I've seen this episode a dozen times, and I still get choked up every time I watch it. It's one of the best episodes of any drama that I've ever seen.
The performances, both of series regulars and guests, are uniformly first-rate. Miguel Ferrer's Macy is particularly moving, conveying the increasing stress of the rescue operation with grace and strength.
The writing is sharp and respectful of the subject matter, and provides one of the strongest stories of the series. The only drawback is that there was no way to include Ken Howard into the episode.
It would have been very, very easy to get this wrong after 9/11. Suffice to say that they got it very, very right.
The performances, both of series regulars and guests, are uniformly first-rate. Miguel Ferrer's Macy is particularly moving, conveying the increasing stress of the rescue operation with grace and strength.
The writing is sharp and respectful of the subject matter, and provides one of the strongest stories of the series. The only drawback is that there was no way to include Ken Howard into the episode.
It would have been very, very easy to get this wrong after 9/11. Suffice to say that they got it very, very right.