Episode 1: Four Corners; Written by Jack Orman and David Zabel; Directed by Christopher Misiano; 9/27/01
Carter deals with his chilly socialite parents during his grandfather's funeral. Greene hides the role he played in a killer's death. Weaver returns to work fearing she's been outed. Cleo suffers the side effects of her HIV treatment, while Benton's sister begins to unravel over the loss of her son as the ER is filled with patients after a brawl erupts during a local talk show.
Episode 2: The Longer You Stay; Written by Jack Orman; Directed by Jonathan Kaplan; 10/4/01
Gridlock in the ER leaves an off-duty Carter to handle Chen and Malucci's fatal error. Benton gets tragic news about Carla. Kovac ends it with Abby after she shows her true colors and Mark begins to see the downside of being married to a fellow doctor.
Episode 3:Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic; Writers: R. Scott Gemmill/Elizabeth Hunter; Director: Richard Thorpe; 10/11/01
OWeaver takes dire action after catching Malucci with his pants down. Greene's teen daughter drops by County with some unexpected news. An abandoned baby in Chen's care seems to have healing powers. Abby ropes Carter into helping her fix a fishy mistake she made while clearing her stuff out of Luka's place.
Episode 4: Never Say Never; Written by Dee Johnson; Directed by Felix Enriquez Alcala; 10/16/01
After a five-year absence, Dr. Susan Lewis's simple lunch date with Greene leads to a new job at County General. Meanwhile, Abby's attempt to make peace with Kovac is impeded by the arrival of his bartending lady friend. Chen takes drastic action after Kerry strips her of the chief-residency position. Benton works to save a man who thinks his death will improve his family's financial future.
Episode 5: Start All Over Again; Written by Joe Sachs; Directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall; 10/25/01
On her first day back, Lewis puts her new job in jeopardy after clashing with Kerry over a pregnant teen who may be deported if her folks learn of her condition. Meanwhile, Corday comes under fire after losing a patient to an odd infection she may be spreading. Carter's grandmother arrives in need of medical care, but she's opposed to his aid. Abby bristles at a newly emerging relationship in the ER.
Episode 6: Supplies and Demands; Written by Meredith Stiehm; Directed by Jonathan Kaplan; 11/1/01
Carter and Lewis race to stop a possible outbreak after two college students test positive for meningitis. A specialist shadows Corday to find the root of the infection that has killed four of her elderly patients. Abby has a hard time letting Luka go, especially once his enigmatic lady friend scores a job at the hospital. Benton squares off with Roger over his expanded-and irritating-role in Reese's life.
Episode 7: If I Should Fall From Grace; Written by R. Scott Gemmill; Directed by Laura Innes; 11/8/01
Carter discovers the sad truth about what's ailing his grandmother (Frances Sternhagen); Roger sues Benton for custody of Reese; Nicole gets a grim life lesson during her first day of training as a nurse's aide; and Corday gets a possible lead on why so many of her patients are dying.
Episode 8: Partly Cloudy, Chance of Rain; Written by Jack Orman; Directed by David Nutter; 11/15/01
As a storm soaks Chicago, Kerry and Gallant race to save a pregnant woman trapped in a crashed ambulance surrounded by live power lines/ Carter's grandmother arrives with a mysterious injury and a morbid link to a hit-and-run victim. Greene treats a teen taking the fall for losing his baby brother in a flooded river. Meanwhile, Benton's hopes of winning custody of Reese are dashed by a fateful DNA test. Cleo ends her days at County General. Nicole gives Luka bad news after being busted for burglary.
Episode 9: Quo Vadis?; Written by Joe Sachs & David Zabel; Directed by Richard Thorpe; 11/22/01
For Benton, change may not be a good one as his demanding schedule at the hospital gives Roger the upper hand in their court case for custody of Reese. Back at County General, however, things look up for Carter, who finally makes a move on Lewis after treating a newlywed's odd allergy. Meanwhile, Cleo tries to avoid goodbyes during her final shift. Nicole drops a new bombshell on Luka regarding the baby she's carrying.
Episode 10: I'll Be Home for Christmas;
Written by Dee Johnson & Meredith Steihm; Directed by Jonathan Kaplan; 12/13/01
Benton's custody battle for his hearing-impaired son reaches a dramatic climax. Backed into a corner by Romano, Benton must choose between practicing and parenting. But just as it starts to look like Roger has the upper hand in court, Cleo offers the desperate doc a chance to save his case...and possibly his career. Meanwhile, Carter's father drops a holiday bombshell. The staff prays for a miracle after a boy is accidentally shot by his mom on Christmas Eve.
Episode 11: Beyond Repair; Written by Jack Orman & R. Scott Gemmill; Directed by Alan J. Levi; 1/10/02
As a cold front hits, Carter tries to hash things out with his mom and has a chilling run-in with a killer from his past. Abby spends her birthday falling into a dangerous old habit. Meanwhile, Lewis tries to help a prisoner avoid a certain death sentence. Mark finds cause for alarm among Rachel's things. A burn victim becomes a tragic reason for his kids to stay away from drugs.
Episode 12: A River in Egypt; Written by David Zabel; Directed by Jesus Trevino; 1/17/02
Romano rehires a vengeful Chen. Abby tries-and fails-to help her neighbor escape an abusive situation. Mark makes a decision about Rachel's future in Chicago. Meanwhile, Carter gets roped into playing peacemaker between his mother and his absentee dad. Lewis battles to keep an injured inmate safe from the men assigned to guard him.
Episode 13: Damage is Done; Written by Dee Johnson; Directed by Nelson McCormick; 1/31/02
Mark faces the awful truth about Rachel after Ella's rushed to County for what he fears may be a drug overdose. Abby puts herself in the line of fire by taking in her battered neighbor. Carter's mother reaches out to a dying child in hopes of righting a past wrong. Meanwhile, Kerry takes the low road to punish Susan for accepting a promotion. Chen decides it's time to lose the gloves in her dealings with a duplicitous colleague.
Episode 14: A Simple Twist of Fate; Written by Jack Orman; Directed by Christopher Chulack; 2/7/02
Four of the County General staffers face life-altering complications. As baby Ella fights for her life after swallowing Rachel's secret stash of Ecstasy, a shattered Corday lashes out at the teen in a move that rocks the Greene house. Meanwhile, Abby pays a steep price for saving her neighbor from a violent situation. A dying patient's plight leads Carter to confront his mother about their painful family past. Mark sees his worst nightmare resurfacing.
Episode 15: It's All in Your Head; Written by R. Scott Gemmill; Directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall; 2/28/02
Greene keeps Corday in the dark after dire news forces him to seek emergency treatment - and another woman's assistance. Chen is baffled by a coma patient in the early stages of labor. Abby learns that her home is no longer safe from her violent neighbor. Meanwhile, the ER is flooded with families, each torn apart by the mistakes of one member.
Episode 16: Secrets and Lies; Written by John Wells; Directed by Richard Thorpe; 3/7/02
A mishap with a dominatrix patient's bag of tricks lands Luka, Abby, Lewis, Carter and Gallant in a sexual harassment class, where tensions run high among various couplings. And by the the end of the day, one pair is forced to face the truth about their dead-in-the-water romance.
Episode 17: Bygones; Written by Elizabeth Hunter & Meredith Stiehm; Directed by Jessica Yu; 3/28/02
Romano forces Corday to work in the ER, where she begins to realize that Susan may hold the key to her estranged husband's disturbing behavior. A pair of college students are rushed into surgery following a knife attack on campus that hits close to home for one of the County staffers. Abby settles into life at Luka's while she searches for a new home.
Episode 18: Orion in the Sky; Written by David Zabel; Directed by Jonathan Kaplan; 4/4/02
Training a zealous intern leads Greene to a life-altering realization about the future of his own medical care-and his ability to provide it to others. Elsewhere, a junkie gets a lesson in life's hardships after she goes into premature labor. A museum worker displays signs of a legendary ailment usually attributed to the undead. Corday is forced to give in to a terminal patient's demands to die with dignity.
Episode 19: Brothers and Sisters; Written by R. Scott Gemmill; Directed by Nelson McCormick; 4/25/02
Lewis receives a cryptic call from her young niece that leaves her fearing the worst about her troubled sister, Chloe. Lewis traces the call to a New York hotel, but when help arrives, the room is empty. Desperate, she flies to Manhattan and enlists Third Watch cops Yokas and Bosco to search for her loved ones, but what they discover only leads to more questions. Back at County General, Carter realizes that Abby has picked up an old habit. Corday makes a dramatic decision about her future with the ailing Mark.
Episode 20: The Letter; Written and Directed by Jack Orman; 5/2/02
A letter from Mark prompts Carter to confront Abby about her drinking, while Kerry sees the note as a reason to check her health and try her hand at romance. Meanwhile, a car crash reveals a shocking truth about Lewis's teen patient. Pratt gets bad news about where he'll be spending his internship.
Episode 21: On the Beach; Written and Directed by John Wells; 5/9/02
Mark is in Hawaii after leaving County General to enjoy what little time he has left. With him is his daughter Rachel, and Mark hopes the trip will give the often antagonistic pair a chance to reconnect and heal some old wounds before it's too late. Then the unexpected arrival of Corday and baby Ella allows the weakening Mark to see his fractured family reunited.
Episode 22: Lockdown; Written by Dee Johnson & Joe Sachs; Directed by Jonathan Kaplan; 5/16/02
The usual chaos at County General quickly goes from frenzied to frightening when two children are brought in with symptoms eerily similar to smallpox. Racing to stem a possible plague - and national panic - Carter immediately orders an ER lockdown, with Kerry outside and a waiting room full of anxious patients inside. As Lewis attempts to contact the CDC about a vaccine, one patient's condition continues to detoriorate, while two of County's newest residents begin to show symptoms of exposure.
