Dear Grey’s Anatomy,
You’re my comfort show. You’re the show I stream on my laptop when eating a tub of ice cream on the bed when i’m having a not-so-pleasant day or playing in the background while I tidy up my place. You got me through the woes of college (so far, I’m not out of the woods just yet) and taught me enough medical jargon that I feel like I can impress my family full of health workers. I felt that I could relate to some of the characters or appreciate the new knowledge they brought to everyone around them.
There’s some important life lessons you taught me through the wonderful characters and the stories brought to our TV screens. Here they are:
Face Your Fears Because Time Is Limited
Whether it be that the surgeons are diving into seemingly impossible surgeries, facing plane crashes, or stressed over declaring their love for one another, the characters of the show always face some sort of pressure regarding uncertainty. The show is notorious for characters dying off throughout the series’ long run. The deaths hit hard whenever songs like Chasing Cars or How to Save a Life play in the background. It emphasizes that time is short, and that we should celebrate life’s ups and downs by taking chances even if we will regret them. A quote you may hear around in audios on TikTok is from Mark Sloan who says: “If you love someone, you tell them. Even if you’re scared that it’s not the right thing. Even if you’re scared that it’ll cause problems. Even if you’re scared that it will burn your life to the ground, you say it, and you say it loud and you go from there.” (Season 9 Episode 2). It’s a quote that stuck with me because it didn’t just relate to my romances, but my friendship and connections with family and friends. It taught me to be grateful for the people around me, even if they’re there for a page in the book of my life or not.
It’s Okay to Be Different
In a time heteronormativity was well, the cold-cut norm, Grey’s queer characters have represented the queer community when the world around them rejected their beings. Dr. Callie Torres was one the earliest characters who had a storyline include her exploration of her sexuality and rejection from her religious family. Without spoiling too much, she blossomed into someone who is confident in herself and had to work from the ground up after her family cut her finances off. It admirable that she stood up for a teenage girl’s mother threatening to send the patient to conversion camps because the girl was gay. Her story resonated with my life, and inspires me to be secure in my own bisexual identity and be true to myself.
Admit Your Mistakes
There’s no sense of arrogance when it comes to having life and death of patients in the hands of these surgeons. How these surgeons gain their expertise is not only through the successful surgeries, but the hard losses of patients from minor to major mistakes. Doctors have certainly been fired in the show for failing to check for minor issues that later snowball into a string of Code Blue’s. Although their losses have been hard, the hardest part for characters in the show is to put their pride tot he side and admit what they’ve done wrong. The show teaches us to be humble and acknowledge our own flaws so that we can become a better person. Although, some cockiness isn’t that bad considering how M.A.G.I.C got surgeries to perform on early in their residencies through their pride.
You are the Sun
Yes, I typed that right. You are the Sun. Take it from Dr. Christina Yang. She told her person, Dr. Meredith Grey, that Meredith really was the sun the whole time, not Grey’s husband. Even though there’s plenty of romances to go around between all the surgeons and other medical staff at the hospital, everyone comes out okay and stronger after their breakups or close one’s deaths. I also find that Grey’s incorporates feminism with their strong-willed women running most of the surgery departments at Grey-Sloan. These women lead typically men-dominated areas such as Orthopedics or Neurosurgery, which is amazing. It really shows viewers that women can run the playing field too, and you can shine bright being successful on your own.
Don’t get me wrong, Grey’s can have some downfalls. It can feel out of place with the most recent seasons playing out repetitive tropes we saw in the first seasons. Some even argue that the show has gone too long because of this. But, I do appreciate the show’s push to represent topics and issues that were considered taboo in the early 2000’s. Growing up with the show felt like I grew up with a best friend who experienced some of the same experiences as me. When I first started watching the series, I thought it was just going to be about surgeries and nothing else. It showed me more than the stakes it takes for the show’s surgeons to save lives, but how to enrich our lives for the better.
Thank you Grey’s Anatomy. I’m not too sure on how many more seasons you’re set for in the future, but I’ve laughed, cried, and learned a lot from you. I’m happy that I get to consider you as my comfort show.
If you’ve watch Grey’s Anatomy before, what did you think of it? What life lessons has the show inspired you to think about?