How a feminist franchise becomes a trilogy of terror

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 00:59:00 +0000

No one died in last week’s episode of "Grey’s Anatomy." Though the institution of marriage was certainly on the chopping block: Sandra Oh’s union was dealt a fatal blow, lapsed virgin Sarah Drew gleefully fled a shotgun wedding, and any remaining sexual chemistry between Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey was killed by baby-making issues. Chandra Wilson spent the hour dreading her impending nuptials until Oh persuaded her to accept the rite as a necessary evil: just strap on the dress and think of England.

Watching the show’s alternately unconvincing, saccharine, tart and touching plot threads wend toward their conclusion, I steeled myself for the inevitable jolt of violence I’d learned to expect from "Grey’s" and its OB-GYN spinoff, "Private Practice."

To my surprise, the episode ended benignly. Letting down my guard, I settled in to enjoy the twisty political adult soap "Scandal," grateful writer-producer Shonda Rhimes (the force behind "Grey’s" and "Practice") didn’t feel the need to deploy visceral bloody shocks to heighten suspense on her youngest series.

Salon.com > Helen Eisenbach

How a feminist franchise becomes a trilogy of terror