From Zoanne Clack, writer of "Break on Through"

Original Airdate 1/29/06

I think some of you may not know that it usually takes about eight days to film a one hour show.  And that’s just the filming.  The whole process includes writing, rewriting, notes (from the studio, network, consultants, each other)… and that all takes a couple of months. 

Here’s a glimpse into what it was like on the set during the shooting of my episode:

Day 1:  Strike line.  It wasn’t as I imagined but it worked.  They used a crane to get the overhead shots, which was cool.  I played Sudoku with producer-extraordinaire Rob Corn’s son, Ethan.  That night we had some drama while filming our drama:  a bomb threat!  We actually had to shut down a few scenes early.  We were able to use the hospital where we film on a weekday because it was also Veteran’s Day so the clinics were closed.  So, a bomb threat, at 11 o’clock at night, on Veteran’s Day, at a public facility.  No small thing, right?  It took like a gazillion years for anyone besides the hospital security/police to show up.  Apparently there were all sorts of players involved:  do they call police or sheriff?  County or city?  FBI or bomb squad?  When it was clear that we weren’t going to be able to do anything else for the night, they slowly let people start going home.  A bunch of people had to come back to pick up their stuff the next day (all the cameras and equipment had to be left inside!!).  All’s well that ends well, no bomb was found, but it didn’t help our schedule much. 

Day 2:  Kali Rocha was a great pick for Sydney!  She’s funnier on the set than I think it even comes off in person.  There was a great idea circulating around that she come back as one of Bailey’s best friends.  But Kali is off to shoot her own show I think.  Good luck Kali!  Awesome job!  Don’t worry, Bailey’s just on maternity leave.  She’ll be back.  Oh yes, the bar fight.  There wasn’t enuf dialogue so the actors ad-libbed portions.  Funny stuff.

Day 3:  There was a lot of stuff with Addison and Derek in the airstream that got cut out.  Boy, was it fun, good stuff.  Wish I could tell you what it was but we might use it for another show sometime down the line.  Hmmm…

Day 4:  Kind of a hodgepodge of a day.  Lots of different scenes filming today, none that were especially riveting to film. 

Day 5:  USA Today and KABC local news was on set today.  The local news was there to do a story on Linda Klein, our on-set medical advisor.  Excuse me, our awesome on set advisor.  She was very busy orchestrating the EXIT surgery on Cheyenne’s baby and the surgery on poor Claire “flesh-eating-bacteria”-lady’s leg, so in the meantime, they interviewed some of the cast and yours truly.  My interview was about being the doctor-writer.  The marketing for the interview (to be shown after the show that aired the following Sunday) said that they were highlighting the behind-the-scenes medicine so a lot of my friends and co-workers in the ER were looking for me to be on TV (and thank God I didn’t tell anyone I was going to be on!).  As it turned out, they used a few of the cast members and the fabulous Peter Horton but the piece was about what they had initially come there for: Linda Klein.  I think people might think I’m actually lying about being on the show (sure you’re a “writer”).  Ha!  Anyway, I didn’t get my name in USA Today either.  Blah blah blah.  Such is the fate of the behind-the-scenes people…  Oh, what was filmed today, you ask?  The OR scenes.  Real baby, fake baby switch.  Good acting, long day.

Day 6:  Usually we’re saying “poor George” but this time I have to say “poor Izzie.”  She just can’t catch a break.  First her modeling career was outted by Alex.  Then the “psychic” patient outted her psychic-loving, trailer park-living, cupcake-baking mom.  Now she’s outing herself—she’s got a daughter!!  Somewhere out there is a little Izzie.  Wonder if we’ll be seeing her…  I also must give kudos to Regine Nehy (Cheyenne) who’s making her first network TV performance as Cheyenne.  She did a great job playing off of Katie (Heigl).  Some beautiful scenes of Cheyenne and Izzie together.  Barely a dry eye in the house.  Katie was a little under the weather and trying to get home for the holidays but you’d never know it.

Day 7:  It’s Monday again, had to be there at 6:45 am.  Always a pleasure.  Fortunately my commute is about 7 minutes.  Yahoo!  Grace’s friends were a hoot!  Robin, the actress that plays Patricia, was amazed when she walked in and saw that she’d be working with some of her true childhood idols.  She grew up watching these ladies on TV.  Some of you who are old enough might remember June Lockhart as the mom on both “Lassie” and “Lost in Space.”  She was also in Petticoat Junction.  Betty Garrett was the neighbor in “All in the Family” and the girlfriend of Laverne’s father in “Laverne and Shirley” (Edna Babbit!).  Rae Allen is herself a Tony award winning actress.  We were in the halls of greatness, watching how they worked it.  They were pretty great.  Still on their game, working hard after all these years.  Then there was the moment in the linen closet where Ellen/Meredith left us speechless.  And there was Derek (“P. Demp” as I like to call him).  There’s really nothing to say except that it was definitely a moment.  I’d venture to say it was an incredible moment.  Especially if you’re a MerDer fan.

Day 8:  There was more with the seasoned actresses today, a lot of Grace dying.  Solemn.  Long day.  Donna, the actress that played Grace, was looking for direction on how to die because she had never done it before.  Good point, I thought.  Word on the set was that she’s 90 years old, but imdb.com says she’s 81.  Who’s lying here?  Or was it just a vicious rumor?  Oh these TV people… Grace’s story was based on a case I had.  In the ER, you have to make decisions quick.  Once they’re made, it’s hard to go against the Hippocratic Oath (first, do harm doesn’t sound right). 
Usually, just one crew does everything, but today they called in a second unit to shoot some of Burktina’s scenes on another stage while the first unit filmed more scenes with Grace.  Efficiency.

Day 9:  Ahh!  The last day!  Yay!  Days on set are long – I don’t see how the crew does it day in and day out but I commend them.  They do a fantastic job.  My 8 or 9 days on set is nothing compared to the hours they put in.  Today is the day before Thanksgiving and we all got a lobster and steak meal for company lunch, complete with a lot of fixins.  Yum!!  Today we got to meet the newlyweds doing it in the ER.  All kinds of talk about how they should be positioned.  The actor that played Wade would literally pick up the actress that played Claire and move her around as we talked about different, ahem, “positions.”  And they had just met 10 minutes before.  Oh, the life of an actor.  It was a good feeling on set today, everybody for the most part had good spirits, the holiday started the next day, and this was the end of a long episode. 

Good night, and good luck.

Comments

[Breanna]

Last night show was so amazing and also shocking with Izzie being a mother WOW I totally did'nt expect that to be a skeleton in her closet!!! I was so proud of Mer finally she was'nt sucked into seduction by Derek for once. Go Girl take a step for all women who can't get over that one hot guy in their life. But although I was proud of her I was also sad that they did'nt kiss. And George is so funny and cute the part when Mer and Izzie climbed into his bed and he states " Anyone want to have sex?" Brillant there was no better way to end that episode.. Keep the show coming it's amazingly incredible!!!!

[BetsyB]

At this point it's redundant-love the show, want Derek and Meredith together, etc.
Just wanted to point out-when you cry uncontrollably, as I was on Sunday watching this episode-you're "bawling" not "balling".

[Leti]

Amazing episode!
I just loved the closet scene. I loved to see that Meredith calmed down when Derek took her hand. Great episode, great great great!

[Meesh]

*sigh* McDreamy soooo made me cry in that closet scene.
The look in his eyes. A mixture of unconditional love and deep sorrow.
His desire to just love her was so palpable.

It's such a rare and powerful thing when writers allow actors to convey inner dialogue without the aid of words in a scene. We saw the same wordless dialogue from Christina when Burke made the relationship comment.
Brilliant moments both.
Kudos to the writers, directors and actors.

[T]

A truly touching episode, had me completely in tears with Mer's case. Brought me back to the days of sitting by my grandmother's beside waiting for her to pass, very tough. I was also psyched about the closet Mer/Der scene, wasn't happy to see him lying in bed with Addison after but such is the way it works....still think this song is perfect for the situation..

Back to You-John Mayer

Back to You
It always comes around
Back to You
I tried to forget you
I tried to stay away
But it's too late

Over You
I'm never over
Over You
Something about you
It's just the way you move
The way you move me

Yeah, I'm so good at forgetting
I quit every game I play
But forgive me, love
I can't turn and walk away
This way...

Back to You
It always comes around
Back to You
I walk with your shadow
I'm sleeping in my bed
With your silhouette

Yeah, should have smiled in that picture
If it's the last that I'll see of you
It's the least that you
Could not do

Leave the light on
I'll never give up on you
Leave the light on
For me too, for me too, for me too....yeah.....

Back to Me
I know that it comes
Back to Me
Doesn't it scare you
Your will is not as strong
As it used to be....

I'm telling you, perfect!

[KC Buck]

What a great play-by-play (or, day-by-day) you gave us! Thank you for this wonderful look into the making of an episode. Loved reading it!!

[KF]

I'm a 35yo daughter/sole caregiver of a mother who has early onset alzheimers. I live in NYC, she lives in a memory care facility in the midwest. I cannot get over how honest the intercation was between the chief and Meredith about him visiting her mom. When she asked if he thought she was lonely and he said "yes". The guilt, the fear, the-everything she was feeling is something i live with. I was waiting for her to lose it-which then gave me permission (in a sense) to lose it. I have attended support groups-1 or 2 times, but discontinue because all of the other participants are my mom's age, so to have someone my age going through this-it's truly therapeutic. And the characters are brilliant-absoloutely brilliant. George is a masterpeice-what writing and what an actor! Thank you.

[Baylink - http://baylink.pitas.com]

Two reply comments:

Lacy: "And how is it she can be such a good doctor and such a rotten person?"

Isn't that sort of the canonical description of surgeons? :-)

And to Michelle, concerning "having a baby ruining your life"... There isn't any question at all, I don't think, that having a baby is going to change your life, pretty much completely. But you're pretty much shooting down the "pro-life" contingent's major, well, contingency plan for potential mothers, there, aren't you? (I, myself am "anti-life". :-)

I suspect you're projecting a bit; I know several adoptive children, and all the ones I know seem to have coped with it just fine. I grew up with one in the seventies, and there wasn't really any stigma around him either; we very rarely even discussed it. I think I was probably 10 or so when someone mentioned it to me.

So, in general, I think it's a good idea to remember that everyone has different things going on in their life, and if someone's really at the point that Izzie is being played as being at, then they have their own judgement call to make, and getting all judgemental *on* them isn't really productive. And as for fictional portrayals, well... always doing the safe thing isn't really dramatic, is it. It's hard, when you get invested in a TV show, to remember that it's *fiction*... but it is.

[Julia]

What an amazing episode, and such wonderful writing! Especially the scenes with Burke and Cristina, even if they were too few! They are WITHOUT ANY DOUBT the best and the most intriguing couple of this show. I simply can't understand how anyone can be interested in Mer/Der. They fact that they were together for, what?, four and a half episodes, is no guarantee for eternal happiness for those two. Is it certain that they will manage to lead a life together, or to adjust to each other? Their relationship is so shallow, before they could even BEGIN to explore their relationship, an obstacle in the form of Addison showed up. HOW can it be so certain that they will always feel such love and affection for each other, when they never even began to have a real relationship? HOW? HOW? What makes Burke and Cristina so fascinating are the gradual changes in their behavior towards each other, how Cristina gradually succumbs to Burke and learns to show that she really does love him. Since she is so emotionally stunted, these are just little things, but they are nevertheless significant for their relationship, like her telling Burke about her surgery after Thanksgiving, or cuddling with Burke at Christmas She slowly opens up to him. She adjusts to him, and learns to live with him. See, they ARE ACTUALLY EXPLORING their relationship. It was nice to see her being so comfortable in "their"/Burkes apartment, and around Burke.
I also loved Izzie and george this week.
And mer and der are fine just not as the ailing lovers.
BURKE AND CRISTINA ROCK!

[Alisa]

I just want to commend you for this episode. It was outstanding. I actually work for a hospice and we are constantly trying to educate people about the dying process. This is the first time I have ever seen such an accurate portrayl of what it is like. I was so excited and so impressed to finally see this addressed on tv. It was good to see Meredith's conflict and it was also good to see the outcome. Her reaction after Grace died in connection to her feelings with the decline of her own mother was also incredible and truly real.
Thank you so much for including that storyline! People are often so afraid of death. This was very real.

I too also loved the storyline with Christina and how she did come to apologize and see how she was wrong. Thank you so much for writing about these things and in such a positive proactive way!!!

[Kristie Correll]

Okay, my goodness, I have such a full life; work, kids, husband, a routine that almost drives me crazy. I have shows that I watch or (TIVO); Lost is great- Invasion is so terrific, But this show is one of my ALL TIME fave shows. I cry, I cry so much (wow), laugh and cannot miss ONE minute and I hate it when it ends. The acting is TOP NOTCH, the writing is truly amazing and I cannot control myself when it comes to GA.

I love it, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!

[Sylvie]

I really hate when the show is over! I really do. I love how this week you showed George taking a stand in his own adorably quirky way. I loved the story line with Izzy, she is really a complex character, I was so surprised by her confession. Also as an adoptive parent I think you treated the subject very well. I have to say the whole show had me very emotional.

[MB]

I think one thing that a lot of people fail to recognize is that people are diverse creatures who respond to situations differently. I know people who are adopted who wish to know who their birth parents are and I know some who don't because they view their adoptive parents as their real parents. I know some birth parents who regret going through with the adoptions and I know others who have no regrets because they know they wouldn't have been ready to be parents when they were pregnant and the adoptive parents were.

I personally thought that Cheyenne showed ambivilance towards being a mom. While she was tender towards the child she in no way seemed ready to become a mom. In fact, she had done the classic teenage thing avoiding the situation as long as she could.

Judie...
Not all of American society is "gritty." Perhaps you've been watching too many American cop shows. :) I know lots of people who have adopted minority babies. In fact, the difficulty in adopting any infant in the US is one of the main reasons why so many people are adopting overseas right now.

[Manuela]

Siiigggh. Predictable Street. That's what I labelled your last episode. As an adult adoptee currently battling fertility issues... I was so incredibly disappointed in an episode that trotted out every known adoption stereotype propogated by rose-colour glasses-wearing 'adoption is always just WONDERFUL for EVERYONE involved!' types.

For once... I'd hoped to see something other than a trailer-park living black girl being prompted by the pretty white Doctor... to do the 'right' thing.

If anyone who writes for this show is actually interested in challenging social mores on this topic... I invite you to read a HIGHLY personal and true story of my own adoption... there are other voices out there to be heard...

You might want to start with this post...

http://manuela.blogs.com/thin_pink_line/2006/01/so_did_anyone_b.html

[L.G]

I'm one of the ppl in the MerDer camp - amazing moment they shared in the closet. Please bring them together!

Super Bowl Sunday episode looks exciting - can't wait to see it.

[Judie]

Responding to MB

I think you made a mistake; it was not I that wrote about grittiness and adoption of minority babies;
I believe it is blogger Elaine Forbes McCallum(the
one following mine)that you are taking issue with.

[colleen]

love the show ! monday @ work we all discuss the show the nite before . and all the crew. the guys(boys) are really into it . keep up the good work

[Kim]

Sunday night is my weekly exhale. Watching Grey's is the last thing I do before I go to bed. It's the one thing I look forward to all week.
There is divine brilliance here. Cutting, knowing, breathing, hilarious truth and brilliance.'Every utterance, glance, every minute struggle or hesitation , every single second.
These are a group of people who were set on a path to end up together on this show.
Patrick Dempsy has always been one of my favourite actors, he grew into such a haunting, emotional brilliantly driven character actor. I saw him guest star on an episode of Once and Again and couldn't believe how moving and true he was.
Now on Grey there is such depth in every expression, every time the camera catches him there is something to notice, a lapping sense of nuances waving by.
The chemistry here is insane. It's divinity.
The humour is faultless.
As soon as I saw Izzy stand up I told my husband she has a kid, she gave away a baby! I knew it. Every second of a scene is so profound. The discovery and the stumble to realization on everyone's face every week. More happens in what is never said, you can't put your head down for a second.
The closet.
In a moment that ties you up, when you can't breathe, when an image is strangling you and you run - and someone can see you running without ever seeing you?
wow.
Get your rest guys... and make us more talking pictures of truth and hilarity so that we can all rest our heads too.

[fran]

I thought the way you wrote the 'Izzy revaltion' was spot on. As a birthmother I have had that conversation before and it rang true. Ironically I was also a trailer park girl and would still be one if I had made a different dicision. It was well writen and acted. Bravo.

[Jake Lipson]

Exellent. Wonderful episode; as usual, the character dynamics are what really make this show great, and this episode proved it in spades. Favorite part was the MerDer closet scene...perfect. And Izzie...wow, I never saw it coming either but it completely fits her. Question: Did the writing team know that about her when she was created, or did it come about later, and if so how? As a writer, I know how even though you have a great plan, your own characters can sometimes surprise you.

Also, no, I didn't realize exactly how the 8-day schedule works for an hour of TV. Really fascinating stuff. I would like to take the oppertunity to say how great I think it is that you and all the other writers on this show take the time to share all of your creative processes with us fans. You don't have to do it, but the fact that you do enriches the show so much.

THANK YOU!!

[brainygirl]

As a fresh-out-of-residency neurologist, I was a bit skeptical of another medical show (how could it be any good, trying to be like ER or Scrubs, it just won't be realistic) but I was addicted from the initial previews and nothing can keep me away from the couch on Sunday nights.

For all the criticism shows that try to portray "real life" get (ER, Law and Order, etc..)this show IS real life! I watch it and am so grateful I'm not a surgical resident, and I am constantly taken back to my heart-stopping, gut-wrenching intern days when you know nothing more than the day you graduated from medical school, yet you hold people's lives in your hands. Bravo. And the medical jargon, treatments interventions, and even the intubation all seem very accurate.

I am a HUGE fan of Meredith (ok, let's be honest, I am Meredith - smart, single, constantly in love with men I can't have...), and was really disappointed and frustrated that people were commenting that she had become "whiny" and "weak."
She has incredible strength to go in to work every day, deal with dying patients, face McDreamy and his She-Devil of a wife, all the while coping with a mother with early-onset Alzheimer's???
Please. We should all be so "weak."
And for those who are of the belief that she should "get over it" and move on, sometimes you just can't. Sometimes your heart is stronger than your head, even when it's breaking. I think that achingly brilliant scene in the closet (where I almost needed a paper bag to stop sobbing) confirmed that.

All of the characters are so multidimensional and so convincingly portrayed. We have all dealt with cocky male surgery residents like Alex, with tough-as-nails ice queens who really do have a heart like Cristina, with Miss Perfects who actually aren't so perfect, like Izzie, with the quintessential best friend who's in love with you, like George, and the hospital situations REALLY do happen as well.

Keep up the amazing work, all of the writers, directors, and most of all the actors who make this show the best on TV.

Follow my own adventures at: www.brainygirl.typepad.com

[Joy]

That scene when nurses on the picket line worry about their patients was great! Thank you for showing that the patients are our patients too.

I also loved the scene in the closet, how close people can be without even touching. Wonder if Derek ever feels that way for Addison anymore?

[Deni]

Did the bomb threat aganist you guys have anything to do with the Code Black episodes?

[Nicole]

Please please let Meredith and Derrick get on with their lives and get over each other!!! I agree with one of the other posts, that Addison and Derrick should rekindle their spark and fall in love again, and let Meredith move on already!! Other than that, good episode and keep up the good work!!

[Mimi]

Why does George keep referring to Addison as Montgomery Shepherd?