“Grey’s” Tackles Animal Experimentation
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- November
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On October 30’s “Life During Wartime,” the writers of the popular medical show addressed the controversial topic of the medical community’s practice of experimenting on live animals. Both sides were given airtime about the subject when Dr. Hunt, Seattle Grace’s new head of the trauma unit, had the second-year residents and the interns use live but sedated pigs to sharpen their skills in the ER. Before the ep started and at the half-hour break, the network announced that no animals had been harmed in the making of it. So, obviously, the six pigs were fake, but we all know that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of companies-among them pharmaceutical and those that make medical instruments-around the world that practice vivisection. 
Meanwhile, nothing was said about the deplorable conditions and slaughterhouse deaths that creatures such as chickens, ducks, cows and countless other animals endure before they end up on our dining room tables.
Moving on to the ep’s lighter sides, the life of 10-year-old patient Tori, who had a supposedly inoperable tumor in her abdomen, was saved with help from Meredith. Whodda thunk that her Anatomy Jane doll would have been instrumental in saving the girl’s life. Another important subject was addressed when Tori father told a sympathic Chief how hard it is dealing with the bureaucracy of hospitals and doctors.
Hahn was a crabby Debbie Downer (Bailey afterward told her she had been “a bully and a pain in the ass”) during the operation-and the whole day, as a matter of fact-because Callie didn’t share her excitement regarding her realization that Hahn, as she herself put it, is “extremely gay.”
Callie (twice, and in the on-call room) enlisted the help of Sloane to assure herself that she still enjoyed the company of men. Why, however, can’t she just accept the fact that she’s bisexual and needn’t be a die-hard homosexual or heterosexual?
Dippy Lexie spent the episode giving George the cold shoulder because he didn’t have reciprocal romantic feelings for her. In the end, though, she grew up and realized that it wasn’t HIS fault that she was suffering from a case of unrequited love. Haven’t we ALL been through that once? I long ago discovered the unpleasant reality that you can’t force someone to love you. Thank goodness she did, and will, we hope, not spend any more time on that fruitless effort.
Looks like Izzie and Alex have decided to be exclusively to one another. If I were Iz, I’d insist that man-whore Alex get tested for every sexually communicable disease on the planet. 
Viewers were spared from the MerDer Sturm und Drang that accompanies most installments of “Grey’s.” It was a welcome break to not have to hear to them fight and then Meredith’s inevitable whining. Let’s hope that it stays that way for a while.
George’s vacant intern spot was plugged by a new doctor-in-training, Brian Spaulding. The writers actually gave the character a first AND last name, which leads me to believe that he will be part of storylines down the road.
This chapter of “Grey’s” included a Christmas-themed commercial, for some air freshener that lets your home smell as if gingerbread cookies had just come out of the oven. OCTOBER! Sure, it was the end of October, but couldn’t they even had the decency to wait two more days? Get ready, folks, the onslaught of Christmas ads has begun.
On Thursday, in “Rise Up,” the Chief’s announcement that a solo surgery will be awarded to the residents sends them into a competitive frenzy. (Cristina will No doubt be frothing at the mouth with that challenge!) Meanwhile, Derek turns to Bailey for advice when he feels Cristina is interfering in his relationship with Meredith, and Erica discovers a shocking connection between one of her surgical residents and a longtime patient.
(Photos: ABC/Eric McCandless; ABC/Scott Garfield.)
This entry was posted
on Monday, November 3rd, 2008 at 11:08 am by Jenny Higgons.
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