Why I Watch Grey’s Anatomy
Nov 2 2007
I don’t have time to watch a lot of TV but one of the shows I do watch on a consistent basis is Grey’s Anatomy. I know it’s a night time soap opera of sorts. I know it’s not a real depiction of life in a teaching hospital, and I know that most doctors aren’t that good looking, but I still get caught up in the drama.
In the November 1, 2007 episode, Dr. Cristina Yang said something quite simple yet quite profound to Dr. Meredith Grey. First a little background for those who do not watch Grey’s Anatomy. Dr. Yang is a brilliant surgeon who expresses little to no emotion. It’s clear her entire goal in life is to become the world’s best cardiothoracic surgeon and nothing will get in her way. She is very direct with people and she rarely takes time to listen to other people’s problems. It’s all about her and she has recently been faced with experiences that are making her evaluate her approach to life.
Dr. Grey is also an outstanding surgeon with serious relationship/personal issues. Her dad left her when she was a kid partly because her mother was cheating on him and partly because she was so focused on her career. Her dad never came back to see her. He married another woman and had two kids with her one of whom is Dr. Lexie Grey, who has just found her way to Seattle Grace hospital as an intern. Needless to say Meredith and Lexie have an awkward relationship.
Meredith’s mom, Ellis Grey, was intensely focused on her own medical career and was a highly accomplished surgeon and pretty much resented that she had to take care of Meredith. She often told Meredith that she did not want to have children and consequently was extremely critical of everything Meredith did (or did not do). So now Meredith has tons of personal issues but somehow has won the heart of Dr. McDreamy (Dr. Derek Shepherd), whose character in the show is one of practically a saint among men because he is there for Meredith no matter what she does or says!
Meredith almost drowned in an episode last season. She could have saved herself but instead gave in to her self pity and crossed over to the other side for a short while. Somehow she comes through after being unconscious for several hours and awakens to a different perspective and awareness of who she is and where she fits into the world. This perspective soon fades and she begins to involuntarily inflict her insecurities on those she loves and on those who love her once again. She doesn’t want to, but she does not know how to accept or give love because she was physically and emotionally abandoned by the people most important to her as a child. Despite these childhood traumas, most of the rest of the world would classify her as a functional adult (i.e., she is smart, has a career, has friends, etc.).
In one scene Meredith asks Cristina why she just can’t get past all of this stuff and move on now that she’s aware of her issues. Cristina says “being aware of your crap is not the same as getting over your crap. They are two very different things.” Meredith knows she’s right and stares off into space.
This post is dedicated to a good friend of mine who is dealing with crap of her own right now. I worry about her. I wish the best for her. I can relate a tiny bit with what she might be going through, and I pray that the gap between her being aware of her crap and getting over her crap decreases exponentially day by day!
Author: Aruni | Filed under: mother, parenting, random stuff, TV | Tags: fitting in, grey's anatomy, real life, soap opera, TV | Comments Off on Why I Watch Grey’s Anatomy
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