickle cell crisis, and Banfield turns to Coburn for help as her attempts to get pregnant the old fashioned way are not going well.
S15 · E10
August 6 · 54 min
S15E10 "The High Holiday"
This week: Jerry returns and gets his old job back, Morris gets saddled with a storage locker of stuff from his dead father, Banfield advocates for a cancer patient to get a palliative surgery, Alex is on the mend, but Sam can't forgive Gates for what happened, Daria and Sanchez get super high, and Neela cares for a pregnant woman who is wanted by ICE.
S15 · E9
July 30 · 58 min
S15E9 "Let It Snow"
This week: Morris and Banfield have an evening of drunken misadventures as they get snowed in at an Omaha airport, The interns all kinda hate Neela, Chaz babysits and tries to explain death to what's sure to be this season's shittiest kid, and as a blizzard rages in Chicago, Alex and Sarah get into a car accident that leaves Alex fighting for his life as Sam watches on.
S15 · E8
July 23 · 1 hr 4 min
S15E8 "Age Of Innocence"
Content warning: storyline about a pedophile and Brenner's trauma from childhood sexual abuse. This week: Tension is in the air after an alleged pedophile is brought with after a house fire, Brenner has himself a little crashout, Gates finally explains why he cares so much about finding Max, Andrew bounces back with a great save, Morris is caught in the middle of everyone's issues, and Dubenko reminds Neela what she was like when she was an intern.
S15 · E7
July 16 · 1 hr 35 min
S15E7 "Heal Thyself"
This week: Past and present collide as Banfield recalls how her son died at County 7 years ago as she, Morris, and Tracy attempt to save a little girl who nearly drowned after falling into Lake Michigan.
S15 · E6
July 9 · 1 hr
S15E6 "Oh, Brother"
This week: Morris puts far, far too much responsibility on Chaz during his 1st-year ER rotation, Gates connects with a homeless army veteran, Daria is still acting weird, Neela and Banfield have differences of opinions on teaching methods, Sam and Alex make a big life decision, and Chadwick Boseman guest stars as a boxer who may have taken one too many shots to the head.
S15 · E5
July 2 · 1 hr 1 min
S15E5 "Haunted"
This week: It's the show's last Halloween episode as Gates is a real jerk to Sam, Banfield remains her usual curmudgeonly self, a bird gets loose in the ER, Brenner takes issue with a mom's behavior after her son was in a fight at school and stabbed another student with a fork, Daria is acting very weird and flirty, Frank dresses up as Julius Cesar, Morris and Tracy make a great save, and Neela is thrilled when Ray makes a surprise visit to County General.
S15 · E4
June 25 · 1 hr 5 min
S15E4 "Parental Guidance"
This week: Gates struggles with parenting after Sarah makes a bold choice on a dare, the interns get paired off with other doctors for the day, Morris is still down on love, Banfield does some digging to find out about a weird family situation that's resulted in multiple injuries, and Brenner does what he can to help a son reconnect with his father after his mom is in a car accident.
S15 · E3
June 18 · 1 hr 11 min
S15E3 "The Book Of Abby"
This week: The story of Abigail Lockheart, MD at Country General comes to a close as she fights with Banfield, saves a basketball coach who has been shot, appreciates the good work of Neela and a returning Dubenko, fights for Sam's job, reassures Morris that he is indeed a good doctor, and manages to talk a young man out of killing himself.
S15 · E2
June 11 · 1 hr 9 min
S15E2 "Another Thursday At County"
This week: The writers decide to throw FIVE new characters at us (including four new interns), Morris has already had enough of the new ER chief micromanaging everyone, Dubenko's departure leaves Crenshaw massively overworked, Sam contributes to a guy killing himself, and a small act of bioterrorism forces the ER to evacuate while Gates and three of the interns are stuck in the middle of it.
S15 · E1
June 4 · 1 hr 26 min
S15E1 "Life After Death"
This week: The ambulance explosion last episode leaves Pratt and Bardelli fighting for their lives, a young girl is in trouble after being trapped in a burning car, and older woman has severe injuries after a fall, Abby somehow only has minor injuries from being near the explosion, and ER composer Martin Davich turns in one of the most impactful soundtracks in the show's history.
S14 · E20
May 14 · 59 min
Patreon Preview: S14 Wrap Up
It's that time again! Join the STT hosts and special guest Jake from The Popular Court as we recap all the good and bad that was season 14. Hear our opinions on the season as a whole, what we loved and what we hated the most, as well as some thoughts from your fellow listeners. Want to hear the full episode, including the semi-annual "Tone-y" awards? Support us at the $5 level over at patreon.com/settingthetonepodcast to enjoy that plus over 75 additional hours of bonus audio and video content.
S14 · E19
May 7 · 1 hr 27 min
S14E19 "The Chicago Way"
This week: Steve Buscemi guest stars and a mob informant who should never have returned to Chicago, Neela faces the wrath of her colleagues when she presents Sheryl's case at an M & M, Morris does everything he can for a dying asian woman and her daughter, everything seems to be going Pratt's way, Luka punches out Moretti before getting back together with Abby, and Dubenko finally decides he's had enough of County
S14 · E18
April 30 · 1 hr 28 min
S14E18 "Tandem Repeats"
This week: Gates and Sam are caught on camera doing it all over the hospital, Neela faces the harsh reality of her job, Brenner continues to be an absolute (insert expletive of choice here), Abby interviews for a new job at a very fancy clinic, and Lizzie is amazed when the show actually does a decent (but not great) job handling a transgender patient.
S14 · E17
April 23 · 1 hr 10 min
S14E17 "Under Pressure"
This week: Gates and Sam get caught making out on the roof by Morris, Pratt visits Betina in another hospital, Abby settles into being separated from Luka, Simon continues to be a twat about teaching Laverne and Larry, and a couple are flown in as their jewelry heist getaway goes awry and turns into a desperate hostage situation in the ER.
S14 · E16
April 16 · 1 hr 25 min
S14E16 "Truth Will Out"
This week: Luka makes some huge life decisions without consulting Abby, Sam is suddenly super weird about people finding out that she's dating Gates, Brenner is revealed to be a nepo baby, Dubenko gets overly jealous of Skye's friends, Neela is super attached to a patient for some reason, and Pratt attempts to reconcile with Betina.
S14 · E15
April 9 · 1 hr 14 min
S14E15 "...As The Day She Was Born"
This week: Neela has a very exhausting first day back in general surgery, Gates fights with Morris about the best treatment of Sarah's grandpa after he collapses, Sam gets some nice roses but continues to be judgemental, Betina reveals a major health problem, Harold quits surgery, and Pratt puts his conflict resolution skills to good use.

Showing 1–20 of 23 episodes