"Grey's" writing and memorable cast will keep it from flatlining

As its fourth season unfolds, the award-winning ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy continues to dole out drama like its own life depends on it. And in fact, it does. With decreased ratings and the prolonged writer’s strike to grapple with, the hour-long show is piling on the sex and intensifying plot lines to keep viewers in their seats – hopefully, on the edge of them. Creator Shonda Rhimes has skillfully inserted new characters into Seattle Grace Hospital while continuing to build upon the lives of the doctors viewers know and love. In doing so, she and the Grey’s Anatomy writing team have strategically counteracted last season’s loss of two major characters.

The brilliance of

Grey’s lies within its intricacy – this is not a show for leisurely viewers. In order to recogni

ze the complexity of episodes like Thursday night’s “Physical Attraction … Chemical Reaction” (original air date 11/8/07), one must already be familiar with, for example, the ongoing love story of Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey). However, the show is not a constant development of season-long plots – each episode incorporates the drama of multiple new patients as well as the introduction or resolution of a new character conflict.

Writers Tony Phelan and Joan Rater have exemplified this idea with “Physical Attraction …”, the seventh episode of the new season. As always, Meredith’s voice-over narration opens the show, introducin

g a theme of sorts for

the hour – chemistry. The perfect scene follows as Dr. Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) and Dr. George O’Malley (T.R. Knight) struggle to find sexual chemistry in the bedroom. This particular subplot is a continuation from last season, when George’s marriage to Dr. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez), another doctor at Seattle Grace, was broken as he and Izzie unsuccessfully tried to suppress their attraction. Their story, more prominent in this particular episode, is one of about five subplots following the 12 doctors/residents at the hosp

ital.

As if the ever-dramatic, and at times overly dramatic, lives of the central characters aren’t entertaining enough, what would a hospital be without patients? Grey’s avoids stagnancy by introducing new patients at Seattle Grace each episode. In “Physical Attraction …”, a cranky and constipated old man brings comic relief to the serious situation of a young mother who dies, leaving her newly adopted baby with a husband who has yet to bond with the newborn. Who knows if these patients are authentic, but their stories are convincing enough and their acting is certainly en

gaging.

The decline in popularity of a show as fast-paced and intense as Grey’s Anatomy seems inevitable, but the quality of writing and acting make this drama a standout. Every member of its diverse cast is memorable – the unyielding devotion to the medical field of Sandra Oh as Dr. Cristina Yang, the sass and ferocity of Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey, and the lovable sternness of James Pickens Jr. as Dr. Richard Webber, chief of surgery, are only small aspects of a talented group of actors. Their work, combined with the witty scripts of gifted writers, will continue to make Grey’s Anatomy a medical miracle. Let’s hope the show avoids a code blue for many years to come..