Behind The Scenes: The Drama Behind the Drama

[AnitaM86]

The spewing really speaks volumes about parts of the fanbase.

Can we say that we didn't see it coming? 

 

Has it ever been revealed why Chyler left?

I thought she wanted to leave, no?

[Artsda]

She wanted off, but it was never said why she wanted off. After she died Shonda basically acted like Lexie never existed.

 

Shonda doesn't have a good track record. KH, TR, Chyler, Patrick, Tim Daly over at PP. 

Edited April 24, 2015 by Artsda

[windsprints]

I wouldn't expect a non-Derek fan to understand, but I don't blame the fans, me included.

I've always liked Derek and have been a fan of Patrick Dempsey since before Grey's. I don't like Meredith and therefore never was a MerDer fan. I'm also a big fan of TV and have been a fan of many characters of the years who have left shows/been killed off so I'm well aware of what it it like when it happens with a favorite character.

Can we say that we didn't see it coming?

I can. I posted here yesterday that I didn't believe the other actors in the cast would be getting hate. I was wrong. I'd hope most of them will not bother to read at all.

I thought she wanted to leave, no?

I recall something saying she wanted more time with her children. IIRC one or more of her children's has special needs. I don't recall any in depth interview though where she spoke openly about Grey's or her exit.

Edited April 24, 2015 by windsprints

[AnitaM86]

I recall something saying she wanted more time with her children. IIRC one or more of her children's has special needs. I don't recall any in depth interview though where she spoke openly about Grey's or her exit.

I recall the same explanation. I don't think there was any malice intent involved. 

 

I was wrong. I'd hope most of them will not bother to read at all.

 

Hopefully. I do find the cast's silence a bit odd. KMK and Kelly did tweet about it but the rest were surprisingly quiet. 

[JayCeeJ]

 

Hopefully. I do find the cast's silence a bit odd. KMK and Kelly did tweet about it but the rest were surprisingly quiet.

That's what seems so bizarre to me. Not a single member of the cast, even EP, could say "goodbye and good luck" to a colleague after 11 seasons? WTF? Did PD kill someone's puppy? Can't help but wonder if they were under orders to stay quiet or dare Shonda's wrath.

[Deanie87]

Maybe they did it in person or privately.

[AnitaM86]

Maybe they did it in person or privately.

Hopefully. Because most of them did tweet or said something publicly about SO. I found it odd that another one of their own with that amount of length on the show would be sort of quiet. 

[Tuleh2]

 

Can't help but wonder if they were under orders to stay quiet or dare Shonda's wrath.

Whether they are under orders or not... by not tweeting they are sending the message that PD doesn't deserve a proper sendoff, and that makes them look bad, IMO. (For crying out loud, they tweet about craft services!) Even JCap - who always seemed to be good buddies with PD - tweeted an RIP to the character, and didn't mention PD at all.

Edited April 24, 2015 by Tuleh2

[Artsda]

Ellen seemed to make light of it, posting a FloRida video and saying "they don't play." She hasn't address anything or anyone including the fans probably tweeting her.

[Eolivet]

Whoa! This shouldn't even be a blind item, it's so obvious...I can even hear Shonda's voice saying it:

 

http://blindgossip.com/?p=70892#more-70892

[windsprints]

Can't help but wonder if they were under orders to stay quiet

 

Its possible especially if there is any ongoing legal/financial contract disputes still being settled. And, even if not ordered to they may choose to if a situation like that is going on. I doubt everything is being made public. 

anyone including the fans probably tweeting her.

She's probably not reading them. Can't blame her.

 

ETA: if (and I don't doubt it) the blind item is true that really should explain why the cast isn't speaking up but YMMV.

Edited April 24, 2015 by windsprints

[Deanie87]

Hopefully. Because most of them did tweet or said something publicly about SO. I found it odd that another one of their own with that amount of length on the show would be sort of quiet.

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.

[java23]

Sometimes silence speaks volumes.

Nobody seems to be sorry he's gone.  Maybe all those diva stories are true. He's been talking about leaving the show for years What is it like to work with someone who gets paid all that money and really doesn't want to be there.

Now maybe the actors that do want the job can get more screen time. Yay!

[AnitaM86]

What is it like to work with someone who gets paid all that money and really doesn't want to be there.

The current job environment? 

 

I don't buy the diva rumors. I think if they'd were true we would be hearing about it a long time ago. It was 10 years. They could've faked some interest and care (if it's true that they didn't) and just say a 140 character farewell. KMK did one that was lovely. Not so hard, is it? 

 

Now maybe the actors that do want the job can get more screen time. Yay!

 

The joy. Amelia giving speeches and April still being there. Oh well, there was a point where I would have to stop caring. Maybe I'll finish The Wire now. Can't seem to get past S4. 

 

ETA: I do have to give credit to both parties (Shondaland and Patrick) for being cordial about the whole thing. Even if SR & ABC just talked in generic statements, at least they've handled this one better. For now. 

Edited April 24, 2015 by AnitaM86

[LakeLover]

Its possible especially if there is any ongoing legal/financial contract disputes still being settled. And, even if not ordered to they may choose to if a situation like that is going on. I doubt everything is being made public. 

She's probably not reading them. Can't blame her.

 

ETA: if (and I don't doubt it) the blind item is true that really should explain why the cast isn't speaking up but YMMV.

 

 

What storylines did he leak, if he's the object of the blind item?

 

Maybe Patrick was a miserable bastard, but the FANS who butter her bread, those of us who were there from the beginning, deserved much more.

[choclatechip45]

Maybe Patrick wasn't really close to anyone? Justin has always been publicly supportive of Katherine even promoting state of affairs on his twitter account. Ellen hung out with her after she left and so did Kate Walsh and SaRa. I don't buy that they are scared of Shonda's wrath.

[AnitaM86]

Maybe Patrick wasn't really close to anyone?

That wasn't certainly the impression with regard  with Ellen & Jessica. Sara always spoke like they had good times. He & Kevin also seemed to have a good relationship.

 

Ellen hung out with her after she left and so did Kate Walsh and SaRa.

Not anymore, at least after she had her baby girls. It was reported she attended ED's kids party but it's not the constant meet and greet.

 

Also, perhaps it's difficult to hang out with him with him in the Middle East right now. 

[pennben]

 

I do find the cast's silence a bit odd. KMK and Kelly did tweet about it but the rest were surprisingly quiet.

 

Well, Ellen did tweet this before the show "#TGIT We don't play #greysanatomy", which included a link to this instagram post which I found to be very funny.

Edited April 24, 2015 by pennben

[maasa]

I looked at a few of the cast member's mentions after the show aired and I wasn't at all shocked. It was as I expected, rage at people that had nothing to do with whether Patrick left the show or not or how his exit was handled. The main basis for the hatred was that the actors were not publicly making statements some fans felt were owed. I was not surprised since the MD fanbase has often come across as narcissistic (not everyone of course, but often enough on twitter, comments, message boards) believing they were the only fans who mattered to the show,etc. What I did not expect was the almost immediate way they turned on Ellen. I fully expected support for her and instead she received the same treatment as the others. I find it awful that (supposed) adults would behave this way. Being upset about a show in no way justifies being rude and hateful towards a person for simply not speaking/publishing the words you believe they should. I suppose its just an example of the bad side of the anonymity of the internet. By this point in the show I'm sure they are very used to being treated like that and can just shrug it off. Goodbyes can be said personally and people do not need to share their feelings and relationships with others with the world.

Ellen hung out with her after she left and so did Kate Walsh and SaRa.

Katie threw Ellen a baby shower just before leaving the show but that very well could have been something planned by ABC for PR. I do not believe Ellen and Katie are friends. Friends don't make public statements talking about the others' contract or career. Katie is still friendly with Justin and his wife and Kate.

 

Even if Patrick had major issues with the producers I'm sure he had friends. He was there and worked with these people for years and years. You can see in the bloopers and through photos, there appears to be plenty of evidence that his co-workers and he were friendly enough. These actors often work long actors and have families. I don't find it odd that they spotted together outside of work.

Edited April 24, 2015 by maasa

[Norma Desmond]

Here are my two cents on Derek's death, Patrick's departure and Shonda's shenanigans:

 

I am not as outraged as others but sure she could have handled things differently. Derek could have stayed in Washington, leaving Meredith single and maybe looking for love (or not), only to reunite with him in the her last scene on the show (like Carol Hathaway and Doug Ross). The fact that Patrick tweeted a picture of himself driving and holding his cell phone (was he tweeting? whatsapping?) and that Derek died because he was driving and looking for his cell phone seems very vindictive and petty. Just like with TR, she literally threw his character under the bus.

 

I don't hate her and I think she is a great storyteller even though she lets real life stuff get in the way of good fiction. Oh well 11 seasons is a pretty good run. If she's smart next season will be the last, just one more season to give a proper farewell to the characters we still care and maybe bring some of the old timers that left without a proper goodbye.

 

I personally don't give a damn about Meredith's long lost sister and the new interns. No one wants to watch a show with these people. Hell, even Bailey, who used to be my favorite early on, is now insufferable.

 

So Shonda, just kill this puppy. I am not nor has ever been a MerDer shipper but they were the heart and soul of this show. I don't think many will tune in after this. Just give these people a proper exit.

[Featherhat]

I think the way it happened, Derek carelessly driving in and an incompetent medical staff waiting for him was deliberate, it can't not have been a commentary about the way things ended, whichever party said "enough's enough" last year. It crazily reminds me of the time Joey from Friends angered his soap opera showrunner and fell down an elevator shaft and "they said the only person who could have fixed me was ....me". I've no idea what actually happened but that end did seem pointed. In a best case scenario it might have been a mutual in-joke.

As for the cast not tweeting. IDK. Even if he was unpopular the usual thing to do is say something vaguely nicely harmless and draw a line. There might be a number of other reasons they en-masse haven't said anything, including being advised to let things calm down and not draw a show into yet another fandom war. Maybe that's the same reason SR hasn't given her usual post death interview, they thought it would blow up and are being advised against engaging yet. Or there are other issues beyond "being a diva actor/showrunner" that are still being worked out.

Edited April 24, 2015 by Featherhat

[choclatechip45]

I agree I don't think Katie and Ellen are friends Anymore. I remember around the time Katie was on maternity leave Ellen and TR were photographed together in Katie's neighborhood which was really at the height of Katie's contract drama.

I don't mean it as a bad thing Patrick wasn't close to close anyone. He had a family when he started greys and busy movie career during the first few seasons, and his racing career. Just because people work together dosent mean they are the best of friends. Honestly the Greys cast never seemed super close. Besides the friendships between Katie/TR, Ellen/Jesse, Justin/Kate/Katie/Sara, Kate/TR and Ellen seemed close with both TR and Katie when they were on the show.

Besides the whole Isiah incident and Ellen being outspoken about Katie I can't remember any actor on Greys bad mouthing each other in interviews. I think the difference with Sandra is that

she was the most respected actor on set.

I think people are taking the cast twitter reactions way to seriously.

Edited April 24, 2015 by choclatechip45

[Greysaddict]

I hope as time passes we learn some of what went on behind the scenes.  There is definite drama going on.  I sort of hope Patrick slips and says something during a race interview because he always seems looser during them.  Of course, its still too fresh so I don't expect anything to come out soon....but I hope one day.  I agree that it's very odd that the majority of the cast and crew hasn't wished Patrick luck or said goodbyes, especially since they were all so hyped for this "epic" episode.  I believe only Kelly and Kevin tweeted about him personally?  Seems strange that none of this longtime cast members would say anything.  If something went down between him and Ellen (NOT saying it did), they really were excellent of putting it aside for the filming.

 

I've been reflecting back on this season as a whole and what went wrong.  Even though Patrick said he found out in Feb/March, I believe she had it planned since the beginning of the season (or really the end of S10).  I think maybe Patrick knew he was going to be leaving this season earlier, but didn't learn his character would die until the winter.   

Edited April 24, 2015 by Greysaddict

[Deanie87]

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.

Edited April 24, 2015 by Deanie87

[LakeLover]

I only watched the episode once, and I'm not sure I have the stomach to watch it again, but there were way too many jabs in Derek's dialog that point me toward thinking Shonda is a vindictive, nasty person - everything from someone thinking the driver was a "middle-aged man with a mid-life crisis" to Derek saying, "...I'm not driving fast enough for you" to something the song lyrics, the FOCUS on the Porsche name on his trunk, and I'm sure there are about a million more (maybe one about spending too much time in the car).

 

I'm bitter and angry and I'll get over it, but I think Shonda, in her attempt to punish and castigate Patrick, gave a big "Fuck You" to loyal fans. I wonder if she thought the reaction would somehow be different than it's been. Patrick was nice enough to send a tweet to fans. Count me as unimpressed by his co-workers' silence. Ellen posting funny tweets moments before the episode was to air was disrespectful, if not to him, then to his fans.

[Featherhat]

I don't mean it as a bad thing Patrick wasn't close to close anyone. He had a family when he started greys and busy movie career during the first few seasons, and his racing career. Just because people work together dosent mean they are the best of friends. Honestly the Greys cast never seemed super close. Besides the friendships between Katie/TR, Ellen/Jesse, Justin/Kate/Katie/Sara, Kate/TR and Ellen seemed close with both TR and Katie when they were on the show.

I think people are taking the cast twitter reactions way to seriously.

I think you're right really. They work together, and that's all that is contractually demanded of them. It just so happens that unlike my office people get attached to fictional characters who are portrayed as close, even when the actors who don't always want to spend extra curricular time with each other than I do with people I've been working with at least 10 hours a day. And that is a job where we aren't under pressure to say how awesome each other is in public.

It seems divisions opened up fairly early on, and they all had their own lives, this was never a cast who revealed they had Sunday Shakespeare BBQs together. I hope they generally make it work on set and I do think this radio silence is weird and that no one is telling any version of the whole truth. PD sounded DONE long before he claims he was shocked, but maybe that's his usual negotiation tactic. Shrug.

Ellen will probably now be with the show as long as it continues, SR will be a creator for other ABC shows and PD doesn't seem short of options....

[LakeLover]

I looked at a few of the cast member's mentions after the show aired and I wasn't at all shocked. It was as I expected, rage at people that had nothing to do with whether Patrick left the show or not or how his exit was handled. The main basis for the hatred was that the actors were not publicly making statements some fans felt were owed. I was not surprised since the MD fanbase has often come across as narcissistic (not everyone of course, but often enough on twitter, comments, message boards) believing they were the only fans who mattered to the show,etc. What I did not expect was the almost immediate way they turned on Ellen. I fully expected support for her and instead she received the same treatment as the others. I find it awful that (supposed) adults would behave this way. Being upset about a show in no way justifies being rude and hateful towards a person for simply not speaking/publishing the words you believe they should. I suppose its just an example of the bad side of the anonymity of the internet.

 

 

Well, the fact that the cast joyfully tweeted "where is Derek?" and Ellen posting that video like she was celebrating something was awful. People who act like that attract criticism.

 

I think no matter how bad it got, they all shot themselves and the show in the foot by this reaction. Shonda is being harshly criticized by this character death and the WAY she did it, and not just by fans.

[pennben]

 

Ellen posting that video like she was celebrating something was awful.

 

I think Ellen posted that video because she knew a twitter shitstorm was coming.  And she was right. 

Edited April 24, 2015 by pennben

[choclatechip45]

I think if Shonda killed ANY regulars she was going to be criticized. I remember reading articles right after Sandra Oh announced she was leaving of people coming up with ways Shonda would kill Cristina. I've honestly always thought the reason she didn't kill Cristina was to prove to everyone she could write a regular off without killing them.

[LakeLover]

I think Ellen posted that video because she knew a twitter shitstorm was coming.  And she was right. 

 

 

And that's appropriate because...?

I think if Shonda killed ANY regulars she was going to be criticized. I remember reading articles right after Sandra Oh announced she was leaving of people coming up with ways Shonda would kill Cristina. I've honestly always thought the reason she didn't kill Cristina was to prove to everyone she could write a regular off without killing them.

 

No, I don't think that's why she wasn't killed.

[pennben]

 

And that's appropriate because...?

 

Because, why not.  Also, it was very funny.

[windsprints]

Shonda being criticized/judged by critics and fans regarding the episode is expected. Shonda runs the show. Shonda wrote Derek's exit. It was something she controlled and is responsible for.  The actors? Not at all responsible and I am 99.999% certain that Derek's exit was completely out of their control. 

I think people are taking the cast twitter reactions way to seriously.

 

+1 This kind of situation is why actors leave twitter or barely bother to send a tweet, IMO.

Edited April 24, 2015 by windsprints

[LakeLover]

Because, why not.  Also, it was very funny.

 

I thought it was disrespectful.

[pennben]

 

+1 This kind of situation is why actors leave twitter or barely bother to send a tweet, IMO.

 

Exactly! The shit Ellen and others got on twitter last night was ridiculous.  Hence, I found Ellen's "emergency" warning hilarious, because she knew she was going to be subject to abuse all night on twitter.

Edited April 24, 2015 by pennben

[Tuleh2]

 

Exactly! The shit Ellen and others got on twitter last night was ridiculous.  Hence, I found Ellen's "emergency" warning hilarious, because she knew she was going to be subject to abuse all night on twitter.

But the impression it left to some followers was that it didn't matter to her that fans were/were going to be upset.

 

Look, I loathe twitter and wish it didn't exist. (I felt a lot more hopeful about the human race before it was invented.) But when celebrities use it, they're sending out 140-character press releases, whether they intend to or not. They used to leave that shit to publicists, and they looked better for it.

Edited April 25, 2015 by Tuleh2

[LakeLover]

You know, if THIS MANY actors are "difficult" and need to leave the show, perhaps one should look at the common thread - Shonda.

[choclatechip45]

the Ellen thing was weird even though it made me laugh. I thought it was odd cus of how glowingly Patrick spoke of her in his EW article.

[LakeLover]

the Ellen thing was weird even though it made me laugh. I thought it was odd cus of how glowingly Patrick spoke of her in his EW article.

 

So far, Patrick is the only one coming out of this not looking like an asshole. Maybe he is an asshole, but he's handling this with grace and kindness. His "thank you" to the fans is thoughtful, too.

[choclatechip45]

I feel like I would have had more respect for Patrick if he had went the TR way of things kept his mouth shut and not given cryptic information before the episode aired and done his press after the episode aired. I don't think Patrick went about things all that professionally. I agree he is coming off well in the aftermath I also think Shonda is doing the smart thing and keeping her mouth shut. The only person I feel like has handled it badly is Ellen.

eta TR should seriously hold talks on how to be a professional during a shitty work situation.

Edited April 25, 2015 by choclatechip45

[brightside]

 

So far, Patrick is the only one coming out of this not looking like an asshole. Maybe he is an asshole, but he's handling this with grace and kindness. His "thank you" to the fans is thoughtful, too.

 

Agreed. Maybe he is a diva or an asshole--but frankly from what I've been able to tell, what Shonda considers "diva" is "having serious concerns and criticism about the storylines and writing". Patrick hasn't been shy about concerns in the past, and I've always had the impression that he's clashed with Shonda, a least a little. But so far he is the only one behaving with grace and poise.

[pennben]

Oh no, Ellen didn't say she loved Patrick last night on twitter!  She is a monster!  She didn't quit her job trying to save him!  She is horrible!

 

For all we know, she didn't agree with this decision, but she is a professional and not speaking out against her bosses and fulfilling her contract. But, I guess if she doesn't behave precisely how some expect, well, she's awful too. 

 

Honestly, I thought it was a quite playful nod to fans who know what happens when things happen on this show. 

 

As for Dempsey taking the highroad....well, duh. Easy play for him.

Edited April 25, 2015 by pennben

[Deanie87]

As for Dempsey taking the highroad....well, duh. Easy play for him.

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.

[Tuleh2]

 

Maybe he is a diva or an asshole--but frankly from what I've been able to tell, what Shonda considers "diva" is "having serious concerns and criticism about the storylines and writing".

The "he was being a diva on set" story is too vague for me. He's an ACTOR. Any mouthbreather in search of clicks could make that up. And it's hardly cause for breaking a contract. The lack of particulars makes me suspicious. And I understand Shonda says she has a "no assholes" policy, but from a legal standpoint, I would think if Charlie Sheen, Alec Baldwin and Terrence Howard can work in TV, the threshold for what constitutes asshole behavior should be pretty damn high.

[choclatechip45]

Oh no, Ellen didn't say she loved Patrick last night on twitter! She is a monster! She didn't quit her job trying to save him! She is horrible!

For all we know, she didn't agree with this decision, but she is a professional and not speaking out against her bosses and fulfilling her contract. But, I guess if she doesn't behave precisely how some expect, well, she's awful too.

Honestly, I thought it was a quite playful nod to fans who know what happens when things happen on this show.

As for Dempsey taking the highroad....well, duh. Easy play for him.

I've always found Ellen interesting because she seems to enjoy the interviews/press/interacting with fans a lot more now than she did when the show first started. It's usually the other way around. I remember back in the early days all of the rumors about how her and Sandra Oh hated each other and her and Patrick were secretly having an affair. Or the fans who think jessica/SaRa are romantically together. Grey fans can be crazy! Edited April 25, 2015 by choclatechip45

[pennben]

 

Grey fans can be crazy!

 

True dat!!!

[Eolivet]

The "he was being a diva on set" story is too vague for me. He's an ACTOR. Any mouthbreather in search of clicks could make that up. And it's hardly cause for breaking a contract. The lack of particulars makes me suspicious. And I understand Shonda says she has a "no assholes" policy, but from a legal standpoint, I would think if Charlie Sheen, Alec Baldwin and Terrence Howard can work in TV, the threshold for what constitutes asshole behavior should be pretty damn high.

 

Yeah, the most interesting part of the blind item -- to me -- wasn't what Dempsey did or didn't do, but what the blind item reveals about how much power Shonda now has. As I've said before, I don't think ABC cares whether she killed George, Lexie, Denny, Mark, or the electrocuted intern (...Heather? Mousey?). But I had always gone into this situation thinking that Dempsey controlled his character's fate (in a way) -- that ABC would not allow Derek to be killed if there was a chance Dempsey would come back. If true, this blind item shows that Shonda was likely able to overrule the network and kill one of the tentpoles of the show, and arguably its most famous actor. (You know ABC would've preferred a live Derek over a dead Derek).

 

To go briefly off-topic for a moment, this also supports the idea that her deaths are somewhat personal because other than guest and recurring characters, she's only killed one regular on Scandal (who likely received the Disney boot out the door, so she had nothing to do with it). Scandal has a criminal enterprise operating at the government level and several characters who were former torturers, and only one regular has ever died? Grey's has an array of mostly unremarkable surgeons going to work at an urban trauma center, and their regulars routinely drop like flies? Does not compute.

Edited April 25, 2015 by Eolivet

[windsprints]

Scandal is in season 4. The first regular character on Grey's who died was George wasn't it? That was season 5. Give her time.

Grey's has an array of mostly unremarkable surgeons going to work at an urban trauma center, and their regulars routinely drop like flies?

 

SGM is cursed?

Edited April 25, 2015 by windsprints

[Tuleh2]

 

But I had always gone into this situation thinking that Dempsey controlled his character's fate (in a way) -- that ABC would not allow Derek to be killed if there was a chance Dempsey would come back. If true, this blind item shows that Shonda was likely able to overrule the network and kill one of the tentpoles of the show, and arguably its most famous actor.

I've argued in the Spoilers & Speculation thread that I think Shonda always intended to kill Derek (I won't rehash my reasons here) before EP left the show. In her statement about PD leaving, Shonda said: "I absolutely never imagined saying goodbye to our ‘McDreamy.’" COME. ON. Never?

 

I think Shonda knew she wanted to do that from the beginning of The Year of Meredith.

 

I don't think PD bothered to argue about his storylines much at this point (compared to say, SO). After all, he was happy to have time off to race. But I think he would have had a BIG problem with Derek dying. And he had a contract (which was probably renewed almost automatically with ABC - the renewals were announced alot earlier than they had been previously).

 

So I think Shonda made scheduling his races more difficult than in the past. He mentioned in the EW article that his exit was decided around February/March. He missed both Sebring and the Le Mans Prologue which must have made him livid (that hurts his relationships with his racing sponsors). And those scheduling problems could have been engineered/exacerbated by Shonda to cause trouble with the cast/crew and sour everything so badly that he would want to leave. It wouldn't take much. Giving an actor time off for racing is an unusual perk (and I doubt many of PD's colleagues in Hollywood can relate to his passion for it).

 

ETA: Being pissed off about Derek being killed could explain why PD said that he would be leaving soon back in November. An FU to Shonda.

Edited April 25, 2015 by Tuleh2

[Greysaddict]

I've argued in the Spoilers & Speculation thread that I think Shonda always intended to kill Derek (I won't rehash my reasons here) before EP left the show. In her statement about PD leaving, Shonda said: "I absolutely never imagined saying goodbye to our ‘McDreamy.’" COME. ON. Never?

 

I think Shonda knew she wanted to do that from the beginning of The Year of Meredith.

Tuleh2, can you link the post you are referring to? Since the episode ended I've also come to the conclusion that I think Shonda always intended for Derek to die before the series ended. I don't believe she ever planned for them finish the series together. I'd love to see your thoughts.

[Deanie87]

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.