Everyone knows that one joke I tell about how it seems that everyone has just about every nationality possible in his or her family tree. “Oh yeah, I’m 10% Irish, 15% Cherokee Indian, 4% Slovak, 30% Polish, 9% English, 15% Hungarian, 10% Greek, 5% Italian, and 2% Milk!” You all know the people, and you all know the joke. But whenever it’s my turn to give my DNA facts, all I usually say is, “Well, I’m Irish…” Which is usually followed by someone saying, “Wait but you don’t have red hair!” (At this point, you can all just imagine me letting out big sigh…)
I am Irish, and would be nearly all-Irish, had my great-great grandmother not been from Switzerland! That’s right people: there is something more to this Irish girl’s backstory!
On my mother’s side of the family, we have a few relatives that live over in Switzerland, who come to visit the U.S. and our family in Syracuse every once in a while.
Once I got back from my trip to Scotland (see Scotland post for details), I told myself that I was finished traveling outside of London for sometime before moving back to the U.S. It was not surprising at all that sitting still became very hard for me, while booking a flight to Basel was easy!
I woke up early Friday morning, and made my way over to Gatwick Airport. to fly to Basel, Switzerland and meet my Swiss cousins! I got off the plane, and made my way to baggage claim. As I walked to the exit, I noticed that there were three signs, each with a flag. “THIS WAY TO GERMANY,” “THIS WAY TO SWITZERLAND,” and “THIS WAY TO FRANCE”…What…I spent about ten minutes freaking out, trying to figure out what country I just landed in, questioning whether or not I had even gotten on the correct plane. Eventually, I followed the Switzerland sign and found my way out.
If you read my post about my trip to Scotland, you’ll remember my obsession with the sheep…this trip was similar, except this time it was cows. Although I did manage to take some pretty amazing pictures, every other picture on my camera roll was of cows…
The first day was the busiest. After a quick nap, we made our way to Mount Rigi in the Swiss Alps. We took the tram, the trolley, a bus, a boat, and a cable car, because the Swiss people are very proud of their public transportation. After that, we walked around Lucerne, took lots of pictures, and met up for dinner.
The next day, we visited the Cailler Chocolate Factory, where I learned that there could actually be such a thing as too much chocolate. When I was told that they would be giving us chocolate samples during the tour, I was so excited; but I haven’t been able to eat much chocolate since then. So everyone say a quick prayer in hopes that my post-chocolate overdose will pass. Later that day, we took a train to Zurich to meet more family, and where I would spend the night.
My time in Zurich was spent touring the city, looking through old family photo albums, and visiting the Rhine Falls. We ended up back in Basel on Easter to join everyone else for a raclettle dinner!
I was so thankful for the opportunity to go to Switzerland and see the beautiful country that my great-great grandmother was from, and for the generosity and hospitality of my Swiss cousins!
I tell you, Switzerland is an amazing country…there are more cows in that country than people, and I think my diet of the weekend was solely cheese and chocolate. The Swiss flag is a big plus too (get it??) What a dream!
“You work, you study, you prepare. Months and years leading to one day. The day when you step up. On that day, you have to be ready for everything. But there’s one thing you can never quite prepare for: a day when you step down. Sometimes, it happens in an instant. We step up. We become a leader. We see a path, and we take it. Even when we have no idea where we are going.” -Meredith Grey, Grey’s Anatomy, Season 8 Episode 3: Take the Lead.
So far this semester, I’ve discussed how Grey’s Anatomy has tackled important social issues including feminism, objectification of men, and sexuality. Other than that I’ve talked about favorite characters, favorite couples, and analyzed episodes.
For the past semester, I’ve had the pleasure of analyzing different aspects of Grey’s Anatomy not only for my own entertainment, but for your encouragement to watch this incredible show too! Ten weeks, ten entries, and it’s finally come to an end!
Basically this entire semester has been about me trying to convince you that Grey’s Anatomy is the best show ever!
So just in case you haven’t already started to watch Grey’s Anatomy by reading my blog every week, I assume that you will soon in the future! So I decided to dedicate this last blog entry to tips for watching Grey’s Anatomy.
Seasons…
Grey’s Anatomy is currently running in its twelfth season, and is signed on for season thirteen. So hang in there, don’t give up, you’re in for the long run!
Time Requirements…
Grey’s Anatomy is a serious investment. Each episode is about an hour long, and it is currently running in its twelfth season. So depending on your dedication, you should be caught up in about four months. Good Luck!
Seasons and Episodes to Skip…
I won’t lie to any of you, there will be times in the next twelve seasons a head of you, that you will want to quit. But you’ve got to push through.
You’ve got to push through Izzie and George’s uncomfortable, short-lived relationship.
You’ve got to push through the love triangle of Derek-Meredith-Addison.
Season 7 Episode 18 “Song Beneath The Song“: this musical episode (As Described in the Blog Entry “Grey’s Anatomy THE MUSICAL) was terrible. It made no sense, and you can absolutely skip it.
Season 10 Episode 14 “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away”: this episode was basically about how the hospital put on ban on workplace relationships, but it was pointless because steamy workplace relations are what the show was based on! Needless to say, this rule lasted a total of ten minutes.
Nice try though, as if the entire hospital wasn’t going to continue to hook up with each other during their already packed surgical schedules. GOOD ONE
Once you get past all of the heartache and drama that you’re going to go through during season 7 and season 8, seasons 9-11 are going to seem slow, but trust me when I say that nothing will ever prepare you for the end of season 11. So push through!
Seasons and Episodes You Can’t Skip…
Seasons 1 and 2 will give you back stories to all of the doctors. These seasons will show the first few examples of “The Invincible Meredith Grey.”
Season 6 Episode 23 “Sanctuary”-24 “”Death and All His Friends”: These episodes surround a gunman in the hospital, and it will without a doubt have you on the edge of your seat!
Season 7 will be a hit or a miss. You will either love the drama and overwhelming plot lines, or you will end every episode in tears of betrayal for writer Shonda Rhimes.
Seasons 10 and 11: While these seasons are slower than previous, but it is crucial to the development of main characters.
Why Binge?
Grey’s Anatomy has pushed the social envelope on several occassions, talking issues that we face in society today. It sheds light on important social and medical concerns that we have today in an easy to undertsnad manner.
As well as the fact that I have watched 12 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, as well as other medical dramas, I can basically consider myself a doctor, given my vast medical understanding. So basically if you watch Grey’s Anatomy you have a pretty good chance of becoming a world class surgeon and possibly meeting Dr. McDreamy
Whenever anyone asks “is anyone here a doctor?” this is always my response…
Once It’s All Over…
You should check out Private Practice! Private Practice is another Shonda Rhimes spin off show, following the life of Dr. Addison Montgomery after she leaves Seattle.
The episode opens up with Meredith driving the carpool of Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital’s doctors. The car is filled with banter and gossip, about Owen and Amelia, Jo and Alex, Penny and how everyone hates her, Owen and Riggs; I wouldn’t be so shocked to believe that this was a car filled with fourteen-year-old girls, rather than world-class surgeons. Amongst the gossip, the doctors acknowledge a, “snow-like,” substance falling from the sky.
Upon arriving at Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital, we learn that a huge wildfire has gotten out of control, and the hospital has to prepare for a mass influx of burned firefighters. At this point, Dr. Bailey is frantically searching through manuals, to try and find the protocol on hospital disaster; Dr. Bailey has been fighting for respect and recognition as Chief of Surgery throughout this season. Dr. Webber comforts her and explains that no manual she reads will tell her exactly how to handle such situations. He explains that the strength and talent to get through hospital disasters are not laid out and there is not, “typical,” disaster. Once Dr. Bailey preps the doctors on the situation at hand, the hospital is filled with firefighters, all having suffered severe burns as well as smoke inhalation. Amongst the patients, three are prominent:
Charlotte, Chief Casey, and John Finch.
Patient #1 The Cute Girl
Let’s start with Charlotte; she is in the emergency room after having suffered severe burns wounds on her butt. Dr. Arizona Robins is treating her, and the two end up flirting and bonding over the struggles and ethical dilemmas regarding their respective professions; Charlotte depends on horrific fires to get paid, while Arizona’s job depends on babies getting sick. Arizona has had such a hard time moving on from her (kind of) recent breakup with Dr. Callie Torres. At this point, I should know that the doctor-patient relationships that Grey’s Anatomy portray, are NEVER going to work out! But I still had hope, I mean look how cute they were! Poor Arizona can’t seem to catch a break; she’s tried everything up to using Dr. Richard Webber as her wing man. By the end, it turns out that she is already taken, and Arizona is back to the bars with Dr. Webber.
Patient #2 The Kind Old Man
Grey’s Anatomy makes it a point to offer its viewers a top notch, tear jerking patient moment, and this episode is no exception. The kind old fire chief was admitted into the emergency room having suffered severe burn wounds, which are later deemed fatal by Dr. Bailey. Knowing that there are many other firefighters waiting to be treated, Chief Casey insists that the doctors tend to the others first. As all of the tear jerking characters do, Chief Casey provided wisdom and advise to the doctors, such as Dr. Bailey in terms of her leadership skills, as well as Maggie and Andrew in regards to their inappropriate workplace relationship. Chief Casey, as well as other patients before him, are deaths that viewers are so often torn up about, having “Why did we need to kill the kind old fire chief in order to advance Maggie and Andrew’s story” or “Why did we need to kill the kind old fire chief in order for Bailey to understand leadership” moments.
Patient #3 Mrs. Hunt’s Cute Boyfriend
One of the firefighters ends up being Owen’s mother’s boyfriend, John Finch, who we learn in previous episodes, is much younger than she is. He is first admitted under the care of Dr. Grey and Dr. Riggs, who clash over the means of caring for him. Dr. Nathan Riggs continues to both confuse people, and get on everyone’s nerves; at one point in this episode Dr. Owen Hunt storms into the OR during John’s surgery and demands that Dr. Riggs be removed from the OR immediately, questioning his integrity and surgical skills. John had a very close call in surgery, but survived. After surgery, Evelyn Hunt goes to check on John and sees Riggs, who greets her like an old friend, calling her “mom.” We later find out, after Owen freaks out and punches him in the face, saying, “Stay the hell away from my family”, that Riggs isn’t his brother, rather his sister’s husband.
This only further proves that everyone in the hospital is related to each other.
For the past few episodes, Dr. Amelia Shepherd has felt that Dr. Owen Hunt is keeping secrets from her, specifically his history with Dr. Nathan Riggs. Throughout past episodes this season, a number of rumors have been flying through the hospital, regarding this relationship. These rumors vary from probable to absolutely ridiculous, showing how the doctors in the hospital are equally, if not more intrigued than viewers!
By the end of this episode, Owen has apparently shared some of this information with Meredith; upon hearing that Owen has shared with Meredith rather than herself, and Amelia freaks out. Meredith and Amelia end up in a juvenile and dramatic screaming battle against each other, which ends in Meredith exclaiming that Amelia is no longer welcome in her home.
Seriously over the Meredith-Amelia drama, those two are like
Meanwhile…
Jo is feeling neglected by Alex and bullied by the other doctors at the hospital. The episode closes with Jo expressing her discontent with their relationship, while Alex surprises her with a proposal (No Answer From Jo). And on top of all that, no one knows whether or not Dr. April Kepner and Dr. Jackson Avery are still together.
This episode was all over the place, and left me with my head spinning! Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital is, in my opinion, turning in Grey-Sloan Memorial High School.
It was nice to see, however, a break in the season that ended on less of a bang and more of a sizzle. Rather than getting angry over the death of a favorite character or left in complete disbelief, viewers are left with a million questions:
No matter what kind of drama filled her or Meredeth’s life, she took it all with a grain of salt (and sometimes a lime…usually with some tequila…)
She knew how to accept the things that she couldn’t change, and knew how to do it!
She knew exactly where her priorities were.
And then there was when she said this…
She Never Took Crap From Anyone
If there was one thing that Cristina didn’t deal with, it was people wining about things that could be solved. Cristina believed in being in control of your own life; she made sure that both she and her friends were aware of their situations in life and could distinguish what they had control over changing.
She Was A Brilliant Surgeon
After watching Cristina Yang for 10 seasons, fans know from both her unbelievable track record in the operating room, as well as her mentioning it every episode, that she was truly a gifted surgeon. One of the most impressive qualities about Cristina Yang as her unwavering dedication to her passion; cardiothoracic surgery.
She Was THE Feminist
She Redefined What It Meant To “Have It All”
According to society as a whole, both past and present, for a woman to feel complete and whole, she must have a marriage, family, and a career at some point in her life. Career-focuses women have often been told that they need a man and settle down, to let life fall into place as society believes it should be; Cristina Yang made sure that all women knew that this is NOT the case with everyone. Although some women may feel fulfillment through family, Cristina felt her fulfillment through her career, becoming the greatest surgeon in her ability; and she didn’t accept anything less than greatness.
Over the past ten years, Cristina Yang has revolutionized the way that media portrays women; she has proved that women can have it all, but not only the conventional definitions of “having it all”, but having the “real” “all”, in which you love your people and your people love you too.
She Knew Her Own Self-Worth
Cristina knew how fantastic was and she wasn’t afraid of telling people that. When someone challenged her worth, talent, beauty, or intelligence, she fought right back! So much of society today tells women how to act, think, feel, and look, and too many young women fall into the mind set that they are only as good as society tells them they are.
Cristina Yang never apologized or made excuses for her success. “You’ll never be as good as me, but you’re very, very good.” Cristina knew that it was not a matter of chance or luck that she was given to opportunities that she did, it was her pure talent.
Not only in regards to her talent, but she knew that she was the whole package! Cristina Yang was smart, funny, talented, and beautiful, and you didn’t need to tell her twice!
Typically in television and movies, audiences enjoy seeing heroines as kind, optimistic, put-together, and fun-loving. Cristina Yang broke this stereotypical trend; she was seen in every light. She was tortured and vulnerable when she experienced an ectopic pregnancy. She was strong when she was held at gunpoint for saving Derek’s life. Cristina is every woman at every stage; she is a refreshing break from the status quot of women portrayed in the media today.
Everyone has heard the phrase, boyfriends are temporary but girl friends are for life, and for the most part it’s true! Without Cristina with her throughout all of the unfortunate circumstances in her life, Meredeth couldn’t have been able to hold herself together for the most part. It wasn’t until she realized what was most important in her life, and what her main job in life was, that Cristina was able to leave.
In television, movies, and other media forms, it is typically difficult to find an accurate portrayal of a friendship rooted in something other than superficiality; Meredith and Cristina challenged this stereotype with their portrayal of two strong, independent, and talented women.
Cristina Yang redefined how women were portrayed in the media; she depicted women in every sense, strong, powerful, funny, feminine, vulnerable, driven, and confident. She sent a powerful message to women; showing that women can be successful, a complete mess, have everything together, and everything fall apart, and each of those is okay.
Grey’s Anatomy has always been known to push the social envelope, and tackle subjects. In regards to the lesbian and gay communities, Grey’s Anatomy has been one of the many television series to address the issue regarding acceptance in society.
Typically, when a patient is admitted into Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital, they come in with more than just physical impairments. Other than open wounds, brain tumors, and missing limbs (and the list goes on!), they also come in with mountains of personal struggles and emotional baggage.
Grey’s Anatomy has no issues when it comes to taking controversial topics such as these, being as the show’s writers constantly include characters who identify as gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual. These characters including show regulars such as Arizona Robins and Callie Torres, as well as short lived characters and special guests including Dr. Erica Hahn, Firefighter Charlotte, and Dr. Lauren Boswel, as well as a number of patients all from different religious and cultural backgrounds, and of different ages.
Other than the general usage of characters in the show, Grey’s Anatomy also makes sure to include some of the constant struggles that these characters deal with, including acceptance of themselves and acceptance from society.
According to top critics at Xfinity, Grey’s Anatomy features some of the media’s top representation in the media! In fact ABC networking in general has been doing a better job with featuring gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender characters. With shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, an estimated 33% of ABC prime-time hours were classified as including these minorities.
Although the American public estimated that around 25% of the American population identifies as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender in 2011, statistics show that a more accurate estimate totals in around 3.8%. However, according to a study done by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the number is closer to 20%.
Regardless of the exact number, it is important for shows such as Grey’s Anatomy to show minority groups including these.
For All You Haters Out There…
In response to those consumers who don’t accept these minorities in society as well as in the media, writer Shonda Rhimes says, “If you don’t like my shows, don’t watch!”
If you were to type “Grey’s Anatomy Ships” into Google, and you will find that the possibilities are endless. At the very beginning, the first episode was based off of how awkward it was that the night before her first day as a surgical intern, Meredith Grey slept with some guy she met at a bar, and that guy turned out the be Dr. Derek Shepherd, who turned out to be her boss.
Aside from all of the ground breaking medical drama that goes on throughout the episodes, a huge part of the show’s success is surrounding the complex interpersonal relationships throughout the show.
Doctor-Doctor
MerDer
Dr. Derek Shepherd and Dr. Meredith Grey.
Why do we love “MerDer”?
Because they were the very first couple on Grey´s.
Because opening of the show like that was just great!
Because we love the way he looks at her.
Because they´ve gone through lots of drama and even when we say how badly we want them to be together all happy and shiny, we enjoy watching drama and even more that make-up moments!
Because meeting her in the bar changed his life.
Because of this line…
Because of all their unforgettable elevator scenes
Because he loves ferryboats
Because he was drowning and she saved him (metaphorically).
Because she was drowning and he saved her (literally).
Because, despite of how strange it could seem for Meredith´s personality, because he was her attending and she didn’t want to go out with him first, because he was married and broke her heart, she was the first to say “I love you”.
Because she admitted that she´s not over him and said “Pick me. Choose me. Love me.”
Because he hit Mark with his two million dollar hand when he saw him just talking to her.
Because he´s her “knight in shining whatever”.
Because she built the house of candles on his land.
Because they can be extraordinary together rather than ordinary apart.
Because he understands that Cristina is Meredith´s person.
Because they´ll love each other, even when they hate each other.
Because they promised no more running ever.
Because they promised to take care of each other even old, smelly and senile.
Because they are completely overrated but we really don’t care!
The show basically revolved around their perfectly complicated relationship. From the moment that they were introduced in the show, via their one-night-stand before realizing that they worked together, through the birth of their three children, and until Derek’s untimely death, Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd have been everything that viewers look for in iconic relationships, and more.
April and Jackson
Dr. April Kepner and Dr. Jackson Avery.
Fans love April and Jackson because their story is too cute to believe. They were both residents at Mercy West Hospital and came to Seattle Grace Hospital during the merger. From then, they became friends, ended up hooking up the night before their boards exams. Fast forward two seasons, Jackson crashed April’s wedding and they ran away together, which was the greatest thing we’ve ever seen, even though that must’ve actually been a huge scandal! Two seasons later, the couple went through the unthinkable when they found out that they were pregnant, only to later find out that their baby had developed with osteogenesis imperfecta, leading to the death of their baby boy minutes after his birth. After this, April decided to join the military as a field surgeon; she came back and now their relationship just confuses everyone.
At this point, Jackson and April just give fan a headache, are they together or are they not??
Before she met Arizona, Callie has had her fair share of catastrophic relationships (George O’Malley, Erica Hahn, Mark Sloan, to name a few). From the moment that the two first got together in the bathroom of Joe’s Bar, they had established themselves as the best couple on the show.
But like all great romances, their time came to an end. Callie and Arizona have been through so much in their relationship:
Arizona moving to Africa after she won the Carter Mason grant,
Their disagreements on whether or not to have children,
The fact that Callie had a baby with Mark,
The plane crash that resulted in Callie needing to amputate Arizona’s leg,
The car crash immediately after Arizona proposed to Callie,
All coming full circle to when they wanted another baby but Callie couldn’t carry children anymore and Arizona wouldn’t.
Although they aren’t together anymore, I still have hope for them as a couple in future season.#CalzonaForever
No one could ever forget poor Denny. He was a long time heart patient of Dr. Preston Burke. He and Dr. Izzie Stevens bonded and fell in love while he was a patient, and ended up jeopardizing Dr. Steven’s surgical career entirely when she cut his L-Vad wire in hopes of moving him up on the donor list. He died hours later, leaving Izzie distraught in a prom dress.
If the doctors at Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital hadn’t learned from Denny, Charlotte, Rebecca Pope, and many others that Doctor-Patient relationships NEVER work, I don’t know if they ever will!
These are only a few of my favorite Grey’s Anatomy couples, so click the link below to see more!
We’ve talked about how Grey’s Anatomy portrays the women in the show (smart, independent, insane)but what about the men? Anyone who has watched, or even heard of Grey’s Anatomy knows of the obvious requirement of the male surgical residents at Grey-Sloan:
Gorgeous Male…LOTS of Baggage…Some Medical Experience…
Although we may like to watch the ground breaking medical miracles, we would rather watch hunky doctors perform them. Why? We are physical creatures and therefore the media that we consume reflects that.
Men are LITERALLY being Objectified More than Women
Rob Lowe recently commented on the objectification of men in the media in an interview with Vulure this week.
Lowe states, “People go on and on about the objectification of women, and rightly so. But what about the objectification of men? When was the last time you saw Grey’s Anatomy?” In this interview, he talks about his new comedy show The Grinder, in which he portrays an actor who starred as a lawyer in a legal drama for years, before quitting the show in part because he felt objectified. Now anyone who has seen Rob Lowe knows that he has LITERALLY been the face of sexualized men since his first media exposure in the 1980s.Is there a double standard?
Rob Lowe’s co-star from Parks and Recreation,Chris Pratt, commented on the objectification of men in media in an interview last June.. Pratt states, “I think it’s appalling that for a long time only women were objectified, but I think if we really want to advocate for equality, it’s important to even things out.” He continues to say, “Not objectify women less, but objectify men just as often as we objectify women. There are a lot of women who got careers out of it, and I’m using it to my advantage. And at the end of the day, our bodies are objects.” To say that our bodies are objects is to say that we are physical beings with completely physical desires, not to connect the term with “objectify” which refers to the division between subject and object. The objectification of female bodies is more problematic than the objectification of male bodies because of our history of thinking of women as nothing more than sex objects. The article titled, “Sex Roles,” by Sarah K. Murnen states, “The image of men emphasizes muscularity…the portrayal of action figured across time and found that they have become unrealistically muscular over the last 20 years. It is possible that media images of muscular men encourage men to have larger, more muscular bodies and are contributing to men’s dissatisfaction problems.”
Madeleine Holden, writer for “The Creators Project” at Vice Media, comments that, “The male nude is having a cultural renaissance.” As opposed to the last few centuries or so, Ancient Greek and Roman societies adored the male body as a part of art and culture. “The modern woman is decreasingly reluctant to express her sexual desires…” But why is this? Holden explains that, “We’re still up against ancient attitudes that dictate that women should be desirable, but keep our own desires quiet for fear of being the kind of slutty, uncouth women who speaks openly about what turns her on.”
Is the objectification of men any less important or demeaning than that of women?
Although the objectification of women is more common, there seems to be an increased emphasis on the objectification of men across time. This is not saying that the objectification of men versus women is more or less important, just different. Women are typically more emotional in nature than men who are typically more physical beings; so when men objectify women it seem more primal and aggressive, as opposed to when women objectify men, it seems more innocent or playful. This can be seen in the obvious differences in men versus women in strip clubs, an example being the idea of, “Ladies Night!”
I am Woman Hear Me Roar!
According to the Objectification Theory, “The body is the basis for the distinction between the sexes.” But there is a constant battle between what is a bigger influence, biology or environment?
“Feminists and others have been understandable suspicious of perspectives because of their deterministic flavor, and perhaps for this reason the body has been largely ignored in nonbiological explanatory schemed for gender distinctions, which tend to focus more on sociocultural influences. Feminist and other sociocultural perspectives, for instance, have done a great deal to illuminate the was in which many gender differences have little to do with the biological body, and much more to do with the differential socialization of boys and girls, and, perhaps even more profoundly, with the different social status and power held by women and men in society.”
Consumer Appeal
It also needs to be taken into account the consumer appeal. About 62% of the ABC audience is female (CBS is the next more female-skewed at 57%), with Grey’s Anatomy having an audience that is just under 76% female based. Given these statistics, of course the creators of Grey’s Anatomy are going to feature copious amounts of smart, gorgeous, shirtless doctors. I for one won’t complain about it!
Now I’m Going to Fall into the Objectification and Post Pictures of These Drop Dead Gorgeous Doctors
The OG dreamy doctor in Grey’s Anatomy. Let’s start from the beginning, he was introduced into the show because he had a one night stand with Meredith Grey; little did they know that the next morning, they would each go into work and find out that he was actually her new boss! From that iconic moment on, every fan of the show lusted for a steamy work relationship like “MerDer.” Their relationship was so ridiculously complicated, from finding out that Derek was still married to Dr. Addison Forbes-Montgomery, all of Derek and Meredith’s respective daddy issues, to gun-men, plane-crashes, and bombs, “MerDer” always kept us on our toes. I mean think about it, how much better could a guy be?
1) Completely unattainable and inappropriate
2) World class neurosurgeon, no big deal though
3) Adorable husband and dad
4) Never a hair out of place! Here’s a link that gives a few more reasons why I love Dr. Shepherd
Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan
As if fans of Grey’s Anatomy thought that the there was nothing better than “McDreamy,” Dr. Shepherd’s best friend and world class plastic surgeon, Dr. Mark Sloan became the talk of the hospital in no time. “McSteamy,” became a staple character on the show, infamous for his egotistic, bad boy demeanor
To give a little background, Mark hooked up with Addison, who was Derek’s wife at the time, the two had a falling out, and upon his introduction into the hospital, Derek punches him square in the face. Throughout his time on the show, viewers see Mark’s love life escalate and travel throughout the entire hospital…
By his death at the end of season 8, Mark had found out of a love child from when he was younger, had fathered Dr. Callie Torres’s baby, and eventually declared his love for Dr. Lexi Grey as she dies from the impacts of a plane crash, which would eventually kill him as well. Here’s a link further explaining how perfect Mark Sloan is!
Dr. Richard Webber
Dr. Richard Webber, the bearer of Alzheimer’s disease, can be seen as the father of the hospital. Being that Meredith’s father left when she was younger, Dr. Webber is often seen as the closest thing that she has to a father. T
Throughout his career in the show, he has…
Had an affair with Dr. Elis Grey (deceased)
Married Adele Webber (deceased)
Held a Chief of Surgery position for some time
Found out about a love child (Dr. Maggie Pierce) between him and Eliss
Married Dr. Catherine Avery (Dr. Jackson Avery’s mother)
And provides as a father figure to the entire hospital.
Dr. Alex Karev
Dr. Alex Karev, is the OG bad boy, asshole of characters. From his start on the show in season one, viewers have seen him go through copious amounts of female characters; eventually he settles down with Dr. Izzie Stevens (only to have her leave after her cancer), followed by Dr. Wilson. Why do we love Alex? He is your typical bad boy; he hooks up with numerous women in the show, acts as if he doesn’t care about anyone else, has a hidden heart of gold, and we want to fix him! Viewers love Dr. Karev for his bad boy demeanor filled with family complications, emotional baggage, and eventual exposure of his genuine compassion in his love for pediatric surgery. Here’s the LONG list of Alex’s work place relationships
Dr. Jackson Avery
Dr. Jackson Avery…how does one begin to explain Dr. Jackson Avery. Rich, gorgeous, brilliant plastic surgeon, rich, surgical prodigy, rich…rich…rich. And those EYES!
Dr. Preston Burke was the typical dark, mysterious incredible cardiothoracic surgeon. Here’s some reasons why Burke was pretty great! But no matter how perfect he seemed up until season three, we all hated him after he left Christina. One does not simply leave Dr. Christina Yang at the alter and get away with it.
Dr. Owen Hunt
I don’t think that anyone can argue with the obvious attraction to
1) a guy who is “damaged”
2) a man in uniform
Trauma surgeon, and partial Chief of Surgery, Dr. Owen Hunt’s post military passion leaves viewers speechless. Although his relationship with Dr. Christina Yang was complicated and ended on a completely heart-breaking note, Owen will always hold a special place in this viewer’s heart.
Dr. George “007” O’Malley
Contrary to the sex gods mentioned before, Dr. George O’Malley is the typical boy-next-door.
He is sweet, sensitive, and the epitome of the cliché “nice guys finish last.”
We have all been in a situation where we are watching a very dramatic or suspenseful scene in a movie or TV drama; the music is used to enhance the drama that is playing out on the screen even if most of the time, we aren’t really aware of the music at all.
Directors and composers do this so discreetly that we often don’t realize it…until it’s too late…
A lot of music in TV and film can be seen as a fourth dimension that activates our emotions and manipulates us. Directors and composers do this very subtly but very effectively, the difference of this is crystal clear when you either remove or change the music.
Music has been used in film and TV since almost the beginning of motion pictures, originally used to keep the audience from talking and to dull the sound of the projector. It adds to the emotional quality in film and TV and lets viewers know how they should be feeling during a certain scene. Here’s an example of how the emotion of the scene changes based off of the music! Music can connect people and hits us like no other language can. We need its beauty to bring resolution and meaning to our actions. In film, music controls our emotions and manipulates our feelings; fast and loud music arouses us while slow and soft music calms us. It unquestionably affects our emotions; we listen to music that reflects our mood (when we’re happy we may listen to upbeat music and when we’re sad we may listen to slower, moving songs).
The Music (Wo)man
Alexandra Patsavas is an American music supervisor who has worked on over sixty films and TV series (The Twilight Saga, The O.C., Grey’s Anatomy, and Gossip Girl). She has been nominated three times for the “Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media” Grammy Award, her first being for the compilation of Grey’s Anatomy Original Soundtrack, Vol. 2. Her work was made up of approaching bands and artists about recording covers and requesting licensing permission to include songs on TV shows, such as Grey’s Anatomy. So basically her job, when working with Grey’s Anatomy, is basically to figure out which songs are going to make us sob uncontrollably and ruin our lives forever.
Thanks Alexandra, we really appreciate that one.
Patsavas and other music scoring professionals potentially have the ability to make or break a song or artist; I personally can’t listen to several songs without thinking of the heartbreak I went through watching it on Grey’s Anatomy. Here’s a link of artists who got their start on Grey’s Anatomy!
Grey’s Anatomy basically made The Fray, so they should really be the biggest fans of the show EVER. “How to Save a Life,” arguably their most famous song to date, is stuck in my memory as the song that Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Burke, and Dr. Webber all performed surgeries to, Callie almost died to, and Derek DID die to. At this point, all Grey’s Anatomy fans should know that once you hear that iconic piano start to fade into the scene, you’d better grab some tissues because this scene is NOT going to be pretty.
I don’t think I will ever be able to listen to “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol again, I mean you don’t just watch Dr. Izzie Stevens sob over the corpse of Denny Douquette her dying boyfriend/heart patient/fiance/illegal lover in a prom dress and just move on from it. How could you not think about the shock, the anguish, the confusion, the rage towards creator Shonda Rhimes for the completely unrealistic and traumatic yet absolutely brilliant love story?
Grey’s Anatomy played a big role in popularizing “Breathe (2 AM)” by Anna Nalick (PSA if you’re watching Grey’s and you hear this song: RUN). It has been shown in several different episodes, but my heart rate is STILL dangerously high from “As We Know It,” where Meredith is holding a homemade bomb still inside of a patient! Damn you, Shonda, damn you Alexandra. You two gave me such a false sense of security as Meredith managed to hand off the grenade to the bomb squad and she watched as he walked away. We all started to breathe again, we were all happy with an episode ending on a good note for once, but then BOOM.
At this point, it isn’t even safe to turn on the radio anymore, because you’re living in fear that one of these songs will play in public and you will then be forced to explain to people why you’re sobbing uncontrollably in the grocery store.
The (Completely Unnecessary) Musical Episode
While we are talking about music and its effect on television, we need to talk about the train wreck that was Grey’s Anatomy Season 7 Episode 18: “Song Beneath the Song,” or “The Episode Where Callie Almost Dies And Everyone is Really Emotional So They All Just Start Singing and Crying.”
Basically if Glee and E.R. got together, this episode of Grey’s Anatomy would be their baby. Picture this: there’s blood, there’s medical melodies, and everyone is operating on Dr. Callie Torres (who is played by Sara Ramirez who won a Tony award for her role in Spamalot) while simultaneously singing The Fray’s “How to Save a Life (no one saw THAT one coming).” And although this may sound like a bad skit on SNL, it was an actual episode on Grey’s Anatomy. “I have been wanting to do it since we made to pilot basically,” writer Shonda Rhimes says. “We needed it to make sense for our show. Plus, I had to convince the network, which took me seven years.” And after watching said episode several times, I can say I can clearly see why the network wouldn’t buy it for seven years.
Okay so following a car crash at the end of the previous episode, Arizona wakes up to see Callie’s body smashed through the windshield and lying on the car.
Fast forward to Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, everyone needs all hands on deck for Callie’s surgery, with the exception of Mark who is the father of Callie’s baby who is also at a complete risk for fatality right now, and Arizona who is an absolute wreck because her and Callie got into a car accident that nearly killed them both immediately after she proposed. The entire episode is shown through the perspective of Callie who is watching herself from an out of body/third party position. And at this point everyone thought, “What better way to ensure this critical surgery goes well than to sing 2002 pop-rock songs.”
Since music has, overall, played a big part in the show, the concept for a musical episode worked. While some songs were far more appropriate than others, they each moved the story along in one way or another. Now don’t confuse this for me thinking that this episode was necessary or even good; on the contrary it seemed absolutely ridiculous! I mean during surgery, the whole cast sang “How to Save a Life” by the Fray while operating…The song seemed perfect for the particular scene, I mean granted the song is more about saving a friend from suicide rather than saving a patient on an operating table, but still!
Music in Movies Should be Seen Rather than Heard
Whether it makes us want to laugh…or cry…or dance…then probably make us cry some more…
…the music in Grey’s Anatomy, as well as any media, makes it all worth it! We can see the effect of the music! The feelings that we, are viewers, get through either big musical numbers or little piano keys is a key component in the experience. Music manipulates us by making us feel happy, sad, empowered, or hopeless without us even knowing! In moving the story lines along, music should be seen, not heard.
For twelve season now, fans of Grey’s Anatomy have watched the doctors as Seattle Grace/ Seattle Grace Mercy West/ Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital go through their surgical residencies, have insanely complex emotional baggage intertwined with their coworkers, change the name of the hospital nearly every season, and go through more tragedies than any person should ever need to deal with.
Personally, I have followed Grey’s Anatomy through all twelve seasons and I am a little fed up with writer Shonda Rhimes. At the risk of sounding dramatic and realizing that the show is completely fiction, I don’t know how much more of this my heart can take. The amount of times my heart has stopped, tears have broken, and I started yelling at my TV in disbelief is outrageous.
Surgery is a huge strain on the body as well as a huge risk in general. Surgeons spend years of schooling, hours of working and researching, to try and perfect their skills and strategies in order to ensure the safety of their patients and success of their operations. The residents at Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital spend a good portion of their days leisurely going about their personal businesses, taking frequent trips to the on call room (sex dungeon), along with the occasional ground breaking surgery or two. For some reason, viewers find enjoyment in watching suffering and sadness, but at what point does it become unrealistic? At what point can I ask, “Do the doctors save any of their patients?”
Sure, there are the tear jerking and heart felt moments where the families are reunited, the intern makes a miraculous save on the operating table, and everyone get celebratory drinks. But those moments seem to be tucked in tightly with the sound of the monitor changing from lowering stats to flat lines, and the doctors yelling “Dammit!,” “He’s coding!,” “I need two rounds of EPI” and finally “Time of death…”
Throughout my years of dedication, I feel that I have put up with a lot from the show. Deaths such as Heather Brooks, Reed Adamson, Henry Burton, and Charles Perry were sad and untimely, but fans forgave and forgot.
Other characters such as Adele Webber and Ellis Grey gave fans a peace of mind, that those characters have peace of their own.
But some deaths were much harder to forgive than others, examples being George O’Malley, Lexie Grey, and Mark Sloan.
There was no preparation for those tragedies, I was not told what to do or what to expect, how was I supposed to know what was about to happen? In regards to the COMPLETELY unnecessary, untimely, and cruel death of Dr. Derek Shepherd, it is still too soon to talk about.
I don’t see writer Shonda Rhimes getting my forgiveness anytime in the near future.
I will not complain about the survival of any characters, being that they are all few and far between, but Meredith Grey has survived a bomb, a drowning, a gunman, and a plane crash, without a hair out of place. “The Invincible Meredith Grey,” is both impressive and ridiculous. She held a bomb, still, inside of a patient’s body, only to have it explode after the hands it off, had extended exposure to toxic blood, drown in the harbor after a ferry boat crash, told a hysterical gunman to shoot her, a plane crash in the woods, an emergency C-section without any power, and operated during an earthquake. Meredith simply can’t catch a break.
In order to ensure the success of Grey’s Anatomy, it is obvious that the medical field needs to be dramatized. But it gets to a certain point in every fan when it seems like the headlines for each episode should just say, “This week on Grey’s Anatomy: EVERYONE DIES. The End.”
Meredith has been promoted to chief of general surgery, is teaching an anatomy class, and is starting to adjust to her new life as a surgeon, sister, and single mother. She moved back into her mother’s old house with her sisters, Maggie and Amelia, and the audience is able to, once again, see Grey’s Anatomy in a lighter tone. We are able to see characters develop and relationships grow, such as Meredith and her sisters. The episode opens with this relationship as Maggie and Meredith wait, not so patiently, for Amelia to be ready. Meredith, proud of her new title, shares her contract with her sisters. They all look at Meredith’s contract and each gets, “the look,” according to Meredith. Each says that nothing is wrong, but Meredith doesn’t buy it. Throughout the episode Meredith learns, through interrogating each doctor at Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital, that she is making far less than any other department head, and deserves much more than what was given. When Dr. Richard Webber learns of Meredith’s new salary, he immediately goes on defense and questions Dr. Bailey’s loyalty. Through her internship, residency, and personal life, Richard has been a father figure to Meredith and would obviously be concerned if she were being treated anything less than what she deserves. Bailey is shocked that Richard would make such an accusation against her, being that she too has mentored Meredith and seen her grow and mature throughout the past 11 seasons. Bailey tells Richard that she expects Meredith to stand up and learn how to demand what she deserves. Meredith needs to know her own worth and know that she can stand on her own two feet, because someone is not always going to be her advocate or catch her when she falls.
This sort of “sisterhood” among the female characters in critical in the development and success of each other. While the media often focuses on male dominant relationships in society, such as father-son, brothers, bros, uncle-nephew, and husbands, woman seem to take second seat to this; even when females are included in the relationship, it still seems to center around the males, such as father-daughter and husband-wife. What about woman??
We often forget how crucial female relationships are, such as sister, female friends, mother-daughter, and wives, when going through careers and personal lives, even more so when going through internships, residency, and surgical careers.
Grey’s Anatomy has always been known to “favor” the female characters in the shows, in comparison to many TV dramas. The character list is primarily female, which is interesting in a show like this which follows the lives of surgeons, while the medical field today is primarily male dominant (66% of physicians are male while 33% are female, according to recent studies). There is definitely a good number of male characters in the show, but they are typically introduced through relation to to females, a perfect example being Derek and Meredith. Woman in TV dramas are first seen as wives, sisters, mothers, and supporting character before ever developing into a character of their own. In comparison, Grey’s Anatomy introduces its women as strong, independent, and successful figures in the medical field, alongside their male colleagues.
Woman in today’s society, and in any field of work, are more often than not regulated and judged based upon how they look, feel, think, or act. Meredith is often criticized for being a whiny, spineless, and selfish character, despite her horrific childhood, tragic love with Derek Shepherd who is now dead making her a single mother of three, and incredible accomplishments in the field of medicine.
Characters such as Dr. Miranda Bailey is seen as a strong, independent, driven, and respected character, most likely do to her cold demeanor. Both of these characters are incredibly strong and able woman and should be seen as such. By giving the audience a look into the lives of each doctor, we are able to see different tiers of their character, through personal struggles, past experiences, and general stress of being a surgeon. The audience has seen these two characters as well as all of the woman portrayed on the show at both extremes, thriving in medicine and proving their worth through their success, as well as breaking down, unable to carry the weight of everything on their shoulders any longer. The show sets a principle for woman in the fact that we can be successful, we can be a mess, we can be successful and a mess simultaneously, and it is okay.
Grey’s Anatomy not only shows that woman are strong, beautiful, and powerful doctors, but also that woman of color are doctors, woman with different body images are doctors, disabled women are doctors, and lesbian woman are doctors. As Dr. Bailey pointed out in season 12 episode 3, we need to be able to advocate for ourselves and know our own worth, that we are strong, capable, and deserving; we are more than what the media says we are.
d my way out.
king through old family photo albums, and visiting the Rhine Falls. We ended up back in Basel on Easter to join everyone else for a raclettle dinner!
didn’t deal with, it was people wining about things that could be solved. Cristina believed in being in control of your own life; she made sure that both she and her friends were aware of their situations in life and could distinguish what they had control over changing.
her worth, talent, beauty, or intelligence, she fought right back! So much of society today tells women how to act, think, feel, and look, and too many young women fall into the mind set that they are only as good as society tells them they are.
beautiful, and you didn’t need to tell her twice!
totals in around 3.8%. However, according to a study done by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the number is closer to 20%.
as opposed to when women objectify men, it seems more innocent or playful. This can be seen in the obvious differences in men versus women in strip clubs, an example being the idea of, “Ladies Night!”
ve Dr. Karev for his bad boy demeanor filled with family complications, emotional baggage, and eventual exposure of his genuine compassion in his love for pediatric surgery. 
he left Christina. One does not simply leave Dr. Christina Yang at the alter and get away with it.
khayessite 