EXPLORE All The Shades of Grey

January 18, 2005. That's when the writers first convened to outline this episode. There's probably something to be said about a gestation period of nine months, maybe a metaphor to something else that can be conceived, developed, and delivered in that same period of time, but I don't know what that could be. What I do know, though, is that Krista Vernoff wrote this episode, she did so in a very short amount of time, and she did it while simultaneously producing a pilot of her own for ABC. This is the second episode Krista wrote, the first one being "Tomorrow Never Comes" (you might remember it as the episode with the patient with the 70 pound tumor). You'll be hearing from Krista in a few weeks, actually, when her third episode airs. But for now, Krista asked me to say a few words about this episode since she's already very busy at work writing & producing her fourth episode.

The writing of every episode of Grey's Anatomy begins with a theme. Sometimes that theme is dictated by our characters, where they need to be at a given time during the season, and other times the theme is dictated by the types of medical cases we want to include. From the onset, this was to be the episode when Ellis is checked into the hospital, when Meredith finally loses control of her secret. Once we figured this would also be the episode when Cristina's secret surfaces in the most dramatic way possible, the theme of "losing control" crystallized on its own. It was a natural fit since we're still dealing with Richard's loss of control over the hospital, not to mention the complete lack of control Derek has over his situation. Add to that a patient who can't control her own face - the blushing girl - and you've got multiple storylines all strung together by a singular, barely visible thread.

What's most interesting about this episode, though, aren't the changes made early on, during the writing and shooting, but the changes made much later. Of the four first season episodes carried over to season 2, this one probably needed the fewest tweaks to make it fit the beginning of a season, rather than the end of one. But we did continue to work on it, and the most noticeable change actually involves the blushing girl, Kelly. Originally, her story wasn't just about a woman undergoing a complex surgical operation to conquer her blushing problem. The way it was written and shot, Kelly was a hemophiliac with the blushing condition. But she hid her hemophilia from the hospital staff because she knew they wouldn't perform such a risky operation on a patient who could very easily bleed to death.

The story was dramatic. It had an interesting question - at what point do you risk your life just to be normal. It had a twist. But it didn't feel right. The twist complicated the plot, yes, and even offered a great act break (to keep you tuned in during a commercial, to see if they can save her or not), but it didn't add anything to the emotions of the characters. In fact, it made the patient less sympathetic because she essentially lied to the doctors. It turns out the story was more compelling when told straight-forward, without the twist. So in editing, any reference to hemophilia was removed, and the result is a story that feels more genuine in its emotions.

My job with the writers isn't to write. I'm more like an apprentice, here to observe and assist the writers and the writing process. And learn. And that was a great lesson for me - learning that in the world of drama, sometimes less truly is more.