Deanie87

As long as when it's Justin Chambers' turn he can say "I am excited that I will have a storyline that doesn't revolve around women's personal hygiene and neuroses. I am excited that I can go back to playing the complex character that I played for the previous ten years. I am excited that I will have a true storyline showcasing the ways that Alex has grown both professionally and personally and also reflecting the issues he still needs to overcome." If we were ever to get that statement, I would die of exhilaration, joy and delight!

I am curious about this episode being 2 hours. It seems like a lot is going on and there is a time jump but still. I just hope it isn't half filled with flashbacks/scenes that we have already watched. Too much of that and I feel like I'm watching a fan video on YT. I also wonder when they decided to expand to 2 hours and when they got it all filmed. Apparently they just finished rditng next week's episode so they are really on a time crunch.

No, I meant more recently. If there were any problems, I assume that they involved this season only. I just meant that perhaps whatever it was happened, no crew or other cast member said anything or planned to, but just waited for it to blow over. But then it didn't, and the reaction was more extreme than some people imagined it would be, and so people who weren't going to say anything did, albeit some anonymously. I certainly don't think that whatever went on is a longtime issue.

I am beginning to wonder about Arizona. I have seen some promo and bts photos for the next few episodes but I don't remember seeing her. Anyone know the status of JCap's contract?

People are complaining about him now because he is leaving and everyone is focused on it. Is it possible that the cast and crew actually have been taking the high road before this and any problems were just not reported? The gruesome ending is 100% on Shonda. It was just crappy writing. But I don't believe that Patrick had absolute nothing to do with things getting to that point to begin with.

I'm wondering if the reaction hadn't been so vitriolic, and so widespread against cast and crew, that maybe people would have just stayed mum. But some it was so personal and rude that perhaps people felt they wanted to get their piece in. I still think that the truth is in the middle. Everyone has their biases.

If anyone is pregnant, it will probably be Amelia or Meredith, I really don't think it will be Jo. I think that the marriage will be Richard and Catherine, but it worries me that they are supposedly in hospital beds. I still think that more characters will be leaving by the end of the season.

If the cast and crew say nothing publicly then they are either disrespectful or cowering under Shonda's martial law. When anyone says anything, it is met with scorn. People aren't going to be happy until someone comes out and says that they made the worst mistake in TV history, that PD was a joy to work with every single day and that Shonda is vindictive and forced PD out even though he begged to stay. Whether or not any of this is true is irrelevant. Nothing else will be believed or accepted. Any other suggestion is dismissed as Shonda planting rumors or outright fabrication. I don't expect anything from anyone soon and the more negativity they are met with the less likely other people will come out voluntarily. Shonda made a statement, people just don't like it.

I didn't necessarily mean that. I have seen tweets to the cast about people not eating for days because they are so upset, throwing up, crying non-stop, etc. and I took her statement as a gentle reminder that in the big scheme of things, this is the death of a fictional character and we will get through it. She mentions that people are going through horrible tragedies everyday, and there is a lot of that right now. Maybe that isn't her place or maybe I am just reading some of my own thoughts into it. Yes, she wants people to keep watching and she didn't address the PD situation, but I liked the statement regardless of who wrote it.

I agree with that and I agree that many people turn to TV as an escape for these things. But after seeing some of the over the top gnashing of teeth/pulling of hair responses that have been sent her way, I kind of don't blame her for gently putting a fictional character's death in perspective.

It also sounds to me like a reminder that real horrors are going on in the world and that maybe people should get a little perspective.

Yes, please. Jo was funny and snarky (and competent for an intern) when she first arrived and through the first half of season 10. Then she and Alex got less of a storyline and she became more of a generic girlfriend/lesson recipient. I want her backstory to be explored some and for to be snarky again. They were able to flesh out Maggie and integrate her with members of the cast (even if it felt forced at times), so if they are going to keep her on the show (which I hope they do) then they need to write for her and give her the same attention that they gave to Maggie, Amelia, and hell, even Geena Davis. I hope that the time jump allows her to become a better doctor, settle on a specialty (ortho would be my choice), and have a real storyline with Alex, even if that means angst or a breakup. Just no third parties (and that includes Meredith) or babies please.

I don't think KH would ever come back and I wouldn't want Alex to end up with Izzie, but I think it would be interesting if she showed up. Or maybe her mother with The Eggs. Dun dun DUN!

Sadly, I think you are right. I think the deer shocking and Izzie's departure were veiled comments but I think that Shonda believed 100% in her heart that the season 5 Denny stuff was beautiful and deep. Just because, I want to mention again that Lexie was eaten by wolves. EATEN BY WOLVES!!! It really isn't funny but I'll be damned if I don't crack up every time I type it.

I totally agree. I really hope that next week's episode honors his character better.

It's all speculation. EW interviewed Patrick so they got his side of the story and I would imagine that, like anyone, he is going to want to be seen in the best light. The fact that ABC is willing to work with him again says a great deal about the situation, but the fact that the writer gets the impression that he may have become something of a distraction/problem on set is valid too, IMO. As far as coworkers staying silent, I don't think that we are entitled to anything from any of them. Maybe they are being silenced by Shonda/ABC or maybe they are not all that upset that he is gone. Most likely, they are just so tired of having to deal with stupid bullshit backtage issues and just want it to be over and done with.

Based on the fact that he clearly had other interests and those interests were interfering with his job on Greys. I don't know what his contract said, none of us do. This seems to be what he wanted. Him leaving is NOT something that was being forced on him in any way shape or form. Either he broke his contract or the powers that be decided that they couldn't accommodate what he wanted going forward. HE wanted this. Not Derek dying necessarily but to leave or to significantly cut back his time on Greys. That was HIS choice. They accommodated him once and maybe just werent willing to do so again. Maybe they reneged on their end, I don't know. But because he either wanted out or special accommodation (unlike most members of the cast) Shonda had to deal with it. Shonda is keeping radio silence right now, and probably will for awhile. Maybe she will come out and say that he wanted to leave. Or maybe she is just going to take the heat and hope it blows over and move on to the next thing. I'm not trying to blame him but to act as though he is a complete non-entity in this whole situation just isn't true.

Divorce is one way she could have done it. After all, Derek cheated in DC so Meredith wouldn't necessarily been a complete villain in that scenario and then if Dempsey was willing and able to come back for the finale, they could have reconciled. But do you really think that there wouldn't have been an uproar over cheating and divorce? So then Shonda would then have to come out and say, "well guys it was either this or death.". I just don't see that happening. God help me, but I think that this is a little unfair to Shonda. Let's keep in mind that it was Patrick Dempsey who wanted off the show, or at least for the cast, crew and writers to accommodate his time off. I am not blaming him. He has been on the show for a long time, is stuck with a ridiculous nickname that he will be hard pressed to shed, and not given a whole lot of material to work with when he was there. I get it. And maybe when he originally signed his contract everyone involved thought that giving him time off would be easier than it was. Maybe he thought he could do both acting and racing with no problem and then just became exhausted. Who knows the reason? But the fact is that this situation was HIS choice. I truly believe that Shonda is vindictive and Derek's death was cheap and awful. But I simply don't believe that Shonda has been rubbing her hands in glee just waiting to kill off Derek. It has been pointed out many, many times that he is the face of Greys and the most popular, well known entity on the show. Why would Shonda deliberately destroy that if she didn't have to? Patrick has every right to leave the show, this is his life. But to act as though all of these things had nothing to do with him is just silly. He was the impetus for the whole situation.

I think it all depends on ow long EP stays. If she leaves after 12, then I don't think that they will have her hooking up with anyone, although if she goes back to dark and twisty sleeping with inapppropriate men is kind of her thing so I guess you never know. But if she stays longer than that I bet that they would give her a new love interest. If she goes back to nuero can we get rid of Amelia? I also think that at least one more cast member is going to leave, maybe even die.

I have always thought that if PD wanted to leave before EP that Derek would have to die. Bu if they had both stayed for a full season 12, then they would have ended up together. She may have had a flash forward in the finale with Mer as a widow with Cristina, but I don't think that she would have killed him in a present day storyline. I am skeptical about PD not knowing that he was leaving until Feb/March. That was last month and he has apparently been negotiating for more time off at the very least for awhile now, so he HAD to know that it was a possibility. It's possible that the means of Derek's departure wasnt official until recently, but I don't buy him hinting about leaving in November and then being broadsided last month. We will never know exactly what happened (at least until E! Investigates) but I am taking everything that PD and Shonda/ABC says with a sprinkle of salt.

Alex is already tied to Meredith for life as her friend. I think that bond is much stronger than the one that Mer has with Maggie. And Mer wasn't thrilled in the past with friends dating her sister(Alex or Mark), so I don't know that this would bring them closer. Maybe it's because I absolutely 100% do not want it happen, but I just think it would come out of nowhere. It's true that Alex and Jo were barely onscreen together, but when they were they we're solid and happy. My hope is that season 12 will be it, and by the premiere enough time will have passed that Alex can have a life and storyline of his own with Jo. He deserves it after doing nothing all season. I still want him to be there for Meredith, but not at her beck and call, and it would be nice if she reciprocated every once and awhile. Like many of you, though probably for different reasons, I am ready to wipe this season out of my memory. My hope is that all of the backstage drama is over, at least for awhile, and that the writers can do a better job of spreading the storylines around.

As much as I disliked the way Shonda wrote Derek's death, I have to agree. Patrick got what he wanted. Maybe not the way he wanted it, but he is now free to pursue other things. That wasn't Shonda's choice, I'm sure she would have preferred that he stayed. PD may have had problems with Shonda and the writing, etc. but the bottom line is he got what he wanted so there really isn't much of a low road to take.

I think Shonda's biggest mistake is that she takes backstage stuff out on her characters, which only lessens HER show. As an example, when KH was reportedly acting up, she had to shock a deer and have ghost sex. Shonda's"vengeance" caused her show to become a laughingstock. Then Izzie left in the bitchiest way imaginable, spouting words to Meredith that were clearly meant to be a comment on KH herself. Izzie deserved better. George deserved better than being ignored all season, then literally thrown under a bus. Lexie deserved better than to be eaten.by.fucking.wolves. Derek deserved better than to die alone listening to people kill him. I guess Mark got a decent send off all things considered, but Shonda didn't seem to have a problem with Eric Dane. All of these actors will be fine, but Shonda keeps shooting herself in the foot by letting her anger or pettiness or whatever you want to call it, cheapen her show and betray these beloved (in a group sense not necessarily as individuals) characters, which were HER creations to begin with. I'm not sure why she keeps doing it, maybe she doesn't care. As far as Derek, the way he died was awful. But I'm not sure that keeping him alive but nowhere to be seen for the next 24+ episodes would have worked. Fans were complaining when he was gone for 6. Just for the sake of argument, what if PD said he wasn't interested in coming back at all, but maybe for the finale if he was free. What if EP said she may want to continue after 12? What then? Everything is in a state of limbo and Derek literally would have never been seen again or worse, could be killed/leave Meredith for another woman/abandon his kids, etc. offscreen. Would that have been any better? I don't know. I read plenty of fans saying that they hated the episodes where he wasn't there and that they would watch only when he came back. Well, that may have been a whole season at least, and if his fans aren't watching anyway, why keep him alive in the hopes that one day down the road he might have time to make a cameo in the finale. I'm not saying that is definitely how it would have been but it's a possibility. His actual death was awful and disrespectful to the character, but him dying may have been the best thing for him in the long run.

I hope so too. I always prefer to think of casts getting along. The rumor that Mulder and Scully are dating keeps me warm at night even all these years later.

Maybe they did it in person or privately.