Setting the Tone: An ER Retrospective

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.

S14E18 "Tandem Repeats" 04/30/2026

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. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/40969765

S14E17 "Under Pressure" 04/23/2026

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. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/40881145

S14E16 "Truth Will Out" 04/16/2026

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. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/40769665

S14E15 "...As The Day She Was Born" 04/09/2026

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. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/40706510

S14E14 "Owner Of A Broken Heart" 04/02/2026

S14E14 "Owner Of A Broken Heart" This week: Abby needs some help from Coburn to get on a plane to see Luka, The writer’s strike ends and gives us one of the worst new main cast members ever, a wild new med student appears, a woman is brought in having intentionally sabotaged her transplanted heart, and Pratt shoots Morris with a stun gun. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/40614185

S14E13 "Atonement" 03/26/2026

S14E13 "Atonement" This week: Julia questions herself after a tough patient consult, Sam and Gates finally kiss, Pratt can’t commit, a man with a troubled past saves the life of a young boy who nearly drowned, Skye and Dubenko are rudely interrupted, and a hockey game between the surgeons and ortho docs ends in a good old fashioned 5v5 fist fight. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/40520425

S14E12 "Believe The Unseen" 03/19/2026

S14E12 "Believe The Unseen" This week: As the rumor mill heats up, Abby reveals to the rest of the ER where she’s been the last few weeks, Julia wants to get more serious with Gates, Pratt steps up to lead the team as Skye is out sick, a fire in an apartment building sends multiple foster children to the hospital, Neela has an unconventional first day in orthopedics, Morris has food poisoning, and a disfigured man saves his neighbour after she’s been badly beaten. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/40391595

S14E11 "Status Quo" 03/12/2026

S14E11 "Status Quo" This week: A familiar face is brought back after her son is injured, Neela’s very flirty cousin is stateside for a surprise visit as she gets a new career opportunity, Pratt’s interview for the ER chief job leaves his future at County in doubt, Sam is training for a triathlon, and an injured soldier reveals a traumatic event from her time in Iraq. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/40248805

S14E10 "300 Patients" 03/05/2026

S14E10 "300 Patients" On this week's 300th episode: Morris makes a bet that the ER will take in 300 patients before the next shift comes in, Julia leads the staff in a blessing ceremony, Sam's transport training goes sideways after her ambulance is in an accident, Neela has to swab a camel's mouth after it bites Dubenko, Pratt helps a family after a wife and son are in a bad car accident, and Abby's finally reveals her drinking to Luka as they prepare to go to Croatia. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/40146290

S14E9 "Skye's The Limit" 02/26/2026

S14E9 "Skye's The Limit" This week: Much to her surprise, Skye is named interim chief of the ER, Pratt ponders where his career is headed at County, Luka confronts Abby about what’s been wrong with her lately, Gates helps a kid trying to be tough for his dad, Neela rocks her first solo surgery, Morris wants to pump Sam up, and a man’s extremely racist son destroys an immigrant woman’s family after a misunderstanding of how a factory accident happened. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/40068815

S14E8 "Coming Home" 02/19/2026

S14E8 "Coming Home" This week: David Zabel throws up on his computer trying to fix his mistakes from last week /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/39988785

S14E7 "Blackout" 02/12/2026

S14E7 "Blackout" This week: Despite hitting rock bottom in the worst way, Abby’s intuition saves a newborn baby, a heatwave complicates patient care all over the hospital, Gates and Julia bring in some musicians to help the vibes of the ER, Pratt and Morris celebrate after only one of them passes their board exam, Moretti does a sex crime, and Harold commits a cardinal sin of surgical internship leaving Dubenko questioning his future in the program. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/39905465

S14E6 "The Test" 02/05/2026

S14E6 "The Test" Content warning for talk of suicide and a non-graphic suicide attempt This week: The whole ER staff blows off an annoyed teenager with random medical complaints, Gates helps Joshua through the final day of his life, Harold has a hot date and needs someone to teach him about sex, Moretti’s son pays a very concerning visit, a new guest star attending is introduced, Morris and Pratt prep for the boards, and Abby’s life troubles continue to send her towards rock bottom. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/39807210

S14E5 "Under The Influence" 01/29/2026

S14E5 "Under The Influence" This week: Morris is having a very sexually frustrating day, Abby struggles through her shift with a hangover, everyone is trying to guess the real age of Neela’s new intern, Pratt is just kinda there the whole episode, a new hospital chaplain makes her debut, Coburn gives Abby an ultimatum, and Gates fights Kayson and Moretti to get help a guy who took amphetamines and his pregnant wife. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/39723845

S14E4 "Gravity" 01/22/2026

S14E4 "Gravity" This week: Gates surprises Joshua with a day trip to Wrigley Field for a Cubs game, Neela returns to work and makes a cool save, the ER staff are all getting free spa treatments from a grateful patient’s mom, Pratt treats a former NFL player with a bad hip, Chaz is getting hazed by his new EMT partner, Morris scares a small child, a new desk clerk joins the staff, and Abby’s downfall truly begins after Joe is brought to the ER with a head injury. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/39638105

S14E3 "Officer Down" 01/15/2026

S14E3 "Officer Down" This week: Morris suffers a loss and takes it out on a cop, Sarah runs away back to Gates’ place, Gates himself makes a cool little save in the ER, Grady has some performance anxiety around Abby, Pratt is dealing with some bedroom issues, and a recovering Neela does her best nanny impression. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/39572335

S14E2 "In A Different Light" 01/08/2026

S14E2 "In A Different Light" This week: Frank does a deep dive into everyone’s ancestry, Neela is on the mend, Abby spends the day working in the waiting room, Pratt is angling for the chief job, Morris and Hope are fighting about her leaving on a humanitarian mission, Moretti continues to change ER procedures, Sam is a brunette, and Gates’ first day in the ICU gets off to a rocky start. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/39089910

S14E1 "The War Comes Home" 01/01/2026

S14E1 "The War Comes Home" This week: Moretti’s leadership is put to the test on his first day as the peace rally stampede patients flood the ER, Morris and Pratt have to be sneaky while trying to treat patients, a grandfather makes a rash decision after he finds out who started the stampede, a new intern has a wild first day, Gates loses his temper in a big way, and the whole staff (but especially Dubenko) is on edge as Neela is brought in in critical condition. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/39015195

Patreon Preview: S13 Wrap Up 11/13/2025

Patreon Preview: S13 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 13. 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. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/38965120

S13E23 "The Honeymoon Is Over" 11/06/2025

S13E23 "The Honeymoon Is Over" This week: Moretti observes the flaws in patient care down in the ER, the writers go back to the custody battle well with Gates and Sarah, Ray ain’t got no legs, Luka heads overseas, Frank is buying into the Homeland Security propaganda a bit too much, Pratt and Abby treat a kinkster who got beaten up by a confused guy, and Neela’s outing to a peace rally turns violent. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/38818820

S13E22 "Sea Change" 10/30/2025

S13E22 "Sea Change" This week: The ER reopens with the same old problems, Morris tries to convince Hope to stay longer at their expensive hotel, Larry has vastly overestimated how much Sam is into him, no one knows Ray (or what’s left of him) is, Abby believes in the power of love and it leads to a tricky diagnosis, Mae Lee says goodbye to County, and Pratt argues about the realities of the ER with Stanley Tucci. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/38763090

S13E21 "I Don't" 10/23/2025

S13E21 "I Don't" This week: Love is in the air as Luka surprises Abby with a wedding, Gates and Ray’s fight for Neela’s affections comes to a violent end (in more ways than one), Timmy tries to hook up with every single nurse, Morris and Hope finally seal the deal, and Neela gets kissed by some drunken individuals. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/38599055

S13E20 "Lights Out" 10/16/2025

S13E20 "Lights Out" This week: The staff scramble to empty the ER after a temporary closure is announced by Luka, Chaz’s initiation into the paramedic crew goes horribly wrong, Sam helps guide Diana through the last choices of her life, Gates gets into a fist fight with his dad, and Pratt and Ray treat a teenager who has been poisoned by a jealous classmate. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/38505110

S13E19 "Family Business" 10/09/2025

S13E19 "Family Business" This week: Pratt reconnects with Chaz who is pursuing a new career, Sarah is trying to get the Gates household in order, Abby is a bit paranoid about Baby Joe’s fever, A flower delivery man crashes his van while attempting to save a pair of brothers, Luka and Gates do everything they can for an elderly man with Alzheimer’s after his son dies suddenly, and Sam goes all She-Hulk on a cop. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/38418605

S13E18 "Photographs and Memories" 10/02/2025

S13E18 "Photographs and Memories" This week: Neela’s still getting shoved out of the way for Mae Lee, Gates has a talk with Sarah about her parentage, a wild new med student appears, Sam treats a dying man who is being constantly photographed, Luka and Abby try to calm Morris and Hope down about the upcoming wedding, Abby’s favorite flight nurse has some surprising character development, and it’s all hands on deck after a semi truck plows into a compact car containing a family. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/38334370

S13E17 "From Here To Paternity" 09/25/2025

S13E17 "From Here To Paternity" This week: Hope’s wedding senses are tingling as Luka and Abby begin to plan the big day, Pratt connects to a patient who was shot while trying to stop his son from killing someone else, Neela has some new competition in the form of a special med student, Gates has some daddy issues, and the entire ER does their best to help a hypothermic family whose car was trapped in the snow for two days. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/38287190

S13E16 "Crisis Of Conscience" 09/18/2025

S13E16 "Crisis Of Conscience" Content warning: patient suicide This week: Gates treats a dying woman whose story isn't quite lining up, Luka dives back into work, Neela uncovers a major ethical problem with a kidney transplant, Crenshaw is a sub, Ray treats a beaten cheerleader, and Andy Dick can see the future. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/38205045

S13E15 "Dying Is Easy" 09/11/2025

S13E15 "Dying Is Easy" But pacing isn't, apparently. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/38079460

S13E14 "Murmurs Of The Heart" 09/04/2025

S13E14 "Murmurs Of The Heart" Content warning: Discussion of two suicides. This week: Chaos unfolds around Chicago as Tony tries desperately to save Meg’s life after she overdoses, Pratt eventually gets out of jail but is surprised to see who bailed him out, flames engulf the entirety of Sam’s apartment building, and Ames kidnaps Kovac and severely injures him while going on a stroll down memory lane. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/38036840

S13E13 "A House Divided" 08/28/2025

S13E13 "A House Divided" This week: Alex reclaims his title as king of the s****y kids list, Pratt proves once again why you should never talk to the cops without a lawyer, Kerry is still here for some reason, Ray and Gates once again clash over patient care (but it’s really about Neela), Abby’s mystery old man friend’s identity is revealed, and the episode has a weird amount of cliffhangers. /episode/index/show/settingthetonepodcast/id/37795535

Setting the Tone: An ER Retrospective

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