hey im a newby to this forum and only started watching ER during series 11 but have been watching (and loving) the old stuff on more 4.

wondered what the general opinion was about who abby is/ was better with... luka or carter

personally i think luka, they just seem to match but then seeing as i havent even seen carter and abby together in a single episode i might be slightly biased!

carby all the way!!

No good will come of this thread, mark my words.

For the record - I think Carter and Abby were a very bad romantic fit and brought out the very worst in each other. Watching Luka and Abby this time around had been a delight.

But - this relationship could only happen as it has because of the distance covered by both characters over the time since they were last together. Abby resists her usual passive aggressive schtick in favour of being up front about what she's feeling and there's been a great deal more honesty and communication in both directions.

On a purely subjective note, I think there's a lot of sexual chemistry between Luka and Abby which I never saw with Carter and Abby who lacked heat (can't even begin to imagine them in that car scene in "I Do" for example), I never once got a "can't keep my hands off you" vibe from them at all.

I want to say though that I don't think that the failure of either of the previous relationships with Luka and Carter can be used to define any of the participants as "bad" people - they were just relationships that didn't gel because of the inherent problems and characteristics of the people involved.

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On a purely subjective note, I think there's a lot of sexual chemistry between Luka and Abby which I never saw with Carter and Abby who lacked heat (can't even begin to imagine them in that car scene in "I Do" for example), I never once got a "can't keep my hands off you" vibe from them at all.

Couldn't agree more.
Also I think the end scene of Two Ships in S12, where they talk about the night before and decide to stay friends was great. From the way that scene was played out it was clear that '' Just friends'' was just not going to happen.

IMHO neither Carter nor Luka were better off with Abby. She seems to lack sexyness, although she's very good at angst and kindness. I much preferred Luka with Sam, and Carter was better with just about anyone else, though my favourite was with Anna Del Amico (Mario Bello). I wish they had developed that one more. Hey had chemistry together. Having long relationships with Abby transformed (is transforming) both characters into "soap" stars. Both Carter and Luka were much better when they concentrated on medical stories. The best relationship of the three IMO was the frienship which was developing between Carter and Luka once they got over their stupid rivalry, which was mostly about Abby. I liked Abby best as a gutsy singleton. I don't get any maternal warmth from her. She was great as a med student.

The great Romance of ER which worked was Doug and Carol. I don't think they should ever have tried to reproduce that and left the other characters to do what they did best, which is be doctors mostly and lovers just occasionally.

Yes i agree with the above.

I could swear i'v read a thread just like this before, it might just be me.

I haven't seen carter in a eppi i haven't watched a lot of ER only part of S12 and this of S13 .

sorry if its been posted before only realised it must have been after i'd posted it! whoops!

to be fair the last few eps with luka have been more medical with the court case. i disagree with wyle away about not getting a maternal warmth from abby i think it works, but am glad she's back at the hospital and agree there should be more medical stuff too- guess im just greedy and want it all really!

did anyone else find it confusing that abby and luka decided against a nanny but are now both working at the same time?

Personally I'm a huge fan of Luby - this time around. I've just watched season 7 on dvd and thought that first time around their relationship was built on sex and needyness.

This time around they actually communicate with each other properly. This enables them to be mutually supportive, which subsequently lets Abby show her softer side.

Its fair to say that I haven't seen any reruns of the Carby period since it aired, but I remember it never seemed 'easy'. Maybe my memory is deceiving me, but Abby was just to complex and emotionally self-sufficient to ever let Carter really understand her.

Maybe I'm also just a big romantic, but Luby this time around is great viewing. The recent, very simple scene, where they were sitting in the corridor talking and holding hands, and the subsequent jokes regarding the Croatian film festival showed how far their relationship has come. The dynamic is now very different, they have mutual trust, not mutual defensiveness, and sex seems like the cherry on the cake, not the cake itself!

I think we're getting "maternal" fron Abby, but entirely in keeping with the character. It looks realistic to me.

As for Luka/Abby I I didn't feel that it was about sex as in "horniness" but about sex being the one way in which they really did commnicate. Words for them seemed to be dangerous things which got in the way of, rather than facilitated, communication. And it's clear this time round that it remains an important and affirming part of the relationship - but this time around they are both also working on (and it is "work") articulating their feelings.

GV and MT seem to me to work very well together, not just in the dramatic and angsty scenes but also with the comedic and sexually charged scenes. It's a rare combination and I'm loving it. I undestand of course that not everyone will see what I see and the "chemistry" argument isone I abandoned a long time ago. I saw none at all between Sam and Luka or Abby and Carter (as a couple), but it's so subjective that I don't give it any room in denating the case. As it is I think that Abby and Luka are being written as happy, finding their way through the challenges thrown up not only by events but as a result of their personalities.

Sorry for the typos in the previous post; the random nature of the edit function means that I can't correct them.

I'm sorry too about my typos. My spelling isn't as bad as it appears here, but my typing sucks. I should check before posting, since the edit function doesn't seem to work for me on this board. At least I know now it isn't just me.

I agree "chemistry" is a personal thing, and I've never got any from Abby with any of her partners, although I agree she is communicating better, I don't feel any really sexy or even romantic vibes from her. IMO I think the problem is that the actress' range is limited. I think this is also why I don't feel that much of a connection with her and the baby. She just seems to be holding a doll rather mechanically. I find MT much better at doing complex and angst ridden.

Luka is naturally sexy so his lurv scenes always work on that level with any woman, but I found his kindlness seemed better with Sam, although he and Abby do seem more like equals.

No Carter and Abby never convinced me as lovers. They were terrific as friends, whereas he sizzled with Del Amico, although his sexiest scenes were with Roxane and Elaine. Kem never entirely convinced me and Wendell was a disaster. The writers do some weird and wrong things sometimes.

I still think all three are/were at their best when involved in medical issues and yes the Ames trial was quite interesting. Forest Whittaker is a terrific actor. I think they should only have about a quarter of each epi on their personal lives. All these characters are at their best when doing their jobs, and I loved the growing friendship between Carter and Luka. That seemed the most real to me.

The problem I had with Luka's kindness to Sam was that it was never reciprocated. You know I fully expected the writers to turn that around, thought they were simply overegging the pudding with her prickly "I can do this all by myself" schtick but by the time they got into that counselling session I wanted to throttle the little cat.

I agree, Mrs E. That's one of the things that really bothered me about Samka - Sam. It's evident that Luka still cares about her, though, which is nice to see.

It reminds me of something you said over on the other thread, too, regarding 'Blood, Sugar, Sex and Magic' when Luka had apologised to Abby and let Carter and Abby go, uncharged. Luka doesn't seem the grudge-holding type.

I'm not sure I agree that Maura Tierney's performance is lacking and her range is limited. I rather like how she interprets Abby's character. Its very believable. Further I really do think that GV + MT have great chemistry together. I often laugh out loud when watching them doing the funny scene's, and really care about their relationship - a sign IMO that it is both well-written and well acted.

Have to agree about Sam tho'. I never liked her and Luka together. She was so self-sufficient it was painful to watch Luka being shut out emotionally.

And that's the last thing Luka needs - to be shut out emotionally.

MacBecky used to love Carby. She's such a traitor.

Well, obviously, most of you know that I am the ultimate Carby fan, always will love them...

Oh, Lynz. You should have known that me getting 'loves-carby' removed from the end of my signature was the first step in the long road to Carby recovery.

No, no. I do love and support Carby in the older episodes; the ones on More4 that are about to start/have started when they get really, painfully flirty with one another. I always like watching those and I am still a huge Carter fan.

However, I have had to resign to the fact that Carter isn't coming back and Carby is long-gone. I never was a Luby fan in the beginning because I could see the flirtatious Carter and I thought he could offer Abby so much more; I never felt, back then, that Luka did really care about Abby, not like Carter did. However, when Luka went to the councillor and said that he'd screwed up the relationship with a woman he loved, I really did believe him. Luby this time around, really does work for me.

But Lynz, if you do ever need any help in creating posters/badges/certificates/anything-Carby-propaganda then I will hop aboard and it will no longer have to be the one-woman-Carby-campaign! Somedays I really do miss the flirtatiousness of Carby...

The problem I have with Luka saying he ruined the relationship is that it isn't really true; he didn't do it single handedly - he had a lot of help on that score.

I didn't like the whole carby set up because it left Luka looking like a fool or an annoying obstacle and the whole thing was used to torture him. I know he suffers very prettily but it stuck in my craw - especially as in the end carby amounted to nothing much, and he'd been tortured for nothing.

I'm enjoying the flirtatious nature of Luby II though, enjoying it a lot; no-one is being hurt by it.

I guess in fairness, Luka wasn't the...most forthcoming/nicest of people around Season Nine. Admittedly, yes, he had valid reason. Just a point.

Sure, but the time he was referring to wasn't in S9 - and I don't think his subsequent acting out can be retrospectively axtrapolated onto his relationship with Abby prior to that. S9 Luka wasn't the man we saw with Abby.

True. And yes, I know realise that wasn't the time he was referring to - I should have made it clear that I was mentioning it in terms of me liking the character, sorry.

MacBecky Loves Carby

i'm completely biased towards Abby&Luka because i think they are so great together, & loved every minute of watching them get together/have a baby etc.
& i've never actually seen any carby. so i don't really know what that's like -
i'm quite intreged to see it - what series to they get together?

i also haven't really seen much of luby round one - just the odd ones on more4.. but i watched the episode today, and i think they're over - so why did they split?
& also is Luka now going out with that foreign new girl who works there?

(for anyone who didn't watch it on more4 today -Gallant started & a man tried to hang himself if that helps people know what im talking about)

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But Lynz, if you do ever need any help in creating posters/badges/certificates/anything-Carby-propaganda then I will hop aboard and it will no longer have to be the one-woman-Carby-campaign! Somedays I really do miss the flirtatiousness of Carby...

I'm ok with being a one woman campaign now...It makes me feel special! You all just don't know what you're missing...