Pete Nowalk on "Give Peace a Chance"...

Original Airdate: 10-29-09

So there’s a lot to talk about here – the fact that this was an all-Derek-all-the-time episode, that this was Chandra Wilson’s first time directing, that Izzie's still MIA...  But before I get into any of that, answer me this:

You’re on a road trip.  You’ve been driving for hours, your 3 kids all under the age of six are asleep in the backseat, when you realize you have to pee.  Do you…

A)    Stop at a gas station, wake the kids, and drag them into the restroom in order to relieve yourself?

B)    Use one of your kids’ diapers, thereby allowing yourself to keep driving and let the kids keep sleeping?

C)    Stop reading this blog because you’re so disgusted by this topic?

We played this game in the writers room one day.  Shonda had seen an episode of Oprah where a mother confessed to doing B.  (Here’s the link: http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20090311-tows-mom-truth/3).  Naturally, we all went around the room debating what we’d do.  Would we really use the diaper? Or would we do anything in the world to avoid said deplorable action?  Some of us thought this mom was smart -- who wants to schlep a bunch of kids into a public bathroom?  Others were a little horrified. Diapers are for babies.  Or astronauts.  Not grown adults who should know better.  The diaper, you see, became a controversial topic around here.  

Okay, I know what you’re thinking.  "That's your job?  To sit around and have potty talk??  And now you’re admitting that to the entire blogiverse?????"

I don’t blame you.  But this is the way a writers room works.  You chat, tell stories, discuss Oprah...until an idea hits.  And then you work like mad to fit it into your episode.  Hence, the diaper.  

Do surgeons really wear diapers?  Well, depends who you ask.  Our wonderful medical researcher Meg found a blog that mentioned surgeons wearing diapers during particularly long surgeries.  And one of our consulting surgeons said dude surgeons sometimes wear condom catheters.  (Yeah, that's a real thing apparently.)  Point is, it wasn’t that big of a leap for us to go diaper.  Our doctors are hardcore by nature. Combine that with the threat they're feeling from the Mercy West residents and you can understand while they'll do anything to win.  As Lexie tells Jackson, if she needs to pee in a diaper to help Derek get through his impossible surgery, she'll pee in a diaper.  Which of course just drove Cristina crazy jealous...  

Cristina was a shoe-in to win that pen-in-a-cup contest...but then she choked.  Happens to the best of us. That left Owen having to cope with the fact that his girlfriend was fiending to put on a diaper.  Admittedly, it's not the sexiest thing to picture your partner wearing.  But I think it speaks to Owen's overall good nature that he found a way to be okay with it, even gifting Cristina her very own marathon surgery to cheer her up.  And then, when Derek thwarts that plan, he goes as far as to sexily teach Cristina the right way to work the microscope.  You gotta admit, the dude's a pretty awesome boyfriend.  

Speaking of awesome boyfriend...  I'm sorry, I mean awesome husband...  

Derek Shepherd.

This episode probably felt different.  I only say that because that’s exactly how I felt the minute we started working on it.  As you've probably noticed, we’re trying to experiment more this season.  And that’s probably uncomfortable for some of you.  It was for me.  When we first decided to focus this episode solely on Derek and his patient, I was a little scared.  Most of this patient story (inspired by a case told to us by Dr. Robert Bray, an amazing neurosurgeon here in LA) involves Derek staring at a tumor.  Not cutting, not operating, not talking to anyone.  Like I said, scary.  

In retrospect I’m really glad we told this story this way.  As Derek says in the voiceover, what drew him to surgery was the quiet.  The deep, intense, long-ass focus required to make it through a marathon surgery where any wrong turn can result in death.  And this episode really reflects that.  It’s quieter than a typical episode.  More single-minded.  Derek is our sole focus.  And really, what an amazing character to spend an entire episode with.  Watch Patrick Dempsey on your screen and you can’t help but be struck by how much he says without saying anything.  The guy can pretty much give you an entire soliloquy with just one look.  That’s a rare talent, and we really wanted to use that to our advantage in an episode about stillness and peace.  

It also seemed like the perfect time to do our Derek-focused episode since we had little time to shoot with Ellen Pompeo (8 1/2 months pregnant at the time we shot this one).  Typically, if Derek's doing a once-in-a-lifetime neurosurgery, Meredith would be at his side.  But since we couldn't physically do that, we had her be there for him in a different way -- by helping him talk through the problem, by holding a phone to her ear for 26 hours...  (I'm guessing Cristina and Meredith have an unlimited friend-to-friend calling plan in case anyone was worried about their minutes).  So Mer was there for Der even when it seemed impossible...and I'm very jealous.  That's the truth.  I’m jealous that Meredith and Derek get to work together and support each other and speak their secret surgery language together AND still actually love each other.  I guess they’ve been through their fare share of relationship crap.  They’ve earned a little peace.  Still, I'm jealous.  

Back to the very different nature of this episode, helped along by the fact that there's still no sign of Izzie. She's still off god knows where and not telling Alex squat.  Which is just harsh.  Sure, the guy tried to pretend that he didn’t care whether she’d show up for her IL-2 treatment, but we all know that's just his way of coping.  Who doesn’t show up for their life-saving IL-2 treatment?  Especially a doctor??  That’s just irresponsible.  And crazy…  Yeah, I could go on.  Poor frigging Alex.  If I was Reed in that last scene I would have wanted to give the guy a hug.  And I think the look on her face said pretty much that.  But they just met.  They’re not even friends.  Or frenemies.  No hugs allowed.  Which is why that scene at the end with Alex sitting in the support chair with no one to support just kills me.  WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GO IZZIE???  

Okay, it’s a little insane for me to pretend I don’t know where she is.  I do.  And eventually you will, too. Onward...

Last but not least, I'd like to applaud Chandra Wilson.  She acts, she sings, and now she directs... and sometimes all at the same time.  I have a feeling Chandra’s the kind of person that’s good at everything she does.  You know the type from high school – the classmate that’s all quiet and unassuming and not saying anything about the Algebra test you’re freaking about because she already knows she’s gonna ace it.  Cause that’s what Chandra did directing this episode.  And it wasn’t an easy one to direct, let me tell you.  All those scenes in the OR are very hard to shoot – very technical, very hard to dramatize -- and she rocked it.

Alrighty then, I'm off to set to watch some scenes for episode 610 (our holiday episode, written by the awesome Krista Vernoff.)  The end of this blog means the official end of episode 607 for me.  In other words, my own sense of peace.  I'll sleep well tonight.  Hope you do, too.

Comments

[Andrea]

Should Meredith really be drinking champagne after recently undergoing liver transplant surgery?

[Me]

I loved this episode! Probably because I was expecting ALL Derek and very little of everyone else; I was pleasantly surprised.

ENJOYED...

1) [b]Derek.[/b] Suprisingly, I enjoyed his surgery storyline. Isaac the patient was superb. His kind-hearted, positive nature was contagious and you couldn't help but cheer him on. I also loved how Mer/Der discussed surgery in bed, like a normal couple discussing and sharing "their dilemmas). It was a little over the top for him to write on the wall but this is a tv show, over the top works because it is entertaining.

2) [b]Owen/Bailey/Mark/Callie/Arizona.[/b] It was nice to see all the doctors interacting and supporting Derek during the surgery.

3) [b]Skills Lab.[/b] I loved seeing cocky Cristina get a little humility served to her by Avery. What I loved the most is that it gave Cristina that fire back and need to be the best. Cristina in this mode is at her best.

4) [b]Alex.[/b] My heart broke for Alex as he waited for Izzie in the cancer center. He really has grown and loves Izzie, even though I don't think she loves him as much (JMO).

5) [b]Owen/Cristina[/b] - I was prepared for no Cristina/Owen during this episode and what we got made me squeel like a school girl! Loved that Owen was being there for Cristina! In the first scene, Owen trying to comfort Cristina because she did win the skills lab duel, but at the same time trying to understand why she would want to wear a diaper. This is when I think he finally woke up and understood the toll the merger was taking on Cristina. He was trying to make her feel better when he gave her a different long surgery, just too sweet. Just having them sit next to each other watching Derek's surgery was so perfect. They are who they are and don't try to pretend to be anyone else even in front of the others. If you noticed they weren't holding hands like Callie and Arizona but definitely were there as a couple. The last scene was my favorite. It is amazing that you can feel the sexual chemistry in that scene even though they barely touched! It was exactly what the doctor ordered to remind me how much I love this couple! They are so comfortable with each other and Owen doesn't condemn her for her "bitchiness"! Your hands are like hams! LOL He sees through all of that, and knows she is just frustrated! Thank you for giving us the Cristina/owen moments we love!

6) [b]Avery. [/b]I really don't mind Avery but he needs to learn quickly that Owen/Cristina are together and hands off! LOL

DIDN'T ENJOY...

1) [b]Lexie.[/b] I have tried to warm up to this character and it is just not working. Just too endearing and sweet. I guess GA needs that because Izzie is not around but she is just too sugar-coated for me. Even when she was arguing with Avery about the diaper, she looked weak and Avery could have blown her over in one huff.

2) [b]Chief.[/b] I know they are purposedly making us hate chief right now and it is working. He needs to get a grip soon.

Overall, I loved the pace this season's episodes have had. I am constantly glued to the tv waiting for what is next.

[SAVVY]

I FRE.KING LOVED THIS EPISODE!!!!!

And I loved the way you wrote Meredith into it. YEAH ---- for you all taking care of EP!!!

Thank you for turning an ioperable sartoma INTO a romantic moment between my favorite couple, LOL.

I DO hope we get some 'sizzle' back with them soon, but I've been enjoying this peek into their relationship. Loved that Derek was able to let it all go when he got home and sleep. But please don't turn this into him falling asleep in his own life again. They've already been through enough c.rap --- so be easy! ;-)

Loved seeing the post-it! Loved that Derek discovered the way to fix the problem was WITHOUT a plan! There is a hidden message in that one.

CW should do it again and again!!!

[Madeleine]

I loved this episode, it was awesome!
The big amount of Derek was great. The chief really annoys me though. He fired Derek? Seriously? The surgery was a success! And he really thinks he can afford firing the best neuro doc there is? The hospital needs Derek. The chief doesn't seem able to handle it all anymore. Loved that Derek just said go home and sleep on it.
Lexie made me laugh out loud several times haha. Like when she yelled to Dered "Drink it!" Lexie's really grown on me, I didn't like her in the beginning but she's so funny really. The diapers were hilarious. When she and Cristina walked down the hall in their diapers, I couldn't stop laughing haha.
Loved all the MerDer scenes as well. They just rocked this epi. It was funny that he painted the tumor on the wall haha. And so adorable that he fell asleep on her later on :) And I have to give kudos to Ellen really. She should've been home bedresting (allthough she was bedresting in the show too) but still. She's such a trooper.
I really look forward to the holiday episode. If Krista's written it, it will for sure be great.

[Pattie]

Amazing job, Chandra!

[Kim]

Great blog. Pretty good episode but where is Izzie? I can't wait to find out! And hey, the new people are growing on me! I think you guys knew they would. ;)

[Jenna]

I don't know if anyone other than other viewers actually read these comments, but after watching last night's episode I feel compelled to make a few points because, with a few mild exceptions, overall I'm supremely disappointed in this season.

Derek was great. I like this Derek much more than whiny dude in the woods Derek.

Arizona and Callie were fantastic as usual.

I hate Jackson Avery. I hate everything about him except his nice eyes. He is obnoxious and rude and I wish he would go away. He needs to just shut up and look pretty. And that's only getting started on the Mercy West people, who all need to go away, but that's a whole other episode.

I don't know when the Chief turned into such an idiot, but he can take a long walk off a short pier, too.

What I really want to talk about is Cristina and Owen. I'd like to know when Cristina's professional humiliation and degradation is going to stop, because at this rate, why don't you all just drop her down an elevator shaft and be done with it? I can't watch my favorite character be belittled, embarrassed, and humiliated any more. And while we're at it, what happened to the amazing love story you all wrote for Cristina and Owen in season 5? They went from falling desperately in love to barely a moment on screen this season, and every moment they do have is tainted with something unpleasant. In the season premiere, we go through these amazing scenes of them finally communicating in Owen's therapy, and her of forgiving him for the choking, and of him forgiving himself for it, and yet when they finally make love, the first words out of her mouth are about George? That's a cop out and an insult to their story. Then for 5 episodes we get very little between them, and most of it stems from more of Cristina's professional hysteria and Owen's outright blockheadedness. Now Owen is finally getting a clue, and but that culminates in a 2 minute scene about peeing in a diaper. That's just gross. And the final scene tonight--the first moment of tenderness we've gotten to see from them in weeks and weeks, and it is tainted 3 minutes later with a promo of Cristina kissing someone else? I'm supposed to believe that after all of season 5 and the tortured love that led to Cristina telling Owen she loved him, which we all know is spectacularly hard for her, it's supposed to be realistic that a mere 2 months later she's going to be kissing some random guy? Where has our beloved Cristina gone? You've taken away all her mojo and not given her anything in return. Will there ever be even one single episode where she gets a little happiness? Is it totally impossible for a female surgeon to be in love and happy and also professionally fulfilled? Because it seems like it's working pretty well for Callie and Arizona--why is that not an option for Cristina?

I'm so disappointed in what has happened to Cristina. She never ever catches a break. It goes to show what an amazing actress Sandra Oh is to keep me coming back to see Cristina even as she is slowly stripped of her dignity every single episode.

Oh, and this must be the only hospital in a major American city in the entire country that doesn't have a single cardio doctor qualified to teach her anything. That glaring omission needs to be fixed soon, and not at the expense of Cristina's relationship with Owen. Women need to see that you can be in a fulfilling personal relationship while also having a fulfilling professional career at the same time. One is not mutually exclusive to the other.

I miss Cristina. I miss her being happy and excited for surgery. I miss seeing her spend time with Owen outside the hospital. I miss so much about these two characters, and I'm not confident we're ever going to get any of that joy and love back.

[EJ]

Loved this episode. Derek going all rogue was awesome. It was great to see you back focusing on the main characters of Grey's and just barely implementing in the mercy west crew. Even though you focused soley on Derek you still brought in everyone we love to be with him...Mer, Arizona, Callie, Miranda, Sloan, Lexie, Christina and Owen. Arizona standing up to the chief then breaking down on Callie's shoulder was hilarious. Lexie and Christina with the diapers...also hilarious. Definitely liked the switch up of this episode and focusing on our main Grey's stars but let's focus some on their relationships coming up as well! All in all though, this reminded me of the Grey's we all love.

[Claudia from Germany]

This was just an awesome episode!!! Thanks for making this an Derek-Solo!! We needed this! And I love the way you developed the Mer-Der Story, just gorgeous with this certain background music!!

Really loved it!!!

[Beth M]

This episode was the best!! I loved it!!!

[LoriT.]

Fantastic episode!I loved the focus on Derek with everyone else around him for support.Lexie was so funny and a total hardcore kickass diaper wearer!I have enjoyed watching her growth over the episodes.And Alex...in the treatment room...so heartbreaking and incredible.Well done!!!!

[KT]

I thought last night's episode was outstanding. However, I don't know if this type of one-character centered episode would work for all of the characters on GA. Maybe for Bailey, Christina and Owen.

Patrick Dempsey is so talented. His facial expressions and body language convey the messages just as well as his voice. I also liked how he finally got to do the voice over at the beginning and end of the episode. The ending with the chief and Derek was outstanding. Derek didn't even flinch. He is more even tempered than the chief. I think the chief realizes he may be in over his head. Thank you for the best episode so far this year. It will be hard to top this one!

[Julie]

I loved the last scene with Derek and the chief where Derek repeats what Isaac had told him earlier: "Go home. Sleep on it. We'll talk tomorrow". He's just been fired, but he know that the chief will change his mind. It was great. And I love Derek drawing on the wall in their bedroom and Mer staring at it later imagining in her head what was going on in the OR.
Well done. And great directoral debut by Chandra.

[Ciera]

I love this show and the direction it is taking. It is refreshing to get away from the "office drama". However, the music is too loud and drowns out the words. I had such a hard time trying to grasp Derek's words in surgery that I almost changed the channel. It is just too frustrating for me and gives me a headache. I've seen this complaint before so I know it's not just me or my tv. Please do something about this.

[Cheo HC]

First! Great episode. I hope the Chief and Derek make up at some point. The chief is increasingly becoming an unlikeable character, even though we all can understand his point of view. Love the shifting voice overs. Nice twist.

[Amanda]

Derek Sheppard is a God.....and I love him. LOL. Great episode.

[Ivy]

All I can say is nice work. This was one of the better episodes in a long time and not because it was mostly about Derek. I liked how the doctors supported each other. I liked that Bailey was more Bailey again (btw kudos to Chandra for directing this episode). I almost liked the two MW residents tonight as well.

All around a very good episode.

[Leslie]

I love Derek, so I loved this ep being about him!! great job

[Heather]

This was one of the strongest episodes in a long time. I think this proves that you need to keep focused on the characters that have already been established, who cares about the new people already, Patrick Dempsey is a gift to the show, and that Chandra Wilson should be hired as the permanent director. She did an incredible job and the episode really did shine.

[Junee]

Good job! This was the exact opposite of the previous episode, with all the stillness and quiet. I like that you're making Grey's more interesting this season.

[sissi]

I want alex and izzie together I HATE THAT REED GIRL!!!!!

[Rachel]

This was the very best episode so far this season. You all in the writers room should be proud!!

[Janet]

I'll start by congratulating Chandra Wilson on directing her first episode. She did a good job.

Second, if the writers ever do another character-centric episode, please let it not be on Derek. Derek Shepherd is the most boring character on this show and writing an episode that focuses on him performing surgery is the pinnacle of boring. We get that he's like the greatest neurosurgeon on the face of the Earth, we get that he's right and the Chief's wrong so do we need ANOTHER episode that illustrates these two things? No. The thing that saved this episode were all the scenes that weren't with Derek.

Like you said, poor frigging Alex. Can we cut the guy some slack already? I know this show has issues with characters being too happy but I think it's time Alex gets a little bit of happiness in his life. If the point of the recent episodes is to get people to hate Izzie, then I must say job well done writers! At least it's given Alex some emotional scenes and seeing the tough, hot guy cry is well... hot. Justin Chambers has done a great job with the material he's been given. BTW, an Alex-centric episode would be more interesting that this one that's for sure. *wink*

Little Grey in a diaper - how appropriate. *snort* Still not liking the Mercy West residents.

[tammygirl]

Love Derek's intensity, focus and being inspired by his patient. Great speech by the patient. Loved how Derek told the Chief to sleep on it!

[SGGAL]

That was AWESOME!