"Six Days" with Krista Vernoff...

Original Airdate: 1-11-07

The first thing I wanna say is, my three least favorite words in television are “To Be Continued.” Truly. I hate it and I’m so sorry to have done it to you. It was not my intention. I wrote this episode as one hour. But we shot it and it came in at 61 minutes and we only get 43 minutes per hour and so we were faced with the choice of either cutting 18 minutes – which really would have just destroyed the episode – or shooting 4 more days and making it a two-parter. It hurt. It was painful and laborious and I was terrified that the decision to go two hours would compromise the episode creatively and it really was such a beautiful episode at 61 minutes… Anyway, we did what we had to do, and I think that in the end, we made it work as two hours and I hope that you don’t hate us too much for making you wait a week for the pay-off.  It’s worth it, I promise.

Here’s the thing though. There’s just not that much I can talk about in this blog without giving away stuff that happens next week. I could tell you how much I love the stuff you’ve seen and how much I think you’ll enjoy where it’s all going but… I’m thinking maybe instead I’ll save any further discussion of “Six Days” till next week and use this time to talk about some questions you guys have been writing us.  (Also,  I  did the podcast this week – so if you aren’t technophobic, like me, and you actually know how to download and listen to a podcast , you can hear me and Susan, our wonderful editor, talk about this week’s episode in detail.)

What I want to talk about first is reruns. Yes, there’ve been a lot lately and I know it sucks. We had been scheduled to air a new episode on January 4th but  when Six Days became a two-parter, it became impossible to write, shoot and edit all the new scenes and get something on the air by January 4th. The GOOD thing about the change is – we were going to air a new episode on January 4th then have another repeat on 1/11. So – yes, you had to wait an extra week for a new episode, but you will now have 7 WEEKS IN A ROW of new episodes. Yeay.  We hope you enjoy each and every one of them.  We do know how frustrating the repeats can be, but if you break down the math – that the TV season is 40 weeks long and that we can only physically produce 24 episodes in a season – well, there’s gonna be a lot of repeats. That’s just the way it goes.

Second, I want to talk about the process – as in – how and why we do the things we do because a lot of you have been asking.  Here’s how it works: at the end of season two, we spent about 5 weeks discussing season three – really planning out all the arcs for the whole season. Then we went on a 5 week hiatus and when we came back, we started breaking story (which is what we call outlining episodes.) As we break story, we usually veer from what we had planned either a little or a whole, whole lot. Because sometimes things that work in theory do not work in execution and sometimes things that we think are BRILLIANT by 7pm on a Friday seem absurd by 9am on Monday. It’s not a perfect process, it’s not a linear process, it’s a creative process. And that process sometimes involves Shonda sitting up in bed at three a.m. having had an epiphany that completely destroys all of our plans but ultimately works out really well for the season. Or sometimes, we read a script and think it isn’t working and sit and try to brainstorm ways to make it work and we come up with major story points that way.

For example, in "Break on Through" last season, Izzie having given up a baby for adoption was never discussed in the writers’ room. I read the script and felt like it was missing a personal connection and I went to Shonda and the writer of the episode and said “what if Izzie had a baby she gave up for adoption” and they liked it so we put it into the script and put the script out and the writing staff was as surprised as Katie Heigl was because sometimes we get so far behind and so tired we forget to even put out a memo saying, hey, by the way, Izzie gave a baby up for adoption.  (And that, my friends, is what we call a run-on sentence. High Schoolers reading this should NOT, I repeat NOT, try to learn anything from my syntax.)   My point is, we work hard, we plan things and then just as in life, plans change and it’s one of the things I love about writing for TV.  Plus we have a phenomenal writing staff – they roll with the punches and very rarely burst into inappropriate tears when things change at the 11th hour. (Usually, these days, it’s me bursting into inappropriate tears but that’s because I’m very pregnant and wow, those hormones are killer. Greg Yaitanes, who directed “Six Days” parts one and two, stopped calling me Krista and just started calling me “Pregnant Lady.” As in, “Hey, Pregnant Lady, here’s what I’m thinking of doing with this scene.”   One might hear that as patronizing, but after spending 12, 13, 15 hours a day with me for three and half weeks shooting these episodes and watching me burst frequently into inappropriate tears,  I felt he had earned the right. But really – which of you didn’t cry after George saw his dad post-op for the first time and shaking, grabbed Mer’s arm and said “He’s my Dad, He’s my Dad.” ?? The problem is I burst out crying ON THE SET which …y’know…inappropriate.)    Okay, I digress. I was talking about process.   

I have heard it asked repeatedly how much influence you fans have on our storytelling. And I know one of the writers blogged that what y’all have to say carries a lot of weight in the writers’ room. And I think to a degree that’s true. And by that I mean, we read your comments – maybe not all of them but a lot of them – and sometimes we use them as a jumping off place for discussion in the room. Like, “A lot of fans don’t like this character right now. Why is that?” We talk about the character and the things he or she has been doing and where we want to go  -- we also usually discuss the fact that, for every fan who doesn’t like a character, there’s one who does.   That’s one of the things I love about our show – that it is polarizing.  (I used to have an acting teacher who said, “If the audience is on their feet at the end of the play, you’ve done your job. If the audience is booing and  throwing stuff at you at the end of the play, you’ve also done your job. What you never want is to receive “polite” applause.)   If our characters were less flawed, if say, they were just plain sweet and likable, then you would all agree that you liked them and then where would we go? How much growth is possible in a character who never makes bad decisions? How much drama is possible if people are never f**ked up, never bitchy, never raw?  So…our discussions that are prompted by your feedback often lead us down interesting paths, but they never end with us going, “Yeah, some of the fans don’t like that, we should just stop it.” Ever. Because it’s our to keep you on the edge of your seats, it’s our job to inspire you to write us in a feverish rage, it’s our job to sometimes piss you off and hopefully, always, to keep you coming back for more. 

Speaking of coming back for more…I have to go do work now – the writers’ room is calling.  So, because I dedicated this blog to giving you some answers – I will read and answer the first five questions you write me after reading this. (As long as you aren’t asking me to reveal future story points cause you know I can’t do that.)  Okay? And then next week, I promise, I will talk about 6 days, parts one and two in great detail.   Alright then, Happy New Year. I hope this finds you all healthy and happy and loving your lives.

More soon,

Krista 

(oh, and P.S, I wanted to say thanks to those of you who went to see my play in NYC. It was an honor and a privilege to meet some of you and I so appreciated your support!)

Comments

[Mary]

This epi was such a nice warm welcome back to the world of greys. So glad you are back. Now that this is a two parter- are we getting an extra epi for the season?

Would you straighten out the timeline since Season 1?

[Elizabeth]

First off, I love this show!!! Amazing writing and storylines! You guys are fantastic! One thing keeps bothering me though; Derek puts Meredith through some pretty nasty things last season and with one "I chose wrong" and a "Meredith, please" everything is ok again? No apology or recognition of the horrid conversation in the stairwell or the times he ignored her? Just curious. Either way I am a dedicated viewer. Thanks for all of your hard work on such a phenomenal show!

[Rojo]

Great episode. Meredith's snoring is a bit odd, though. Is there a point? The effort to bring her relationship with her dad to resolution is very good. Snoring, while human, is boring. I really, really like George's dad. Have enjoyed every episode with him included and truly hope he isn't going to go away permanently.

[Julia]

Thanks for the blog Krista. Since no comments have been posted, I have no idea if this will be one of the first five questions, but here goes: When did Meredith have her bedroom remodeled to include a bathtub, complete with candles?

It is pretty clear if you carefully watch Season 1 and 2 episodes, that there is no such area in her bedroom, so where did it come from?

Can I ask another? Where did Meredith grow up -- it doesn't really feel like she grew up in the house that she lives in now. She has described it as her mother's house (S1, E1) and she never talks about memories of things happening there. We never saw issues over who moved into which room -- like would Meredith sleep in Ellis' room? That might be weird for her, or her own room while she was growing up? No one has ever mentioned that, so just curious. Thanks and I'm looking forward to next week's blog and am loving 7 straight weeks of new Grey's episodes!!

[Cristina]

Hey Krista! This episode was definitely worth the wait. I'd say more but I'm extremely tired right now. I will say that I saw the play on it's final night and I LOVED it. Absolutely LOVED it. Each of the actresses (especially Tara) was phenomenal. Thank you so much for writing it. Oh and yay for Mr. Paige for directing it so beautifully.

Say Uncle. :-)

[Lauren]

Ok sooo ummmm....like I totally loved the almost kiss between Addison and Alex! Like really the 'almost' was so HOT...
Question. What do you think is more interesting? having a Mark/Addi/Alex triangle? Or having Addi with a single love interest?

Addison + (insert name of any of the sexy men on Greys) = Fire and all that great stuff!

[kayla shinae]

i loved the episode, but i was wondering where the voice over was. its one of my favorite things about grey's anatomy.

[Tish]

I don't know if my question will make it into the top five, but here goes:

I teach television and cinema studies at local college in Seattle. I was wondering if you could discuss (using past seasons of course!) in more depth the process you and the writing team go through when crafting a character's arc. What questions guide the process? How do you factor in the arcs for other characters and the season as a whole? How far in advance are you thinking when planning a character's arc for a season? I'd love to hear more from you on this issue.

Thanks!

[Maggie]

It's so interesting--I kind of hated Izzie most of the fall, but tonight's episode made me love her again. How did you do that? Never mind, just THANKS!

[tbk]

Seeing George's reaction when he looked at his father after his cancer surgery (and Merdith with her niece), reminded me of when I worked as a nurse in a Surgical/Trauma ICU at a large teaching hospital in S.Cal. My MOTHER-IN-LAW (not mother or father) was hospitalized there and I was so shocked at the feelings I had being on the "other side" (and she wasn't even that badly injured) I remember sitting there fighting back tears and thinking I just couldn't "loose it" because I was a nurse. It was almost embarressing but I think it made me a better nurse. That is one of the reasons we do not look after our own family members. I can't wait until next week!

[Terri in California]

Hey Kirsta:

One question that keeps popping into my head about the 2nd season's DVD--Why isn't the Frays video of "How to Save a Life" on there? Or Snow Patrol's Chasing Cars? Both videos were so awesome with all of the clips from Grey's and I would love to have a copy of them. Maybe next year you guys can get those on there and whatever new ones are made this year (if any). I'm sure I'm not the only Grey's fan who would love to have them.

Thanks for reading! Great show tonight!

Terri

[Kayti]

Have you guys ever gotten ideas from fan RPGs? I help run one, and we swear sometimes you guys read it. :]

[Caroline]

my friends and i loved this episode! i love that mer/der are happy, and izzie deposited the check, and that it looks like we'll get some more of the history on mark and addison. most of all, i loved the addison/alex almost kiss, and how he said he got the wrong coffee on purpose because mark was rude to her - that pulled on all of our heartstrings with a lingering effect!!

[Jennifer]

Krista, you are my favorite writer on the show--all your episodes seriously kick a**! And congratulations on your pregnancy & play.

Now, I realize I am not one of the first five, but I'm tossing out my question anyway: whatever happened to Doc's burial? Or is this like Pet Sematary, and Doc's not really dead?

As for the show, I'll reserve my fanfare for part II, but the Mer-Der snoring/morning breath scenes were uber cute, and I loved George & Calling dancing and kissing in front of his family.

Now back to Doc...

[shelley]

Hey,

The show was awesome, we were laughing and sad all the time. Things that stood out was izzie's story line, she was so sad about the patient, but it was so nice to see them bond, and the check depositing was both funny and really sad. Also George and her relationship was small in this show but i think good. And that brings me to george... very good, his shaking scene was awesome/

[Lisa]

Great episode!! You never dissapoint me Krista, you're definetely the best writer of the staff (not saying the others are not great).
That scene with George and Mer was... wow! It had me in tears, loved MEr telling Derek about her issues. I love the fluffy stuff, but we need to see some growth in their relationship, so this show's interaction between them was GREAT!!!
I can't stand Bang, both did wrong, but both are so stubborn, I can only hear on my head Burke's Mama comment on how they'll not make it.
Love the Callie-McDreamy scene, Sara was hilarious.
Can't wait til next Thursday to see what's playing with Mark, I know there's a reason about him being in SGH, and I hope to see more depth in his character, there's a reason he was Derek's bf for those years, altough he's been an @ss all the season, I care about him a lot and can't wait to see the good side on him.

[Ashley]

Love the episode; love the show; love you writers.

But where was the voice-over tonight? Struggling youth like myself look forward to -- even rely on -- Meredith's insightful quips about life. PLEASE bring those back.

[Alicia]

I miss Meredith's voiceovers!!

[LALA]

Glad you're back. Good episode tonight. Loved the shot of Addison & Alex through the isolette in the neonatal unit, and the near-kiss incident. What happened to the voice-over? My other thoughts on tonight's show are TO BE CONTINUED...

[Lisa]

Forgot to mention.. where are the voice overs?? The last couple of show only have them at the end, or someone else's voice, I really really miss Merediths voice overs, I think they give more strenght and feeling to all what happened in the episode.

[Ali]

Thanks for another great episode!

I remember Shonda and Betsy Beers said in the podcast for "Don't Stand Too Close to Me" that this episode was a bit... different. So throughout the episode, I kept an out for those differances... the camera angles and more extreme close-ups and the absence of voice over were just two of the elements that deffintly constituted a new type of Grey's episodes. I've loved the Grey's episodes to date, and really, really enjoyed this one. So, I guess what I'm trying to articualte is: congrats on being able to mix things up a bit, while still maintaining the show's quality and a general "Grey's" feeling:)

In particular, loved loved loved the material with Merideth and Derek and George and Callie.

Can't wait for next week!

Here's my question (though I'm sure there are over a 100 comments by now... eh, worth a shot): any tips for developing one's self as a writer?

[jules]

hey krista; nice episode!
super excited about finding out more about mark; doesn't feel like we know a lot about him. seems like whatever there was between him and addison isn't over.
loved the burketina...but i need more!
mer/der = a little boring, but i'll wait to see what's in part two
i'll admit it...i hated izzie after the denny debacle, but she's growing on me again. nice.
wow wow wow w/the papa o'mally story... love the o'mally family. they're adorable + they love callie! however, george is teetering on the edge...he's scaring me. and webber + bailey honoring papa o'mally's wishes was amazing. can't wait to see what comes next.
and the stuff with alex? "because he was rude to you."??? totally unkarev. he's gone soft. and didn't he have "feelings" for izzie like 2 episodes ago? justin and kate have great chemistry, but i think their characters getting together is unrealistic. does every intern have to hook up with an attending in this hospital? whatevs. i trust you guys.

can't wait to see what you have in store for us next week! great job, "pregnant lady"!

[Kim Liljegren]

I love the show and enjoyed tonights episode. I'm thankful to have more story line on the characters.

Who is the artist of the song at the end of the episode? It is so familiar, but I can't figure out who it is.

Thanks.

[GloStar]

I just Love the Show...
...Thank You!

[Karine]

Just wanted to say I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. Can't wait for next week's! Seven days seems like too long. But a few things.
1) Where are the voice-overs? This probably was one of the few episodes that didn't need it, the silence said it all. But still...when will the voice-overs make a return?
2) I'm not sold on the Addison-Alex relationship but I trust you writers...
3) Thank you for giving me hope about George & Callie, now if Christina and Burke could say uncle, we could get this show on the road..