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Krista Vernoff on “Holidaze”…
By Shadx | November 20, 2009 | 
Here’s the writers blog for episode 6×10: “Holidaze”
Original Airdate: 11-19-09
“Do not waste yourself in rejection; do not bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
I read that today in a friend’s Facebook status update. Yes, I was Facebook lurking as a means of procrastination just like I was tweeting as a means of procrastination. And yes, Shonda did publicly tweet-reprimand me, which I took with a grain of salt seeing as she had tweeted 20 times in the prior ten minutes.
What was my point here?
Oh, the Emerson quote.
It made me pause.
It made me breathe.
For a brief moment, I was overcome with gratitude, not only for Emerson’s wise words, but for people who take the time to tweet and facebook-post inspirational quotes that get me to pause the incessant cycle of thoughts that spiral through my brain every day.
“Do not bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.”
Doesn’t it make you breathe a little differently, just for a minute? That quote is my gift to you today, just as it was a gift to me. And seeing as the theme of tonight’s episode was Gifts, it seems appropriate. You know what the biggest gift of tonight’s episode was?
Sara Ramirez singing Silent Night a capella while Chandra Wilson acts her ass off at the dinner table. Moments like that, gifts like that…
They make me love my job even more. In my lifetime, I have never seen a more powerful performer than Sara Ramirez when she sings live. I hope someday you get to see her, but until then, this was a little taste. It was Shonda’s stroke of genius — her little Christmas gift to me, I like to think, although really, she probably intended it as a gift to all of you. Still, I am grateful. The other gift of this scene is that I got to write Bailey’s words and put them on television. Those words were important to me. Without getting too personal, I will admit that there are some things going on in my life that mirror some of the things going on in Bailey’s life. If you’ve read this blog before, you know that we writers frequently cull from our personal lives to come up with the stories we tell on the show each week. (As I write this, Joan Rater is in the writer’s room, dramatically performing some of her favorite moments of life with Tony Phelan – and our writer’s assistant Austin is frantically trying to keep pace and write it all down. And Bill Harper is doing funny accents, which is really neither here nor there.) My point is, I tend to rape and pillage my own life to bring you drama every week. In this episode, for example, when the girl talks about hiking the Inca Trail? That’s because I hiked the Inca Trail, so I know how to describe it. (I’m averse to research so anytime I can just write what I know, I choose to.) And when Bailey defends her decision to leave a marriage that was no longer feeding her soul? That was no longer an example she wanted to set for her young child? I’m not getting too personal here, but I’m saying, I was happy to be able to put those words on TV. Bailey doesn’t need to be berated by her dad, see? Cause Bailey? Beats the crap out of herself way harder than anyone else ever could. But it was nice, the way her Dad came around in the end. And I think he was right that Bailey should’ve called and told him about her divorce.
Okay, what else can I tell you? I’d like to give you behind the scenes tidbits from the shooting of the episode, but I had the damn flu the whole time it was shooting so I was barely there. Oh! I know! Let’s talk about the fact that we did a holiday episode without Izzie! The Twitterers have been berating us for weeks – how COULD you, they ask? Izzie LOVES the holidays! To you, I say, dude… I know. I feel your pain. I wrote the last holiday episode. I remember vividly when Izzie helped Alex study for his exams because, “It’s what JESUS would freakin’ DO!” I remember when she and George and Meredith lay beneath the Christmas tree, soaking in the lights. I missed her like crazy in this episode and you know who else missed her? Even though he didn’t talk about it? Alex. That’s why he wouldn’t sing Christmas carols in the surgery. That’s why he didn’t show up for dinner at Meredith’s. It breaks my heart, the way she left him, and that she didn’t show up for the holidays. I think he thought she might. Because Izzie LOVES the holidays. But she didn’t and yeah, it sucks.
But we’re not barking about the bad, we’re chanting the beauty so let’s talk about the Chief/Arizona/Owen Christmas jam! I have to admit, I have never loved dailies more, ever. I must have watched them sing that song for 20 minutes straight. Those dailies were truly a gift during my flu-ridden misery. They lifted my whole heart up and made it feel all floaty and giddy for hours. I hope the scene did the same for you. And since we’re chanting the good… Can we talk about the hot hot hot HOT Owen Cristina kissing??? Oh my God, I’m like a fan girl, I can’t help it. And how ‘bout the scene where Owen whispers into Teddy’s mouth, “I’m in love with Cristina.” I wrote it. I pictured it. But when I saw it? I seriously threw up a little in my mouth. It was SO brutal – and what was so brutal is that Owen didn’t mean to be brutal. He clearly loves them both. Which is…impossible. And devastating. And BRUTAL. I mean it – how could Teddy not love him? Playing guitar one minute, torturedly whispering into her mouth the next… How that will all play out, I do not know. I mean it, I don’t know. We’re a little behind in the writer’s room. But I’m as excited as you are to see how it all goes down!
There’s so much more in this episode – Mark Sloan becoming the sexiest Grandpa on TV and Meredith making a deal with the devil and Arizona and Derek and Mark paying their own hard-earned money to save the life of a very sick little boy. It made my heart happy, that story. And so did the story of the woman living without a heart for all that time and surviving. Both of those were our gift to you, to send you into the holiday season with hope and optimism. My friend Peter called me today and when I said, “How are you?” He said, “I’m trying, actively, to renew my faith and my hope and my joy and my optimism. They’ve all gone missing, which is not okay with me.” I love Peter. I love that when his faith goes missing, he doesn’t sit and feel sorry for himself. He goes turning over rocks and stones, looking for it. He prays and he calls friends and he says out loud what he’s feeling. Which, in itself, demonstrates that his faith is not as far away as he imagines. That’s the feeling I hope this episode left you with. That miracles are possible…That a simple song can lift your spirits…. That speaking your truth, or opening your checkbook, or offering a simple apology or making an attempt to understand another’s point of view can turn your whole day or your whole year around. That life doesn’t always happen the way we hope or plan but that that doesn’t matter. How we greet what life throws our way is all that matters. “Do not waste yourself in rejection; do not bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.” Happy Thanksgiving. And Merry Christmas. And May There Be Peace on Earth.
(Source)
I agree with the fact that Sara singing was beyond amazing, and definitely the best gift ever!! Well, this is the last writers blog of the year, and I guess the question is now, will we survive the hiatus?!? I’m thinking yes, but I know that I am going to be counting the days!
<3 Shadx
Topics: Blogger: Shadx, Grey's Writers, Reviews / Podcasts / Blogs, Season 6 | 12 Comments » |
November 20th, 2009 at 18:18
omg… I didn’t even think about the fact that Mark is going to be a grandfather until she brought it up… I think that just made me even more unhappy about this episode, if that’s possible. Mark. MARK! A grandfather! The only one of them that even has kids is Bailey and she’s far from being a grandmother. Not cool… not cool at all.
Sorry for those that liked it. It just wasn’t my cup of tea this week. At all.
I was actually waiting for her to mention why Sara wasn’t in the dinner scene but it never came up. I’m thinking, hoping, it had to do with the fact that they knew Sara was going to be singing over the scene and they didn’t want Callie to be there while Sara was singing. If that makes sense. That’s really the only LOGICAL reason I can come up with for Callie not being at Christmas dinner with EVERYONE else (minus Alex).
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@calzona24, Callie was not at the dinner scene when Sara was singing because supposedly she was working. They mentioned it last night on the show at the dinner table.
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@Elizabeth, I know that Callie, the character was working, but my point is why was she working? I mean why did they write it that way? Why couldn’t they have just written Callie being off work like everyone else and enjoying Christmas dinner with her girlfriend and friends. They purposefully wrote Callie out of the scene and I feel like the only reason they would do that was because they knew that Sara would be singing over the scene. I mean, when you think about it, it would be kind of awkward to have Sara as Sara singing over the scene and Sara as Callie acting in the scene. At least, that’s what I came up with.
I just don’t understand why they purposefully wrote Sara out of the scene like they did. They could have just as easily had her there.
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November 20th, 2009 at 18:27
Oh, me too. Mark a grandfather?! I don’t like it at all
!!
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November 20th, 2009 at 20:46
Absolutely LOVED this episode. But I feel the pain of maybe betrayal? That scene between Teddy and Owen was fully committed – for him to whisper so close to her, looking at her , fighting the desire to kiss her….. that spells TROUBLE for Cristina. SO is such an awesome actress – her scene with OWEN outside – loved it. I don’t totally believe OWEN – its as if he’s convincing himself that he loves Cristina. I know there won’t be a Burke anymore but Burke never had doubts or strayed – his speech in the OR before he marrying Cristina – I mean who can beat that? Thanks Krista for an awesome episode and for giving us Owina and Teddy . I love Kim Raver – I really believe in Teddy’s character – she’s fair and not afraid to put herself outthere
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November 20th, 2009 at 21:26
I got goospbumps when Sara was singing…someone put the scene on youtube so i just listen to it again and OMG…Amazinggggg
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November 20th, 2009 at 22:01
I have to say that I liked this episode too. It was a little weird with it skipping ahead so fast and how one minute it was Thanksgiving then jumping right to Christmas, but I think they had a lot to cover. Also…I LOVE Arizona and I liked her singing. And halfway through Bailey’s speech, it hit me that it was Sarah singing. Like a lightbulb went on. Ah Callie’s gone…WAIT, it’s Sarah singing. That’s awesome!! She has such a gorgeous voice! Looking forward to what’s to come on Grey’s!!
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November 20th, 2009 at 22:03
I seriously cried after reading the part about Alex and Izzie. It’s just so sad…
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November 21st, 2009 at 02:21
I am hoping that it some how comes down to Mark NOT being a grandfather. I would much rather see him with his own actual child before a grandchild.
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@Elizabeth, i completely agree…i much rather mark trying to cope with his own child rather than a grandchild
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November 21st, 2009 at 03:32
Krista Vernoff is my favorite writer in the show. All her episodes happen to be my favorite ones. I think we’re very much alike, we feel alike, so when she tells a story I can completely relate to it.
This one wasn’t different. She got me. In each and every scene. I ended up crying like a baby, wanting Christmas to come soon (as we don’t have Thanksgiving in Brazil), looking for gifts in my life and even for things I can be thankful for. And reading this post I just felt it over again. I love the phrase she chose to begin the text, very true and exactly what I try to do in this time of year. Do not bark against the bad things, but chant the beauty in the good ones. =)
I didn’t dislike Mark being a grandfather, though I think it’s a bit weird… but it’s reasonable. I mean, if he’s been a man-whore his whole life, it’s totally possible to have a grown child and even grandchildren. So let’s see how it’ll work out. I was a little concerned about Lexie, at the beginning, but it happened that she handle the situation much better than I thought she would! Proud of her. ^^
I was delighted with all the songs, all the music in this episode! Man, I so wanted a Soundtrack of it for my own Christmas eve! And Sara… I won’t even try to explain what she did to me with that Silent Night a cappella of hers… Just broke my heart into tiny pieces and I cry even remembering of it! I love music so much and she has this beautiful voice, all this talent, which is HUGE. And I’m with Krista, it was my very first Christmas gift. =)
And so was this episode. I ‘d have much to say, but I won’t, since I always talk a lot. I’ll watch it over and over again. And I hope it’s aired in Christmas week here in Brazil, so I’ll watch it again, now with my whole family. And I can share my joy with them. =)
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November 23rd, 2009 at 05:26
Sara Ramirez singing Silent Night a capella while Chandra Wilson acts her ass off at the dinner table. Moments like that, gifts like that… << — this is exactly what I felt when I watched this episode. Not even talking about how much I loved the entire episode, this scene just reignited my passion of being an actress.
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