The Doctors of Seattle Grace
There was the chief of surgery, the head of
cardio-thoracics and the neuro god, top-notch medical professionals whose
concern for their patients was on par with the focus directed upon the interns
who they would teach. From the larger group, there were five, managed by Dr.
Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson), the diminutive but mighty third-year resident surgeon
also known as "The Nazi," whose intensity and insistence on
professional excellence and hard work struck fear in her subordinates as well
as in many of her superiors. Her charges, five young interns, were all bonded
by the desire to learn, to heal, to cut, and the challenge to make it through
the rigorous five year surgery program at Seattle Grace Hospital despite the
dire prediction made by Chief of Surgery Richard Webber (James Pickens, Jr.) that
many from the larger group of neophyte surgeons in which they were included
would ultimately fail.
The Inevitability of Change
Much has changed in the seasons since Dr. Webber’s
welcome speech in the pilot episode of Grey's
Anatomy, ABC's resident medical drama, starring Ellen Pompeo as the titular
character Dr. Meredith Grey. The five (including Dr. Grey) at the show’s original
center of focus are now three -- one having had his life cut short, the other
having begun hers anew someplace else after nearly losing a battle with a type
of cancer that kills 95 percent of those who contract it. The three who remain
are now former interns who have become bona
fide well-trained surgeons with different surgical specialties. Two are
post-doctoral fellows. Two are part owners of the hospital, members of its
governing board and survivors of a horrific plane crash which claimed the lives
of two fellow surgeons and permanently maimed another. One is an attending
physician who has followed in the famous footsteps of her mother. All are
complex, compassionate, credible individuals, television characters who because
of the brilliance of the series’ creator Shonda Rhimes, have carved for
themselves an indelible impression upon the hearts of viewing audiences.
The Unflappable Dr. Yang
Sandra Oh has for 10 seasons portrayed Dr.
Christina Yang, the hard core cardio-thoracic surgeon and one of the original
five whose trajectory into her chosen profession was launched from personal
tragedy and loss. As a character,
Christina is about as multidimensional as they come – hard and unflinching,
brutally honest and straightforward without the least measure of hesitation or
remorse in her delivery of unpleasant news. She can also be compassionate,
empathetic and hurt to the point that her face literally melts into sadness, her
tears forging a reluctant path downward. Although she will be sorely missed, it
is understandable that the Dr. Christina Yang, Ph.D. who is beloved by series
devotees has worlds to conquer outside of and well away from the confines of
Seattle Grace/Seattle Grace Mercy West/Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. And perhaps Sandra Oh, the real person behind
the character, wants to do something else too.
An Unbreakable Bond
Perhaps too will Yang be missed by her
colleagues, primarily Meredith Grey who for 10 years has been her person, the ‘twisted
sister’ on whom she has come to rely. Their bond was forged in the elevators,
patient rooms, nurses stations, on-call rooms and OR’s which exploded, flooded,
became toxic and were besieged by a gunman with nothing left to live for will
never break, even as their paths take very different directions. Farewell Dr. Yang. Good luck, and Godspeed.
