You've watched the episode and shared your thoughts with our site, as well as with fellow fans, via comments and forum discussions. Now it's time to read what writer Allan Heinberg has to say about the newest Grey's Anatomy drama.
On the show's official writers blog, Allan has posted his thoughts on "The Heart of the Matter." Follow the link at the bottom for the full column. Excerpts below...
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Not long ago, one of my smartest and most soulful friends found herself in the middle of a brutal divorce at exactly the same time my own ten-year relationship imploded. We were both wrecked, but we got through it by convincing ourselves and each other that with time and therapy, we'd be able to let go and move on.
A year and a half later, it still wasn't happening.
I mean, even if I was able to let go of all my anger and be grateful for the 10 years we had together, how was I supposed to get in touch with him after 16 months of terrible silence and say, "I forgive you"? What the hell does he care if I've forgiven him. He's probably already moved on and doesn't feel he needs it.
So what did I do? I did what most television writers do when they need the answer to one of life's unanswerable questions: I wrote a Grey's Anatomy episode about forgiveness and hoped to learn something along the way.
George cheated on Callie. He did. He didn't mean to, exactly. George has proven himself to be a principled, loving person in the past. But in a moment of angry, drunken weakness, he fell into bed with his best friend and apparently fell in love with her, too. Then George lied to Callie about it. For a long time.
When he did finally tell Callie about his infidelity, he didn't say he was in love with Izzie. He told her he'd slept with her. Maybe because he didn't want to hurt Callie any more than he already had. Or perhaps because he was hoping she'd be the one to end the marriage so he wouldn't have to?
Instead, George got a response he'd never considered. Callie forgave him. For Callie, that's what you do - especially when you've made a lifelong commitment to someone - you forgive him. No matter what. That's what love's about, right?
So Callie forgave George. And George suddenly found himself paralyzed - unable to move - until it became clear that Callie, in fact, did not forgive George.
In spite of her best efforts, she'd been hurt, betrayed, and humiliated to the point where forgiveness was impossible. And she had no forgiveness for Izzie - even if Izzie seems to have finally realized that, while she and George may be the heroes of their own love story, in Callie's story, they're the bad guys.
Follow the link to continue reading Allan Heinberg's blog ...
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16 Comments
October 19th, 2007 2:32 PM
hey
im actually happy callie didnt forgive george. I was pissed when she said she forgave him and not izzie i mean they both did wrong things but even tough she loved him he was the one that was commited to her he was his HUSBAND the one that had the responsability to be faithful respectul and noy hurt her he was the one that cared about her because he is part of the marriage and izzie not so she may noy be affected as much for the situation as she doesnt even like callie but george hes the one who deserved the most not to be forgiven
for the fisrt time this episode i really felt bad for callie she didnt deserved that she seemed so lost so sad in the rain scene and at the end it must be terrible what shes going thru
i hope gizzie work it out because if george after all he did decides he feels "guilty" and cant be with izzie or just go back to callie after all that he did to her then im gonna be so pissed gizzie just have to be together they love each other theres no reason to keep posponing it and if they arent then theres just not going to be a good reason for that to happen
October 20th, 2007 1:59 AM
I for one would like to see some happiness especially for Mer and Derek..and i think its even going to be even more of a remarkable extension of Derek's forgiveness if he continues to show Meredith that he loves her especially at this point in their relationship. THis is the beauty of grey's anatomy--the human-ness of their stories and the depthness of their emotions, and not some overly and superficially acted out drama.
October 20th, 2007 4:26 AM
I really think that Izzie n George would make a great couple! But they have been going through alot lately especially with Callie n Alex! eventually the whole hospital will noe about them...but they should work things out, and find a way to be together! It has been tough on Izzie n George, they must be so guilt stricken..which makes me worried for them! Callie has her reasons to act the way she did. They did deserve a "beating" from her, she is after all his wife! But...i want it over and done with. Gizzie needs to find peace and love!
October 20th, 2007 4:27 PM
I thing that Izzie and geroge will make a good couple! Izzie gets George, she is his ´person´, and the fact is, he never should have married Callie! Not to mention so soon after his father's death, which he hadn't dealt with! The fact is marrying Callie was his way of not dealing with his father's death! It was rushed, and wrong on so many levals!
With or without the affair with Izzie that marriage would have never lasted! Not in the long run!
That being the case, Izzie and George have hurt and they should both have equal share of the quilt! As for Izzie being the outcast, that is wrong! She didn't force George into anything, in fact, Meredith did just the same with Derek and she wasn't as punished as that! In fact I seem to remember that Christina stood by her all the way, as did Alex, as did George, as did Izzie! Now they should do the same for Izzie!
October 20th, 2007 9:27 PM
It's getting annoying! People need to stop comparing the Meredith/Derek thing to George/Izzie...they were very different situations.
Mer didn't know Der was married in the beginning; after she found out, she tried to stay away from him...and was very professional with Addie the entire time (loved how both women acted in that situation!). Also, Addie knew going into the "trying again" phase that Meredith and Derek had been together...and that Der had feelings for Mer. Yeah, then prom happened and was bad, but Derek ended the marriage right away after that...and he had already told Addie how he felt about Mer...the marriage was basically dead by this point, and everyone moved on as best they could. All people involved pretty much knew what they were involved in...weird, but oddly honest.
With George/Izzie, she knew the FIRST time they slept together; drunk-as-an-excuse only extends so far. Iz had bad mouthed Callie both before and after he married her; she didn't support his decision and she was supposed to be his best friend (Mer supported and semi understood Der's decision to stay with Addie...even if it was stupid). And after they slept together, George continued to lie about it for a LONG time...he even went so far as to agree to have a BABY with Callie, when he knew he didn't want that. And Iz spent all her time questioning him about how he felt about her, what was going to happen next, and when he was going to leave his wife....and her interactions with Callie were either mean or fake-nice. In this case, Callie didn't have a clue as to what was going on, when Gizzie should have been honest with her if they "loved" each other as they thought they did. No matter how mad at her they were, she deserved to be treated with respect and honesty.
As I said, completely different situations and reactions to them.
October 21st, 2007 1:00 PM
I think that Callie did the right thing when she confronted Izzy. I hope that we have more groovy episodes
October 21st, 2007 2:05 PM
Those of you who think Izzie and George make a good couple - you're idiots. Sorry.
For one, Izzie falls in love with a different guy each and every season. She's confused, immature, and emotionally fickle.
George has gone through more melodrama from the beginning of the season - slept with Meredith (disaster), dated Callie (who he really does like as a friend) and then ACCIDENTALLY slept with Izzie while drunk and now, convinced by the melodramatic Izzie - he's in love with her??? I don't think so -- he's in love with the idea of having accidentally slept with his best friend who is blond, popular, and out of his league. He wants to be accepted.
Meanwhile, the Writers of Grey's continue to string us along with this immature love triangle when the only person who has SOME sense in this is Callie. And SHE's the one being hurt - constantly. I hope Callie dumps George and makes him feel like the complete and total IDIOT he is for not ending the relationship himself. And I hope George runs to Izzie, right after Izzie falls in love with another patient (predictable, writers). Because as we know, Izzie doesn't stay in love with ANYONE beyond one season.
And if the writers had any sense, they'd let the George character come out because he's obviously not having ANY luck with women. It'd make total sense for him to just be who he is. The emotional struggle that he constantly goes through with women is that of acceptance. It happened with his dad, with his brothers, with women, everything. George is a classic case of self-denial in a closeted gay man. He needs to come out and just BE who he is and stop having meaningless sex with fickle girls like Izzie and stop hurting mature women like Callie.
Come on, writers - get writing.
October 21st, 2007 4:57 PM
somehow greys seem missing something, i cant describe it.. the characters are in this circle of destruction or somthing that no one gets what they want...
October 21st, 2007 11:29 PM
I agree with missoldgreys. I want the old drama, not a silly soap opera. The old Grey's had the interns considering big questions of life as they watched their patients face even graver difficulties. I don't care about Izzie and George.
I do love Mer/Der, but I wish we had the old cockie Meredith who threw him out the morning after and within hours realized how serious her job really was when her very first patient coded and she knew Alex misdiagnosed an old person. This whiny Meredith is no fun and not attractive - chasing around after Norman was just dumb. Old Meredith was smarter than that! Making Derek act like the pushy, arrogant Burke doesn't fit either. I liked it better when we had the pathos of Meredith dealing with her Mom's disease. Maybe we will see her deal with the grief of her father now -- that would put her back in a mature role, I think. But I do hope Derek stops being such a bully -- he's trying to make Meredith be the perfect wife he couldn't get Addison to be. It's his problem, not hers. That's not how marriage works. And does anyone remember that Meredith was the first to declare her love to Derek? Why does she get no credit for that, and why doesn't he take any of the blame on himself for hurting her so much when he 1) never told her he was married and 2) left her to go back to his wife?
I hope they get happiness soon. This is getting boring.
October 22nd, 2007 1:20 AM
Callie Rocked. When she told Izzie "don't come to me for forgiveness you traitorous bitch" That was just damn good.
I can't handle the fact that Izzie thinks that it is ok for her to have done what she did with George. I mean come on. You spent days after days moping after Denny. And then suddenly you are in love again? with your best friend? I totally agree with Karev. At least feel some remorse for Callie. And if she wants to kick your ass, let her do it and then some more.
It isnt Callie's fault that George didnt have the brains to have known it was a mistake from the start. He once admitted that he will fall in love with Callie "soonish" because he was still hung up on Meredith. He should have known then, that this was not a marriage material relationship.
And after one night of drunken sex, he is in love with Izzie. Most probably it might turn out to be a mistake too. And then he will justify it by saying,
"I made a mistake by being being with Callie cos I didnt know how to handle rejection by Meredith. I married Callie because I didn't know how to handle my father's death. And then I went on and made another mistake with Izzie cos I didnt know how to handle being married to a wrong woman. Now who shall I commit another mistake cos I can't handle Izzie being everywhere around me!"
But I still love Izzie, because her love story with Denny was one of my fav. And I still love George.. Cos he is just ...George after all.
And now Callie has joined my fav list.