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May 25, 2012

The Five: Reasons why I'm afraid to give Grey's Anatomy a chance

by Keith McDuffee, posted May 17th 2006 12:36PM
grey's anayomyNow that Grey's Anatomy is over and has officially been picked up for a third season by ABC, it's  time for me to make a decision about whether or not I want to finally bite the bullet and catch myself up with this show.

I've been hearing from several people -- TV Squaders included -- how great this show is, that I just have to watch it, that I'm missing out. So, why have I been putting this off for so long? Why haven't I just sat down and watched the show? Even just one episode? I'll tell you why.

1. The McNickname. McDreamy, McVet and McSteamy. Maybe I'm just not completely in touch with my feminine side, but any time I hear or read about this show, I get the strange urge for a Happy Meal toy ... and my own last name is a 'Mc!' At first I thought this was some nickname the viewers gave some guys on the show, but no, this is what they are routinely called. Give me a fricken McBreak.

2. Escalating sexual tension. It's the final hours of the weekend, so let's top it off with women having man trouble and swooning over doctors. I am somehow able to stomach putting myself through Desperate Housewives at 9 PM (yes, instead of The Sopranos, God help me), so the "coming up next on Grey's Anatomy" clips of interns-in-love don't exactly make me want to peel my eyes open for another hour. At least not for ABC.

3. Almost Scrubs-like hospital inaccuracies. The little bit I caught of this show was very cool, I admit. It was Sunday night's episode that ended with the shooting. Now, I'm going from the brief description I was given of the season finale Monday night, but nobody got fired for that debacle with the heart surgery? Nobody went to jail? I really am afraid to find out that next season doesn't start with one hell of a shakedown. And please, don't get on me because I'm letting the lack of realism ruin the show. I do like a lack of realism -- it's why I watch Lost! But Grey's is labeled as a drama, not a comedy.

4. Patrick Dempsey used to play annoying geeks who got laid. Did you know this is the same guy who played the dweeb in Can't Buy Me Love, In the Mood and Meatballs III? It's hard enough to admit that I've seen these movies, but I have.  Patrick Dempsey pissed me off -- how dare this skinny dork have girls swooning over him! I was so sure he was being completely typecast as the geek finding love, and now I'm hearing women who watch this show are actually swooning over him? Damn him!

5. My wife's in love with Chris O'Donnell. Yeah yeah, go on. I know you want to call me insecure. For years I've known that my wife's had the hots for Chris O'Donnell. And hey, I have to admit, he's a handsome man. And while I'd be tolerating the McSexTension, the medical inaccuracies and the Woo Woo Kid, she's drooling over this guy and getting all horny and wanting to have sex and ... wait, why was I afraid of this show again?

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Gayle

I agree, the finale stinks...
It made my head spin of irritation actually.
Now, i realized, this isn't what i bargained to watch.
It's too melodramatic for my taste.
I mean, I'm so fed up of the grey-sheperd love-lust(well more of lust) angle. Give me a break already!
From the start, I don't understand why the show's named after meredith. I just don't get her "flaws". She's like the queen of melodrama actually IMO. The others? George's too whiny. Other than that, it's pretty interesting. I love Addison, Bailey, Izzie & Christina & ofcourse, the medical stuff. thank god for them...

July 28 2006 at 3:26 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Palletizer

I was one of the "late bloomers" too. I saw the preview clips for Grey's Anatomy when the show started its first season, but they didn't really grab me. My friends kept talking about the show; co-workers kept talking about the show; my mom and aunt would talk about the show. Everyone told me I was really missing out. So I relunctantly watched an episode mid-through season 1. And guess what?? I loved it. I kicked myself for missing the start. I love the characters, I love the concept, and I love the writing. I watched ER in the Clooney days... I watched Scrubs for a season or two. As great as those shows are, Grey's Anatomy is superior in my opinion. In it's own way, it's like a mix of ER and Scrubs. It has the drama, and the action, and the quirkiness, and the comedy - it really has everything. The show takes certain liberties when it comes to hospital/medical protocol and some situations would likely never occur in the real world (which might turn off some, especially those in the medical field such as myself) but like any fictional show, to truly enjoy it requires a suspension of disbelief. The show is so well done, the writing is so great, and the actors are so amazing, that it's so very easy to get attached. To the question about episodes that stand out? Pretty much every single one does. I can't think of one "stinker" out of the bunch. I'm glued to the TV every week - it's that good.

June 23 2006 at 6:13 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jennifer

Every time I hear a McNickname, I want to McVomit.

Seriously, I like soaps and all, but (a) this one sounds silly even for soaps, (b) too many cutesy nicknames = McVomit, and (c) from what I hear, everyone thinks the title character is lame. Why is this so good? I can't say I've heard anything about the show that makes me think I'd want to watch more than 15 seconds of it.

May 18 2006 at 2:32 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Mark S.



I find Greys simple and insincere. I watche teh early days of 'ER', the show Grey's is obviously patterened after (even down to the cast memebers, think abut it.) and thse E's with George Clooney, Anthony Edwards and Juianna Marguiles were classics and timeless.
Grey's fans.....has there been one Grey's episode that is 'timeless' stand alone that would open the eyes of soemone who's never seen any other episodes.?

Hook me on this series..which so many others like...or take those old ER's out of syndication so Grey's dosent pale by compaison..

May 18 2006 at 12:54 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Urbey

Jake (#2) apparently is saying he doesn't care about the Grey/Shepherd deal. So, doesn't that mean he COULDN'T care less? Of course it does.

Think before you type. Makes you look bad.

May 17 2006 at 10:38 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Laura

okay - i can see people getting sick of the mc stuff and the lack of repercussions - but i also think that having the writers blog after each show gives you so much more depth that I understand why a prom scene was written, and why izzie wore that pink peptobismol dress - it makes sense....it also gives me a fix between shows since i'm completely addicted to GA.

I know the url has been posted before, but here it is for those of you who haven't had the pleasure of seeing it before:
http://www.greyswriters.com/

Come on, mcskeptical - give it a try and i know you'll get hooked.

May 17 2006 at 7:31 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Trace

I honestly would recommend watching some of what's out on dvd - the nickname thing was funny in the early episodes but rapidly became annoying and the finale was the worst season finale I've ever seen, but the characters and stories were really good. And they did some wonderful patient storylines as well.

I won't be watching next year because the things you mentioned about in number 3 re: the finale were too much to take, but I am glad I watched everything up til then.

May 17 2006 at 4:25 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
johnnypark

I find myself in your situation.
I stumbled onto the show ever since i kept tv on after the superbowl, and I have to say that that two episodes arc was probably among the best two hours of tv I have ever seen. A friend of mine is a huge fan so thanks to her Tivo/DVD I was able to watch the previous episodes. In my opinion, the show is
still good, but it has worsened a lot and on top of that it has gotten too feminine.
Too many McWhatever, baby stuff, girly jokes, giggly
"doctors", even George was acting like a 14 years old who got dumped in front of her cheerleader friends for most of the second half of the season.
As far as the surreal/Scrubsy side of it I mean
come on, it's not even just relative to the medicine side (which I don't really care about, it's TV). But a prom at the hospital? That chick who lives in the basement at the hospital? And so on. I'm pretty sure if they didn't bring up Alex's speech with the high school girls and with Bailey right off the bat I would have probably stopped watching the finale too, because come on it was clear what was going to happen.
But that was vintage Alex, and so funny.

I think NBC's thursday nights will be enough for me
come next season, goodbye Grey's and goodbye OC.

Oh and about Chris O'Donnel.. I don't think I could ever be threatened by someone who played a character that involved wearing red underwear on top of a tight green jumpsuit.

May 17 2006 at 2:44 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Erik

Okay, good, Keith. I mean, I'll admit, I watched DH the first season, but it's gotten interminable this season. And you've gotta give Grey's a chance. Rent it this summer. Feast on the first season, then rent the second when it comes out and devour that before the third season starts. Seriously. The Mc stuff is mostly charming, and it's really about relationships, not medicine, so you give them slack with medical stuff. And there ARE repercussions and shakedown as a result of the heart debacle--major sh*t goes down in the last hour of the finale and they've set things up for more shakedown at the beginning of next season. And you've gotta get over the Dempsey and O'Donnell issues because there are hot women on the show too. And you've just gotta watch it because you're missing out and I have no other non-irrational arguments right now. (I so sound like a Scientologist or something.)

May 17 2006 at 2:13 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Bernie

I was hesitant to start watching this show as well. I started watching it affter the Super Bowl and I have to say I am hooked on it. My wife and I bought the first season on DVD and got even more insight into things and are definitely buying the Season 2 DVDs. It's an excellently written show that has caused more than one fight between my wife and I on the differences in opinions we have regarding the choices the characters have made and we tune in EVERY week. As a "guy's guy", I don't proclaim that I watch it loudly at work, but don't be afraid. It's an entertaining hour that when it ends has you upset that the show is over

May 17 2006 at 1:49 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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