Everybody has a TV show that tends to be their guilty pleasure. Usually Netflix is happily obliging our anti-climactic lives with a non-stop supply of auditory drugs in the form of these addictive shows, in this case "Grey’s Anatomy." This show has been airing since 2005 and continues to this day to keep coming out with new episodes. So what is the satisfaction in watching the completely over-dramatized version of a surgeon’s life? I couldn’t tell you, but it’s still so easy to get lost in sometimes. When a show like "Grey’s Anatomy" airs for 10 years, it’s hard not to learn a thing or two, or perhaps misinterpret some lessons in the process. So this is a list of things that "Grey’s" has kind of taught us.
1. Seattle is probably the worst place to live.
Well, I know if you’re a Washington resident you can hopefully testify against this lesson, but imagine for a second that you aren’t from the area. Seattle is apparently prone to dangerous urban bike races, fatal train wrecks, fatal ferry wrecks, random sink holes, several plane crashes, many burning buildings, hurricanes, fatal accidents in the snow, schools being attacked by gunmen, terrible traffic collisions, collapsing bridges, bomb threats, and terrible earthquakes. As you can see, Seattle is truly presented in its best form, making everybody feel warm and fuzzy after every season-finale.
2. Sex is possibly the greatest pastime since Monopoly.
Sex seems to be an over-driven concept on "Grey’s Anatomy." Do you blame them though? They make sex seem so easy. I mean, all you have to do is go on one date or just flirt a little bit and then boom, green light. And of course it’s always in the worst moments that they want to have sex, which kind of makes me think there is a perfectly good reason the show revolves around these interactions. The way I see it is if a family member dies, go have sex. If you might fail your medical boards examine? Go have sex. What about if your marriage isn’t working? Yeah, I hear sex kind of helps with that, but if you do it with your wife that doesn’t count. This is according to "Grey’s Anatomy" of course, definitely not me. And it also explains why ABC approves the writing that is always subtly making fun of the people in the show who religiously abstain from sex.
3. If you go into a coma, your life becomes a musical dilemma.
I hope everyone has seen the episode I’m talking about. Yeah, possible life-ending coma equals a musical dilemma as to whether you should wake up or not. That’s cool and all, but I’m not really the best singer, so I’m not sure how that would factor into my odds of waking up. Regardless, I think I would prefer "High School Musical" over Fatal Coma Musical. That’s just me though.
4. Marriage is not a very reliable institution.
Marriage is portrayed as the ultimate last resort in this show. I think everyone in the show has been through either one divorce or one deceased husband or wife. On top of that, most of the characters move on immediately. So I guess marriage is a lot more laid back than everyone has made it out to be? Oh, and also the best time to tell someone you love them is during their wedding ceremony. Or the best time to end it with someone. Either or.
5. Sleep is completely overrated.
No one sleeps in that show. They have 48-hour shifts. Supposedly, but still. I get cranky if I have to be awake for more than 14 hours out of the day. How could anyone go that long without sleep? Maybe the whole eight hours of sleep every night thing we were sold on is just a suggestion. Who needs brain function, right?
6. If you love someone they will probably die, violently.
When I watched "The Fault in Our Stars," I learned the world is not a wish granting factory, which is a morbid but believable statement. "Grey’s Anatomy" taught me that the world is not only incapable of granting wishes, but it’s also a slaughter house with no moral compass. The “good” people in the show tend to get shot, die in a plane crash, die in an ambulance crash, drown, get electrocuted, get hit by a car, get cancer, or just experience some lovely variation of all that was listed. So yeah, be careful who you love. The odds are not in their favor.
7. Friends are very non-understanding.
Apparently friends are super unreliable. They keep secrets and they lie, or they are just completely unforgiving when you make mistakes. Friends also tend to cheat with your significant other, which is slightly upsetting. They also are super convenient when choosing a time to be angry at you. They never choose the time when you’re at your worst. They are endearing enough to wait till you are lower than that point. So next time you meet someone, take it slow, and when you’re ready, see if they would like to take the next step and be friends.
8. Happiness is extremely temporary.
This lesson speaks for itself. All the pessimists who are reading this article are probably nodding in approval while drinking their soy lattes. Yeah, happiness is temporary, so what? The people in this show definitely have, from a viewer's standpoint, real problems. Does that mean my life is perfect? No. It means I am so glad I am not a doctor and I am so glad I am nowhere near Seattle, currently. It definitely improves my odds of being happy, but still, it’s an inevitable life lesson.
9. If you did something that probably made a patient die, meh, you’re a doctor. The family will understand.
The families in these shows are way too understanding. I guess that’s just something I didn’t know before. If I hand over a family member to the hospital for a simple surgery and they die, then that’s that, I guess. Of course "Grey’s" is able to portray some people reacting to a death of a family member in a somewhat appropriate way, but regardless, in this show people are really good at letting things go. Like letting the doctors get away with unauthorized autopsies, questionable surgeries, or going into an operating room while impaired by emotional issues or substances. Hey guys, none of that matters, okay? If the patient lives, it’s probably because the doctor was amazing and went above and beyond, but if the patient dies, meh, it was probably the patient’s fault.
10. Cancer is the inevitable party foul of life.
Apparently cancer is like the common cold in Seattle. Have a broken leg? They found cancer with it. Have consistent seizures? They found cancer in the brain. Oh, you got a cough? Well, that’s okay, then it’s just the flu. Wait a second... it’s cancer, we just missed it on the lab tests. I don’t think I have cancer right now, but I think I might go start chemo therapy as a preemptive measure for my already decided fate, according to "Grey’s Anatomy."
So there you have it. Maybe these aren’t the things that "Grey’s Anatomy" is intentionally trying to teach us. There is the possibility that the opening and closing monologues from Ellen Pompeo are indeed the actual lesson that they are trying to teach us each episode. I regretfully always look past that and believe that they want us to look deeper into these messages and find the true meaning in the show. The main lesson that I left out is that we might have terrible friends, terminal diseases, bad marriages, dangerous living situations, restless, unhappy, and lonely lives, BUT "Grey’s Anatomy" will always be there to comfort us with new episodes for possibly the rest of our lives.
