GREY’S: ANATOMY OF A FINALE
Why, why, why?! I will never understand why networks move hit shows from their beloved and comfortable time slots. ABC is taking a huge risk by moving Grey’s Anatomy to Thursdays at 9pm next season. Grey’s is an experience; that rare television program that defines Sunday evening, the kind of program that we all need before facing the week ahead. Although I’m happy to see that the new date and time won’t conflict with my Survivor addiction, I doubt that this new timeslot will increase viewership and/or ratings. Frankly, I just can’t imagine rooting for George, hissing at Meredith, loving Cristina and looking forward to a Dr. Bailey diatribe that late in the week.
I was pleasantly surprised by the emotional depth of the Grey’s season finale. All season long, the show has been consistent and the writing fantastic, but last night the producers and writers really stepped up and delivered exactly the right ingredients to keep us obsessing during the long summer hiatus; it was poignant, compelling, revealing and frustrating.
If it were up to me, the show would be called Yang’s Anatomy, as Meredith Grey is my least favorite character. I’ve never been able to shake my initial impression of Ellen Pompeo as a Renée Zellweger doppelganger with an equally irritating voice. But Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang simply steals the show and every scene she’s in. I used to watch a very average HBO show, Arliss, just because of her. On Grey’s, Oh’s Dr. Yang is complicated, infuriating and very human; hers is the only story line that holds my interest without fail, and the only personality I find remotely realistic.
If you need to reach me before fall, I’ll be the one on the couch with the Team