(S05E04) "Karev! Give me a twenty!" - Derek
OK, before I dive into this episode, let's get the one thing that everyone will be talking about out of the way first: Callie and Hahn. Yes, yes - I know - Grey's Anatomy has a budding lesbian relationship. Based on everything I've read over the past few weeks, people are for or against it for a myriad of reasons and after tonight's "date," I'm ready to pick a side.
Let me preface all of this with my feelings on the situation as a whole. I've got no problem with a homosexual relationship on TV. Girl/girl or guy/guy - doesn't bother me one bit. Hell, Six Feet Under is one of my favorite shows of all time and that had some seriously, um, vivid stuff. Regardless, it felt natural. Granted, HBO allows for a little more freedom, but still - Callie and Hahn do not feel natural. Watching them makes me more uncomfortable than an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. It's just plain old awkward and I really hope it either a.) goes away fast, or b.) finds a better direction even faster. OK, moving on.
First up, let's talk about The Chief's plan of no more first year residents specializing. Looks like it's working. Doctors (like Mer and Yang) are actually talking about procedures and not gossip for once.They're learning from colleagues. Makes me wonder about George though. He's passed the exam now, but he's a year behind everyone else. Think Webber may give him a little wiggle room if he finds that he enjoys/is better in one expertise? After the way he dealt with the little boy in this episode, I'm thinking that pediatrics may be his calling. Whatever it is, as long as it keeps him busy and out of Lexie's bed. There's another relationship that just make me feel nauseous.
On the other hand, Alex and Izzie are actually moving forward. They've made some sort of peace it seems. He apologized and she didn't run away. Besides Meredith and Derek, this is the only other logical (safe? normal? sensible?) relationship going on in this show and I hope it sticks this time because those two do not have good histories.
So what did everyone else think about the whole dermatology wing? I don't really know squat about any medical professions, but I'm going to assume that being a dermatologist is far harder and more serious than was depicted here. Endless massages? Raspberry infused water? It didn't even look like anyone was doing work. Whatever, I just found it odd that none of the other doctors had ever been in there. Really? It's not like it was hidden and I'm sure they've had some skin issues with patients in the past and had to go there... right? I wouldn't mind seeing more of the derm Doctors though. Few fresh faces might not hurt.
More thoughts on "Brave New World" --
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Bailey needs to pick a persona STAT. This whole "I'm a hard-ass and don't want to hear your personal problems, but I'll still offer you candid advice when we're alone" mentality has got to stop. What happened to the Nazi?
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Hahn knew Grey lied. How? Was it a hunch? And could Meredith really have mastered that procedure while half paying attention to a grape and a needle in the derm wing?
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Wonder if we'll find out anything good about The Chief in Ellis' diary?
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I didn't realize that Derek still owned the trailer. I'm not sure what benefit the girls using it as a pseudo-clubhouse is going to offer the show. Just another place to hang, I guess.
Overall, not bad. I'm still very impressed with this season so far. It's already much better than last season and I hope the trend continues. Next week's "domino procedure" looks like it could be a good one.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-17-2008 @ 10:24AM
laura said...
This show is making it harder and harder to like it. Its turned into something I hate. I had a hard time believing that George would let Meredith operate on that little boy after lying about knowing the procedure!! I wanted him to say "Meredith this kids life is more important than Hahn thinking you know what you are doing with cardio patients"
As for the derm wing, ridiculous. I work in one of the nations top teaching hospitals (Shands) and our derm clinic isnt bathed in peach lighting and the residents arent floating around drinking fruit water and getting massaged and they darn sure wouldnt allow other staff to chill on thier couch all day.
The lesbian issue, I too get mighty uncomfortable when they are on screen, not because I am phobic, but because I just dont buy it, i dont even buy the angle of "lets just take this one step at a time" experimental stuff "maybe second base" (BIG SMILE) ugh, terrible writing. Bailey can never say Va Jay Jay again and I would be happy for the rest of my life, AND talking about going south of the border THEN saying something like "eating soggy bread" was just gross.
I am ready to give up on Greys. they need to bring Kevin McKidd back or I am going to lose interest.
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10-17-2008 @ 10:24AM
lauch said...
I think I might have said it before here about this show, but GA really annoys me. Every episode, it feels as though characters' personalities are being passed back and forth. Bailey is a hard ass one episode, then Izzie is the next. Alex is crying one episode..hard ass the next. Derek is in the lead for his and Grey's relationship one episode...ok..that's the way it always is.
When it comes down to it, character development on this show is horrid. I constantly ask "what the ???" when a character does something weird..and it happens alot. Izzie fell in love w/ Denny and he died. Next episode, she's pining over George????? Then Alex???
I know that alot of us have short attention spans, but CMON!! Develop your characters' personalities and then follow that....don't just make it up as you go along to fit in some drama!! Didn't Lexie spend several episodes trying to get Grey to notice her? Did she now forget about that? It's not like Grey finally noticed her and then the tension goes away....not in real life anyway. Oh wait...this is tv.
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10-17-2008 @ 10:25AM
Lora said...
"Makes me wonder about George though. He's passed the exam now, but he's a year behind everyone else. "
Ah, but you're forgetting -- Grey's Anatomy time does not follow real time. We're in the same "residency year" as we were last season. Actually, Shonda Rhimes said that this season premiere took place in October (odd, considering last season we had a Halloween episode--apparently the rest of season 4 took place over a span of six hours). So George is only a couple of months behind.
I personally hate the fact that George just got to take the exam over again and now he's a resident. That's way too easy after spending all of season four on the fact that he had to be an intern again. It's too easy a fix, you're like, why didn't he just for a do-over in the first place if that's all he had to do? It's stupid.
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10-17-2008 @ 10:49AM
ORKMommy said...
Sheesh...it's a TV show. I've said it before and I'll say it again, GA is not supposed to depict real live. If you want real life medical shows, go watch some other channel. Personally, I loved how they depicted Derm as a Shangrala where light and peace roam freely. Who cares if Merideth actually learned the procedure that quickly or if George didn't stop her. I don't watch this to see how a real life hospital and/or it's employees function, I watch for the entertainment. Heck, from what I've seen on the real life shows, like Hopkins, these residents have way too much free time too. Don't real residents work like 100 hours a week? And why are they always there at the same time? Don't they ever work different schedules? Does this bother me, NO...because it's TV folks!
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10-17-2008 @ 11:23AM
BG said...
Orkmom - I 'm with you. It's entertainment. Leave it at that. Good point abt them all always being on the same schedule! - My hubby and I have been laughing abt that for awhile.
10-17-2008 @ 12:22PM
lauch said...
Hey, I get that! But even with "TV Life", we watch because we want to relate to people....dream that it's our life.....gasp at the entertainment. Sure. But in good shows (outside of reality), they at least BASE it off real life in some minute fashion. I do watch GA for the shock value...agreed. They could at least give us shock with personality that follows the character. They don't have to fit personalities like a glove to adhere to the episode.
Yes, I agree with you, but cmon....how can you like characters that seem to have multiple personality disorders so extreme? One of the joys of tv is that you speculate what characters will do. This show doesn't allow for such things.
10-17-2008 @ 11:17AM
laura said...
Orkmommy, I get that its not supposed to be real life, but IF i am rolling my eyes 100 times a show, something is off, and most of the time, its the writing not the "realism"
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10-17-2008 @ 1:22PM
ORKMommy said...
I think I just watch TV with different eyes than you. I watch to be entertained and the more outrageous the story, the more I'm entertained.
10-17-2008 @ 12:22PM
Chester said...
Stopped watching it this season.
The show just out and out bores me.
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10-17-2008 @ 1:21PM
Darren said...
Who's against the Callie and Hahn relationship??? I say GO FOR IT!!!!
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10-17-2008 @ 1:22PM
George said...
Was the dermatology plot strand realistic? Almost certainly not. Was it entertaining? And did it offer a character development opportunity for the otherwise dead-in-the-water Yang? I thought so.
The only portion of the episode that made my skin crawl was Callie and Hahn's date. It relates to one of the show's most tiresome conceits:
* Person A has a conversation with Person C regarding A's relationship with Person B
* Person C offers sage (or sometimes wrongheaded) advice, which is usually metaphorical in nature
* Person A has a cathartic one-on-one with Person B and repeatedly references that metaphor, despite the fact that Person B has no ****ing idea where this metaphor came from. In the real world, this would send the conversation off into a "What the hell are you talking about" sidebar, possibly followed by a "Why are you asking Person C about our relationship?" argument, but in the 'Grey's' universe this is acceptable emotional shorthand and the problem is somehow solved.
I have taken to yelling "Shonda Rhimes, this is hurting me! Stop this, Shonda Rhimes" at the TV during these scenes. So far, this hasn't helped at all.
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10-18-2008 @ 11:09AM
cecilerudd said...
Amazing. I read this every week and it seems like no one likes the show. If you don't like it don't watch it. There are other shows. The threats of "about to give up on this show" are just that. You like it, you might not like yourself for liking it so you need to vent. Just like most people say they don't like the reality shows on TV but keep watching them to yell at the TV. Get over yourself and just enjoy the show or move on.
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10-20-2008 @ 1:10PM
Jennie said...
Good point cecilerudd, i think people watch just to have something to talk about! I love GA i think that the show is getting back to the core of what it once was.
i love Callie and her new relationship that is going on with Erica. It is so cute.
As for Lexi I want her to end up with Mark not George because she needs someone who will look at her as more than just a friend!
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2-16-2009 @ 12:58AM
bugeye said...
I am still watching GREYS because I am obsessed with Alex and Izzie....my fav couple.
As for the rest of the characters and their relationships, I rolled my eyes so many times, it is not funny...
The writers cannot be that bad if they can give such wonderful words for Alex. So why do they make the other characters so painfully juvenile.
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10-24-2008 @ 8:38AM
Lin said...
I have tried several times to watch GA because I love Patrick Dempsey, so I didn't understand why I couldn't get into GA, but tonight will be the last time I even attempt to watch it. Though I did enjoy most of it, the lesbian part of it was such a huge turnoff that I know I won't even think about this show again, let alone watch it. I am not a homophobic (my son is gay and I have no problems with that at all) but I was offended, as well as disgusted by the lesbian scenes (take off your pants) as well as when she asked him to teach her the right way to satisfy her lover...ugh, the writing is really off the wall and very offensive to the most liberal of people...at least that's my opinion.
Lin
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