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Dr. Cleo Finch is a fictional pediatrics physician from the television series ER. She was a pediatrician who takes over the ER pediatrics role from both Doug Ross and Anna Del Amico. She is portrayed by Michael Michele.

History[]

Season 6[]

Cleo Finch is introduced in the ER in the episode "Leave it to Weaver", as a second year resident in pediatrics and emergency medicine. It is revealed in the episode that she has a knack for caring for children, as well as a great bedside manner. She a pragmatic competent individual, she often jogs. In the episode "How the Finch Stole Christmas", Cleo separates an alcoholic mother from her child that she got hooked to drugs and fed their addiction over the holiday season.

In the episode "Sins of the Fathers", a bratty little girl comes into the ER with food poisoning. Cleo treats her with the correct medication for food poisoning. The girl comes back in arrest because Cleo misdiagnosed her, the girl later dies.

In the episode "All in the Family", Cleo needs help because her dying patient needs a thoracotomy. All the surgeons are working, so Cleo does the thoracotomy herself. When Benton comes downstairs after Carter's surgery is over, he sees Cleo doing the thoracotomy. Benton reprimands her, but later apologizes. Cleo and Benton later start a relationship together.

Season 7[]

Cleo is now a 3rd year resident in emergency medicine and pediatrics. When Peter's nephew dies, his girlfriend asks to move in with Cleo, to which Cleo says yes to. Kynesha (Jesse's girlfriend) moves in with Cleo, Kynesha and her friend, Tiny, steal Cleo's car. Cleo tells Peter that she wants Kynesha out of her house, and Kynesha is placed in foster care. One night, Peter and Cleo come home to Cleo's house and discover that Kynesha has trashed Cleo's home.

Cleo also appears to get along well with Reese. Cleo often clashed with Carla, who sees Cleo as interfering with her family’s decisions. While under Cleo’s care, Reese accidentally injured his hand on a piano, leading Carla to claim she was untrustworthy and irresponsible. Cleo’s relationship with Peter was also put under strain when Peter felt that Cleo’s multi-racial background prevented her from understanding the medical and cultural needs of the African-American community.

In the season finale, Cleo accidentally cuts herself on a vial of an HIV-positive patient's blood, and worries she might have contracted the virus.

Season 8/Departure[]

In the season premiere, Cleo is taking anti-retrovirus which make her ill. Later, Cleo discovers that she is not HIV-positive.

Cleo left County for a job at a private hospital just outside of Chicago. Later in the season, after winning his custody battle over Reese, Peter also departed from County as well to work at the same hospital as Cleo. Their final appearance was in the episode "I'll Be Home For Christmas", where they are shown helping Reese decorate a Christmas tree.

In the season 15 episode at the end of the episode "The Book of Abby", long-serving nurse Haleh Adams shows the departing Dr. Abby Lockhart a closet wall where all the past doctors and employees have put their locker name tags. Amongst them, the tag "Finch" can be seen. The same happens again during "Shifting Equilibrium", when Dr. Neela Rasgotra puts her own name tag on the wall.

Relationships[]

Peter Benton[]

Cleo starts a relationship with Peter Benton, and after Benton leaves, she goes with him. She does go come back to go to Dr. Greene's funeral. Their relationship is stable and lasts through the end of the series. Cleo is okay with the fact that Benton has a child, and acts as Reese's mother figure after Carla passes.


ER Characters
Characters Mark GreeneDoug RossSusan LewisJohn CarterCarol HathawayPeter BentonJeanie BouletKerry WeaverAnna Del AmicoElizabeth CordayLucy KnightLuka KovačAbby LockhartCleo FinchDave MalucciJing-Mei ChenMichael GallantGreg PrattNeela RasgotraSamantha TaggartRay BarnettArchie MorrisTony GatesSimon BrennerCate Banfield
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