Homecoming
Original air date: October 12, 2000
Carter is released from rehab and makes an uneasy journey home. Meanwhile, a custodial strike leads to chaos in the ER, where patients include a high-school athlete.



Sand and Water
Original air date: October 19, 2000
Parents of a premature baby beg the doctors to save him; a woman brings in her partner; Romano and Benton clash over a patient's treatment; Carter attends an AA meeting and sees someone he knows.



Mars Attacks
Original air date: October 26, 2000
Carter befriends a handicapped youngster; because of a surgeon shortage, Corday instructs Greene via intercom on an operational procedure; some patients are arrested.



Benton Backwards
Original air date: November 2, 2000
Alan Young guest stars as a nursing-home patient Archie Mellonston in this absorbing episode, which contains some scenes of startling violence, both in and out of the ER. Archie, who's recently started speaking as if he were back in the Korean War, is brought in for treatment and Weaver takes an interest in him. Meanwhile, the clash between Benton and Romano reaches a surprising climax, and Greene gets special help for a pageant contestant who was injured at a beauty salon.



Flight of Fancy
Original air date: November 9, 2000
Carter has to tell a teen a secret concerning the lad's health; Greene has a perilous journey with a heart patient aboard a helicopter; Kovac tries to identify a mugger.



The Visit
Original air date: November 16, 2000
Two-time Academy Award winner Sally Field plays Maggie, who arrives — exuberantly and unexpectedly — in the ER and says that she's Abby's mother. This occurs on a typically busy day, during which Kovac suspects that a teen is a child-abuse victim; Corday treats a middle-aged surfer with a back problem; and Benton is called upon to try to save his wounded nephew. But when a staffer tells Abby that her mother is there to see her, she denies that the woman is who she claims to be.



Rescue Me
Original air date: November 23, 2000
On Thanksgiving, Abby battles with her mom, while Chen's mother shows up at the hospital, both Corday and Greene fall ill, and an explosion occurs.



The Dance We Do
Original air date: December 7, 2000
Maggie goes for a job interview; Greene receives disturbing news; Corday appears at a deposition hearing; Benton's nephew's girlfriend is treated.



The Greatest of Gifts
Original air date: December 14, 2000
Assigned to night duty, Carter's first shift ends in overtime and he's wiped out. Before he can sleep, however, his pager summons him back to the hospital because Chen is about to deliver and he's her birthing coach. A tired Carter then has to act as liaison between the new mother and the adoptive parents, who fear that Chen will renege once she's seen her baby. But when Carter experiences a crucial moment in his recovery, he turns to Abby, who shares a history of substance abuse and has attended AA meetings with him.



Piece of Mind
Original air date: January 4, 2001
An auto accident sends a father and son to the hospital; a New York doctor performs a delicate operation.



Rock, Paper, Scissors
Original air date: January 11, 2001
James Cromwell makes his first appearance as a Catholic bishop. The prelate is treated by Kovac, who also has the task of tending to the young victim of a drunken driver, as well as the driver himself. As the drama unfolds, it's time for Carter to have his performance evaluated by Weaver, but he doesn't necessarily want to tell her about his momentary crisis. And Kynesha continues to cause a clash between Benton and Cleo.



Surrender
Original air date: February 1, 2001
TV veterans Tom Poston and Tom Bosley guest star as retirement-community residents who find themselves at the hospital after an argument over a female retiree got physical. Meanwhile, the relationship between Weaver and Legaspi has reached a new plateau — though Weaver doesn't want anyone to know. Benton is surprised when Romano suddenly gives him a raise and is even more stunned when he learns why. And while Corday seems wary of performing any surgery, Greene, who's still recovering from his operation, is mixing up his pronouns. On top of all this, a sweatshop fire fills the ER with injured illegal immigrants.



Thy Will Be Done
Original air date: February 8, 2001
James Cromwell returns as Bishop Stewart, the prelate treated by Kovac in an earlier episode. The bishop comes back to the hospital and tells Kovac that he will stay there as long as necessary for treatment but refuses to be admitted. Other patients include a 16-year-old who doesn't want to have a third heart transplant and a gay man who won't practice safe sex. Carter, however, isn't concerned about medical matters. In need of a last-minute date for a black-tie charity function, he asks Abby to accompany him.



A Walk in the Woods
Original air date: February 15, 2001
Bishop Stewart insists on presiding over an ordination; a case of measles surprises the staff; Benton tries to help a young med student.



The Crossing
Original air date: February 22, 2001
A commuter-train accident provides the backdrop for a riveting episode. Arriving at the wreckage, Carter and Kovac find a firefighter whose rescue attempt has left him trapped beneath the first car of thetrain. Another victim is a mother, who, despite being impaled on a shard of metal, is more concerned with the safety of her young son, who had been sitting next to her. At the ER, where some of the injured have been sent, Benton tries to instruct Carter by telephone on how to perform a double amputation.



Witch Hunt
Original air date: March 1, 2001
A baby is taken from the hospital; detectives and administrators question Legaspi about a patient's charges; Carter finds out his date's true age.



Survival of the Fittest
Original air date: March 29, 2001
A freak shooting incident takes place during a typically busy shift. In a swamped ER, Benton questions why Mrs. Howard is present. He operated on the 79-year-old nursing-home resident a month ago, but she's back in the hospital because she hasn't been eating. When two police officers arrive with a gunshot victim, the disoriented Mrs. Howard calls out to them, claiming that her purse has been stolen. Minutes later, she grabs an officer's gun — and shots ring out. In another development, Carter treats an overweight student for an asthma attack and discovers what triggered it.



April Showers
Original air date: April 19, 2001
It's Corday and Greene's wedding day, but — amid a heavy rain that shows no sign of letting up — they seem to be encountering nothing but trouble in getting to the church on time. Things begin on a sentimental note as Corday's mother presents her with earrings that have been in the family for three generations. Then Greene realizes that he left his wallet at the hospital, and his trip to retrieve it becomes a series of misadventures that includes his car being towed. Corday has her own auto difficulties — the limousine service knows nothing about arrangements to pick her up. In another storyline, the ER staff deals with injuries caused by an overturned prison van.



Sailing Away
Original air date: April 26, 2001
Sally Field returns for three episodes as Abby's mother, Maggie, who suffers from bipolar disorder. After Abby learns from her ex-husband that her mom's been holed up in an Oklahoma motel for three weeks, she decides to fly there and bring her to Chicago for treatment. Carter offers to go with Abby to help, but his kindness upsets Rena, who's jealous of Abby. Luka isn't pleased about it either. The ensuing action alternates between the precarious journey back from the motel and events at the hospital, where Corday thinks it's time to deliver her baby, and Benton treats a former teacher.



May 3, 2001: Fear of Commitment: Maggie (Sally Field) testifies in a court hearing; Weaver learns that a patient (Bette Ford) was a TV personality she liked as a child; Benton's ex-teacher has a heart attack. Where the Heart Is
Original air date: May 10, 2001
Maggie wants to return to where she grew up; Greene suspects that a 7-year-old is being abused; a developmentally challenged woman is an auto-accident victim, along with her brother.



Rampage
Original air date: May 17, 2001
As Greene arrives at the hospital, so does a trio of ambulances — carrying victims of a shooter who has wounded more than a dozen people at a foster-care facility. Amid the attempts to save lives, Abby and Kovac disagree about her future, while Weaver clashes with Romano. When the gunman's latest victim is brought in, she tells Greene the identity of the assailant. It's then that he realizes that his family is in jeopardy.