Neela Rasgotra
Encyclopedia
Dr. Neela Rasgotra is a fictional character portrayed by Parminder Nagra
on the television show ER
. Following the departure of Goran Visnjic
, Maura Tierney
, and Mekhi Phifer
this left Nagra as the longest term cast member on ER and it also made her character the show's main character so, in terms she's the series' second female series lead. Parminder Nagra's addition into the main cast opening credits was in the 3rd episode of season 10.
, London
. She arrives on her first day as the ER is undergoing major renovations and is for the most part unnoticed, except by Dr. Michael Gallant
, who guides her through the rough start in the hospital, and Dr. Greg Pratt, who flirts a little bit with her. Neela is very intelligent but sometimes stumbles in her doctor-patient communications skills. This proves disastrous when she informs the wrong woman of her grandson's death. A very reserved individual, she faces her first big crisis at County when a helicopter crash occurs on Thanksgiving Day, killing Dr. Robert Romano
and pushing her and everyone else there to their limits. Nevertheless, she does her job superbly. It is also revealed that Neela had a terrible case of claustrophobia
, which she later conquers by gutting out a hyperbaric chamber session that helped save a baby's life (due to the baby having severe carbon monoxide poisoning
). At the end of Season 10, Neela and Abby Lockhart
both graduate from medical school. However, upon graduating, Neela has an identity crisis
and turns down an internship at the University of Michigan
, opting to work as a store clerk when no other position turns up. After a few episodes, she asks the ER chief Dr. Kerry Weaver
for a job back at County. Later, she finds herself back in the hospital after an obsessive-compulsive intern (Howard, portrayed by Andy Powers) quit and Susan Lewis
makes her a job offer, which she accepts. Neela's birthday is April 17, 1977.
prior to his deployment to Iraq
, especially after he took the blame of a patient's accidental death, sparing Neela's probable dismissal. During one return visit, they begin a romantic relationship, after which they maintain a regular correspondence. On completion of his tour of duty, they impulsively marry, but he soon feels compelled to return to Iraq and re-enlists. At this point, Neela was also struggling with her feelings for roommate Ray Barnett, who began to fall in love with her. Neela kept her distance from Ray when she decided to move in with Abby Lockhart
instead.
In "The Gallant Hero & The Tragic Victor", Neela becomes a widow when Gallant is killed by a roadside bomb near Mosul
. She pushes Ray and everyone else away when they tries to offer her some comfort. In "Twenty-One Guns" (the 12th season finale), Michael's funeral takes place, where she is accompanied by Gregory Pratt
. She gets angry at Michael's father, accusing him of telling Michael to go off to war when he could have stopped him, but Pratt offers her some comfort when he says that Gallant felt he had to be in Iraq, and that Pratt now understands this due to his own experiences in Darfur
. Pratt later receives a phone call from the ER; both are unaware of the shootings which have taken place there.
In "Bloodline", Neela and Pratt rush to the hospital when they find out about the shooting and help the distraught ER. Neela, then taking a surgical elective, scrubs in and operates on Jerry, who eventually recovers from his injuries. Neela reunites with paramedic Tony Gates
(from "Two Ships", season 12). Still mourning her husband, she gets drunk and kisses him but she apologizes to him later on. Many feelings and tension arise between her, Gates and Barnett in an uncomfortable love triangle. Chief of Surgery Dr. Dubenko has always been fond of Neela and her talents, looking out for her and helping her get the spot in a surgical elective. She later decides to leave the ER and start over as a surgical intern. As she begins her new surgical rotation, she falls under the strict supervision of new surgical Chief Resident Dr. Dustin Crenshaw, who seems to hold her back from demonstrating her skills. Later in her elective, Neela feels pushed away and neglected from her mentor when a new med student steals all the spotlight in front of Dr. Dubenko. She later discovers that Dr. Dubenko holds feelings for her as does the (female) new med student.
During the wedding of Abby and Luka, Neela decides to end her romantic relationships with Tony and Ray for good, after built-up emotions escalate and lead to a bar fight between the guys that exposed their personal issues in front of the entire ER staff. The fight got Ray tossed out of the reception party, however Neela appeared to be in the process of settling with Ray. She called him on his cell after looking affectionately at the CD of love songs he burned for her. Initially Ray, while leaving drunk from a bar, did not answer his cell despite its vibrating. She was still upset at Ray, as well as Tony, but grew concerned when Ray wouldn't answer his calls and did not show up at work. Neela went by his apartment with no luck and later discovered he was hit by a truck and was hospitalized. With both legs amputated, a bitter Ray could not forgive Neela for hurting him and left Chicago to be cared for by his mother back home, and Ray's love interest Katey blamed Neela for Ray's injuries. This further upsets Neela who has been torn apart by the two men. In the 13th season finale, Neela attends an anti-war rally and soon finds herself in danger as a mass panic ensues in the crowd. Tony who was looking for her tries to come to her aid as the crowd tramples her.
In the early part of season 14, she recovers from her accident and stays with Abby while Luka is away in Croatia. She also babysits Joe while Abby is at work. When Neela returns to work, Gates inquires about Ray and we learn that Ray has been writing to Neela. Katey and Neela have another altercation when Katey argues with Neela's directions during a trauma, but Katey ends up looking stupid as Neela's decisions save the patient's life. Neela then tells Katey she's finished taking Katey's anger about Ray's accident and Neela tells her that she will not take the blame for what happened to Ray because "I didn't make him get piss-drunk and wander in front of a truck". She also reveals that Ray himself doesn't blame her for the accident. Some months later, Neela and Abby engage in an argument after Neela finds out that Abby is an alcoholic. During the heated exchange, Abby says that Neela should not be lecturing her on love because Ray is probably wishing he never met Neela. While Neela does not directly address her feelings about Ray, from the hurt on her face it is evident that she is still not completely over what happened to him. Neela gets very upset after Abby's comments and kicks her out of the apartment. Abby and Neela make up some time later after Abby returns from rehab.
After doing an orthopedic surgery rotation where it became obvious all the surgical departments wanted her on their teams for the long haul, she returns to working for Dr. Dubenko. However, Neela has faced some professional and personal setbacks since that return: a wiz-kid surgical resident decided surgery wasn't for him and left for Pediatrics despite her efforts to convince him he could be a successful surgeon; she noted her sparse personal life on her birthday (which nobody but Tony Gates remembered); and she became close to a patient played by Aida Turturro
who developed an infection that led to her death, sending Neela into the doldrums once again.
In the Season 15 episode, "The Book of Abby," Neela's long-time friend and colleague, Abby Lockhart, resigned and left the ER for a new job in Boston. Neela, while happy for her friend's new start, told Abby that she wished she had known about this sooner and that she couldn't imagine working in the hospital without Abby. Separated by a glass window while operating in the OR, Neela told a departing Abby to "be good," after which Abby smiled and walked away.
Abby's departure leaves Neela Rasgotra as the most senior regular character on ER, followed by Archie Morris
and Sam Taggart, respectively.
Into Season 15, Ray Barnett re-entered Neela's life just at the right time. After the death of her friend Greg Pratt and the departure of her best friend Abby a few weeks later, Ray returns right "when she needs that friend and possibly that romance back." Ray surprises Neela by showing up to County in a Frankenstein outfit during Halloween and revealed on his one-day return to Chicago that he has endured months of rehab, during which he was fitted with new cutting edge prosthetics and is walking on his own. His presence clearly has a huge impact on Neela, and she invites him to spend the night with her, but he declines by saying he has finally reached a good place in his life and doesn't want to mess that up. It is later revealed that Neela had planned to visit Ray for Thanksgiving in Louisiana but canceled the trip after learning Ray had begun dating a woman from Georgia.
Neela has had a difficult time dealing with Andrew Wade, a young surgical intern who she feels is too passive to be a successful surgeon. When a surgical patient implies she is having rectal bleeding, Andrew is too intimidated to get the information to Neela, and the patient later bleeds to death. Andrew blames himself and Neela is critical of him for not telling her the earlier information. She later tells Dr. Dubenko she doesn't want to work with Andrew anymore, and Andrew gets transferred to a less-important surgical rotation. Neela then gets mad at Andrew because she's getting sued by the dead patient's family after Andrew confessed his mistake to them. But Neela later works with Andrew on a complicated procedure that saves a patient's eye, and when she is grudging about having to teach Andrew, Dr. Dubenko angrily tells her that if that's her attitude then she needs to pack her stuff up and leave County. Chastened, Neela later tells Andrew he did a great job and that she understands his motives in talking to the patient's family. The lawsuit is later dropped and Neela reconciles herself to having a work-only relationship with the close-knit group of interns.
Later in Season 15 in "Dream Runner" she has a chance to catch with her old colleague Dr. Elizabeth Corday
during an attending interview and became involved romantically with Simon Brenner
after he returned from Australia. However, in the episode 'Love is a Battlefield,' Brenner is again shown coming home from Australia, signaling to the audience that Neela's involvement with Brenner in the previous episode was just part of the re-occurring dream she was having throughout the show.
In “Love is a Battlefield,” Neela is seen skillfully avoiding Simon Brenner
, brushing him off in obvious awkwardness, due to her dreams of him in the prior episode, as he tells her that he called her the second he got back in from Australia to go out to dinner and catch up, even telling her that he had a gift for her. At the end of the episode, she runs away from him, only to have him catch up to her on the busy sidewalk. She admits to him that she likes him and she wants to be with him, and then telling him that he can "gloat now" – throwing back to his speech in episode "Parental Guidance" where he says that "he predicted it." He smiles and kisses her, saying that he'd 'rather do something else,' obviously showing the beginning of their relationship.
In "The Family Man," Neela is in a pre-coital position with Simon in her apartment while her phone rings. He urges her not to take it, but she does. We find out that Duke is calling for her to meet with the Head of Surgery. She says that she only met with Duke to ‘Get Dubenko off her case.’ But is now trying to imagine herself there. Simon is obviously disappointed, but acts happy for her.
During the Valentine’s episode of the Season, "The Beginning of the End." Simon and Neela are revealing their most romantic Valentine’s celebrations: Her most romantic one was at fifteen and her boyfriend bought her a plastic tiara, and took her out, telling her that she deserved to be treated like a queen. Simon agrees fully. He suggests that they take a trip together. While at the hospital, she receives a CD in the mail from her old flame, Ray Barnett
; it holds a poignant love song by Pete Yorn
. She sees her old attending, John Carter
who impressively notes that the "Grasshopper is now the teacher." Later in the episode she is left a map with a heart-stickered destination on it from Simon Brenner
. She shows up at a balcony overlooking the Chicago River
. She sees him down below and he runs up to her, calling out in Italian. He reaches her and hands her Italy pamphlets, telling her that they are at the closest thing to a canal
right now, but it will change. Simon tells her that he wants them to take a week off in April and take her to Venice. She smiles and says that it definitely constitutes as a romantic gesture. He responds saying that that was nothing and it was just the beginning, surely foreshadowing things to come. They enjoy the moment with each other, leading to her new favorite Valentine’s celebration.
Neela learns from Morris about Simon's childhood and is upset he never mentioned it to her. In recent weeks Simon hasn't been around as much and always evades questions about his childhood. Eventually they get into a fight and she tells him that there are better people for both of them out there. This signifies that Neela has broken up with Simon.
Neela last appeared as a regular in the Season 15 episode 20 of ER entitled "Shifting Equilibrium," Neela leaves County General for good. She is shown arriving at Le Chatelier Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
, where she goes to a physical rehab center where Ray Barnett
is shown helping patients. There, she and Ray reunite, with Neela looking like she finally felt she made the right decision after struggling with her fear of making the wrong choices in life.
In the following episode "I Feel Good" she makes a cameo, appearing on webcam at County at Frank's admitting desk from her new work place with Ray and Ray mentions how he brought some of Neela's things from home into her office signifying that they are living together.
In the series finale "And In the End...," Neela makes a cameo, again appearing on webcam at County at Frank's admitting desk talking to Brenner, Morris, and Carter talking about her new life in Baton Rouge. This time Brenner seems more comfortable with Neela's physical absence.
Parminder Nagra
Parminder Kaur Nagra is an English actress of Indian descent. She came to international prominence in 2002 after starring in Bend It Like Beckham. She starred as Dr. Neela Rasgotra in the Emmy Award-winning American medical drama series ER for six years until the series ended on 2 April 2009...
on the television show ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
. Following the departure of Goran Visnjic
Goran Višnjic
Goran Višnjić is a Croatian actor who has appeared in American and British films and television productions. He is best known for his role as Dr. Luka Kovač in the hit television series ER...
, Maura Tierney
Maura Tierney
Maura Therese Tierney is an American film and television actress, who is best known for her roles as Lisa Miller on NewsRadio and Abby Lockhart on the television medical drama ER.-Early life:...
, and Mekhi Phifer
Mekhi Phifer
Mekhi Thira Phifer is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his multi-year role as Dr. Greg Pratt on NBC's long-running medical drama ER and his co-starring role opposite Eminem in the feature film 8 Mile...
this left Nagra as the longest term cast member on ER and it also made her character the show's main character so, in terms she's the series' second female series lead. Parminder Nagra's addition into the main cast opening credits was in the 3rd episode of season 10.
Beginnings
Neela Rasgotra first appeared in fall 2003 at the start of the 10th season as a talented but very reticent medical student from SouthallSouthall
Southall is a large suburban district of west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include Yeading, Hayes, Hanwell, Heston, Hounslow, Greenford and Northolt...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. She arrives on her first day as the ER is undergoing major renovations and is for the most part unnoticed, except by Dr. Michael Gallant
Michael Gallant
Dr. Michael Gallant is a fictional character in the TV series ER, portrayed by Sharif Atkins. He was a regular character from 2001 to 2004 .- At County :...
, who guides her through the rough start in the hospital, and Dr. Greg Pratt, who flirts a little bit with her. Neela is very intelligent but sometimes stumbles in her doctor-patient communications skills. This proves disastrous when she informs the wrong woman of her grandson's death. A very reserved individual, she faces her first big crisis at County when a helicopter crash occurs on Thanksgiving Day, killing Dr. Robert Romano
Robert Romano
Dr. Robert 'Rocket' Romano is a fictional character on the TV series ER. He was portrayed by Emmy-winning actor Paul McCrane. Paul McCrane's removal from the main cast opening credits was in the 9th episode of season 10....
and pushing her and everyone else there to their limits. Nevertheless, she does her job superbly. It is also revealed that Neela had a terrible case of claustrophobia
Claustrophobia
Claustrophobia is the fear of having no escape and being closed in small spaces or rooms...
, which she later conquers by gutting out a hyperbaric chamber session that helped save a baby's life (due to the baby having severe carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs after enough inhalation of carbon monoxide . Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas, but, being colorless, odorless, tasteless, and initially non-irritating, it is very difficult for people to detect...
). At the end of Season 10, Neela and Abby Lockhart
Abby Lockhart
Dr. Abby Lockhart is a fictional medical doctor on the television series ER. She is portrayed by Maura Tierney...
both graduate from medical school. However, upon graduating, Neela has an identity crisis
Identity crisis (psychology)
"Identity crisis is the failure to achieve ego identity during adolescence." The term was coined by the psychologist Erik Erikson. The stage of psychosocial development in which identity crisis may occur is called the Identity Cohesion versus Role Confusion stage...
and turns down an internship at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, opting to work as a store clerk when no other position turns up. After a few episodes, she asks the ER chief Dr. Kerry Weaver
Kerry Weaver
Dr. Kerry Weaver, portrayed by Laura Innes, was an fictional character on the NBC television series ER; she first appeared as a recurring character actor in season 2, and became a regular cast member in season 3. In January 2007, Innes left the show after 12 years and Kerry Weaver moved to...
for a job back at County. Later, she finds herself back in the hospital after an obsessive-compulsive intern (Howard, portrayed by Andy Powers) quit and Susan Lewis
Susan Lewis
Dr. Susan Lewis, played by Sherry Stringfield, is a fictional doctor on the television show ER between 1994–1996, and again from 2001-2005....
makes her a job offer, which she accepts. Neela's birthday is April 17, 1977.
Personal life
She becomes close to Dr. Michael GallantMichael Gallant
Dr. Michael Gallant is a fictional character in the TV series ER, portrayed by Sharif Atkins. He was a regular character from 2001 to 2004 .- At County :...
prior to his deployment to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, especially after he took the blame of a patient's accidental death, sparing Neela's probable dismissal. During one return visit, they begin a romantic relationship, after which they maintain a regular correspondence. On completion of his tour of duty, they impulsively marry, but he soon feels compelled to return to Iraq and re-enlists. At this point, Neela was also struggling with her feelings for roommate Ray Barnett, who began to fall in love with her. Neela kept her distance from Ray when she decided to move in with Abby Lockhart
Abby Lockhart
Dr. Abby Lockhart is a fictional medical doctor on the television series ER. She is portrayed by Maura Tierney...
instead.
In "The Gallant Hero & The Tragic Victor", Neela becomes a widow when Gallant is killed by a roadside bomb near Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
. She pushes Ray and everyone else away when they tries to offer her some comfort. In "Twenty-One Guns" (the 12th season finale), Michael's funeral takes place, where she is accompanied by Gregory Pratt
Gregory Pratt
Dr. Gregory "Greg" Pratt is a fictional character on the US television show ER, portrayed by Mekhi Phifer from April 4, 2002 to September 25, 2008...
. She gets angry at Michael's father, accusing him of telling Michael to go off to war when he could have stopped him, but Pratt offers her some comfort when he says that Gallant felt he had to be in Iraq, and that Pratt now understands this due to his own experiences in Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
. Pratt later receives a phone call from the ER; both are unaware of the shootings which have taken place there.
In "Bloodline", Neela and Pratt rush to the hospital when they find out about the shooting and help the distraught ER. Neela, then taking a surgical elective, scrubs in and operates on Jerry, who eventually recovers from his injuries. Neela reunites with paramedic Tony Gates
Tony Gates
Dr. Anthony "Tony" Gates is a fictional character on the television series ER. He is portrayed by John Stamos.-Paramedic appearances:Tony Gates was introduced as a paramedic during Season 12 . In Gates' first appearance in the series, he was fired at while trying to assist a young kidnapping victim...
(from "Two Ships", season 12). Still mourning her husband, she gets drunk and kisses him but she apologizes to him later on. Many feelings and tension arise between her, Gates and Barnett in an uncomfortable love triangle. Chief of Surgery Dr. Dubenko has always been fond of Neela and her talents, looking out for her and helping her get the spot in a surgical elective. She later decides to leave the ER and start over as a surgical intern. As she begins her new surgical rotation, she falls under the strict supervision of new surgical Chief Resident Dr. Dustin Crenshaw, who seems to hold her back from demonstrating her skills. Later in her elective, Neela feels pushed away and neglected from her mentor when a new med student steals all the spotlight in front of Dr. Dubenko. She later discovers that Dr. Dubenko holds feelings for her as does the (female) new med student.
In the early part of season 14, she recovers from her accident and stays with Abby while Luka is away in Croatia. She also babysits Joe while Abby is at work. When Neela returns to work, Gates inquires about Ray and we learn that Ray has been writing to Neela. Katey and Neela have another altercation when Katey argues with Neela's directions during a trauma, but Katey ends up looking stupid as Neela's decisions save the patient's life. Neela then tells Katey she's finished taking Katey's anger about Ray's accident and Neela tells her that she will not take the blame for what happened to Ray because "I didn't make him get piss-drunk and wander in front of a truck". She also reveals that Ray himself doesn't blame her for the accident. Some months later, Neela and Abby engage in an argument after Neela finds out that Abby is an alcoholic. During the heated exchange, Abby says that Neela should not be lecturing her on love because Ray is probably wishing he never met Neela. While Neela does not directly address her feelings about Ray, from the hurt on her face it is evident that she is still not completely over what happened to him. Neela gets very upset after Abby's comments and kicks her out of the apartment. Abby and Neela make up some time later after Abby returns from rehab.
After doing an orthopedic surgery rotation where it became obvious all the surgical departments wanted her on their teams for the long haul, she returns to working for Dr. Dubenko. However, Neela has faced some professional and personal setbacks since that return: a wiz-kid surgical resident decided surgery wasn't for him and left for Pediatrics despite her efforts to convince him he could be a successful surgeon; she noted her sparse personal life on her birthday (which nobody but Tony Gates remembered); and she became close to a patient played by Aida Turturro
Aida Turturro
Aida Turturro is an American actress probably best known for playing Janice Soprano, sister of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano, on the HBO TV series The Sopranos .-Personal life:...
who developed an infection that led to her death, sending Neela into the doldrums once again.
Season 15
With Abby's departure, Neela is the lead character of the final season.In the Season 15 episode, "The Book of Abby," Neela's long-time friend and colleague, Abby Lockhart, resigned and left the ER for a new job in Boston. Neela, while happy for her friend's new start, told Abby that she wished she had known about this sooner and that she couldn't imagine working in the hospital without Abby. Separated by a glass window while operating in the OR, Neela told a departing Abby to "be good," after which Abby smiled and walked away.
Abby's departure leaves Neela Rasgotra as the most senior regular character on ER, followed by Archie Morris
Archie Morris
Dr. Archibald "Archie" Morris is a fictional character portrayed by Scott Grimes on the television show ER.-Early career:The character of Dr. Morris debuted in late 2003, in the drama's 10th season, and was notable for providing comic relief. Morris was an inept second-year resident who avoided...
and Sam Taggart, respectively.
Into Season 15, Ray Barnett re-entered Neela's life just at the right time. After the death of her friend Greg Pratt and the departure of her best friend Abby a few weeks later, Ray returns right "when she needs that friend and possibly that romance back." Ray surprises Neela by showing up to County in a Frankenstein outfit during Halloween and revealed on his one-day return to Chicago that he has endured months of rehab, during which he was fitted with new cutting edge prosthetics and is walking on his own. His presence clearly has a huge impact on Neela, and she invites him to spend the night with her, but he declines by saying he has finally reached a good place in his life and doesn't want to mess that up. It is later revealed that Neela had planned to visit Ray for Thanksgiving in Louisiana but canceled the trip after learning Ray had begun dating a woman from Georgia.
Neela has had a difficult time dealing with Andrew Wade, a young surgical intern who she feels is too passive to be a successful surgeon. When a surgical patient implies she is having rectal bleeding, Andrew is too intimidated to get the information to Neela, and the patient later bleeds to death. Andrew blames himself and Neela is critical of him for not telling her the earlier information. She later tells Dr. Dubenko she doesn't want to work with Andrew anymore, and Andrew gets transferred to a less-important surgical rotation. Neela then gets mad at Andrew because she's getting sued by the dead patient's family after Andrew confessed his mistake to them. But Neela later works with Andrew on a complicated procedure that saves a patient's eye, and when she is grudging about having to teach Andrew, Dr. Dubenko angrily tells her that if that's her attitude then she needs to pack her stuff up and leave County. Chastened, Neela later tells Andrew he did a great job and that she understands his motives in talking to the patient's family. The lawsuit is later dropped and Neela reconciles herself to having a work-only relationship with the close-knit group of interns.
Later in Season 15 in "Dream Runner" she has a chance to catch with her old colleague Dr. Elizabeth Corday
Elizabeth Corday
Elizabeth Corday, MBChB, FRCS is a fictional surgeon on the television series ER. She was played by Alex Kingston and appeared from 1997 to 2004.-Background:...
during an attending interview and became involved romantically with Simon Brenner
Simon Brenner
Dr. Simon Brenner is a fictional character portrayed by David Lyons on the television show ER.-Life at County General:Brenner was introduced as a new ER attending physician, first seen in bed with two women before arriving for his first shift. His character is superficially very charming,...
after he returned from Australia. However, in the episode 'Love is a Battlefield,' Brenner is again shown coming home from Australia, signaling to the audience that Neela's involvement with Brenner in the previous episode was just part of the re-occurring dream she was having throughout the show.
In “Love is a Battlefield,” Neela is seen skillfully avoiding Simon Brenner
Simon Brenner
Dr. Simon Brenner is a fictional character portrayed by David Lyons on the television show ER.-Life at County General:Brenner was introduced as a new ER attending physician, first seen in bed with two women before arriving for his first shift. His character is superficially very charming,...
, brushing him off in obvious awkwardness, due to her dreams of him in the prior episode, as he tells her that he called her the second he got back in from Australia to go out to dinner and catch up, even telling her that he had a gift for her. At the end of the episode, she runs away from him, only to have him catch up to her on the busy sidewalk. She admits to him that she likes him and she wants to be with him, and then telling him that he can "gloat now" – throwing back to his speech in episode "Parental Guidance" where he says that "he predicted it." He smiles and kisses her, saying that he'd 'rather do something else,' obviously showing the beginning of their relationship.
In "The Family Man," Neela is in a pre-coital position with Simon in her apartment while her phone rings. He urges her not to take it, but she does. We find out that Duke is calling for her to meet with the Head of Surgery. She says that she only met with Duke to ‘Get Dubenko off her case.’ But is now trying to imagine herself there. Simon is obviously disappointed, but acts happy for her.
During the Valentine’s episode of the Season, "The Beginning of the End." Simon and Neela are revealing their most romantic Valentine’s celebrations: Her most romantic one was at fifteen and her boyfriend bought her a plastic tiara, and took her out, telling her that she deserved to be treated like a queen. Simon agrees fully. He suggests that they take a trip together. While at the hospital, she receives a CD in the mail from her old flame, Ray Barnett
Ray Barnett
Dr. Ray Barnett is a fictional doctor portrayed by actor Shane West on the television show ER. The character first appeared in fall 2004 at the start of the 11th season...
; it holds a poignant love song by Pete Yorn
Pete Yorn
Peter Joseph Yorn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist who first gained international recognition after his debut record, Musicforthemorningafter, was released to critical acclaim in 2001.-Early history:Yorn's father is a dentist and his mother is a former concert pianist who worked as a...
. She sees her old attending, John Carter
John Carter (ER)
Dr. John Truman Carter III, portrayed by Noah Wyle, is a fictional character from the television series ER. The character, called simply "Carter" by most other characters, was introduced in the pilot episode and appeared for eleven consecutive seasons. Wyle decided to leave the show as a regular...
who impressively notes that the "Grasshopper is now the teacher." Later in the episode she is left a map with a heart-stickered destination on it from Simon Brenner
Simon Brenner
Dr. Simon Brenner is a fictional character portrayed by David Lyons on the television show ER.-Life at County General:Brenner was introduced as a new ER attending physician, first seen in bed with two women before arriving for his first shift. His character is superficially very charming,...
. She shows up at a balcony overlooking the Chicago River
Chicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of the same name, including its center . Though not especially long, the river is notable for being the reason why Chicago became an important location, as the link between the Great Lakes and...
. She sees him down below and he runs up to her, calling out in Italian. He reaches her and hands her Italy pamphlets, telling her that they are at the closest thing to a canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
right now, but it will change. Simon tells her that he wants them to take a week off in April and take her to Venice. She smiles and says that it definitely constitutes as a romantic gesture. He responds saying that that was nothing and it was just the beginning, surely foreshadowing things to come. They enjoy the moment with each other, leading to her new favorite Valentine’s celebration.
Neela learns from Morris about Simon's childhood and is upset he never mentioned it to her. In recent weeks Simon hasn't been around as much and always evades questions about his childhood. Eventually they get into a fight and she tells him that there are better people for both of them out there. This signifies that Neela has broken up with Simon.
Neela last appeared as a regular in the Season 15 episode 20 of ER entitled "Shifting Equilibrium," Neela leaves County General for good. She is shown arriving at Le Chatelier Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
, where she goes to a physical rehab center where Ray Barnett
Ray Barnett
Dr. Ray Barnett is a fictional doctor portrayed by actor Shane West on the television show ER. The character first appeared in fall 2004 at the start of the 11th season...
is shown helping patients. There, she and Ray reunite, with Neela looking like she finally felt she made the right decision after struggling with her fear of making the wrong choices in life.
In the following episode "I Feel Good" she makes a cameo, appearing on webcam at County at Frank's admitting desk from her new work place with Ray and Ray mentions how he brought some of Neela's things from home into her office signifying that they are living together.
In the series finale "And In the End...," Neela makes a cameo, again appearing on webcam at County at Frank's admitting desk talking to Brenner, Morris, and Carter talking about her new life in Baton Rouge. This time Brenner seems more comfortable with Neela's physical absence.
External links
- Neela Rasgotra at Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
.