Last week's Grey's Anatomy ...
Question: Last week's
Grey's Anatomy premiere reminded me why I love television. For anyone reading between the lines, you could hear the writers responding directly to all of the viewer's criticisms over the last two seasons: "Look, we hear what you viewers have been saying. We aren't your favorite show anymore. This season we are going to make you remember why this show was No. 1." A couple of shows made commentaries like this post-writer's strike as well (
House's nurses' strike being one that comes to mind). Obviously, this is intentional on behalf of the writers, but I always wonder if other viewers are picking up on these same messages. I don't mean to sell the masses short or imply anything about anyone not getting it, but I know for one my wife didn't get that message at all. Based on all the e-mail you get, can you tell when these kinds of messages work and are picked up on by the viewers, and when they don't?
Answer: Since my readers tend to be a bit on the obsessive side, in-jokes like these do tend to get noticed, especially when they're as obvious as the ones on the
Grey's opener. In the best of all worlds, these metaphors enhance but don't impede one's enjoyment of the actual episode. In the case of
Grey's, I appreciated the nod to the show's rocky recent past, but could I suggest maybe giving Meredith laryngitis for an entire episode soon? And now, back to the subject of Monday's
Grey's kurfuffle.
