total abby time tally= 3 1/2 minutes, max.

maura tierney has officially been robbed. she DESERVED that spot as first credited, and everybody knew it. 'er' must have some sexist regime behind the scene that prohibits any woman from ever occupying the roll as first billed.

you know, i thought the r2's times would just be split up evenly. 20 / 20 / 20. more like 30 / 20 / 5. (those extra five minutes were alotted to sam and luka to run to colorado and magically find alex.

speaking of alex! what's with the change of character? there aren't enough words to explain how much i wish that the roles hadn't changed. and, woe is me, they haven't debuted any new characters, though morris is offically in the cast, more or less as the new paul mccrane, or token jerk, and it works.

but back to my darling maura tierney: have they just forgotten the killer roles she has played when she was just the newbie nurse with short hair who had luka and carter fighting over her? she had been praised for years for 'bringing the spark back into er.' don't you think that they wouldn't just let that spark die while she sits on the back burner? screw sam! abby is everything sam is not and maura tierney brings that life to the show that is missing every second she isn't on screen.

and her hair is shorter. and flippier. and parted down the left. it's been better- but at least she hasn't put those incorrigable highlights back in!