In the final entry of the tour blog, I recap the "Private Practice" session, which largely turned into a discussion of all things "Grey's Anatomy." (Plus an opportunity for one last "I'm Taye Diggs!" joke.)
Considering Grey's Anatomy got nominated for Emmys, I am sure that Shonda thinks everything was a-ok last season. I didn't have the problem with the "dark", but instead with the "dumb", which was almost everything. Except for Chandra Wilson's character, I pretty much hate everyone that's left on the show and will be watching 30 Rock and whatever else is on the other channels at 9pm on Thursday.
But the problem is that again Shonda refuses to take responsibility for her characters. Yes characters do (and should) evolve like normal people and make mistakes, but they shouldn't just do things out of nowhere that are completely contradictory to their already-established personality and characterization.
At the end of the day Shonda is great writer but she can't run a primetime show to save her life. To me this is a great example of why not every great writer needs to be a writer-showrunner and sometimes networks and studios should leave the showrunning up to producer-showrunners.
>Except for Chandra Wilson's character, I pretty much hate everyone that's left on the show and will be watching 30 Rock and whatever else is on the other channels at 9pm on Thursday.
so, another viewer for Scrubs! That sure can't hurt (either show) They haven't moved Scrubs, have they?
I don't know about other *actual* writers - TV or print - but my friends who are fanfic writers says their characters just seem to do things that they, the writer can't control. It's not something I haven't heard before, just something I've not heard from a professional. Not that I listen to a lot of writers. David E Kelley doesn't seem to get interviewed that often... (was he there? did I miss it? or was he up in wherever he's "retired" to?)
I've been rewatching Grey's (when I wasn't falling asleep watching it) and I was fine right up to... well, Mer dying and being right back to work (or so it seemed) was a bit of a stretch... but other than the day miracle clinic (which is a joke in every way I can imagine - its usage and staffing and laundry habits being 3 others) I was fine till George started sleeping with Izzie and Derek had that personality transplant where one second he Mer's Knight in Shining Whatever and the next he's home moping in his trailer cause she's ruining his chance for a job he shouldn't be experienced enough to get but ultimately gets - and turns down - anyway, and then the next minute he's begging her to commit or put him out of his misery.
The thing with Mer almost dying would not have been so bad without the blog. If Shonda hadn't gone on so much about Not Playing by The Rules of Television as she was playing by them, it would have been okay.
I would much rather be still screaming at Izzie for being bitchy to Callie, right now, than screaming at Shonda for being such an idiot as to believe that best friends must always be lovers. Let's send her to David E Kelley - perhaps he can teach her about platonic friendships (Ally and John Cage maybe?)
But thanks for asking her. maybe I'll cross post to the blog she actually reads (hey, at least she does read it. At 4000 posts a week - that's not nothing. And fans don't love blindly - we can be quite hissy when stupid things happen. I do hope she doesn't think our "problems" are the same as when half the fans were screaming about Addison, and wanting Meredith and Derek back together: that was just timing. Hopefully she knows the difference. And let's face it - I'm going to watch it anyway.
>but they shouldn't just do things out of nowhere that are completely contradictory to their already-established personality and characterization.
>this is a great example of why not every great writer needs to be a writer-showrunner and sometimes networks and studios should leave the showrunning up to producer-showrunners.
What does a showrunner do? I remember that they had a lot of trouble with Commander in Chief due to the showrunner. Things were behind schedule, etc. Technically, this season, Krista will be running Grey's. (This would be Krista who had the running-down-the-hall-screaming fight with Shonda when Shonda assigned her to write Meredith sleeping with George, btw. Shonda won that one too, of course, but at least in a way that made some sense.) I don't know *who* would be/should be deciding on where the characters are going if Shonda isn't. The Suits? The Fans? Neither of those actually seem like a good idea, for differing reasons. Any other ideas?
Maybe I'd be happy if Bailey would just stop changing the sheets in the clinic!
>In the scrum afterwards, Rhimes said that she fully supported the decision to fire Washington -- ABC execs "have never imposed anything on me" -- and that the season finale, which had Washington's character leave the hospital, had been planned that way from the start of the season, and just turned out to be convenient when the decision was made to get rid of the actor.
Wait a minute! "always planned"?? I thought the characters had minds of their own and just ...did things, despite her.
LOL. Taye Diggs sounds like a cool guy.
ReplyDeleteConsidering Grey's Anatomy got nominated for Emmys, I am sure that Shonda thinks everything was a-ok last season. I didn't have the problem with the "dark", but instead with the "dumb", which was almost everything. Except for Chandra Wilson's character, I pretty much hate everyone that's left on the show and will be watching 30 Rock and whatever else is on the other channels at 9pm on Thursday.
ReplyDeleteBut the problem is that again Shonda refuses to take responsibility for her characters. Yes characters do (and should) evolve like normal people and make mistakes, but they shouldn't just do things out of nowhere that are completely contradictory to their already-established personality and characterization.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the day Shonda is great writer but she can't run a primetime show to save her life. To me this is a great example of why not every great writer needs to be a writer-showrunner and sometimes networks and studios should leave the showrunning up to producer-showrunners.
>Except for Chandra Wilson's character, I pretty much hate everyone that's left on the show and will be watching 30 Rock and whatever else is on the other channels at 9pm on Thursday.
ReplyDeleteso, another viewer for Scrubs! That sure can't hurt (either show)
They haven't moved Scrubs, have they?
I don't know about other *actual* writers - TV or print - but my friends who are fanfic writers says their characters just seem to do things that they, the writer can't control. It's not something I haven't heard before, just something I've not heard from a professional. Not that I listen to a lot of writers. David E Kelley doesn't seem to get interviewed that often... (was he there? did I miss it? or was he up in wherever he's "retired" to?)
I've been rewatching Grey's (when I wasn't falling asleep watching it) and I was fine right up to... well, Mer dying and being right back to work (or so it seemed) was a bit of a stretch... but other than the day miracle clinic (which is a joke in every way I can imagine - its usage and staffing and laundry habits being 3 others) I was fine till George started sleeping with Izzie and Derek had that personality transplant where one second he Mer's Knight in Shining Whatever and the next he's home moping in his trailer cause she's ruining his chance for a job he shouldn't be experienced enough to get but ultimately gets - and turns down - anyway, and then the next minute he's begging her to commit or put him out of his misery.
The thing with Mer almost dying would not have been so bad without the blog. If Shonda hadn't gone on so much about Not Playing by The Rules of Television as she was playing by them, it would have been okay.
I would much rather be still screaming at Izzie for being bitchy to Callie, right now, than screaming at Shonda for being such an idiot as to believe that best friends must always be lovers. Let's send her to David E Kelley - perhaps he can teach her about platonic friendships (Ally and John Cage maybe?)
But thanks for asking her.
maybe I'll cross post to the blog she actually reads (hey, at least she does read it. At 4000 posts a week - that's not nothing. And fans don't love blindly - we can be quite hissy when stupid things happen.
I do hope she doesn't think our "problems" are the same as when half the fans were screaming about Addison, and wanting Meredith and Derek back together: that was just timing. Hopefully she knows the difference.
And let's face it - I'm going to watch it anyway.
>but they shouldn't just do things out of nowhere that are completely contradictory to their already-established personality and characterization.
yup. I'm right there with you.
Pam
>this is a great example of why not every great writer needs to be a writer-showrunner and sometimes networks and studios should leave the showrunning up to producer-showrunners.
ReplyDeleteWhat does a showrunner do?
I remember that they had a lot of trouble with Commander in Chief due to the showrunner. Things were behind schedule, etc.
Technically, this season, Krista will be running Grey's. (This would be Krista who had the running-down-the-hall-screaming fight with Shonda when Shonda assigned her to write Meredith sleeping with George, btw. Shonda won that one too, of course, but at least in a way that made some sense.)
I don't know *who* would be/should be deciding on where the characters are going if Shonda isn't. The Suits? The Fans? Neither of those actually seem like a good idea, for differing reasons. Any other ideas?
Maybe I'd be happy if Bailey would just stop changing the sheets in the clinic!
Pam again
>In the scrum afterwards, Rhimes said that she fully supported the decision to fire Washington -- ABC execs "have never imposed anything on me" -- and that the season finale, which had Washington's character leave the hospital, had been planned that way from the start of the season, and just turned out to be convenient when the decision was made to get rid of the actor.
ReplyDeleteWait a minute! "always planned"?? I thought the characters had minds of their own and just ...did things, despite her.
What's a 'scrum'?
ReplyDeleteGo here and scroll down to "The Scrum" for a definition.
ReplyDeleteit's like a gaggle
ReplyDelete