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The Worst Episodes of ER

Every episode of ER ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of ER!

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ER explores the inner workings of an urban teaching hospital and the critical issues faced by the dedicated physicians and staff of its overburdened emergency room.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    ER Season 13 Episode 21 - I Don't
    5.8/10(8 votes)

    #1 - I Don't

    S13:E21

    What is suppose to be a departmental dinner organized by Kovac turns out to be the surprise of a lifetime for Abby when she soon learns it's a surprise wedding, secretly planned by the eager groom. Meanwhile, at the wedding, ER staffers enjoy themselves with music and booze while Neela finds herself the center of unexpected attention between Gates and Ray, which leads to a drunken fight and a shocking conclusion.

    Director:Andrew Bernstein
    Writer:David Zabel

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  2. ER Season 7 Episode 9 - The Greatest of Gifts
    6.2/10(8 votes)

    #2 - The Greatest of Gifts

    S7:E9

    Chen gives birth, but insists on breastfeeding the infant before she gives it to the adoptive parents. Greene and Corday consult a brain specialist in New York City who believes the tumor can be safely removed. Stressed and tired, Carter impulsively swallows two painkiller pills but intentionally vomits them. He confesses to Abby.

    Director:Jonathan Kaplan
    Writer:Elizabeth Hunter

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  3. ER Season 13 Episode 3 - Somebody To Love
    6.3/10(8 votes)

    #3 - Somebody To Love

    S13:E3

    Gates is assigned to the case of a closeted gay man whose partner clashes with his family; Neela meets her new surgical chief, Dr. Crenshaw; and Pratt must cope with the flood of new interns.

    Director:Stephen Cragg
    Writer:David Zabel

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  4. ER Season 4 Episode 18 - Gut Reaction
    7.0/10(9 votes)

    #4 - Gut Reaction

    S4:E18

    Carter finally works up enough nerve to ask Del Amico out. Jeanie tries to help Scotty decide whether to undergo an experimental treatment and Benton takes unexpected action during an operation with Morgenstern.

    Director:Babu Subramaniam
    Writer:Neal Baer

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  5. ER Season 14 Episode 14 - Owner of a Broken Heart
    7.1/10(353 votes)

    #5 - Owner of a Broken Heart

    S14:E14

    Pratt and a new doctor on the scene disagree on how to teach the interns. Gates treats a young woman with serious heart problems. Abby heads to Croatia, and ponders whether and how to tell Luka about her unfortunate choices. Sam discovers that Julia has moved on in more ways than one.

    Director:Christopher Chulack
    Writers:Joe Sachs, David Zabel

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  6. ER Season 14 Episode 13 - Atonement
    7.2/10(375 votes)

    #6 - Atonement

    S14:E13

    Neela's short visit in Ortho turns into a game of hockey. Bettina wants to take her relationship with Pratt to the next level, but Pratt is not keen on the idea. Gates and Sam disagree over a patient. Julia provides some spiritual guidance in order to ease a prison doctor's bad conscience.

    Director:Stephen Cragg
    Writer:Lisa Zwerling

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  7. ER Season 14 Episode 15 - ...As the Day She Was Born
    7.2/10(331 votes)

    #7 - ...As the Day She Was Born

    S14:E15

    Neela, worn out after being on shift for over 24 hours, has to make a quick decision regarding an accident victim's torn aorta. Sarah's grandparents are in town, and Hank is rushed to the ER after collapsing during an outing. Gates tries to convey to Sam that his feelings for her are serious.

    Director:Tawnia McKiernan
    Writer:Shannon Goss

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  8. ER Season 9 Episode 12 - A Saint in the City
    7.3/10(7 votes)

    #8 - A Saint in the City

    S9:E12

    Dr. Weaver is in a difficult situation when an alderman tests positive for syphilis. Dr. Carter is impressed when he meets a man who runs an inner city clinic.

    Director:Peggy Rajski
    Writer:Bruce Miller

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  9. ER Season 11 Episode 14 - Just As I Am
    7.3/10(6 votes)

    #9 - Just As I Am

    S11:E14

    Dr. Weaver meets her birth mother, but their relationship changes when Kerry reveals she is gay. Dr. Carter causes a commotion when he confronts a couple hoping to scam some painkillers.

    Director:Richard Thorpe
    Writer:Lydia Woodward

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  10. ER Season 13 Episode 6 - Heart of the Matter
    7.3/10(6 votes)

    #10 - Heart of the Matter

    S13:E6

    Kovac anxiously awaits the verdict between himself and Curtis Ames but fears the worst. Meanwhile, Neela disobeys her chief's orders and also questions her feelings for Gates, and Weaver unwittingly steals the spotlight from Morris in his big television debut.

    Director:Andrew Bernstein
    Writer:Janine Sherman Barrois

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  11. ER Season 14 Episode 6 - The Test
    7.3/10(361 votes)

    #11 - The Test

    S14:E6

    Morris and Pratt cram for their medical boards when Morretti brings in a new attending physician to help with the load. Sam and Abby work on an attention-hungry patient who comes into the ER with elusive symptoms.

    Director:Félix Alcalá
    Writer:Lisa Zwerling

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  12. ER Season 14 Episode 8 - Coming Home
    7.3/10(345 votes)

    #12 - Coming Home

    S14:E8

    Everyone at the ER is happily surprised to see Luka back from Croatia. Great news awaits Neela. Sarah once again needs rescuing by Tony, and patients are causing problems for Morris.

    Director:Laura Innes
    Writer:David Zabel

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  13. ER Season 14 Episode 16 - Truth Will Out
    7.3/10(333 votes)

    #13 - Truth Will Out

    S14:E16

    Kovac is in Chicago looking for hospice-care work. Neela's aorta surgery has caused an infection in her patient. Abby treats a teen who has been beaten up. Brenner continues to cause problems for the ER staff.

    Director:Andrew Bernstein
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. ER Season 12 Episode 1 - Cañon City
    7.4/10(5 votes)

    #14 - Cañon City

    S12:E1

    Sam and Luka go on the search for her runaway son, Alex. Meanwhile, Pratt and Lewis guide Abby, Neela and Ray, who have become R2's, on how to teach the new interns.

    Director:Christopher Chulack
    Writers:Joe Sachs, John Wells, Lisa Zwerling

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  15. ER Season 14 Episode 2 - In a Different Light
    7.4/10(367 votes)

    #15 - In a Different Light

    S14:E2

    Moretti begins to make his presence felt, as he implements changes in the way patients are seen. The ER staff differ on how procedure when a patient comes in with a bullet in him needed as evidence. Neela finds herself the object of more attention that she wants, or needs. Abby had passport woes, and struggles with the changes being made. Pratt and Morris find themselves forced to defend their actions, Hope prepares for a new mission, and Gates finds himself labeled the reject in his new assignment.

    Director:Richard Thorpe
    Writers:Karen Maser, Lisa Zwerling

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  16. ER Season 14 Episode 4 - Gravity
    7.4/10(344 votes)

    #16 - Gravity

    S14:E4

    When Baby Joe is injured by a fall at the playground and rushed to the hospital, Abby is unable to reach Luka to tell him.

    Director:Stephen Cragg
    Writer:Virgil Williams

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  17. ER Season 14 Episode 5 - Under the Influence
    7.4/10(347 votes)

    #17 - Under the Influence

    S14:E5

    Moretti reassigns Gates back to the ER and treats a couple involved in a car accident. Morris prepares to take his written board exams. Neela is assigned a young genius intern. Kovac plans to extend his stay in Croatia while Abby struggles with single parenthood.

    Director:Anthony Hemingway
    Writer:Joe Sachs

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  18. ER Season 14 Episode 9 - Skye's the Limit
    7.4/10(349 votes)

    #18 - Skye's the Limit

    S14:E9

    It's time for changes at the ER when Anspaugh makes an unpopular decision. Abby has old demons to fight with, which distance her from friends and family. Even Luka seems to be at a loss to help Abby. Love is in the air when a secret romance blooms between two doctors.

    Director:Paul McCrane
    Writer:Karen Maser

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  19. ER Season 14 Episode 12 - Believe the Unseen
    7.4/10(337 votes)

    #19 - Believe the Unseen

    S14:E12

    Abby is back from rehab and finds herself the object of scrutiny. She confesses to Pratt that Luka might stay in Croatia longer than planned. Harold seems to have won over Neela's cousin. Multiple victims from a fire fill the ER.

    Director:Rob Hardy
    Writer:Virgil Williams

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  20. ER Season 9 Episode 2 - Dead Again
    7.5/10(6 votes)

    #20 - Dead Again

    S9:E2

    After another hospital shuts down, the ER is flooded with patients. Dr. Pratt resuscitates a heart-attack victim who had been pronounced dead.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Dee Johnson

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  21. ER Season 11 Episode 11 - Only Connect
    7.5/10(4 votes)

    #21 - Only Connect

    S11:E11

    Two teens enter the ER with gunshot wounds. When one dies, Neela botches telling the next of kin, making the woman hysterical.

    Director:Jonathan Kaplan
    Writer:Yahlin Chang

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  22. ER Season 13 Episode 14 - Murmurs of the Heart
    7.5/10(6 votes)

    #22 - Murmurs of the Heart

    S13:E14

    Kovac finds himself in a tense confrontation with Curtis Ames, and Abby must act to protect her family. Meanwhile, Neela and Gates rush to get Meg to the hospital while Sam's new home is soon under threat from fire.

    Director:Christopher Chulack
    Writer:David Zabel

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  23. ER Season 13 Episode 16 - Crisis of Conscience
    7.5/10(6 votes)

    #23 - Crisis of Conscience

    S13:E16

    Kovac and Gates find themselves with a moral dilemma when a woman comes into the ER with acute liver failure; Neela finds herself questioning what is right when Manish decides to give up a kidney to a complete stranger. Meanwhile, Ray fights to get to the bottom of a cheerleaders accidental fall; Abby gets a prediction for her future; and Alex's troubles continue to intrude on Sam's work life.

    Director:Steve Shill
    Writer:Lisa Zwerling

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  24. ER Season 14 Episode 3 - Officer Down
    7.5/10(348 votes)

    #24 - Officer Down

    S14:E3

    Two wounded police auxiliary officers present challenges in the ER. Neela settles in with Abby as she recovers, while Pratt and Bettina consider their relationship. Gates tries to get a patient on a drug trial, with Dubenko's help. And Morris is in a funk that not even a pretty woman can help.

    Director:Christopher Chulack
    Writer:Janine Sherman Barrois

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  25. ER Season 14 Episode 18 - Tandem Repeats
    7.5/10(340 votes)

    #25 - Tandem Repeats

    S14:E18

    Neela's aortic rupture patient is in need of yet another follow up surgery, and they are starting to take a toll on her. Morris talks with a shrink about his experience with the jewelery thieves. Abby needs to make a tough decision when a new opportunity is presented to her.

    Director:Anthony Hemingway
    Writer:Virgil Williams

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Worst Episodes Summary

"I Don't" is the worst rated episode of "ER". It scored 5.8/10 based on 8 votes. Directed by Andrew Bernstein and written by David Zabel, it aired on 5/3/2007. This episode scored 0.4 points lower than the second lowest rated, "The Greatest of Gifts".