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ER Season 12 Episode 13

Body and Soul

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8.7

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 2/2/06

James Woods guest stars as a Dr. Nate Lennox, a former professor of biochemistry who was Abby's early medical school mentor. Lennox, suffering from advanced ALS and now able to move only his eyes, is admitted with pneumonia. The progression of his disease is shown in reverse through a series of flashbacks. As Ray, Sam and Luka begin limited treatment under the proxy of his attendant, Abby believes Lennox has communicated different wishes, leading to a struggle to determine what course of action should be taken, and how long to fight the inevitable.moreless

Fan Episode Reviews (15)

Actor James Woods play a man suffering from ALS and we see the progression of the illness from the current day backwards to the diagnosis.

10

By Greys_Fan, Jul 07, 2009

I am watching these on CityTV in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and I have to say this is one of the best episodes I have ever watch from ER.. Aside from Season 15's Heal Thy Self.

James Woods is one of my most favorite actors in the whole entire world and to see him play a man suffering from ALS made the show much better then any one could have made it.

James really made me believe that he had the ALS himself.. ER Creators Really Brought to light this illness. I have to give the ER Creators A Lot of Credit!moreless
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A very moving story...

8.7

By Parricida, Mar 22, 2008

I love episodes like that - what have so serious, so deep and moving storyline, what makes me cry. There were more of them on the early seasons and they are getting rare but this is the one what goes to that list - the way the episode was built up - the present and those flashbacks to past, to show the way that man got to the point, the way disease can get over your life.. all those things happen.. and there is nothing that they can do - but what he did - he fight.. and as we learn in the end - he taught Abby to fight and not to give up.. as so she was there, on the right moment.. to remind it to him..

Very beautiful episode.moreless
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I have not had the pleasure of seeing this episode, but I am looking forward to doing so since I have a special connection to the subject matter at hand.

10

By als_kills, Oct 23, 2006

My father is suffering from Lou Gerhig's Disease (ALS). Has been for two years now. I do not feel there is enough awareness of this deadly, life threatening disease.

I have read the other reviews and I must say that I am a little upset at the opinions I have seen on a few. I understand that they may center on one main person, but what people don't seem to understand themselves is that ALS is not something to be pushed to the back burner.

Let me tell you. Two years ago, my father was walking me down the isle, just his left hand giving him troubles. Now he is bed-ridden, eating from a feeding tube and on a ventilator unable to speak. He can not move any part of his body. He can not hug his grandchildren or kiss his wife of 31 years anymore. Basically as long as his lungs don't give out, he can stay like that for a long time. Mentally he is just as intelligent as ever. Physically...he is gone.

I am not telling you this for sympathy. I am telling you this in hopes that you will try to inform yourself more on the subject and research to see what you might do to help in your area. Check out my Myspace site for more information in the near future.

GOD BLESS!moreless
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This episode pointed a spotlight at a serious disease.

6.2

By Ting13, May 29, 2006

This episode was not normal ER, but it was a very good episode nonetheless. It was good because it brought attention to ALS and how it affects people. Sometimes the fortunate healthy need to be reminded of those who aren't as fortunate and what they go through.

I liked how it tells the story via flashbacks that jump further back each time (even though it provided continuity errors). It's a typical ER thing to do, to experiment with story-telling in this way.

I also though the episode provided some great acting performances, mainly by James Woods.

The downside in my opinion was how Abby refused to honor Dr. Lennox' wishes. I can think of few things more terrifying than being in his situation and being forced to stay alive when that's not what I want. Don't get me wrong, I am not a promotor of death support, but in some cases life is not to be preferred over death. People should be allowed the chance to live their last years with dignity.

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Wasn\'t The Best Episode, but the acting was fantastic.

8.1

By lozza1525, May 18, 2006

This episode didn\'t exactly catch my attention, some parts of it was a bit boring. I like more than one storyline for some reason. It interests me more I guess.The acting was fantastic, especially by James Woods. He was a thrill to watch. I thought Maura Tierney did a great job also, as always!

I was actually worried when I found out that the entire episode was about a patient. However, the producers once again pulled it off.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Shane West	Dr. Ray Barnett
Linda Cardellini	Nurse Sam Taggart
Mekhi Phifer	Dr. Greg Pratt
Goran Visnjic	Dr. Luka Kovac
Maura Tierney	Dr. Abby Lockhart
Parminder Nagra	Dr. Neela Rasgotra

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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James Woods	Dr. Nate Lennox	Guest Star
Ally Walker	Fran Bevans	Guest Star
Roger Aaron Brown	Dr. Ames	Guest Star
John Aylward	Dr. Donald Anspaugh	Recurring Role
Lily Mariye	Lily	Recurring Role
Leland Orser	Dr. Lucien Dubenko	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (3)
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- Goof: In the 2002 flashback, the ER layout is the same as it has been this season. However, the current configuration came about in the Season 10 premiere "Now What?", which took place in 2003.
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- Goof: During the 2002 flashback, which takes place at the time of Mark Greene's funeral, Anspaugh is shown presenting Lennox his award, and Romano and Chen are mentioned as working in the ER. However, Mark's funeral scene in the Season 8 episode "On the Beach shows the three in attendance at the cemetery.
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- Goof: Abby could not have been a first year med student in 1999, because she was a third year when she joined the series in the Season 6 episode "Abby Road", which takes place in February 2000.
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QUOTES (4)
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- (referring to the DNA molecule model he is showing his students)
  Lennox: This is the force of life!
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- Lennox: I don't want to be a soul trapped in a corpse.
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- Luka: People with degenerative diseases do best when they have . . .
  Lennox: Hope? Do you read the papers? Bush just banned funding for embryonic stem cell research. I'm trying to hold on to hope, Doctor, but nobody's cooperating these days.
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- Pratt: Chest x-ray shows no signs of aspiration.
  Ames: You're lucky, Nate.
  Lennox: Yeah. I'm the luckiest man on the face of the earth.
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NOTES (4)
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- James Woods (Dr. Nate Lennox) received an Emmy Award nomination in the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series category for his work in this episode.
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- The Eye-gaze Response Interface Computer Aid (ERICA) communication device used by the character Lennox was developed by Eye Response Technologies (ERT) of Charlottesville, Virginia. During filming, ERT's Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Chris Lankford, ran alongside the camera, operating the equipment via a remote mouse and keyboard. He also appears briefly as a hospital technician. The synthesized voice of ERICA was "performed" by another actor.
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- This episode opens without the usual "Previously on ER" segment.
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- Although in the opening credits, Laura Innes and Scott Grimes do not appear in this episode
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ALLUSIONS (1)
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- Ames: You're lucky, Nate.
  Lennox: Yeah. I'm the luckiest man on the face of the earth.
  Lennox is making a bitter and sarcastic reference to the opening line of New York Yankee baseball player Lou Gehrig's retirement speech, given after he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): "Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth." Gehrig was diagnosed with the disease in 1939 and died from it in 1941, at age thirty-seven. ALS has since been referred to often in the United States and Canada as Lou Gehrig's disease.
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