Mark Wilding on "Desire"

Original airdate: 4-26-07

Desire.  It can wreck your life.  It can be, as Izzie rightly says, your Penis Fish.  It can crawl up inside you and… yeah, you pretty much know the rest… So that’s what I’m gonna talk about in this blog.  Desire and the metaphor we came up with to represent it.  The Candiru.  Or Penis Fish.  I won’t call it a Candiru.  I’ll call it a Penis Fish because that’s a lot funnier to say than Candiru.  I’m not sure if Penis Fish should be capitalized, but if you had one in you, you’d probably think it’d be worth capitalizing.  In fact, ALL the letters in it probably deserve to be capitalized.  PENIS FISH.  However, I don’t want to be accused of sensationalism so we’ll just keep it at Penis Fish.

First some background.  My personal desire has been to do this story for a long time.  In fact, it’s been the whole writing staff’s desire.  We actually had the story in a couple of previous scripts but it never quite worked out.  It either didn’t work with the theme of the episode or we’d just done a show with someone having penis troubles and we didn’t want to do penis overload, as it were. 

Second, the Penis Fish is a real thing.  It’s more of a parasite than a fish.  It likes to swim up the little eddies created by a fish’s gills.  Then it stops and latches on to the insides of the unsuspecting fish.  The unsuspecting, unlucky fish.  And then it, well… feeds.  Yeah.  Very yucchy.  It’s found in South America.  However, unlike, say, telenovellas, it’s not coming to America anytime soon.  You will not find it at your local swimming hole or the YMCA.  It’s strictly Amazon.  But it does exist.  Look hard enough on the Internet and you’ll find a picture or two of the thing.  It’s thin enough to get in your urine stream, slippery enough to avoid capture and agile enough to work its way inside you.  Where it gorges on your blood or tissue.  And gets bigger.  So when the Chief pulled it out at the end, that’s about what it really looks like.  Hey, we do our research.  The Discovery Channel even has some web site where they do a re-enactment of the thing swimming into some poor guy.  Even that fake re-enactment gives you the willies.  At least I hope it’s fake.

So George and Izzie make the mistake of thinking they can somehow quench their desire.  That by ignoring it and saying it’s not there, they can simply move on.  Be best buddies again.  It’s not that nothing happened.  Something did.  But they think they’re strong enough and wise enough to deal with it.  It was a one time thing.  A simple mistake that can be rectified by their own determination to put it behind them. The trouble is… their desire keeps getting in the way.  And that’s why George has hit upon a new way to deal with it.  Go West, young man.  In this case…Mercy West.

It’s not just George and Izzie that suffer from this affliction.  All our couples in this episode suffer with some form of metaphorical Penis Fish – a desire that’s hooked into you and won’t let go.  Look at Derek and Meredith.  They got what they desired.  Each other.  But once you get what you want, is it really what you want?  Because, unfortunately, love isn’t just about desire. At some point it’s about other stuff, too.  Getting through the day to day.  Putting up with your partner’s snoring.  Wondering if they have, well, some kind of death wish… 

Those things tend to complicate relationships.  Eat away at them.  Make you wonder if you’re getting out of it what you put in.  How many problems can you take before the taking gets too hard?  Derek tells Meredith he doesn’t know if he can keep breathing for her.  It’s not just costing him the chiefship, it’s also…wearing him out.  She’s his Penis Fish.  Does he want to get rid of his Penis Fish?  That’s impossible, right?  It’s Meredith and Derek.  It’s just a bump in the road.  Or is it?  Well, all I can say for now is stay tuned…

Addison and Alex have been desiring each other for what seems like forever.  And we finally pay it off with a tryst in the on-call room.  How about that?  THEY FINALLY DID IT (now that deserves all capital letters).  We’ve never done a tally of the various places where our people have done it in the hospital.  I have to think the on-call room leads the way, with storage closet a close second.  But Alex clearly has major issues with girls who like him.  So he detaches himself pretty quickly from any possible entanglement.  He won’t let Addison be his Penis Fish.
. 
And finally Burke and Cristina.  Burke wants his relationship with Cristina to work.  He wants her to choose that wedding cake.  We know what that cake means to him when he sits down with Izzie in the conference room at the end of the episode.  This cake.  For this day.  With this woman.  And in the end, Cristina does choose a cake.  The red one.  The red velvet.  And Burke has hope again.  He’s wanted this wedding all along.  And he’s thinking, hell, maybe now she’s finally on board.  Maybe she finally wants this thing just as much as he does.  Maybe, just maybe, they’re finally heading in the right direction.  The question, of course, is does Cristina feel that way?  She loves the guy enough to have made little compromises along the way (see Stacy’s great episode last week).  But is this whole wedding thing her Penis Fish?

Okay, even though I said this blog would just be about desire and the Penis Fish, I lied.  Only because I really liked the scene at the end with Bailey and the Chief.  Where he’s leaving for the night and he runs into her filling in surgeries on the OR board for the next day.  And he’s told her earlier in the day that she has to delegate and she just can’t.  SHE CAN’T.  It’s not in her.  And, truthfully, it’s not in him either.  The question is, will Bailey suffer for that?

The answers to that question and a lot more will be coming up in the next three weeks.  I promise, it’s going to be a GREAT ride.  Next week’s our two hour episode and it’s moving and funny and all things Grey’s Anatomy.  And that’s not even the finale.  In the meantime, if you find yourself in the middle of the Amazon and you have to take a pee, stifle whatever desire you have to go in the river… and just find a nice thicket of trees or a large bush.  And that way, you can avoid being what no one desires – being another odd medical story on the Discovery Channel.   

.

Comments

[McDark&Twisty]

Burktina. Is. LOVE!!!

You did a great job with them this episode. Seriously.

And, also, you know you've done a good job when you have me really REALLY caring about other characters and pairings as much as I care about B&C. And boy, did you!

Great, fabulouso, entertaining episode overall. Oh, how I love my Grey’s...

[Elaine]

What George is leaving????

[McDark&Twisty]

And the wedding is NOT Cristina's penis fish. You will NOT make it her penis fish. So shut up.

Please.

[Katie]

Tell me George isn't actually leaving. If he is, I will be one very inconsolable fan.

Loved this episode, as an avid O'Stevens shipper. Oh, the angst. And I was really sad for Callie, because she has no idea what's going on. I just want to know if she's ever going to find out ;).

[Shannon]

Please don't break up Mer and Der!!! Please! Please! Please!

[kelly]

great ep...classic grey's :)

[Anna]

Derek's an ass. He's no McDreamy.

Meredith should dump him and let him have his trailer in the woods where he can breath all alone.

Thanks for ruining the best couple this show had. I now hate them and want anyone else for Meredith.

[Vanessa]

Great episode! My heart was aching when Derek didn't try to stop Meredith from leaving...

[Jen in Canada]

Wonderful episode. THIS is the Greys Anatomy that I fell in love with. Penis Fish. HA!
Thank you for that.
Oh and the message board is hot with anger over Mer/Der but I just want to say that it needed to be said and although Der picked the worst possible time I think he was like a dam ready to burst and there was nothing he could do, no way he could keep it inside anymore.
Now, you just better fix things between them. You're going to do that right? RIGHT?

[Ashi]

just looked up penis fish and yes, you guys did your research and I am now sitting with my legs crossed and when I am comfortable enough, I will go pee and then off to bed I go. But thanks again for a great show and can I just say, I will be weeping a little for dr. Sloane...who got his heart broken today. He was really trying for Addison's sake and he deserved better...and he just got so much more attractive when he decided to fall on the sword for her?? Seriously, a great show. Loving every little bit.

[memphisfan]

good episode, really like where mer/der is going, as long as derek realizes love is worth sacrificing for.

[Mickeyamc]

Don't send George to Mercy West!

[Robin]

I don't usually comment because I get really passionate and then I start getting angry at TV characters, and then I take that anger out on my peers, and they give me dirty looks, and it's just not fun for anyone. But, I can't NOT say this.

I love Meredith and Derek.

This being said, you writers should do what you wish with them. But know that I (and probably many others) will cry alot should Mer and Der part ways. Which brings me back to the unnatural attachment I have with these characters which leads to the dirty looks from my friends. So who knows, maybe a mer/der breakup will be good for my social life...

[Again]

George and Izzie STOP STOP STOP!!! I can't stand it, it makes my eyes hurt. Everything is so ruined. Everything is so messed up I can't even remember cool surgeries and having fun and fighting for the good cases. Gossip just for fun. Now it just nasty adultery horsedung and soap opera drama all the way. What is going on, seriously! SERIOUSLY! And of course not even the penis fish guy being alone at the very end helped teach your idiot brained George anything at all. I guess both idiots do deserve each other and in the most horrible way ever. But far far away in Mercy West where we will not have to see them again. Ever. AGAIN.

[bigbear]

good episode. Still thinking about final scenes in trailor. well done scenes. It was about time derek says what has been eating at him...and of course, meredith leaves-meredith the uncommunicator....

[Anon]

Mark,

Thanks for your blog. Are we really supposed to believe at this point that Derek loves, truly loves, Meredith? He didn't even ask for her explanation of what happened in the water - it was all about him, how it makes him feel, how he was so hurt by it.

Not trying to get her help, not being supportive, not being loving. And I don't see why it took him so long to bring this up, and why he couldn't tell her the other thing that he was hiding - Richard's stance re: the Chief position.

[Angela T]

Well, I for one am not glad that Alex and Addison did it. No capitals from me. Plus, do you know how many people are washing their hands of Alex based on his behavior at the end? Although, I think it had more to do with him being mean to Addison rather than him being mean at all. But, it'll take more than that to get me to dislike Alex.

And, you introduced the question of whether or not Ava could turn into another Denny situation, but because you had to go for the cheap sex, you didn't bother to fully explore it. I can't help thinking that the reason is one of two things. Either cheap sex is more important than whether another intern might be crossing a line, OR you want it to be another Denny situation. And, by you, I mean the whole staff and Shonda especially. Word of note, although you'll never believe it. The Denny story was horrible. It was the first on Izzie's road to being an utter horrifying mess. I can take Alex acting badly sometimes, because he's done that in season 3, his best season. Just don't feel he has to be the stereotypical bad guy, and don't make him a male Izzie. And, thanks for letting Addison go off to spin off land a sad rejected woman. That thanks was sarcastic, if it doesn't show through.

And, why is the George and Izzie thing all about George and Izzie? What about how rotten they've been to Callie? I felt like I was being told how wonderful the love of George and Izzie was, and how sad and noble it was that they had to sacrifice themselves for that little insignificant marriage thing. Just a piece of paper, huh? And, how many people are going to hear that Izzie slept with a married man and just blink? You'd think someone would feel that it was wrong.

I felt really bad for Mark, who was so hurt by Addison.

The best parts were all the interns studying and Alex when Ava started seizing and in the operating room. I refuse to believe that a doctor can't calm down a frightened patient without being in love with her or being inappropriate.

And, nice way to ease into the spin off. Addison can't hold out longer than Mark, the manwhore (it's a word you people use on the show, so hopefully it's okay to use on the blog) plus she gets shot down by Alex. My goodness, why not put her in the stocks or something to show how you really feel about the woman. Couldn't her reason for leaving have nothing to do with men?

[McDark&Twisy]

I really hope some people are posting comments in between all these comments of mine. Otherwise it'll look kinda weird.

Anyway. Couples are a big part of shows for fans. And you're making a lot of people's favorite couple's unhappy right not. Really unhappy. Which makes for unhappy fans. Which makes for fans saying bad things and threatening to stop watching. Which (I hope) makes for unhappy writers.

Because who really wants to write a show that all the fans are going to not like?

Don't get me wrong, I'm still lovin my Burktina, but a lot of the other fans... not so much with their favorite couples.

Just pointing out the obvious. One of the many things I do.

[mowhit25]

I loved the thing with Christina and Callie flashcards. That was the fun stuff I am used to. Ava did not annoy me tonight. I liked how the penis guys situation was played out in front of George. I am not suprised he is running. He is a chicken. Always has been. The whole thing with George staring at Izzie breast- DISGUSTING! I do not buy it. I don't know how you guys can bring George back up again. He is so gone. Callie begging in the elevator was not as bad as I thought it would be, but it was still weak. I hope there is more to her story for all of this weakness all of a sudden. I am glad Alex turned Addison down. He knows it would not work. And speaking of Bailey, we barely see her loved ones. I hope that talk the chief gave her means we will.

Meredith getting popped in the face next week WHOA! I wish it were Izzie instead.

[SK]

Shonda, I understand that what you made Alex do to Addie tonight was to give her a reason to leave.

But I just wanted to say, that the love story you (seemingly inadvertently, since you seem to want to just split them up just like that) ended up writing between Alex and Addison, was a GOLDMINE - it's such a beautiful story.

Aristocratic princess, lonely, confused, probably grew up with distant parents, cheats because she's vulnerable, hides beneath a confident witch exterior, but has a heart of gold and a true, deep affection for little babies -

And

Poor boy who grew up in a bar with similarly distant parents, also cheats (on Izzie eg) because he's vulnerable, hides beneath bad boy exterior, but also has a heart of gold...

Both so broken, so world-weary, and yet such AMAZING, passionate human beings...they find each other in the unlikeliest of ways, they hate each other, they yell at each other, but their connection grows, and even if they SEEM so different, they are kindred spirits.

But her ex-husband and ex-lover work at the same hospital, their professional relationship complicates things, people's prejudice about the fact that she's slightly older than him, his boss etc...so maybe they need to keep their distance for a while, but finally find their way together, because, oh my god, it's just meant to be. It would have been soooo beautiful.

I mean – Shonda – IT'S TOLSTOY! IT'S SEXY SHAKESPEARE! IT'S PERFECT!

I can't believe that you as a writer have the heart to sacrifice this. I can't believe it. Doesn't it make your artistic soul cry?

How could you sleep at night? Imagine what would have happened if Shakespeare decided to spin off Juliet after Act I. Think twice, please, before you make this big mistake of splitting them up.

[dckatiebug]

For what its worth, I appreciate the complications in the Mer/Der story. Real relationships are rocky, and things aren't always perfect. So often on TV you get the thrill of the chase or you get the old married couple who don't even seem to be in a relationship anymore. I appreciate that on Grey's, we see relationships in all their messy glory.

I could say a lot else about the episode (which I really enjoyed; you've found your way back from the ferryboat mess: good work!), but I'll limit myself to just this thing. Because I think you'll hear a lot of complaing from the Mer/Der shippers who want everything to be perfect. But that's not life and it's not Grey's.

[Jen]

Good episode! I am sure there are going to be people who are unhappy with Derek and Meredith at the end of the show, but I think it was very necessary. I used to be a huge Mer/Der fan and couldn't wait for them to get back together, but this season Meredith's character has turned obnoxious. Especially in this episode where she was trying to be all cute, but was annoying with her constant updates to Derek. She hasn't been a strong, independent woman this season- traits I think are required to be a successful surgeon (Bailey, Cristina). She also doesn't seem good enough for Derek anymore. She is too needy and the way he told her he doesn't know if he can or wants to breathe for her - is an excellent way to put it. I would have thought the two of them would have had great chemistry, but Meredith's character seems to have changed too much. I wouldn't be unhappy if their relationship worked, but somehing needs to change with Meredith so that can happen.

[marie]

I can't believe George is leaving. It seems like absolutely no relationship on this show seems to work out at all and it's really really really really sad. And Derek and Meredith HAVE to be fine. my sanity depends on it.

Seriously.

++++++++++++++++

I HAVE TO SAY, THIS EPISODE WAS MORE GREY'S ANATOMY-ESQUE THAN WE'VE SEEN FOR A WHILE,

SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.

BUT I FEEL LIKE YOU GUYS PUT SO MANY OBVIOUS SEASON FINALE START-UPS IT SEEMED UNNATURAL.

ADDISON LEAVING (WHICH I'M SO DEPRESSED ABOUT, I SKIPPED DINNER BY THE WAY)

GEORGE TRANSFERRING (NOT TO BE TOO TEENAGERY BUT UM, WTF? RANDOM MUCH?)

DEREK INSINUATING HE'S CHOOSING JOB OVER LOVE (WHICH IS UM, RIDICULOUS CONSIDERING HE SPENT ALL LAST SEASON PINING FOR HER AND ENDED A MARRIAGE FOR HER)

I DON'T KNOW. UNDECIDED ABOUT THIS EPISODE. BUT THE SEQUENCE OF THESE EVENTS FEEL SO UNNATURAL I HATE IT.

PS------THAT "SEX SCENE" BETWEEN ALEX AND ADDISON WAS SO WEAK. THE ENTIRE THING WAS IN THE PROMO.

PPS-------I AM SO SICK OF PREGNANT GIRL. SORRY, BUT I AM. WE WANT A REALLLLL LOVE STORY FOR ALEX

THAT'S IT.

[Brandi]

Great Episode Mark! I just feel like sitting here and saying Poor Mer! Poor Derek! Poor Addison! Poor Mark! and so on and so forth. Everyone got kicked around a little in this episode didn't they?

I'll stick to just one today: Poor Mer tried so hard to "communicate" but when Derek actually spilled about how he's been feeling, she didn't stick around to actually talk about the stuff that matters and not just the tiny details of what she had for lunch. THe reality of being in love is that it takes work and I'm sure these two aren't going to jsut ride off into the sunset. But I would love everyone at Grey's if you would actually make them work through their problems, unlike every other TV show in America that would just break them up so that they could continue on a will they/won't they thing. But you guys are Grey's so I trust you.

I'm sure you guys will fix things or at least make things even more interesting in the weeks to come. I'm so looking forward to the rest of the season!

Brandi