Grey's Anatomy's "If/Then" Universe Mimics Reality

"...nothing is turning out the way I thought it would, it's like I don't even recognize my own life."-Meredith

Last night 'Grey's Anatomy' pulled a 'Fringe' and handed us an alternative universe. The writers clearly had fun coming up with if/then scenarios: Meredith was engaged to Alex, Dr. Webber was her step-father, Bailey was completely over-powered by Meredith's still-living mother, and Callie was married to Owen (with three kids!).

That being said, a lot of the alt-reality scenarios weren't that different: Addison and Derek, while still married, were on rocky ground throughout the episode. Mark Sloan even showed up at the end, admitting that he was the father of Addison's baby. Basically it was just a slightly alternative version of what happened in the First Season of 'Grey's'.

Other very familiar scenarios? Alex cheating on Meredith with Kepner. He's always been portrayed as a bit of a hound-dog, and having sex with colleagues in hospital rooms? Very 'Grey's Anatomy' Season One. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been wondering for a while if Alex and Kepner will get together, so seeing them making out wasn't a real surprise. They certainly have more chemistry than Meredith and Alex who, we all now know, should never, ever get together on the show for real. Seriously, no chemistry. At all.

Avery flirting with screwed-up/drug-addict/alt-reality Lexie was clearly a throwback to their relationship earlier this season, while the scene where Mark Sloan tried to save her life just made me wish harder for a Lexie/Sloan reconciliation.

At the end of the episode, we were left with the distinct feeling that lots of things were going to change, and that current reality wasn't too far away: Cristina knew Owen's secrets, and Callie was clearly attracted to Arizona. Also, Meredith and Cristina did shots of tequila at a bar (again, hello Season One!), and even quoted verbatim from the pilot episode. Oh, and at the very end of the episode, drunk Derek met drunk Meredith in a bar, and we all know where that led.

The episode concluded with Meredith's voice-over:
"Some things are going to work out as though they were destined to happen"

And that's fine. But, while the hour was fun for die-hard fans, I'm not sure what the purpose of this episode really was. Unlike on 'Fringe', this alternative reality is going away as quickly as it came. I do know one thing though, if the pilot episode of 'Grey's' had been this episode, I still would have watched the show.

'Grey's Anatomy': "

'Grey's Anatomy' is finally returning from hiatus tonight (ABC at 9/8C).

The episode is entitled "Suddenly", and I assume this signifies the fact that things are suddenly changing in numerous characters' lives.

Since it's been so long since the last episode (56 days!) let's recap: Teddy doesn't know about her husband's death, Owen and Cristina's relationship is on shaky ground since they disagreed about her abortion, Meredith and Derek don't know if they will get Zola back, and Meredith and Alex are still caught in a storm with a very sick baby and several seriously injured adults.

Here's the lengthier recap:
1) Teddy's husband needed immediate surgery, and she begged the new Chief, Owen, to let Cristina do it (awkward, since Owen is Cristina's husband).
2) Owen agreed with Teddy, provided that her husband's face remain covered so that Cristina did not know who she was operating on (again awkward, because Owen is Cristina's husband).
3) Teddy's husband died on the operating table, and Cristina was devastated (Owen, why didn't you see this coming? You're her husband!).
4) Meredith and Derek waited for news about their court case involving custody of their adopted daughter, Zola. It seemed more and more likely that they would not regain custody.
5) Meredith and Alex took an ambulance to a rural hospital to retrieve a baby who could only receive proper medical attention at Seattle Grace.
6) A huge storm raged outside, and the ambulance broke down on a curvy road. Shortly after Alex and Meredith had picked up the baby.
7) Because the ambulance was full of oxygen tanks, it could explode if hit, so Meredith and Alex argued about whether they should take the baby out of her incubator outside and into the storm.
8) The ambulance ended up getting hit by a car just as Meredith agreed that they should move outside.
9) The ambulance didn't explode.
10) Meredith and Alex were still spurred to move outside, and when they did they saw that they car that had hit them had rolled over, and ejected all of its passengers.

What might happen?
There's a chance that Cristina will ultimately blame Owen for allowing her to operate on Teddy's husband...and she may assume that part of why he caved to Teddy is that she is his ex-girlfriend.

Since Teddy's husband just died, and that will become a major plot issue, there's a chance that the writers might decide to give Zola back to Meredith and Derek.

And maybe the episode will try to be a little less depressing and allow the new baby and/or some of the ejected car crash victims to survive.

Oh, plus, promos have told us that Lexie (who was just dumped by her boyfriend because she's still in love with Mark), will be forced to work with Mark's new girlfriend on tonight's episode. Great.

Are They Leaving?

Which actors are choosing to leave their hit television shows?

Cuddy is leaving 'House'! Lisa Edelstein is officially leaving 'House' and will not return for next season. I am actually incredibly annoyed by this, because one of the only reasons I am still watching 'House' is because of the potential for a House/Cuddy relationship renewal (yes, I'm a "Huddy fan"). Olivia Wilde still has time on her contract, and that gives me a reason to keep watching. She and House are the only really interesting main characters, and now that I think about it, if they became involved romantically that would be a really interesting storyline.

Patrick Dempsey said in an interview with Italian Vanity Fair that he would be leaving 'Grey's Anatomy' at the end of next season. But he has recently stated that he was "taken out of context". I'm not sure how that's possible, but I do know that ABC was probably not pleased by his announcement. If people know that Patrick Dempsey is leaving they know that Ellen Pompeo will probably follow suit...and that will give people little motivation to watch next season. I'm wondering if that means that Patrick Dempsey has been ordered by ABC to muddy the waters about his choice to leave.


Read more about Lisa Edelstein's decision to leave 'House' here.

grey's anatomy season 7 finale: Unaccompanied Minor

'Grey's' Anatomy: The Seventh Season's Finale

what decisions the writers made and how they're flawed
evaluating "Unaccompanied Minor"
spoilers

All right, I suppose my last post proves that I watched 'Bones' last night instead of 'Grey's'. Honestly, it was kind of a toss-up, but I knew that the 'Bones' fans would be reacting like crazy online, and I knew there would be no way to avoid seeing the answer to the sex question somewhere. And boy, was I right. Almost immediately after the episode EW posted an article and the link literally contained the words 'pregnant'. I'm sorry EW, but placing spoiler alerts in your article isn't really good enough when you're going to give everything away in the title of your link...see-->http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/05/20/bones-season-6-finale-pregnant/.
All right, now that I'm done with that rant I'll get on to discussing 'Grey's'.

First of all, this is FULL of spoilers. So, if you don't want spoilers, don't read on. Seriously.

1. Meredith--She messed with the Alzheimer's Trial. That's an unrefuted fact. And, lucky for us Meredith is willing to own up to that. What she's not willing to own up to is the fact that it may not have been a good decision. This drives Derek crazy.

2. Derek--He finds out Meredith has screwed with his trial (and honestly, she really, really has, I mean all of his hard work is no longer scientifically valid). He says she's going to be a bad mother. Storms off. And refuses to answer her phone calls.

3. Alex--He was upset last week about Meredith's tampering with the trial and let his knowledge slip (drunkenly) to Owen. He is still pissed at Lucy (Understandably!). At the end of the episode Lucy tells him to ask her to stay and he says "go to hell". Thank you, Alex! After all if she had really 'agonized' about stealing that job out from under you then she wouldn't have to even say that to you. And what kind of a power trip is that woman on that she thinks she can screw up your life one minute and be the love of your life the next? I seriously dislike her character, and she has not done one thing to make her the least bit likable. Alex is getting drunk again at the end of this episode, which makes me wonder if the writers are setting him up for some sort of a depressed/abusing alcohol situation next season.

4. Owen--He's all kinds of wrong in this episode. First, Owen tells Alex he didn't get Chief Resident because he ratted Mer out. But we know that Alex did the right thing here. And isn't part of being Chief Resident doing the right thing? And disciplining your peers? (Avery even states this later in the episode). So why did Alex's slip cost him Chief Resident? Sure, he did it in a stupid way, but that's kind of beside the point. And Owen seems to suggest that being Chief Resident is a popularity contest, and that Alex can no longer do it because they all dislike him for what he did to Meredith. BUT Kepner is not at all popular (no one even congratulated her after she won!), and her peers don't think she deserved it...so I don't understand Owen's rationale at all. Of course, Owen's rationale is completely screwy the whole episode: see below.

How Owen's Anti-Women
When Owen finds out that Cristina is pregnant and that she doesn't want to keep the baby he goes off on her. Despite the fact that she has always, always said that she does not want children, he throws the whole 'marriage is a partnership' thing in her face. Owen, Cristina has always said she doesn't want children and you knew that when you married her. What? You think you're so special that your desires should have overpowered hers already? Plus, I don't even want to talk about your pro-life rant at your obviously emotionally distressed wife. What I found truly remarkable was the fact that Owen kept on saying that it should be their decision, when what he clearly meant was that Cristina should do what he wants. He kept on asking her to be quiet, and to listen to him. And she actually did (which is unusual for her, and shows that she does consider him). Besides, she clearly values what he has to say, because last week when he told her she was never going to be Chief Resident, and gave her a valid reason, she accepted it. She wasn't mad, she thought about what he had to say, and she agreed. But in this episode when she repeatedly came to him and said she had thought about it and she still wanted an abortion, he kept throwing "we're a couple, we should make decisions together" into her face. I'm sorry, but who is the one who will be carrying the baby? And whose career will be put on hold for nine months, and then really (to a certain extent) forever. Cristina points out that she's not coldhearted or anti-children, and that she knows that if she has a child she will love it (and consequently change her career path, life, etc.). And Owen laughs her off! Then, at the end when Cristina comes to him with tears in her eyes and says she is having the abortion he kicks her out! It would be one thing if Cristina had told him at some point that she wanted children one day and was then making this decision. She has always always said she never wants children, and Owen married her anyway. If children were so important to Owen he should have married someone who wanted them. What, Owen? You think that women can't have unchanging values or opinions? Oh wait, I forgot that women are idiotic creatures who have constantly changing life values, and who always do whatever their husbands want.

Problems with the Derek and Meredith Situation (Version 7.0):
I take issue with two things. For one, how does Meredith making a stupid decision about a research trial have anything to do with her being a bad mother? She says to Derek that he shouldn't see things in black and white, and that she agonized over the decision. Now, while I think we're pretty much all in agreement that she made the wrong choice, that doesn't mean that she's going to be a bad mother. Umm, Derek? Teaching your kids that decisions are hard and there isn't always an easy answer isn't exactly bad parenting.

And what I really don't understand is Meredith's reaction to their discovery: 'I can't tell you anything because if I don't tell you whose drugs I switched than it won't invalidate the trial'. Well, that would sort of make sense if this was a blind-trial (for those of you who aren't researchers...a blind-trial is when the physician administering the drug has no idea if it is a placebo or the real deal. This is helpful because later when he examines the patient and writes whether or not the 'drug' is working he is not biased by the knowledge that the patient did or did not receive the real drug). But we know for a fact that it wasn't a blind trial! Every time Derek administers the meds Meredith opens the envelope, everyone holds their breath, and then Derek reads whether he is administering the real deal or not. Which calls to question, who the hell designed this research study? Yes, I understand the random selection of who is receiving the drug so that personal favors/the person who 'needs' the drug more etc. don't play a role. But, honestly, if the study isn't blind I'm not sure how they can truly measure the progress of their participants. Sorry for that medical researcher's rant. Maybe ABC should hire me so that we can have a real discussion about how to conduct clinical trials! Also, Derek shouldn't be so upset at Meredith because his whole trial isn't valid anyway.

"Bones" vs. "Grey's"...all new episodes & sweeps

Do you watch "Grey's Anatomy" or "Bones"?
Here's when the new episodes are airing!
When they're both new, which one will you watch (take the poll)?

So, "Bones" is an all new episode tonight (the first of 7 new episodes!) and I couldn't be happier. In fact, I'm super relieved that I don't have to pick between "Bones" and "Grey's" (which is a rerun tonight). I've really liked the last couple of weeks where they've been alternating new episodes. It has almost lulled me into a 'awww, how sweet, Fox and ABC are taking turns' sense of calm. But, it's almost time for May sweeps, so pretty soon everyone's going to fight to the death cancellation.

I miss the good old days (of last season) when "Bones" was on at 8 and "Grey's" was on at 9. It was sooo perfect. "Grey's" had finally won me back (I originally quit watching around the 3rd season when Meredith was in her whiny look-at-me-suicide-who cares phase). And despite the disappointment of the musical episode I do care enough about Arizona, Callie, Mark, Lexi, and that baby that I'm willing to keep watching.


But just because I'm going to be watching "Grey's" doesn't mean I'll be watching it live. In fact, I'm really torn about which of the two shows I'll be tuning in during sweeps. I'm going to be watching the next two episodes of "Bones" (both new, while "Grey's" is still reruns) to see if there are hints of a Bones/Booth romance (and I mean a real one, not this game we've been playing for the last 3 years).
If Bones and Booth get together in any sense of the word, no way am I finding out about it online after the fact.

This happened once, will it happen again?

But then again, I don't want to miss the drama of Callie and Arizona's wedding either. And, lets be honest, "Grey's" is a little better at keeping it's promises than "Bones". At least Meredith and Derek ended up together, even if it took forever!

All I can say is, thank god "Bones" and "Grey's" aren't going to be competing again until they both have new episodes on April 28th. At least I'll have Hulu. Although I still think there's something special about the anticipation of watching a show when it first airs on television.

And not that it is in any sense a cancellation issue ("Bones" and "Grey's" are both way too successful), when April 28th comes I don't know what decision I'm going to make, do you?

Will You Watch "Grey's" or "Bones" on April 28th?

Will They or Won't They?

"Will they or won't they? Tune in next week to find out! And next week...and next week...and next week..."

Warning: contains spoilers.

Sometimes I get so tired of that question that I shut off my television, abandon the show, and refuse to watch it again until the characters' relationship is actually going somewhere. I know many producers believe that their show will lose steam once the characters actually get together, but honestly, there comes a point when I lose patience and I just need them to be a couple.

"Bones" is one of those shows. Now in its 6th season it has been clear from the get-go that the two main characters (Bones and Booth) are destined to get together. However, in their case, this destiny is taking far too long to arrive. They've proclaimed their love for each other, and contemplated entering into a relationship more times than I care to count. But nothing is happening. By the end of the 3rd season I couldn't take it any longer. I quit watching the show entirely. At the end of last season they promised that something would happen soon and so now I'm watching it again. Tentatively.
There are certainly other shows which have allowed their characters to get together, and even stay together (gasp!) happily. "Grey's Anatomy" did it with Meredith and Derek, and after having abandoned the show at the end of its 3rd season* (honestly, I couldn't stand Meredith's whining for another second) the show has found a second wind. And Meredith and Derek are happily married.



But seriously, Hart Hanson? If Bones and Booth don't begin a relationship by the end of this season , I may really be turning off your show for good.



*Apparently 3 years of suffering through onscreen sexual frustration is my max, maybe producers should take this into consideration...