In the words of one of my Grey’s Anatomy viewing partners: “Somebody ought to shoot whoever came up with this idea.”
We don’t generally condone violence, but the reality-show gimmick behind this week’s episode made us feel extremely out of sorts with the writers of this show. Would you actually watch a one-hour program called “KGSC Breaking News: Survivors of the Gunman”? A show that recalls both ER and Hoarders, in terms of content and style? No, we wouldn’t either, but Shondha Rhimes and crew seems to believe their audience would prefer this maudlin production to the one that they’ve been writing and producing for the past seven years. We know Grey’s has felt pretty lackluster this season, but we suggest that they stand behind their product. This “Breaking News” business wouldn’t last a single season in the real, unforgiving world of TV ratings.
In this episode-within-an-episode, the documentary crew tracked the Seattle Grey doctors while they performed groundbreaking surgeries, saved adorable children’s lives and wrestled with lesbian relationship drama. All in a day’s work, folks. The documentary examines the “lingering effects” of the shooting on the hospital’s staff, and we wonder, are the writers really so short on ideas that they can’t progress beyond last year’s season finale?
The attendings joined forces to perform a double arm transplant on a former logger, and Karev masterminded a way to regenerate a 9-year-old girl’s trachea. Throughout, the Chief waxed on about the quality and brilliance of Seattle Grace’s doctors – does anyone else smell a moneymaking scheme? Arizona wins and accepts the prestigious Carter Madison grant, meaning she’ll get to develop pediatric surgery in Africa. The chance of a lifetime! Too bad her Seattle-bound girlfriend isn’t feeling a long-distance relationship. Lexie declares war against the hospital’s new security system, and although she wins a race through the metal detector, she forces the entire hospital into lockdown. But she ultimately wins the war, and the hospital removes the security system. Hey, Chief, that sounds like a considerable waste of money.
Oh yeah, Mandy Moore came back. This episode was full of impressive – and successful – surgeries, and it’s too bad for Mandy that her surgery wasn’t one of them. She never woke up from her routine colostomy reversal, and her husband had to take her off of life-support. Nice knowing you, Mandy.
We think this episode could’ve been decent, without the shaking camera and the painfully corny monologues. We also think these doctors wouldn’t allow a camera crew to follow them around for at least an entire day – especially not Christina or Meredith.
Grey’s, we suggest that you stop trying to be creative and stick to what you know, and we love (usually).
