'Nurse Jackie' Trailer Makes Me Realize How Off-Track 'Grey's' Has Gone

While watching the season two trailer for Showtime's Nurse Jackie, I kept thinking that, aside from the fact that Edie Falco kicks butt in this series, Nurse Jackie shares a whole lot of DNA with Grey's Anatomy, which, while it used to be one of my weekly guilty pleasures, has been in a creative rut. Some might argue that it's been that way for quite a while.

When Grey's first premiered in 2005, it was edgy for a network TV program. It featured characters whose moral centers sometimes couldn't be located even if they had both a flashlight and a compass in each hand. It raised provocative questions and didn't always answer them. Its leading character, Meredith Grey, was polarizing (though I always liked her) as a self-doubting, self-loathing and smart surgical intern who had serious mommy and daddy abandonment issues. Grey's constellation of characters worked insanely intense hours and, while they were (mostly) great at their jobs, in their personal lives they were almost always in a state of free-fall as marriages failed left and right. Made for great TV for a while.

Then things kind of caved in on themselves. I can't pinpoint exactly when it started. For some people, it was the hugely over-hyped, three-part ferry boat crash storyline where Meredith almost drowned in what was believed to have been a half-hearted suicide attempt, along with the "Is-or-isn't-she-dead" episode entitled, "Some Kind of Miracle" where Meredith consulted with the ghosts of Denny Duquette and Dylan -- (Friday Night Lights' Coach Taylor) otherwise known as the bomb squad guy whose remains coated her after he exploded along with the bomb in season two -- about whether she should continue living.

For others it was the two-headed monster known simply as "Gizzie," the combination formed after George and Izzie hooked up in season four. Some said that the moment Izzie began having sex with Denny's ghost in season five (for a dead guy, he sure got around), that was it, they were outta there.

I was co-hosting a podcast with Erin Kane (one of the two Manic Mommies) this week and Erin, once a huge Grey's fan, said she's given up on the show we used to gab on and on about. Same goes for one of my best college buddies with whom I used to vigorously debate whether McDreamy was a callous, selfish user.

'Grey's Anatomy' Hits 100 Episodes with Big Wedding (?) & Sick Izzie

I've been with Grey's Anatomy since day one. I've hung in there through a series of obnoxiously preposterous storylines, like dead Denny having sex with Izzie, George/Meredith, George/Izzie, Callie living in Seattle Grace's basement even though we later learned that she has a giant tru$t fund (was that ever explained, by the way, why she was living in the basement because she was rich?).

I stuck with the show because I have a soft spot for the dark and twisty Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). And not because we share the same first name. Unlike those who despise her character, dismiss it as whiny, indecisive and narcissistic, I've seen her as an emotionally embattled survivor who doesn't see the world quite the way others do. And that's what I like that about her, particularly given her circumstances.

Meredith had an absent and borderline emotionally abusive workaholic mother who never seemed to believe in her daughter. Meredith's father also abandoned her after he divorced Meredith's mother, and instead chose to love and raise his second family and blow off his only child from his first marriage. When her mother got sick with Alzheimers, Meredith had to care for her until she death. The man with whom she fell in love conveniently forgot to tell her he was married, until his unfaithful wife confronted the two of them. Then the love of Meredith's life chose to try to patch things up with his wife, all the while giving longing looks to the heart-broken Meredith who was working in the hospital. Meredith then had a bomb squad guy -- Coach Eric Taylor! -- blow up in front of and all over her. Her father, who lapsed into alcoholism, blamed Meredith for the accidental death of her step-mother. Meredith then attempted suicide and nearly died.

From the ashes of all of that, Meredith Grey emerged as a semi-sane, fiercely loyal, talented physician who still adores Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), the man who jerked her around, became impatient with her emotional distress and toyed with her emotions. I respect Meredith's character and find her interesting. I've always felt that McDreamy was just a sideshow with hair gel. Meredith is the real deal, hence the show being called GREY'S Anatomy, not Seattle Grace.

However as we approach the show's 100th episode Thursday night -- which is supposed to feature Meredith and Derek's wedding -- I do so with great trepidation, fearful of more melodramatic dead Denny scenes, Izzie dying right after/before the ceremony (so Katherine Heigl will get some Emmy-worthy material) or some weird medical crisis I can't even imagine . . . yet one more thing or incident that will detract from Meredith's desire to lead a low-keyed life with her friends beside her. I'm hoping, sincerely, really hoping that the episode is not over-the-top.

Gizzie Gone? Confusion Over Whether Heigl & Knight Will Leave 'Grey's'

*Some Grey's spoilers below. . . You've been warned!*

The writing has been on the wall for some time.

T.R. Knight has been unhappy that his George O'Malley has seemed liked persona non grata on Grey's Anatomy these days. During the last episode, if you blinked, you missed him. And with a two-hour Grey's-Private Practice crossover extravaganza slated for this Thursday, I'm not expecting George to have much more airtime. If he does, I'll be very surprised.

Katherine Heigl -- who publicly lamented the fact that her character, Izzie Stevens, had a cruddy story arc last season -- has been rewarded by having her character talk and have "sex" with her dead finance Denny Duquette, who is likely, according to news reports, the manifestation of some type of brain tumor or something of that ilk. While we mercifully didn't see Denny last week, I fully expect that the next time we see him, Izzie's head will have exploded. Will that mean the end of her character? Who the heck knows?

The internet has been abuzz over the past few days with reports that both Knight and Heigl's characters will soon leave Grey's. Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello echoed those reports -- ". . . all indications are that it will happen. The only question is when." -- adding that show creator Shonda Rhimes may want "Heigl and Knight to briefly reprise their roles next season." That would rule out the possibility of Izzie dying from a brain tumor or aneurysm this Thursday, unless, of course, she's slated to return as a ghost to haunt Alex Karev, who'll have had two serious girlfriends leave following serious medical problems.

Those who've commented on Ausiello's article at EW.com are all over the map about what they think about the possibility of these two original characters leaving, but many are in agreement that Grey's isn't what it used to be.

Your thoughts Grey's fans?

Image credit: ABC.

'Grey's' Spoiler on the Dizzie 'Romance'

*Fair warning*: Do not read this entry if you don't want to read any spoilers about upcoming episodes of Grey's Anatomy.

You've been warned.

All of the debating over whether Grey's has been trying to concoct a 21st century version of Ghost can, apparently, come to an end, at least according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Aussiello who reports that the appearance of Denny Duquette to Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) -- and all the "mindblowing sex" the two of them have been having when Izzie's supposed to be working -- is a manifestation of a brain condition, though not a fatal tumor as had been rumored earlier:

"According to multiple sources, Izzie's hallucinations are health-related -- and brain-related. And although the specific name of the ailment is being kept in the safe underneath of [show creator/runner Shonda] Rhimes' desk, I'm told it's similar to an aneurysm. And every time it flares up, she sees Denny. And sometimes when it really flares up, she shags him."

(Gives new meaning to "mindblowing sex.")

Many of the commenters on the EW web site were scathing with their Grey's criticism. One commenter wrote: "I used to love this show. Never missed a single episode. Now I don't think I can bare [sic] this 'ghost' any longer . . . Denny is starting to make me hate this show. I love Denny and Izzie but let the dead RIP regardless of an ailment or not!"

Meanwhile, the Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan, in a blog entry entitled, "I'd rather stick a scalpel in my eye than watch 'Grey's Anatomy,'" wrote:

"That's the problem with Grey's -- and the reason I still complain about it. I'm not fond of all the actors on the show, but I certainly feel sorry for the good ones. This program used to have so much promise and has trapped the good cast members in a series of outrageous developments that are not just stupid but insultingly stupid. When daytime soaps seem like Frontline documentaries by comparison, there's a problem."

I don't think that all of Grey's stories have devolved to the point where a comparison with daytime soaps is apt, but now that I know that Denny's appearance represents a medical ailment, I'll be able to enjoy Grey's and Izzie's character more thoroughly, feel sympathy for Izzie rather than annoyance at feeling as though I was being strung along in some fashion . . . provided the medical explanation is actually something that seems remotely plausible.

House, which I watch for the characters not the medical cases, does this well. During most episodes of the medical drama, I'm willing to skeptically suspend belief when truly insanely complicated cases arrive at Dr. House's doorstep if the cases can be explained to my satisfaction. If the character subplots are particularly riveting, I'm sometimes willing to overlook an over-the-top potentially fatal ailment which seems ludicrous.

If Grey's offers a somewhat plausible explanation for the hallucinations, will that make any difference to you?

Image credit: ABC.

'Grey's' Channeling 'Ghost?'

Way back in 1990, Ghost was a very popular film. Starring a pixie-cut sporting Demi Moore, the movie was a supernatural love story about Demi's boyfriend (Patrick Swayze) who was killed in what appeared to be a robbery gone wrong. Only Demi's dead boyfriend/fiance didn't leave earth right away. He could still see her and walk around the apartment they once shared, although he could only communicate to living people through a medium, who happened to be played by Whoopi Goldberg.

In one creepy yet touching scene, Whoopi's character allowed Patrick's ghost to use her body so he and Demi could feel one another's embrace. It was only at the end of the film, when Patrick was about ready to ascend to heaven after he'd saved his lover from danger, that Demi was able to see him with her own eyes and say a tearful, "Goodbye." (Still chokes me up, even though it was a ridiculous premise.)

Why am I bringing this up? Because Ghost was all that was on my mind while I was watching the latest episode of Grey's Anatomy where Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) continued not only to see and talk to the ghost of her dead fiance Denny Duquette, but could touch and embrace him. The whole Denny story was resurrected (pun intended) after Izzie met the man who was supposed to get the donor heart that Izzie "stole" for Denny two seasons ago. Ever since then, she's been seeing Denny everywhere, even after she said her goodbyes to him and had current boyfriend Alex Karev burn Denny's favorite sweater.

So either Grey's is going all supernatural (ghost sex anyone?) or Izzie is going to be the second consecutive girlfriend of Alex's who is in need of psychiatric services.

By the way . . . loved, LOVED the Big Grey, Little Grey, Little Sloan, excuse me Big Sloan bit. Cracked me up.

Image credit: ABC.