Grey’s Anatomy 6.08 – “Invest In Love” (Or How To Chase Away Long-Time Fans)

This post is titled review of 6.08, but most of it will not be a review of this episode, but a rant about the writers managed to kill my love for something, that once has been my favourite show and highlight of my TV week. In my life as a TV viewer there always have been shows I absolutely loved. I discovered Grey’s when I wasn’t really attached to any other TV show ;-), so I could easily fall in love with this unique hospital drama. I had seen a few episodes on German TV and then spent the first days of my summer vacation in 2006 with catching up on the complete season 1 & 2 on DVD.
I couldn’t stop watching, because I cared so much about these characters. They were all very well written, the dialogues were awesome, the medical stories were interesting and I just loved to see these five interns dealing with their private and professional lifes. To see them become friends and a family. And of course I was rooting so deeply for Meredith and Derek and wanted to see them together and happy. I mentioned the well written characters: Addison was one of them. She was introduced as the “wicked witch from the east”, but after a while I couldn’t help myself. I liked her and cared about her and I found myself torn a tiny bit. I did want Derek to leave her and get (back) together with Meredith, but I also knew I’d feel really sorry for Addison for being left by her husband.

After the summer of 2006 I was very excited for the start of season 3 and watching the new episode was a top priority for me every week. I tried to read as much spoilers and watch sneaks and get every other information I could lay my eyes on. I definitely enjoyed season 3, even though there were a few storylines I would have written differently. For instance: Merdith and Derek never really talked about the drowning, about what Meredith experienced (or thought she had experienced) or about what that did to Derek. Thank God AriaAdagio wrote some brilliant fanfics about that.

I was probably equally excited for season 4, even though I already feared that the Meredith / Derek Drama would be further dragged on. I liked the “sex & mockery” in the beginning, but it became old after a while. Season 4 was a rocky road for them, but there was a house of candles in the end and the promise of a future without the usual relationship drama. I was totally fine with that. My shipper self was happy and that’s all that mattered.
But with Season 4 the writing (of storylines, characters and dialogues) slowly but surely started to go downhill. There were a whole group of new interns, being taught by our five 2nd year residents, which was just ridiculous. Bailey was a teacher, but Meredith, Cristina & co were still surgical babies and in no way fit to teach anyone. And I just didn’t want to deal with new characters, while the lifes of the the old ones I grew to love, weren’t fully explored yet.
There also was the disastrous George & Izzie storyline which basically ruined both characters for me. Erica Hahn was set up to be Callie’s love interest, but then suddenly demised. And there was Rose, who was written so clearly as a mere plot device, that it was insulting to any intelligent viewer. I cringed so often during the second half of the season, because the way Rose was written was just so bad.

Season 5 brought Owen and Arizona, which were nice additions to the cast, eventhough the hospital floors got awfully crowded. There also was Sadie and still to many of the new interns.  And Dr. Dixon and I don’t know how many more superfluous additional doctors. Looking back the whole Bailey storyline didn’t make any sense either, because her character didn’t really evolve. She went back and forth, ruined her marriage and stayed in general surgery after all. What was the point in that? There also was ghost sex… do I have to say more? Such a stupid stupid storyline. I loved Denny Duquette in season 2, but this definitely ruined his character for me. I already stopped liking Izzie in season 4, so she just got on my nerves with all of this.
Meredith and Derek continued to be in a happy, healthy and stable relationship so all was good on that front. I thought the post-it wedding was kind of cute and even though I’d love to see them legally married any  time soon, I don’t really care that much. Which has probably been the most surprising (and sad) realization for me to come to, while I’m watching season 6 right now. I cared so deeply for both of them and I still do, I enjoy watching them together, being “happy married them”, but that’s just about it. In other words: I don’t lose any sleep over the state of their relationship anymore. And once the show will end (in a year or two) I think I’m going to be just fine without Meredith and Derek on my TV screen.

I don’t know if the excitement and enthusiasm just wore off after three years of intense “shipping”. Which would be completely normal, I guess. Or if my annoyance and indifference towards the rest of the show just rubbed off on my view of the Meredith & Derek storyline. Because after eight episodes of season 6 I’m so so annoyed with this show that once was the highlight of my week. I enjoyed Derek’s episode last week, because there was so much of him to see and hear, but the rest of the episodes so far ranged from “more or less ok” to “just plain boring”.
In 6.08 there were actually just three scenes I enjoyed watching. Cristina and Meredith, because Meredith was so cute and happy. Meredith and Derek in their final scene. And the whole Bailey/Alex NICU moment. I would have loved Alex’s storyline, if I hadn’t been so annoyed by the Mercy Wester hovering. Argh! Go away! Derek’s and Mark’s comment were hilarious though. Yay, that have been the approximately 2 enjoyable minutes of 41 minutes of TV.

To me this episode was the bottom low so far for all the reasons I already complained in detail about for the first seven episodes. I can’t even bring myself to write about that again and again and again… it’s boring me to death. The merger storyline? The chief being a douchebag? The presence of new characters I just don’t care about? It’s making me mad and sad at the same time to see how the Mercy Westers are set up to be someone our beloved characters start to care about? Alex and the doe-eyed little one? Cristina and the football player? Why oh why? Why was he even invited to the surprise birthday party ?!?

Derek gets fired for doing a risky surgery, which saved the patient’s life. But Arizona is talked into a risky surgery, because there is a 25 million $ gift for the hospital?  Izzie who donated 8 million to the hospital for the clinic, is still sitting on 200,000 for medical expenses? WTF? Owen’s character seem to have gone through a complete makeover, because how could he be such a jerk towards Cristina. Being a hardcore and sometimes rulebreaking surgeon is how she is. That’s who he fell in love with. Why is he treating her the way he did?

I could go on and on about why this week’s episode was a new bottom low for me, but I honestly don’t know if that will make me feel better in the end. Maybe I just have to come to terms with the fact, that the show I fell in love with three years ago, doesn’t exist anymore. It’s  sad, but I guess that’s something I have to get used to. Of course I will continue to watch it, but it’s still not going to be the same as it once was. It’s such a sad thing to say about the show which once ruled my small TV fandom world.

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4 Responses to Grey’s Anatomy 6.08 – “Invest In Love” (Or How To Chase Away Long-Time Fans)

  1. lillibelle says:

    I totally agree. I was such a huge fan of MerDer from the beginning and knowing me, I will continue as long as both are on the show, but Shonda et al. lost their touch.
    I kind of liked the breakfast scene in this episode too, but when I realised only Christina is part of the original cast I was quite shocked. How many people are there? Since the moment Callie joined the cast I had the feeling there are too many people. She did finally grow on me as well as Arizona and Owen did, but what about those Mercy Westers? I don’t want them. Stupid storylines (I’m fearing some love triangles) since the Izzie-George-disaster. And strange change of personalities – what has become of Owen? He’s sometimes worse than Burke. And has anybody a storyline for Mark? And is it possible to finish some storylines? How is Mers father? Where lives Alex now?
    As I said, I’m still watching it. But it was for me too the highlight of the week, now I fear sometimes it might make my already bad week even worse.

  2. LJ says:

    Yep, you know that I’m 100% on board with what you’ve said. Such a shame.

  3. liljan98 says:

    I’m so glad to know that I’m not the only one annoyed by this season :-)

  4. liljan98 says:

    Such a shame sums it up pretty accurately

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