What was lovely about last night's Grey's Anatomy (and what I don't like about Glee)

I know I've been complaining about Grey's Anatomy lately, about how the cast members, and even the patients sound the same because they repeat themselves for emphasis, so you can tell that it's the same writers writing for everyone or maybe the writers are all just picking up each other's way of talking, like how everyone started saying "Seriously" all the time because of Grey's Anatomy.  And I've complained about how Callie and Arizona have no chemistry and it's totally not believable that they're a couple, probably because they're not gay in real life, and it would seem that I complain about tv shows (don't even get me started on Glee) because I want to feel superior for a moment and of course that's true but really it's because I need to believe that it's possible that there really is a hospital in Seattle with Dr. McDreamy and Dr. McSteamy in it.  The lack of chemistry between the girls stops me from believing that the show is real.  The characters all talking the same stops me from believing the show is real.  I like to believe that my tv shows are totally possible otherwise I might as well be watching Smurfs. 

That's what I don't like about Glee:  None of the writing is realistic.  Everyone sounds stupid.  No one talks like people do in real life and I don't just mean the obnoxious cheerleading coach who plays the same character in every show or movie she's in.  (Okay, so I'm getting started on Glee.  I just couldn't stop myself.)  If it were more campy, it would have the potential to be Ally McBeal but the writers don't know how to find the balance.  They try to have some characters from an Ally McBeal-type world live in a normal world except the normal world written by old adults trying to write a teenager world.  Gilmore Girls had unrealistic writing too but at least it was unrealistic that people would be that AWESOME and FUNNY and SMART, not inane, boring, and predictable.   There's no way that drives-me-to-near-homicide cheerleading coach character would work at a high school where normal people work and the normal people would not always be like, "What is wrong with that woman? Let's kill her now."  You know what I mean?  Like, we're supposed to believe that the Glee teacher guy does not want to murder her silly every single day?  On Ally McBeal, Portia de Rossi's character thought everyone was a nut job because they were and she was normal and that's called REALISM.  She came to accept and embrace the nutty but she didn't start off that way because it wouldn't have been believable. Glee has started off with an imbalance of normalish people and other-worldly people.  And the show starts off with the plot all laid out and obvious.  You know how it's going to end from the first ten minutes.

Now, if they made a DVD collection JUST of all their dance and song numbers, I'd be all over that.  And if the cute redheaded woman with the sexy-modest button-up 50's outfits, and the sweet little voice and meek demeanor was at my house, I'd just want to bake her muffins and stare at her with a smile on my face.  Not in a gay way.  Just in a "I love puppies, kittens, bunnies and the cute little meek redhead on Glee" way.  And I don't even really bake, nor do I like muffins.

Now, some of you who know me might have been thinking, "Right, Natasha, like Alias is realistic?"

LET ME STOP YOU THERE.

Alias is TOTALLY realistic.  If I didn't believe that it was possible for a sexy, slight-yet-muscular woman to  take out five men with guns, using only her heels, martial arts skillz, mathematical calculations, gravity defying abilities, and lipstick, while wearing latex and a wig, and that therefore, the same is possible for me because I, too, am a kickass woman, then I might as well just find a cave in Afghanistan to wither away and die in because who wants to live in a world like that?  If believing in Alias is wrong then I don't want to be right. The only thing not realistic is her name:  Sydney.  Sorry to all the Sydneys out there but wouldn't she be so much better off if her name was Natasha?  Natasha is a badass name.  It's all Russian and slightly evil or at least mysterious.  Characters in movies whose names are Natasha are always cool and slightly scary.  Like if you were to take them to bed, you'd better like nipple clamps.  (Did I just say that?!)  But I guess that's the point, actually, because Sydney is really just a wholesome college girl who got herself into a bad situation and is doing what she can to make it right.  

GOSH I LOVE ALIAS.  (Although, really just seasons one and two.  Three was okay.  Four and five sucked.  It started to get a little bit unrealistic at season five.)

Which obviously brings me back to Grey's Anatomy.  Last night's episode was nice because it focused mostly on one story and that's nice for a change.  It was somewhat profound, did you notice?

I loved how the guy with the spinal tumour said to McDreamy (Derek):  "Instead of being scared, be inspired."  WHAT A GREAT MANTRA! 

I loved how when Derek, after staring into the guy's body for 10 hours only to seal him back up, told him that his tumor was completely inoperable, he confidently said, "Go home.  Sleep on it.  We'll talk more tomorrow."

And then Derek goes home to his squinty-eyed sexy wife and spins the bed around and draws a diagram of the spinal tumour on the wall in permanent marker.  It was so whimsical!  Bring back whimsical!

Then when the chief told McDreamy he was fired, instead of getting upset, Derek had confidence and peace and he just said, "Go home.  Sleep on it.  We'll talk more tomorrow."

Sometimes, that's the best strategy, I'm learning.  Especially with difficult relationships.  Step back, find that peace and confidence inside yourself, and love the person back, instead of lashing out.  The chief was SO blunt.  He didn't cushion his words, he didn't give explanations.  Just, "You're fired.  Immediately.  Get the hell out of my hospital."  He obviously wanted to hurt Derek.  Didn't you think that showed love, when instead of arguing or saying something to hurt him, Derek gave the chief a second chance to rethink things?  He basically communicated, "I'm not going to be upset by that and I respect you enough to not argue with you.  If that's what you want, I can handle it with maturity.  But think on it.  I'm willing to work on this.  I'm willing to start over.  I'm giving you that choice with me because I love and respect you."

LOVED IT!

Then, as he's walking away and going home, he says in that cliché voiceover: "Everyday we all experience these moments of peace.  The trick is to know when they're happening.  Embrace them.  Live in them."

Speak it, brotha.

(Loved it.)

(Darn. I just noticed that I used the word "sexy" three times and each time I was talking about women. OOOPS. Coincidence.)

Daily Gratitudes

1. We have no snow yet.  I love it these Halloween tender mercies of no snow every year.  See?  God likes Halloween.
2. Jude is better today than last night.  He didn't just had the shakes-- he had the seizures.  The Swine Flu Seizures.  I had to put his socks on for him and he couldn't brush his teeth, he was shaking so much.  Didn't even have a fever.  But he's okay today in the sense he can be still and nap for three and a half hours and cough a lot.
3. I'm not very tired even though I had a horrible night's sleep.
4. My hips didn't really hurt after walking Izzy today.
5. I am leaving this house (yay!!!) to be ALONE and listen to a CD course on Consciousness and Its Implications by an Oxford professor, then buy some white oil paint because I have none, which was really, really disheartening when I finally broke out my paints the other night.  All I can make without white is like...  emo rubbish.

Comments

[JulesD]

Sometimes I see it as such a positive thing that I'm run off my feet in the evenings at work and, although I have my fav shows and do watch TV -- don't get me wrong, I am unable to follow shows properly. This is normally annoying, but maybe it's a good thing! Especially this year, I am finding very little worth rushing home after I close the studio to catch. More time for Facebook!

[Sara]

I had thought to myself that last nights Grey's was boring....but you made me further reflect. It was totally awesome. And you're right - Callie and Arizona have no chemistry. Neither did Callie and George. Nor, Callie and McSteamy. I think she's an awesome character though - maybe just not sexually? Gosh I miss George.

I like it that the females in the show don't have good chemistry together. I think that's quite realistic. Just because 5 girls work the same job doesn't mean they are going to be best friends just because.

You know who else I miss? Marshall from Alias.

Considering my deep relationship with televesion, I haven't seen Glee yet. Surprising, isn't it?

[Natasha]

Considering your deep relationship with tv, it IS surprising. Marshall was fun.

I thought Callie and McSteamy had some chemistry. But George, you're right. He didn't have chemistry with anyone. And maybe that's because he's gay in real life. And see, she's not, and she's having trouble pretending. Can you think of any characters that have been not gay in real life and played convincing gays?

With Callie and Arizona it bugged me that Callie was crying to Arizona about her dad and Arizona just said, "You're the one who changed the rules. He's always been the same. You were straight now you're not." blah blah blah and then she left. Callie's crying, she's her girlfriend and she didn't hold or kiss her. AS IF. I'd be more comforting to my straight girlfriends than she was to her gay girlfriend-partner! *eyeroll*. Wish they'd just ditch this plot.

I miss George and Izzy. More Izzy than George.

I love Little Grey. You know when that guy last week was all burned and she couldn't go in the room and then she did and started talking to him about how the rain in Seattle isn't so bad because it makes everything green and she smiled really big? I liked that. She's a sweetheart. Then, when the Mercy West doctors got there and Little Grey was in the cafeteria with her friends and she said, "Ya, we feel threatened." It was cute. She's becoming one of my favourites.

GOSH I AM SUCH THE INTELLECTUAL.

[Sara]

I can think of lots of gay people who play non-gay people or vice versa. But the HUGEST one is Will from Will and Grace. STRAIGHT!!!

And the other way: Neil Patrick Harris playing a straight guy on How I Met Your Mother (great show)

I love little Grey too. Did you know in real life she was this crazy meth addict(or heroine...or something nuts like that). She and her husband. But they both got cleaned and made a life for themselves.

I really like the guy who plays Christina's boyfriend. I forget his name right now. Also, I hate Christina.

[Natasha]

You're totally right. Will, and Neil Patrick Harris. Except that you never really know if the straight actors are really straight! They could be bi and in the closet STILL.

I had no idea she was a drug addict. Huh. I wonder where I've seen her before?

The guy who plays Christina's boyfriend is awesome and was the Scottish guy in that movie with McDreamy and that really cute brunette. (Boy, I'm annoying to talk to about tv and movie stuff. But you always know what I mean.)

Christina is sooo hard to like and believe. And when she talks through her crying?! Oh my gosh it's like someone is bludgeoning a seal to death! Right? That's the exact sound she makes except more verbal than an actual seal.

I'm really, really glad that Burke was gone. That guy was a passionless, drab, robotron.

[Sara]

The movie was Made of Honor.

Burke was boring, but I thought he had believable chemistry with Christina. Her character was better in the beginning. She's going downhill. Her crying is awful...but I like that. Because who looks/sounds nice when they cry?? NO ONE. Ask Oprah.

Also, the straight actors could secretly be in the closet or be bi...but so could anyone. You shouldn't assume that just because they play a gay character. Unrelated, I just found out the girl who plays Mackenzie on Y&R (your fav show..) is a lesbian that is sad, if only because on the show she makes out with Billy who is out of this world attractive to me...and I bet she doesn't quite appreciate that. He's SO cute and manly and has that bad boy appeal. He might literally make my knees weak if I saw him in real life.

I was reading this article of child stars from the 80's and was quite surprised at how many were gay. All these guys on the cover of these Teenbeat type magazines with girls lusting after them. Ironic.

[Natasha]

LOL. So, she's probably thinking that men don't really appreciate women. I shouldn't mock your love of Young & The Restless. I watch Grey's Anatomy.

I kind of liked that too about Christina's crying but it was really awkward. LOTS of people cry prettier than that. SEAL BEING BLUDGEONED TO DEATH, Sara. LOL.

[Amanda]

I don't follow many tv shows, I watch more idocs and obscure shows, but I love Grey's Anatomy. I just can't think of an episode where I wasn't left feeling something, or relate or something to it...I know it's only a show but you know, you get inspiration where you can!! That episode you're talking about renewed my faith ( I know this sounds so corny), the part where Calli is talking with her dad about Jesus, what he would do and wouldn't do...it turned something on in me and I realised I do have faith, I've just lost my way from Catholicism...I felt good, all from a tv show....I know, I know, how sad am I!!

I didn't see last season of Grey's because I was in Ireland and couldn't figure out where it was in the season and when and what station it was on...so I come back to all these marriages and Calli and Arizona, I didn't even know until the recent episode they were a couple, so unbelievable..totally agree no chemistry and no emm, believablility ...too tired to think of the right word...

I like Christina, she's just not as expressive or emotional or compassionate as the rest of them...she's lost at the moment..

It's Meredith that irritates me, with her slanty eyes, her profound responses to everything..just irky irky.

I seen this Mad Tv spoof of Grey's, it was funny but I sort of wish I never seen it, I never realised how people tend to say the same things all the time or how deep everything is...

[Natasha]

Hee hee. Yes, Grey's is really easy to spoof.

I liked it when Callie was reciting scriptures from the Beatitudes and such, too. I still think that homosexuality is a sin but that doesn't make anything she said wrong. She was basically leaving it up to God and telling her dad to do so, too. I thought it was powerful.

Slanty eyes or squinty eyes? I like squinty eyes sometimes. If she wasn't so cute she might irk me more, too.

[gabriellevalentine]

I watched TV years ago and was very into several shows. I've given it up for blogging, lol.
But I do remember "WE HAVE A CODE BLACK" being advertised all over superbowl one year and we watched it right afterwards (grey's). Haven't watched Alias. I would probably like it. Haven't watched Glee.
Haven't watched anything, actually. VERY FUUNY - Natasha IS an evilish name - sort of the woman spy who gets everyone in the end or something. lol. Not that you're evil, of course. But I liked the message of the show in the end part of the post - great!

[Robert]

Might want to watch the latest episode... it seems to redeem the whole series in some ways.

[Robert]

Sorry... I meant - the latest episode of Glee.