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02/22/2006: "Grey's backlash"
Song of the Day: INXS - Elegantly Wasted
It seems there has been some outrage over Meredith sleeping with George on Grey's Anatomy this past Sunday night. A column on TVGuide.com posted the address for a website where the show's writers blog about their episodes, and the woman who wrote the Meredith/George episode wrote a particularly poignant entry about the hook-up. I started scanning the comments that readers had left, and one thing stuck out in my mind: people who were opposed either found George gross (which just baffles me, I'd take him over McDreamy and McSteamy anyday), or else they insisted that the writer had crossed the line as far as what viewers wanted to see and what they didn't want to see. Television show writers, these people claimed, have a duty and obligation to give viewers what they want.
This stance made me realize (or maybe just confirmed what I already knew) why people of ordinary Television IQ could never appreciate Buffy, or Angel, or any of Joss Whedon's other creations. Because Joss Whedon is the expert of stabbing his viewers in the back and making them want to thank him for it. He's always acutely aware of what viewers want, the relationships viewers want to see, the characters viewers want to live, and he goes out of his way to make sure no one gets it. It's frustrating and heartbreaking, but at the same time, leads to a more satisfying viewing experience. What's the point of watching a television show if you're constantly handed everything you want and expect, and there's no element of surprise or conflict? Playing it safe is boring.
Because really, how long could George play puppy-dog eyes at Meredith before it became old? Now they'll have to deal with the consequences of the hook-up, and from the previews for next week, it looks like Meredith instantly regrets it. Now the breaking of that trust, and the subsequent rebuilding of it, along with George coming to terms with finally knowing where he stands with Meredith and trying to move on, will make for an infinitely more interesting and emotional experience than endless episodes of George telling everyone how much he loves Meredith but how he'll never be able to tell her. Because as adorable as it was when he kept telling Meredith things like "You smell nice today" when the interns were all eating lunch, it would become stale if it stayed that way forever.
According to the aforementioned TVGuide.com column, this season of Grey's has a total of 27 episodes, 19 of which have aired, with 8 left. That more than makes up for the first season only being 9 episodes long.
Replies: 4 Comments
Yeah, I remember after Serenity first came out, and even after some of the prescreenings, a lot of 'fans' were outraged about Wash and some went so far as to call Joss a hack. Most of these people were the ones having multiple nerdgasms over the teasers and viral media campaign leading up to the film, yet they couldn't handle the little dose of realism and conflict that he put into the film.DPearl, Thursday, February 23rd
It's funny that the creators chose to make the Burke/Christina relationship the one in which the girl moves in with the guy, and it's the relationship that most viewers would like to be the Merideth/McDreamy relationship.Shannon, Thursday, February 23rd
I just can't wrap my head around the appeal of Joss Whedon, period.j!!, Thursday, February 23rd
If any guy did any of this in real life--sleeping with his underlings, lying about being married (regardless of the circumstances), and ditching you for his wife in the end anyway--you women would be at his house with torches. You sure as hell wouldn't be pining after him, like Meredith has been.Brad, Thursday, February 23rd