Bill Harper On "Rise Up"...

Original Airdate: 11-6-08

Since this week’s episode has much to do with  dead people who won’t stay dead, I thought it might be appropriate to start with a story about some dead people: 

When I was a teenager, I visited my sister at college, where she was studying to be a physical therapist.  She told me to meet her in a lab, and (purposefully, I think) gave me zero advanced warning that what I’d be walking into was a gross anatomy lab -- a room full of dead bodies.  Surprise.  Ha.  Good one.  I went through what must be the Five Stages of Seeing Unexpected Corpses: 1. Shock,  2. Revulsion,  3.  Unease,  4.  Gnawing concern about the fragility of my life,   5.  Worry for this dead stranger in front of me, curiosity about how he got here, why he wasn’t buried, who his family was, how his hands got so calloused...   Anyway, lots and lots of feelings, and all in about four seconds.  Plus, the smell was weird.  But suddenly, I swear, all of it was replaced with one feeling:  Fascination.  As four students worked over the open stomach cavity of a grey-green male cadaver, I was struck by how quickly it became just that to me -- a body, not a person.  I felt like I understood the detachment that doctors must need to do their jobs.  The ability to save lives --  and the daily threat of losing them -- must be enough to paralyze you if you don’t detach a little.   If you don’t de-personalize.

(Sorry, I know I’m already sort of well into this blog, but I feel this weird, nagging impulse to introduce myself, since we haven’t met.  I’m Bill...longtime fan, first-time writer, first episode of Grey’s, first blog.  Ever.  Hi. Very happy to meet you.)

That detachment shows up all over in this episode.  The first Solo Surgery’s about to be awarded, it’s a huge deal, a huge honor, so our doctors are fired up to learn, to prepare, to win it -- and their interns are being neglected by their teachers -- everyone’s getting a little crazed, a little...detached. 

Lexie assembles her league of unclaimed bodies.  But Alex literally body-snatches them and pretty soon all of the residents are using them.  And I mean using them.  They’re so consumed with practicing procedures (and, in some cases, their lunch) they lose track of the fact that these are actual people they’re cutting into.  Of course, it takes Bailey to snap them back, to demand for these bodies the respect they deserve.  Sadly, it all lands on poor Lexie, who, from the beginning was the only person who showed those cadavers anything like respect.  (I love her little speech thanking them for being there).  No wonder she joins her basement band of self-doctoring interns. 

Meanwhile, George works heroically away on his “patient.” Stan (played by iStan -- truly the most amazing, state-of-the-art trauma patient simulator there is out there).  The idea behind these simulators is that they can create a scenario so realistic that doctors actually feel the stress of a real-life trauma.  And by the end Stan becomes more of a person than he has a right to be (thanks partly to the Chief).

The poor beating victim, on the other hand, becomes less than human. Alex and Cristina have turned him into a grab bag of procedures to practice on, losing track of the person to the point where Owen completely snaps.  Owen, ironically, has spent the entire day trying to depersonalize himself.   He’s fighting so hard to not connect, to keep it professional, to keep Cristina at arm’s length.  It must be a reaction to what we learned last week - losing his entire unit, being the sole survivor.  If anyone ever wanted to detach, if anyone wanted to flee from being human, it’s Owen.  And it builds in him all day, until it explodes.

I think my favorite scene might be the one when Cristina finds Owen and realizes maybe the only way to break through, to really communicate, after learning of his tragedy, is to tell him this incredibly intimate story of her own.  Sometimes the most tragic and defining experiences can create a shorthand between people.   They just understand it in a way that no one else would.   (OK.  I’m flat-out fascinated by Owen and Cristina. They seem to skip steps that most of us have to go through when we meet someone.  They’re all surprise kissing and tragic-life-story-trading.  No small talk, really. I can’t wait to see what happens next between them.)

So, the doctors must detach, but as Bailey and Owen point out, you can’t let the Person become nothing but The Patient.  Everybody is “somebody’s somebody.”  This peculiar opportunity that doctors have to cross the line between life and death and back again -- well, it would make me crazy.  For most of us, Death is the finish line.  For surgeons, it can be just another hurdle. 

And death isn’t the end for a lot of people in this episode.  Meredith and Cristina learn that, unearthing all those diaries of Ellis’s, trading them like best-sellers, learning from her brilliant past.

There’s poor Mr. Bullard who’s so prepared for his wife’s death after such a long illness, only to find that, when it comes down to it, he’s not prepared at all.  He has to bring her back.  And poor Bailey, who’s obviously working so hard to keep her own marriage alive, and sees the ideal of what she’s after in the Bullards.  To stop trying to save her, to stop working, to give up on the ideal goes against every instinct she has, as a doctor and as a person. 

But come on.  If were going to talk about people coming back from the dead.  If we’re talking resurrections...Come on...

Picture this:  You’re a fan of the show.  Then the dream of a lifetime comes true and you get to  work on the show.  It’s your first episode, and Shonda says to you:  “This is the one where Denny comes back.” 

He is, as Callie says, Seattle Grace Legend. And his re-appearance opens a whole can of worms:  People forget that’s how we met Erica Hahn.  I admit, ever since Erica Hahn showed up for her first day of work I’d wondered, in the back of my mind, how much she knew of what went on here the night of that heart transplant.  I knew if she didn’t know, and she found out, it would blow up.   And it does -- In one day her whole world is rocked.  Her work, this hospital, her relationship, nothing is what it seemed.  Upside-down.  And poor Callie is playing catch-up.  Not knowing where it’s going.  Or where Erica’s going.

And Izzie.  Poor Izzie.  It is, as Meredith says, a lot of Denny for one day.  But she figures there must be a reason that her patient --  Denny’s former rival for the transplant heart -- is here, (played by Tom Verica, an amazing actor, who, you may notice, frequently directs our show as well) and that he’s in Denny’s old room.  And that Denny is wandering the hallways!  And staring at her with his big, sad Denny eyes.  This must be how she can finally, once and for all, can lay him to rest.  Right?   I love how her fear and concern over seeing her dead boyfriend, there...in the room, is replaced with that incredible, final sadness of realizing that he’s not.  That he’s gone.  Gone for good. 

Or is he?  Denny...seems to have other plans.  As for what happens next between them, I can’t say.  I can just say this...

...It’s not over yet. 

Comments

[saywhat]

OMG OMG OMG.. when the episode was done, i opened up my laptop and kept refreshing my homepage.. hahahah this page.. till ur blog came on!

first off, great episode. great, amazing, awesome. made me cry for the first time.. in well, since the last season finale. thank you for kind of laying denny to rest. i know its not over, but thank you. some sort or rectifying for izzie.

now, meredith and derek. WTF. derek? really? get your best friend to sleep with your girl's best friend? LOW. just insecure. shows how insecure derek really is. nicely done.

now.... cristina and owen! GOOD ONE, ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!! UHHH, what else..

and bailey. oh bailey. she's amazing.

okay im done. grey's withdrawal mode now. cannot wait till thursday now. ARGH.

[jessicafreels]

as far as I am concerned...Kevin McKidd and Jeffery Dean Morgan could stand there and read the Phone book and I would watch.
as for Hahn...I have to say that I have never liked her very much. And I am sure not liking her new militant attitude about being alesbian...cause five minutes ago she wasn't.

[Cathi]

Oh, I love it when you guys bring Denny back - even if it's just for a few scenes. He makes it all worthwhile!

[ugh]

A blog with no mention of Derek and Meredith. Surprise, surprise... or rather, not a surprise since they had all of 3 seconds screen time together.

[Amanda]

I'm inclined to believe that Shonda hates us MerDer fans. First we got bookends. Now we barely get 3 seconds and when it does happen, Meredith freaking runs off with Cristina. WTF?! And a chaste kiss on the cheek is NOT what I would give to the man I love.

[Jasmin]

Very good episode, look forward to more of your writing... but... please pleaes please please let Denny rest in peace.

If you want a really interesting dead person, bring Ellis back...she was Mer's mom for I guess 30 years... Izzie was involved with Denny for how long? And was in love with George shortly thereafter and now Alex... please please let him rest in peace.

Mark was priceless tonight.

Bailey and the old couple and Derek... the very best emotional scene tonight....oh..but for a glimpse of 30 seconds of Meredith and Derek and him sharing what he felt as he too massaged Rosie's heart, just as he'd had to do with Mer's NDE...she shared it with the interns, does Derek know?

Please give us some 30 seconds more of meredith and derek conversations... I love you's exchanged on screen would be good!

[McIce]

wow,Izzie's story sounds interesting...am sure am gonna love it..she and Alex have been everything i hoped for so far in this season...thnx alot! great episode!

[m]

great episode! loved how sloan tried to seduce yang to no avail. And the scenes between yang and hunt are electric. Can't wait to see where this relationship's going!

[Matthew Rushing]

Amazing! I am loving this show, as always. Thank you for moving the characters towards real honest growth!

[S.Cali]

More Mark Sloane, please.

And enough with Denny. Denny was great in the second season. I say we move on.

[Claire]

Woohoo! Anothre fantastic episode of Izzie's Anatomy! No Mer/Der to be found anywhere...how many times do fans have to write these blogs to beg for M/D screen time? This is just insane. It was a pretty good episode. I think it's like the 3rd one in a row that was Izzie-centric. Can we please let the show focus be on someone else BESIDES her? PLEASE!

[Liz]

Excellent first episode!! Really, really well done and well written. It was the first episode this season to make me tear up. Awesome job, thanks so much :)

[Tracey]

Great episode, Bill. Been a long time coming. Your Radford walking buddies are very proud.

[McSteamy Fan]

When are you writers going to give Mark an actual storyline? Nice first blog, Bill, but why no mention of Mark? And for that matter, why no mention of Derek? I can't develop any excitement for Owen when the writers of GA continue to neglect developing depth to the characters of Mark and Derek.

[Loving Hunt]

Hi Bill, welcome!

I really enjoyed the episode tonight.

I am in love with Owen, its official. Such a refreshing character. Love that he calls others on their crap and doesn't behave like a 10 year old. Loved him and Cristina tonight, with Cristina telling him something she's told (that we ever saw) anyone else. I'm so excited for them as a couple.

Loved seeing Derek work with Bailey. Always wonderful! More scenes of them together please.

Poor Derek. He's in a relationship with a woman that loves her BFF more then she will ever love him. She shows him no consideration, shares everything with her friends (even the NDE) and nothing with him. When he comes home and night she can't even be bothered asking him how he is. She barely said hello just went right to the Cristina stuff. Then of course she runs off with Cristina after turning her head so he could only kiss her cheek. Guess she didn't want to upset her one true love Cristina.

Hate the Cristina not teaching story, I'm sorry. Its the same thing every week. Please fix this its getting really boring and annoying to watch.

I really enjoyed the Izzie storyline tonight. One complaint though and that's Denny. Now your blog worries me - I do not want Denny back. EVER. He's dead. Here's a suggestion - give a storyline to Mark instead. He's a living character.

Good episode but the thought of more Denny makes me not want to watch upcoming episodes. I was excited for Alex and Izzie and that's ruined now.

[Christine]

Made me cry for the first time in a while..but things seemed a bit scattered. It's almost as if there are too many plot lines going on. I know it makes for happy actors because they have less screen time and thus more me time, but.....

[jensen]

wow..this was under 30 seconds of Meredith and Derek time. A new record for Grey's Anatomy. I'm looking forward to next week..my bet is under 10 seconds...Perhaps a glance in the hallway? What's your guess? Pretty soon the two of them will have no screen time at all..This is truly stunning to me.

[hilbj]

seriously one of the best episodes ever!!! you are an amazing writing, just what grey's need. i sad in bawled the whole time, true i am in the full swing of pms, but still it was exactly what i needed and exactly what grey's needed. please stick around. seattle grace needs you!!!
thank you thank you and thank you again!

[Jess]

At the end of season four, the fans were promised all of this great MerDer stuff in season five. Where is it?

[FAN]

I LOVE DEREK AND BAILEY. I WANT MORE AND MORE...

I HATE MEREDITH AND CRISTINA. UGH!

[Lancy]

More Meredith and Derek please. How can we get more Izzie and Denny than Meredith and Derek. Btw...Lexie is Meredith's sister and NOT Christina's and Christina is NOT Meredith significant other, that's Derek. When are you writers gonna get this straight. It's making me hate Mer and Christina's relationship and I've ALWAYS loved it. Tonight I hate Christina on many levels and that never happens. Please fix this as it's not even remotely realistic.

[RandomGuy]

Please, get over Denny. It's really, really old at this point. We've had 2 years of you writers hanging over every little aspect of the Denny plot, and I'm not sure I can take much more of this self-pity from Izzie. Just. Let. Go.

[Its him or me]

I have watched from the very first episode. I've never whined and begged in the blog, never complained about pairings or storylines, never threatened to stop watching, never even posted here. But, that has now changed. If Denny is on my screen again I am done. The man died in season 3. You have wonderful actors in your cast and wonderful characters yet you choose to include the dead guest star instead of utilizing your actors. He's dead and he was never even part of the cast. Move on already. The fixation the writers have on JDM/Denny is turning the show into a joke. Your full time cast deserves the screen time not the dead guy.

[Aly]

If Denny is brought back and becomes the love story that Shonda mentioned for Izzie, it will officially be the worst storyline on Grey's Anatomy in 5 seasons. He's been dead since season 2. Stop bringing him back. It's annoying.

[mdfan77]

Oh by the way in case the writers didn't notice or were never told - DENNY IS DEAD!!!! Go away Denny!!