5/5 The beginning of the end for Dr. Greene
  by Joshua Spaulding (Ossipee, New Hampshire)
Season seven of NBC's long-running medical drama ER was an impressive collection of episodes that featured the introduction of one of the best guest star performances in the history of the show.

While she is not a regular cast member, Sally Field stole the show in season seven, guest starring as Maggie, nurse Abby Lockhart's (Maura Tierney) bipolar mother. Field earned an Emmy for her incredible turn as Maggie, a woman desparately trying to reconnect with her daughter and turn her life around, all the while dealing with a disease that can turn her into a totally different person. Most of Abby's story lines in this season revolved around her mother, and through that, viewers got a chance to learn just where Abby came from and how tough things were for her as a youngster. Abby is the only character in this season that is returning for the 14th season as a regular cast member, so it is nice to see just where the character got her start.

Abby began the year as a med student, but her ex-husband's failure to pay a bill puts her back in nurse scrubs for the season, however, as the year draws to a close she is thinking about heading back to med school again. Viewers also get a chance to see Abby's budding relationship with Dr. Luka Kovac (Goran Visnjic), a relationship that has resulted in them having a baby and getting married in season 13. In this season, the relationship is still in its new stage and viewers got a chance to see just what Luka went through in Croatia, losing his wife and children in a bombing. It is through his relationship with a dying bishop (guest star James Cromwell) that Luka finally learns to deal with his past and move on with his life.

At the end of season six, Dr. John Carter (Noah Wyle) was heading to rehab after becoming addicted to pain pills. Season seven finds him out of rehab and looking for his job back. With conditions, he is accepted back to County General and for the most part, is able to blend back in with his fellow doctors. A close call with some pain medication sends him back to square one in his return to work, however. His close friendship with Abby, herself a recovering alcoholic, helps him through the tough times and we get to see the great side of Dr. Carter when he travels with Abby to bring a messed up Maggie back from a hotel room where she was holed up in Oklahoma.

Dr. Peter Benton (Eriq LaSalle) continues his relationship with pediatrician Cleo Finch (Michael Michele) and also has to deal with the fact that he loses his job in the surgery department after a tiff with Dr. Robert Romano (Paul McCrane). Forced to accept a position with no benefits and no stature, Benton is incredibly disappointed, but stays in Chicago to be near his son Reese, who splits time with he and his ex, Carla (guest star Lisa Nicole Carson). Eventually, Benton is hired as the director of diversity at the hospital in what would be he and Cleo's final full season at County General. Both doctors departed near the end of season eight.

Jing-Mei Chen (Ming Na) opens the season finding out that she is pregnant. She hides her pregnancy well for a while, keeping her parents in the dark until it is almost time to deliver. She agrees to give the baby up for adoption after realizing that the time was not right for her and the fact that her parents couldn't handle the fact that the baby's father was black. The pregnancy was Chen's main story line, though she does apply for chief resident at the end of the season, a position Carter also wants, but can't have because of the conditions placed on him after his rehab stint.

Dr. Dave Mallucci (Erik Palladino) has very few large story lines in the season, serving mainly as a character in other people's story lines. It is obvious in this season that the writers were dealing with a lot of main characters, which gave them almost too many stories to tell in each episode and Dr. Dave was one of the people that seemed to fall by the wayside.

Dr. Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes), the head of the ER, confronts her own sexuality, as she enters a relationship with Dr. Kim Legaspi (guest star Elizabeth Mitchell, Juliet from Lost). She hides their relationship well, but when Dr. Legaspi's career is on the line, Weaver steps up and comes out of the closet to her boss, Dr. Romano. This story line was one of the big stories during the season, one that opened Dr. Weaver up to many relationships, including the one that led to her departure from the show in the middle of the 13th season.

But, the biggest story of the year was that of Dr. Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards). The longtime ER doc finds out that he has a tumor in his brain the same day he finds out that his girlfriend Dr. Elizabeth Corday (Alex Kingston) is pregnant. The two set out on a course to find a way to treat the tumor and the removal is successful, but Greene has a hard time returning to work, still dealing with the effects of the surgery and the tumor. The two doctors get married (after a slight delay) and welcome Ella to the world and in the final episode, Greene fears for the life of his wife and baby when a distraught father goes on a killing spree after Greene places his son in a foster home. This tumor marked the beginning of the end for Dr. Greene, as its return in season eight eventually led to the good doctor's death in the penultimate episode, one of the toughest moments in ER history.

This set features a number of deleted scenes and a great gag reel that shows just how much things can get screwed up on the set of a tense show like ER.

While there could've been more extras, this has been the norm the last few seasons and the episodes themselves make for great television, with or without the extras. If for no other reason, by this set to watch "The Visit," the episode that introduces viewers to Sally Field's Maggie, truly one of the best episodes of the show's 14-year run.

5/5 Dark and Dramatic... and Maybe the Best
  by J. Junt
With so many seasons of ER and so many great moments as a part of tv history. It's hard to pick the one season to win the title of 'best'. The seventh season of ER wins my title as the best season of ER to date. (Season 12 will replace it when the year arrives.) The reason to give the title to year seven is for the fact that this season has the rare ability, that is hard especially with television, of pulling you in in such a way that you feel as if you have been part of a dramatic experience. Season seven shines even brighter on DVD. Packaged perfectly in a dark gray box set. Season seven may have been more of a 'soapy' season but the story-lines, directing and as always the acting is beyond compelling. Best episodes of the season and possibly one of the best ever 'A Walk in the Woods'.

5/5 Just the right amount of drama for your money!
  by T. Powers (Tricities, Wa USA)
This show just keeps getting better and better as the seasons are released. It starts getting into more detail about the personal lives of the doctors and nurses. This season is the season that starts the development of Dr. Greene's brain tumor. I can't wait until season 8 is released. This is real drama!

4/5 Different View: Dramatica & Music
  by Clayton Giovanni M. (O-HI-O)
I won't counter any review of season 7. All are correct and well worth the whole set.

I'm really drawn to just one episode "Sand and Water". It is the most emotional episode for me because of the 4 storylines that are typically running at once. I found it to be the very perfect episode to show a person who doesn't watch ER to experience some of the best writing.

I am gay, I want children, I'm spiritual and I have been surprised before by someone I loved. All of these aspects are probably why I am so touched with this episode. This episode has a lesbian couple going through the legal hassles of health law, another couple is losing their child and want to have him babtised before he dies with the problem being that a priest can't be found for them, one of the regular characters is having a difficult time proposing. Yeah, it touched me a lot and the music 'Sand & water' just hits home. NOT ONE DRY EYE AT MY HOUSE when I show that episode.

OK..that's my peace..thanks for reading and I hope that "Sand & Water" is well worn on your player because of just how well it stands alone.

For me, it's worth the price of the whole set.

5/5 THE BEST SEASON!!
  by ludehappy (New Castle, PA United States)
I watched ER from the beginning and this is my favorite season. It's great to remember how good this show WAS....The Kerry and Kim Legaspi story is the reason I had to have this collection!! A++++++