One of the items I didn’t have a chance to mention in this week’s ER review was the return of Alex Kingston as Dr. Elizabeth Corday. Though she didn’t have a big part in the episode, Corday seemed to play an integral part to Neela’s dream state.
Now Chief of Trauma Surgery at Dartmouth University’s hospital, Corday was in Chicago on a recruiting drive. Along the way she met up with Neela, who was working on some interviews to see what else was outside the under-funded and over-worked County General. At least, Neela was interviewing in her dreams. If you aren’t sure what I’m talking about read this week’s review first before continuing.
If these were truly Neela’s dreams, I think Elizabeth represented two portions of her subconscious. In the second dream Dr. Corday was the manifestation of Neela’s uncertainty as to her future both at County and in medicine. Apparently she had heard some rumors that Lucien wanted her to remain on the surgical staff. However, Dr. Dubenko was giving her mixed signals about it all. So, her indecisiveness to Dr. Corday’s questions was really her indecision as to what to do in her life.
By the time we reached her third dream, Corday represented Neela’s growing confidence. Some of that was thanks to Lucien finally revealing to Neela that he wanted her on his staff. Since that was the case, there was no reason for Neela to doubt herself in the meeting with Elizabeth. That’s probably why we only saw the end of that interview rather than the whole process.
I’d like to know what you think Dr. Corday represented Neela’s dreams. Was she simply a character who appeared because Neela met with her in reality? Or, was she a representative of her subconscious feelings? The floor is now open.
Clacked by Richard Keller 
on Jan 19, 2009 @ 11:00 EST5EDT
First, it’s Duke, not Dartmouth. In each dream Corday said how great a place Durham was to raise a child. Duke is in Durham, NC; Dartmouth is in Hanover, NH. A Duke sign was on the door of the interview room, and Neela introduced Corday to the Aussie as head of Duke’s surgery program.
Don’t buy your analysis. Too complex. Corday represents throughout all three dreams the personification of the great opportunities and choices from which Neela can select. Corday chose between County and the “others” and now Neela has to choose.
Corday represents a former cast member who needed a role on the TV show ER.
Yes, I’m sure she needed the 8 minutes of work.
More like the producers wanted just another person to come back for an episode.
This was an interesting episode. In the first dream, Neela doesn’t speak her mind to Dubenko and regrets doing so as both her patient and the ER patient die. She chooses to cancel her interview. In this first dream, Neela is rather
passive and insecure.
In her second dream, we see a more assertive Neela in the hospital, as she is quite vocal to Dubenko, Gates, and Banfield. Nonetheless, both patients still die. She has found her voice as a doctor, but has not figured out how that fits into her future. She is insecure about how she fits in at County, with no help from Dubenko. Thus, when the interview comes, she is kind of scattered and unclear as to long-term career plans. Corday offers some guidance in terms of how she herself grew at County, and how Neela needs to distinguish herself from the image of “Little Neela.”
By the third dream, Neela seems to have found a middle road–which leads to both patients living and to a successful interview…
So what does Dr. Corday represent? Possibly that one can overcome tragedy and start over…Both Corday and Neela have British backgrounds, both are surgeons, both endured romantic tragedy (Greene’s death for Corday and Ray’s accident for Neela). Corday showed that one can survive adversity and personal despair and still overcome. She represents a sense of hope.
I think this is a very interesting analysis you’ve done. I agree about the 3 dreams and the development within the dreams of Neela as a professional and person who speaks up her mind and takes the correct decisiones to save patients and ‘save herself’ – I think Corday was someone they wanted to bring up again BUT that doesn’t mean she’s not meant for something in the show, she’s there to represent what Neela could ‘become’. Neela is also a widow, and British and also trying to choose whether to stay or go, as Elisabeth did. She’s like a mirror to Neela, of what could be. Nevertheless what I noticed about the dreams (and I would love to hear peoples opinions) is that the Dream-runner says to his wife just before collapsing ‘in the dreams, the girl is always you’ or something similar, like saying you’re always in my dreams or in whatever I dream to do. In Neela’s dream both the Aussie and Ray appear, one in person, the other on the phone. I thought by the last dream she would just be friends with Brenner, instead they’re in bed. I was disapointed, I thought by her third ‘confident’ dream she would be telling Ray she misses him or something. I felt as if the confident grown up Neela chose Brenner over Ray. Or, if they are BOTH in her dreams which one does she prefer? Make up your mind say I!
I agree with your disappointment that Neela chose to sleep with Brenner in the third dream–the dream that had the best outcomes for the patients….I am hoping that Neela will somehow end up with Ray at the end. As for Brenner? I know he’s changed a whole lot, but I still can’t get over how big of a louse he was when he was introduced last season.