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De-Gaying Grey's Anatomy
A lesbian television producer and uncompromising Grey’s fan on why she’s finally giving up the Mc-naming nonsense—and tuning in to The Rachel Maddow Show instead.
The TV Guide description read: Erica discovers a shocking connection between one of her residents and a longtime patient. But what it should have said is Erica discovers a shocking revelation—she and her only primetime network lesbian storyline have been dumped by ABC.
I haven’t been this pissed off at television executives since Comedy Central cancelled Strangers with Candy.
Figuring out why ABC chose to be as antiseptic as Seattle Grace’s operating rooms is not as easy as one, two, three. Start here: Make up your mind. In the past the network has been supportive of gay issues. T.R. Knight, an out and outspoken gay actor, was cast in a leading role on Grey’s, and the show went so far as to fire co-star Isaiah Washington for his homophobic slurs. Yet, when fictional character Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith) confesses, “I am so, so, so gay," the actress gets fired?
Should we see Smith again, I’m praying it’s in a new series titled Privates Practice, you know, wherein she’s an out lesbian gynecologist.
For those of you unfamiliar with the history of this outrage, it began last season when two female doctors—gasp!—kissed in the season finale. It ended, apparently, last week when ABC announced it was flat-lining the lesbian plotline. The show’s producer, Shonda Rhimes, says the pink slip had nothing to do with the character’s sexuality. But it just so happened that in the episode before Smith’s firing, the two lesbian lovers were in bed, post-coitus.
Clearly, ABC doesn’t know a good thing when it sees it. With only a handful of lesbian or bisexual relationships on premium channels and daytime television, the network has no idea how desperate we lesbians are to see ourselves on television (and not as killers or vampires, thank you).
In a move that was, perhaps, ABC’s effort to appease a broader audience, let it be known that it has offended a loyal one. One that was willing to endure the Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) flashbacks, and the Mc-naming nonsense, and the feeling that Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) could go Ally McBeal at any moment. One that had high hopes for where new lovers Erica and Callie (Sara Ramirez) might have taken us. And even though Grey’s was oftentimes a show with more drama off-camera than on, it still remained appointment television for me. Until now. Would it have been just too, too much to see two women together in primetime?
It’s fitting that the last episode of this storyline is called Rise Up. Avid viewers of the show have certainly done so. Also appropriate is the opening voiceover that tells the audience that death is the only thing it can count on. We are lead to believe that there might have been some method to ABC’s madness, some correlation between this statement and the death of Erica’s character and the lesbian storyline. But we’re fooled. Again. ABC does little to explain these endings, or have the writer’s concoct a respectable exit strategy. Instead, there are only two Erica-Callie exchanges. The first has nothing to do with their relationship; the second is supposed to wrap things up for the viewer.
“…there is no gray matter. …you can’t kind of be a lesbian,” says Hahn.
“Yes, I can,” responds Callie, alluding to her bi-sexuality.
“I don’t know you at all,” replies Hahn.
CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW BROOKE SMITH'S LAST SCENE
The rest we’ll coin Addison’s Disease. Kate Walsh’s Dr. Addison Montgomery drove off to Cali in her last episode. Brooke Smith’s Dr. Erica Hahn walks away from Callie in hers. When the former resurfaced, it was with a spin-off called Private Practice. Should we see Smith again, I’m praying it’s in a new series titled Privates Practice, you know, wherein she’s an out lesbian gynecologist.
In the meantime, let the bisexuals swing both ways if they must. As for me, I’m hereby canceling my appointment with Grey. I can and will only go one way on Thursdays at 9pm—directly to The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. The place for politics and the place with balls enough to keep a lesbo on in primetime.
Gail Eisenberg is the humor editor of Ducts.org and co-writer and co-star of Cat Eisenberg, Dog Eisenberg, an original multiplatform series commissioned by LOGO. She is currently developing a reality series for Bravo, in partnership with Jack Lechner and World of Wonder. Her work has appeared in Time Out New York, The Daily News, and Newsday, as well as on-air on Comedy Central and HBO.
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Gail Eisenberg is the co-writer and co-star of Cat Eisenberg, Dog Eisenberg, an original multiplatform series commissioned by LOGO. She is currently developing a reality series in partnership with Jack Lechner and World of Wonder. Her work has appeared in Time Out New York, The Daily News, and Newsday, as well as on Comedy Central, HBO, and LOGO's first-ever NewNowNext Awards. She is the humor editor of Ducts.org.
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Gail Eisenberg is the co-writer and co-star of Cat Eisenberg, Dog Eisenberg, an original multiplatform series commissioned by LOGO. She is currently developing a reality series in partnership with Jack Lechner and World of Wonder. Her work has appeared in Time Out New York, The Daily News, and Newsday, as well as on Comedy Central, HBO, and LOGO's first-ever NewNowNext Awards. She is the humor editor of Ducts.org.
Take that network out to the woodshed. Great column.
It is also of note that an upcoming storyline featuring Melissa George (Alias) as Meredith's long-lost and bisexual best friend Sadie has been tweaked as well. Word is, the character was supposed to be a love interest for Callie but has since been 'de-gayed'.
Here's another good article on the subject of lesbians / bisexual women on television : http://www.afterellen.com/TV/2008/10/visibilitymatters
I can't wait until we can have a lesbian on television and that isn't the focus of her character....was hoping that Grey's would have gotten to that point and just had them dating in the background while going along with the other plotlines, but apparently it was too much....
Great article! And I happen to be hetero, and I hate Grey's Anatomy, but subtle acts like this reek of underlying discrimination and homophobia. As a hetero male, I never really noticed the disproportionate lack of lesbian characters or openly gay actresses in significant television roles, but I hope we see a change in that. I mean off the top of my head all I can come up with are Marge Simpson's sisters as lesbian characters and that's a cartoon! Where's the lesbian answer to Will & Grace?
I'm baffled by the massive amount of bisexuality on TV, yet the relatively low number of bisexual folks in real life. It's almost like writers are trying to choose something that's allegedly socially acceptable just to appear progressive but half-assing it to the point where they're just writing a story that's barely a level above Skinemax features.
Well, forget Grey's. I never liked the show to begin with, and this drives further nails into that coffin.
I have to admit, I feel really torn. Grey's is one of my favorite guilty pleasures, and I feel very invested in the characters. On the other hand, I find this "de-gaying" very, very disturbing and disappointing from a show that has, generally, handled its admirably. I feel at a loss as to what I should do, how to express my outrage. Do I simply stop watching? Do I write an angry letter? Post on the show's blog, which I'm sure no one reads?
I never liked this storyline for a couple reasons. I'm not gay but I get annoyed when people suddenly wake up one day and decide they're gay. It just oozes forth after a sideways glance from another all of a sudden gay person. Boring. Also the actress playing Erica is a lousy actress anyway. I quit watching Grey's when she signed on. Glad she's gone, I may catch it once in a while now.
satyricaldude: Where do you live? In the NYC area I have several friends who live a bi-sexual lifestyle. And how many mediums, infallible cops, insecure doctors, CSI investigators, and evil murderers do you know in real life? They are all over the tube, so maybe TV is not supposed to reflect reality per se, but the heightened dramatic and comedic extremes of the human experience in order provide at least minimally watchable television.
I am so sick of the moral majority dictating what is on television and what is acceptable for everyone. Not everyone is Christian or for that matter even religious! I am so mad at this show for getting rid of Dr. Hahn. The lesbian story aside I really enjoyed her character. It drives me crazy that she was booted off the show so unexpectedly. I guess ABC thinks it is more acceptable to keep Callie and they actually have the nerve to say that it shows that they have no problem with the lesbian storyline because she is still there. Callie is not a lesbian! HELLO! She slept with Erica what 2 times? If that qualifies instant lesbianism then I am sure there are a bunch of women who may have had more than two drunken moments in college and should be told they are now lesbians. I have no problem with bisexuality. My girlfriend of almost 11 years was with men before me but come on. I think it is a shame that a show like Grey's is not bold enough to have a gay storyline. They have no problem showing tons of hetero sex and all of it being outside of marriage. Where are the Christians on that one by the way? They have no problem showing gross bloody scenes that sometimes push the limit. This is my point. Violence and straight sex is everywhere on TV and no one says a thing but put two women together in a relationship and not even what appeared to be a casual one and they freak and cut it. It is just so sad. I am 38 and have been a lesbian my entire life. Never ever been with a man. So for as long as I can remember television has not shown us much of anything in the area of gay relationships. Heck even Will and Grace never really had Will in any kind of sexual situtation but Grace was sleeping with someone new every week. It is just some sort of double standard and the religious people like to pick and choose what they get all worked up over. I just still do not understand why they even care? I sure as heck do not care who they are sleeping with.
" let the bisexuals swing both ways if they must"
Gee, thanks for allowing us to be who we are.
Apart from that, which I hope was just born out of frustration, I agree with everything you said. I've already removed Grey's season pass from my tivo.
Please. Enough with the outrage. This has no business being on network for crying out loud. Tune into Logo for that nonsense.
"it puts the lesbian in the basket" http://joemygod.blogspot.com/search?q=brooke smith
It's hard to know with Gail Eisenberg if this is her writing or something she stole from other writers in the writing classes she attends. After having been in a class with her and had my entire article stolen and barely changed and having seen her help herself to other people's work, makes me wonder who even wrote this article
Thank you.
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