For 15 years, audiences tuned in by the millions to catch the weekly drama unfolding inER’s fictional Cook County General Hospital. In exploring the distressing nature of working in such an environment to the harrowing experiences of patients, the acclaimed, long-running NBC series ran the gamut with its depiction of the inevitable life and death circumstances lingering over emergency medicine and protocol. Though ultimately entertainment,ERwas often a sobering viewing experience in terms of visceral emotion, eliciting everything from thrills and heartbreak to horror.
Among the series' most infamous moments came courtesy of a two-part episode that aired in February 2000. Dubbed “Be Still My Heart” and “All in the Family,” respectively, the back-to-back installments feature a particularly terrifying occurrence from the actions of a young man (David Krumholtz).As a troubled patient whose admission to the emergency department results in tragedy for Dr. John Carter (Noah Wyle) and resident physician, Lucy Knight (Kellie Martin),Krumholtz’s turn made for a truly shocking yet memorable cliffhanger that raised the stakes forER’s ensemble cast of characters and boosted viewership from one episode to the next by several million.
The lives, loves and losses of the doctors and nurses of Chicago’s County General Hospital.
What Are “Be Still My Heart” and “All in the Family” About?
Couched in the middle ofER’s sixth season, “Be Still My Heart” largely focuses on the working relationship between John Carter and Lucy Knight during a hectic shift on Valentine’s Day. Tensions flare between the two physicians upon the arrival of Paul Sobriki (Krumholtz), whose complaints of headaches lead to the painful extraction of his spinal fluid for testing. But the more Lucy interacts with Sobriki, the more she suspects that he’s struggling with mental illness rather than a physical ailment. Despite her requests for a psychiatric consultation, imploring John for advice and guidance, her concerns go unaddressed. The episode ends with one of the series' most chilling moments when—after being ambushed and stabbed in the back by Sobriki—John discovers a stabbed and bloodied Lucy on the verge of death.
Picking up exactly where the previous episode’s edge-of-your-seat cliffhanger left off, “All in the Family” sees the staff of Cook County General Hospital race to save the lives of John and Lucy. Sobriki, suspected of committing the attack and having disappeared, returns to the emergency department after being hit by a car. In an agitated and delusional state, he’s investigated by the authorities and, after a psychiatric consultation, is suspected ofhaving schizophrenia. Despite the best efforts of her fellow physicians, Lucy ultimately succumbs to her wounds while John survives, though the trauma he suffered would lead to struggles with chronic pain, feelings of guilt, and drug addiction.
David Krumholtz’s Performance in ‘ER’ as Paul Sobriki Terrified Viewers
Before David Krumholtz’s appearance onER, the actor was largely known for playing affable yet comedic characters, including the nerdy Joel inAddams Family Values, the lead elf, Bernard, inThe Santa Clause, and the angst-ridden teenager, Michael, in10 Things I Hate About You. The stark contrast on display with his turn as Paul Sobriki marked an unsettling yet memorable pivot for the young actor,highlighting his versatility as a performer and offering viewers a glimpse into his affinity for tackling a disparate variety of characters. “I kind of loved the idea for a really long time of showing so much range and being so chameleonic that people couldn’t connect the dots,“he toldCollider. “The guy who was the elf inThe Santa Clausewas also the murderer onER, for instance, that you couldn’t make that connection.”
This ‘ER’ Actor Used His Series Skills To Save a Life
When life imitated art, this actor stepped up.
Decades after guest-starring onER, Krumholtz’s performance as the troubled young man who sent shockwaves through Cook County General Hospital (and living rooms, alike) endures as one of the actor’s most affecting and enduring efforts. “People were more disturbed than I imagined they would be,“he admitted toEntertainment Weeklyin 2018. “I still get messages on Twitter now that people have never fully forgiven me for what I did.” Krumholtz arguably may have played the part a little too effectively, and the havoc and heartbreak that his character wrought on one of television’s most-watched series has never abated. “I felt horrible for David,” saysNoah Wyle. “When he came back, he explained to me what the reaction had been to him afterward, which was not great.” For better or worse, however,Paul Sobriki’s two-episode appearance will be forever etched into the minds of viewers who never saw such a terrifying turn of events coming.
‘ER’s Two-Part Episode Remains a Seminal Moment in the Series’ History
When “Be Still My Heart” and “All in the Family” aired in February 2000,killing off a major characteror characters wasn’t as common as it is today. Actors Noah Wyle and Kellie Martin, as well asERshowrunner,John Wells, were well aware that they would be treading in relatively bold and unfamiliar territory that might ruffle viewers' feathers. Seeking to frame Lucy’s death and John’s injuries as a catalyzing event for the latter character, Wells envisioned the tragedy as a personal turning point for John while also paving the way for Kellie Martin’s exit from the series. Citing difficulties in her personal life that coincided with her time working onER, Martin was initially unsure about the decision but would later endorse it. “It was definitely the right thing for me to leave that show at that time,“she says.
Creative and logistical decisions aside,the two-part episode has gone down as not only one of the most legendary moments in the series' history, but in the history of television. Before the age of streaming services and binge-watching, viewers had no option but to sit on pins and needles regarding the respective fates of Lucy Knight and John Carter.According to theLos Angeles Times, more than 31 million people tuned in to watch “Be Still My Heart” on July 27, 2025, but that number would skyrocket tomore than 39 millionfor “All in the Family,” making the latter episode one of the most-watched inER’s 15-year history.
ERis available to stream on Max in the U.S.
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