| My Review of 6.10 - "Holidaze" |
 |
| Written by Admin |
| Tuesday, 24 November 2009 22:27 |
|
"Holidaze" tied a series low rating but still came in first among 18 to 49 last week, as broadcast TV did not do well overall that night. Read on for my full review.
I an usually pretty positive about each episode, as those of you who have read my previous reviews can probably attest to, but this episode, this holiday-themed episode has turned me into The Grinch who's itching to go into a full-fledged rant. So if you really liked Holidaze, read this at your own risk lest I ruin it for you. It's contagious, you know. Bahhh humbug.
I really feel that was by far the weakest episode this season in many ways. There were so many things happening to so many people over the span of three holidays that in the end, nothing made an impression on me. The whole episode was an endless cycle of Cristina/Owen/Teddy, Lexie/Sloan x 2, Bailey/Mr. Bailey, ad nauseam, with Derek/Arizona and the singing being the saving grace. It made me really miss the character-centric episodes. At least I was compelled to care about the storylines.
I know Shonda made a point earlier that the holidays are not necessarily a cheerful time for everyone, but did they really need so much negativity going on with the characters (the patient storylines ended well, but still not enough to balance it out). If the writers are trying to go for "artsy" by bringing on the pain and suffering, they fell short of that, too, as that was neither profound nor impactful. I know the writers are capable of better dialogue. I guess they could only glaze over the lines when there only have 15 seconds for each scene. Alas, they started off with the wrong framework for the episode.
Oy, that episode was a downer. It makes me feel more depressed about the holidays compared to before watching it. I wouldn't mind an episode, vapid as it might be considered by some, where all the couples celebrate couplehood and being in love and sing kumbaya. Yeah, sue me...I'm a sucker for joy.
I think the highlight of the night was the chatroom rant session after the episode, with lots of snark tossed around. I'm going to call this review a collaborative effort by the folks in the chatroom (you know who you are), as there were some good points that were brought up which I'm going reference here.
And here we go… (pardon my unusually disjointed style).
So Callie & Arizona fans all over had been highly anticipating the much hyped "very cute kissing" between the two of them, as tweeted by Shonda. Well, did that not end up being the most underwhelming moment of the episode... The scene was not off to a good start with that cheesy background beat and Lexie's frozen grin. Yes, their lips physically touched, but the whole sequence was put together so bizarrely that it didn't exactly make me warm and fuzzy. I think a lot of it had to do with the awkward editing. It was mid-shot, then whoa, their faces filled up the screen in the weirdest angle I've ever seen. So...undeniably..staged. And then a split second later, we are back to the mid-shot. I would've just preferred a mid-shot throughout so it would've flowed more? That angle in the close-up shot reminds me of one of those cheesy sample pictures in a photo frame from a discount store. And were they hoping that the split second kiss would be missed by viewers who were not watching out for it? And just in case people did catch it, no worries, their memory of it will be instantaneously wiped out by the gratuitous bloodshed created by Lexie's dismemberment of her part of her own finger. Lovely. I think I managed to go "awww" for a full 2.2 seconds before wanting to hurl from seeing that piece of ceviche on the cutting board.
Shoutout of gratitude to Jessica for injecting that little smile after the kiss so that AZ looked like she actually enjoyed it.
So we are right smack in the middle of the love triangle involving Owen/Cristina/Teddy. I'm curious as to what Shonda meant when she said that it's not going to be what people expect. So far, it looks like a pretty typical one to me, and one that makes Owen look like the bad guy. Poor, tortured Owen… it's uncanny how much your face resembles the sad theater mask, hilariously suggested by ladyred in our chatroom discussion.
Oh, "to be or not to be" a man who pretends to be in love with one person but really loves another, says Huntlet. What disturbed me more than Lexie's finger dismemberment was the way Huntlet devoured Cristina's face whole. I'm surprised that Cris' head was intact after that. Really? Is that romantic to Cristina/Owen fans? He really needs to tone it down a notch so I could keep my dinner down. (FYI, the "Huntlet" name was conceived when I suggested that Owen, with all that angst, would make a good Hamlet, to which ladyred responded, "Huntlet")
It was noble of Callie to bat for Bailey by approaching Bailey's dad. Her speech/the writing was a little underwhelming; it was like an inferior version of Good Man in a Storm. Maybe it was meant to be ineffective to prolong the conflict. Because heaven forbid that one of the three or four main storylines should resolve before the last 5 minutes of the show. I guess the silver lining is that it's nice to see Callie being so open about who she is.
The Christmas party was salvaged by the singing and the singing alone. Jessica has a cute singing voice; she's pretty good and in tune. I can see her in a musical. Sara's voice was absolutely divine. A shame that it was drowned out by Bailey's rant. Thankfully, Arizona swoops in with her "Green beans, anyone?", putting a merciful end to it.
Would it have killed the writers to have included Callie at the Christmas party? I know it's unrealistic for everyone to be off at the same time, but I'm willing to suspend belief for a good cause, especially if I've done that for less as far as Grey's is concerned.
The one storyline that I enjoyed was of course, the patient case involving Arizona/Derek/Mark. Arizona and Derek, as a team, fighting for truth and justice, just warms my heart. Check out their matching superhero poses:
Best exchange of the night:
Derek: How much? I'll write a check. Arizona: I'll split it with you <both look expectantly at Mark> Mark: I have a teenager. Arizona: Have you met her? Mark: Fine, I'm in.
Jessica has such a good comic timing, can do dramatic scenes, and can sing. Is there nothing Jessica (and Sara, for that matter) can't do?
Random thoughts:
I was less than impressed with the dialogue in the episode, too. The name-calling exchange among Cristina/Meredith/Alex was childish and unnecessary.
I am so tired of Eric Dane's "one-face-fits-all" style of acting. And to think that this arc will continue into January.
AZ wins the award for cutest awkward hello when little Sloan walked through the door. "HEL-LO~~~"
I have trouble believing that "married, happy" Meredith is so gullible and blind to the Chief's obvious drinking problem. Did marriage come with a lobotomy?
Teddy's such a softie. Really a well-rounded person with a good heart. If she becomes a regular, I hope they match her up with someone deserving of her. I don't want to see her tortured all the time.
I found it a little sad that Bailey had to beg Derek/Meredith for an invitation to their house after having known them for so long. I'd like to think that it's because she always used to decline people's invitations in favor of work or her family.
"The writers should spend less time on baking and more time on cohesion." ~ ladyred
Whew.. I got a boatload off my chest… feel better now that I have ranted all of your ears (or eyes) off. So, in the spirit of the holidays, I'm going to be grateful. I'm grateful that the characters of Arizona and Callie were created, and even more so that Jessica and Sara have embraced their roles and given the fans so much enjoyment and moments to obsess over, especially with the little subtle actions and facial expressions. Here's hoping to an amazing rest of the season, especially where Callie & Arizona are concerned. Cheers!
Comments (43)
Powered by Compojoom comment 4.1.7 stable
|
Wow, love the matching super hero poses idea. That was genius. Plus, it was complete with similarly placed watches. So much heart-ing of that alone. Can we get some capes for the McDreamies?
I like that everyone's so friendly here. 
That is dangerous. *ducks*
Honestly hope that there will be some good scenes coming up between this two. I'm still waiting for it man. I like how Arizona and Derek are work husband and wife. Is pretty cute (: thanks for the review. I've been waiting