by Joe
(Written after watching first four episodes of the series on DVD)

To see that Grey’s Anatomy is a show directed at women, you need look no further than the intro to the show. We start with a neutral image of a locker room and someone in surgical garb, then we progress to another neutral image of surgical tools. These would almost lead you to believe that the show was gender neutral but then the estrogen comes out. Next we see the image of eyelash curling which is inarguably aimed at women. Next we see a woman zipping up her dress which is another female oriented image. Now we go to a neutral image of a surgical gown being tied on and then onto another neutral image of an IV bag. We quickly progress to three feminine images of a girly drink being poured, two individuals in bed engaged in foreplay or pillowtalk and finally a pair of high heels under a pulled curtain.

Characters in the show are meant to engage a predominantly female audience. The lead character is a woman and also the show’s narrator. She is a smart, tough but fair and empowering image for women. Most men in this show are not really “normal” as it pertains to real life. First we have the most startling example of everything a man is not which is George O’Malley. This little boy cannot seem to manage much by himself, cannot speak, is constantly subdued by his more masculine female cast members, is willing to buy tampons, has a problem with seeing women in their underwear, maintains a pathetic 10 year old’s crush on the main character and would be a more appropriate addition to the cast of Gay’s Anatomy. (Note: Brad does not necessarily agree with all of Joe’s view.)

Next we have Alex who is set up as our antagonist and is given characteristics that all women are easily supposed to hate like womanizing and the frat boy approach to life. Even he is slammed against a locker by Meredith and doesn’t seem to mind all that much, when in real life, and in keeping with his character, he probably would have shoved her to the ground and told her to get her fucking hands off him.

Dr. Derek Shepherd is of course every woman’s dream since he is gorgeous, works as a doctor and has a sensitivity that is almost unmatched by the pathetic O’Malley. This kind of character automatically alienates men because they have a hard enough time dealing with watching an attractive man but in order to stomach it they need him to be a bit more rugged like George Clooney in ER. The only true alpha male is Dr. Burke who is pushed to the periphery by the central role of the intern group and overshadowed by many more powerful women.

The medical portion of the show is believable for the most part but I will mention here the nail gun incident. Anyone who has used a nail gun knows how hard it is for it to go off unintentionally. It is believable that while falling down the stairs the gun could’ve fired one shot by accident but the idea that it fired seven nails and that all of the nails fired into the top of that man’s head…. Well that’s just about as likely as having a surgeon who’s a lingerie model. Oh wait, the show has that too.

The show makes an extra effort to focus on sensitivity and feelings due to its loyal female fanbase. Izzie cares the most about patients and even Christina is shown the value of caring about people. This is topped off with Meredith and her interactions with her mother who has Alzheimer’s.

In short it is understandable why this show is a woman’s dream but don’t expect to be watching it as a couple.

Technorati Tags: Grey’s Anatomy, women, George O’Malley, womanizing, Derek Shepherd

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