From Shonda: It's the end of the episode (as we know it)

Original Airdate: 2-12-06

So Dylan’s dead. 

And I have to admit, I’m a teeny bit relieved.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Kyle Chandler.  He was great as Dylan.  Smart, funny, cute, and very much in charge.   I was, in fact, a little bit in love with Dylan.  Not as in love as I am with McDreamy or Burke but…you know, there were moments during the filming of the episodes when Dylan would be saying something bossy or helping Mer down the hall, pushing that gurney and being all bomb squad-y, moments that I was thinking, hey, maybe he doesn’t have to explode.

But still I am relieved.  Why?  Well, I’m glad you asked.  Here’s why:

At the end of Act Five, there is a scene.  Scene 52.   I wrote this scene about fifteen minutes before I had to print out the script and hand it over to production.  It reads as follows:

INT. OR CORRIDOR -- CONTINUOUS

Meredith leans her head out.  Sees Dylan heading down the hall.  She's just about to open her mouth...

...When the ammo explodes.  When Dylan explodes.  Fire, shattering glass.  Meredith is thrown backwards.

Okay, that’s…what?  An eighth of a page?  A sixteenth of a page?  A tiny fraction of the script, right?

The ammo explodes.

Dylan explodes.

I wrote those words and was actually ignorant enough of the horrors to come that I gave it to the production team and then slept the sleep of babies and angels for several nights in a row.

The ammo explodes.

Dylan explodes.

Seriously?  SERIOUSLY?

All of the sudden, you find yourself in meetings with real live bomb squad guys and special effects guys and a very tense director and everyone is asking you things like “When you say, bloody rain…you actually want bloody rain or just like, some blood spatter?”  And things like “When Dylan explodes, you wanna see chunks of Dylan or do you want like, a Dylan vapor?”

These are thing I don’t want to think about.  These are things that make my head hurt.   The ammo explodes.  Dylan explodes.   It’s in the script.  I wrote it.  I know that.  But I don’t want to think about Dylan chunks or bloody rain.  I don’t want to think about it at all.  I like to write things and have them happen.   I like to keep myself in a kind of stalker-ish fog in which I believe my characters aren’t characters but actual people.  It’s how I can write them.  So when you ask me about Dylan chunks, my brain gets all twisty and shuts down.  Because Dylan’s a person, a very real person to me and I love him and it’s not my fault he has to die and besides…yuck. 

But I’ve got Rob Corn on my ass.

Rob Corn doesn’t care if I try to kick everyone out of my office when they bring up bloody rain or he doesn’t care if I try to pretend I can’t speak English when someone asks me about bloody chunks.  Rob Corn is the producer on our show and it’s his job to make things happen and, if I am stupid enough to write Dylan explodes on a piece of paper, Rob Corn is damn well going to make sure that Dylan explodes.  Behind his back, I like to call Rob Corn Bossy McBossy.  It doesn’t sound affectionate here but in real life, it’s really sweet and kind.  Trust me.   Anyway, Bossy McBossy told me that we had to do tests so we could figure out how exactly Dylan explodes.

Tests?  Dylan explodes.  What’s there to test?   HA!  I’m clearly an idiot.

They built this model of Dylan’s body and one day I am herded out onto the back lot of the studio at the request of Bossy McBossy Rob Corn.   Then I have to stand and watch as 20 or 30 really happy guys (testosterone is a powerful thing) position the model of Dylan just right and explode it into tiny little pieces.  Twice.  It is very loud.   Wow.  Dylan explodes.   I’m all, “great, thanks, way to go, very manly.”  And I turn to flee, prepared to head back to my office, happy that the Dylan explodes part of this is over so I can pay attention to the other stuff, the estrogen stuff, the fun stuff like Bailey and George giving birth and Derek describing that kiss to Meredith…

…But Rob Corn raises an eyebrow and very gently says, “Uh, Shonda?” and I go really still with horror.   Because I suddenly start to realize that a) that little test was only the beginning and b) that, for the rest of my life, I was going to regret ever typing the words Dylan explodes into my computer.

They blew up test dummies.  Tall dummies, dusty dummies, dummies with helmets, dummies without helmets.  They blew up test dummies filled with fake blood.  They blew up pieces of our set.  They set off an explosion on the set of our operating rooms.  They used stunt girls and stunt guys.  Ellen let them pull her through the air.  I think there were blue screens and green screens and animated pieces of debris and glass.  The genius special effects guys added fire and smoke and things I can’t imagine but things that made it amazing.  The sound guys added over 100 layers of sound elements so that, if you have HD and you watch with surround sound speakers, the explosion flies at you and passes you and swirls around you.

Dylan explodes.

The explosion was beautiful. Amazing work and truly impressive.  I told everyone so.  I can’t believe the amount of talent and energy that come together to make this show happen.  But next time I get a Super Bowl and post-Super Bowl time slot, I’m gonna write something different.   Something a bit easier.   Something less time-consuming and expensive.  And without so many bloody chunks. 

Dylan puts the ammo down and goes to have a sandwich.   

Enough about Dylan, may he rest in peace.  I want to tell you about the difference between the first episode titled “It’s the End of the World” and the second episode “(As We Know It)”.   

I tried really hard to make the first episode very male and the second episode very female.  I wanted them to fit together, like puzzle pieces.  So that I could have two episodes about the same thing but that felt very different from one another.  The first episode is all amped up energy, all naked girls and screaming and bombs and running down hallways and men saying things like “Get out of my OR.”  The second episode is all long pauses.  Long pauses and sitting and pushing out babies and kissing in linen closets and lots of discussion about how the hell this is all going to end.  The first episode is what happens when danger strikes.  The second episode is how we deal with danger when it strikes.  The epicenter of this episode is the hallway/gurney scene.  It’s the first scene I envisioned at all when thinking of these two episodes.  I kept saying, “there needs to be this scene where Meredith and Cristina move down the hall really slowly with the ammo and Dylan and talk about boys.”  And everyone kept nodding very politely with tight smiles the way they do when they are sure you have gone off the deep end.  But Elizabeth Klaviter (she’s our super smart medical researcher) got on the phone with the bomb squad guys and the doctors and she got them to tell her how this would be possible.  How I could get that gurney rolling so Meredith and Cristina could discuss the state of Cristina’s relationship.  I needed that discussion which, for me, is really just a big old metaphor for how we deal with the tragedies in life.  You’ve got your hand on a bomb but you don’t want to talk about it over and over, you don’t want to face it – so you talk about something else.  Most of life is talking about something else.  Plus, I found this really cool song by The Greenskeepers that I was dying to use.

George is a big key to this episode.  If you pay attention, he’s the one who serves as our witness.  Through most of the episode, he wanders around, a bit bewildered.  He’s the one who feels the most helpless.  And then he has that moment with Hannah where she talks about the nature of cowardice, where she says that to do nothing is to be a coward.  And he acts.  He helps Bailey through giving birth.   In the first episode, he’s fantasizing about what it would be like to see three women in the shower.  In the second episode, he sees what three women in a shower is like in reality.  Because, guys, women don’t just climb in a shower and start soaping each other up for no reason.  Hello!?  Life isn’t porn.  Life is Meredith, bloody and battered, being gently cleaned off (chunks of Dylan) by her best friends.  And so he leaves.  Because what he is seeing is too intimate. 

The last thing I want to say about this episode has to do with Meredith.  Because all she really wants is some kind of reason to live.  I’ve heard a lot of talk about Meredith being whiny but the truth is, she’s got a mom with Alzheimer’s, no other family to speak of, and the man she loves is married.  She’s pretty freaking lonely, people.  She’s got a right to get her whine on.  So, when she falters, when she doesn’t want to pull her hand out of Mr. Carlson, it’s partly because she’s got nothing to hang on to.  As she says in the first episode, she needs a reason to go on, she needs some hope.  Which is why she has to picture Derek to get through it.  And at the end, when he shows up at her house (and he shows up just to see for himself that she is alive), she has to ask.  She has to ask him about their last kiss because if she’s ever going to get out of that bed again and keep going, she needs a reason.  She needs to know there’s someone out there for her.   She needs some hope.  And Derek (can Patrick Dempsey be any more amazing?) describes that last kiss, the last kiss they had as a happy couple, in such perfect detail that Meredith knows she’ll be okay.  Because he wouldn’t remember that kiss so well if he didn’t love her.  He couldn’t.  It’s her sign.

He loves her.  Even if he can’t be with her.  Even if he has a wife. 

He loves her, people.

I told you, there’s hope.

I can’t promise you anything because, like I said earlier, the characters are alive for me and thus, I can’t make them do anything against their will.  But my fingers and toes are crossed for the Mer/Der love…

Once again, thanks for watching the show.

Comments

[Cookee]

Fantastic show. Fan from the beginning. Love all the characters. My friend from Miami and I from California share our giggles about the shows across the U.S. Was SOOOO disappointed IN ABC when the Superbowl made me miss the last 30minutes last week because DVR didn't tape it!! UGH. Most impressively to the writers, you made ME feel like I was watching my family go through a heartwrenching ordeal. I caught myself sitting up towards my tv with face and mouth curdled, tears flowing -- until I caught myself -- and remembered, oh yeah, this is television, not real life. But is it!?! :) Thank you. So much fun.

[Diana]

Didn't think it would be possible to top the superbowl episode but you did.

Greys is such an emotional experience for my friends and I. We laugh, we scream at the tv and we cry. We probably cry a little too much. But with such amazing writers and equally amazing actors it's hard not to.

Can't wait to see what happens next.

[Lisa]

Shonda,

Amazing job, absolutley amazing. I watched it and immediately rewound my tape to watch it again. And then I pre-ordered Season 1 and can't wait to get it. And I'm still awake so I could read your blog. "Dylan explodes" lol...not gonna forget that one... Love Mer/Der and that last scene was great. As was the shower scene...THAT is what's real, not the porno stuff.

~Lisa, a very satisfied fan

[Candace]

Shonda-

What an amazing hour of television. I cried and giggled and just about soiled myself when "Dylan exploded". I wished it were a movie so it wouldn't be over so soon. It moved me and made me think and best of all, it flat out entertained me and made forget all about my yucky meeting tomorrow morning. I loved it and thank you so much, you and all the writers, for sharing your awesome gift.

Standing ovation from Alabama.

[MeganInRP]

Great episode! Amazing! I've just finished watching it and I haven't had time to process it enough to give an in depth response so forgive me when you reach the next paragraph and my whole entire reason for posting is this...

Does anyone know the name of the song at the beginning of the show? I think it was a cappella.

[fan]

Wow AMAZING episode!!!!! Sadly I didn't start watching the show until the rerun compilation of all the shows... that really got me. So needless to say, now I am hooked. This episode was beautifully written, for so many reasons. My favorite part, would be all of it, but in particular O'Maley's speech and action with Bailey as well as Derek's rememberance of the kiss in detail... it wasn't cheesy or forced, and he said I love you without having to say it verbatim. Amazing job.

[lilian]

Breathtaking. The second episode was extremely well-written. The first one was a bit too "male" for me and seemed too similar to something that would appear on 24 or something of that sort. I love that each scene has sort of hidden implications and meanings, such as the scene in which they're moving the gurney down the hall and especially the last scene in which Derek describes the kiss. I'm glad us Mer/Der fans has one of you on our side! More episodes like this please!

[daisy1014]

I LOVE this show- love it, love it, love it. We fans truly appreciate the amazing writing. You capture men and women and the fact that neither gender is wholly soft or hard, the fact that we are all multi-faceted and yet never complete and it just resonates so deeply for all of us who have been sucked into this world within a hospital. You make us laugh and cry, sometimes at the same time and reading your blogs, especially as a writer, makes your efforts to do justice to the characters that much sweeter because we fans know that there is a piece of you writers in each scene just as there is a piece of each of us fans. So thank you, for being honest, for giving us a show that is painful and filled with joy and that makes Sunday nights t.v. night.

[Robbyroo72]

Great show tonight. I was on the edge of my seat again as I was last week. I have to admit though, these are the first two episodes I've seen and I have to say that I'm hooked.

I did think the explosion was a dream sequence until the scene where Izzie and Cristina were in the locker room with Meredith. Way to keep us viewers on our toes tonight and last week too.

[Candace]

Oh, and by the way vagjayjay???? Absolutely hilarious.

Emmys for everyone!

[Diana]

Thank you, Shondra for another amazing episode! You should win an Emmy for writing this show. I loved it when George helped Dr. Bailey give birth. He is such a wonderful character. I almost wish he and Mer could get together. I also thought it was wonderful how Dr. Burke gave the paramedic credit for saving the re-enactor's life. I too was sad at Dylan's demise but better him than Dr. McDreamy or Dr. Burke, Christina or Mer. The end showing Dr. Bailey, her baby and her husband was do tender. I also loved it when Dr. McDreamy went to see Mer. It was so very tender how he remembered their last kiss. It was a very touching and sweet moment. The previews for next week are very interesting. Sunday nights are much better since the addition of Grey's Anatomy. Thank you, Shondra!

[Captain Oats]

Again, amazing episode and amazing song choice with the Kate Havnevik song! Although it sucks that we can't get the a cappella version anywhere since she recorded it just for you!

Anyways, one question though... why did you choose not to have the characters mention Dylan's death after he explodes? If you ever get a chance, holler back at my blog: http://sillypipedreams.blogspot.com

Thanks for posting often, it really helps us aspiring writers to hear the thoughts of showrunners.

[ST]

Shonda,

I really don't want to sound like a broken record, but thank you so much for an absolutely brilliant episode yesterday. I love the show. It's best show on TV right now. Keep up the good work.

[gtta]

I love LOVE LOVE this show. Thank you. I think my mom described it best... "If this were a real situation (referring to the lives and people of SGH) you'd want to be involved someway." That's how wonderful the show is. You want to be a part of it.

[Britany]

It was perfect. It was perfect, and as a representative of your Canadian University girl fan base (it's big), I'd like to say thank you. I mean, those commercial cuts were pretty cruel and left us screaming in anguish... but that’s forgiven because just like Mer, all we needed was a little hope.

[Jeff (Illinois)]

There are two things I look forward to on Sunday.

"Grey's Anatomy" and an update of this wonderful writer's blog.

It gives us so much insight as to what's going on in the minds of the wonderful writing staff.

All my best on your continued success.

[Jackie]

I honestly don't know what else to say, other than, wow. This show continues to amaze me every week. It just gets better every Sunday night. I don't know how you do it!! So I guess, I just want to say thanks for helping to make television great again.

Oh, and P.S. - You blew up Kyle Chandler?! Seriously? SERIOUSLY!? I don't think I took a breath for the last 20 minutes. No, wait, I didn't take a breath for the entire hour!

[IamLynette]

Shonda,

You keep amazing me!! How do you keep making Grey's better and better? I laughed, I cried, I screamed. Has there ever been a better show on TV? I don't think so. Thank you so much for bring George out of his shell so to speak and getting Bailey to face reality. I was so hoping he would do that. I do so love George. And thank you for saving Bailey's husband. My heart almost stopped when his did. I gasped when his started beating again!

And what can I say about Mer and McDreamy? McDreamy slayed me at the end. The details that he remembered from their last kiss were so touching. Only a man in love would remember all that. It kills me that Mer and Der are not together. Please let Addison hook up again with Mark - or somebody - so Der will wise up and leave her!!

[Kim]

Episode 1 was great! Epidsode 2 had me chewing my nails...but I have to say I was a little disappointed with the ending. All the climax building to the end and when the bomb goes off we see no reactions from anyone in the hospital. Burke should have been yelling for Mer as he sees her fly by literally. Derek hears the bomb and we see no reaction of panic. No one comes running. The next thing we see are the two studs walking off the elevator (don't get me wrong...it was a nice view and I liked the first name bit). And then at the very end Der and Mer didn't even hug. FRUSTRATION! I DO love the show. It's great. I never miss it. the characters are wonderfully written and acted. But please....let Derek and Mer lose control already. Don't let Izzy and Alex have all the fun in the linen closet! You could have Mer have nightmares about the "impact" scene, she goes flying...gets injured, and McDreamy comes running up in his scrubs and gives her mouth to mouth to save her life. Actually, that would be a dream, not a nightmare. Anyway - the two part episode was one heck of a bite your nails roller coaster ride. I just wish the ending had not been quite so "mellow".
Keep up the good work

[jess]

dylan died? =( I was hoping him and meredith would date

[Sarah in Chicago]

Shonda,
I usually never comment on blogs of this sort but I'm absolutely addicted to your wonderful television show. A girlfriend and I have gotten almost half of my dormmates obsessed with this show and it all started with the post-SuperBowl episode. You could not believe how giddy I was when my housemates filled up the lounge to watch this brilliant episode.

Highlights of the episode for Coulter house!
1) We were all really moved by the shower scene. It was really touching and heartbreaking... Ellen Pompeo's expression!
2) McDreamy showing up at Meredith's. All the girls cried out in triumph and sighing ensued.
3) We became divided on whether the "lavender" comment was too sentimental~ I personally loved it :-)
4) Christina whispering to Burke's sleeping form.
5) Baily's vagina outburst!

Great work! Can't wait for next week's episode!

[divastarr2]

Shonda,

LOVED this episode, but.... Why no mention of Dylan the bomb guy or the other bomb guys that were killed? They (especially Dylan) were a huge part of the episode and they were not even an afterthought with any of the main characters. Dylan had chemistry with Meredith and if he lived that would have been a very interesting storyline. He didn't so why no mention? Did the characters get amnesia or were they written out to be that self absorbed?

I know this is a TV show and blah,blah,blah, but the Grey's Anatomy viewers aren't stupid or forgetful. Anyhow I just wanted to say great episode, except for that one tiny flaw. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

[Kris]

The show was perfect. Ellen P. looks so beautiful when she cries which is very hard to do. Thanks Oh and good choice going with the Anna Nalick song. Very nice.

[Jess]

I just wanted to say that I abso-FREAKING-lutely LOVE this show. My roommate got me hooked at the beginning of the second season, and I haven't missed an episode since. This is my number one show, and I just love the characters, I do know what you mean about feeling like the characters are real people, and can I just say that I told my roommate today that I would totally marry George in a heartbeat! How about giving him a little love interest?! I seriously can't wait until I get season 1 because I am probably gonna watch it every day repeatedly because I need some Grey's Anatomy in my life on a daily basis. My roommate makes fun of me for taping it and watching it twice, but I can't get enough of this show!!! Thank you so much for giving me (a college junior) a grown-up show to watch!!

PS- LOVE THE MUSIC!! Keep up the good work there!!

[Blair]

This episode was perfect. enough happened that we weren't let down, not too much happened so we weren't yelling and throwing things at the tv. i think this was a huge turning point for a lot of the characters. i also want to thank you for writing these blogs. they are really interesting and i love reading about everything that went into making this show. i know tomorrow my friends and i wont be able to stop talking about what happened !
thank you