Grey’s Anatomy season 10 comes to the UK soon. I should be excited, but instead I find myself filled with anxiety because I just can’t decide which doctor I fancy the most. Imagine if I ever got to visit the Grey’s Anatomy set and obviously had my pick of all the doctors, I’d be completely flustered because I just wouldn’t know where to focus my attention. In all likelihood I’d end up blowing the opportunity of a lifetime. This simply cannot happen.
My two current favourites, Dr Owen Hunt and Dr Alex Karev, were awesome last season. Both are passionate, good, caring people. They’re both amazing doctors. Both are hot. Neither Karla Hunt nor Karla Karev would sound horrible, so there’s just one last factor that will help me break this tie. What would our babies look like?
Thanks to this nifty little tool from Morph Thing, I can check…
Dr Hunt and I would make such a good couple
Me and Dr Owen Hunt
And this is what we’d produce (sweet, but I’d probably give it a hair cut)
Baby Hunt
Dr Karev and I is another match made in heaven
Me and Dr Alex Karev
But I can’t work out if our offspring is a boy or a girl?
Baby Karev
Close call – but I think Baby Hunt has it -much more adorable. I’m happy with that, Owen is lush. Perhaps I should stop avoiding ginger boys in the real world now that I know our kids won’t necessarily look like they’ve been tangoed.
And just because I got into the whole morphing thing, I thought it was worth seeing what would happen if Derek Shepherd and I procreated.
I believe she is. I’m a bit in love with her – just look at those cheeks.
I always thought TV land couldn’t do better than Emma Geller-Green (Rachel and Ross’ baby in Friends), but Zola is baby perfection.
She looks equally good with a bow or bandage on her head – how many girls can say that?
Interestingly, Ellen Pompeo has her own curly haired cutie in real life. Last week, little Stella was captured helpfully collecting sticks in the park…
Hurrah, Falling Skies has finally landed on our TV screens, bringing with it a bearded, more rough-and-ready Noah Wyle and whole host of American hotties, which I’ll eventually end up adoring I’m sure.
I’m three episodes in, and I have to say, it’s alright… I know it’s not a medical drama, but I can actually see me watching it for more than just a Noah fix.
My first thought, which I still can’t quite get my head around, is how on earth are we expected to believe Noah (who plays Tom Mason) as a dad to a teenage boy (Drew Roy)? I mean, I suppose it’s biologically possible, and I’m not sure how old his son is supposed to be (for argument’s sake, let’s say about 17) and Noah’s just turned 40 in real life – but it seems like only yesterday he was playing a young medical student in ER. The other thing, which is mildly disturbing, is that the teenage son, Hal, is quite hot and I can definitely see me lusting after both in some wrong father/son combo. Oh dear!
Hal isn’t Noah’s only son, he’s one of three – Ben (who has been taken hostage by the aliens) and Matt (who is so adorable). Such a cute little family, but it’s missing a Mum…. I wonder just what it would take to convince the show to cast me as Noah’s love interest/step-mum to his kids in the future…. I can just see Noah falling for me as he’s trying to free me from the evil clutches of the aliens, or skitters as they are apparently called.
For those of you that haven’t watched it yet, the premise is that the world was invaded by aliens about nine months ago. The aliens, as I mentioned earlier are called skitters, and they capture and kill humans in a bid to dominate the earth. Noah’s wife died shortly after the initial attack and his middle son has been “harnessed,” which means he’s been caught by the aliens and turned into a zombie like creature with a long lizard thing (the harness) clinging on to his neck and upper back, pumping him with drugs.
While the fighters spend most of their time scavenging for food, ushering the civilians from town to town and fighting rival gangs and the aliens, there is also a medical element. A doctor has just turned up (to remove the harnesses from the skitter prisoners) who seems to have had some sort of history with Noah’s dead wife. There’s also a female psychiatrist who will inevitably turn out to be Noah’s love interest (until I get the gig that is).
It is very far fetched, but I’m actually enjoying it far more than I thought I’d like a sci-fi drama. I’m definitely sticking with it for the meantime anyway.
Having watched many many episodes from my favourite TV genre, it has come to my attention that certain actors undoubtedly have more experience in the medical field than others. Even big characters have been known to appear in more than one of my favourite programmes.
Last night I was watching episode six of Off the Map – “It’s Good,” and who should pop up, but Carla (Judy Reyes) from Scrubs, and that was just one of many familiar faces.
Here are some other notable medical drama double-ups, or in some cases triple-ups – I’m not really complaining, but surely there are enough talented actors out there to mix it up a little.
Jayne Brook – Jayne played Pete’s sort-of-girlfriend, Dr Meg Porter, in Private Practice, but before that she happened to play surgical patient Gwen Graber in Grey’s Anatomy back in 2006. She also appeared in the last episode of Off the Map as Lynn – the wife of a patient suffering from an appendicitis (you really don’t want a burst appendix in the jungle).
Sara Gilbert – Although I’ll always remember her as Darlene in Rosanne, Sara has played Dr Jane Figler in ER, pregnant gas-station hostage patient Kelly in Private Practice and lung cancer sufferer Kim Allen in Grey’s Anatomy.
Alex Kingston – I think it’ll be a long time before I watch Alex Kingston and not associate her with her ER character, British surgeon Dr Elizabeth Corday. However, I’m sort of enjoying her as American psychologist, Dr Marla Phillips, in Private Practice – not least because it means Sheldon is finally getting some action. Don’t think she’s quite cracked the American accent yet though…
Kellie Martin – ER’s favourite medical student, Lucy Knight was reincarnated as a patient’s sister, Julie Zelman in Grey’s Anatomy and troubled parent Michelle Larsen, in Private Practice.
Jason George – Possibly the worst offender of them all. Jason had a fairly major role in Grey’s where he played Dr Bailey’s boyfriend, Dr Ben Warren, and he’s now playing one of the lead characters in Off the Map, Dr Ortis Cole. Before all this he also played Ethan Mackiner in ER.
Feel free to share any crossovers I’ve missed – I’m sure there must be lots more.
I’d been excitedly awaiting the screening of Off the Map – the latest medical drama from Shonda Rhimes – since I heard about it last year, but it’s taken me a while to form an opinion on it.
The first four episodes were a bit bland and the characters are exactly what you’d expect. There is the McDreamy/George Clooney equivalent, Dr Ben Keeton (who I think has brooding Carter qualities from those later ER episodes) then there’s his easily identifiable love interest Dr Lily Brenner (who just lacks something) and the hot underdog of the pack Dr. Tommy Fuller.
The picturesque scenery is pretty cool, but the story lines have been a bit weak – they tend to follow a tried and tested formula along the lines of “we’ve got a patient with some weird tropical disease/a jungle creature attached to or inside them/trapped in an awkward situation”. They’re then taken to the ropey clinic and the doctors generally save them. Often the language barrier will fuel a misdiagnosis, however, its predictability is rather comforting, and I think it has potential – that said, I haven’t felt compelled to write about it until I hit the top fifth episode, and that’s only because I thought it went a bit far, even for a medical drama.
In “I’m here” a scuba diving trip goes wrong, and the doctors head out to sea to save a teenage girl who has been trapped under water following a rock slide – her leg is caught between the rocks, the crane is too far away and she’s suffered a collapsed lung, so what do they do? An impromptu amputation of course…
Now, as a medical drama fan I’m used to a bit of blood and guts, but having to watch Dr Keeton use what looked like a long string of barded wire to cut through the poor girl’s leg was just a bit much. And then to see her be lifted to the surface, minus the end of her leg, in a pool of bright red water was just unnecessarily graphic.
I felt it made Off the Map look a bit desperate, ER and Grey’s Anatomy never resorted to stomach churning shock tactics of this level to keep their viewers amused. I remember Carter had to perform an amputation at the scene of a train crash once, but I don’t think we ever had to see the inside of patient’s leg.
I shall keep watching, but Off the Map, if you want to hold my attention I think we’ll need some entertaining love triangles pretty soon.
So I watched the follow up episode, and loved it – mostly because, for once, Naomi was amazing.
Sam, on the other hand, did nothing to change my opinion that he is a terrible person. While his girlfriend Addison was spontaneously bursting into tears following the death of her mother, he was busy putting the moves on his long-suffering ex-wife, asking (seductively) how she felt about their recent kiss.
This was bad for two reasons:
The obvious – he has a girlfriend, who he cheated on and rather than showing any remorse he pursued Naomi further
It was completely unfair to put Naomi in that position – he had nothing to lose and everything to gain. He wasn’t actually offering her anything, if Nai had wanted more she would been hurt while Sam’s ego received a little boost, however if she denied she still had feelings for him, Sam still had Addison to go home to
Naomi reacted admirably and her often annoying, stone-like composure served her well. If she did still have feelings for Sam, which I doubt, she didn’t let him know. I think, for her, their earlier kiss was about getting one over on Addison.
In fact, Naomi delivered the best line of the series so far when Addison caught on and asked whether something had happened between her and Sam, Naomi replied:
“You know what? Your boyfriend was my husband for 17 years. He married me. I had his child. So, unless you ever hit those milestones, my relationship with Sam will always trump yours.”
Woooooo. Go Nai, go Nai, go-go go Nai!!!!
We’re yet to find out what happens to Addison and Sam now she knows, but they’re both pretty weak – my prediction is nothing much will change, it will just give Addison another thing to be insecure about.
Yes, in 2.5 months hearts will beat again. On 19th June, ER’s Noah Wyle will grace our screens in Stephen Spielberg’s science fiction drama, Falling Skies – and to get us even more excited (I know I didn’t think it was possible either) our friends at TNT have released the third trailer.
I’m also predicting that, true to form, Noah will have a love interest from episode one in Moon Bloodgood (utterly cracking name) who will play Anne Glass – a therapist who works with the surviving children to help them cope with the traumatic situation.
As you might have expected, from June, K’s will be expanding its remit to cover alien fighter dramas, all in the name of the wonderful man that is Noah Wyle.
I lost the flow of posting over the Christmas period, but never fear, my love for the US medical drama never faltered.
So what did bring me back I hear you ask? I’m in need of a massive rant about Private Practice’s “Addisam”, and my utter delight at Naomi fighting back and staking her claim on her ex-husband.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with this storyline, Sam and Naomi, founders of the practice, divorced before the series began. They continued to work together and Naomi hired best friend Addison (fresh from Grey’s Anatomy) for her emotional support as much as her medical expertise. Cue start of the series. Three seasons in, Addison sets her sights on Sam and before you know it, they’re a couple (well there wasn’t anyone else left was there?!?)
Addison has always had a troubled love life, and as the writers never get tired of telling us, she suffers from a “skewed moral compass,” but surely boshing your best mate’s ex-husband is a step too far, even for her.
It made season three almost impossible to enjoy because all the characters became so unlikeable. Naomi, albeit the victim in this particular scenario, was a massive bitch last year, and I’m not surprised it forced Sam to move on completely. However, not even she deserved such a betrayal.
Despite what Naomi and Addison both claim, Sam is not a good man. Anyone that screws around with two friends like that (literally) is not worth fighting over. Plus he’s a bit drippy, and a little on the short side.
Also, Addison, it’s bad enough that you did this – and don’t seem to be that bothered by it – but do you have to rub Naomi’s face in it by saying “oh I want to have babies and I want to have them with Sam” and “Nai, I asked Sam to marry me and he hasn’t given me answer.” Seriously, I don’t know how Naomi didn’t punch her in the face.
Now, I’m a few episodes behind the US but things seem to be looking up. While Addison was away for the weekend Sam and Naomi worked on an emotional case, which resulted in them comforting each other with a big fat smooch! Woooo hooooo.
I’ve never particularly liked Naomi, but good on you girl! Wipe that smug look off Addison’s face and claim back what’s rightfully yours.
I’m planning to watch the following episode tonight so we’ll see what happens next.
Instead of doom and gloom the ER Christmas episodes used to give us a sense of hope and cheer. More often than not there was a miracle involved – in the past Benton has given a blind man back his sight, and terminally ill patients have received much needed donor organs – or staff members got a much needed dose of Christmas spirit. Whatever happened, they’d definitely tug on your heart strings.
Here are my favourite five from all 15 festive episodes.
1) I’ll be home for Christmas (season 8 ) – This was Eriq La Salle’s (Dr Benton) final episode as a regular cast member. Benton’s custody battle for his son, Reese, had reached the final stages, and it wasn’t looking good. He was told he had to re-evaluate his work/life balance, and after presenting Dr Romano with an ultimatum about his overloaded schedule, he decided to leave the ER and take a less demanding job at a clinic in the suburbs, with his girlfriend Cleo Finch. While I was gutted to see Benton go, it was so cute watching him do the right thing for his adorable little boy. The blow was also softened by his final scene with Carter. Carter caught up with Benton during a jog to say a proper goodbye. After a slightly awkward hug, they shared an exchange which completely typifies their relationship.
Carter: “I’m a good doctor because of you”
Benton: “No you’re not… but keep trying.”
Take a look at their final scene (sorry, I couldn’t find one without random subtitles)
2) Let it snow (season 15) – The last ever ER Christmas episode was a delightful treat. Although the ER was busy treating Sam’s son Alex, this episode featured so highly on the list for one reason only – Drs Morris and Banfield being snowed in at an ER conference in Omaha. Dr Banfield was less than impressed to see Morris, and the situation was made worst by their cancelled flights and the lack of a hotel room. What did they do? Got drunk in the hotel bar of course and sung a spot of karaoke.
Later that night Banfield was feeling a tad worse for wear. Morris ended up taking her to the bathroom and rubbing her backs while she threw up in the toilet. Morris helpfully reminded her to bear in mind that scotch and red wine don’t go well together
3) How the Finch stole Christmas (season 6) – This one makes the list based on the fact that Carter was a bit like Santa and a different Santa threw up in Kerry’s face. After Carter treated a teenage gunshot wound victim, he started donating the ER’s secret Santa gifts in a guns-for-toys exchange. Meanwhile, Lucy treated a young woman in need of a heart transplant, which sees her banging on Romano’s door in the middle of the night to find the only doctor qualified to perform her patient’s surgery.
4) A miracle happens here (season 2) – The ER was struggling to muster any Christmas spirit, well, all except Carol. The recovery room staff came down to the ER to sing carols and, although the ER staff were suppose to go up later in the day and return the favour, they were put off by the professional performance and decided against it. The ever honourable Carol went upstairs by herself as no one else would go with her. During her rather flat rendition of the “The Twelve Days of Christmas” the others joined her and they butcher the song together. Later that night Carol holds a Christmas party in her new house, where her then boyfriend Shep tells her he loves her.
5) The greatest of gifts (season 7) – This festive episode was split between County General’s maternity ward, where Carter was helping Chen have her baby, and New York, where Mark and Elizabeth were seeking expert advice about Mark’s brain tumour. Chen had second thoughts about giving her baby up for adoption, a decision which is complicated by the adoptive parents’ presence at the hospital, however Carter stayed up all night to be with his friend, only to find himself tempted by drugs (again) to get him through his next shift.
I hoped you liked these as much as I did – I’m going to watch them now as there’s nothing like a hospital drama to put you in a more festive mood. Have a lovely Christmas everyone.
Eric Dane has taken a break from his sex tapes and fender benders and is supporting his friend, Michael C Hall through his marriage break up.
Grey’s Anatomy’s McSteamy was spotted railing around his buddy, along with another friend, yesterday afternoon as they all ate lunch at a trendy café. Perhaps he isn’t all bad after all.
For those of you unfamiliar with Michael C Hall (I was one of them) he stars in US serial killer drama, Dexter, along with his newly separated wife Jennifer Carpenter. They play brother and sister on the show – is anyone else thinking this might get a bit awkward?
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