What the Craziest Cases on 'Grey's Anatomy' Can Teach You About Playing a Patient Backstage
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What the Craziest Cases on 'Grey's Anatomy' Can Teach You About Playing a Patient - Backstage
Grey’s Anatomy Still Hasn’t Topped One of Its Earliest Seasons – CBR
This article discusses topics about gun violence.
Grey's Anatomy is often categorized as one of the best medical dramas in TV history, mainly due to its three-dimensional characters and heart-wrenching storylines. The show has also welcomed a plethora of famous faces, including Sandra Oh, Patrick Dempsey, and Sarah Paulson, all of which add to the allure of this impactful show. Grey's has also managed to commission a number of successful spin-offs, such as Private Practice, Station 19, and Grey's Anatomy: B-Team, which strive to expand this gripping universe.
Now in its 20th season, many fans believe that the show was at its peak during the earlier seasons, more specifically, Season 2. This season saw the interns grow from strength to strength, helping to truly define and shape the MAGIC era. Plus, many fans state that nostalgia plays a big part in Grey's Anatomy's success and the earlier seasons help to transport them back to a much more memorable time in the franchise's lore.
Episode Title
Viewership
"Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"
18.98 million
"Enough is Enough"
17.57 million
"Make Me Lose Control"
18.12 million
"Deny, Deny, Deny"
18.28 million
"Bring the Pain"
18 million
"Into You Like a Train"
16.67 million
"Something to Talk About"
18.13 million
"Let It Be"
19.74 million
"Thanks for the Memories"
20.33 million
"Much too Much"
19.59 million
"Owner of a Lonely Heart"
20.59 million
"Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"
15.70 million
"Begin the Begin"
18.97 million
"Tell Me Sweet Little Lies"
21.04 million
"Break on Through"
18.44 million
"It's the End of the World"
37.88 million
"As We Know It"
25.42 million
"Yesterday"
24.36 million
"What Have I Done to Deserve This?"
24.76 million
"Band-Aid Covers the Bullet Hole"
22.51 million
"Superstition"
21.13 million
"The Name of the Game"
22.35 million
"Blues for Sister Someone"
20.76 million
"Damage Case"
21.99 million
"17 Seconds"
22.60 million
"Deterioration of the Fight or Flight Response"
22.50 million
"Losing My Religion"
22.50 million
Though Grey's Anatomy can easily brag about its ratings year-on-year, there's no denying that Season 2 was one of its most successful in terms of viewership. The season managed to accumulate an average of 21.07 million views, ensuring that the show could easily compete against its contemporaries such as Desperate Housewives and Boston Legal.
Not to mention, Season 2 saw a dramatic improvement in its storylines, especially when it came to the relationships between the characters. Whether it's Cristina and Meredith arguing over McDreamy or Mark and Addison's rocky relationship, these instances had viewers hooked from the very beginning. This success also allowed the cast and crew to win a number of prestigious awards, including the Golden Globe for Best Drama Series in 2006. As such, throughout Season 2, Grey's Anatomy managed to secure its position as a prime-time medical drama.
Grey's Anatomy is a deeply female show, placing strong women at the forefront of everything it does. Though modern fans may not see this as a large achievement, at the time that Season 2 was airing, the show was competing against the hit medical drama E.R. This show placed George Clooney in the spotlight and didn't offer his female counterparts the chance to lead the way. Therefore, it's evident that Shonda Rhimes was keen to take a risk, which ultimately paid off. Season 2 introduced us to a number of female leaders, including Cristina Yang, Izzie Stevens, and Addison Montgomery, all of whom were able to showcase their professional and personal prowess.
For example, in Season 2, Episode 3, "Deny, Deny, Deny," Cristina Yang is struggling to remain on bed rest since she is such a dedicated and driven worker. Yet, we also see a more vulnerable side of her, especially when she finally breaks down about her recent emergency abortion. This highlights the duality of female leaders, showcasing how characters like Cristina can tackle immense challenges but can also struggle with deeply human experiences such as grief and shock. These contradictions help fans view her as a much more complex character and empathize with her on a more nuanced level.
Another prime example of female strength is in Season 2, Episode 6, "Into You Like a Train". Despite feeling nervous about the future of her relationship with Derek, Meredith quickly puts these anxieties aside to help the victims of a horrific train crash. Meredith's actions symbolize her career-driven mindset and indicate that no matter how much she loves Derek, she will always put her job first. Thus, she comes across as a motivated and passionate woman, something that was not commonly seen on-screen during the mid-2000s. It also elucidates that although Seattle Grace is teeming with gossip, clumsy friendships, and sleazy sexual escapades, the staff truly care about their patients. Plus, Meredith's later rejection also exemplifies that women are sometimes forced to develop a secure work-life balance, even when it feels like their world is caving in.
Year
Award Title
Winner
2006
Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series
Grey's Anatomy
2007
Outstanding Supporting Actress In a Drama Series
Katherine Heigl
2010
Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup For A Series, Miniseries, Movie Or A Special
Grey's Anatomy
2010
Outstanding Makeup For A Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic)
Grey's Anatomy
2011
Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series
Loretta Devine
Admittedly, Grey's Anatomy has been criticized in recent years for its convoluted storylines that are based more on hysteria, rather than actual medical cases. But in Grey's Anatomy Season 2, the writers managed to show off their medical knowledge in a range of hyper-realistic and emotive episodes. Throughout Season 2, Episode 16, "It's The End of The World," viewers are exposed to the harsh nature of gun violence, and these themes are only exacerbated when the team must remove the bullet before it explodes. Tensions are high during this episode, but it still manages to hit close to home because gun violence is a recurrent issue throughout the U.S., and cases like this occur in hospitals on a regular basis. Plus, this episode shows Miranda Bailey going into labor, tugging on the viewers' heartstrings once again as they witness a fan-favorite character welcome new life into the world.
Grey's Anatomy's use of extensive medical knowledge helps the show stand head and shoulders above the rest. This is mainly because the show does not have to rely on silly plot developments and can use practical solutions to solve real-life problems. For example, in Season 2, Episode 11, "Owner of a Lonely Heart," George uses leeches to restore the blood flow in a patient with a slow capillary flow. This may sound like an obscure method of treatment, but leeches have immense medical benefits, so seeing this in the hospital indicates just how intuitive the interns can be. In addition, the fact that the interns have somewhat easy access to these creatures highlights just how advanced Seattle Grace is and how it managed to be a thought leader in its respective field. As a result, these intricate examples show that Season 2 places a greater focus on realism, ensuring that it can reap the benefits of increased dramatic tension.
Top 5 Grey's Anatomy Episodes of All Time:
With a staggering 20 seasons under its belt and heaps of memorable moments, it's clear that fans will hold Grey's Anatomy in their hearts forever. Though the show has seen a slight dip in ratings over the course of time, it's now available on a collection of popular streaming sites, so avid viewers can tune in whenever they please.
Even when key characters such as Alex Karev and Stephanie Edwards decide to call it quits, the show manages to bring in a collection of new staff without having to erase previous cast members entirely. There have always been rumors regarding when the show will end, but until that time comes, it's safe to say that Grey's Anatomy will continue to revel in great levels of success.
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Grey's Anatomy Still Hasn't Topped One of Its Earliest Seasons - CBR
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘The Resident’ Dominate This Week’s Streaming Top 10 – Collider
The Nielsen numbers are in, and Netflix hit 3 Body Problem has been knocked out of its top spot, and not by usual favorite Bluey. Instead, two medical dramas took the lead, with adult animated comedies proving strong among viewers.
Nielsen releases the Top 10 most streamed shows each week, and this week's list includes Bob's Burgers, NCIS, Family Guy, and more. From Vikings in the Dark Ages to Australian puppies, this week's list has something for everyone.
Starring Angela Bassett (Black Panther), Peter Krause (Six Feet Under), Oliver Stark, Aisha Hinds, and Kenneth Choi (Spiderman: Homecoming), 9-1-1 follows the first responders who are on the scene the moment a tragedy occurs. Created by American Horror Story alums Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear, the series premiered in 2018, and its success has brought about other popular spin-offs, 9-1-1: Lone Star, starring Rob Lowe (Parks and Recreation). All episodes of 9-1-1 are available to stream on Hulu.
Explores the high-pressure experiences of the first responders who are thrust into the most frightening, shocking, and heart-stopping situations.
WATCH ON HULU
A cult classic adult animation series, Bob's Burgers tells the wacky adventures of the Belcher family, made up of father Bob (H. John Benjamin), mom Linda (John Roberts), and their three kids, Gene (Eugene Mirman), Tina (Dan Mintz), and Louise (Kristen Schaal). While the Belcher's life running a down-on-its-luck burger shop might seem mundane, there are no shortage of adventures for the family of five. Add in randomly whimsical musical numbers, and you'll be dying to order a burger at Bob's Burgers. All fourteen seasons of the series are available to watch on Hulu.
Bob Belcher runs a struggling burger shop with his wife and three children.
WATCH ON HULU
In Files Of The Unexplained, bizarre occurrences and strange phenomena are explored in each episode. With topics like ghosts, UFOs, and missing persons, Files of the Unexplained has first-hand accounts and interviews from people who have been attempting to figure out these mysteries for quite a long time. All eight episodes of Season 1 are available to stream on Netflix.
WATCH ON NETFLIX
Historical drama Vikings follows Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) as he navigates politics, family, and everday life in the Dark Ages. Created by Michael Hirst (The Tudors), the series co-stars Katheryn Winnick (Big Sky), Gustaf Skarsgrd (Oppenheimer), Alexander Ludwig (The Hunger Games), and Georgia Hirst. Upon its premiere in 2013, critics praised the show for its stunning cinematography as well as its intriguing storylines and dramatic acting. All six seasons of the show are available on Netflix.
WATCH ON NETFLIX
No stranger to the Nielsen charts, drama NCIS follows a fictional group of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) as they investigate everything from murder to espionage. On the air for almost twenty years, fans can't get enough of the series, which has now had an impressive 467 episodes over its twenty-one season run. While the series has involved many talented actors over the years, its current stars include Sean Murray (Hocus Pocus), Wilmer Valderrama (That 70's Show), Katrina Law (Arrow), Rocky Carroll (Born on the Fourth of July), and Gary Cole (Office Space). With a franchise that involves NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, and a new spin-off on the way, you can watch Seasons 1-15 on Netflix, while all episodes are available on Paramount+.
WATCH ON PARAMOUNT+
The second adult animated series on this week's Nielsen list, Family Guy follows the Griffin family in their day-to-day lives in Rhode Island. The Griffins are made up of dad Peter (Seth MacFarlane), mom Louis (Alex Borstein), their kids Meg (Mila Kunis), Chris (Seth Green), and Stewie (MacFarlane), and their very human-like dog, Brian (MacFarlane). The series does a terrific job of not only creating hilarious episodes, but certain special episodes that are creative takes on classic stories like North By Northwest, Star Wars, The Shawshank Redemption, Snow White, Misery, and the stories of the Brother's Grimm. All twenty-two seasons of Family Guy are available now on Hulu.
In a wacky Rhode Island town, a dysfunctional family strives to cope with everyday life as they are thrown from one crazy scenario to another.
WATCH ON HULU
Last week's most streamed series, 3 Body Problem was adapted by Game of Thrones producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, based on the original source material by author Liu Cixin. Telling the story of present-day consequences of one woman's decision in the past, the drama is action-packed from start to finish. While the series differs in some ways from the novels by Cixin, the show has nonetheless been a hit for Netflix, keeping steady in the streamer's Top 10 list week after week. Starring Jovan Adepo (Fences), Liam Cunningham (Clash of the Titans), Eliza Gonzles (Baby Driver), Jess Wong and Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange), all eight episodes of Season 1 are available to watch on Netflix.
Watch on Netflix
The family-friendly animated series Bluey follows a puppy named Bluey and her family in their adventures together. The series teaches important life lessons along the way, like the power of imagination, the importance of responsibility, and what it means to take accountability for one's actions. Popular with parents and kids alike, Bluey is rumored to be ending for now, but you can watch all episodes of the series on Disney+.
The slice-of-life adventures of an Australian Blue Heeler Cattle Dog puppy as she has fun with her family and friends in everyday situations.
WATCH DISNEY+
Medical drama Grey's Anatomy has been a fan favorite for almost twenty years since its premiere in 2005 on ABC. Telling the stories of the doctors at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, Grey's Anatomy is currently in its twenty-first season. The series currently stars longtime cast members Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr., Kevin McKidd, with other doctors including Kim Raver, Chris Carmak, and Harry Shum Jr.. With incredible acting and some gut-wrenching storylines, audiences come back year after year to find inspiration from the doctors of Seattle Grace Hospital. You can watch all episodes of Grey's Anatomy on Hulu.
WATCH ON HULU
Sitting in the number one spot is The Resident, the second medical procedural drama on this week's Nielsen list. The series follows doctors at the fictional Chastain Memorial Hospital as they deal with the hardships of working in such an intense professional. Starring Matt Czuchry (The Good Wife), Manish Dayal, and Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek), the series had six successful seasons. The popularity of the show is apparent in its continuing presence on the Nielsen list, as it aired its final episodes back in 2023. You can find all six seasons of The Resident on Hulu and Netflix.
A group of doctors at Chastain Memorial Hospital face personal and professional challenges on a daily basis.
Watch on Netflix
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'Grey's Anatomy' and 'The Resident' Dominate This Week's Streaming Top 10 - Collider
How a Village Comes to Life in ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ – The New York Times
In Anatomy of a Scene, we ask directors to reveal the secrets that go into making key scenes in their movies. See new episodes in the series on Fridays. You can also watch our collection of more than 150 videos on YouTube and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
In this sequence from Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, we see how a tribe functions in an idyllic village before threats emerge. The scene follows Noa (Owen Teague), Soona (Lydia Peckham) and Anaya (Travis Jeffery) as they return from the ritual of collecting an eagle egg that they will nurture.
Narrating the sequence, the director Wes Ball said, The goal was really just to set up a world that was wonderful, that was ultimately going to be forever changed.
The scene was shot on location in Australia with the principal actors in performance capture gear. Ball said that they shot the sequence twice, once with the actors, and then a second time without the performers. He said he chose the best performance to be digitally dropped into the scene. He also had other performers do their movements on a stage and put them in as background in the scene as well.
Its an interesting process where I can take all of these different little elements and layer them all together, he said.
Read the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes review.
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How a Village Comes to Life in 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' - The New York Times
The Best Grey’s Anatomy Cliffhangers, Ranked – CBR
Grey's Anatomy's 20th season is already coming to a close, with the finale slated to air at the end of May. The showrunner and stars of the season recently raised the alarm for fans to brace themselves for the finale, as it's set to feature a cliffhanger. It's unclear what the episode has in store for fans, but Grey's Anatomy has a notable history of cliffhangers.
Grey's Anatomy has been around for nearly two decades, and it's still going strong. The show has a simple premise as it's a dramatic show set in a Seattle-based hospital that follows the lives and careers of surgeons. The show spotlights healthcare, including surgeries, complex surgical cases, medical research, and scientific breakthroughs. Hospitals can be chaotic environments, but Grey's kicks it up about a hundred notches, with just about every season ending with a disaster, whether it's a mass casualty event or significant losses for the main characters.
Episode Number
Notable Episodes
Notable Deaths/Exits/Entrances
01x09
N/A
Dr. Addison Montgomery (Entrance)
Grey's Anatomy's first episode opens with the first branch on Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd's relationship timeline, as the first scene shows Meredith waking up and kicking a naked Derek out of the house following a one-night stand. Things went sideways during Meredith's first day of work as she discovered Derek's first day was at her hospital as the head of neurosurgery, making him her boss. For much of the season, their fling consists of secret rendezvous in the hospital's elevators and stairwells. But they grow closer throughout the season, starting a more serious relationship that Meredith expected to last.
Season 1 only lasted nine episodes, with the finale, "Who's Zoomin Who," marking the show's first major cliffhanger. The episode centers around secrets as Meredith hides her mother's Alzheimer's diagnosis from Derek, and Derek gets many secretive phone calls throughout the day. Although Meredith decides to tell Derek about her mom and most of the secrets throughout the episode unravel, Derek keeps his secret hidden.
But, as Meredith and Derek head out for the day, a gorgeous redheaded woman approaches them. She speaks to Derek briefly about the unanswered phone calls before addressing Meredith. She introduces herself as Addison Shepherd and drops the iconic bombshell, "And you must be the woman who's been screwing my husband."
Episode Number
Notable Episodes
Notable Deaths/Exits/Entrances
13x23
13x24
Dr. Stephanie Edwards (Exit)
By the start of Season 13, Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital earned several transformations, going from Seattle Grace to Seattle Grace Mercy West and eventually Grey-Sloan Memorial. The hospital was no stranger to disasters at this point, but it's not very often that a Code Orange gets called. In Grey's Anatomy, the Chief of Surgery calls a Code Orange when a staff member is in danger. One of the few times the code appears in the show happens in Season 13 after the doctors treat two people involved in a car accident. They wrongfully assumed the pair to be dating, considering their clothes were partially removed, but unfortunately, the female was a victim of an attempted sexual assault.
The doctors didn't know this, as the male was the only one conscious during most of the situation. As such, he wasn't deemed a threat, so Dr. Stephanie Edwards took over his care. While they were in the hallway, the other doctors figured out the situation. The information didn't reach Steph until the patient held a scalpel to her side, forcing her to take him somewhere he could escape. She obeyed, taking him into an empty hallway, where they got trapped by the lockdown and weren't alone as a little girl got trapped in the hallway with them.
The man then got the brilliant idea to start a fire to override the lockdown, and Steph jumped on the opportunity to spray him with a highly flammable alcohol solution, setting him on fire. She runs toward the little girl to get her to safety, watching as the man runs around in flames before realizing he landed right next to several oxygen tanks. The final moments of the episode show Stephanie running toward the fire to eliminate the threat. As soon as she enters the room, the tanks explode, sending her flying backward. The last scene shows Meredith Grey walking toward the hospital as a fireball bursts out of the upper story, leaving Stephanie's fate unknown.
Episode Number
Notable Episodes
Notable Deaths/Exits/Entrances
02x25
02x26 & 02x27
Denny Duquette (Death)
Denny Duquette's introduction in Season 2 of Grey's Anatomy created a new love interest for Izzie Stevens, making it her most problematic but arguably her most iconic relationship in the show. He was a viral cardiomyopathy patient waiting for a new heart at Seattle Grace under the care of Dr. Burke, Dr. Bailey, and Dr. Stevens. Despite Denny being her patient, Izzie falls for his charm, and he eventually asks her to marry him.
Given his state at the beginning of his run, fans knew deep down that Denny wouldn't last long in the show. But the setup for his death was wild, tense, and heartbreaking. The sequence started when a heart became available for Denny. Unfortunately, as Dr. Burke showed up to collect the organ, another surgeon had the same idea, and the situation became a battle with UNOS over whom the heart belonged to. Izzie, desperate for her fianc to get the heart, crossed the line by lying to Dr. Burke, claiming Denny's condition was deteriorating to get him bumped to 1A status, which would guarantee he got the heart.
The end of the episode features Izzie cutting Denny's LVAD wire to ensure that tests would corroborate her story. She cut the wire, manually pumped Denny's heart, and insisted that Burke would return soon to help. The episode ends with gunshots echoing through the ER and the doctors rushing out to see Burke lying on the ground with a gunshot wound, effectively leaving Izzie and Denny helpless.
Episode Number
Notable Episodes
Notable Deaths/Exits/Entrances
07x17
07x18
Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres (Birth)
One of the pivotal parts of Callie Torres and Arizona Robbins' relationship was Arizona's stint working in Africa. When Arizona left for the job, she and Callie broke up, and Callie got pregnant following an affair with her best friend, Mark Sloan. Shortly after Callie found out she was pregnant, Arizona returned to Seattle, and despite some bumps, they got back together and formed a parenting unit along with Mark.
A mid-Season 7 episode shows them excited about the pregnancy as they throw a baby shower. Then, the couple heads out for a pre-baby vacation in the episode's final moments. Arizona drives them there, and even though they get into a brief spat, she asks Callie to marry her. Unfortunately, right after she pops the question, Callie looks ahead, they gasp, and they presumably wreck their car as soon as the end screen appears. Devoted fans of the show know exactly what happens next, as the follow-up episode, "Song Beneath the Song," picks up with Arizona pushing her airbag away to discover Callie lying on the hood of the car, sticking through the broken windshield following their vehicle rear-ending a truck at high speeds.
Episode Number
Notable Episodes
Notable Deaths/Exits/Entrances
09x23
09x24 & 10x01
Dr. Heather Brooks (Death) & Derek Bailey Shepherd (Birth)
The Grey's Anatomy Season 9 finale got split into two, like many Grey's episodes, but it also featured two notable cliffhangers. The main event in the finale was a superstorm heading toward Seattle, with the doctors bracing for the severe weather and the chaos following a natural disaster. The first episode is dramatic as they prepare for the storm, and Meredith and Derek deal with an incident involving Alex's infamous anger. The episode ends with Meredith calmly announcing that her water broke.
Of course, the revelation led to the next episode featuring her first time going into labor, and it didn't go smoothly. She couldn't push naturally, as the baby wasn't in the right position, and then the power went out. She and Derek had a healthy baby boy, and Meredith instructed her husband to stay with the baby before she started having more complications, which required more surgery in the dark. The real cliffhanger unfolds after MerDer introduces their daughter, Zola, to her new baby brother, Bailey. As Meredith's end-of-episode voiceover begins, the camera shows Dr. Webber lying motionless on the wet floor next to the sparking circuit box, his lab coat still smoking from the electrocution.
Episode Number
Notable Episodes
Notable Deaths/Exits/Entrances
05x24
05x23 & 06x01
Dr. George O'Malley (Death)
Season 5 of Grey's Anatomy was chaotic for the original MAGIC group, as Izzie Stevens gets diagnosed with cancer. Unfortunately, by the time she caught the cancer, it metastasized to other organs, like her brain, which made her chances of survival very slim. The finale shows Izzie's condition at a pivotal point, as the group had to take the days one at a time. But the episode also features George at a crossroads in his life, as he decides to leave Seattle Grace and join the U.S. Army as a trauma surgeon. The episode features the glorious reaction to this decision by Dr. Miranda Bailey, who reacts as he expected, and that's all fans see from George as he presumably operates with Dr. Webber for the day. His friends attend to a John Doe who got badly disfigured after saving a woman from getting hit by a bus.
The most difficult parts of the episode happen back-to-back, as John Doe writes the number "007" in Meredith's hand, calling back to his "licensed to kill" label given by his peers. As Meredith yells, "It's George," to everyone who cares about him, Izzie starts coding. As one group rushes George into surgery, the others try to resuscitate Izzie. While both slip away, Izzie appears in her Season 2 prom dress, entering the elevator as she did when Denny died. When the elevator doors open, she sees George standing in front of her in his military uniform. While the best friends stare at each other, the attention shifts to Izzie's body as Dr. Webber shocks her one more time during Meredith's voiceover before the screen goes black.
Episode Number
Notable Episodes
Notable Deaths/Exits/Entrances
11x20
11x21, 11x22, 11x23
Dr. Derek Shepherd (Death) & Ellis Shepherd (Birth)
The Season 11 episode, "One Flight Down," put Ellen Pompeo's character, Meredith, through the wringer nonstop. Her first scene in the show featured her standing on the hospital's bridge, trying to call Derek after a rough patch in their marriage, including lackluster or nonexistent communication for weeks. Shortly after she finishes the voicemail, a group of interns informs her about a nearby plane crash. As she enters the ER, she experiences post-traumatic stress flashbacks of the Season 8 plane crash, and although she and Arizona hide in a storage closet, both women go to work and do what they can.
Meredith has many flashbacks to the plane crash and happier flashbacks of her and Derek. While her trauma has a severe impact on her day, a lot of her anxiety stems from not knowing Derek's whereabouts. She mentions to Callie that Derek missed his meeting that morning, and she hadn't heard from him. One of the things getting her through the day was a deal she made with herself, basically allowing herself to worry if he didn't contact her by five.
The final scene shows Meredith sitting at home, staring at the clock, watching as the two final minutes tick by. As her voiceover speaks about reacting to a worst-case scenario, Meredith stands to grab the phone. Her dialing gets interrupted as a police car approaches the house, red and blue lights flashing against her solemn face in the window. As the next episode proves, Meredith's worst-case scenario was becoming a widow.
Episode Number
Notable Episodes
Notable Deaths/Exits/Entrances
02x16
02x17
Dylan "Bomb Squad Guy" Young (Death)
Fans of Grey's Anatomy know the significance of the words "Code Black." Across the show's 20 seasons, a Code Black was only called once and was one of the first major disasters featured. The Season 2 episode, "It's the End of the World," had an interesting start as Meredith's voiceover spoke about death and the eerie feelings one could get beforehand. Meredith doesn't want to get out of bed that day, feeling like she'll die. When the group heads to work, Alex, Cristina, and Meredith attend to an incoming trauma while George and Izzie attend to a laboring Dr. Bailey. As soon as the ambulance doors open, it's chaos as a screaming woman climbs out, and the doctors discover a paramedic's hand inside the patient's gaping chest wound.
Everything plays out as normal, with the group attending to their patients until Alex gets crucial information about the chest wound patient. He runs to the OR, informs Burke of the situation, and the cardio attending calmly utters the words "bomb squad" and "Code Black." The patient didn't just get shot in the chest; he got shot in the chest with a bazooka, leaving live, unexploded ammunition in an OR.
The first episode in the two-parter ends with the paramedic pulling her hand out and running while everyone in the OR hits the deck. But Meredith remains standing at the patient's side, with her hand now keeping the bomb in place. The final episode in the bomb saga, "As We Know It," picks up immediately after Meredith gets put in direct mortal danger. But everything plays out within the episode. The final shock comes when the bomb blows up, and Meredith flies back because of the blast. Luckily, there wasn't a second cliffhanger, and the end of the episode is quite peaceful, with only the bomb squad guy dying in the blast.
Episode Number
Notable Episodes
Notable Deaths/Exits/Entrances
06x23
06x22 & 06x24
Dr. Charles Percy (Death) & Dr. Reed Adamson (Death)
The penultimate episode in Grey's Anatomy Season 6 started with a Meredith voiceover discussing how she was raised in the hospital and how it was her sanctuary. She says she loves the place, but when the camera shows Meredith walking past a specific man, she says "Correction: loved it here." The man's name is Gary Clark, and he was a notable character throughout the season as his wife didn't make it through post-op. Gary blamed Derek for killing her as he deemed her brain-dead and had to respect the wishes of her advanced directive, which prohibited life support. "Sanctuary" shows Gary looking for Derek through the busy hospital. It eventually leads him to a supply closet, where he encounters Dr. Reed Adamson, who doesn't give him the answers he wants. As soon as she tells him she's a surgeon, he shoots her in the head, shooting Alex in the side shortly after. It doesn't take long for the hospital to go under lockdown.
The action doesn't waver in the next scenes, as Gary shoots surgeons, security guards, and even nurses on his trek to Derek's office. The main characters attend to various patients, including Alex and Dr. Charles Percy, who both got shot. Cristina and Meredith walk through the hallway, stopping when they see Gary holding Derek at gunpoint. The men talk, and even though Gary appears to hesitate, he shoots Derek in the chest. Cristina holds Meredith back as she screams as Derek falls to the ground. Meredith's voiceover repeats as the camera focuses on Derek's face. The final scene of the episode features Derek closing his eyes. Luckily, the next episode has a calmer ending as Gary Clark's rampage ends, but it's one of the most suspenseful season finales in TV history.
Episode Number
Notable Episodes
Notable Deaths/Exits/Entrances
08x23
08x24 & 09x01
Dr. Lexie Grey (Death) & Dr. Mark Sloan (Death)
Grey's Anatomy fans can likely agree that the Season 8 finale episode is the most difficult to sit through. The penultimate episode, "Migration," mainly focuses on the residents as they make decisions about their future. But the episode's ending shows Meredith, Derek, Cristina, Mark, Lexie, and Arizona on a plane heading to Boise to assist in a conjoined twins separation surgery.
The last scene shows birds taking off from treetops, with the sun shining through branches. But then it shows pieces of the airplane scattered across the ground, the aircraft having split in the middle. The camera swaps to a close-up of Meredith's face with her eyes closed as her voiceover says, "There's always next year." Fans know what happens next, as "Flight" features the surgeons fighting for survival in the wilderness, with only five of the seven surviving through Season 9.
A drama centered on the personal and professional lives of five surgical interns and their supervisors.
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The Best Grey's Anatomy Cliffhangers, Ranked - CBR
10 Best Grey’s Anatomy Friendships, Ranked – CBR
The world of Grey's Anatomy has always been more about love, friendships than helping patients. Although the primary goal of every Grey's Anatomy character has always been to excel as a surgeon or maybe win a Harper Avery award for once, the real magic is definitely in the bonds. The famed medical drama has seen many characters come and go, but its friendships truly made the show memorable.
The viewers have been treated to all kinds of friendships, from the more obvious ones to pairings that no one saw coming. The beauty of Grey's Anatomy friendships lies in its characters being fully dedicated to the bond. They go to extreme lengths to prove they are the kind of friends one can rely on, even with their lives.
Addison Montgomery became the female iteration of what Mark Sloan was to Callie. Even though they did not meet in the ideal circumstances, the two quickly bonded over their mutual love for twisted humor. The two women did not need to have a sisterly bond where they could hug everything out. Like Cristina and Meredith, they only needed the reassurance of having someone when they wanted good advice or a reality check.
Callie and Addison made low-maintenance female friendships in the show stand out and proved that some connections don't need to be too pronounced. Addison helped Callie in some very tight spots, including helping her realize her sexuality while Callie held Addison when the latter's brother was hospitalized.
When the going gets tough, it's the friends that offer support that make all the difference. Richard Webber was one of those kind of people to Alex Karev even though he had talent but lacked the narrative and direction to put him where he should have been.
Richard taught him the skills needed to survive in the surgical world and mostly acted like the father figure Alex lacked in his life. The two shared a relationship that wasn't forced and felt like something they needed. Richard Webber was one of the few people that Alex wrote letters to and bid a proper goodbye, proving how important he was to him.
Although, at first, their relationship seemed more like that of a mentor and a student, it later blossomed into a deep friendship. Mark was the kind of support to Jackson that every intern or resident deserves. Mark was both a teacher and a friend to Jackson who knew when to be hard on him and when to appreciate him. Mark not only helped Jackson find his passion but also stood up for him against his mother for choosing plastics.
Their relationship sometimes is a bit of a father-son or brotherly connection, but in truth, they were the kind of support that helps one grow and nurture. Mark truly wanted nothing more than to see his star pupil excel, and he did. Jackson was particularly sad when Mark died, as he not only lost a great teacher but his greatest supporter as well.
The ortho and the plastics attending may have hooked up a few times, but there was never anything romantic between them. When Callie realized she was bisexual and wanted to be in a relationship with a woman, Mark supported her wholeheartedly, and their casual relationship turned into a deep bond of friendship. The duo never held their physical relationship against each other, even when Callie got pregnant with Sophia.
Mark was incredibly supportive and caring toward Callie's decisions and held her through thick and thin. It was extremely heartbreaking for Callie not to have Mark there to see Sophia grow up after she lost him in the plane crash. They were in each other's comfort zone and had zero expectations from each other to meet certain "standards," which made their friendship completely unconditional.
Alex Karev wasn't everyone's favorite surgeon, and people had their reasons. He was a playboy, had attitude problems, and simply did not give off a caring vibe. Although Arizona was skeptical about him, his dedication to being a pediatric surgeon turned her into a supporter. She not only became the mentor he needed but also became that person on whom he could rely.
She honed his skills and matured him into the person he needed to be if he wanted to make something of himself as a successful doctor. Alex wasn't a big fan of Arizona's happy-go-lucky attitude at first, but he understood her mission to save the tiny humans, and he just let her into his orbit. Arizona Robbins brought out the best in him and was the force behind turning him into a good surgeon.
Owen Hunt had this uncanny talent of seeing the good in others and always giving them second chances. He saw a lot of potential in April, even when she was kicked out of the program and failed her boards. He brought her back and transformed her into a great trauma surgeon who wasn't afraid to be ambitious. Hunt had a lot to do with April's personality shift and always felt that he had to look out for her.
Hunt wanted to bring out the best in his surgeons and train them to think outside the box. Fortunately, he did exactly that with Kepner, and along the way, she became his rock. From going to her farm to bring her back to asking her to be his best man at the wedding, Owen and April enjoyed the kind of friendship that everyone deserves to have.
It's safe to say that Richard Webber was every Grey's Anatomy character's father figure to those who had none in their lives. He was this silent mentor and like a "shepherd" who went about the hospital helping misguided sheep find their true calling. Miranda Bailey was exceptional, but she was also judged for her looks and gender when she was an intern. It was Richard who encouraged her to be who she was and continue to strive for the top position.
The most beautiful thing about their relationship was that they never pampered each other unnecessarily. They told each other the harsh truths that, otherwise, no one would have been able to say to their faces. There was a certain father-daughter element to their relationship that made the audience wish that the duo would always be there till the end.
Amelia and Maggie came together because of their mutual relationship with Meredith Grey, and despite the latter being sisters by blood, Amelia and Maggie developed a stronger bond. Both Maggie and Amelia had their differences, but their love for Meredith brought them closer, and they developed one of the best friendships on the show. The two women not only performed their roles of being sisters and aunts to perfection but also found a person to rely on in their times of need.
Amelia and Maggie confided in each other about their worries, shared happy moments, and stuck to each other through tragedy. They elevated the status of female friendships on Grey's Anatomy and somehow became the new Cristina and Meredith that fans have come to admire.
It's safe to say that Alex Karev became Meredith Grey's "person" after Cristina left to print hearts with Burke Preston. Alex and Meredith didn't immediately kick off, but in the corner of her heart, Meredith always tried to look out for him. She knew Alex was a loner, and his attitude didn't make it easy for others to like him. So, she felt an obligation to be his silent supporter in the beginning and helped him whenever he was in a difficult situation.
Although their friendship saw some tough moments, like Alex ratting Meredith out for ruining Derek's trial, the duo stayed strong, especially when Derek died and Cristina left. They were the last two original interns standing, and they ensured that both Alex and Meredith had each other's backs through thick and thin. They shared several traumas together, including not having a parent figure to look up to, which made them stronger as individuals and as friends.
Cristina and Meredith's friendship inspired the show's most popular analogy and concept: being someone's person. Cristina and Meredith were each other's "person" from the get-go. They had the most inspiring and healthiest female friendships on the show. The duo shared the same ambition of being the best, but most of all, they understood each other without asking too much from one another. The only time they did enter into a complete deadlock was when Cristina thought that Meredith had "let up" and that her goal was now divided between her and her children.
However, one of the best things about their friendship was how low-maintenance and fulfilling it was simultaneously. Meredith and Cristina never needed each other to be physically present at all times. They've always needed one person who would point out the obvious and isn't afraid to tell the truth. Seeing them part was one of the saddest moments in Grey's Anatomy.
A drama centered on the personal and professional lives of five surgical interns and their supervisors.
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10 Best Grey's Anatomy Friendships, Ranked - CBR
Grey’s Anatomy Has Finally Found Its Cristina Yang Replacement After 10 Years – Screen Rant
Summary
With just 10 episodes, Grey's Anatomy season 20 hasn't had enough time to delve into each of its characters' nuanced lives outside of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Even so, one newly introduced surgeon has a lot of potential; after a decade, she may be the perfect replacement for Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh). Of course, no one can truly take Cristina's place: Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary) and Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) have bonded with Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) in a sisterly way, but they're hardly her "person." Still, Grey's Anatomy might have finally found a doctor with Cristina-like edge.
Grey's Anatomy season 21 will need to invest in attendings and mentors who are just as compelling...
The most recent season of the long-running medical drama has seen the return of fan-favorite surgeon Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw), though her appearance amounted to a one-off guest role, as well as the reassurance that Meredith isn't really gone. She may no longer work at Grey Sloan, but Pompeo has appeared in four of the installment's 10 episodes. There's clearly a lot of change happening as the series settles in with its latest batch of interns. Needless to say, Grey's Anatomy season 21 will need to invest in attendings and mentors who are just as compelling, which is why Natalie Morales' Dr. Monica Beltran feels like such a great fit.
Although she's the new attending pediatric surgeon at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, Dr. Monica Beltran has only appeared in a handful of Grey's Anatomy season 20 episodes. For the most part, the series has portrayed her as someone who is both strong-willed and confident. Monica isn't argumentative for the sake of it, but because she knows her approach is solid. This kind of no-nonsense, stoic approach to the job echoes Cristina Yang's time on the show. While Dr. Yang certainly had a very personal drive to be at the top of her game, she (mostly) didn't let the white noise of workplace politics bleed into her work.
Monica Beltran may not be striving to earn Catherine Fox Awards, but she is clearly a top-of-her-game pediatric surgeon. So far, she hasn't gotten too involved with any of the hospital's endless drama. It seems like the writers of Grey's Anatomy are setting up an enemies-to-lovers romance between Monica and Amelia, who's extremely put off by Beltran's cool confidence when they first meet. Still, the focus on the fact that Beltran is a surgeon who doesn't let the private interfere with her work feels very akin to the series' treatment of Cristina.
In Grey's Anatomy season 20, episode 6, Levi Schmitt (Jake Borelli), co-chief resident at Grey Sloan, approaches Monica about writing him a recommendation. Realizing the deadline has passed, Levi pivots, suggesting Monica share her support verbally. When she asks Levi to catch her up to speed on why he wants to be a peds fellow, Levi runs through a laundry list of reasons. Namely, Dr. Webber suggested him for the position, he's been told he's good with children, and there's a dire need for more pediatric surgeons. While Monica calls his pursuits "noble," she rejects the offer to recommend Levi.
Much to the chagrin of the Grey's Anatomy fandom, the season 17 finale proved that Cristina Yang's time on the show really is finished.
It's clear that Monica Beltran is open to taking residents and interns under her wing. She hasn't outwardly balked at the chance to teach or mentor anyone. At the same time, she holds her specialty and the patients and families she serves in high regard. As Grey's Anatomy has proven time and again, pediatric medicine isn't for the faint of heart. In the same way a mentor like Cristina Yang took Shane Ross' passion for cardio seriously, Beltran wants to sense that same level of enthusiasm from her students. Levi might have good reasons for wanting the fellowship, but that isn't enough.
Although it's hard to know what Cristina Yang is like in 2024, it's also clear that the Dr. Yang of yesteryear is different from Monica Beltran. While Cristina's desire to win awards was certainly tempered by the time Sandra Oh left the show, she never stopped wanting to be the very best surgeon. Monica doesn't necessarily exude that level of ambition, but the show has made multiple references to her being the best peds surgeon around. Of course, part of the issue is that viewers don't know a lot about Monica yet.
The most painful Grey's Anatomy character exits are not always written as deaths but are still emotional as characters leave for new opportunities.
In episode 6, she sits outside the hospital and plays Candy Crush to decompress. Previously, she mentioned not having had a vacation for at least three years. Still, Grey's Anatomy season 20 hasn't given much insight into Monica Beltran's personal life or history. Likely, this is because season 20's smaller order of episodes really cuts into that time needed to flesh out supporting characters. For now, viewers can only glean things from Beltran's professional demeanor and workplace interactions. Unafraid to back down, Monica ultimately chooses to do what's most logical for her patients, just like Yang.
From directing feature films like Plan B and Language Lessons to making onscreen appearances in hit series like Dead to Me, The Morning Show, and Santa ClaritaDiet, Natalie Morales seems to have a pretty packed schedule. Although Grey's Anatomy has been struggling to replace Justin Chambers' Alex Karev, there's no telling if Monica Beltran will stick around. Grey's Anatomy season 21 a historic renewal for the record-setting series has been green-lit, but Morales' involvement isn't certain. If anything, Monica Beltran deserves more of a chance to prove that she can fill the no-nonsense Cristina Yang void.
New episodes of Grey's Anatomy season 20 air on Thursdays on CBS through May 2024, with episodes available for next-day streaming on Hulu.
Grey's Anatomy is considered one of the great television shows of our time, winning several awards and four Emmys. The high-intensity medical drama follows Meredith Grey and the team of doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial, who are faced with life-or-death decisions on a daily basis. They seek comfort from one another, and, at times, more than just friendship. Together they discover that neither medicine nor relationships can be defined in black and white.
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Grey's Anatomy Has Finally Found Its Cristina Yang Replacement After 10 Years - Screen Rant
Lexie Grey Originally Had a Way Worse Death on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ – Collider
The Big Picture
Despite being an overwhelming fan-favorite character, Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh) was one of many Grey's Anatomy characters to fall victim to showrunner Shonda Rhimes' pen. She met her demise in the Season 8 finale after being on the ill-fated plane that was meant to bring the doctors to Boise to assist on a conjoined twin surgery. The crash had an effect on every member involved. It cost Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) her leg, almost destroyed Derek's (Patrick Dempsey) hand and any chance of doing surgery again. But most notably, it cost Lexie and Mark (Eric Dane) their lives. However, that wasn't always meant to be the case, according to Shonda Rhimes. Lexie was going to die, she knew that much, but her original idea for Lexie's death was so much worse. Which is surprising considering how devastating and brutal her death is to begin with, but Shonda's original plan would have caused an even bigger uproar -- even to her.
A drama centered on the personal and professional lives of five surgical interns and their supervisors.
In the show, Lexie is one of the six doctors from Seattle Grace chosen to assist on the conjoined twin surgery in Boise. Alongside her was her sister Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), Derek, Cristina, Mark, and Arizona -- who herself had taken the spot originally intended for Alex Karev (Justin Chambers). When the plane crashes, Lexie is found pinned beneath a piece of the plane, and though the doctors try and move it and free her, she knows that it's no use, she's dying either way. Mark tries repeatedly to push the plane off of her out of sheer denial, and insists that Cristina go find fluids to try and help stabilize her, but she knows it won't help. Still, she goes, leaving Lexie and Mark alone as he continuously denies that she is dying. Eventually he has no choice but to accept her fate, and simply lies down on the ground and takes her hand. He tells her that he loves her, and that she needs to stay alive because they're going to get married, and have children, and that they're meant to be together. Lexie echoes his statement of "Meant to be," and dies holding Mark's hand and envisioning their life together. It's gut-wrenching to watch, especially when adding Mark's reaction into the mix. But in Shonda's original plans, Lexie wasn't even meant to be on the plane, and she was supposed to die back at the hospital.
In an interview with TV Line, Shonda Rhimes spoke about killing off Lexie Grey. I adored that character and I couldnt imagine the show without her, Shonda gushed. It was important to me that her exit would have maximum impact. The plane was going to crash no matter what. I honestly wasnt sure, because of contract negotiations, who was going to die in that crash." When she learned that Chyler Leigh would be leaving the show, Shonda was tasked with finding a way to write her off. And because this is Grey's Anatomy we're talking about, Lexie couldn't just walk out of the hospital alive and never return. There was too much that she'd be leaving behind. So Shonda decided she would have to kill the character off in order to tie up loose ends. But her original plan didn't involve Lexie being on the plane.
"In my early finale plans, once I knew Chyler was leaving the show, Lexie wasnt originally even on the plane. She was going to die back at the hospital by doing something as simple as slipping and hitting her head. She would have been dying over at Seattle Grace while other people were dying in the woods. Which wasnt my favorite plan. She would have died without Mark at her side. Without the chance to say goodbye to him. Without the chance to hear that he loved her. I wanted them together when she left us.
Lexie dying at the hospital wouldn't have been a big deal, had it not been for the fact that the plane crash would be going on simultaneously. As Shonda pointed out, Lexie would have been dying back in Seattle, and there would have been no way of contacting Meredith or Mark, or anyone, for that matter. She would have died without saying goodbye to her sister, without getting to see Mark one last time. Granted, Lexie dying because she fell and hit her head isn't exactly far-fetched. Since we first met her, we've known and loved Lexie for how adorably clumsy she is, so it wouldn't have been a completely out-of-character way for her to die, but it certainly wouldn't have done her character any justice. Chances are her death would have felt more like a joke among audiences. Especially in comparison to the other deaths we had previously seen for main characters, like bus crashes, shootings, etc... So, as devastating as the plane crash was, it gave fans a better chance at getting closure for the beloved character.
Going into Season 9, Shonda Rhimes was tasked with writing out Eric Dane's character, Mark Sloan as well, as he was departing the series. Shonda tossed around many ideas, but nothing felt right for the character. I had many options for ways Mark could leave the show. But any option that didnt include him dying required him to a) grieve for Lexie indefinitely and b) willingly walk away from his daughter." Rhimes explained. "We fought about this incessantly in the Writers Room. I didnt want Mark to die but, as the writers rightfully argued back, Mark couldnt abandon Sofia (Eva Ariel Binder) and he certainly couldnt abandon Callie (Sara Ramirez) once Arizonas leg was amputated. She also revealed she toyed around with the idea of sending Mark to Los Angeles to be with Addison (Kate Walsh).
I loved that idea, but it still required Mark to abandon his child. She explained. "Also, that would somehow suggest that everything he said to Lexie when she was dying was easily forgotten. So I fought it and I debated it and tossed and turned about it but in the end, I had to do what was right for the integrity of the character. Mark would never willingly abandon Sofia and he would never willingly abandon Callie. So Mark dies. And he and Lexie get to be together in a way. Their love remains true.
Obviously, there was never going to be an easy way to say goodbye to Lexie or Mark, and we'll never truly be over either of their deaths, but Shonda Rhimes' reasoning for both makes sense and shows respect for not only the characters, but the fans as well. It isn't great closure, we'd certainly love to have seen them survive and live a happy life together, but at least they get to be together for eternity -- and that's pretty darn romantic.
Grey's Anatomy is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.
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Greys Anatomy Recap 05/09/24: Season 20 Episode 7 She Used to Be Mine – Celebrity Dirty Laundry
Greys Anatomy Recap 05/09/24: Season 20 Episode 7 She Used to Be Mine Celebrity Dirty Laundry
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Greys Anatomy Recap 05/09/24: Season 20 Episode 7 She Used to Be Mine - Celebrity Dirty Laundry
‘Anatomy of a Murder’ Kicked Off Our Obsession With True Crime – Collider
Editor's Note: The following contains references to sexual assault.
In a culture dominated by true crime media and entertainment, audiences consuming grisly content with lurid details is nothing groundbreaking. Given Americans' high demand for in-depth examinations of violent crimes in film, television, book, and podcast form, it's clear we've undoubtedly become desensitized to violence. True crime has received its fair share of criticism for exploiting its subjects and glorifying its perpetrators. However, when the genre handles its stories with nuance and refrains from partaking in gratuitous brutality, it can teach us about the underbelly of American society. One landmark classic Hollywood film, Anatomy of a Murder starring Jimmy Stewart, appears tame today, but the raw depiction of a criminal investigation and unflinching legal trial that used forbidden crude language paved the way for our dark and cynical viewer tendencies.
An upstate Michigan lawyer defends a soldier who claims he killed an innkeeper due to temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife. What is the truth, and will he win his case?
Anatomy of a Murder, a noteworthy release in 1959, has not accrued the same legacy as other classics of the 1950s today. The film by Otto Preminger is often ignored in the checklist of classic films drafted by budding cinephiles, but its impact on contemporary filmmaking and media alike certifies its greatness. Based on the 1958 novel of the same name by John D. Voelker, a Michigan Supreme Court justice under the pen name Robert Traver, Anatomy of a Murder follows the trial of a soldier, Lt. Frederick Manion (Ben Gazzara), charged with murdering an innkeeper who raped his wife, Laura (Lee Remick). Manion is defended by small-town Michigan lawyer, Paul Biegler (Jimmy Stewart), a former district attorney living a leisurely life until accepting a case involving insanity pleas, morbid details, and various moral quandaries.
Anatomy of a Murder, which received seven Oscar nominations at the 32nd Academy Awards, is filled to the brim with exceptional talent above and below the line. It stars Jimmy Stewart at the peak of his abilities as a stirring dramatic presence, rising stars in Ben Gazzara and George C. Scott (playing prosecutor Claude Dancer), and reliable character actors in Arthur O'Connell and Murray Hamilton. The film also features the work of acclaimed opening credits artist Saul Bass, who left behind an instantly recognizable poster, and it is scored by none other than jazz legend Duke Ellington. This accumulation of talent created one of the finest courtroom dramas in history. With gripping cross-examinations, rousing testimonies, and an unpredictable verdict, Preminger's film epitomizes why Hollywood has routinely returned to the courtroom in the last 60 years to create its most exciting movies even if 99% of trials in real life are incredibly dull.
Classic Hollywood films are often labeled as sanitized, both formally and textually. This claim is not entirely unjustified, as moral panic surrounded cinema at a substantially higher level, in large part due to the Hays Code, a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content deemed obscene that presided over major releases from 1934 to the late 1960s. Governed by conservative values that restricted perverse language and sexuality onscreen, the classics relied on the imagination of the viewer to fill in these voids, which is not the worst thing for an artistic expression to inspire. In any film that challenges these doctrines, such as Anatomy of a Murder, the shock value of its themes and message is only heightened.
Preminger's film, written by Wendell Mayes, was marred in controversy for its use of crude language. The script featured blunt vocabulary often censored in motion pictures, including "bitch," "panties," "rape," "slut," "sperm," and "climax." The language, pertinent to the trial, emphasizes the "anatomy" element of Anatomy of a Murder, as the film deconstructs American law in real time. Manion's trial comes down to a tug and pull between fact and narrative, and how the two intertwine, creating a murky portrait of the truth.
Biegler encourages witnesses to use forward language to express their testimony during cross-examination. The courtroom audience uproariously laughs when the word "panties" is first uttered, relating to the undergarments worn by Laura Manion. Because the trial is framed around sexual assault, descriptions need to be crass to capture the horror of the alleged rape. The film studies the law through an etymological lens, showing how the historical implications of words can manipulate our interpretation of the truth.
The unprecedented display of crude language drew the ire of the mayor's office. After the film was previewed in Chicago, Mayor Richard J. Daley sought to have it banned in the city. The state's District Court ruled against Daley's plea to have Anatomy of a Murder removed from the city, deeming it unconstitutional, but before the ruling, the film was temporarily banned. Despite passing the ratings board, The National Catholic Legion of Decency, a group dedicated to policing objectionable content, said that the film "exceed[ed] the bounds of moral acceptability and propriety in a mass medium of entertainment."
Preminger has a storied track record regarding films with hot-button topics. His Frank Sinatra and Kim Novak-led drama, The Man with the Golden Arm, tackles drug addiction. Preminger's noir masterpiece, Laura, chillingly examines male obsession with the opposite sex. Anatomy of a Murder, or any of Preminger's films, are not provocative for the sake of shock value. They engage with complex subjects that require an unflinching attitude. If the language of the text is sanitized, the issues will feel cheapened.
Antithetical to most courtroom dramas, Anatomy of a Murder refrains from placing the prosecution and the defense on rigid sides of good and evil. Lt. Manion, with his lack of remorse and sinister demeanor, is far from a wholly sympathetic victim. Biegler proves to be ambivalent about upholding the law. Instead, he accepts Manion as a client to further his career, and to receive an adrenaline rush from this thorny case. Because no violent actions are shown on screen, there's a chance that we're being actively manipulated throughout the film's lengthy runtime. Preminger comments on society's treatment of rape victims as promiscuous, with Laura's callous label as an "army slut" blurring the lines of truth and perception.
The director understands the power of words as a rhetorical device. Words can accentuate the grave magnitude of a murder or sexual assault, but they can also cloud the judgment of a juror. During the trial, after the judge sustains an objection made by the prosecution, Manion asks his attorney, "How can a jury disregard what it's already heard?" Biegler responds calmly responds, "They can't, Lieutenant." While a jury is expected to hear a case with a clear mind, humans cannot remove past judgment and connotations, even when it comes to how we process a word as seemingly juvenile as "panties."
It should come as no surprise that Anatomy of a Murder is one of the most celebrated courtroom dramas for its artistic merit and its legal accuracy. More than any script by Aaron Sorkin or screen adaptation of a John Grisham novel, the film by Otto Preminger lives and breathes inside an American courtroom. Inside the dignified walls of a trial, the subject can be quite grisly, a concept that Anatomy of a Murder understood better than any film that followed in its wake. Today, we expect crude language and unfiltered descriptions of harrowing crimes across all forms of true crime media, but in 1959, audiences were used to films taking off the rough edges.
Anatomy of a Murder is available to watch on Prime Video in the U.S.
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'Anatomy of a Murder' Kicked Off Our Obsession With True Crime - Collider