Doesn't wash with you; if what you're saying is that Sam's question was rhetorical, that doesn't make it any less innapropriate, nor her death glare in advance of an answer any more justified.
Wow, so much for being done discussing it, huh? Sorry, but Abby is the one who chose to make her disease public knowledge at that meeting. That opens her up on the spot to scrutiny and criticism as well as compassion. Not all her co-workers, just like not all fans, are going to give her a prize for it. And no, the 'she didn't know' argument doesn't wash with me. Nor should it wash with anyone else who's been paying attention. Your argument is that Sam didn't know whether Abby was drinking at work. My point is that there was enough evidence for her to be reasonably certain that if she hadn't actually drunk at work, she was at least impaired enough to compromise patient care, along with the rest of their jobs. If Sam's the only one with the balls to call Abby on that, then good for her. No one should be making it as easy on Abby as they are. Neela told her she didn't have to apologize. After what Abby said to her about Ray, she should've had to work to make amends to her. Instead, she never actually apologized for the real wrong. And Neela told her she didn't have to. That's making it too easy and letting her cheat on the steps. If the program's going to work, she needs to do all of the steps fully, not halfway. That was half the reason she relapsed in the first place. And it's interesting that you should so vehemently defend her, since you've spent most of this arc complaining about how Abby wasn't working her program or owning her disease.
I'd have less of an issue with Sam if she ever owned up to her mistakes - she's always had an attitude of do-no-wrong
Sam's not the only one with an attitude of do no wrong, and she's not the only self-righteous character on the show. Abby's had the 'do no wrong' attitude with a side of self-righteousness for years and done whatever she pleased and talked to her superiors however she pleased as a matter of course. Susan, Luka, Clemente, Moretti, the renal attending in "Twas the Night"...the list goes on. Whether or not you like the characters, they still outranked Abby and if it had been anyone else other than her, they'd have been reprimanded. She wasn't. Renal attending reported her to Susan and when Susan reviewed the rest of her cases as was required of her, she was greeted with a pissy attitude from Abby, who decided to go on her break. Then she got abducted and then the matter was forgotten as everyone jumped on the 'Poor Abby' bandwagon when she returned to work. Susan never once reprimanded her for her attitude or the way she spoke to her. Clemente and Luka took it from her in Season 12, and even though Clemente told Ray that he was his attending and would be respected, he let Abby's mouthing off slide without a word. And all Ray did was refuse to present to him because he didn't like the fact that he'd come to work drugged up. Abby was far more disrespectful and got away with it, as she always has.
Aside from LC not able to do angry without being B!tchy and self-righteous (which I don't agree with, but that's only my opinion), the consensus seems to be that Sam can't talk because she killed a patient herself and anyone else would've been better. Except that all of Abby's co-workers at that meeting have screwed up, with the possible exceptions of Haleh and Chuny. Pratt was shipped off to Africa for covering up that his friend was driving drunk and nearly killed a kid; he's in no position to call Abby out on anything without looking just as self-righteous as Sam. Morris was caught smoking pot at work. And both he and Pratt were kicked out of the ER by Moretti for having even one drink while on duty.
And interestingly enough they are never going to know that her 'slip' was of a personal nature. Abby didn't check herself in because of something she did at work. The possibility of something big happening there was there.....but she went into rehab because of the deal with a black out and Moretti and how it was affecting her life at home. That's information NO ONE at work is entitled to.
No one is saying that the people at work are entitled to know the real reason that Abby checked herself into rehab. My point was that if it got bad enough that she had to go to rehab at all instead of just going back and working her program with her sponsor and meetings, it would've been an indication to her co-workers, who should be versed in what being an alcoholic actually means - unless of course, you're Luka - and been enough for them to figure out that she had been coming to work impaired. Which obviously, Sam did. And I agree that Sam's backstory has been inconsistent, but that's par for the course. ER has never been especially fond of continuity, unfortunately.
But I think Sam's reaction to Abby's confession was the writers' backhanded way of asking the million dollar question--did Abby's drinking ever impair her patient care?--without having to answer it themselves...I think TPTB were also trying to show that "coming out" as an alcoholic at work is not w/out it's price. Some co-workers will hug you and be supportive (Haleh and Pratt); some will feel awkward around you (Chuny) or gossip about you behind your back (several in that desk scene); some will be downright nasty and judgmental (paging Nurse Taggert).
I agree that Sam's reaction was more than likely meant to illustrate that admitting to being an alcoholic comes with a price. Not everyone is going to make it easy on you or support you. And you shouldn't expect them to. I don't think that the writers intended it to answer the question of whether Abby's drinking compromised her patient care. That was answered when they showed her obviously under the influence and making careless mistakes by giving med students the wrong information or ordering the wrong tests, or missing things that she should have caught - and probably would have if she'd been sober. I think it was more about letting her co-workers connect the dots and realize that not only is she an alcoholic, but she was almost certainly treating patients while under the influence. And that's going to affect how some of them receive her admission of being an alcoholic. And it should, because she not only compromised patient care, but every single one of their jobs, by treating patients while impaired.
And the hospital may not officially recognize that her co-workers have the right to ask if she was drunk at work and expect an answer, but I think as far as the department is concerned, they absolutely have the right to ask and are entitled to and should expect an answer. Abby was impaired at work, whether because she drank at work or because she came in hungover, and it put all of them in the position of having to catch her mistakes in order not to kill patients. And they did not know that they were in that position. Just like Gates wouldn't disclose his dyslexia, to his superiors, which put the hospital and the jobs of everyone who supervised and worked with him, at risk. If I had a co-worker that was an alcoholic and had not sought help, but had been coming to work impaired for upwards of 2 months, and jeopardized not only the patients, but my job, I'd demand answers and I'd be less than compassionate, too.
And I hate Yuku. Can't figure out how to quote properly (hit the little quote button on the toolbar and it's not actually 'quoted') and I'm tired of fighting with it.
