UP OR DOWN, IN OR OUT: There've been times that Grey's Anatomy has worked spectacularly well, and there've been times when it hasn't. Tonight's finale was decidedly the former, despite one moment that violated the "show, don't tell" principle (which I'll talk about in the comments). And Ron Butterfield and Graham Chase in the same episode is always going to be appreciated in these parts. There's much to discuss, but out of courtesy to those on the West Coast and those who are watching on DVR, let's keep it in this thread rather than the earlier thread, OK?
ETA: Shonda speaks (at much greater length than she does in our comments), including discussion of the first draft of the script, in which another character got shot, and a brief description of 18 minutes that were apparently cut and will appear on the DVD.
The one false note was Meredith feeling it necessary to proclaim "I'm having a miscarriage," rather than leaving it for the audience to figure it out. But seriously, this should be the Emmy submission for pretty much all the cast, and could finally win Chandra Wilson hers. It's just really, really, nice work all around.
ReplyDeleteMy jaw was on the floor for the whole two hours. That was really tightly written, very suspenseful, and the acting was outstanding.
ReplyDeleteI'd say she said it because she had to. It was happening, and there was nothing she could do about it, but she could tend to Owen.
ReplyDeleteI've fallen off the Grey's wagon in the past year, but watching tonight, I remembered why I used to love this show. Chandra Wilson's face in that hallway was amazing.
That was an intense episode. Kudos to the cast; great performances all around.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how well the details hold up in retrospect (Mr. Clark was awfully lucky to avoid the SWAT team for so long after getting shot) but in the moment it was impossible to look away. Easily my favorite episode since the Super Bowl two-parter.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a long time since I have written an episode and this one was cathartic for me and very personal.
ReplyDeleteI have fallen off the Grey's bandwagon.. BUT GEEZ...what an AMAZING episode. Kudos to all involved. I am still wound up...
ReplyDeleteThank you Shonda for giving us that roller coaster of an episode.
ReplyDeleteI was watching it from like 11 to past midnight here in the Central time zone and letting out the kind of blood curdling screams (regularly) that should've had my neighbors knocking down my door or at the very least reporting me to the doorman. My fiancee somehow managed to sleep through them AND uncontrollable sobbing with Meredith when we though Shepard was dead AND repeated litanies of NONONONONONONOHNOOHNOOHNONONONON AND chants of please don't do this Ron Butterfield.
ReplyDeleteI may never fall asleep tonight.
But it was intensely, grippingly good entertainment.
Wow!
Shonda, thank you. That was just an amazing episode. Thanks and congrats to you and all of your staff and cast - the episode was tops all around. Like Heather K, I may not sleep too much tonight.
ReplyDeleteMatt, I actually liked that Meredith said it for two reasons: 1) It reflected that she was not going to get wrapped up in what was going on with her (as she has done so much in the past), but would say what she needed to to get the other surgeons focused back on what was happening on the table. She was just so hardcore and directed when saying it - if she had been all emotional it would have been a SDT violation, but for me the delivery made it a beautiful example of her evolution. 2) She shared her vulnerability and an intensely private loss. Meredith at the series opener never would have shared that. I would argue it was a SDT re her emotional growth.
What I love about Grey's is that, despite fans' and critics' comments, Shonda and the writers continue to tell the stories they want to tell. I was a couple years late to the party, but I've caught up on every moment and am thoroughly enjoying the ride. Bravo to all responsible for this amazing season finale!
ReplyDelete+1 to Dan Suitor.
ReplyDeleteCopying over from other thread:
ReplyDeleteExtraordinary! Wow. Perfect example of why I love Grey's. Was also thrilled that it wasn't all cliffhanger-ish. Glad to know that the chief survived, Derek and Alex are out of surgery, etc.
On another note, I'm hoping wildly that you will be blogging at least part of the Bee this year. Your comments are the icing on the Bee cake!
What an episode. Sam, you're right that examining it too closely makes you say, "Yeah, liberties taken." After all, the people who actually die are all either people you don't know or Mercy Westers. But I liked how Shonda said in her blog post that this is Jackson and April becoming part of the group - that REALLY worked for me. Shonda has done an excellent job of integrating new people into this show (Sloan, Lexie, Callie, Arizona - can you imagine the show without them at this point?) but the Mercy Westers haven't clicked for me up until this point. Now it all looks like a grand plan leading up to this episode.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love how the voice over was used - we know from Meredith that this used to be her home, and now it isn't, and we're going to have to see next season how she deals with this being a place she can't feel safe anymore.
Matt, I agree with Slick on this one - Meredith didn't say it to tell the audience. She said it to get April focused on the task at hand, and because if she said it, she herself could stop focusing on it and get on with what they needed to get on with.
Fantastic work by the cast, and by Ron Butterfield. I especially want to call out Kevin McKidd - I thought his work in the scrub room before he went into the surgery was extraordinary. I knew something was wrong in that ER, and I knew that it probably meant that the shooter was in there, but it was subtle enough that it was believable that Meredith didn't get it. And every single person was incredible in that scene in the ER - Meredith, Cristina, Butterfield, Avery... just well done all around.
Thank you, Shonda - it's pretty rare when a show I've watched for this long can keep me that riveted. I really appreciate it!
Absolutely agree with why Mer had to say it out loud. She was letting the younger doctor know, "Yes, I am aware of what's happening, but it's about the least important thing happening right now in this room and I need to get on with my work, so let's move on."
ReplyDeleteI, myself, had about six heart attacks watching the show. I was watching it in real time, which meant I couldn't fast forward to the end to find out how it was going to end and relieve the tension.
ReplyDeleteHeart attack 1: The shooter getting Reid point blank right in the face, whammo, within the first 10 minutes of the show.
Heart attack 2: The nurse getting shot.
Heart attack 3: The Mercy Wester getting shot in the patient's bathroom.
1/2 Heart attack when Bailey got pulled out from under the bed.
Heart attack 4: When the floor nurse got shot.
Heart attack 5 (and this one was a heart attack and a half): Derek gets shot.
Heart attack 6: Derek "codes."
And how about when Bailey was hiding under the bed? Did anyone else think that her beeper was going to go off and that was what would alert the shooter to her presence?
I was on pins and needles the whole episode unable to predict where it would go. I caught myself literally holding my breath multiple times.
What a great two hours of television.
To add, a friend on facebook just posted this and I think she's right on the money: "I came to a conclusion that Grey's is a love story between best friends Grey and Yang. You do what you need to for your BF. Operate on your BF's husband even with a gun to your head and operate on you BF's boyfriend even while you miscarry."
ReplyDeleteThat was the moment that finally broke my heart. The whole two hours was so tense, and so upsetting, but then Meredith pulling it together in that moment to save Owen, while Derek was in the next room still being operated on, and losing this baby she was so happy about a few hours earlier... that's when I lost it.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved this episode. I admit when I heard there would be an episode about a shooter in the hospital, I was a bit skeptical that it would be over the top (and repeating history - didn't Burke get shot in the hand at the hospital?) But this was so well done, and it used the shooter as a way of bringing out so many subtle themes and plots that had run throughout the season: Avery's belief in Cristina (and crush on her), Meredith and Cristina's drifting apart but still their unending closeness, Meredith's personal growth in her life and relationship, Percy's crush on Reed, April's thing for Derek and how it gets in the way, Callie and Arizona's heartbreaking, mature conflict... It was all so personal between the characters. As Watts said, it was a love story. Between Cristina and Meredith, but also solidifying the couples on the show: Meredith and Derek, Callie and Arizona, Owen and Cristina. And the love Bailey shows for this doctor she barely knows, caring for him until the end even though she can't do anything. The love Cristina shows for Meredith by operating even with a gun to her head. The love of Arizona for the children she cares for, and the Chief for his whole staff. I'm really overwhelmed and still processing.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the hardest moments was hearing Percy in the bathroom from Bailey's perspective. It reminded me of the stories we heard about Columbine, actually, with a question being asked, then a shot.
I was, like so many others, on the edge of my seat and engrossed. Christy, my partner, and I screamed "OH MY GOD" at the same moment when Reid was shot. We were hooked and having the above mentioned heart attacks.
ReplyDeleteThe relationship between Merideth and Christina is one of my favorite parts of the show, their resilience and unconditional love is true friendship.
I checked out when Meredith started to have the miscarriage. I felt like it was just one thing too many (you know, because a million people getting shot by Ron Butterfield was just enough drama.)
I loved Owen in this episode, but I always love Owen.
My first reaction was (cynically) that for all we see of gunshot blood, prime time is squeamish about miscarriage blood, and hence the "tell, don't show." But I agree that it worked for the scene.
ReplyDeleteAmazing work by Chandra Wilson all through the two-parter, but her reactions after she realized the elevators were off were brilliantly played and heartbreaking.
Interesting with Owen -- I had no idea the shooter was in the OR, but knew there was something because of his reaction. I thought they were going with a PTSD reaction, but the scene following was much better.
As others have said, I'm reminded why I like this show with episodes like this.
Thank you, Shonda, for a beautifully written episode that focused so much on the heart of these characters.
ReplyDeleteCouple of other things:
ReplyDeleteIn her Grey's Writer's post, I was glad Shonda said that she's not sure that Lexie really loves Alex. Because that's what I kept thinking when she was telling Alex that she loved him - that she was saying it because she thought he was dying, and he was hurting, and needed to hear it. And on one level, she was speaking as Izzy, not Lexie. I don't have a huge investment in her relationship with Sloan, but I just don't buy that she's in love with Alex, and I get that the mixture of panic and guilt and pain would cause her to act as if she did.
Also - Ron Butterfield was just so good in this episode. But not so good that I forgot he was Ron Butterfield (Ron, stop shooting people! You're supposed to protect them!) or that I can remember his actual name.
And it's always nice to see Tom Irwin. :)
Sue I kept saying the exact same things!! Ron Butterfield how can you do this to me? Jed will not be okay with this.
ReplyDeletewow! amazing two hours of non-stop drama...both in the terror-inducing moments and in the quieter moments. i was almost certain that either alex or derek was going to die and it was killing me during that second hour. i like a number of well-written shows on tv these days, but nothing gets me crying like a great episode of grey's anatomy. wow. thanks, shonda.
ReplyDeleteFor those who have been mentioning him, Ron Butterfield = the amazing Michael O'Neill, who most certainly deserves nomination upon nomination for his wonderful work in this role.
ReplyDeleteIt was great seeing Mr. Butterfield and Mr. Chase (and thank you, I had been having trouble placing them). I made the really bad decision to try and catch up on this on my lunch hour, hets just say it's a good thing my task list was light Friday because I certainly was not in a focused mood. And I agree with Sue that I loved seeing Avery's take charge-ness and his faith in Christina.
ReplyDeleteI also thought the moment with Owen telling Meredith that he was just going to check on the surgery before scrubbing in was well done because it was both believable and yet a little strange.