Comments on things, and things.

Well, I did promise some more stuff for today, and here it is:
Having watched ER (as in, the American hospital drama, created my Michael Crichton, among others) for some time, I've begun to notice some trends within the program - it appears that the parallel universe in which the series is set (for it must be an alternate reality; where else would a slight upon a patient ensue in a vengeful tank rampage?) is controlled by a malevolent right-wing deity, determined to impose its values on a rather liberal cast of character.
This manifests itself mainly in the punishment by "acts of God" of those who transgress against a rather reactionary unspoken moral code. (as an aside, I want to point out that the comments below in no way represent my opinion, rather the apparent beliefs of the writers of the series.)
For example, in the last series alone, Dr. Carey was punished for her lesbianism, and, more topically, her marriage to her partner, by the death of said partner (a heroic firewoman, probably "lead astray" at some point), and the virtual abduction of their child by her wife's unsympathetic family.
Dr Carter, an otherwise "blameless" character; clearly Aryan and fresh-faced (and a multi-millionaire to boot), makes the mistake of falling in love with not only a black woman, but one who does not endorse the US' medical policies abroad with regard to AIDS in Africa. Moreover, she has a clearly European/British accent and is uncomfortably independent of the good doctor. To cut a convoluted plotline short, she eventually falls pregnant by Varter, but the pregnancy results in a miscarriage, in what seems like a punishment for so-called "miscegenation". There may seem to be little point to my rantings on this subject, but in my (admittedly warped) mind it strikes me as a rather worrying subliminal encroachment of neoconservative values in popular culture - often an excellent indicator of political climate, especially in high-profile U.S. television dramas.
Enough of my babblings. I'll go and find some more pretty pictures to deaden your brains with.