I don't think you get it. ...
Question: I don't think you get it. Shonda Rhimes went to
many media outlets (including TV Guide) and announced over and over again what the whole "
for good" meant. She went into detail about how the strike made her come to this choice to end the on/off and how she sat both Dempsey and Pompeo down to talk about this and how happy they were with the story. It's even on the season 4 DVD, with Betsy Beers stating they were together
for good. It was more than some flip comment from Rhimes, and I think fans are right for feeling betrayed by her going back on it now. She has just abused Meredith over and over and overplayed make-ups and breakups for no reason. What was the reason and purpose for Rose's dozen episodes? Fans (and the media) were and are at the limit with these two, hence her going public with her
very clear comments prior to the Season 4 finale. It puts this particular instance in a different light than had she never went to such great lengths to let fans know her intentions for Mer-Der for the rest of the show. Now she's backtracking on it, and it makes her look untrustworthy and a liar. Nobody told Shonda to make the promises she did. She started it and made promises to the fans and the fans have a right to feel lied to now that she's going back on it. If she had no intention of standing by her word, she never should have made the statements to begin with, especially so publicly to everyone who'd listen and write about it. If anyone should look silly, it's Shonda — silly for using and lying to the people who watch her show.
Answer: Believe me, I get it. I'm just not buying it. I agree that Shonda Rhimes comes off as silly in her statements in the
USA Today interview that got everyone so riled. But this extreme fan overreaction strikes me as just as silly, if not in all of the name-calling borderline offensive. Like this from Karen S., whose rant included this: "How exactly are you supposed to want to spend an hour of your week watching things from a proven liar, an exec producer that fans can't stand and do not believe a word from." Maybe it's because I feel the need to be professional in my TV commentary, but this kind of personal attack just feels so unnecessary. Let's look at just what Rhimes said that started this mess (and oh, how I wish she hadn't). The
USA Today reporter (a real pro, by the way) starts off by noting that "'for good' doesn't necessarily go past this season, Rhimes says. 'But they're definitely together for good for now. I'm with them. They believe they are together for good. I believe they are together for good.'" She isn't saying they won't stay together for the long haul. She's just not ruling out the possibility that down the line, once they see how a Meredith-Derek long-term cohabitation plays out, the romantic melodrama that has been part of the
Grey's Anatomy package from Day 1 could complicate matters. Patrick Dempsey is quoted in the same article as saying the couple are "always going to have conflict. They're always going to be working on issues." Did anyone jump down his throat? He's just accepting the reality of these two flawed characters. I understand the passion people bring to their favorite shows, but there's a point at which fans should just back off and see how the show progresses before attacking it or the producers, especially at the start of a pivotal season. To do otherwise risks being called silly. I stand by my earlier opinion (while also acknowledging that sometimes
Grey's Anatomy is too silly for its own good).
