The Genius That is Shonda Rhimes

The Genius That is Shonda Rhimes

I am a loyal women. It might be hard to get me in – I leave movies that are uninteresting, drop books that don’t capture my attention in the first chapter, and I don’t finish TV shows that don’t hook me in the very first episode. But once I am in, I am a lifer.  This is true, without fail, for most everything in my life. From friendships to lipstick colors, to books to recipes to clothes. I originally started watching Grey’s Anatomy during the third season; my brother was watching one day while we were at my mom’s house for a visit, so I joined him. And that was all she wrote. I went back and watched the first two seasons and now I have watched every aired episode of Grey’s Anatomy at least one time.

Shonda Rhimes is a magical creator and she managed to construct a project that is organically relevant and relatable. I LOVE that Shonda will take it there – she kills babies, people get divorced, people die, she discusses interracial relationships and sex reassignment surgery, she has characters who are atheists and characters who believe in God wholeheartedly, characters who are rich and characters who are poor. She really takes the show through the life cycle.  And what I love most about the show is that every character is uniquely complex and even as the characters grow (many characters that are on the show now have been cast members since season five), they only really become more of who they are. Shonda gives her cast a chance to evolve while staying true to their humanistic qualities that allow me to relate to them. Furthermore, as an African American woman, it is refreshing and inspiring to be a part of a show that casts and praises women and people of color. SO- I support her work. I watched Private Practice when it aired and I have seen and am currently watching Scandal and How to get Away With Murder.

Jerrod and I started watching Grey’s from the beginning last September because naturally, I just cannot date someone who doesn’t know Grey.  Re-watching the show is such a treat. It is like watching an old video of my friends and getting reacquainted with all of their past memories. We are on Season 8 and every season has been good so far -- pretty much every show is still exciting and emotional.  This foundational brilliance is enough to keep me forever. Admittedly, there are some upcoming seasons that ebb more than they flow, but even if there are five mediocre shows in a row, that sixth one always reminds me why I started watching in the first place. It is undoubtedly hard to write fourteen seasons where every show is excellent. And that isn’t life either. It is about the commitment and dependability – staying even when things aren’t perfect. Even when I am mad at Shonda -- like when she killed off Derrick and I ALMOST considered giving up on the show—I still stuck with her. Because I am loyal to her vision and to the show. And, gawd I love Grey’s. It doesn’t seem as though the show is ending anytime soon and I am here for its entirety.

Thank you Shonda for blessing us with the greatness that is Grey’s Anatomy.