Quentin Tarantinohas consistently insisted that he will retire after making his tenth film. Some see this as laziness, including Ridley Scott, who famously said theDjango Unchaineddirector should “shut up and go make another movie” when asked for his opinion about the mythical ten-film plan. However, Tarantino has often explained his decision, stating that a study of Hollywood history reveals that most filmmakers tend to start making rubbish after their tenth film.
Tarantino might have a point, but most of his fans are presumably not thrilled about his choice. We’d all want to see more films likeInglourious BasterdsandThe Hateful Eight. An important question also has to be asked: Does the retirement plan only apply to movies? Could he shift his focus to television shows? It would be great if that happened. After all, he has some experience in that particular medium.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker directed a Mother’s Day-themed episode of the popular medical dramaER, around the timePulp Fictioncame out. And the star of the NBC series at the time was none other thanGeorge Clooney.
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“Motherhood,” which serves as the penultimate episode of Season 1, received the highest rating of the week, beating episodes fromhigh-performing ‘90s showslikeFriendsandSeinfeld.It wasreportedly watched in 21.8 million homes by 33.1 million viewers. It’s also rated highly by fans and has a 7.8 score on IMDb. A lot happens in the episode, and a movie director was indeed best-suited to carry such weight. More restrained than in Tarantino’s later outings, the characters here are less turbocharged, which only boosts the prevailing sense of anxiety.
First, Dr. Susan Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) finds herself overwhelmed when her pregnant alcoholic sister, Chloe (Kathleen Wilhoite), suddenly goes into labor.The burden of family responsibility starts clamping down on the doctor when it becomes clear that her sister won’t be able to take care of the baby and that she might have to step in as the guardian. As Chloe grows increasingly erratic, Susan makes an effort to bond with the child. During these moments, Stringfield and Wilhoite complement each other perfectly, the juvenile fragility of the latter actor’s character paving the way for some sparky interaction with the self-controlled doctor.
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Elsewhere, bad news keeps popping up.John Carter (Noah Wyle) learns that he hasn’t been selected for the internship he applied for and Dr. Peter Benton (Eriq La Salle) receives the news that his mother has died.Understandably, he struggles to work, overwhelmed with grief and ER obligations. Still, he conceals his emotions and attempts to get through his shift, reminding viewers of the unforeseen challenges that healthcare professionals face.
Then comes the romance, which has always been a necessary ingredient in manypopular medical dramas. Dr. Doug Ross (George Clooney) still doesn’t know what to do about his feelings for his girlfriend Diane Leeds (Lisa Zane).He wonders whether he should move in with her. Cracks are visible in their relationship, and as he is pondering over living arrangements, things fall apart. She spots him seducing an ex-girlfriend, promising to cart her off to a villa in one of the most resplendent areas of Europe, the Gorges Du Verdon in Provence, Southeast France. Unsurprisingly, Diane presses the pause button.
George Clooney Gave Tarantino the Idea To Direct the Episode
Quentin Tarantino had been a huge fan of television for years, buthe never thought of directing an episode until George Clooney, who he and Robert Rodriguez had cast inFrom Dusk till Dawn, gave him the idea. According to lead actress Julianna Margulies, Clooney always felt frustrated watching new directors come, open the gigantic script, and sigh heavily. He always knew they weren’t in good hands whenever someone sighed heavily like that.
Thankfully, Tarantino came along and constantly gave the impression of knowing what he was doing. Per the actress,he had everything planned and never wanted editors to interfere with his work, so he only did one take. This way, they’d be forced to go with his vision. And it worked out just fine.
Former NBC Entertainment president Warren Littlefield recalls the moment he learned that thePulp Fictiondirector was coming on board. Duringan exclusive interview with the Television Academyto celebrate ER’s 30th anniversary, he mentioned that the producer called him, informing him of the filmmaker’s interest and that he never thought about it, even for a second. He quickly said yes.
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Margulies alsocredits Tarantino for having a huge impact on the show’s quality. Even though he only made one episode, the directors that came after tried to stick to the tone he had set. Actors also felt inspired to take their jobs more seriously. She also recalls how particular the director was with his takes.
“During a pizza eating scene, I picked the pepperoni off. And he said, ‘Cut.’ And I said, ‘What did I do?’ And he goes, ‘You have to eat the pepperoni.’ And I said, ‘Well, I’m a vegetarian.’ And he goes, ‘Uh-uh. Well, Uma Thurman ate a burger.’ He was referring to the scene in Pulp Fiction where her character eats a burger. And I looked at him, and he just stared at me, and I went, ‘I got you. I got you.’”
Margulies explains that she quickly got the director’s message. He was simply saying that he didn’t want anyone to be precious. There was a good reason why he wanted pepperoni pizza for the scene. And that was it. Tarantino would end upgetting paid $30,000for the episode,per reports by Esquire.
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Quentin Tarantino isreputed for his love for pastiche and homage, and so addicted is his style that he ended up copying his own homework. Or was it all Lydia Woodward, theERsupervising producer? She is credited with writing the episode andclaims that she didn’t try to “Quentinize” the script. In fact, she claims to have been unaware that Tarantino was going to direct the episode. But how are we to believe her when“Motherhood” features so many references to the filmmaker’s two previous moviesand a major moment where two of the main characters sunbathe barefoot on the hospital’s roof? (Tarantino’s obsession with women’s feet is well documented.)
Tarantino doesn’t strive to break new ground and deals with the episode’s prosaic plot in a blatantly prosaic manner, buthis fingerprints can be found everywhere. Take a scene where a Latina gang member is brought to Cook County General Hospital with a severed ear. This is straight out ofReservoir Dogs, where a police officer had his ear cut off. Then there is the moment when a patient gets impaled in the torso with a metal rod. This is reminiscent of thePulp Fictionscene where Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) is impaled in the torso with a shot of adrenaline to revive her from a heroin overdose.
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Characters in Quentin Tarantino’s movies also love wearing sunglasses and pop-culture-themed t-shirts. In the episode, we see Susan and Carol wearing sunglasses. The former goes a step further by wearing a Yosemite Sam t-shirt. What about the cute nicknames? There’s Pumpkin and Honey Bunny inPulp Fiction,while in theERepisode, there are Big Susan and Suzie Cakes. Back to Mia, we see her foaming at the mouth from an overdose. Here, another girl suffers the same fate from an overdose of speedballs and downers. Finally, there is the epiphany dramatized by Peter (Eriq LaSalle) in his ”all of our capabilities” speech, which is very much like that of Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) in his ”Ezekiel” speech.
Beyond that,several of the guest stars seen in “Motherhood” worked with Quentin Tarantino in other productions.Kathy Griffin is in the Tarantino-co-directed anthology filmFour Rooms,Brenda Hillhouse is inPulp Fictionand FromDusk Till Dawn,and Angela Jones is inPulp FictionandCurdled.
“Motherhood” is, therefore, a Quentin episode from start to finish. Perhaps viewers expected a bleak, tragicomic tale that would have created an uproar in the ‘90s, ostensibly for smashing basic moral values and blitzing the virtues of PG content. But even though it doesn’t go deeper, it remains fun. It might not be the best that the show had to offer, but it’s extremely entertaining and proof that the director needs to explore the television landscape a bit more. Hopefully, he does so before and after his tenth movie.
