(S04E04) You killed him. With your penmanship. --Izzie Stevens
Jonathan is traveling to a wedding tonight, so I am filling in for him. I have to admit something: I stopped watching Grey's Anatomy in earnest toward the beginning of Season Three. Oh, I know what's happening. It's sort of hard to live in this country and not know what's going on on Grey's Anatomy. I wasn't surprised to discover that nothing much has changed. Oh, except that the writing is worse.
Honestly, I don't know how the actors got through a read-through of this script without rioting in the writers' room, let alone saying the lines on national television in front of witnesses. The show started well enough, with a very calm Callie telling a shocked (and, dare I say, disappointed?) George that she forgives him for making a mistake, but they made vows. Whoops, so much for having an escape clause like infidelity. George races through the hospital looking for Izzie everywhere before Weber says, "She's at the third floor nurses' station. Oh, and tell her Dr. Torres is looking for her too." Uh oh.
Callie tells Izzie to meet her in the lunch room at noon. Soon, all of the interns are spreading the word that Callie is going to kick Izzie's ass-- yet, Alex of all people doesn't seem to know why Callie would be mad at Izzie. When Izzie tells him, vowing him to secrecy (because NOBODY will figure that out), Alex shakes his head in disgust: "I am embarrassed for you." Yeah, iGeorge, we all are. Of course, we later find out that Alex is furious with Izzie because she had told Alex she wasn't ready to date anyone after Denny, yet she fell in love with George.
The rivals for worst scenes were the scenes in which Meredith and Norman told the wrong patient that she was dying and the scene in which Izzie and Alex have to crike Weber's niece Camille. First, Meredith told Norman how detached he had to be about telling someone they were dying, and then their behavior made a huge joke about the patient's devastation (the entire show treated it as a joke, including the actress's over-the-top tears that nobody would take seriously), right before the patient left the hospital and they lost her. Before they could tell her that it was actually the old guy in the next room who is dying-- but they made an error due to reading the room number wrong. Oh, god. Izzie's cracks about penmanship came to fruition less than a half hour after her predictions. It's nice to know that the cliche about doctors' bad handwriting is actually what's wrong with our country's health care system. Edward Herrmann is trying to be so game as Shale, but he isn't given very good material, or a very good acting partner in Ellen Pompeo, to work with.
When Weber's niece came in, with Weber's wife, Alex said something to the effect of, "Holy crap, this is Weber's niece!" and Izzie got the worst line of the show: "Well, then I guess we better not screw it up." I don't even know how the writers wrote that line, let alone how she delivered it with a straight face. To quote Norman, "Seriously?" Weber got the second worst line in the show when he came in, as Izzie saved Camille's life with the crike, and bellowed, "What are you doing to my niece?" It's a hospital-- what the hell do you think they're doing?
Camille had the nicest scene on the episode when she refused treatment for the cancer that has returned, and which has plagued for for the past four years, since she was 14 years old. The young actress did a fine job, even if the actress who plays Adele was obnoxious throughout it. Weber's insistence on developing a treatment plan for Camille even in the face of her exhaustion was an exercise in selfishness. I can understand not wanting to let someone go, especially someone so young, but the scene was trite, especially because I doubt he would have been able to come up with a plan that involved that many experts so quickly. Regardless, Weber's complete lack of emotion and shifts between begging her for treatment and then telling her they'd get her home-- it's too bad the 18 year old was the best actress of the bunch.
Adele pretty much tells Weber that his refusal to put family before medicine one last time (in his refusal to bully Camille into more treatment just to satisfy Adele) is the last straw. If I were him, I'd heave a great sigh of relief.
Sara Ramirez really did a fine job in this episode too. Callie's pain was palpable. Last week, Jonathan talked about the coma guy being symbolic of how good the series was in the first two seasons, and now he's dead. The case of the woman whose bones have fragmented because she has abused herself in the name of love and not wanting to be alone is obviously a parallel for Callie. When Callie tells Ruthie's boyfriend that he didn't love her because you don't destroy the people you love, she was talking about George. But when she said that sometimes people just don't want to be alone, I think she was talking about herself. Obviously, she takes out on Ruthie's boyfriend her own rage about George. But it's also hard not to be furious with someone who has basically made his girlfriend starve herself to death, fracture her bones, and and vomit blood just to be a size 4 so her boyfriend will condescend to live with her. Bailey tells Callie that she almost lost her career over her upset toward the patient; ha ha ha. At Seattle Grace? What a joke. There seems to be nothing that will cause any of them to lose their careers.
George tells Callie that she can't just say that she forgives him, when everything in her behavior suggests that she hasn't. Of course, they are standing outside with rain pouring all over Callie when they are having this exchange. Good thing it's Seattle, or I might think that having pouring rain to show Callie's mood is trite.
Derek makes a series of stupid judgment calls about Lexie when Yang is actually right about correcting Lexie, particularly when Lexie, in sympathy, grasps the boy's hand, which could have killed him when he was supposed to be immobile. Derek comes in and tells YANG to leave the room? But apparently Derek was so focused on talking to Lexie about Meredith that medicine isn't that important. Derek tells Meredith what he wants from her and that he will wait for her to be ready, but he isn't sure what will happen if he meets someone in the meantime who can give him what he wants? He isn't sure what will happen then. Maybe he's already met her. Maybe her name is Lexie, and maybe she is less of an intern than Meredith is. But I have to wonder: It sounds like Derek has a plan. He wants marriage, kids, to build a house, to grow old. He has a vision. But is it really Meredith he wants? Or the plan?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-18-2007 @ 10:32PM
Ryan said...
Callie is awesome. I was so proud of her for telling off Izzie.
"Don't your dare come to me for forgiveness you traitorous bitch."
Hell. Yes.
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10-18-2007 @ 11:26PM
CountryMama said...
I have to agree with the review. I am a die-hard, first-episode, watch-every-episode-multiple-times fan, and something Izzie (oops - Icky) this way comes.
I hated the whole Izzie-Denny thing until after he died and she had the check on the fridge forever. I didn't like the Ava storyline much either. And I really can't stand iGeorge.
Meredith was pathetic this episode - the dialogue was terrible, this new elderly intern is just BOOORING... I do admit that seeing Izzie get all jazzed about a catfight was humorous, and I loved Derek's talk to Mer at the end.
If I were the writers, what would I do? Snappier dialogue for one. Steam it up again for two. Let MerDer be cute and mildly happy but dysfunctional. Let Christina be her bitchy funny ironic self. Let George be George. And Izzie? I don't know if it's the character or the actress, but something is really wrong there. I think it's the character. Maybe if they helped her get back to her perky "model-y" self that she was in the first season, then they can give us some harder "hide it from us" stuff that she's dealing with. But please, don't have her hook up with Alex AGAIN.
As for Alex - want to see more, know more. I miss him and Addy as a team, not a couple.
WE NEED SOME SPICE. GA is getting, sadly, lame. I'll keep watching though, but maybe only on TiVo.
ps - is it becoming as lame as ER became? Hope NOT!
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10-18-2007 @ 11:32PM
justelise said...
I think it's time Callie came to terms with the fact that she married George for selfish reasons. She didn't want to be alone, and it's obvious that when they first met that she puts George on a pedestal. She has almost a trophy-like admiration for him. She also met him when he was in a dark place recovering from being rejected by Meredith. Add his father's illness and subsequent death to the mix, and George is a total mess. I think her love for him bordered on obsession, and she should've had enough respect for George to stay engaged for a while so he had time to grieve regardless of how much he wanted to get married. Her willingness to go through with the wedding even though George was obviously not thinking clearly shows how desperate she was for attention. I'm glad that she's getting knocked down to size by her new position (and having to accept help from Bailey) and in her relationship with George.
I know a lot of people hate Izzie and she can be quite annoying, but I don't think she ever took advantage of anyone in the way that Callie took advantage of George. I think she even tried to keep her feelings for George at bay for some time before they hooked up. I'm not making excuses for her hooking up with a married man, but Callie has no place calling anyone out after her own behavior. George is going to have to put his foot down before he gets torn in two by Izzie and Callie.
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10-18-2007 @ 11:43PM
Courtney said...
Okay I love the character of Izzie, that is the character of Izzie in season one and two. I do not know this Izzie they have on Season 3 and 4. I just think the writers completely f'ed up when they had George and Izzie hook up, I mean they were BEST FRIENDS. I was seriously sad when I was watching season 2 and they were just brushing there teeth together watching Meredith throw up, I mean George was Izzie's family, not lover. I guess all the writers are obsessed with is sex and attraction. And am I wrong, but don't doctors ever date non-doctors? I don't know what is going on in the writer's room but I would like to vote a Dallas move where season 3 was all just a dream......and Denny and bomb guy are still alive and on the show!
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10-19-2007 @ 2:47AM
AddyBee said...
I can't help myself--I LOVE GRAY'S ANATOMY. I think you guys are right though, sorrowfully so, that the writing has been substandard lately. I could easily fall for George, if the circumstances were right. He's a cutie. Callie is hot and sassy, a feisty and passionate woman. I hope they can glue their marriage back together, and who knows, maybe some angry tension and passion for a while will help the show and their relationship. I do hope she keeps her old last name though, cuz Callie O'Malley is a stupid sounding name for an intelligent woman. Plus, it would help her keep some of her feisty feminine independence by not giving herself fully to George, since he's not giving himself fully to her. I like Izzy, but so far this season isn't letting her do her best work. She does drama really well. But what is going on now is sappy stuff, not good drama. Meredith and Christina, I don't much like. Although I have to say that Christina does add some decent tension to the show with her extreme competitiveness--they should make more of that. Meredith bugs me. She's whiny, and everything has to be about her. I think the writers should have Lexie move to the forefront and let Meredith go. Alex is a jerk, but he's good for being in scenes that have sexual tension. He's a terminal bachelor, but doesn't necessarily want to be. I think with the right unpredictable creative twists, and more thought on the dialogue, the show could again rise to its previous heights. I hope it does! ER has existed all this time and done well because of its diversity in situations. ER rocks! GA has the potential to last like ER, and I hope it does!
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10-19-2007 @ 4:15AM
xbxtv said...
@ AddyBee: If you love it, why can't you spell it correctly?
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10-19-2007 @ 7:15AM
radwimp said...
What the hell was up with the plot with Derek and Cristina? That was absolute garbage. Ugh this show pisses me off.
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10-19-2007 @ 7:50AM
Debbie said...
I'm losing interest in what use to be my favorite show. I'm totally fed up with George, they need to have him come out of the closet now that his father has passed away, that would be a much better storyline than this business with Izzie & Callie. I'm having a real hard time believing in either one of these relationships. I'm actually sorry they wrote Dr. Burke out of the script. I think the show needs his character.
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10-19-2007 @ 8:07AM
Denise said...
Derek's new love interest is NOT Lexie. An actress names Lauren Stamile has been cast to play Derek's new love starting right around "sweeps" time. (As reported by the Hollywood Reporter) So while you have the "set up" right, they aren't gonna go that gross and "keep it in the family" However, this Stamile chick looks like she belongs on a FHM cover. So much for diversity eh Shondra Rhimes?
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10-19-2007 @ 8:43AM
Alicia said...
First @ Debbie. I agree. With the loss of Addison and Burke.... The show is missing something. (And please let's leave the hate comments alone.)
Second @ Jen "But when she said that sometimes people just don't want to be alone, I think she was talking about herself."
Well hun... I think my 2 year old could have picked up on that one.
Is the show what it was season one and two? No. But there is a reason why you still tune in to watch it.
The most annoying part of the episode for me, is when Really Old Intern said "McSteamy" and then not even before the commercial Yang said, "McDreamy". Yea... Could have done with out Really Old Intern's "McSteamy" there.
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10-19-2007 @ 9:01AM
laura nason said...
Wow, am I glad that you don’t write the review on this show regularly, I had NO idea we were supposed to judge acting skills. You don’t watch the show, because you don’t like it obviously, so your take on this episode is going to be cynical at best. I love this show, I know that the writing can be cheesy at times, but overall I can relate to its characters.
“Alex of all people doesn't seem to know why Callie would be mad at Izzie”
Alex didn’t know, because if you had been watching the show he has stepped up to the plate and become a good doctor. He has left Izzy alone, and her affair with George is so unbelievable to him why would he be looking for the signs?
Hopefully Jonathan will be back soon to review the rest of the season, I don’t think I could take another one full of
“I wasn't surprised to discover that nothing much has changed. Oh, except that the writing is worse”
“Honestly, I don't know how the actors got through a read-through of this script without rioting in the writers' room, let alone saying the lines on national television in front of witnesses”
“The rivals for worst scenes were the scenes in which Meredith and Norman told the wrong patient that she was dying and the scene in which Izzie and Alex have to crike Weber's niece Camille”
“the entire show treated it as a joke, including the actress's over-the-top tears that nobody would take seriously”
“Good thing it's Seattle, or I might think that having pouring rain to show Callie's mood is trite”
And Jen can go back to Brothers and Sisters and the 4400. Next time maybe we can find someone who cares about this show.
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10-19-2007 @ 9:06AM
Chris.B. said...
Big, big mistake in letting Dr. Burke (Isaiah Washington) go. His character brought alot to the show. IMO, his absence is really noticeable. I miss Addison as well. I don't like the Derek & Meredith storyline. Never have, and I don't think I ever will. Watching them makes me want to throw up. It was really horrible how Derek treated Cristina last night. I felt Derek was showing off because Lexie was around. The iGeorge story is another puke-able one. And Izzy's behavior in the cafeteria, was really silly & unprofessional. In fact, Izzy's general behavior is somewhat crazy. I wished Callie would have decked Izzy after their private talk, but of course, that wouldn't have been professional :(. I don't know how much longer I'll continue watching this show.
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10-19-2007 @ 9:23AM
Jimmy said...
When I sit down and watch this show every week I'm astonished at how much I now dislike what was once my favorite character: George. He was humane center of this group of interns and now he just a pathetic, adulterous loser. Gizzy sucks, it just does. I don't understand what the writers, Shonda Rhimes, are thinking. They know the people who watch this show overwhelmingly hate this relationship, yet they keep writing it. That stubbornness has led to three great characters being ruined, possibly forever: Izzy, George and Callie.
It was nice to finally see Callie back to her old self (almost). The traitorous bitch remarks was spot on. Now if she could stop wallowing in self pity and starting being the great doctor she was, then we would have out Callie back.
As for Derrick confrontations with Yang, I actually fall on his side with this one. Lexi was wrong, of course, to hold the patient's hand, but this is a teaching hospital. Yang's responsibility is to teach her intern, as Burke taught her, not belittle her and break her spirit. Derrick's motives were suspect, but he was still right to blast Yang -- another character, by the way, that's no longer fun to watch.
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10-19-2007 @ 9:32AM
Chris.B. said...
jimmy, I must say that your comments were "spot on".
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10-19-2007 @ 9:32AM
Chris.B. said...
jimmy, I must say that your comments were "spot on".
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10-19-2007 @ 9:37AM
Chris.B. said...
jimmy, I should have said that your comments ARE "spot on".
(I don't know why my previous comment, posted twice).
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10-19-2007 @ 9:39AM
Michelle said...
I thought the Derek/Yang storyline was great...He was helping her to be a better doctor/teached. She is good at what she does, but if she just keeps yelling at them and making them go away when they make a mistake, they will never become good doctors. I agreed she should have yelled at her when Lexie grabbed that guy's hand, but other than that, what has she done to guide the new interns, as she herself was guided when Burke took her under his wing.
I don't care if they were dating, he guided her to being the doctor she is now. Derek was just trying to enforce that.
It has been a long couple of seasons, but I am still interested in the storylines. I guess I don't see why some people ever watch if it makes them so angry.
Grey's isn't realistic medically, or in a lot of other ways. It never has been. It's escapism. Maybe people forget that (ahem, Jen Creer, I'm looking at you). If you want more realistic medical shows, watch ER.
And Jonathan, we miss you...Next time you are gone, can you have someone that has at least a little love for the show left? I don't mind someone being a little hard on it sometimes, but this review was so hateful!
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10-19-2007 @ 10:14AM
MrsEldubya said...
I had not problem with letting Kate Walsh do her thing and getting rid of Washington (he's half decent on Bionic Woman but I still don't respect him for what he said and how he reacted) but they could have written in some new characters with similiar characterisics to take their place. Callie is turning into Addison but just not as good... her backbone better come back and soon. There is no Burke right now and that is missing as well. We need at least one doctor who is cocky and can back it up in the operating room.
Still hard to take the interns from the past season seriously as residents this season. They never gave any of them any credibility or growth other than Alex. He's the only one I would trust right now. Izzy got more and more stupid as the seasons wore on, George got more and more hopeless and Meredith got more and more ditzy. Are we really supposed to think they would teach interns right now? BTW.... I love having Richard Gilmore on the show but the story line is stupid... he is a great actor though.
Anyway, everyone else seems to agree that GA is not up to par anymore. Did they spread the writers thin trying to do two shows? PP isn't that great either so maybe they need to switch up the writing assignments until they get it right on both shows.
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10-19-2007 @ 11:11AM
executiveadjutant said...
I swear, it's like no one reading this blog knows what it is like when someone you love cheats on you. It is a devastating, heart-ripping, personality altering experience. I think Shonda and Co. have done an excellent job in portraying the actions of a woman who is at first suspicious, then finds out the truth and tries to move on...only to realize that her world has shifted. A cheating spouse is not something that you get over in a day, a week or even a month, particularly when the person who cheated was someone who seemed to have strong moral fiber like George. Callie is hurt! Let the writers show you what that kind of pain is like and the odd ways that it can manifest itself.
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10-19-2007 @ 11:10AM
Lee said...
Gosh, this show is so redundant - nothing really new ever seems to happen and I can't yet tell for myself whether the writing is worse or it is just because it is all repetitive that I know I've heard some version of the dialogue in earlier seasons when the dialogue actually felt new and fresh.
I have a feeling if I didn't watch the next six episodes, I could tune in again and feel like nothing happened or changed with these people. I am finding it a bit hard to like any of the characters at this point - oh well. Thank heavens I got a chance to watch the really great "Mad Men" to appreciate just how incredible and creative television can be.
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