Entertainment
Why Kerry Weaver Was The Most Underrated 'ER' Character, Hands Down
ER lured people in with the adrenaline-rush realism and natural drama of doctors dealing with hospital emergencies, but fans stuck around for the characters. These people won fans' hearts over 15 seasons, and while some of them, like Noah Wylie's Dr. John Carter, were around and beloved from Day 1, others, like Elizabeth Corday, jumped in the fray seasons later and grew into fan favorites once we got to know them. And then there's Kerry Weaver. Arriving in Season 2 and becoming a mainstay in Season 3, she clocks the most episodes right behind Dr. Carter, and yet, this ER character just never got enough love.
Dr. Weaver came in at #16 on a Buzzfeed list of ER characters ranked best-to-worst, with her "brash, occasionally power-hungry personality" cited as the reason for the long-running character's surprisingly low rating. On the list, she was sandwiched above a character who only lasted one season and below Dave Malluci, who left the show calling Weaver awful names after she fired him for negligence and having sex in an ambulance. Really?!
Is the character's underrated nature because she was ambitious? Gunning for an administration career put Dr. Weaver at odds with other fan favorite Dr. Mark Greene, and many never forgave what they saw as her backstabbing him to get ahead, despite the fact Greene forgave her and turned her life around with his parting words. Whatever the reason, it's about time Dr. Weaver got the respect she deserves, and here's why.
She Takes Care Of Business
Though herself a highly skilled ER doctor with years of hands-on experience, Weaver took on an administrative role that organized the chaos around her into a precision life-saving, crisis-managing machine.
Her Bedside Manner Could Be Impeccable
Those times she did have to jump into the fray, she wasn't easily shocked or insulted, rising to the occasion with the same black humor that echoed through the rest of the ER.
She Never Settled For Less
It took her awhile to come to terms with her own sexuality, but once Weaver accepted it for herself she refused to stay in the closet, willing to put her job and relationships — even with her own newly-reunited birth mother — on the line.
She Was Full Of Surprises
Often thought of as "just" an administrator, Weaver perpetually surprised her jaded coworkers with nuggets and insights into entirely different parts of her life they never saw.
No Really, She Was Full Of Surprises
She might've been thought cold because she (usually) kept a wall between her work and private life, but the few glimpses of Weaver outside the ER often stunned her colleagues.
Don't Let The Title Fool You...
She often had to play the heavy, handing down orders from up high and spreading budget cuts around, working the ER was her life and Weaver did her best to make it a stronger and more stable workplace. Speaking of...
She Protected Her Turf
The ER was her life and second home, so when outsiders came tramping in, Weaver had words. When construction took over normal operations she took to outright violence.
She Didn't Let Her Medical Condition Define Her
Born with a congenital hip defect, Kerry never let her crutch get in the way of her life, and when she realized she was using her disability as a crutch, she pushed through and faced her fears.
She Took Her Work Seriously, Maybe Too Much So
She and Doctor Greene had a tense relationship, but his parting words really changed Weaver's life and let her focus on the personal.
She Was One Of The Few TV Lesbians Of The Time Without A Tragic Ending
In an era where queer characters, good or evil, were often killed tragically, Kerry just... lived. She went through several relationships with all the stress and joy of her peers'.
What's Wrong With A Woman Being Brash?
Oh, you don't like bold, forward women? Too bad. Kerry was never afraid to advocate for herself or others, and too many people put women down for that.
She Came Out On Top
Her "brashness" got the attention of a film crew, who realized her forward and bold personality was tailor-made for a TV show. She left the ER but never left medicine, and came out shining like sunlight.
Kerry Weaver may never be some fans' favorite, especially when there's a plethora of softies, women with tragic pasts, and resident bad boys on the show, but she took care of business (hers and everyone else's). And ER wouldn't be the same without her.
