tee-vee

the pr blitz surrounding last night's episode of "ER" was pretty overwhelming. if you didn't witness any of the commercials ("ray liotta in an episode you won't forget!") you must be living under a rock. or in i-raq. or maybe, like a sane person, you just don't watch NBC.

having seen the promo for this episode a thousand bajillion times this week (and i only watch one show on NBC), i just assumed that the NBC guerilla marketers were at it again: it seems like every week's episode gets some sort of heavy-handed promotion. "just when you thought "ER" couldn't get any better...!" or "an episode full of tiny miracles!" or something like that. we're lead to believe that each week's episode is the best. episode. ever. it's routine.

so, anyway, i tuned in last night (as i do every thursday night, fool that i am) expecting another typical "ER" full of doctors disobeying hospital rules (gasp!) or children getting thrust into foster care due to some suspicious bruising... and ray liotta doing something fairly creepy.

well, i'm almost ashamed to admit this, but i watched ray liotta's performance last night and i cried. enough so that my eyes were still puffy this morning. and i feel like a complete sucker.

because i think that it was, in fact, the pr blitz that insidiously caused me to believe that this episode was greater than it was. thinking back, the writing was really quite contrived (how unusual for "ER"!) and the "real time" device was more than a little awkward. ray liotta's character (a dying drunk) manages to touch even the most hardened of doctors, causing him to shed a tear! it was sooo incredibly sappy, yet i succumbed.

perhaps i should only watch reality tv from here on out. (lord knows there's no promotional manipulation going on there...)

Posted by xta at November 12, 2004 03:07 PM | TrackBack