Harry and Gabrielle on Syphilis!

"Who's Zoomin' Who"

Original Airdate: 5/22/05

Wow.  Season one.  It seems like such a long time ago.  This was our first script for the show and as with all first scripts, you’re just a little bit nervous.  What cool stories can we come up with? Can we capture the voices of the characters?  Will it be dramatic enough?  Will it be funny enough?  Will Shonda like it? 

Fortunately after a few weeks in the writers room with our brilliant colleagues, we felt pretty confident about our stories:  Richard’s possibly career threatening optical tumor,   Meredith forced to confide one of her dark secrets to Derek;  Burke’s oldest friend discovering he not only has an ovary, but a cheatin’, knocked up wife… 

But George, what should we do with George?  Hmmm..   How about… Syphilis!!

Nobody at the network had a problem with Richard’s story, or the Burke story,  but we’ve got to admit the syphilis was a tough sell. We  had to convince the powers-that-be that our storyline would not only be dramatic, it would be FUNNY.  Fortunately, Shonda had our backs.  We’re Grey’s Anatomy after all, genital highjinks is our specialty!

We ended up creating  a David Letterman-esque “Top Ten Reasons We Can Give George Syphillis List” and sent it with our episode outline to the studio and network.  Finally, they were convinced and we were in business.   It wasn’t until we actually sat down at the computer that we had a twinge of doubt.  Could we really make a disease that results in open sores and possible insanity, funny?.

You’ve seen the results, so we’ll leave it to you to decide but we think TR and Sara Utterbeck (Olivia) were amazing in their respective roles.  George getting the shot in the butt scene still makes us laugh and when George attacks Alex in the locker room, awesome.

Of course, what we should’ve realized is that Monday morning no one would be talking about syphilis, they’d be talking about Addison.  The final scene of the episode, when Addison just comes up out of nowhere was amazing to write and awesome to shoot.  (In fact the first time Kate Walsh said, “And you must be the woman who’s screwing my husband?” I, Gabrielle, almost ruined the take because I couldn’t stop myself from squealing, “nooooooo….” as I watched the monitor in video village.  And I knew it was going to happen! Harry looked at me like I was crazy, (Okay, I, Harry, have to admit I was also kind of squealing in a very manly way on the inside).

So, anyway, here below, made public for the first time anywhere, is the super-secret “Top Ten Reasons We Can Give George Syphilis List” we sent to the network.   Enjoy!

TOP TEN REASONS WE CAN GIVE GEORGE SYPHILIS:

1. Syphilis goes AWAY.  It’s a serious STD.  If untreated it causes madness and death – however- once diagnosed it can be treated and cured with ONE SHOT OF PENICILLIN.

2. Rockdale County – an upper middle class community – had an outbreak of syphilis among white fifteen-year-old college bound girls.

3. It has a nickname: “The Syph”

4. 9/21/04 – breaking news – sharp increase in cases of syphilis in New York state.

5. 70,000 incidents a year – that’s 192 a day and 8 an hour.

6. An Epidemiologist from the CDC, stated an outbreak of syphilis among Surgical Interns is completely reasonable and plausible event because of the following:

a. Our characters move in a closed network of people.

b. Long hours, lots of stress and little contact with people outside the hospital can lead to having unprotected sex with people you work with.

7. Syphilis has catchy prevention campaign slogans such as:

a. Look What’s Back! Syphilis!

b. Stop the sores.

c. Making every penis a healthy penis.

8. The anti-syphilis campaign has TWO mascots:

a. A healthy cartoon penis.

b. Mr. Phil, a red cartoon syphilis lesion

9. ER hasn’t done it.

10. Did we mention that syphilis is completely CURABLE with ONE shot?!

-Harry and Gabrielle

Comments

[em_denver]

I read in the FAQ's that iTunes was an option. Please! Please! Please! I will be abroad for the start of the 3rd season and will have limited TV access. I'd much rather pay for the episodes on iTunes...and seriously, I refuse to wait any longer than absolutely necessary to see who Meredith chooses!!!

[Suzy]

I love the show but found the syphilis storyline way way overdone, but slapstick humor is simply not my taste. I also find George the least appealing/interesting character. However, it is much more interesting that we want to hate Addison yet at times find her easy to root for. I guess in episodes where Meredith was whiny and self involved, my sympathies ebbed away from her.

[Baggage]

Ha! I love it. I'm already bracing towards Addison showing up. So brutal.

[MA en Ese]

I'd like to think that number three did it for the suits. Somehow... I think it might have been number nine ;)

Twice a week reruns ROCK and this blog with the reruns? Seriously rock.

Meanwhile, our office is so obsessed with GA... we are now tracking down songs from season two and placing them on the iTunes on our community server so we can talk about AND listen to music from GA.

I think we can claim partial credit for the success of Snow Patrol, Anna Nalick and The Fray. (Love the Snow Patrol video by the way... can you get THAT Musical McHottie on the show :))

Thanks for taking a break and bringing it all back again. Now... get back to work so we can REALLY sink out teeth into season three.

Cheers!

[Sarah]

I love you all. Seriously, Grey's has taken over my life, and really? I DON'T CARE.

=) You guys keep doin' what you do best.

[Debbie]

Thank you for Grey's Anatomy! It was definitely my breathe of fresh air! ;)

Out of curiosity, would we be seeing a speech-language pathologist appear on the show any time soon?

I'm studying to be a SLP... so we (my entire class and I) would be estactic to see a SLP appear on the show!

Love Grey's Anatomy!

[Kate]

Oh. I'm just so happy. It's not right that a TV show and these wonderful nuggets (blogs, videos, FAQs) make me so happy, but they do. Seriously. I love this show and can't get enough. I love the fairy tale.

[jessica and erin]

We were just on tvguide.com to see if next there would be two epsiodes again and it said next week's episodes are "Tell Me Sweet Little Lies" and "Break On Through." Episodes from the middle of season 2, instead of "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" and "Enough is Enough" the next episodes in order. We are huge Grey's fans, but we didn't start watching till mid-season and we have been waiting months to see the few episodes we have missed. We know September 12th is only a few weeks away, but why not have them on now? We seriously hope that tvguide.com was wrong, but if not raindrops will be falling on our heads! By the way, we love Grey's Shonda!

[lisa]

these blogs are getting me through greys withdrawal but i can't take it much longer! i'm eagerly anticipating the next season and can't wait to see what your group of talented and witty writers have to deliver this season. no pressure of course! =P

[DLR from NY]

Awesome top 10- the syph epidsode is one of my favorites. Hated Addison showing up, though- still, two years later! How sad am I???

[Maggie]

Brilliant! Abso-freakin-loutly brilliant!

[meagan in milw.]

9. ER hasn’t done it.

Ha!!! I love it.

Thanks for blogging, guys.

[Michelle]

I absolutely LOVE the Top Ten list!!! I also thought that TR Knight and Sara Utterbeck's performances were excellent, and I can't help but crack up when Meredith, Izzy, and Christina are giving George the shot!

[Ariana]

I have to admit that I too squealed (once again) when Addison delivered that line. I've seen that scene about 5 times now (yay Season One on DVD) and I still freak out everytime.

I love George. If he was in my real life I would totally go out with him. I loved the whole storyline, especially the shot in the butt scene. And it has a new meaning now that we know what happens with him and Meredith.

Oh and I must vent about the fact that I finally planned my long awaited vacation, starting on Sept 20th, so I probably won't be able to watch the season premiere. So not happy about that.

[Thank you!]

You guys are hilarious, brilliant, wonderful!

I CANNOT WAIT FOR SEASON 3

[Stefanie]

Just wanted to say that this episode is my definite favorite from season 1, and always my first choice when I get out my DVDs. Also, can't count how many times my friends and I have made "got the Syph" jokes in the last year... Thanks for the post!

[mcanything]

I absolutely love that you gave George "The Syph". It's so awesome because it's something you wouldn't expect to be a problem for him. One, because you figured he'd be responsible and two, he's not what you'd call a Lady's Man. But it was brilliant, you guys were brilliant. Just wanted to let you know how much I loved George with The Syph.

p.s. When he's getting his shot in the butt, best part of the episode.

[J Ro]

Yay, I'm the second poster (hoepfully)! To quote Buzz Aldrin, "second comes right after first ..."

Anywho. I adore George (my personal favorite) and think Mr. Knight plays him brilliantly. But I love the fact that the writers had to make a Top Ten list.

Seriously.

Somehow listing feels like something George's character would do if he were in the writers' room. And I think it's tremendous that the storyline got through ABC standards, considering its Disney ownership (partnership? Not to knock that merger at any rate.)

Anyway, bravo and thanks so much for sharing!

[me again]

You did make syphilis funny, but I still don't think I want to get it anytime soon. Must be all those pictures they made us look at in high school...................ewe.

[haley]

The Addison scene was marvelously done- Every single time I watch that episode and know the scene is coming up, I get all squirrely and giggly. It's probably my favorite scene in both Grey's Anatomy seasons, so good job on it!!
Keep up the good work !

[faith]

I, too, will be abroad and think it is a GREAT idea!

[haley]

I don't know if this comment will come in twice... I just typed it up and when I pressed "send" it just deleted the comment...
Well sorry if you get it twice!

The Addison scene was marvelously done- when the last five mintutes of the episode comes around I start to get real squirrely and giggly and can't stop smiling. It's most definetely my favorite scene of Grey's ever; good job with it!!
(huge Addison/Kate Walsh fan here)
So, keep up the good work and I can't wait til next season!

[Andrew .K.]

Hillarious!
Come to think of it, E.R. really hasn't done have they?

HAHAHAHAHAHA. #9 is the best.

[Maya]

Oh man, that list is great. I'd love to go on the Metro and see the posters with the mascots (especially Mr. Phil) and those sweet slogans....