Viewpoints News (Page 13)

Some viewers feel sorry for her, others want to throttle her. But there's one thing upon which all Grey's Anatomy fans can agree, observes TV critic Chuck Barney of the Contra Costa Times:

It isn't always easy to warm up to Meredith Grey.

The first-year surgical intern is a loving, compassionate soul. She's also an emotional train wreck. Not to mention self-absorbed, whiny and rude at times. She knows what's right, yet makes bad decisions and sleeps around. The show's growing number of fans face off on Meredith's merits (or lack thereof) constantly. Who better to assign credit (or blame) for Meredith's complexity than Shonda Rhimes, the writer/executive producer who created the Seattle Grace world.

"She's a little screwed-up. She's not always nice. She doesn't always do or say the perfect thing," Rhimes said. "She is somebody without a home, without a family, without ties. She's a woman who, on many a bad day, goes to a bar, gets drunk, picks up a boy and brings him home. I remember thinking (while creating her), 'She's every woman I know -- maybe a little heightened -- but that makes her more interesting.'"
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Grey's Anatomy continues to earn its place in the popular culture lexicon. The show was referenced on last night's episode of The Office, NBC's hilarious mockumentary centered around the mundane lives of oddball employees at a Scranton, Pa., company.

Having undergone a test for skin cancer, emotionless accountant Kevin Malone (Brian Baumgartner, pictured) is awaiting the results when asked about his hangdog expression by co-worker Kelly (Mindy Kaling, also one of the show's writers).

When he tells her he might have skin cancer, the slightly-airheaded Kelly replies, "Really? I was watching Grey's Anatomy and one of the patients was a lifeguard who had skin cancer. That's so weird!"

This is the second NBC show to mention Grey's Anatomy in recent weeks, following the lead of offbeat medical sitcom Scrubs. Both shows are highly recommended by the Insider, and not just because they give props to Meredith & Co... although it doesn't hurt.

When it comes to covering America's best TV drama, Grey's Anatomy Insider never stops looking for vantage points. Recently we set out to determine how realistic the show is, and how it is perceived among actual surgical interns. Since we don't know any such people, we settled for the next best thing.

A pediatrics intern.

Dr. Heather Diskin a first-year intern at Massachusetts General Hospital after graduating from UMass Medical School. As a longtime friend of the Insider and a devoted fan of Grey's Anatomy, she was generous enough to endure an interview with our annoying staff. Below are her thoughts on Seattle Grace Hospital's medical realism, interns and attendings fraternizing in the real world, Dr. Shepherd's McDreaminess, and so much more.

THE INSIDER: How realistically does the show portray the medical conditions and sequences? Please explain.

DR. D.: The first two times I watched the show, I found it painfully unrealistic. But then I became totally hooked because of how great the characters are. The various personalities definitely exist in every hospital -- especially among surgeons. But the patients, their conditions (i.e. the woman with spontaneous orgasms), and the interactions between interns and attendings do not.

The other unrealistic feature is how much free time the interns have. There is no time for eating lunch everyday, no midday quickie in the call room, no watching surgeries from above the O.R. There is just too much work!

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When Isaiah Washington joined the cast of Grey's Anatomy, the actor knew exactly what sort of TV doctor he did not want to play: The arrogant, standoffish, token Dr. African-American.

Mission accomplished.

"That kind of person can be done without a chip on his shoulder. I didn't want to be on a successful show and just put in a box," Washington said in an interview with Mike Duffy of Gannett News Service.

Washington's Dr. Preston Burke (right) isn't simply an incarnation of Dr. Peter Benton on ER. Burke is evolved. He has depth. He's a consummate professional, but has started to open up and reveal shades of emotion. He's flawed, funny, and taking a chance on romance. You could certainly make the case that Dr. Burke is McDreamy, Two.

After the show's creator, Shonda Rhimes, found Patrick Dempsey to portray Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd, she chose Washington to portray Dr. Burke, and everything clicked. Rhimes, whose hospital drama has become a highly-rated, wildly-popular phenomenon and was just given the "Future Classic" Award by TV Land, loves that she has two very different leading men.

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In a recent interview with TV Guide, Ellen Pompeo dropped the hint that one Seattle Grace intern will be gone by season's end. Who's it gonna be? The turbulent events of last Sunday's episode, "Superstition," have some of us at the Insider thinking that Alex Karev is halfway out the door.

The macho doc played by Justin Chambers appears headed for disaster... or at least a blowup that will get him tossed from the intership program. Despite somehow crawling back into Izzie's good books after cheating on her with Olivia, Alex's lack of compassion for Denny (whose affection for Izzie is thinly veiled) got him dumped a second time. Then, after Izzie tore him apart, Alex went on to berate George and threaten to pummel the poor guy for no reason.

Therefore, he's the odds-on favorite to be gone by the end of Season Two. The opening line from the Insider oddsmakers:

• Alex: 3:2
• George: 6:1
• Izzie: 8:1
• Cristina: 35:1
• Meredith: 500:1

George and Izzie are fan favorites, but they're emotional. Certainly enough to warrant unexpected plot twists, and to be considered dark horse candidates for dismissal. Cristina isn't going anywhere -- she's brilliant and they couldn't even drag her out of SGH during a Code Black -- while Meredith is the eponymous character. Put your money on Alex, we say.

What do you think? Leave us a comment and share. 

There are TV fans, says staff writer Maria Elena Fernandez in Friday's L.A. Times, and then there are Grey's Anatomy fans.

"Patrick Dempsey, when he nearly kisses Meredith, it's like nearly kissing me." said Jacki Moore, 37, a mother of two in Burbank, Calif. "I've gone to a few of the fan sites and I look for pictures, and I Google his name to see if anything comes up. I'm ready to put a poster up on my wall."

Karyn McQueen, a 23-year old business student, feels the same way about Patrick Dempsey's handsome character, Derek Shepherd.

"I just feel like I can relate a lot to Meredith and I'm rooting for the underdog, but, oh, I'm a McDreamy fan," she said. "I want him and Meredith to be together. You see the way he looks at her. He really does love her."

Grey's Anatomy has progressed from hit show to pop-culture sensation. It's beating the CSI juggernaut in the coveted 18-49 demographic for the entire season, and twice has garnered a larger audience than its Wisteria Lane lead-in (Desperate Housewives) when both shows aired original episodes.

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We can only take you so far inside the brains of the characters on Grey's Anatomy. The actual writers of the show, however, can typically present readers with unique takes and views.

With that in mind, consider the following nugget from "Yesterday" scribe, Krista Vernoff. Courtesy of Greyswriters.com, she shares her favorite scene in series history with us:

The scene with Burke and Cristina dancing is my personal favorite in the history of Grey's. It was so fabulously adorable and intimate and character-revealing all at once. Sandra and Isaiah just floored me and Rob Corn did a brilliant job directing it.

We couldn't agree more. As if saving lives and cooking well didn't make him fetching enough, apparently Dr. Burke can also get down a boogie with the best of them.

He's our hero.

Everyone loves Grey's Anatomy these days. Even other fictional, TV doctors.

On last night's episode of Scrubs, the offbeat NBC comedy now in its fifth season, doctors John "J.D." Dorian (Zach Braff) and Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke) admit to being big fans. When J.D. asks Elliot, his ex-girlfriend and current roommate, if she would like to join him in his pursuit of hooking up with interns -- an idea that would make certain neurosurgeons at Seattle Grace proud -- she replies that she would rather just go home and watch Grey's Anatomy.

J.D.'s whimsical reply: "Ah, yes, I do love that show. It's like they just watch our lives and then put it on television..."

While the pure emotion of Grey's Anatomy is about as far removed from the hilarity and zaniness of Scrubs as two medical shows can be, it's nice to see the latter's appreciation.

The interns and surgeons of Grey's Anatomy have captured the imaginations of millions of viewers, many of whom perhaps never before took an interest in medicine. But how realistic is the show, from a medical perspective? A Houston television station set out to find out.

A behind-the-scenes look at the show's filming reveals an emergency room doctor who researches real and unusual medical problems for the stories.

"That was actually very challenging," said Dr. Karen Pike, a consultant on the show. "It was fun."

Then, registered Nurse Linda Klein (pictured) comes on set to make sure the surgeries look accurate.

"If they're not believable, I'll tell them," she said.

"We wouldn't be able to do what we're doing without her," said Patrick Dempsey, who plays Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd. "We love her and respect her immensely and she makes us look good."

"I find it very calming because she knows exactly what to do and exactly where we need to be and how much we need to see to make it look real," added actress Kate Walsh, who plays Dr. Addison Shepherd, Derek's wife.

But do the actors on the show look real to actual first-year surgical interns at UT-Houston medical school?

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Grey's Anatomy may be centered around the happenings at Seattle Grace Hospital, but that hasn't stopped the show from entering the sports arena. Bill Simmons of ESPN.com - known as the "Sports Guy" - recently praised the hit. Sort of.

"Just a superb show from top to bottom. But it is what it is: A one-hour chick flick every week. There isn't a single male character on this show that I would ever hang out with. At least ER had Clooney's character."

This seems both accurate and harsh. I'd have a drink with McDreamy. I'd just refer to him by a different moniker. Like Doctor Suave. Or maybe I'd be better served to hang out with Alex and ask about Izzie's ability in the janitor's closet.