ER: Another Thursday at County (Episode #311)

Things are seriously depressing around County ER this week.  Not only is the staff dealing with the loss of Pratt, but they are also dealing with the, for lack of better term, bitch who took the job that should have been his.  Angela Bassett stars as the new Chief of the ER. And boy, does she have a big chip on her shoulder. 

It seems the new crop of interns are especially pretty this season.  A blond with an appetite for expensive shoes, a Texan with a hot body, and a rather cute couple, one in surgery, one in ER medicine.  They have no idea what they are in for.

The arrival of the new chief, Dr. Mansfield has the entire staff on edge, as she is less than pleasant.  There is obviously a back story here, we just don't know about it yet.  Her and Morris immediately butt heads, but that could be because Morris is not himself since Pratt died.  Meanwhile, surgery is having a rough time since the departure of Dubenko, Neela is being called in on her day off and she isn not happy about it.  Then it happens.

An explosion in an apartment building brings a few traumas into the ER, which is hard to work in since Dr. Mansfield is looking over everyone's shoulder.  She sucks.  Anyway, while the surgery team is begging Dubenko to return to the ER, Neela is busy begging Anspaugh to bring him back.  It didn't go well.  While drama is running rampant, Sam is busy dealing with a patient with a serious skin issue.  He has been waiting for five hours and is not a happy camper.  

Gates is busy dealing with the interns and an unruly patient.  He keeps yelling and fighting help but his leg is seriously broken.  Gates begins to cut off the man's shirt when a bag full of white powder explodes everywhere.  First thoughts are it's cocaine, however, it's a highly poisonous terrorist type weapon.  Gates and the three interns (on their first day) are stuck in the room, quarantined with crazy and a young asthma patient.  Things are not looking good for any of them.  

With Hazmat on their way, Gates is trying to save the man's leg, while Blondie tries to save a freaking asthma patient, and the rest of the staff evacuates the other patients.  We find out, crazy man is crazy for a reason: his wife was killed at the Pentagon on 9/11.  That doesn't turn most into a bio-terrorist, but who am I to judge?  Meanwhile, Sam's skin patient wants to take off against Sam's orders.  Sam convinces him to come back for antibiotics and he swears he will.  Only, he comes back as an overdose in the ambulance.  Turns out Sam didn't take a good look at this guy, he had track marks on his ankles.  Time of death...

With no supplies available to them, Gates has no choice but to cut the man's leg open, without drugs.  Not cool.  But they end up saving him anyway, much to the dismay of the interns.  They finally get to leave the room, however, they are still quarantined.  They all have to stay outside in a tent until hazmat decides if they will live or not.  I can't image they would kill off Gates so soon after Pratt.  While in the tent, Texas falls over and passes out.  Now, I can see them killing him off...But they don't.  He's fine, as are the rest of them.  No serious damage done.

Poor Neela, being chased by a hot British man must be so difficult.  After Brenner hears Neela is trying to get his uncle to allow Dubenko back, he organizes a "sit in" with members of the surgery staff.  Neela, appreciative but still cold, tells Brenner thanks, but you have no chance with me.  I don't believe it, and apparently, neither does Brenner.

Morris' stress finally gets to him.  And, surprisingly, he screams at Dr. Mansfield for being a bitch.  She tells him she is sorry he lost a friend, however, they will never have a conversation like that again.  Morris breaks down.  It seems there is a compasionate side to Mansfield.  The show ends with her sitting in her home, a picture of her husband and kid behind her (my guess is their dead,) and a glass of wine.  Things are about to get interesting...