Stacy McKee on "These Arms of Mine"...

Original Airdate: 10-28-10

So here’s a thing you probably don’t know about me. Long before there was a Grey’s I used to curl up in bed with my husband (long before he was my husband) and watch medical shows. Not scripted medical shows – but those documentary shows with real life patients and real life doctors. I was particularly fond of watching surgeries – the more gory and graphic, the better. (Now that I think about it, I was a little obsessed with surgery, not unlike our Grey’s residents – but that’s not the point.)

The point is that, this summer, as I was enjoying my last few days of maternity leave, I found myself searching for a new medical show to watch.  I was hoping I’d find something inspiring.  Or, at the very least, something with a cool surgical idea I could pitch when I went back to work the next week… 

See, at the beginning of every season, it’s our assignment to walk in with ideas for the upcoming year.  Big ideas, little ideas.  Any ideas, really, to jumpstart everyone’s sleepy brains.  And I was coming off of maternity leave.  I hadn’t written an episode of Grey’s since 2009.  My brain was very, very sleepy. 

Enter, Boston Med.

Now, for those of you who missed it, Boston Med was a documentary-style medical show that aired this summer on ABC.  It was pretty great.  So as I was lying there, watching Boston Med online (really quietly so as not to wake the sleeping baby in my lap) I was – as it turns out – totally inspired.  Not by a particular medical case or a patient or a doctor – but by the show itself.  By the entire medical-documentary genre.  I LOVE these shows.  They always suck me in.  They always make me cry.  Why couldn’t I turn an episode of Grey’s into one of these shows?

Turns out, I could.

Luckily, Shonda was totally on board with the idea.  She pretty much let me run with it– which was AWESOME.  And as it turns out… REALLY REALLY HARD.  

I can’t tell you how many times, as I was trying to wrap my brain around how exactly to turn an episode of Grey’s into something that was Not-Grey’s-But-Still-Grey’s-But-Not, I just kicked myself.  I mean, really? I had to pitch THIS episode as my first episode back? I was already feeling totally rusty and I was pretty sure I’d completely forgotten how to string two sentences together – let alone write a whole script -– and here I was trying to come up with a totally new kind of episode??  Was I crazy????

Probably.  But I wrote the thing anyway – all 135 scenes of it (to give you an idea of how crazy that is, a typical Grey’s script is around 48 – 52 scenes.) And so… here we are. 

Seattle Medical: Road to Recovery.

The best part about writing this episode was getting to break our usual Grey’s Anatomy rules. I was able to tell stories in a completely different way.  In fact, it was essential I approach the stories differently.  I had to think like a documentary filmmaker.  And that was seriously fun.

For instance, for the first time in Grey’s Anatomy history, we were able to go home with our patients.  We see where they live, what kind of car they drive, what their living rooms look like.  We never do that. 

I was also able to have patient scenes that did not include any of our Grey’s doctors.  That’s one of the things that really struck me about Boston Med.  The testimonials from the patients and their families were always so compelling – I wanted to mimic that here.  One of my favorite testimonials in this episode is the one Nicole, the arm donor’s wife, gives about her husband getting his tattoo.  It’s somehow so much more emotional having her talk to the camera instead of talking to one of our doctors.  It’s like she’s talking directly to us.

Which is why I love the Meredith and Cristina interviews.  I think Richard probably asked Mer and Cristina to sit down for the cameras, as the face of the Seattle Grace residency program.  And as the resident twisted sisters, Mer and Cristina are bound and determined NOT to reveal anything true or real about themselves.  They plan to put on a show and be all perky and happy and charming and not dark or twisty at all.  Which works for a while, until it all begins to unravel. 

What I love is watching Meredith take on such a maternal role toward Cristina.  She knows that Cristina has been struggling, and she sees Cristina beginning to crack under the pressure of the interview, so she jumps in and tries to help her best friend out.  Mer’s trying to protect Cristina.  But what’s interesting is that, the minute Mer steps in, Cristina can’t go on with the interview.   There’s some residual Mer/Cristina friction that we’re only seeing a tiny little glimpse of here, and this type of episode is the perfect way to bring that to the surface.

Also – I was able to end the stories differently, by using the chyrons.  Take Mary’s story – we don’t see the moment where her husband actually pulls the plug, but we read about it on the bottom of the screen.  I tried to end all of the stories with an interesting final punch like that.  Sometimes with something funny, like how the hospital’s fancy new security measures were ultimately removed.  Sometimes with something moving, like how the arm transplant guy got a tattoo under his tattoo that read, “thank you.”  Or something that just makes us fall in love with one of our people, like when you find out that Lily took Alex Karev to her fourth grade class for show and tell.

By the way, I don’t know about you, but I am now FULLY in love with Alex Karev.  I mean, I kinda already was in love with him, but now I really, really am.   When he’s singing to Lily in the MRI booth??? I mean, COME ON. (Side Note: Justin actually has a really good voice, so he practiced for weeks before we shot this scene to make himself sound more like a guy who wasn’t really a singer, but who was really trying to sing.  Adorable.)  

But the moment that really makes me fall in love with Alex Karev is when he holds the trachea up from its petri dish and says: “Check it out. Home grown trachea.” And then he gives us that little smile.  Love it.  Love seeing Alex get all excited about medicine.  And I love seeing him be there for Lily – even sleeping in the parent cot – because she’s alone and her own parent can’t be there.  Love.  Alex.  Karev.

Another great thing about an episode like this was getting to pick and choose the moments that would actually be caught by the camera crew.  For instance, there’s no way Callie and Arizona would have a heated argument in front of cameras, so we only catch a tiny little bit of it on screen.  But the moment is so much more interesting and tense because what we do see is Callie trying to put a spin on it later.  Even though she’s trying to be diplomatic for the cameras, her real feelings are crystal clear. It’s obvious she’s angry and hurt and upset – and she manages to convey all of it with a smile on her face for the cameras. So, so, so cool.

I did try to preserve a few of our usual Grey’s motifs – like our typical final montage.  I did a Seattle Medical version of it.  Because Cristina cut her interview short in the previous act, I felt that the documentary crew would probably, four weeks later, have asked her to come in and complete the interview.  And at this point, I think Cristina has pulled herself together, steeled herself for the interview, and rehearsed her talking points.  She is ready to rattle off exactly what she thinks they want to hear, and nothing more.  She is not about to lose it in front of the camera again.  She is ready.  And Sandra played it beautifully.  The words are articulate, but hollow.  You can tell she doesn’t actually believe them for a minute.  And there is only the slightest hint of vulnerability when she answers the final question. 

I loved being able to use that interview as the final voice over.  And I loved that the montage was a series of moments the Seattle Medical crew probably filmed as B role, throughout the day, not knowing how or where they would fit into the episode. Some of the moments are so mundane – Derek walking down a hallway or Meredith working in the ER.  And others are just so horrible, like Bailey crying on the gurney.  (By the way, when we shot that scene, even though it’s silent and even though it’s literally just Chandra on a gurney with her head in her hands – when we shot it, there wasn’t a dry eye on set.  THAT’S how amazing Chandra Wilson is.  Just saying.)

The other thing I love about the ending to the episode is that, in that final scene, it’s the only time in the entire episode we hear the off camera interviewer. There’s this flicker that crosses Cristina’s face, before she answers with, “being a hero has its price.” It’s the most honest she has been all episode, probably all season.  I love that it takes a camera crew full of strangers to bring such honesty to the surface, when Cristina has not yet been able to be that honest with her husband, her best friend, or even, really, herself.

So, in the end, I guess it’s good I’m a crazy medical junkie so intent on enjoying my last few days of maternity leave.  Because ordinarily, I never have time to just curl up in bed and watch TV.  Which is how I stumbled across Boston Med.  Which was the inspiration for this entire episode.  Which was, as it turns out, unbelievably fun to write. 

Now I just hope the baby on my lap wasn’t scarred by waking up in the middle of me watching all that gory, gory medical stuff.  Hopefully not.  Maybe she’ll just grow up to be a medical junkie like me.

 

Comments

[Jessica F.]

Are Callie and Arizona leaving for good? WHAT?????

Love Karev. My friends call him Doctor Do Me. But in this he showed really brilliant work. Im glad hes going for Peds..

And I loved the Donor couple. Hysterical.

[Kim]

I liked the idea, liked the way it was done.

I only have one complaint and that is I am getting frustrated with the lack of Meredith and Derek scenes, I absolutely love them and hope we see more than just book end scenes or 30 second scenes with them in it. Patrick and Ellen are amazing actors, use that to your advantage!

Other than that, very good!

[Kate]

i LOVED boston med. so much that i ordered the Hopkins 24/7 dvds. i totally understand why an episode like this was desirable. i actually enjoyed it a lot. mer's protectiveness of cristina was great. because it wasn't a normal episode, i won't be too upset about the blatant lack of meredith and derek interaction. i enjoyed seeing the side of the characters that THEY want people to see. very interesting. it felt like they were all acting.

i love how mer and cris were having inside jokes and being sneaky.

alex karev is amazing. i'm so glad he finally got a good story in an episode this season. i love alex so much and he is such a rockstar! i actually cried when i saw him go to the 4th grade class for show and tell. it's crazy to think about the changes in him since season1 .

jackson made me tear up too. it was nice to see his emotions at the surface. but no one that pretty should have tear ducts.

overall a totally awesome episode, and it really did feel like a medical documentary. i feel like if i'd turned on this show and it hadn't even been "Greys Anatomy" i would've totally enjoyed it.

very cleverly written. loved the "thank you" part! great first episode back!

more mer and more M/D next time please!!!

[nyla]

Interesting episode ...

Callie Torres FTW! I loved her slight expressions of annoyance with the self-proclaimed "titans" (lol), and that in the end her professional-badassness shined. It's good to see Callie come out on top once in awhile - the woman doesn't get nearly enough props.

Love me some Alex Karev and it's great to see him continue to rock Peds.
Also, loved the little moment between Alex and Lexie when he swiped his card to let her in... :)

[Jenna]

Well I hate to ever leave negative comments...and I DO give you guys props for trying different things. That being said...I didn't love this episode. While I too am a medical junky...what's missing from those shows is the depth in our characters and if I didn't already know and love the characters...I don't feel like I'd know much more about them. I did like the deeper look at patients but...overall, this might be my second least favorite episode only after the episode when Izzy operated on a deer! Haha. But hey 2 out of however many that I don't adore?? Still pretty good odds. :)

Are Callie and Arizona really leaving??? What's going on with that? :( Don't take them away...I love them!

[Erin]

But what about Callie and Arizona?!?!?!?!

[Shad]

You are by far my favorite writer on this show. You are wonderful! Wonder-FUL! You manage to really capture each characters personality to a t!

Stacy, please, please, please write more!

Also, totally noticed that the teachers name was Ms. McKee!

[B]

A really great episode - Congrats! (On your baby, too!) It was so revealing in a different way than we usually see. Stellar acting by everyone - just amazing.

Yes, I, too, am completely in love with Alex Karev. I thought it, right before reading those same words in your blog. LOVE Alex. Have for a long while, but yeah - this sealed it. Love.

Again, everyone was so amazing, but I was knocked over by the Chief. What a salesman he was being! And a ham. Such a different demeanor, very schmoozy and ingratiating, and smiling all over the place. I think Richard likes the camera!

So Avery's issue is grief over losing friends? Or are there other developments? Apparently he's claustrophobic?

Bailey - has been breaking my heart regularly. I knew something would go wrong with Mary.

Cristina - that last line was so perfect, and so telling. Hope there's some positive momentum for her soon.

Meredith has become so strong and capable. When she heals, she really heals! Good for her. It's a real pleasure to see her strength. Side note - she looked so beautiful in her interviews with Cristina.

Um, Arizona and Callie in Africa?

A fantastic episode all the way around.

[anne]

I think you definitely achieved what you wanted to. It was innovative and different and interesting. But something was missing for me. I think I missed the way it usually is filmed. Because alot of the time people were talking to the camera. Some highlights for me was Mark talking about how Derek being shot affected him. We don't get alot of moments like that and I wondered if they ever talked about it.

Alex was awesome in this episode I agree - singing to the girl, nurturing the new part and the girl choosing him to come to class.

The bar scene with the guys and Callie - fun!

Without Callie they could not have done arm guy surgery so they will need to replace her or find someone on staff to pick up her work while she is gone.

Thought the arm guy tattoo thing was touching - perfect - thank you on the arm. Nice touch.

I was sad that Mary died though.

[Lisa]

Loved this episode even though I missed seeing my coupley moments of Mer/Der and Cristina and Owen. But loved seeing Alex trying to be all tough but have a big heart.

[Enforce]

Best. Episode. Ever. This took me back to the finale. What I loved: the energy, the fast pace, the tension. Alex was amazing, awesome, heroic and extraordinary. That's my guy. All tough on the outside but so tender on the inside. The Chief doing the sales pitch, shamelessly funny. Jackson..OMG! Such a small part, but he was the first one to make me cry. Jesse did a fantastic job with his little scenes tonight. Truly outstanding. Lexie is still not well, is she? I love her when she's funny but she's beginning to look like she's unraveling at the seams. Loved the arms storyline. The 'thank you' tatoo at the end made me weepy. Why did Mary die? That made me cry too. That wasn't fair! Mandy Moore was awesome. Ok, so this Callie and Arizona thing is confusing. Africa has become a bit of a cliche, besides, where exactly in Africa? And the way they were shopping, Arizona with that hideous hat, you would think they were going on a vacation. That didn't make much sense. They are going on a humanitarian trip and they are preparing like they're traveling to Fiji. And why is Callie conceding again? Seems like she's the one always bending for Arizona. That's just my rant. Anyways, bottomline, I'm buying this episode as soon as it's available on iTunes. It was amazing. What happened to you writers over the summer? You came back with an entirely different perspective. This season rocks, ROCKS! You guys are so inspirational. Pure genius. Thank you for entertaining us with your stories. And please, keep drinking whatever water you writers have been drinking over there lately...

[PamelaJaye]

Stacey - I'm a medical junkie, who has watched every hospital show from Dr Kildare reruns as a little girl, all the way thru to whatever is newest (Childrens Hospital - I love parody too). Grey's is my favorite as it has a bit of Ally McBeal in it.

When I am desperate, I will watch some Discovery Health. I watched Hopkins the second time around (and possibly the first time too) and I definitely watched Boston Med - as I am from Boston.

I loved First Days, Diagnosis X, Mystery Diagnosis - when they aren't doing those eye shots. But of course, Boston Med... well, it's been years since I spent so much time at Children's but it's nice to see Boston, always (I'm in exile in FL)

I loved the documentary (and Mer's hair). It reminded me of the ep of ER they did after Mark Green was attacked (oddly the producer was Dr Cuddy, from House, later on) which was also a documentary ep. Of course they did theirs live - and it was ER, and I don't even envy you the 135 scenes! But it was just great, and I remembered the similarity - and also it filled the longing for ER that I didn't know I had.

And then you didn't mention Avery's freakout in the accidental lockdown. ;-)
I'm just watching it again.
So it was a mountain of work - but thank you for doing it. I really loved it. (and Mer's hair. and Derek joking around with Mark. and mentioning that Cristina sleeps over, in his bed)

[Jenni]

This is the best season of Grey's so far. Great episode, I cried like a baby!

[Kathy]

Oh my gosh, I could be your (much older,er, slightly older) twin! I too am a medical show junkie, real and fictional. I grew up with Marcus Welby, Medical Center (Joe Gannon was my Dr. McDreamy), St. Elsewhere, MASH, ER, Chicago Hope. I loved Boston Med and you did a great job if that was your inspiration. I have watched GA from day one, yet I was so drawn in to this episode that I forgot at times that they weren't real doctors. Love, love, love Alex Karev, he has grown the most I think and Chandra moves me to tears every time. Thanks for a great episode and congrats on the baby, I'm sure she'll be just fine, lol.

[Terrie]

really great episode! loved the different feel, but how you were still able to maintain the sense that it was grey's. and i am totally in love with alex too.

[Paris]

Awesome awesome awesome episode. My favorite of the season just because it was so incredibly different. I loved the little notes that summed up the loose ends of each story. Yea I loved it so don't let any of the negative jerks on the board get to you. Great job!

[Kelly]

Welcome back Stacy!! Can't wait to see more amazing episodes written by you!

I like this change from the usual GA format and the moments Alex has with Lily. It's nice to see follow-ups with patients, even if it's a sad ending for Mary.

[Lisa]

Great episode Stacy!! I didn't catch Alex sleeping on the parent cot. I cried when Lily brought him to school! Amazing double arm surgery! Poor Cristina! Looking forward to watching the episode again.

PS Is there not going to be podcasts this season? I am missing them so much!

[Judy]

I totally loved this episode. I think you did an incredible job, Stacy. It made me wish there could be more episodes like this one. There was something so real about it, and it had me laughing out loud one minute, and moved to tears the next. I loved going home with the patients, seeing the "behind the scenes" moments with the doctors, and reading the captions at the end that told the rest of the story. I think this episode was a very welcome shot in the arm for Grey's.

When Meredith asks, "Can we cut?" at the point in the interview when Cristina is having trouble, I thought you must have meant that as a double entendre, and I thought it was so clever. Can they, indeed? It's certainly an apropos question regarding Cristina and her inability to do surgeries.

I enjoyed the whole thing with the security system, Richard trying to put a positive spin on everything, and especially Karev and Lilly. I shed a tear when I read that she took Alex in for show and tell. Great touch. And how sad was the story of the routine surgery gone bad? You really paced this well, and peppered it with just the right amount of humor and angst. Terrific job!

[liz]

OK, I'm a huge Grey's fan, and in many ways, I really enjoyed how this episode was shot. But I hope y'all have a damn good reason for putting Bailey through all this. And does this mean Callie and Arizona are leaving the show?! Because that would be a mistake. I'm also confused about the Mer/Cristina friction and what it's a "residual" from. I really love the show, so I hate to be one of the angry threateny audience members, but come on, y'all. What are you trying to do to us(/Bailey, Seriously).

[apriltan18]

brilliant episode. I haven't been so touched by Grey's for a long time although I enjoy every episode. The excitement, the apprehension of every medical case reminds me that Grey's is not just about feel-good episodes and doctors' social lives, but also about the very real urgency of medicine. Thank you for this episode and would love to see such more of such new innovations in greys!

[Chantal]

Dear Stacy,
You did an amazing AMAZING job!! VERY difficult to come up with all of those specific scenes. Even without all of the emotions you get touched by the medical impact of it all. It struck me differently because it was filmed this way. Those arms getting attached - incredible! And yes, it was fun to watch the docs in a different way. Mer wanting to look her best, with her pony tail and this make-up. I loved every aspect of this episode! Mark, Derek, Lexie, Bailey, Richard... everything! Nice solution to have Arizona move to Africa (temporarily of course). And yes, Alex rocked... beautifully written and acted. Loved it all! Thank you.
P.S. I'm sure your baby girl is fine ;-)

[Jennifer]

This episode was wonderful. I loved seeing Callie step up, despite looking as though she wasn't included at the start. I loved seeing Arizona not only win a rare award, but then solve an amazing case and Alex being there every step of the way. Arizona and Alex have always had a special relationship, I'm going to miss it while Ms. Capshaw is gone for maternity leave.

I do have to say it's heart breaking for me to watch Arizona and Callie have this constant lack of communication with each other. I was honestly hoping they would learn from the past, but it's definitely injecting drama into their storyline and they happen to be my personal favorites right now.

Bailey's case was heart wrenching! To see it affect her so greatly and to know what that women went through and to die during what should have been routine surgery.

Interactions between Meredith and Cristina were great, can't wait to see Cristina rise again.

Just amazing acting by all involved and amazing writing. Thank you so much for the work you do.

[Moz]

Grey's still has teeth. Doubters get off now.

I was intially a little sceptical of this episode. The technique of bringing in a film crew on an episode 'to shake things up', format wise, harks all the way back to M*A*S*H and has been done in many recent shows too.

But boy did it work. T

[TJ]

Loved this episode one of the best Greys episodes.
Loved Cristina and Meredith and their monologues were fantastic.Love the ending of the episode too.Fav moment Cristina's last monologue.
Liked Alex's story line and seeing him that he cares so much for the kids was so sweet and singing to Lily.
The medical titans moment was funny and Callie's expression was priceless.Also liked it when Callie told them to shut up and then saving the day another fav moment.
Was sad Mary didn't make it.
Really awesome episode thanks for writing it. Enjoyed it a lot might go and watching it again.