Shonda Rhimes: So Much in Store For Season Five
The woman behind Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice recently gave E! tons of gossip, rumors and spoilers for the upcoming fifth season.
Let's dispense with the intro and get right to it. Check out what Shonda Rhimes had to say, then sound off with comments and reactions:
Q: Where is the story taking us next season?
Shonda Rhimes: I think a lot of the focus is going to be on the five core interns we've gotten to know — who aren't interns anymore — George (T.R. Knight), Izzie (Katherine Heigl), Cristina (Sandra Oh), Alex (Justin Chambers) and Meredith (Ellen Pompeo). I really want to focus on them as they deal with the next step in their training. We're also going to spend a lot of time with Mark (Eric Dane), Derek (Patrick Dempsey), Callie (Sara Ramirez) and Erica (Brooke Smith) and see their interactions.
Q: On to MerDer, are you tired of talking about them?
Shonda Rhimes: I was until I got them together. Now it's a whole new world. There's a whole host of problems that come with Meredith and Derek being together, and a whole host of other storylines, drama and excitement. So I'm really excited about them being together, because I feel like what I wanted you to leave with last season is Meredith standing in that field, having done this incredible thing, and the look on her face is a little bit like, "Oh my God, now I actually have to do this." That's important.
Q: Is it more fun for you to write them together?
Shonda Rhimes: Absolutely. It was a real challenge to figure out how to get them together...how to get Meredith to the place where she was healthy enough to make this step with Derek. Now that she's made the step with Derek, it's really exciting to see what's going to come next and how she's going to deal with living with a boy, and all the things a man like Derek, who has been married and is a grown-up, might expect.
Q: MerDer is living together? Are they living in Derek's trailer or in Meredith's house?
Shonda Rhimes: That you'll have to watch and see.
Q: Is Rose going to be a thorn in MerDer's side?
Shonda Rhimes: I don't necessarily think that she's a troublemaker for their relationship in the beginning.
Q: Callie and Erica are going to be a couple next season, are they going to come out to the masses?
Shonda Rhimes: Eventually that's going to play out. I feel like the important thing is that at the end of the season, Callie kissed a girl. We're going to watch that part of it play out: Did she mean to kiss a girl? What does it mean that she's kissed a girl? Is she excited about it? What does it mean for Erica? We don't really know Erica's side of the story yet in terms of what's going on with the two of them. Then we're going to watch the larger world of what happens when the two of them come out of the hospital, and what happens when Callie's dad (Hector Elizondo) finds out. I think it's going to be really interesting because I think it's very different to go from being 19 and declare this, and be a grown woman and declare this, when your family's already thought something else.
Q: Will this season be a journey for them to discover their sexuality?
Shonda Rhimes: They are definitely on a journey, and it's going to be a really interesting one. It's funny, the writers are really excited about it, and we spend a lot of hours talking about how we're going to do it, and what we're going to do, and what might the problems be, and the emotional aspects of it, and the fun that we can have with it.
Q: It seems like they have great onscreen chemistry. Was that a driving force in getting them together?
Shonda Rhimes: There is chemistry there, but also both actresses are so game; they're so willing to do something. Sara is such a fabulously comedic actress and has so much to give, and post-George I felt like she was searching for something. Callie and Erica seem to have a lot of chemistry. We did start them out as being friends and it felt like there was something more there; the same kind of chemistry that I saw between Cristina and Burke (Isaiah Washington) before Christina and Burke got together.
Q: We last saw Alex and Izzie getting hot and steamy, in a depressing sort of way. What's next for them?
Shonda Rhimes: I think you're going to see a lot of really interesting sparks between the two of them.
Q: Is there any truth to that Grey's Anatomy gossip about Izzie having a brain tumor?
Shonda Rhimes: No.
Q: Kevin McKidd has a built-in McName. What's he going to be doing on the show?
Shonda Rhimes: He's going to be playing Owen Hunt, who is a military doctor that comes to the hospital on leave.
Q: He just happens to show up to a hospital where everyone falls for each other? Hmmm...Who is he going for?
Shonda Rhimes: I think Cristina might find him fairly interesting.
July 31st, 2008 1:28 PM
I would like to what it means when Shonda says that Rose will not be a thorn in MerDer's side in the BEGINNING. Will she be a thorn in their side ever?
July 31st, 2008 1:45 PM
I am soooo happy Merder are going to finally be together and even live together!!! YAY!!!!!
July 31st, 2008 2:00 PM
I hope they live together ALONE.........not with everyone else in Meredith's house. So, I guess Derek's trailer would be the best bet.......this way they can oversee the construction on their dream house!
July 31st, 2008 3:12 PM
I agree with Jen - I'm concerned with what Shonda means she's not going to be a thorn in their side in the beginning - WHAT? She better not mess with MerDer. Let them be happy together. Can't wait for Season 5
July 31st, 2008 3:14 PM
does this mean ROSE is the one who's pregnant?
July 31st, 2008 3:17 PM
She won't be a problem at the beginning...what's that supposed to mean? Rose better not be pregnant...If anyone has a baby, it should be MEREDITH and Derek.
July 31st, 2008 3:52 PM
On the Grey's Anatomy podcast after the finale, Shonda said specifically that Rose wouldn't be pregnant. So don't start worrying about that.
July 31st, 2008 4:48 PM
awesome
July 31st, 2008 4:51 PM
Oooo. This is interesting. I hope Meredith and Derek do live ALONE, and I'm really excited to see Christina's plot line. Can't Wait!
July 31st, 2008 5:16 PM
I'm happy the writers are going to focus on the 5 ex-interns. The show at the begining was better because it was about them.
I want to see Christina's new plot line too.... I hope the new McSomething has a good story that matches with her character.... Maybe control her or the opposite way X)
And what about the chief??! We want to see how's his new life too, and I hope his wife changes a little and let him breath this season.
What about George?? and I hope that they live together (George, Izz, Mer, Der, etc...) in Meredith's house. I guess that is the most probable thing because they will be working on their new house on Derek's land.
July 31st, 2008 5:51 PM
At this point Derek and Meredith need to live alone. Most of the time when they were together they stayed at her house with everyone else. I'm still waiting for Rose to turn into some physco path.
July 31st, 2008 6:04 PM
i'm sooooooo happy that merder are finally together for real. and i hope they decide to live in derek's trailer so they can have a private life and so they can see the house being built
July 31st, 2008 6:09 PM
I'm waiting for Rose to LEAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i can't stand to see her a regular in season 5 that's tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much even if she's not with Der i want her to go back from where she came from............................
July 31st, 2008 7:03 PM
WORD merderlover.
July 31st, 2008 8:12 PM
Please don't mess with MerDer,enough is enought,let them be happy.We don't need any triangles.
July 31st, 2008 8:30 PM
I hope Shonda wasn't kidding about the whole Rose not being pregnant. That's the only thing I can think of, Rose not intruding on Merder during the beginning of their relationship, until she finds out she is preggers!!!!! I HATE ROSE!!!!!!!! I hope she gets hit by a bus or something...she is hideous and like a little school girl. Atleast Meredith played games with Derek and she is more sassy Rose is a loser!!!!! UGH I HATE HER!!!!!!
July 31st, 2008 8:54 PM
I so agree with Jenn. What the heck?? Rose better not be a thorn in ANYONE'S side!! lol
July 31st, 2008 11:09 PM
I like what Shonda's doing here...she's the real troublemaker! Toying with our expectations like that. I think the prospect of Rose having a more lasting role would be a real advantage for this show. She's not stale. And, I mean...pregnant? That would take the show to a whole new level previously unattempted.I said it once, I think I'll just go ahead and say it again: I'm for Rose, and I vote she stays.
August 1st, 2008 1:15 AM
If Rose really become regular in season 5 and become pregnant at the end, I don't think that I'm going to watch Grey's until she's GONE!!! So Shonda better throwed Rose away if she didn't want to lose the audience.We're soooo over the little doe-eyed thing.
August 1st, 2008 2:04 AM
"Then we're going to watch the larger world of what happens when the two of them come out of the hospital, and what happens when Callie's dad (Hector Elizondo) finds out"
Lolz can't wait to see him find out about Callie... first she got married in vegas out of the blue, then she got divorced, and now she's a lesbian? xoxo
I don't care if Rose still in the show or even makes regular.. She's a nice girl. I'd love to see her again. But if her storyline is over, it's OK too.
August 1st, 2008 4:23 AM
wow, can't wait now. how can you even think that rose will be on MerDer's way?! Alex and Izzie...sounds intriguing. I was always up for their relationship! Callie - personnaly I think she could be good with McSteamy type of a guy. Don't know, we'll see what happens in September :)George - no matter what George does - he is adorable!
August 1st, 2008 5:57 AM
i want merder to live in meredith's house. i dunno i just think it is so much funnier when they live together. remember in season 1 when merder george and izzie all lived together? it was great!! i don't think rose is pregnant, my money is still on the fact that she is a stalker LOL!!!
August 1st, 2008 8:29 AM
I don't think Rose will be pregnant, probably just be a pain for MerDer, showing up at different places etc (i.e. a stalker type). IF she was pregnant it would not be Derek's but that would cause another MerDer break-up until after the baby arrived & now she has got them together Shonda would not break them up again!?
August 1st, 2008 8:56 AM
OMG, that sounds sooo great! Izzie and Alex FINALLY together?! I hope so! That whole George-episode was stupid. I'm really excited to see how they get Denny back. Apart from him, Alex was best for Izzie, I think. Maybe it's her who's pregnant? I would LOVE to see that :D
August 1st, 2008 10:38 AM
Keep Rose!! Some of you MerDer fans are the reason the show has been feeling stale. Keep Rose to keep things interesting!