Tomorrow, Thursday 27th
September, Season 9 of Grey’s starts. It’s possible this will be the last
season. It’s probable that this is the penultimate season and that 10 years of
Seattle Grace (Mercy West) will see the end of this brilliant medical drama.
There remains lots of scope for drama and heartbreak, romance and bloody
surgeries. I’ve had a go at listing my wishes for Season 9. There is no right
or wrong in this list and you may have your own hopes, if you do, join in below.
Meredith and Derek – real hard core grief,
kick ass Attending Meredith and not a repeat of Burke’s hand story.
It says a
lot when I can’t think of things I wish for for this couple. I love Meredith
and Derek but for me they are no longer the only glue in the show, in fact they
haven’t been for a while – in my eyes – they are part of the glue that includes
Cristina, Callie and Bailey. Patrick Dempsey has stated his surprise that their
relationship has survived all the stuff they’ve been through so I guess they
deserve to live as a family and deal with their loss as a family. This is new
territory for Meredith. Sure she lost her mother, but that was a very
dysfunctional relationship so grief was complicated and cold. She lost George
but he wasn’t family and ultimately quickly forgotten. But Lexie stuck and I
think this was the only healthy family relationship (aside from Derek and Zola)
that she’d experienced. It will be refreshing to see how Meredith copes with
this. And Meredith ‘as a Resident’ storylines never disappointed so I’m very
much looking forward to Meredith ‘the Attending’. And for Derek, I hope that he
deals with his hand injury the way normal mere mortals do rather than as a
surgeon with a God complex (aka Burke).
Cristina and Owen – a realistic resolution.
This is a tough one. I always thought that the writing of Owen’s affair was
retrospective, an ‘after thought’. I felt that there was such a strong response
to Cristina having the abortion that the writers realized that there was no
coming back from that for the couple, that no couple could really survive that.
So they introduced an affair to even the score a bit and show us (as if we
didn’t already know) that both sides of this relationship are deeply flawed. I
have never been a fan of Owen and never will be but equally I can’t see
Cristina finding love with anyone else in two seasons (working on the
assumption there are only two seasons left). A ‘realistic resolution’ could
possibly be the eventual permanent separation of this couple, with the end of
Grey’s Anatomy bringing the start of something new for Cristina.
Callie and Arizona – strength and DEPTH!
This is the story I am most looking forward to, which has the most potential
but which also has the most risk of disappointment. There is so much going on
with this couple after their easy, loving, happy Season 8 that Season 9 looks
to be strong and deep - Arizona losing her best friend, being in a plane crash
(given her fear of flying), suffering deeply traumatic life changing injuries (if
spoilers are to be believed); Callie also losing her best friend, who is also
the father of her child, dealing with the trauma suffered by her wife and
likely being (and coping as) a single parent for a good long while whilst
Arizona recovers, and then there could be the threat of legal action against
her and Jackson. (I believe that unseen scenes added into the DVD box set are
never deleted scenes, but are unused scenes that still hold value to the story
– there’s a law suit there for the taking). The problem is that when
expectation is high for a story the writers can under-deliver. Expectation IS
high. This is new exciting territory for the actors, the characters and the show,
please let it deliver.
Bailey (and Ben) – a proper visible relationship.
Shown on screen, the ups downs in and outs. I don’t want to see quick short 20
second moments which talk about all the stuff that happened off screen. And now
that her babies have graduated I want to see Bailey SHINE professionally.
Alex – personal maturity.
Alex is dysfunctional.
He’s always been this way, it is an inherent part of his character. But
seriously it’s now boring, repetitive and painful to watch. I rather they exit
his character (and I’m an Alex fan) than put us through yet another season of
Alex torture. Alex starts Season 9 in exactly the same way he started Season 8
AND by the way exactly the same way he started Season 7. Lets go down the list
– Season 7 he unceremoniously dumped Lexie and proceeded to bed hop his way
through PTSD, wallowing in miserable survivors guilt and fear until Bailey and
Webber pulled him out. Season 8 he’s weighed down with unbearable guilt about
dobbing in Meredith – by the way the right thing to do – though not seen as the
right thing by his friends. Season 9 will start with him suffering survivors
guilt again, being the one who should have been on the plane, being the one who
fought with Arizona before she left, who ‘let her down’, who failed to have a
mature conversation about his desire to go to Hopkins. (By the way, a side note,
I don’t for one second believe the character of Arizona would begrudge him a
job at Hopkins). I don’t care if Alex finds true love this season, I only care
that the writers take Alex on the same emotional journey as they took Mark in
Season 8. I want Alex to maintain his ‘rebel without a cause’ character but I
want the writers to show us that he is more ‘rebel with a cause’ by design not
as frequently portrayed, by accident.
Mark - a sensitive, devastating death.
There is no way
to legitimately remove this character from the show except killing him
off...unfortunately. I love Mark. If
you’ve read my previous blogs you will know that he is one of my favourite
characters. But even I know that anything other than death is a disservice.
After all the difficulty he’s had in relationships and parenting he would not
leave Sofia. No. Mark is the character that showed the most growth in Season 9.
He became a responsible parent to Sofia, already a supportive friend to Callie
he became a sensitive one to Arizona, recognizing her place in that family and
he became a teacher. But in the end he lost his love. Farewell Mark.
Richard - heartbreak and closure.
If there
is one story which MUST conclude in Season 9 it is the Adele Alzheimer story.
We may well see more of Richard and Dr Avery Snr but we absolutely must see
more of Loretta Devine’s beautiful performance as Adele. This is the heartbreak
story of this season.
April – self awareness.
Sarah Drew’s April
is perhaps the most under-used character in the show. Contrary to some opinions
I think she adds a lot of value when written well. She is different enough to
add a unique perspective, she has an intriguing antagonistic relationship with
Alex and Cristina which deserves exploring; her professional life is a mess
(though God only knows how it is that Jackson is an Attending and she isn’t);
she has a sixth sense in spotting the unseen; and her virginal storyline is a
nice moral compliment to the abortion dilemma with Cristina (though I doubt the
writers will EVER go there.) I hope the writers realize that used well April
can fulfill many different roles for the characters.
Jackson – exit.
Okay. That’s unrealistic,
but hey, this is MY wish list. Given that Shonda has already said she is
relying on Jessie Williams (and Justin Chambers) to step into the place vacated
by Eric Dane, in the man-whore-man-hero stakes I guess we will be seeing more
of him. So if he’s to stay then I can only hope that the writers give us a
reason to like him or invest in him. His acting range is unfortunately quite
narrow (if what we’ve seen already is anything to go by) so his character will
demand strong writing to get any kind of substance. I live in hope.
That’s it from me until Season Premiere is
over. Enjoy Thursday night!
Written by brouhaha aka @pipmaxine.
So glad to have you back!
ReplyDeleteGoing to read this as soon as I have my coffee break!
nice reading ;)
ReplyDeleteI like this list a lot. I definitely hope for Owen and Cristina to break up so Shonda's comments about them being 'made for each other' is rather confusing to me; I can't believe someone who would shame the other for the way they feel about their body is considered romantic.
ReplyDeleteI definitely want Alex to continue to grow. I feel like they've laid all the groundwork and now it's time for him to take a step forward. I hope that he gets more involvement with Arizona because I really love seeing a mentor relationship where sex isn't involved. Plus, I feel like they've developed their relationship to an almost sibling level, where Arizona is kind of relating Alex to her dead brother. Man, I actually want them to approach their own sibling issues.
Nice list, and I agree with a lot of what you said. Especially about giving Avery something to do to make him more likeable.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with you a bit on the Cristina-Owen thing. Yes, they both come off as abrupt and savage, but that does not mean they are abusive. Both these characters suppress their emotions so much while they process what ever happened to them- Either one's PTSD, the Abortion, the Affair, that when it finally reaches the surface, it just explodes! They've kept it in for so long, they cannot control how, when, and where it happens! They are both lit fuses, they are both unconventional, there is a rawness to what they feel, a nakedness to their emotional character that pulls them together. If I was Cristina, and I had to choose, I would choose Owen's open aggression over Burke's passive-aggressive manipulation any day!
ReplyDeleteWho shamed someone for the way they feel about their body? I must have missed something last season.
ReplyDeleteThere was a whole season about it. Cristina didn't want to have a baby and Owen tried to make her feel bad about it, even cheating on her because she had an abortion.
ReplyDeleteHmmm. I find Owen to be much more passive-aggressive than Burke ever was. I just can't forgive him for marrying her when she was at her lowest and suffering the effects of PTSD. Then trying to make her feel horrible about a decision she had made about her own body, trying to guilt and emotionally manipulate her into having a child.
ReplyDeleteAs per usual we see eye to eye (Sara Ramirez EP reference lol)
ReplyDeleteNow I completey agree Meredith has to morne the death of her sister. if she didn't it would cheapen the relationship that they developed. there growth was more than a throwaway relationship. I def don't want to see Burke 2.0 in Derek.
I'm over Crowenn, I can't fathom them still being together after all that's gone on. there is still the issue of the child. it would be a disservice to the character and to the fans if Cristina bends & has a child.
I so need depth w/ az & Callie. there is so much potential for this couple, the storylines r bountiful, but has to be written and executed properly.
there is no way Mark leaves this show live he has to die and I'm fine w/ that even though I love Mark.
Alex has to grow up they have to give Justin better material. I'm tired as well of
the repetitive story w/ him.
That's the thing, though- He never tried to manipulate her into having the child. He kicked her out to distance himself, and stopped talking while he was processing the fact that Cristina did not want his child and the reason was simply that she didn't want one. He was not done processing when Mer made him come out and support Cristina's decision by forcing him to see just how much of a disaster it could be if Cristina was forced to have this child, because she would not have the abortion without Owen's consent. So he put his stuff aside and supported Cristina then. He obviously thought, that with the baby gone, he could just not deal with it, and have things as they were. But what he tried to put aside was something major, and he should have stayed away from Cristina until he could accept what happened. He never understood WHY Cristina never wanted a child, how was he supposed to accept it? I'm all for a woman's right to choose, but you cannot completely discount a man's feelings: Especially if the man is the husband, and he doesn't get a reason other than, "Because I said so".
ReplyDeleteAnd try and think about it from his point: Did Cristina ever acknowledge that what Owen had to do took a super-human effort on his part? Was she ever sensitive to the fact that he gave in to her wishes on something he thought was really, really major, even though he strongly disagreed? How could she not see that it was ripping into him every time she was all gooey over Zola, when she refused to consider having her own even for a moment? How oblivious can some one get? He exploded- But was still not done. For whatever reason, therapy failed- neither of them's any good at acknowledging what they really feel!
It took Owen sleeping with another woman for no other reason other than to punish Cristina, for him to realize that they need to work on things if they can work things out. Cristina appears to have had the same realization- that she cannot browbeat him into what she wants all the time. She's finally realized that Owen's her person, he needs to come first, not Meredith. Cristina's my favorite character, and I really want her to work on this with Owen- whether they work things out as a couple is not the point, for me, anyways- She's had a breakthrough in as much as she admitted to Mer that Owen comes first- I would love to see her grow, so she can have a successful relationship in the future, even if it's not with Owen. She has realized that there can only be two people in a relationship, now she needs to realize that consideration and thoughtfulness can fix most things- I'm excited about that.
Owen's not a complete victim here- He knew well before he even proposed that Cristina did not want kids. He just brushed it aside as a youthful idiosyncrasy. Thing is, Cristina has to be around 35-old enough to know her mind. Owen assumed that she'd change her mind, without actually talking to her about it. These are two emotionally stunted people who want different things, suck at communicating, but who love each other deeply. The possibilities to tell this story are endless, as far as I'm concerned! Can't wait! Oh- and sorry for the novel!
They should have had Jackson on the plane- That way, Mark would have had a great storyline this season- He's happy with julia, but he just lost the true love of his life, does he lash out, or grieve quietly, does he break up or takes things slow after explaining to Julia- He and Callie would have helped each other through the whole thing!
ReplyDeleteI want Eric Dane back!!!!
ReplyDeleteSo do I. *crying bitch baby tears since the announcement*. To be honest I am less excited to see S9 because he's not going to be in it for long.
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of it especially when it comes to Crowen. I would prefer if they broke up now and got to develop a friendship through the season. They are too damaged and the issue with the child is something that you can't really compromise on. Sandra Oh and Kevin Mc Kidd have amazing chemistry but that's not enough to salvage it. It would take spectacular writing to make me root for this couple again.
ReplyDeleteI like Jackson. He is indeed my least favourite of the remaining characters but I feel that his romance with April brings another layer to the character.
Gosh, I LOVE the novel and you make some seriously good points. Honestly i've not read a better explanation of Owen's behaviour and it seems to have merit. Hat tip. But taken over all I have little sympathy for them as a couple - marry in haste repent in leisure as they say and NO sympathy at all for Owen. "What is it about men" in Season 8 confirmed to me just what kind of man he is. If you're interested in how I came to that view you can read it here...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.spoilertv.com/2011/10/greys-anatomy-episodes-804-what-is-it.html
"They should have had Jackson on the plane" OMG yes!
ReplyDeleteNeither. Both men are flawed in deeply disturbing ways. I want Mark...or Derek....or Alex....
ReplyDeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteI struggle a great deal to like Jackson unfortunately. But if he's here to stay then I only wish Shonda gives us something more to him. *sighs*
ReplyDeletelet's hope so!
ReplyDeleteThat episode was- I still don't get it- Was it MEANT to be funny, or was it so bad it ended up being funny? And seriously, Chief or not, any doctor who'd do what Owen did would be suspended right away, maybe even arrested! Ah, well, Shondaland, where men walk away without facing the music, be it Derek or Mark or Owen or Jackson- unless, ofcourse, you're Alex.
ReplyDeleteDerek McDreamy- Let's see, Married, doesn't tell you, Tells you he's leaving her, but stays with her anyways, Calls you names when you try to move on, cheats on his wife with you, pouts when you're trying to deal with your crap, cheats on you, you still take him back, messes up and gets drunk and runs to the woods, has zero tolerance for anybody's mistakes but his own... Quick! wake me up! I don't like this dream anymore!!
ReplyDeletelol! Okay okay. Good points. He's off the list. I'll have Mark - flaws and all!!
ReplyDeleteAbout the only gutsy thing Jackson did so far was dumping Lexie- Thank God SOMEBODY had enough self-respect to not be with someone who was in love with another! Enough to build on and turning him into a solid character? Dunno.
ReplyDeleteI haven't watched it since and hope never too - unless it's to watch the Mark only bits on fast forward ;)
ReplyDeleteGrudgingly I shall give you that.
ReplyDeleteThat's a pretty good description of Owen but I still have no sympathy for him. Cristina saying she didn't want children and then Owen saying he assumed she would change her mind and then tried to browbeat her and tell her there was something wrong with her multiple times, even in therapy just skeeves me out way too much.
ReplyDeleteI wouldnt have mined that i would've missed his shirtless scenes tjough
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what you said about Owen and his one night stand. It always felt like the writers had backed themselves into a corner with the abortion storyline and rather than have Christina and Owen hash out their differences, they chose to make Owen the 'bad guy' so to speak as an easy way out.
ReplyDeleteMark - I'm sad! Losing Lexie and Mark is a double blow for me as they were two of my favourite characters (apart and together). It's even worse because if there was anything propping up Jackson's character, it was Mark. And now we're just left with Jackson, and that thought is already putting me to sleep! Good to have you back btw!!
- I think Richard made his peace with the Adele situation last season. I doubt they'll revisit it too heavily. This season will be more of a fresh start for him.
ReplyDelete- Alex will always be dysfunctional in one way or another but has been slowly & steadily maturing for the last three seasons. Alex doesn't really need to grow up much anymore. He just needs some better luck in his life.
- Bailey & Ben - Not interested. I never really warmed up to Ben.
- "...not a repeat of the Burke hand story" I'll definitely cosign this.
- "Christina and Owen - a realistic resolution" I'll also cosign this.
No-I'm assuming she's that old- She has a PhD and an MD, from different schools, so they were not done concurrently-That's where I got that number. And that's not like, say, a 20 year old saying something like "I'll never have kids"- or my 12 year old saying "I'll never drink"- At 35, you're not saying things just to be different- You've had time to think things over, enough life experience, and all that. There are exceptions, I know, but usually, by your mid-late 30s, you know what you want and what works for you. Owen telling Cristina that she'd change her mind or whatever was a bit ridiculous- she's not 20- She's not just rebelling against the norm for the heck of it!
ReplyDeleteWell I think with regards to Alex we will disagree. Alex behaves like a child consistently. His one saving grace is his ability as a doctor and his passion for his patients but he's always been a good doctor and always been passionate and goes the extra mile. In my opinion that is never in doubt but little has changed regarding his attitude or his ability to talk to and relate to other adults in a mature way. He can't do it. I would almost say he's regressed because the best most adult moment was when he dumped Izzie in her final episode. But he fails everywhere else. He's a bully and shows utter contempt to April, his chief resident, (her behaviour is irrelevant to this point). With Morgan, even when he knew what was going on he chose to ignore her, avoid her and when pushed almost bully her. If I were Arizona I'd tell him to go ****off if he behaved to me the way he behaved to her. Yes she should have helped him more but going behind her back was immature, not having a proper conversation with his mentor was immature. His attitude to the 5th year dinner was like a sullen petulant teenager (as was Avery and April) - these guys are now SENIOR DOCTORS. But perhaps that introduces us to a bigger point, which is - are any of those three really mature enough to be Attendings. This will be a real challenge for the writers who for so long have kept a 'maturity' teacher student gap between the residents and Attendings. That gap really needs to disappear now.
ReplyDeleteFor Alex this is not about luck, it's not about his ability to be a doctor or relate to his junior patients it's his ability to relate to other adults.
Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI am also very sad to lose Lexie and Mark, both likeable characters able to play straight or humorous.
Your point about Jackson is sound. Actually both Lexie and Mark propped up Jackson's character. Now I'm just depressed even more. I guess this means that we will have a lot of Jackson quite early on if Shonda realises this too. Hopefully she will realise that nothing can prop him up anymore and get rid. The character of his mother is so very strong that her presence really does show that Jackson is weak. Hmm, can you tell I'm not a fan...
Alex does act like a child but does so intermittently, not consistently. If we're talking about a pissy attitude at a dinner or not handling a few situations with colleagues well (especially with a chief resident who won't stand up for herself and allows her subordinates to routinely walk all over her), then Alex can join the esteemed league of approximately half of all doctors in America.
ReplyDeleteAlex is never going to morph into a Gregory Peck film character. He doesn't hold his emotions in and sometimes he doesn't think before he speaks. I don't see any of that changing.
You've chosen to highlight a handful of instances that simply show Alex's social shortcomings. I say big deal. Alex used to be a completely self-destructive person. He made decisions that endangered himself and those around him. Now, all people have to complain about is his occasionally off-putting attitude. That makes him no different than most doctors.
Just like any other real doctor, it's not necessary that you always find him to be likeable. You just have to be able to count on him. That's one thing that Alex has proven.
As I said I don't question his medical abilities and April's conduct is irrelevant to the point. Just because she can't manage him does not excuse his bullying or insubordination. If someone attacks me and I struggle to fight back doesn't mean I deserve to be attacked nor does it make it right. He is incapable of having a meaningful discussion with his boss about this career. Actually I'm struggling to think of Season 8 examples of where he's had a normal adult conversation with anyone other than Meredith in the Ambulance (but it's always possible they are there). That is the one example where he's still Alex but showing a more mature side. One, in 24 episodes. These are not social shortcomings.
ReplyDeleteThe way he talks to Morgan is not 'off putting behaviour" it's bullying of a mother with a dying baby. Again, Morgan's behaviour is irrelevant because as the objective Doctor on the case he should be able to deal with the parents of his patients sensitively and professionally. He was shouted at by Arizona way back in Season 5 or Season 6 for that. That is not of a pissy attitude, but an inability to deal with adults and more specifically parents of his patients.
I don't want him to morph into Gregory Peck film character, I like him, I'm just tired of him constantly being portrayed as having the attitude of an med student or intern when he's a 5th year bordering on Attending.
LIke I say, we disagree, but I do like to read other points of view.
I continue to disagree about the perceived severity of his behavior but fair enough. I also like to read differing points of view with people like yourself who can keep it civil and highbrow.
ReplyDelete