More from Shonda on the Season Premiere Episode “Time Has Come Today”…

Original Airdate: 9-22-06

(A word to our Canadian friends: you may not want to read this if you don’t want to know what happens.  I’m sorry.  I’m so so sorry that happened to you guys.  We can’t wait for you to catch up with us next week.  Also, I know many spoilers are being posted out there in web-land about next week’s episode but, you should know, we won’t be posting them here.  I can’t control what happened but I’m not gonna add to it in any way…)

So, it’s good to finally be able to TALK about the episode instead of NOT talk about the episode.  I have been dying to discuss this with you all and find out what you think.

This episode for me was really a chance to deal with the things that had been haunting me all summer.  Especially Izzie.  I’d been pretty worried about her, you see.  She was in such pain when we left her.  And let me tell you, I watched that final scene in Denny’s room where she wouldn’t get out of the bed more times than is probably normal for someone who WROTE the thing.   I couldn’t help it -- Katie Heigl’s amazing performance sucks me in every single time. 

Anyway, I was worried about Izzie.  And I knew that she was going to really be suffering when we see her again this season.  But I wasn’t sure how to make it clear that she was grieving without having a funeral.  And I really didn’t want a funeral – I see them on TV and they never have the impact that a real funeral does.  They never have that surreal, horrible sinking feeling you get when sitting at the funeral of someone you care about.  There’s a distance to a funeral with TV for me.  You sit at a funeral and you find yourself re-living all these moments in time and regretting things…

Which is why this episode is about time.  And being stuck in a moment.

So Izzie is stuck.  On the bathroom floor, unable to bring herself to move.  Because taking off that dress?  Means Denny is really gone.

George and Derek are stuck in the locker room, quarantined.  Where they end up discussing the merits of love and saying “I love you.”  George and Derek are the last two people you’d expect to connect but, here, in this situation, they do.  And I think a wonderfully unexpected parallel is drawn between George and his feelings for Callie and Derek and his feelings for Meredith.

Bailey is dealing with Omar who is stuck in a room alone, grieving for his wife.  And she’s feeling all the guilt in the world over what happened to Denny. 

Meredith is stuck at home.  Taking care of Izzie and feeling trapped by what happened with Derek.

And Addison is walking around with a pair of black panties in her purse.  Stuck with a group of teenage girls and their parents who won’t claim a newborn baby found in a trash can.

Everyone is stuck.  And everyone, EVERYONE, is plagued.  By the past. 

The flashbacks were something I’d been wanting to do for a while.  I really felt that we needed to see Addison and Derek and the moments after he discovers her in bed with his best friend Mark.  Because what Addison did to Derek is SO much worse than what happened between Meredith and Derek in that exam room at the end of the season.  I wanted us to remember that she betrayed him long before he betrayed her.  And that Addison herself is suffering over her choice to have an affair.

I also wanted very badly to reveal the first moment Meredith and Derek meet.  It is the night before the interns’ very first shift.  And if you remember the first episode of Season One, there was a mixer that night.  And there’s Meredith – with her (as George described in the pilot) “black dress, slit up the side, strappy sandals” in the bar.  And she meets Derek.  And they are so fresh with one another, it’s all so new.  There’s none of the baggage that they have now.   I just love when Meredith says “so if I know you, I’ll love you?” so SURE that she never will.  That he’s just another guy.  And when Derek asks Meredith what her story is, she says “I’m just a girl in a bar.”  And we KNOW that she’s not – we know about her mother and her daddy issues and her soft spot for sleeping with inappropriate men.  But here, she’s just a girl.  And Derek says he’s just a guy.  But, unlike the first episode of Grey’s Anatomy, we know about his wife.  And we just saw his pain at discovering Addison’s infidelity.   And this is the “split second”, the moment they meet, that has changed the course of their lives forever.

It was a conscious choice on my part to not show Burke until the end except for the flashback at the mixer.  Because I wanted you to watch the episode and either a) pine for his presence or b) forget about him – until Cristina walks into his room at the end of the day.  Then I wanted the power of what he means to Cristina to overwhelm us when he asks her how she is and then she begins to cry. 

“Don’t ever die” is one my favorite Cristina lines ever.  Look at how much she’s changed since that night at the mixer.

Richard and Ellis and Adele – the relationships are changing.  You only (purposely) get a taste of what’s to come in this episode but I think it is a potent taste.  To have Adele walk out on the Chief…what is he gonna do?

And finally, I just want to talk about Callie and her “high school with scalpels” speech:  Y’all know how much I love Callie.  And how much I love how she loves George.  It was really fun to be able to give her these words because it is what I’ve been saying is part of the premise for this show all along – these people are socially stuck in high school because they’ve been science geeks for so long. 

Okay, my brain is fried from the stress of hoping people watched the premiere so I’m going to stop writing now.   Maybe I’ll write more later after I read your thoughts.

Thank you for watching.  Thank you for checking back in with us.  I’ve gotta get back to work so you all have some more episodes to watch!!!

Comments

[Lindsay]

I think this was the most wonderful episode, second only to last years season finale... I actually thought I cannot imagine life without this show, I am completely hooked because the people are real, and all twisty inside and it is truly beautiful...

Thank you.

[Amber]

I'm addicted & have been from day one to this show! It was like catching up with old friends last night (how long was the summer break??) The chemistry of everyone on this show just jumps off the TV screen. I love how Grey's shows such depth & contridictions with the characters. The innocence & pain & bravery in "Izzy" last night mourning Denny. Addison with her pain of regret, while trying to save that little baby. (& trying to prevent regret for the teenaged mom) Seeing Baily's aka "the Nazi" warmer, softer side towards Denny & Omar. Christina learning to be "human" & showing her emotions. And of course Mer & Der...the looks that say everything & then when the words are spoken..even more powerful, & gut wrentching & heart leaping at the same time. Loved the back stories (Der & Addison, the social mixer with the interns & even "little" Meredith on the merry-go-round seeing her Mom & Richard. Does she know that was Richard? Time will tell.
If only we could live at Seattle Grace every day!! Once a week, just isn't enough. Thank you for your brilliant show..talented writers & amazing cast.

[Amy]

I thought this show was really well done. I completely agree about avoiding a funeral, that wouldn't bode well with fans anyway. Izzie on the floor trying to catch up or rejoin the living in a way is wonderful, it expresses how completely lost we are when someone close to us dies. The Meridith thing, I don't know I really like Fin, but Der finally admitted his feelings and I feel this struggle. I really feel for Miranda as she tries to help Omar without personal contact with him, we see the Denny issue coming out and we see a softer side to Bailey. The other thing I really enjoyed was Addison dealing with this abandoned baby. She talks to the girls well and when the girl admits to it as her baby she embraces the girl. That is all this girl needed was acceptance and being embraced. Finally thank you so much for the flashbacks it really does fill in some of the blanks that we didn't know about characters before. Thanks again!!! Great job!!

[Jamie]

The show was great! Well worth the wait! But...a slender 14-year-old having a baby in a bathroom at school and not even having blood on her socks? I don't think so! All of us who've given birth were screaming at the TV.

[David]

Just saw this - RATINGS UPSET: ABC's 'Grey's Anatomy' season opener out-rates CBS 'CSI'... 17.1 rating/25 share to 14.9 rating/22 share... ABC WINS THURSDAY NIGHT, CBS SHOW, NBC IN DISTANT THIRD...Congratualtions on an amazing episode!!!!

[Crystal H.]

I think we all know that love has to win with Mer and Der, so thank you for letting us see how much they love each other.

[Sara]

I loved this episode! There was so much humor...loved the locker scenes with Derek and George.

Oh, and Shonda...don't worry about the episode 2 spoilers. If anything, they are making people want to watch it even more!!!

Keep up the great work!

[Not so dirty mistress!]

Thank you!! I love the direction in which these stories appear to be headed. It was appropriate for Adele to leave Richard. She's taken care of him all these years, and he has not been there for her - not physically, not emotionally. Sometimes being in a bad marriage is worse than being in no marriage, and she's a good person. If they reconcile, I know you'll have put them on a journey that ends there appropriately. If they don't, that's going to be okay too. Because Richard is in love again, with a woman who is only half there. How wonderful, really, is that? Talk about in sickness and in health!

Derek said he loved her!!! He said it, out loud, and smiled, and said he'd loved her "forever." She loves him too. Always has. No matter what has transpired. These two share the same heart, and I'm looking forward to them getting to explore that more freely.

I'll miss Finn, if he's leaving, because he's warm and sexy yet with that everyday sort of quality.

I wondered all during the break what the theme would be. It didn't occur to me that you'd choose "stuck in time" as a theme, but that was very appropriate to each character, in their own way. And of course, it was highly appropriate to all us viewers, who've been stuck at the last day of season two, suspended, waiting for whatever was going to come next. Great title, great choices.

Re Addie - that was a great scene. No wonder you kept that woman on the show - I really have come to like her, so long as she and Derek don't get back together. They've grown apart. They are both professional. But Addie's instincts are so different from Merediths.

Did I pick up something? Was Addie unable to have a child? There was more than the normal amount of pain and concern around that baby. Maybe that's why she and Derek drifted apart? That would be ironic, given her speciality, unless she chose it to be around something she can never have: babies.

I like Callie. I like her heart out there on her sleeve, as mine has been so many times, for better and very much for worse. It's awful to be like that, but it's very real, and very human. I'm glad George didn't tell her he loves her if he really doesn't feel it yet. He told Meredith, so we know he's got it in him, when he feels strongly enough. And there's nothing worse than someone saying they love you if they don't mean it. I understood why Derek encouraged him, because he was thinking of his own situation. And he did that so well, and Meredith's eyes welling up - I'm getting teary just typing this now, remembering. I so want them to be happy for a while.

I was missing Burke! He's such a great character, cool, calm, but very grounded, centered, and not without his own emotional life. I really lost it when Cristina curled up next to him and told him "Don't ever die." Sandra Oh is so amazing. One line, and it can have such impact. I'm wondering where her character will go, now that she's opening up her emotional side. And I'd think Burke would love this, being able to see this side of her. But she couldn't be there for him when he needed her most, and isn't that ultimately why people pare up - so that they know in the bad times, as well as the good, at least one person in their life will be fully there for them? I love that couple, but they've never been well suited. Opposites attract, but they're very hard to live with! ;-)

And then Izzie and Miranda, both dealing with their loss and guilt re Denny. The whole cast is so fantastic - I have no favorites - they're all great. Miranda at the door with that man - trying to hold him up virtually so he wouldn't hyperventilate - amazing. And Izzie, needing all her friends, needing a way to honor Denny, and Cristina, of all people, having the best idea for that.

Great choices. Great stuff. Can't wait to see what happens to the panties. I KNEW it would be Addie who found them - that was of course the best possible choice.

[Carol]

The comeback of GA was amazing. I never watched a show so intense in my life. You take real life and make a TV show for all of us to share. I just keep thinking how many times all of what happens on GA has either happen to me or someone I know.
Kudos...Kudos...Kudos
Next week can't come fast enough.

[Amanda]

Shonda, Bravo...I really cant imagine the stress of having to live up to a three hour finale where soo much happened. It was odd because i didnt know what to expect from the season opener...And I was pleasantly suprised how you didnt dwell on too many things that had run its course. Although I feel that this episode was cleaning up the messes more than moving on with the plot...I really this it was a well needed thing. I simply loved Derek's smile as he finally said out loud that he loves Mer. I loved how he isnt rushing her, and i love that he told her he wants her to think about her choice bc he made the wrong one! Im sorry to ramble but I am just so happy. Finn is kinda creeping me out. Although I am a die hard Mer Der fan, something about Finn doesnt click. If he were that interested in letting Mer have some good in her life, why cant see see their awesome love (Mer and Der's that is). I have to say the episode seemed to dwell on Addi a bit too much..but if that is what needs to happen to have her move on then im all for it. All i can say, is i have a new favorite day...Thursday! You have made me sooo happy and I can NOT wait for the upcoming episodes. For some reason I feel lke epis 3 and 4 are going to be amazing...cant wait to see what surpises we have in store. love love love your hard work and the amazing show. we beat csi!!!! keep it up. and thank you for giving us mer der fans a strand of hope to cling to!

[Brooke]

I felt like all I got last night was a sip, and I was left wanting the whole drink! I can't wait for next week.

[John M]

Shonda,

ok, here's the thing. derek is married. MARRIED! so all that stuff about meredith having a choice is a big load of... i mean, come on. what kind of choice is that? pick this guy that wants to fight for you, or pick the married guy. and yes, i know meredith is choice-challenged, but come on.

anyway, love christina crying. love bailey breaking her "nazi" shell. i think you have some great storylines opening up. but the mer-der thing?

as much as i feel derek, and i know and believe that he loves mer, it's too little too late. he chose addison.

[Corrine]

LOVED loved loved the show! YEAY Mer/Der!!!!

[Julie <3]

Shonda and the rest of the crew--

This is my first time actually posting on the blog but I have been reading it since the middle of last season. I just wanted to tell you that this show is basically my entire existence...which is pretty sad, but I don't care. I live for Grey's! My friends make fun of me all the time because I treat every character of Grey's Anatomy as a real person in my life.

And also...THANK YOU for Meredith and Derek...I love them. I just don't understand why her choice isn't easier? Finn's hot and he has plans, but she's been "pining" over Derek forever. And he has been in love with her "forever" (which he said in a very sexy way, P.S.).

I love y'all, keep it up!

[Suzanne]

In case my comments got buried in the last group of posts (somewhere in the 700s) ......

Shonda - what a gift you have. We are all so grateful for this fantastic world you created for us to watch.

And I about DIED when Callie said she was the girl that "ate her hair"!!! Right out of your comments on the podcasts of last season. Cannot wait for those to start again. Very entertaining.

Take very good care and keep 'em comin!

[Mary B. from Sherman Oaks]

Howdy Shonda. It was cruel to make me choose between CSI and Grey's, but as your show has a heftier character development angle, you have won out my Thursday 9 pm time slot. No small feat considering they're the only two shows I keep up with. I just thought I'd chime in and let you know a few small things. 1) I don't cry. Ever. And it's a little disturbing. And last night, the season premiere made me cry. It was a nice little release, so thank you. 2) It's tortuous, truly - where on Earth did Addison find those panties? They are the Pandora's Box of undergarments! 3) Addison's breakdown when Derek finds her cheating was amazingly touching, but seemed somewhat removed from the very cool, collected, and apparently guiltless Addison we met in the first episode of Season 2. I almost sense that she is becoming such a sympathetic character that it's pulling away from some of the initial spunk I found so appealing about her a season ago. Is that intentional? Or is it more that her breakdown was a private moment between spouses and her appearance in Seattle months later was after a long period of collecting her wits and pride?

I understand you're incredibly busy, but if you find yourself leaning towards the guilty pleasure of blogging on the site, I'd be most obliged if you could tackle some of those question marks for me like only you can. :-) Seriously.

-Mary

P.S. Golly, speaking of guilty pleasures, those flashbacks were so gratifying.

[Lisa]

Thank you so much. Burktina touched me in a way I wasn't expecting. It is a beautiful show and I can't believe a week seems so far away...

[heidi]

Lovely. The whole thing was really just what I've been waiting for.

[Becky]

I just wanna say, all summer I've been staying away from all things Grey's because I had to work the night of the finale, and I missed the last 40 minutes (from Mer in the chief's office on) and I didn't want to be spoiled. I been in WITHDRAWL.

So I had absolutely no idea what had happened when I sat down to watch last night.

Dude, I DO NOT CRY at TV shows. You've just ruined my reputation.

I mean, I didn't even like denny/izzie all that much. And yet I'm going to be teased for the rest of my life by my roommates for BAWLING into a pillow at a TV SHOW.

Oh, the things you do to me, Miss Shonda.

[Stacey]

In the event the actual writers do read this, I hope you will take these comments in the spirit they are intended. No one can deny that the dialogue is wonderful. Not being a doctor, I also can't debate the medical lingo, but it always seems very realistic. In my opinion though, so much goes into the main story line that some of the transition pieces are left hanging and other unrealistic situations detract from the intention of the storyline. Expecting us to overlook these little things, while at the same time giving us such truth in feelings & dialogue, is lazy on your part. I won't insult you by excusing these mistakes with a flip--it is only a one hour show. I certainly wouldn't expect any professional to use that as a reason for dropping the ball when over the years shows like West Wing (the first years), Thirtysomething & Gilmore Girls have managed to produce wonderfully written and cohesive programs in an hours time. Here are a few examples of things that I personally would have expected to be handled better: 1) The morning after the prom (more on that in a minute) and the Chief’s wife doesn’t even mention it or the niece? She goes from being wrapped up in that to wallowing in self pity ready to walk out on her marriage? 2) The prom episode was not realistic in that no respectable hospital would have allowed a bunch of teenagers to contaminant their halls. You could have moved it "next door" to a fancy hotel and the episode wouldn't have lost anything in the process. 3) There were several things that could have been improved with the quarantine storyline, but most glaring were the guys in Hazemat suits standing in the hallway. Again, one the reasons this piece was written was to give Chandra Wilson a part to shine and she did. The dialogue and the underlying feelings behind it were well written and acted, but the guy in the suit standing next to her wasn’t needed. A little more effort on this storyline and it could have been great, not just good. 4) The baby story in last night’s episode was another example of something that was handled unrealistically. Getting Addison to the point where she could come to some self realization that she is a survivor and that people make mistakes in the heat of the moment, could have been accomplished while at the same time the matter be shown in a truthful light with the appropriate personnel handling the girl’s interrogation.

Sorry to come off negative, but it is obvious you’ve got a talented staff there and they should do a better job of addressing all aspects of the show not just the meat. PS. No need to post. I just wanted to get it off my chest.

[Jenn]

I really appreciat that you took time with this episode. It gave us time to reflect on the craziness, and slow down for a minute even though we've all be hyped up about the return of our favorite friends. Also, I thought it was wonderful that Burke had absolutely no interest in Cristina, only to later fall in love with her. It happens all the time - you never know who will become the most important or influential person in your life, and sometimes it takes you a while to notice them. And best of all, you were #1 in ratings! :-D I'm so happy!

[Jess]

Let me preface the following statement by saying that I ADORE Grey's and I think it's one of the finest shows on TV in the last 10 years. It's well-written, well-acted, and makes me cry at least once an episode. Shonda, I think you're amazing and I have the utmost respect for you!!

With that said, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with the statement that "Because what Addison did to Derek is SO much worse than what happened between Meredith and Derek in that exam room at the end of the season."

Addie and Derek are BOTH wrong. Derek was wrong to turn himself off in his marriage--I'm not saying that him not being there for Addie makes her affair RIGHT, not at all. But he was wrong there. Addie was wrong wrong WRONG to cheat on him. She was miserable and lonely and I feel for her...oh I feel for her. But she was still wrong. And Derek was wrong to cheat on Addie with Mere when Mere didn't know he was married. He did a disservice to BOTH girls there.

But what he did in the exam room REALLY hits me as wrong because...you know, Addie's trying. She's been trying to bail out a sinking ship because she loves him. She really though that he might be working on it too--he was going through the motions after all, at least until Finn walked into their lives. He made Addie believe that he might want to save what they had, and that in my mind is JUST as bad as what she did to him with Mark in NYC.

Just because Derek loves Meredith doesn't make what he's doing right. Nor does it make it particularly romantic from where I'm standing. I want to root for Meredith and Derek to be together more than anything because I know how happy they were together in Season 1, but I just *can't.*

[Julie]

I know you keep getting this, but I LOVED the show last night. It was what we fans were craving!!! Thank you so much. Thank you for allowing Derek to tell Meredith that he loves her finally and for her to actually hear the words come out of his mouth. These two characters move in ways I cannot even explain. I love everyone else on the show, of course. But, Derek & Meredith...there is just something magical about them. I soak up every word they speak to each other and every look they give each other. I have chills right now as I write this. I know this is a drama series, and I know there will be struggles along the way but please allow them some kind of happiness (even if it is brief). Derek finally saying those words to her and her hearing them with tears in her eyes will get me through this whole season no matter what you decide to do with them & their relationship. Thank you!! Thank you!! LOVE the show.

[Sara]

Ok, so that was totally worth the wait! Thank you for staying true to your characters and to your audience. We do realize how much thought goes into each scene, each line, each idiosyncrasy. I loved the flashbacks with Izzie and Alex and Mer and Der, I love how these characters are evolving, and I LOVE the incorporation of the beautiful concept of sitting Shiva as a Jewish mourning ritual that can be universal (I cried when Christina is explaing the tradition and she finally says "you have to wear old clothes"--suddenly, we realize that Izzie has to take off the dress and that Denny is really gone. And don't even get me started about when Izzie finally pulls herself off the floor, like a wounded fawn who is learning to walk again). I can go on. But I'll stop. Well done.
Much love.

[Michelle]

Thanks so much! It has been a long summer without Grey's. It's the best show on TV!