Amazing "Grey's"

OK, this one’s going to have to be quick, because this play is relentless. We set up the stage last night, we’ll be bringing sound and lights online tonight and Monday, along with cast pictures and oh yeah, the actual rehearsals themselves, I’ve got about 28 minutes to bang this podcast together. Can he do it? We shall see.

First off, the “Grey’s Anatomy” musical was … SHUT UP! It was amazing. Oh my G-d, anyone tries to do anything new or different little trolls come climbing out of the woodwork to hate on it, all over the comment boards. “They weren’t original songs,” “Oh, it’s just copying ‘Scrubs,’” “Oh a head trauma and she heard music it’s exactly like ‘Scrubs.’” “It was too weird, they singing while they were operating.”

Seriously, I want to see all of these kvetchy, complainy, whiny little whingies write their own musical. I want to hear it. I want to hear them incorporate song and story and voices and harmony into a unique or even acceptable television event.

I’m especially interested in hearing how they’d justify people bursting into song for no otherwise apparent reason. Because they dismiss every concept – head trauma in “Scrubs,” combination head trauma, dream sequence and out-of-body experience in “Grey’s Anatomy,” pure storytelling on “Nip/Tuck” – yes, Ryan Murphy directed a musical sequence prior to “Glee,” with the cast lip-syncing different parts of “Brighter Discontent” by The Submarines – brain aneurysm like on “Eli Stone,” demonic possession in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Hell, the musical episode of “7th Heaven” didn’t even bother to give a reason. Those idiots just burst randomly into song. I guess they figured “Buffy” had done it so they should, too.

When “Grey’s” did it, Arizona had just proposed to Callie, played by Sara Ramirez, while heading out of town for a weekend getaway. She collided with a truck on the road and Callie went through the windshield. Callie, while having an out-of-body experience, began hearing music – starting with a haunting rendition of two lines from the show’s theme song, Psapp’s “Cozy in the Rocket.”

The songs featured were some of the most iconic music ever featured in the series, and she experienced it as being sung around her. Her surgeons performing her surgery, their deliberations, their conflicts and their love-making. One passage included a love song where all the doctors in relationships – which seemed to be most of them – were … reconnecting while waiting to hear about Callie’s post-surgical progress.

And so what if Lexie singing “2 a.m.” while looking for Sloan had nothing to do with anything, and the romantic number seemed out of place, my G-d, the episode revolved around a friend in a car accident and possibly losing her baby, they had to lighten it up a little or we’d probably all kill ourselves.

Most of the song choices and presentations I thought were quite effective and I have to say quite moving. I’ve always respected executive producer Shonda Rhimes’ use of music in the series. Her choices here tended to be dead on and there were some seriously tear-jerking moments, not least of which Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars” in the surgical sequence. Callie was freaked out to be hearing music but it’s a concept, that’s all. It’s just the flimsy fig leaf of an excuse to allow the welling of emotions to burst forth, hike that leg up on a haybale and sing.

So instead of complaining about it like that’s the important part, why they’re singing, just allow Shonda to play these characters against one another, tell their stories, rip your heart out. That passage between Meredith and Derek about her jealousy of Callie, that was just as important as Sara Ramirez belting out “The Story” – which was majestic, by the way. And anything that unleashes that voice on this world is to be celebrated. Easily one of the most exciting installments I’ve witnessed on that show for a good long while. Well done.

Chaos

Not so well done was the pilot episode of a comic spy caper on CBS called “Chaos.” Other people enjoyed it. The parts I didn’t find obnoxious I found distressing. Leaving aside for one moment any comparisons to “Get Smart,” which was at least hilarious, spies pranking on each other, spying on each other, this is absolutely the opposite of what I want to believe about our nation’s intelligence. First off, that they’re using pre-millenial equipment your average cell phone comes with more power than Windows 97 and I’m now meant to put that up against in-the-field surgical installation of a receiver fused to his inner eardrum, and no, they can’t do the overseas rescue mission they want to do because director Kurtwood Smith will, I dunno, kick their ass or something, but they’ve got access to limitless resources on the back of promising reassignment to Greece for a lower level functionary. Honestly, Margo Martindale is sharper than that. She’s sharper than that as her backwater hick character Mama Mags Bennet in “Justified.”

And “Chaos” star Freddy Rodriguez as Rick Martinez – the show is the 10th non-commercial entry on Google if that tells you anything at all – well, I’ll just say I liked him better in “Six Feet Under,” and didn’t even realize that was him in “Ugly Betty,” which I guess is how much I was paying attention to that show.

But he is hired at the CIA and his name is flagged because for no reason the names of the newly hired have been merged with those of our nation’s most wanted so in reality – or, that is, the reality of the show, which thankfully has nothing to do with any actual reality you might be experiencing – he’s supposed to be shot on sight. Yes. That’s the level of assgrabbery at the guard station controlling access to our intelligence operations.

Oh, and the “Austin Powers” music in the opening sequence only made me cringe even more. CBS is presenting an hour-long comedy! About spies! And their hilarious spy hijinks and antics! On his first overseas mission – after delivering an envelope full of national secrets to a Russian spy because his officemates want to implicate him in, I guess, treason so as to be able to control him, well, thre’s no way that could backfire on them at all – his first overseas mission, he grabs a scorpion the hostage takers are playing against another in a scorpion fight, and he eats it. He says he realized it wasn’t venomous so it was safe. So he knows it’s harmless, so do all of the hostage-takers, so no one’s really all that impressed, but he wins the day all the same. Oh well. The vibe is everyone’s very shady and everyone’s out to get him – including the hot female agent who is attached to the director’s office – but everyone’s really got everyone’s back when it counts.

The feeling I’m feeling about this show reminds me of the feeling I feel about all of those interoffice pranks on “NCIS,” like if that were to be a real office it wouldn’t be actually burned down by a budget-busting senator on a walk-through. This edge CBS walks of worshipping law enforcement but taking every opportunity to point out how young people are silly goof-offs and irresponsible and old people are the only ones who know anything, this is a problem because most field operatives are pretty youthful, because that’s what’s required of the body out there.

This latest foray into national intelligence – and I seriously hope not – is actively offensive and I don’t see the value of … hell, I don’t see the value of spending any more time even talking about it. “Chaos” airs Fridays at … I’m not your enabler. You want to watch that you can track it down yourself.

Coming up

There’s premieres and things coming up this week but honestly with the play going on I doubt I’ll get to see much of it. We open Thursday night at the Vegas Motel in Minot with Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” we close Sunday afternoon and that’s when I will finally be able to reassert a little bit more control over my life or at least my schedule.

I know AMC is premiering something called “The Killing” Sunday night at 9/8c, FOX premieres a half-hour Christian Slater comedy about corporate espionage Wednesday night called “Breaking In” at 9:30/8:30c. It looks like Syfy got the rights to “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” with the pilot airing Thursday at 9/8c. Beyond that, wonderful weeks and … enjoy!