**Can I spoil a show that has been on the air for like 30 years? I’m talking about Grey’s Anatomy. You watch it because you already know what’s going to happen.**
Grey’s Anatomy is the love of my life. Since the moment I first laid eyes on Meredith Grey, I knew she was my person and that watching her be a slutty doctor was exactly my shit. At the time, I was 14-years old. I was in 8th grade. The show was adult and exciting. My best friend and I argued over which one of us was the Meredith and which one of us was the Cristina. She gave up on the show years ago, so she is, in fact, the Cristina (you’re welcome, Anna).
I still watch over 15 years later. The summer after Grey’s Anatomy premiered, my dad died and something about the show’s unrelenting optimism around death clicked with me even more. In fact, his wisdom has been in my life for so long, I usually post a photo of Richard Webber on Father’s Day along with my dad’s. Grey’s Anatomy wasn’t just my favorite show, it was my everything.
When I had a crush on a guy at school who liked another woman? She was my personal Addison and Meredith’s “Pick Me, Choose Me, Love Me” monologue was my personal anthem. My classmates liked cooler shows like The O.C. and Laguna Hills or whatever shit, but I was all in on Grey’s Anatomy. When Burke got shot early in the show (there are so many shootings), I screamed. I cried for two days straight. In between seasons, when my mom would make me do my nightly prayers, I’d pray for the cast and crew of Grey’s Anatomy that they would return safely the next season to continue the story.
My mom was so worried she insisted I see a therapist.
Anyway, my connection with the show is deep and this is why I’ve watched for so long. It’s the only explanation I can offer. Friends have started rewatches or they get a few seasons into it watching for the first time and eventually fall off when Callie starts coma singing, but few still watch like I do.
It was only a few seasons ago that Grey’s hit a renaissance period. They found a wonderful rotation of interns they didn’t immediately slaughter and found new ways to realistically mature their characters. Meredith was achieving heights in her career. Alex was becoming a family man. It was great. But then, Justin Chambers left the show and everything kinda fell apart.
His “goodbye” episode (Chambers left between seasons so he wasn’t able to shoot anything), was an absolute butterball of a mess. It marks the end of the new “good” period of Grey’s. Mostly through narration, Alex explains that he ran away with Izzy and they have kids and then we see the kids…weirdly re-enacting Alex and Izzy’s relationship? Basically, it was meant to pull at the heartstrings of long time viewer’s and it was cheap.
When Grey’s is at its worst, it’s just cheap emotional manipulation and with its take on COVID-19, that’s what the show has fallen on. They know they can’t kill off any of the main cast, so they’re just wheeling in relatives of characters for us to cry over. The relationship-building is so rushed it’s almost comical. Not to mention Meredith’s COVID-induced nostalgia cameos from Derek and George that made absolutely no sense and were kind of unbearable to watch.
The thing is, if you’re a real Grey’s-head, you know the show has ebbs and flows and you accept and love that about it. Grey’s Anatomy is like the weather, it always comes back around eventually. The show still has one of the most talented casts on TV and at some point, someone will be like “Oh, let’s give them a script that makes sense” and all will be right with the world. At least, I hope.
I will never be ready to give up on Grey’s Anatomy. My grandma watched The Young and the Restless until her final days and I long ago accepted this my fate with Grey’s. I will say, I actually do like what they’re doing with Jo and Avery, but those are two characters I’ve always hated. It tells you how far things have gone off the rails when they’re the best part of the show.
It’s ok, Grey’s, just like Meredith’s COVID or Richard’s poisoning or Burke’s gunshot wound or Amelia’s tumor or Denny’s pacemaker or DeLuca’s manic breakdown, we’ll get through this difficult period together and only come out stronger.
What else have I been watching?
Here’s a quick list of all the TV I watched over the weekend. Listen to the podcast this Friday or support the Patreon to read my full reviews.
Baby God (HBO) - Holy shit this documentary is very good. I don’t know why people aren’t talking about it. It’s the story of the fertility doctor who used his who sperm to impregnate tons of people. While this has been spun off into some cheerful TV shows, it’s actually a horrifically dark story and he was a pedophile and wow, I loved the show Almost Family, but I guess it’s okay it’s gone.
I Love A Moma’s Boy (TLC) - You know I love trash and I actually enjoyed getting through Smothered, but this lacks the insanity of the original.
Shameless (Showtime) - Oh god, Shameless is back and you know what? They’re doing their best. The show was never going to be good without Fiona and it’s embraced becoming a different thing. I think it’s okay that this new thing is ending this season.
Saved By The Bell (Peacock) - I loved the pilot of this revival, but I can’t watch more of it because I refuse to pay for Peacock.
Giving Voice (Netflix) - This documentary about the August Wilson Monologue Competition is out now. It’s very good and you should absolutely watch it before you watch Ma Rainey this Friday.
Men in Kilts (STARZ) - Uh, this show is super charming and I’m very excited for the Christmas special now? It’s part of my “soothing TV that makes my brain feel warm” list.
90 Day Fiancé (TLC) - Obviously, still covering this weekly for Vulture, but I just want to highlight the moment Rebecca realized she was making a big mistake:
I noticed this trend on tiktok where white kids are like “I wasn’t raised by a Karen, I was raised by cool white people” then they just show like, their white mom in a tyedye shirt doing tarot. Anyway, I commented on that and white people on Instagram Reels got mad.
Thank you for listening to my episode with Seth Rogen and Roxane Gay, I really appreciate it. I’m glad it brought people joy! This Friday’s episode is also full of joy! Then we’re taking the holidays off so no new episodes until January! And thanks to everyone supporting the patreon/this newsletter! You all are getting some holiday content, I promise!
People still miss my Twitter account. I’m sorry I let you down.
Leave Lizzo alone.
There was a new moon yesterday, I felt weird. Did you feel weird? The Grand Conjunction is on the 21st and that’s gonna be real weird.
Next week I have my “Best TV of the Year” and “Best Me of the Year” lists dropping right here on this newsletter and I can’t wait to get it right after seeing all these websites get it wrong.
Ok, see you Friday with my end of the week TV round up. I wouldn’t let you go into the weekend without some TV recommendations!
In the future, the Tuesday edition of this newsletter will be PAID/Patreon-Subscriber ONLY, but through the end of the year, I’m sharing them for free so you can know what you’re paying for. That being said, if you subscribe now, you get a discount: