Mark Wilding on "Stairway to Heaven"...

I am going to tell you something about myself that you probably already suspect.  Which is…I don’t know any serial killers.  None.  Not a one.  I grew up in a small university town in Connecticut and our crimes ran more towards shoplifting, speeding and disturbing the peace.  No William Dunn types hanging out at the local Friendly’s ice cream parlor or exchanging warm hello’s at the Coventry Farmers’ Market.  My brushes with any kind of criminal element pretty much extended to what my younger brother, Dave, was up to that day.  Be it shooting out a neighbor’s window with a BB gun or throwing a snowball at the high school principal – the principal for God’s sake! – Dave was the closest thing to an actual criminal that I knew.  (Of course, to this day my brother denies shooting out the window with a BB gun.  But then, that’s what criminals do, right?  They deny.)

Anyway, you get the idea.  Bucolic small town, God-fearing folks, blah blah blah.  Except that now I’m going to tell you something that you don’t know about me.  Which is that even though I don’t know any serial killers, I do know a killer.  That’s right.  Someone who murdered another human being.  The murderer was someone I grew up with.  He was in my grade.  We went to middle school and high school together.  We even went to college together.   I even had the occasional beer with him in college.  And now he’s sitting in a Texas prison for murdering his wife.  To be more precise, for poisoning his wife with arsenic.  Which, from all the accounts I read, was a pretty horrible way to go.  And guess what?  He really was one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. 

My point being that even though I know a charming, well-mannered murderer, when Shonda floated the idea that we do our own version of a charming serial killer – someone that we couldn’t help but like -- I wasn’t that on board with the idea.  After all, a killer’s a killer, right?  No amount of charm or politeness can mitigate THAT.  But then we got Eric Stoltz and I started to see the light.  Not all the light, but some of it.  Eric’s a great actor and very charming.  But myself and others in the writers room still weren’t convinced.  We argued back and forth about what kind of killer we should have.  Because if Meredith is going to have compassion for him, shouldn’t he at least be a guy who killed for a reason?  To defend himself?  Or to put some poor soul out of their misery?  Does he have to be someone who just killed people for no good reason?  And Shonda said he DID have to be someone who killed people for no good reason.  But, we countered, wouldn’t that reflect poorly on Meredith?  Being best buds with an utterly irredeemable serial killer??  No it wouldn’t, insisted Shonda.  Compassion is compassion.  And as Jenna Bans pointed out in her wonderful episode last week – it’s a lot easier to have compassion for a sick person than for a serial killer.  Well, as you saw at the end of the episode last night, Shonda was right.  As horrible a human being as he was, when it came down to it, when William Dunn walked into that death chamber and looked at Meredith (and looked and looked) I really didn’t want him to be killed.  And I’m someone who’s not completely against the death penalty.  (I go back and forth.  On the one hand feeling that if you deprive someone of their life, shouldn’t you be deprived of yours?  While on the other hand, not being terribly happy about the fact that sometimes they execute the wrong guy).

The first and most obvious relationship that needs commenting on is Cristina and Meredith’s.  Yes folks, the rift is finally over.  And it ended the way most rifts end.  Not with profound apologies on either side but with the sense that this argument has just gone on too long, that life’s too short to prolong the misery.  How many great friends do you get in your life?  Like real soul mate friends?   And do you want to lose that soul mate friend over something that, a month later, now seems trivial?  Meredith and Cristina are a couple of strong personalities.  I don’t know that we could ever have gotten them to offer up mutual apologies – with both of them shouldering a measure of the blame -- and actually believe it as an audience.  And Derek pretty much spoke for the viewers when he said isn’t it about time to wrap up the fighting -- that Meredith and Cristina need each other.  If only to freak out to each other when something really big happens.  In this case, a possible proposal.  And even though it looked like Derek might be so put off by Meredith’s charitable behavior towards William that he would never propose, we got the nice, lump in the throat, surprise at the end of the episode when Derek shows up outside the prison.  A nice surprise because a couple of seasons ago, he might have been so disgusted with her behavior that he might not have shown up.  I think that gestures shows that their relationship is really maturing.  That’s what happens in relationships.  If you want to keep it going, you forgive things that bother the crap out of you.  If you DON’T want to keep it going, you dump the person.  Or divorce them.  You should not, under any circumstances, poison them with arsenic.  That is bad.

There are two other relationships that I want to comment on.  First, Mark and Lexie.  A couple that I grow more and more fond of every week.  I loved that the humor of him breaking his penis – it really does happen, people, you can look it up – becomes something very moving at the end, when Lexie ignores his request to get out of his room and, instead, crawls into bed with him.  Mark has never been in such pain and she’s going to be there for him, whether he wants it or not.  On paper their relationship looks like it can’t possibly work.  He’s an attending and a man whore.  She’s an intern and all sweetness and light.  But time and again we’ve shown that Lexie’s also a lot stronger than she looks.  If she wants something, she’ll eventually figure out a way to get it.  In this case, that something is Mark.  At this point we’re not sure where this relationship is going but I promise you that this is one of those story lines that we, the writers, really want to get right.  We’re enjoying it too much not to.   

And finally, we get to Izzie and Denny.  Now here’s a story line a lot of folks have had a strong opinion about.  Starting with Denny coming back (WHAT?), Izzie finally breaking the ice and talking to him(REALLY?  REALLY??), Izzie having long conversations with him (NO WAY!), Izzie having imaginary, albeit spectacular, sex with him (OKAY, THIS CHICK IS CRAZY), and Izzie pulling a sort of modern day “Jules and Jim”, balancing the two men in her life (REALLY, HONESTLY, SHE NEEDS TO BE COMMITTED).  Anyway, I’d say that since we started the story line, opinions have run two to one against the whole thing.  Or at least they were before this episode.  Maybe now some of you doubters will be swayed.  I’m not saying EVERYONE will be on board, just maybe a few of you.  We didn’t bring back Jeffrey Dean Morgan just because he’s a super looking guy who can act the hell out of stuff, we brought him back for a reason.  Izzie is sick.  We don’t know how bad it is or whether Denny is some sort of hallucination or weird manifestation of her sickness, but now at least the thing’s on her radar.  Now she can do something about it.  So stick with us.  It’s going to be a fun ride.  After all, if I was able to come around on the whole charming, serial killer thing, you guys might just come around on this.

Comments

[david]

tonight's episode was a welcome return to the kind of writing and story telling i came to expect from Grey's Anatomy.

[Jessicafreels]

That was an absolute MindF**k. I loved every second and I was scared the whole time. Chandra Wilson needs an EMMY and Jeffery dean Morgan was really good. While I am still a little confused, I feel better knowing more about whats going on with the whole Denny thing. Can I tell you how much I love owen? And Derek? Im glad he was there and he finally got Christina and Mer back together. I really loved Lexie and Sloane. I like how she is giving him things he never had before. And I really loved how she explained BREAKING THE BONE to Callie.

[Madussaa]

I love u guys..........thank u soooooo much, the epi was heartbreaking and so kewl...Im glad der understand mer so much, n finally dennys gone :))))))) and finally christina n mer r friends again........i love GA , thanks a lot for such an awesome epi......loved baily n cheif n sadie, she can stay if u want...missig george...loved the epi...thanks again :)))

[Are you SERIOUS]

Where were Callie and George?

I don't want to see Mark breaking his junk, I want to see characters I actually care about.

Get Lexie and Mark off the screen, they've shown time and time again that they have no chemistry.

George is a member of the original intern group, and he had NOTHING. And same with Callie. They've been on the show for far longer than Sadie and Lexie and Mark.

You're wasting TR Knight and Sara Ramirez, and you should be thanking the Heavens that you have actors like them in the first place.

[PamelaJaye]

darn. late. computer problems.
1:10pm ET

Finally. It's over.
Oh *please* tell me it's over!
I mean, I'd love to know what's wrong with Izzie, but other than that.....
and btw, someone please give Chandra her Emmy.

still...

before anything else, while I have your ears, I need to beg you for one thing:

Please give your department heads their own offices.

I can still (in my head) see Derek and Addie doing consults in a conference room and it drives me nuts. Not Ghost of Denny nuts, but really

THEY ARE DEPARTMENT HEADS - at least Sloan and Derek are.
Would it really kill you all?

Just one little set. You can redress it to make it each person's office...
Pretty please?

Okay, it's 10:16 pm ET and I'm just going to write this. I'm avoiding ER in order to write this. (and I can't do that for long cause my House list has a big thread that says SPOILERS FOR ER!) If I stay up and read the blog then I'll be up till 4 - cause when I read a good blog, I don't come down for a while.

I wanted to tell you that I loved Derek asking Cristina to stop fighting and be there for Mer - both before she was going to need it, and when she did need it, albeit for a different reason.

I loved Meredith. Period.

You're doing a good job rehabbing Mark, but does need to go back to his $400 per hour shrink (or his colleague in Seattle) - for Lexie's sake. If he loves her, you really have to do with him, what you did with Alex. You have to make him really *try.* Even shrinkless. People don't change overnight. Alex's story and its progression - all he went thru to be worthy of a real relationship with Izzie, who was his friend and then his lover - that relatioship is the realest thing you have going in this show. Please remember this when you are working with Mark and Lexie. Also please remember that Lexie was "in love" with George and please really address that. Go to hell Dr O'Malley and whoops! now I'm in love with Mark! is not addressing that.
If you can do those two things, then you can complete the rehabbing of Mark.

So yes, I want to find out what is wrong with Izzie.

Why two weeks??? and are all the good Grey's things going to be squeezed between Private Practice things like when Susan died? (I do watch PP, but I edited that one ep so only Seattle remained)

And the Chief and Dr Bailey - are they going to have to deal with what they just did? Even emotionally? The two of them don't get a lot of storyline but this would be an excellent one. I'd truly prefer that their punishment came from within them, rather than from the hospital - and also I want to see Bailey apologize to Izzie, now that she knows what it's like. Crisis of conscience, anyone? Re-evaluting your whole career? I could deal with that.

George got to be seen for a few minutes, although he didn't do much.
New black intern seems to only be there to talk about sex.
I still dislike Sadie. Although slightly less for Lexie's sake.

Overall, aside from Denny - whom I kept telling to go to hell every time he mentioned hell, and other times throughout the episode (and did Alex find out, or does he now think Izzie is truly nuts - please, no! He's come too far) - I liked this episode. I don't mind the ethical problems as long as they are combined with the Grey's "family" that I know and love.

As noted - Derek knowing Mer and Cristina would both need each other to "freak out to" - that's my Grey's.
So let's diagnose Izzie (send her to House if you have to) and get back to the wonders that are Der/Mer, Alex/Izzie, Cristina and her new half-basketcase, and... fixing Mark so that he can be worthy of the "girl who [doesn't] sleep around."

btw, loved Derek's mom last week.
I don't watch the coming attractions. Or even clips people bring to talk shows. I did catch "event" and "in 2 weeks."

And please

Let's go back to this season's Focus On Teaching

cause if you guys aren't back down to #12 again after this Denny crap, I have no idea why. There was a time when I was slightly embarrassed to like Grey's. (but I'm a Donny Osmond fan - I'm used to being laughed at) But now I want to hide under the bed!

You started this season well - with the new focus on teaching (and rotation) - please go back to this. It gives the show the least little air of realism. And this show really needs it!

All that said, I'll repeat

Bailey and Meredith were awesome tonight, and Derek making sure someone was there for Mer, and Cristina and Dr Hunt were good too.
Whatever it is you do to Izzie now - I hope it's more interesting that the crap that led up to it.

And remember (said in drunk Mer asking for ice chips voice) -- Offices for the department heads.

thanks
and now I'm going to watch ER (sorry Addie)

Mark & Allison - I will read your blog in the morning. Unless there's news on Scott Bakula being on Chuck or something, like there was last week.

PS - the ER ep is Love is a Battlefield, which is just as confusing as Grey's ep My Favorite Mistake.
Can we please allow Grey's to stick to the song titles and leave Scrubs to the ep titles beginning with the word "My"?
thanks

[John]

Great blog. The writers and actors are doing great. I like how things from the beginning of the season are coming to frution. I liked Denny but hated the Ghost story, now it's interesting. Derek going to Cristina was a good move.Mark and Lexie are smoking hot together. I loved how formal and professional they addressed each other this week right before they couldn't keep their hands off each other. It was funny and sexy. I liked that Mark didn't want Lexie to see him injured and like that. It was sweet. I like that sweet Lexie is considered mind blowing fantastic in bed and little Grey was able to break Big Sloan. I love that Lexie would not let Mark push her away and her correcting him about her name sent the tone that it's not a fling but serious and mature relationship. I loved the hair stroking. I don't think Mark is use to someone really caring about him outside of sex and I wonder if we will see Mark do the same for Lexie in the future. Kudos to Ellen,Patrick,Chandra and Eric for their performances tonight too.

[Hilbj]

that was when of your best episodes ever. I cannot, but will-got an early morning, to watch it again tomorrow. Everything that can be right about grey;s, and I am sorry it has not been right very much the past seasons, was right tonight. I think perhaps redemption is a coming! WELL DONE!!!

[esra]

great episode:)merder scenes are incredible:) and the end... amazing...

[Angel]

Thank you for a beautifully intense episode...

[supergirl]

I think that Denny has been made into a handsome, charming killer by not having the hallucination, ghost, or whatever explicitly tell Izzie that she was sick. I know, its the writers way of exorcising Izzie's "denny demons" by allowing her to see that her love is stronger for Alex and she has a reason to fight to stay alive. But gosh, did the writers have to make Denny a bad guy like that? I liked Denny. I wish they would have let his story arch be.

[kim c.]

Personally, on all three episodes on the serial killer, I never really sympathized for him. It's not about right or wrong; I just found him unconvincing. But he did have some moments. And that's what made the whole thing bittersweet and magnificently written. Kudos!
The best detail in all of the interwoven story lines, is the art of decision-making that the doctors of Grey's do all the time. This aspect makes all the stories very 3-dimensional and real. I'm seeing Best Drama in the horizon once again, for Grey's. YAY!!!!

[Kimberly]

Izzie and Denny: I'm on board.

[Maggie]

If you want to pair up Mark and Lexie then show us a mature couple. Showing us how little "Little Grey" is, and how "dirty" Mark is, isn't the way to do that. You want us on the journey, do something to warrant us believing. Because as of now, you are not getting it right. So far from being right.

As far as fun rides go, Denny shouldn't be in the same sentence as that. Because it's not fun, and it hasn't been fun. What are you people doing. I'm having trouble sticking. If it's not dead people, it's 12 year olds hooking up. Why should I stick?

Nothing, you have nothing on Cristina and Owen? Nice

[H]

I loved the episode! It was moving and fantastic. Thank you for the wonderful storyline for Meredith and Derek and for letting them mature as a couple. While there was too much Denny for my taste, this is what I've been looking for!

Will anyone ever call Meredith out for lying to get what she wants? Tonight and her lying during the trial show that she is manipulative, will lie to get what she wants. To Derek of all people, the man she supposedly loves.

Cristina/Owen are the only thing worth watching on the show these days.

[Sapient]

You made me CRY! I have all the seasons on DVD, and have watched this show faithfully this season, and I cannot believe you made me cry! Mer crying at the end sent me into tears. Thankyou! We needed an episode that pulled at us.
Finally we know what is going on with Izzy. Please don't kill her character off though! Please don't, I love Izzy!
I would like to see me some more George here soon, he is getting so lost!!

[Jean]

OK do you hate George. Why do we never see him? Why do you never mention him anymore in those blogs? A lot of us love him and miss him.

When do we get to have our favorite character get a story too?

[Kenna]

Yes, I finally know what's going on with Izzie and I think I can accept it

[Christy]

I thought this episode definitely had some great moments. I am not a huge Merder fan but the ending was famazing! Totally shed a tear at Mer's moment of deep self examination.

As for Mark and Lexie.... Can I just say this out loud? They really don't work. I feel dirty watching it... in a bad way. I loved the rest but I have to admit that their relationship seems really forced. PS... I am from a small New England town as well and loved the description of yours!

[sflady]

OMG this episode was fantastic. I have watched Grey's since season 1 and this was by far the best episode. As a mother, I was COMPLETELY torn up inside when the mother had to let her son go, only to have her lost hope completely restored.
I was relieved when Izzy finally figured out what Denny meant when he was saying "I'm here for you" this whole time. I have to admit I was getting a little sick of him hagning around and messing with her life, but I'm glad his presence serves a purpose for her. I'm excited (?) to see where this leads.
I'm glad Meredith is growing and figuring herself out a little bit. And I'm super glad the Derek is right there along side her. I wouldn't be able to handle it if their relationship was taken on a wild ride again. Please let them be happy!!!
All in all, great job writers. I would love to be a fly on the wall in your writing sessions, or whenever you are coming up with these great story lines! Keep it up!

[Rizzie]

Great episode!! I loved seeing Derek waiting for Meredith outside the prison. Finally Christina and Mer are friends!!!
I'm glad the Denny-Izzie story finally makes some sort of sense, but please don't kill Izzie!!

[HMD]

This episode was amazing, as usual. I don't think you could have picked a better actor to play Mr Serial Killer. He was so amazingly creepy and believable. I loved Meredith in this episode and I loved seeing Derek standing outside the prison. I had goosebumps! What an amazing guy! And I'm so glad to finally understand the Denny thing and I'm relieved that the mystery has been solved. And Mark and Lexie, soooooo hillarious and soooooo cute. Thank you guys again for continuing to produce the best show ever!

[Hannah]

I have said it a million times, but please please give George something to do.

I miss him so much, and it breaks my heart to see him have two lines every episode.

He deserves better.

[jaq]

Best episode ever!

[Ashleigh]

Loved this episode! Meredeth broke my heart at the end, and I love that Christina got over the crap and comforted her. Kudos to Derek for realizing that he just wasn't who Mer needed. Loved it, loved it, loved it. I haven't been behind the Denny thing AT ALL, but I'm happy that you guys seem to be ready to wrap it up for us.

Thanks for the great episode!!