Explore every episode of the podcast Setting the Tone: An ER Retrospective
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| S15E18 "What We Do" | 01 Oct 2026 | 01:18:11 | |
This week: Carter collapses as his health problems take a turn for the worse, a documentary crew interviews everyone but Frank and Jerry, Neela finally ends the long national nightmare that was her and Brenner, Sam's reunion with her now fully lucid mom goes about as bad as you might think, Gates helps out a friend, and Morris is stunned after Claudia is shot multiple times while investigating a murder. Help us close out the show! Tell us what STT has meant to you! Join us on Discord or email us at settingthetonepodcast@gmail.com | |||
| S15E17 "T-Minus 6" | 24 Sep 2026 | 01:03:26 | |
This week: Carter has to make some adjustments as he settles back into the ER attending life, Banfield's husband sucker punches a guy, Sam's mom gets to Chicago but is far worse off than she realized, Brenner assaults Lucy's foster dad after the mere suggestion that he could possibly be a pedophile, Neela tells Dubenko some big news about her future, Morris is concerned about Claudia being hazed, and Frank has a very morbid sense of romance. | |||
| S15E16 "The Beginning Of The End" | 17 Sep 2026 | 01:16:42 | |
This week: Carter returns to Chicago for a bit while he's being treated for an undisclosed kidney issue, Banfield explores other IVF methods, Sam and Gates reconcile after a brief argument, Brenner makes a romantic gesture, Neela's attempts to find a heart for Joanie hit a major roadblock, Jerry hits on Carter, and Morris does whatever he can to get some measure of justice for a victim of police brutality. | |||
| S15E15 "The Family Man" | 10 Sep 2026 | 00:57:09 | |
This week: Morris awkwardly navigates a surprise party with Claudia's family, Neela gets a surprise call from a potential employer, Gates tries to convince an elderly man to get a routine surgery, an SUV causes a huge wreck in the ambulance bay, and Brenner treats a woman whose injuries require her estranged brother to step up and care for a young girl while she's in the hospital long term. | |||
| S15E14 "A Long, Strange Trip" | 03 Sep 2026 | 00:58:23 | |
This week: A pioneer of emergency medicine wanders from his nursing home to the ER and makes a life altering save on a woman thought to have advanced cancer, Morris tries to find a way to help a poor diabetic woman stay out of jail after she was caught shoplifting, Neela goes behind Dubenko's back to get an experimental surgery for a man in an iron lung, and Sam's sister makes a surprise visit to Chicago with news about their mom.
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| S15E13 "Love Is A Battlefield" | 27 Aug 2026 | 01:04:33 | |
This week: Luck strikes at the Jumbo Mart as 5 employees split a $90 million lottery prize, Sam is being her best passive aggressive self with Daria, Gates treats an older woman and her ex-husband who have been married and divorced 3 times, Morris suspects there may be more to a teenager's story after a car vs bicycle accident, The staff play hot potato with a very gross patient, Banfield attempts to have her eggs harvested for IVF, and the writers are still trying to make Brenner and Neela happen against our will. | |||
| S15E12 "Dream Runner" | 20 Aug 2026 | 01:04:12 | |
This week: Neela's day plays out three separate ways as she and Dubenko decide on the best course of action for Anastasia, a man with a unique neurological condition comes in having fallen out of a second floor window, the season 15 cameopalooza continues with a surprise appearance of Dr. Corday, Jerry has a gift for Morris, Gates attempts to reconnect with Sam, and Brenner has three very different interactions with Neela.
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| S15E11 "Separation Anxiety" | 13 Aug 2026 | 00:56:24 | |
This week: Gates does some good for Max but also does something stupid with Daria, A drug deal gone bad leaves brings three victims to the ER including two brothers, Morris is clearly falling for an undercover cop, Neela treats a young girl having a sickle cell crisis, and Banfield turns to Coburn for help as her attempts to get pregnant the old fashioned way are not going well.
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| S15E10 "The High Holiday" | 06 Aug 2026 | 00:54:51 | |
This week: Jerry returns and gets his old job back, Morris gets saddled with a storage locker of stuff from his dead father, Banfield advocates for a cancer patient to get a palliative surgery, Alex is on the mend, but Sam can't forgive Gates for what happened, Daria and Sanchez get super high, and Neela cares for a pregnant woman who is wanted by ICE. | |||
| S15E9 "Let It Snow" | 30 Jul 2026 | 00:58:43 | |
This week: Morris and Banfield have an evening of drunken misadventures as they get snowed in at an Omaha airport, The interns all kinda hate Neela, Chaz babysits and tries to explain death to what's sure to be this season's shittiest kid, and as a blizzard rages in Chicago, Alex and Sarah get into a car accident that leaves Alex fighting for his life as Sam watches on.
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| S15E8 "Age Of Innocence" | 23 Jul 2026 | 01:04:57 | |
Content warning: storyline about a pedophile and Brenner's trauma from childhood sexual abuse.
This week: Tension is in the air after an alleged pedophile is brought with after a house fire, Brenner has himself a little crashout, Gates finally explains why he cares so much about finding Max, Andrew bounces back with a great save, Morris is caught in the middle of everyone's issues, and Dubenko reminds Neela what she was like when she was an intern.
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| S15E7 "Heal Thyself" | 16 Jul 2026 | 01:35:35 | |
This week: Past and present collide as Banfield recalls how her son died at County 7 years ago as she, Morris, and Tracy attempt to save a little girl who nearly drowned after falling into Lake Michigan. | |||
| S15E6 "Oh, Brother" | 09 Jul 2026 | 01:00:53 | |
This week: Morris puts far, far too much responsibility on Chaz during his 1st-year ER rotation, Gates connects with a homeless army veteran, Daria is still acting weird, Neela and Banfield have differences of opinions on teaching methods, Sam and Alex make a big life decision, and Chadwick Boseman guest stars as a boxer who may have taken one too many shots to the head. | |||
| S15E5 "Haunted" | 02 Jul 2026 | 01:01:14 | |
This week: It's the show's last Halloween episode as Gates is a real jerk to Sam, Banfield remains her usual curmudgeonly self, a bird gets loose in the ER, Brenner takes issue with a mom's behavior after her son was in a fight at school and stabbed another student with a fork, Daria is acting very weird and flirty, Frank dresses up as Julius Cesar, Morris and Tracy make a great save, and Neela is thrilled when Ray makes a surprise visit to County General.
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| S15E4 "Parental Guidance" | 25 Jun 2026 | 01:05:10 | |
This week: Gates struggles with parenting after Sarah makes a bold choice on a dare, the interns get paired off with other doctors for the day, Morris is still down on love, Banfield does some digging to find out about a weird family situation that's resulted in multiple injuries, and Brenner does what he can to help a son reconnect with his father after his mom is in a car accident.
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| S15E3 "The Book Of Abby" | 18 Jun 2026 | 01:11:29 | |
This week: The story of Abigail Lockheart, MD at Country General comes to a close as she fights with Banfield, saves a basketball coach who has been shot, appreciates the good work of Neela and a returning Dubenko, fights for Sam's job, reassures Morris that he is indeed a good doctor, and manages to talk a young man out of killing himself. | |||
| S15E2 "Another Thursday At County" | 11 Jun 2026 | 01:09:29 | |
This week: The writers decide to throw FIVE new characters at us (including four new interns), Morris has already had enough of the new ER chief micromanaging everyone, Dubenko's departure leaves Crenshaw massively overworked, Sam contributes to a guy killing himself, and a small act of bioterrorism forces the ER to evacuate while Gates and three of the interns are stuck in the middle of it.
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| S15E1 "Life After Death" | 04 Jun 2026 | 01:26:30 | |
This week: The ambulance explosion last episode leaves Pratt and Bardelli fighting for their lives, a young girl is in trouble after being trapped in a burning car, and older woman has severe injuries after a fall, Abby somehow only has minor injuries from being near the explosion, and ER composer Martin Davich turns in one of the most impactful soundtracks in the show's history.
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| Patreon Preview: S14 Wrap Up | 14 May 2026 | 00:59:35 | |
It's that time again!
Join the STT hosts and special guest Jake from The Popular Court as we recap all the good and bad that was season 14. Hear our opinions on the season as a whole, what we loved and what we hated the most, as well as some thoughts from your fellow listeners.
Want to hear the full episode, including the semi-annual "Tone-y" awards? Support us at the $5 level over at patreon.com/settingthetonepodcast to enjoy that plus over 75 additional hours of bonus audio and video content.
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| S14E19 "The Chicago Way" | 07 May 2026 | 01:27:19 | |
This week: Steve Buscemi guest stars and a mob informant who should never have returned to Chicago, Neela faces the wrath of her colleagues when she presents Sheryl's case at an M & M, Morris does everything he can for a dying asian woman and her daughter, everything seems to be going Pratt's way, Luka punches out Moretti before getting back together with Abby, and Dubenko finally decides he's had enough of County | |||
| S14E18 "Tandem Repeats" | 30 Apr 2026 | 01:28:56 | |
This week: Gates and Sam are caught on camera doing it all over the hospital, Neela faces the harsh reality of her job, Brenner continues to be an absolute (insert expletive of choice here), Abby interviews for a new job at a very fancy clinic, and Lizzie is amazed when the show actually does a decent (but not great) job handling a transgender patient. | |||
| S14E17 "Under Pressure" | 23 Apr 2026 | 01:10:23 | |
This week: Gates and Sam get caught making out on the roof by Morris, Pratt visits Betina in another hospital, Abby settles into being separated from Luka, Simon continues to be a twat about teaching Laverne and Larry, and a couple are flown in as their jewelry heist getaway goes awry and turns into a desperate hostage situation in the ER. | |||
| S14E16 "Truth Will Out" | 16 Apr 2026 | 01:25:02 | |
This week: Luka makes some huge life decisions without consulting Abby, Sam is suddenly super weird about people finding out that she's dating Gates, Brenner is revealed to be a nepo baby, Dubenko gets overly jealous of Skye's friends, Neela is super attached to a patient for some reason, and Pratt attempts to reconcile with Betina. | |||
| S14E15 "...As The Day She Was Born" | 09 Apr 2026 | 01:14:01 | |
This week: Neela has a very exhausting first day back in general surgery, Gates fights with Morris about the best treatment of Sarah's grandpa after he collapses, Sam gets some nice roses but continues to be judgemental, Betina reveals a major health problem, Harold quits surgery, and Pratt puts his conflict resolution skills to good use.
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| S14E14 "Owner Of A Broken Heart" | 02 Apr 2026 | 01:21:19 | |
This week: Abby needs some help from Coburn to get on a plane to see Luka, The writer's strike ends and gives us one of the worst new main cast members ever, a wild new med student appears, a woman is brought in having intentionally sabotaged her transplanted heart, and Pratt shoots Morris with a stun gun. | |||
| S14E13 "Atonement" | 26 Mar 2026 | 01:08:07 | |
This week: Julia questions herself after a tough patient consult, Sam and Gates finally kiss, Pratt can't commit, a man with a troubled past saves the life of a young boy who nearly drowned, Skye and Dubenko are rudely interrupted, and a hockey game between the surgeons and ortho docs ends in a good old fashioned 5v5 fist fight. | |||
| S14E12 "Believe The Unseen" | 19 Mar 2026 | 00:56:54 | |
This week: As the rumor mill heats up, Abby reveals to the rest of the ER where she's been the last few weeks, Julia wants to get more serious with Gates, Pratt steps up to lead the team as Skye is out sick, a fire in an apartment building sends multiple foster children to the hospital, Neela has an unconventional first day in orthopedics, Morris has food poisoning, and a disfigured man saves his neighbour after she's been badly beaten.
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| S14E11 "Status Quo" | 12 Mar 2026 | 01:05:51 | |
This week: A familiar face is brought back after her son is injured, Neela's very flirty cousin is stateside for a surprise visit as she gets a new career opportunity, Pratt's interview for the ER chief job leaves his future at County in doubt, Sam is training for a triathlon, and an injured soldier reveals a traumatic event from her time in Iraq. | |||
| S14E10 "300 Patients" | 05 Mar 2026 | 01:24:30 | |
On this week's 300th episode: Morris makes a bet that the ER will take in 300 patients before the next shift comes in, Julia leads the staff in a blessing ceremony, Sam's transport training goes sideways after her ambulance is in an accident, Neela has to swab a camel's mouth after it bites Dubenko, Pratt helps a family after a wife and son are in a bad car accident, and Abby's finally reveals her drinking to Luka as they prepare to go to Croatia.
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| S14E9 "Skye's The Limit" | 26 Feb 2026 | 01:16:59 | |
This week: Much to her surprise, Skye is named interim chief of the ER, Pratt ponders where his career is headed at County, Luka confronts Abby about what's been wrong with her lately, Gates helps a kid trying to be tough for his dad, Neela rocks her first solo surgery, Morris wants to pump Sam up, and a man's extremely racist son destroys an immigrant woman's family after a misunderstanding of how a factory accident happened. | |||
| S14E8 "Coming Home" | 19 Feb 2026 | 01:09:51 | |
This week: David Zabel throws up on his computer trying to fix his mistakes from last week | |||
| S14E7 "Blackout" | 12 Feb 2026 | 01:15:06 | |
This week: Despite hitting rock bottom in the worst way, Abby's intuition saves a newborn baby, a heatwave complicates patient care all over the hospital, Gates and Julia bring in some musicians to help the vibes of the ER, Pratt and Morris celebrate after only one of them passes their board exam, Moretti does a sex crime, and Harold commits a cardinal sin of surgical internship leaving Dubenko questioning his future in the program.
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| S14E6 "The Test" | 05 Feb 2026 | 00:55:34 | |
Content warning for talk of suicide and a non-graphic suicide attempt
This week: The whole ER staff blows off an annoyed teenager with random medical complaints, Gates helps Joshua through the final day of his life, Harold has a hot date and needs someone to teach him about sex, Moretti's son pays a very concerning visit, a new guest star attending is introduced, Morris and Pratt prep for the boards, and Abby's life troubles continue to send her towards rock bottom.
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| S14E5 "Under The Influence" | 29 Jan 2026 | 00:53:35 | |
This week: Morris is having a very sexually frustrating day, Abby struggles through her shift with a hangover, everyone is trying to guess the real age of Neela's new intern, Pratt is just kinda there the whole episode, a new hospital chaplain makes her debut, Coburn gives Abby an ultimatum, and Gates fights Kayson and Moretti to get help a guy who took amphetamines and his pregnant wife. | |||
| S14E4 "Gravity" | 22 Jan 2026 | 01:10:15 | |
This week: Gates surprises Joshua with a day trip to Wrigley Field for a Cubs game, Neela returns to work and makes a cool save, the ER staff are all getting free spa treatments from a grateful patient's mom, Pratt treats a former NFL player with a bad hip, Chaz is getting hazed by his new EMT partner, Morris scares a small child, a new desk clerk joins the staff, and Abby's downfall truly begins after Joe is brought to the ER with a head injury. | |||
| S14E3 "Officer Down" | 15 Jan 2026 | 01:04:15 | |
This week: Morris suffers a loss and takes it out on a cop, Sarah runs away back to Gates' place, Gates himself makes a cool little save in the ER, Grady has some performance anxiety around Abby, Pratt is dealing with some bedroom issues, and a recovering Neela does her best nanny impression. | |||
| S14E2 "In A Different Light" | 08 Jan 2026 | 01:16:15 | |
This week: Frank does a deep dive into everyone's ancestry, Neela is on the mend, Abby spends the day working in the waiting room, Pratt is angling for the chief job, Morris and Hope are fighting about her leaving on a humanitarian mission, Moretti continues to change ER procedures, Sam is a brunette, and Gates' first day in the ICU gets off to a rocky start.
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| S14E1 "The War Comes Home" | 01 Jan 2026 | 01:40:49 | |
This week: Moretti's leadership is put to the test on his first day as the peace rally stampede patients flood the ER, Morris and Pratt have to be sneaky while trying to treat patients, a grandfather makes a rash decision after he finds out who started the stampede, a new intern has a wild first day, Gates loses his temper in a big way, and the whole staff (but especially Dubenko) is on edge as Neela is brought in in critical condition.
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| Patreon Preview: S13 Wrap Up | 13 Nov 2025 | 01:02:46 | |
It's that time again!
Join the STT hosts and special guest Jake from The Popular Court as we recap all the good and bad that was season 13. Hear our opinions on the season as a whole, what we loved and what we hated the most, as well as some thoughts from your fellow listeners.
Want to hear the full episode, including the semi-annual "Tone-y" awards? Support us at the $5 level over at patreon.com/settingthetonepodcast to enjoy that plus over 75 additional hours of bonus audio and video content.
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| S13E23 "The Honeymoon Is Over" | 06 Nov 2025 | 01:23:05 | |
This week: Moretti observes the flaws in patient care down in the ER, the writers go back to the custody battle well with Gates and Sarah, Ray ain't got no legs, Luka heads overseas, Frank is buying into the Homeland Security propaganda a bit too much, Pratt and Abby treat a kinkster who got beaten up by a confused guy, and Neela's outing to a peace rally turns violent.
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| S13E22 "Sea Change" | 30 Oct 2025 | 01:16:55 | |
This week: The ER reopens with the same old problems, Morris tries to convince Hope to stay longer at their expensive hotel, Larry has vastly overestimated how much Sam is into him, no one knows Ray (or what's left of him) is, Abby believes in the power of love and it leads to a tricky diagnosis, Mae Lee says goodbye to County, and Pratt argues about the realities of the ER with Stanley Tucci. | |||
| S13E21 "I Don't" | 23 Oct 2025 | 01:36:38 | |
This week: Love is in the air as Luka surprises Abby with a wedding, Gates and Ray's fight for Neela's affections comes to a violent end (in more ways than one), Timmy tries to hook up with every single nurse, Morris and Hope finally seal the deal, and Neela gets kissed by some drunken individuals.
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| S13E20 "Lights Out" | 16 Oct 2025 | 01:13:18 | |
This week: The staff scramble to empty the ER after a temporary closure is announced by Luka, Chaz's initiation into the paramedic crew goes horribly wrong, Sam helps guide Diana through the last choices of her life, Gates gets into a fist fight with his dad, and Pratt and Ray treat a teenager who has been poisoned by a jealous classmate. | |||
| S13E19 "Family Business" | 09 Oct 2025 | 01:11:07 | |
This week: Pratt reconnects with Chaz who is pursuing a new career, Sarah is trying to get the Gates household in order, Abby is a bit paranoid about Baby Joe's fever, A flower delivery man crashes his van while attempting to save a pair of brothers, Luka and Gates do everything they can for an elderly man with Alzheimer's after his son dies suddenly, and Sam goes all She-Hulk on a cop.
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| S13E18 "Photographs and Memories" | 02 Oct 2025 | 01:21:34 | |
This week: Neela's still getting shoved out of the way for Mae Lee, Gates has a talk with Sarah about her parentage, a wild new med student appears, Sam treats a dying man who is being constantly photographed, Luka and Abby try to calm Morris and Hope down about the upcoming wedding, Abby's favorite flight nurse has some surprising character development, and it's all hands on deck after a semi truck plows into a compact car containing a family.
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| S13E17 "From Here To Paternity" | 25 Sep 2025 | 00:57:24 | |
This week: Hope's wedding senses are tingling as Luka and Abby begin to plan the big day, Pratt connects to a patient who was shot while trying to stop his son from killing someone else, Neela has some new competition in the form of a special med student, Gates has some daddy issues, and the entire ER does their best to help a hypothermic family whose car was trapped in the snow for two days.
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| S13E16 "Crisis Of Conscience" | 18 Sep 2025 | 01:08:13 | |
Content warning: patient suicide
This week: Gates treats a dying woman whose story isn't quite lining up, Luka dives back into work, Neela uncovers a major ethical problem with a kidney transplant, Crenshaw is a sub, Ray treats a beaten cheerleader, and Andy Dick can see the future.
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| S13E15 "Dying Is Easy" | 11 Sep 2025 | 01:10:08 | |
But pacing isn't, apparently. | |||
| S13E14 "Murmurs Of The Heart" | 04 Sep 2025 | 01:03:15 | |
Content warning: Discussion of two suicides.
This week: Chaos unfolds around Chicago as Tony tries desperately to save Meg's life after she overdoses, Pratt eventually gets out of jail but is surprised to see who bailed him out, flames engulf the entirety of Sam's apartment building, and Ames kidnaps Kovac and severely injures him while going on a stroll down memory lane.
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| S13E13 "A House Divided" | 28 Aug 2025 | 01:31:46 | |
This week: Alex reclaims his title as king of the s****y kids list, Pratt proves once again why you should never talk to the cops without a lawyer, Kerry is still here for some reason, Ray and Gates once again clash over patient care (but it's really about Neela), Abby's mystery old man friend's identity is revealed, and the episode has a weird amount of cliffhangers.
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