Have you seen ER or are you more of a Grey's Anatomy fan? While I can tell you all about McDreamy and McSteamy, I hadn't seen a single episode of ER...until today, of course. Thanks, Josh!
In 2002, Josh made his TV debut in Season 9, Episode 8 of ER titled First Snowfall.* Sounds gentle, right? Probably just a relaxing episode where the snow is falling peacefully and doctors are cozily helping their patients? Unfortunately...that wasn't the tone of this episode.
I'll bet you ER fans out there aren't surprised (including my parents, who watched this show so much as I was growing up I can still sing the theme song's tune) but I was...and I wasn't ready for the emotional rollercoaster I was about to embark on. Let's talk about it!
Spoiler Alert Ahead! (That is...if spoiler alerts are even valid for projects released 23 years ago!)
In this episode, audiences are introduced to a tragic story - two young boys and their mother were hit by a drunk driver while making snowmen on a day off school. This accident left the three family members - including Matt, played by baby Josh, critically injured.
I cried SO many times during this episode, so if you want to witness Josh's big break, I'd suggest grabbing a box of tissues. This was such a heartbreaking story - the brother is pronounced brain dead, and my heart was aching as Josh's character cried out for him. For such a little star, Josh was really believable in this role. I found myself yelling, "NO! SAVE BABY JOSH!". He's only in a few scenes, but we do get a taste of his ability to express challenging emotions (like distress and pain after a big accident) at such a young age.
Okay, you have been warned about just how sad this episode is - ready for the rest? The mother dies, the father is devastated, the drunk driver comes to the hospital too and is a jerk, and then - a miracle - BABY JOSH IS SAVED! After an emergency surgery where he's given his brother Toby's heart and lungs, Josh's character Matt pulls through and we get a...kind of a happy ending? (The other part that made me cheer in this episode was seeing the legendary Sally Field make an appearance! Think Josh got to meet this icon? I'd be jealous!)
I wonder if this is the saddest storyline Josh has ever been part of...but there's only one way to find out...let the marathon continue!
(PS: Want to watch this one? I was able to buy the single episode from $2 from Amazon, but at the time of writing this, you can also stream it on Hulu or Max.)
Peace and Joshperity,
G
*I am right...aren't I? That this is technically his first TV show appearance since the first two projects he's credited for are unaired pilots? If I'm able to verify with Josh, I'll report back.
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