|
I said
I didn't watch it anymore, because the Blacks weren't getting good treatment.
That's why I posted, to see if I was missing something worth coming back to. And
from what y'all say maybe so. As for the "nurse", yeah, she's an intern. Typo on
my part. I mentioned that scene not to criticize it, but because it was a
powerful moment that I happened to catch, but I haven't "happened" to catch
equally powerful moments with the Black actors. (though truth be told, there's
not a Sister on there with a body like that. Whoo-hoo!!!) In other
words, in the three or four episodes I watched fully, and in the few pieces of
episodes I've caught, and in the trailers, the Blacks haven't been
front-and-center. So I assumed my random sampling reflected the overall tone of
the show. Maybe I'll give it a chance again...
You cannot even be watching this show :) The
buxom nurse isn't a nurse, she is an intern with all the rest. She stripped
because she got sick of everyone flipping out because she used to be a
Victoria's Secret-type model, so she did it to shut them up. Sort of like, ok,
now I'm naked, you've all seen it first hand, so shut up about it. On the
previews it looked cheesy, but it made sense in the context of the
episode. The Asian nurse is having an affair with the younger of the
black doctors, and their story is one of the main sublines, second only to the
star's romance. We see how he relates to how she used to be, and that is what
drew him to her, Of course, the fact that she IS like he used to be is giving
them major problems. We are starting to see layers of the evil black nurse.
She is a typical mentor type, but not just stereotypical black woman evil
anymore.
It is not perfect, and may not be your cup of
tea, but it is far, FAR better than most shows portraying minorities on TV.
But then, my expectation is much lower. I have
accepted that until we create shows on TV1 and BET, we will not have the type
of roles we can truly relate to. This is our own damn fault, you know, so I
enjoy shows based on whether or not I like the story now.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2005 12:08
PM
Subject: [scifinoir2] What happened to
"Grey's Anatomy"?
I tuned into this show because I'd heard a Sister was the creator and
main writer. She spoke at length with Tavis Smiley about the diverse
cast (three Blacks and an Asian) and how the stories often center around
guests of color. That may be true, but I haven't seen anything that really
differentiates this from other shows I've seen that focus on the
whites. The star's in a love affair with the doc played by Patrick
Dempsey, the buxom nurse (who used to be on Roswell) has gotten some
storylines, including one that had her stripping to her underwear in front
of her co-workers. The Asian nurse is apparently pregnant. Frankly I
quit watching after two episodes because nothing convinced me the Blacks
would get major treatment. From what I can tell they're more like
window dressing to the white characters.
I notice that among the Blacks we have what are becoming familiar
caricatures: the older doctor who ostensibly runs the place. But like
Fancy on NYPD Blue, it reminds me of the device where you create
a leader who's Black, then push him to the background...a mean doc who's
shepherding the newbies. She comes onscreen, barks at the youngsters, then
stalks off...and Isiah Washington's arrogant, self-centered genius, who
reminds me of Eric LaSalle's character on "ER". He gets a few
lines where he helps himself by being a real human to his charges, then off
he goes. They all seem to do little more than provide plot points for the
scared doctors to be, yet have little in the way of fully fleshed out roles
themselves.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I just feel the hoped-for strong usage of the
people of color isn't materializing. This seems to be borne out by all the
coverage I've seen: not one commercial on TV shows the Black actors, instead
focusing almost exclusively on the star and her lover, with a little bit of
coverage given to the other non-Blacks. TV Guide recently did an
article on the show that included a two-page spread of photos of the
"stars that make it hot". Not *one* of the Blacks was pictured!
Am I off base? Are the Blacks used effectively? Do the guest stars
consist of people of color with strong roles? Anyone watching this?
Yahoo! Groups Links
|
