Pete Nowalk on "An Honest Mistake"...

Original Airdate: 2-19-09

When you’re writing an episode about God-like doctors it helps to have God-like actors playing them.  Which is pretty much what happens every week when you work on Grey’s Anatomy.  Sometimes though you get an extra dose of God, or as was the case in this episode, many extra doses.  Kate Walsh visiting from Private Practice?  Check.  Jennifer Westfeldt and Ben Shenkman playing a husband and wife suffering through round after round of nailbiting surgery?  Double check.  A certain Oscar-winning actress who is as close to God as one can get in Hollywood? 

Yup, I’m talking about Faye Dunaway.  Faye Dunaway who was in some movies called Bonnie & Clyde, Chinatown, and Network.  Faye Dunaway who was nominated for 3 Academy Awards.  Faye Dunaway who was kind enough to lend her genius to Grey’s and, by doing so, make me one giddy writer.

When we come up with characters in the writers’ room we usually have hoop dreams about the actors who could play them.  A beautiful model whose face was scarred in a terrible motorcycle wreck?  Let’s call her Angelina.  An ex-President in need of a quadruple bypass?  Call Bill Clinton’s agent.   A legendary surgeon who can both inspire and scare the crap at of us with just one look?  We need someone like Faye Dunaway.  Not that she’d ever agree to do it… 

“She agreed to do it?  Are you FOR REALS SHONDA??!!”  That was me when I found out Faye had signed on to play Dr. Campbell, Seattle Grace’s first female surgeon.   Actually I’m still pinching myself from the whole experience.   Watching Faye transform herself into this character was a gift.  Not only was she fun to watch, but she was also so lovely, generous, and prepared through the process.  And when I say prepared I mean that Faye did so much research for her surgery scene that I now personally trust her take out my gallbladder.  I’m not kidding.  Faye Dunaway knows how to do a cholecystectomy.  That is dedication, people.   

So that’s my love letter to Faye Dunaway.  I guess you could say my adoration is not so different from the way patients come to feel about their doctors.  When you allow someone to cut into you and poke around in your very delicate, very fine-tuned insides you have to trust that they’re an extra special breed of human.  It’s like what Addison told Derek in last week’s episode – that she needed him to be a God in order to trust him to save her brother’s life.  And Derek, as usual, was up to the task.  Even better, as Mark Sloan told him this week, he looks good doing it.  The dude’s a God, no doubt about it…

Now at this point I imagine some of you are about to yell at your computer.  Or at me.  Yell something in the vein of “THEN WHY THE HELL DID YOU LET HIM CUT OUT THAT WOMAN’S FRONTAL LOBE AND MURDER HER?!!  YOU’RE THE MURDERER.  A DEREK SHEPHERD MURDERER!!”  Or maybe that’s just what I yelled at myself when we were breaking this story in the writers’ room.  A lot of the writers felt the same way.  We were nervous to have Derek make a mistake that could possibly be attributed to a patient’s death.  But after much discussion – and real life research with real life surgeons – we agreed that this was a story we had to tell.  Doctors, like the rest of us, mess up.  And when they do, well… 

Okay, I get it, this whole doctors making mistakes thing is not the most uplifting topic for a blog.  Debbie Downer is not who I’m trying to be (even if, deep down, that’s exactly who I be).  I guess all I really want to say is that you need to keep watching in order to understand why we chose to tell this story with Derek.  It might not be the easiest thing to watch – seeing one of your heroes become human – but it will pay off.  Besides, we have to give every person bold enough to work in medicine credit.  Frankly it’s why I’m very happy that my job right now is to write this blog and not, say, cut an aneurysm out of a pregnant woman’s brain.  When I think about this – the frigging pressure doctors are under everyday – it doesn’t surprise me that they’d have some issues to deal with.  Or how they might need to punch the crap out of each other every once in awhile.

How’d you feel about that fight?  Personally I found it hard to watch.   Don’t get me wrong.  I love a good argument.  But with words.  Verbal sparring is more my style than some bloody, violent, broken face brawl.  I didn’t even know what to write for this scene so I think I put some line in the action that said “Mark and Derek kick the crap out of each other, etc., etc…” and left it up to the director and crew and actors and to figure out the rest.  Choreographing a fistfight on a tiny catwalk that hovers 200 feet in the air (in a real hospital by the way) is not an easy feat.  And for that I’d like to give major props to Randy Zisk and Herb Davis and everyone on the crew who made the fight look so freaking real.   Meanwhile I stayed back by the craft service table and watched the whole thing through my fingers.  And just wait till you see the fallout from the fight in future episodes.  Again, it’s not going where you think…

Know what else isn’t?  Meredith and Derek.  And that’s all I’m going to say.  Because saying anything else would get me fired.  Besides, you actually don’t want to know.  If you’re like me you watch TV because it’s enjoyable and surprising.  Telling you anything more will just take away from your own personal enjoyment of a story.  (How’s that for playing coy?)

Onward.  How about that gnarly wound Dr. Campbell left her patient with?  Dissssssssgusting.  Cristina, being Cristina, felt this mistake was unacceptable.  Owen, being Owen, thought it simply proved that surgeons are human.  No need to judge there, missy.  Owen’s take of course is informed by the fact that he has made a few mistakes himself.  A secret ex-fiance who appeared in last week’s episode, for example.  And now he’s finding himself involved in a relationship with someone who, for better or worse, holds people to very high standards.  Still, what I love about these two is that their professional disagreement didn’t get in the way of their sexy sexiness.  At the end of the day they can still sit down, have a drink, and say things like, “I want to be around 40 years from now.”  Hot damn.

Back to the depressing stuff.  Namely, Izzie.  Who is not anemic.  Sadie mixed up the blood samples (as many of you guessed, gold stars all around).  Now by the end of this episode Izzie has her correct test results in a folder.  We debated back and forth about this moment in the writers’ room.  Should we know what’s in that folder before Izzie goes to teach her interns?  Or should we delay it, revealing what Izzie knows only as her interns figure it out?  Having watched the episode, and knowing what happens in the next, I think we made the right decision.  Shonda’s been pitching this scene of Izzie putting her scans up for the interns since the start of the season so it was exciting to finally to watch it come to life.  Regardless of what’s going on with Izzie – be it nothing or some dire diagnosis that might or might not explain the Denny of it all – a day like the day Izzie’s had in this episode could break a lot of people.  I wouldn’t blame her for just wanting to go to Joe’s and get wasted.  Instead Izzie chose to use this very difficult moment in her life as a teaching moment.  It’s selfless.  And admirable.  And I love her for it.  Just wait till the next episode where we find out more about Patient X. 

Are you annoyed with all this “wait and see” stuff??  I know, I’m actually annoyed at myself.  Which is why I won’t do the same thing with Callie and Arizona.  I will say this though.  I totally understand why Arizona wouldn’t want to date a newborn.  It’s like getting a Freshman as your Physics lab partner even though you’re a Senior who not only knows the Laws of Motion but has mastered them in ways that would rock that Freshman’s world.  Which is not to say the Freshman won’t grow to be really good at Physics, or that Callie won’t catch up to Arizona on the lesbian front, it’s simply that Arizona might not have the patience to wait that long.  You, however, should.  Have the patience.  Because this story man…

I am officially stopping with the teasers.  No more carrots dangled.  Really.  Not about George.  Or Bailey and her Peds fellowship.  Or Alex and his secret love child with the Chief’s secretary Patricia.  Okay, made that last one up.  But to be honest there’s a small part of me that’s jealous I don’t get to watch the show from my couch along with the rest of you every week…  I’m lying.  Because I’m about to go into the writers’ room to work with the rest of the staff on episode 521.  That’s only 3 episodes from the end of the season, people.  3.  And boy are you gonna be floored.  Okay, last time I do that.  Really…

Comments

[Ingrid]

No more carrott danglers about George? ARE YOU MAKING SOME KIND OF SICK JOKE HERE?

What carrott? George has had basically two lines for the whole season and you barely ever mention him in any of your blogs.

Are you making fun of the George fans right now? Because I have to tell you, this George fan is this close to quitting the show.

[Emma]

As someone who missed the show tonight and is waiting for the episode to be put online... you sure are good at dangling those carrots.
Can't wait to see what happens next!

[CodeNameGrey]

Loved the episode. I thought the fight scene caputre the intensity of the moment and was worth it. the scenes with addison and derek werecompletely well acted and i'm hook to see where this ends for the season

[Maya]

I have a new favorite Grey's Writer and his name is Pete Nowalk. So I would like to start by saying how amazing it was to see Kevin and Sandra in scenes with Faye Dunaway. I am such a film geek, actually a TOTAL film geek. I am in awe of people like Faye Dunaway, so when they make appearances on my favorite shows I get excited. This appearance was super awesome for me.

as a PP fan, I am basically tired of this crossover bit, I like Addison, but i want her to get back to Oceanside Wellness. The conflict with Addison and Derek was intense, and I honestly could see how Derek was struggling emotionally with the case. He felt a connection to Jen and her husband, and I think part of wanted what he has with Meredith. Of course Jen had to die, what great drama would let the sweetest woman in the world live, especially when she was pregnant and has the best husband ever? Of course it was all contrived. But i like how we see Derek struggling with his god-complex. We have on Grey's god-complexes everywhere. It was like that with Burke, now Derek is going through a god-complex. He was confident after Archer's surgery to operate on Jen, which seemed to be a routine procedure. Of course we all know how it ended. t Derek cares so much he is in denial that his patient isn't going to make it.

So the first scene with Callie, Cristina and Owen was hilarious. I love how Callie is laughing as Cristina is cluing Owen in on Cambpell. It is cool to see him sort of joking around with them a bit. But after the 'boca' comment when Campbell appears in the doorway saying "The Dinosaur is here" I got chillls! The same chillls I get when I watch Chinatown and Bonnie and Clyde OMG. The following scene with them when Campbell is quizzing Cristina about what procedure she would have performed kind of made me think of being in school when the class is cracking up while the person challenging the teacher the most is getting in trouble. Owen had to be serious, but you could tell he was trying hard not to overstep bounds with Campbell, but was at the same time being humored by Cristina's feistiness.

The scene with Owen talking to Cristina in the CT room was cute how he was trying to reason with her about where Campbell was coming from. I think back to Owen's schpeil about mistakes in the premiere how he says "I learn 'em and then I don't make them again". I think Owen is also remembering his time in the field where he basically had to make due with what he had to save lives, and could see where Campbell was coming from, a different era without the technology. I think he really related to Campbell on that level and recognized that everyone has something to bring to the table. I also took note that in the scene when Owen walks in Cristina deliberately seems to turn her head so he has a nice view of the nape of her neck and if you check it out, he's staring at it for a split second

I really enjoyed the OR scene with Campbell as well. I see how much she is supposed to be like Cristina in the way that they both know their stuff, but still need a bit of learning now and then. I really thought Cristina was hilarious in how she went after Campbell, who herself was struggling with coming to terms about the mistake she made on a long time patient. One of the things i'm noticing more and more about After Owen is that he's an observer. He really tries to figure people out before stepping in and making any claims. Before Owen was quite different in that regard he was quick to make judgments and just jump in. I love that he sees in Cristina her potential to be a 'god' in her field, but also talks her down, making her realize its not all. It kind of reminds me of her conversation with Burke when they fought, where she said "I"m just like you I'm a surgeon first" and he said something like "No I am a person first'.

I really loved the scene with Campbell and Owen after the surgery when she was talking about mistakes and such. I just love the energy and greatness of Faye Dunaway in that scene, and I was so thrilled to see Kevin in a scene alone with her. When Owen tells her that he was fired from the Army, and that he was grateful for it, he basically told her he's been in her shoes and if she doesn't know when to give in, someone else will. Owen is so great in that way, as someone else has said he's the voice of reason in a work environment filled with people who sometimes act like children. I think that this is another level where Owen relates to Campbell in that she must feel 'ghost-like' when she's walking the halls of SGH.

Speaking of children, Derek's "fight" with Mark wasn't really a fight. Well maybe it is now, but Mark just chose the wrong time to tell Derek about Lexie and happened to be the punching bag. Derek was just so broken about Jen dying that he had to take it out on someone, but what a scene though, I kind of thought that Owen would be there somehow to help break it up, it seemed like something that would be in his character.

Cristina's scene with Campbell was also amazing! A hollywood legend in a scene with my favorite tv actress, it was just awesome. Campbell's speech about being a god was just intriguing and well written. I love that she recognizes Cristina's a great surgeon but also warning her that she will end up like her someday if she's not careful she'll end up with nothing left at the end of the day when she doesn't have surgery. But where Campbell is wrong depends on how receptive Cristina continues to be with Owen. I love that he called her on all her crap today, telling her she should have had compassion for Campbell instead of trying to prove she was right. Even though she was right, I like how Owen also recognizes the Campbell-ness in Cristina. When Owen tells her that he wants to be the one taking the scalpel out of her hand in 40 years, I had to laugh at Cristina's line "From my cold dead hands" its actually a clip of something that Charleton Heston said at a NRA rally Michael Moore used in Bowling for Columbine. I love that Owen laughs at first, but then is serious, saying, i want to be around in 40 years. That really says volumes about what he thinks they have and I think she has the same expression she did when he told her she was beautiful outside her apt. steps. Owen always seems to know how to bring her back to reality, and realize what is important. I want you to be there in 40 years too Owen!

Bailey was just awesome in this episode! i love how she is so confident in herself and won't accept the Chief's recommendation. I've had to go through that process and its so frustrating when you know certain people who you need references from are not good at writing them. Its not that they don't think you're amazing, they just don't put a lot of effort into it. Though considering what the chief was going through in addition to the threat of losing Bailey for a while, i think that he can be excused. I also loved Chandra's new hair it really suits her!

I also loved that we got another lunch scene. I have really missed those over the years and I'm glad theya re bringing them back. The diaries are still around, and I love how even in the diaries Crisitna's able to find things out about Campbell.

Arizona is still completely adorable, but now you can tell she's kind of playing the field. So i hope Callie deosn't get hurt. I loved her reaction to Callie though. Man that girl is creative. I'm guessing we haven't seen the last of them two. The izzie stuff is just so moot at this point, I am so frustrated with all the controversy that I really dont care about the Izzie storyline anymore. Mentally I'm done with her as a character, as well as George.

[Danny]

Can you please keep Mer/Der on this steady track of growth and commitment but give them more than 30 seconds of screen time please? I love that they are together and hope they forever stay that way, but just a little more time for a story for them would be SO nice! thank you.

[Karen]

Stop with the teasing-I am too old for surprises!

'Seattle Grace's first femal surgeon'??

Loved loved loved Bailey's hair tonight. And the being around in 40 years thing.

But NO to teasing, please!

[Toxic]

Great episode. The fight that REALLY stood out for me was Derek and ADDISON in the OR. PD/KW were on FIRE, I could feel the tension seeping through the TV. Send them my props!

[merderfan]

The episode was just ok. PD was amazing though but can we stop chopping up the MerDer scenes?

[Iris]

I'm sorry????? What is this???? : 'Know what else isn’t? Meredith and Derek. And that’s all I’m going to say. Because saying anything else would get me fired. Besides, you actually don’t want to know'

Don't like the sound of this.....

[Kandukoori Veeransangalam]

Great episode! Glad George at least had 2 proper scenes.
Want more MerDer, though.
And please don't let anything happen to the Derek-Mark friendship. They're such great friends.
The fight was REALLY hard to watch...
I personally preferred Lexie's reaction to the fight over Mer's.
I LOVED the Christina-Owen story. It ROCKS! :D

[Mary]

I swear, if you break of Mer/Der one more time, I'm giving up on the show. I mean it! Even though I love Patrick Dempsey and would watch him read the phone book, I can't take another roller coaster with those characters! So get back to the writing room and make them stay together! And no more teasing the fans on this blog. Not fair!

[luc26]

I truly enjoyed this episode. No matter what negative commentary this show has received in the months of late, I've stuck w/ it and I'm glad I have. Ben Shenkman was so brilliant and his performance was so human and touching. Faye Dunaway kicks 9 kinds of a** and I don't even need to go into detail about that! And I, too, feel that the way Izzie handles her day's events is so admirable with such a _grounded_ approach....a nice shift from the somewhat chaotic storyline for her just weeks o' weeks ago.
It was nice to see George with just a little more face time! Equally nice was the Bailey/Chief squabble at the end.....not because it's nice to see them fight, but because it's nice to see the layers of their working relationship. It never even occurred to me that the Chief might be significantly wounded that Bailey would choose Peds, but I suppose I can understand it. It's always lovely having Addison. I'd forgotten what a great force she was on the show. The way she stands up to Derek at the end is awesome (and worth noting: it was interesting to me that Meredith elected to take a more muted role in the situation).
That Derek would so, kinda, I don't know...it seems a little 'reckless' in that surgery is puzzling...but it's clear he's in a darker place at the moment due to recent events so I'm going to put my faith in the powers that be on this show once again. ;)
I dig Owen & Cris
I dig Sloan & Lex
I dig Calli & the Arizona chick

[Terri]

Awesome episode, but this blog makes me nervous! Not going where we think it's going...

[Pamela]

Awesome, as usual! I too found it difficult to watch Mark and Derek's fistfight, my brain screaming "someone stop them!" Please don't kill Izzie and I'm enjoying the healthy Mer/Der relationship so please keep that alive as well...

[Nikki]

I have to comment quickly but, Last night's episode was the reason that I have not given up on Grey's yet. Absolutely amazing. I have to admit, I usually have my laptop open and barely pay attention to the show (which I have watched since the very beginning, read every blog, listened to every podcast, read and follow every spoiler, even flew across the country to support the Writers Strike Benefit..you get where I'm going with this..)

My point is.. that I put my laptop aside and actually engrossed myself into the television. I honestly cannot remember the last time I have done that.

Thank you for giving Patrick something to work with. He deserves to win every award there is out there and last night just may actually give him the chance. His emotion was raw.. I felt everything he felt (well.. you get my point) I loved the Meredith and Derek scenes, especially at the end. No words were necessary, she knew what he needed and she was just there for him. She gets it, more than anyone.

Your blog comment regarding sort of scares me.. I really love where they are going and the place they are now. I hope it continues to more forward and for god's sake. Give us some MerDer lovin'. They both need it.. and we do to.

Good Job! Thank you producing an episode that actually peaks and keeps my interest and actually makes me want to re-watch, which I haven't done in about two years.

[Larissa]

The episode was great. But it was very very tense. I had my heart racing almost throughout the whole thing.
You're right about that. The guest stars were really awesome. The Jen story was really sad. The scene with her husband losing it when he was with Alex in the room was just really sad.
And the fight. WOW. I really want to see where that goes. Derek was really transformed. Sure he was called a murderer and lost Jen and was already pissed but I never thought he would jump at Mark like that. Especially since Mark told him the thing with Lexie was different. Oh, well...can't wait to see what is going to happen. I hope it's a good thing. Mark calling himself Lexie's boyfriend was just cute and saying she would be his date at the possible MerDer wedding and telling her it was worth it! I love them.
And Arizona was really funny this ep. I kind of didn't get her.
About Izzie. Oh, my. I hope everything turns out to be OK with her.
I don't think I'll be able to wait 3 weeks to see where this goes.

[Missouri Fan]

So it seems that McDreamy is now McBroken. I am interested to see where this goes. Great episode!

[ZannSu]

Bleh. Depressing. The only good part was Owen telling saying he wanted to be there in 40 years. As for the rest - bleh.

[jnf]

Great Season... but I am dying here with the waiting

[Ali]

I'm the first comment? Unbelievable! I've never commented on here before - and have watched Grey's since Episode 1. Awesome cross over ~ Derek, Addi, Meredith, Mark - I loved it all! I have to say - I love it when you keep us guessing. I also have to say I LURVE Mark and Lexie together - no matter what others are saying. Also liked that you brought back the feisty Bailey that we've all come to love. Her speech "I'm Dr. Bailey" was awesome! I love Grey's and PP. Keep up the great work!

[Rachel]

I think Faye Dunaway's character and the chief are interesting contrasts. In season 2 we saw the chief in a class with Cristina in order to continue to practice his skills and learn about updated techniques. I almost wish he would have told Faye Dunaway's character that the reason he's still there and in charge was BECAUSE he took the time to learn new techniques and improve on the skills he already has. To quote Dr. Webber in season 2, "That's why he's the chief!" :-p

[fed up]

Thank you for the blog.

I appreciate that Faye Dunaway was a huge name...and it was probably a huge thrill to meet her. It wasn't so great to see her in Grey's. She seemed a little "Dr. Dixon-ish" too stiff even for the character she was playing.

I'm glad Derek has a story line and am concerned. You guys don't have great track record of leaving characters unmarked. As for the Mer/Der teaser-if you have led us down the garden path yet again for no pay off...I'm gone. I'm taking no more leaps of faith. I'm listening to no more pleas for us to just watch that we'll understand once all is revealed. I will be gone.

Don't rush Owen and Cris - you'll ruin it and as for Callie - the woman isn't a lesbian quit with the blond of the week.

[lpt]

I wish the medical-extremes story lines would stop. The show used to be focused on the people, and now the focus is on freakier and freakier medical cases.

Now that I think about it, I don't even feel like commenting anymore. Grey's Anatomy is wearing me out... :(

[Whitney]

Okay, who does Izzie think she is to be complaining about the interns? Given, Sadie is/was useless and bought her way into the program, and the rest are lacking in skill. However, I seem to remember her being the intern that cut someone's L-Vac or whatever, she So does not have the right to rag on the bratty interns. And my wtf moment of the night was when she called Bailey and a$$. Who b@^#$?! Bailey is the most giving, usually selfless person in that hospital and the one time she wants to preen under a little well-deserved praise, she's an a$$? Puhshaw. But other than my usual hating of Izzie, the episode was GREAT! Keep up the great work! =)

[Amanda O'Banion]

If Meredith and Derek don't end up happily together at the end of this show I am going to be TICKED.....great show btw! And I loved when Alex looked at Addison after the fight when Meredith walked off with Derek and said "That's her guy"