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Shonda Rhimes loves music and it shows. As the creator of one of television´s hottest new shows, "Grey´s Anatomy", Rhimes has free reign on what types of music get selected to accompany and help accentuate the emotions of each episode. As many fans of "Grey´s" can attest to, it is easy to be captivated by the eclectic collection of very diverse tunes on the show, both from renowned artists as well as from ones who are yet to achieve household name status. And you don´t have to look far to see how strong the musical link is to each episode of the show. Just peruse the title of each episode and you can be sure to recognize them as actual titles of well-known songs. From the classic Burt Bacharach song "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" to R.E.M.´s "Losing My Religion" to Yes´ "Owner Of A Lonely Heart", music plays as important a role on "Grey´s Anatomy" as the stories themselves.
I don´t think anybody, much less ABC, gave "Grey´s Anatomy" much of a chance to survive in a tough TV ratings environment. So much so that the alphabet network only ordered 9 episodes of the show in the first go round. Not really a ringing endorsement, was it? The network, however, did do the show a huge favor by scheduling it right after the very popular "Desperate Housewives" on Sunday nights. With "Desperate" as its lead-in show, "Grey´s" just took off from there and managed to hold on to most of "Desperate"´s viewers and through the course of its short 9-episode first season, added a bunch of new viewers of its own. Initially, this might seem a tad surprising because "Grey´s Anatomy" does not boast of an original concept nor does it try to do away with the usual melodramatic clichés that seem to plague many TV shows nowadays. It does, however, soar above the rest with its intelligent writing, highly accessible characters and lighthearted and sometimes physical humor that more than make up for the show´s perceived shortcomings.
For those who have yet to get on the "Grey´s Anatomy" bandwagon, let me elaborate a little on what the show is about. "Grey´s" is a one-hour dramedy (a mix of drama and comedy) that follows the lives of five fresh-out-of-medical-school surgical interns at the Seattle Grace Hospital. These five young would-be doctors are Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), George O´Malley (T.R. Knight), Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Isobel "Izzie" Stevens (Katherine Heigl) and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers). If you think this premise sounds awfully familiar, you are certainly not alone. The NBC half-hour sitcom "Scrubs" also features medical interns but is set in a more surreal environment that promises more laughs than dramatic content. Although on the surface, the similarities between these two shows can be quite obvious, "Grey´s Anatomy" rightfully distinguishes itself from "Scrubs" in other aspects. The show is more like the resulting love child of "ER" and "Scrubs", featuring predominantly serious medical situations that are often punctuated by moments of welcomed humor and poignant reflections. This helps break the monotony of listening to the characters throw medical jargons left and right, as is the case with most medical shows.
In Season One, Meredith´s career as a new intern started off on the wrong footing when she realized that the one-night-stand she had the night before turned out to be a certain Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), the new neurosurgeon on staff at Seattle Grace, who is by default of his position, her boss. Contrary to her better judgment, Meredith allowed their relationship to grow, creating tension among her own peers and some in the hospital staff when word gets around that an intern is sleeping with senior member of the staff. Things come to a head at the close of Season One with the surprise appearance of the beautiful Dr. Addison Montgomery Shepherd (Kate Walsh). Yes, she is Derek´s estranged wife, which he had failed to disclose to Meredith.
Well, Season 2 picks up where the first season left off. The new Dr. Shepherd, as it turns out, is now on staff at Seattle Grace as its new pediatric surgeon. Jeez, not only is she strikingly beautiful but she´s a well-known surgeon as well! How does one even begin to try to compete with that! Poor Meredith. Of course, the atmosphere around the hospital becomes as uncomfortable as one could imagine as the heightened tensions between Derek, Meredith and Addison begin to affect everyone around them. Then we learn of the truth behind the Shepherds´ separation. It seems that Addison had cheated on Derek with his best friend (who turns up in a later episode!), which led to Derek´s hasty move to Seattle. She is now here in Seattle to make amends in the hopes of saving their marriage. What Addison didn´t count on was Derek´s new and blossoming relationship with Meredith. Thus the competition is suddenly heating up by a couple of a hundred degrees!
The main bulk of Season 2 deals with the drama of what happens to the Derek-Meredith angle. Would McDreamy forgive his wife and go back to her or would he opt to start afresh with Meredith? This simple yet provocative question is probably the main reason why many fans of the show tune in every week.
However, thank god that "Grey´s Anatomy" is not only about Meredith Grey. That would be one heck of a boring show. The other characters on the show are also provided with their own set of issues to deal with. First, there are other relationships that are getting off the ground as well. If you think Meredith is the only intern with an illicit relationship, think again. The ultra-competitive Cristina surprised everyone when she starts a relationship with another staff surgeon, Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington). Without a doubt, this is the one relationship that no one saw coming. Burke is the immaculate surgeon with his neat habits and highly controlled life while Cristina is a total slob whose life is as chaotic as a tornado blowing through town. As for old George, he is still secretly pining for Meredith even though she is emotionally unavailable and unstable most of the time. Watch out for one incident that would occur in this season that would destroy whatever respect George had for Meredith. In fact, that incident would steer George towards a new love.
Then there is the Izzie and Alex dance. While these two dance around their not-so-secret attraction to one another, a seriously ill patient, Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) unexpectedly comes in and sweeps Izzie off her feet. Keeping these wayward interns in check is the funny yet stern resident, Dr. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson). Bailey (and I´m sure this is true for many of you) is by far my favorite character on this show. She lights up the screen every time she appears with her quick wit and laugh-out-loud wisecracks, demeaning her interns in every way possible.
Season Two is chock full of interesting stories, from the explosive Super Bowl double episode to the highly emotional finale. However, stories alone do not make a show successful and "Grey´s" gets it right with a cast of characters that provides all the emotional connections that most TV viewers pine for. This second season would keep you enthralled and glued to your television set from the very first episode up until the last one, providing more than 20 hours of lasting entertainment.
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