Let me take that one step further -- Grey's Anatomy is great without Izzie or Meredith.
For the first time since the announcement of her temporary departure from the show, Katherine Heigl wasn't in this past week's episode of Grey's Anatomy and Ellen Pompeo, who's on maternity leave, was only featured in two very brief scenes that book-ended the hour.
The episode expertly blended the Seattle Grace docs with the Mercy Westers and featured a very cool Rashomon-esque story (CSI did the same thing a few years ago).
But consider this -- given how good the episode was, what if the scenes with Meredith and the scenes where Alex was on the phone with Izzie were removed? It wouldn't have impacted the hour at all.
Despite the fact that the show's title really doesn't make sense without Meredith around, I have to say -- her lack of screen time wasn't odd at all. The new doctors (especially Nora Zehetner's Dr. Reed Adamson) have made a strong impact in only two episodes and it's starting to look like this hospital merger plot might actually do the show some good. Anyone else think otherwise?
[Watch clips and free episodes of Grey's Anatomy at SlashControl.]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-25-2009 @ 6:48PM
Robert said...
Yes, however, Ellen Pompeo starts the narration of most of the episode. If she wasn't on the show anymore, Grey's Anatomy would be no more.
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10-25-2009 @ 6:52PM
San Francisco Catering said...
Ellen Pompeo has to be on the show. She is Grey!!!!! If she is not there then there is now show.
www.balancecatering.com
10-25-2009 @ 6:48PM
Louise said...
Agreed, on a certain degree.
Sure, Meredith may be the protagonist of the series - bet let's face it. The other supporting actors tend to overshine her, don't they? So it's not really surprising the the episode may as well have been the best in the show's run thus far.
And Nora Zehetner was brilliant indeed. I hope she sticks around, she's great. And Justin Chambers and Chyler Leigh have been upping their performances this season, especially the latter. Hope to see more of them.
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10-25-2009 @ 6:48PM
Louise said...
Agreed, on a certain degree.
Sure, Meredith may be the protagonist of the series - bet let's face it. The other supporting actors tend to overshine her, don't they? So it's not really surprising the the episode may as well have been the best in the show's run thus far.
And Nora Zehetner was brilliant indeed. I hope she sticks around, she's great. And Justin Chambers and Chyler Leigh have been upping their performances this season, especially the latter. Hope to see more of them.
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10-26-2009 @ 12:37AM
Annie said...
Now that Ellen Pompeo is back on set, all will take a back seat like before. they had to give her light material as not to keep a 9 month pregnant woman on her feet for 13 hours. But meredith is coming back front and center and fast starting from 608 in 2 weeks. And honestly I can't wait...
10-25-2009 @ 6:49PM
San Francisco Catering said...
Is Izzies character really gone? I heard it was but i know Katherine Heigl is also a producer of the show, so what is going to happen??? I was at work in San Francisco catering and got a text from a friend telling me she is gone.
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10-25-2009 @ 7:33PM
Isabelle Carreau said...
Izzie is not gone. She'll be missing for about 5 episodes.
10-26-2009 @ 2:36AM
Maddie said...
Just for the record, KH isn't leaving grey's. Nor, is she a producer of the show. Don't know where u got that info from.
10-25-2009 @ 6:50PM
Louise said...
Agreed, on a certain degree.
Sure, Meredith may be the protagonist of the series - bet let's face it. The other supporting actors tend to overshine her, don't they? So it's not really surprising the the episode may as well have been the best in the show's run thus far.
And Nora Zehetner was brilliant indeed. I hope she sticks around, she's great. And Justin Chambers and Chyler Leigh have been upping their performances this season, especially the latter. Hope to see more of them.
Reply
10-25-2009 @ 7:20PM
unc69dmo said...
Works fine for me.....Hated the ANNOYING wishy washy wimp Meredith....muted every one of her scenes....and the Lizzie /Denny ghost scenes were all fast forwarded on my DVR....Will never watch her again in anything...that branded her for me....FOREVER....
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10-25-2009 @ 7:24PM
unc69dmo said...
Now how do we get rid of LEXIE.....she has.... for awhile now...OUT annoyed her sister.....
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10-25-2009 @ 7:35PM
Isabelle Carreau said...
I loved last week's episode with almost no Meredith and her constant whining and with Izzie. The off screen differences between Heigl and the show has made me pray for her to get off the show so we could move on and stop hearing her complain.
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10-26-2009 @ 10:55AM
Alicia R. said...
Amen to that! KH is the reason why I no longer watch. My Hubby told me she is taking a 5 episode leave so I watched last week.
Didn't miss her at all.
10-25-2009 @ 8:13PM
Jaime said...
Maybe it was just a coincedince that both werent there and that it was just written great - but you can't deny that the actors were also phenomenal.
I wouldn't want Lexie out. Why? Since this season I've grown to like the character, and I do agree that the actress has surpassed everyone else in acting this season, and I'm sorry I only knew her name until last weeks episode (lol). She blew me away.
I can tolerate her more than Meredith.
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10-26-2009 @ 12:28AM
Annie said...
Meredith was never really gone. her narration was there she started an ended the episode and before she was the support team for the Seatle Grace group. you take her out, it's all lost and wrong.
So no Grey's can't go on without Meredith Grey.
And Izzie can afford to go for a few epis but even she will be missed as well.
So I doubt you even know what you are talking about there. because if you remove meredith Grey you will loose over 50% of the viewers if not more.
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10-26-2009 @ 12:33AM
Annie said...
You can never do without Meredith Grey.
She is the anchor of the show. she narrates it all and is the backbone of it all. She didn't go missing at all and for the first time in 6 years she only had 3 scenes in the the last episode but it was a fast pased episode about 1 patient, and she was narrating more than usual.. that's why it worked.
You can't have Grey's Anatomy without Meredith Grey.
you will loose 50% of your viewers if not more.
She is the support system of the show and the characters. you have no idea what you're talking about. She carries the show whether we like it or not. and Ellen Pompeo does one heck of a job doing it all.
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10-26-2009 @ 12:46AM
Ashlee said...
Okay person, blogger, whatever, I could live without Izzie. But Grey's Anatomy is ALL ABOUT MEREDITH! SHE IS THE GREY IN GREY'S ANATOMY!! Hello, lets go back to season 1,2,3,4,5 ALL MEREDITH! So going off trying to say Grey's Anatomy is fine without Meredith is like saying humans can live without air... IT DOESN'T FUCKING HAPPEN!! :) I'm a die hard Meredith and Grey's Anatomy fan. I've seen Shonda's tweets so I'm pretty freaking sure that Grey's Anatomy will NOT be fine without Meredith. Izzie, I can live without her, but when Mer leaves, Grey's leaves. The end.
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10-26-2009 @ 12:47AM
Lauren said...
I think not! seriously. Meredith and Izzie are part of the core 5 that started the show, we already lost George. and now we only have four of them, i mean this episode rocked but now that they both have returned to work i would like to see them FRONT AND CENTER again! Meredith puts the "Grey" in Grey's Anatomy anyway. :) although if you think about it there is another Grey - Lexie!
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10-26-2009 @ 1:23AM
Terry said...
Telling a story from several POVs isn't sufficient to make it like Rashomon. There were no perceptible differences in the stories told. The biases and lies of the storytellers are essential to Rashomon.
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10-26-2009 @ 1:32AM
killer_twinkie said...
It was a good episode but I'm not sure how much not having Izzie and Meredith in it contributed. I don't think that Meredith has been as bad this season as she has been in the past but I would be perfectly content not ever seeing Izzie again. To me Heigl is the weakest actress on the show and Izzie hasn't been a likable character for a while now.
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