User:Jonathan Harold Koszeghi/sandbox2

The Secondary Sanbox was created during my effort to develop the "Writing" section of Grey's Anatomy (season 3) to its highest possible quality. The following are some aspects I have covered while preparing the article for GA, which will serve as an inspiration in my rewriting the whole section for FA.

Overall

Regarding the conception of the seasonal arc, Rhimes stated that she had originally planned to move the timeline three months after the conclusion of the second season, but the process did not occur, due to her not wanting the audience to miss significant moments from the character's complex lives. "I feel like so much happened at the end of last season that I owe it to the characters to have them deal with the aftermath. And I owe it to the audience to let them watch the aftermath", stated Rhimes, regarding her decision to continue the storyline from where the previous season left off. Prior to the broadcast of the season premiere, Rhimes described the season as combining the aftermath of the recent events and the past experiences that define each character. In addition, she noted how the season marked the transition to a new chapter in the personal backgrounds of the protagonists, stating: "It was meant to bring us to a place where we can say goodbye to Denny, as well as deal with Meredith's love triangle. Just remember that nothing is ever wrapped up easily on this show. Because things aren't neat and clean in real life."

Meredith

Before the production process for the third season officially began, Rhimes noted that the season's arc was conceived to provide an emphasis on the significant development of Grey's character, whom she deemed "an interesting, spiritual, charming and intriguing presence". Beers, writer and executive producer, noted that a balance between Grey's vulnerability and courage would prominently evolve throughout the season, as the main target of the writing staff has been stated to be the emphasis on the character's flaws, which have a prominent role in determining her choices. Rhimes deemed the episode which saw Grey visiting the limbo, following the character's entering a state of hypothermia, the most iconic of the season, noting that it was an "exciting adventure" for her, due to her incapacity to find her way back. Noxon, who co-wrote the episode, offered her insight on Grey's near-death experience, noting that "it was a challenge to write and shoot for so many reasons. This wasn't a typical Grey's. Half of it takes place where? In Meredith's head? In Heaven? We decided, for obvious reasons, not to get too specific. And we knew Meredith had to go on a journey." Disclosing that an arc to revolve around Grey's mother having an unexpected lucid day was conceived and developed since the beginning of the series, Rater, who wrote the episode, assessed that the balance Grey had found in her life, having a chance at happiness with her love interest, is shaken by the turn of events: "If you're going to give Meredith her mother back and then take her away again, you'd better have a pretty good reason."

Izzie

The first half of the season provided a complex outlook on the character of Stevens, exposing her incapacity to cope with the death of her fiancé, Duquette. Regarding the arc, Rhimes discussed the impact Duquette's death had on the evolution of the character, highlighting the character's abandonment of personal idealism, which leads to her deciding to quit working in the medical field. In the aftermath of Duquette's death, Heigl expressed disbelief in her character's talent and abilities as a physician: "At the beginning of the season they were trying to show how lost Izzie was. She lost her optimism. She realizes now that life is difficult, but she still tries very hard to see the best in people." Beers, however, explained that the death of Duquette's character, which was created to change the mentality of the character, served to "make Stevens more mature, in a very sobering way". After Duquette's death, Vernoff described Stevens as being introduced to the audience as a "sleepless woman, who can only move her facial muscles and form words", in order to provide resemblance to the mourning manner of the typical human being. Heinberg, however, noted that the question of identity is the most pressing for Stevens at the commencement of the season: "She's no longer in the surgical program. She's not Denny’s fiancée. She's not even his widow. Lost in her own grief, Izzie has no idea who she is."

Derek

Beers expressed her desire to introduce Dempsey's passion of car racing in the series, although this ultimately did not occur during the season. "Patrick loved it. He's always driving something new, always trying something out", stated the series creator, regarding Dempsey's response to the hypothetical storyline.

Alex/Rebecca

The season introduced Jane Doe's character, a victim of a ferry crash, suffering from amnesia. Rhimes noted that the character was conceived and developed, in order to add responsibility and maturity in Karev's personality. Rhimes highlighted the difficulty encountered by the casting team in finding an appropriate actress to portray a romantic interest for Chambers' character. Reaser, who would soon be given the part, explained that at the time of her casting, no definite plans for the evolution of the character had been developed, assessing that only the ferry accident arc had been explained to her. Reaser noted frustration and fright as the main characteristics of the character. In response, Beers noted that the inability to express her feelings through facial expressions was determinant in the crew's decision to involve and emphasize on her, as an influential element in Karev's evolving from a "cutting and sarcasting young man" to an "honest, but overly confident surgeon". Corn, who served as an executive producer, stated that his plan for the original arc focused primarily on Jane Doe's inner struggles to "escape the horrifying situation" that she found herself in.

Sloan/Addison

The season reintroduced the character of Sloan, who previously appeared in the second season, for one episode. Dane, who portrayed Sloan, described the impact his first scene in the season, which saw him exiting a steamy bathroom, following his having sexual intercourse with Montgomery, exerted on him, deeming it a spectacular entrance: "It was a brand new towel, which had a hard time staying together. So every time I put it together and let my hands go, it was almost like throwing caution to the wind." Vernoff explained that the concept of Sloan's character was modeled after her husband, whose "inappropriate and off-color" statements were attributed to the character's exposed personality. She disclosed that an expanded development for the character, following Sloan's first appearance in the second season, had been conceived ever since the character's storyline was introduced. Cahn described Sloan's introduction, by focusing on panic and desperation as the main characteristics of his relationship with Montgomery: "[Montgomery] is trying to let him down easy, he just flew across the country to scratch her itch, she's buried her about-to-be-divorcee devastation in his very well defined chest, he's proclaiming his true love, she can't slap him in the face."

Bailey

In regard to the character of Bailey, Vernoff explained a "new direction" in her evolution through the season, noting the highly developed emotional side of her personality, through her "sensitive and touching" interactions with the interns: "Bailey is just honest, real, straight forward, good, whole, kind, lovely, complicated."

Spin-off

One day before "Some Kind of Miracle" aired, The Wall Street Journal reported that the American Broadcasting Company was pursuing a spin-off medical drama television series for Grey's Anatomy, revolving around Walsh's character, following her relocating from Seattle to a then unknown location. Subsequent reports confirmed the possibility of a related series, announcing the expanded two-part episode arc, conceived and developed as a backdoor pilot for the proposed spin-off. The cast was reportedly unhappy about the network's decision to center the series of Walsh's character, as numerous cast members expressed hope that the spin-off would have been given to them. Pompeo commented that she felt, as the star of the parent series, she should have been consulted, whereas Heigl disclosed that she had hoped for a spin-off to revolve around her character, despite admitting that the choosing Walsh was favorable: "That's what I was hoping, actually. When Shonda told us there was going to be a spin-off and Kate was going, I wanted to try something new. But I really love the idea of the spin-off, it could be really interesting. And Kate's so fabulous." The two-hour broadcast served as the twenty-second and twenty-third episodes of the season, being written by Rhimes, the series creator and showrunner, and directed by filmmaker Michael Grossman. Rhimes offered her insight on the concept of the backdoor pilot: "For the first time ever since working on this show, I got an idea that was Grey's Anatomy but not Grey's Anatomy. It was something else. It was Addison driving down the freeway with her hair blowing all over her face. I had this idea it had already worked its way under my skin and I had to write it down. So I wrote it down. And I gave it to the studio and the network. It became something. A script that was part-Grey's, part something else. And then it became news around town and suddenly my tiny little written down something was being paid a lot of attention by the outside world. Next thing you know, they're calling it a spin-off. This episode, it's not a spin-off. It's Addison going down to LA to complete the story we've been laying out for her for two seasons." The backdoor pilot follows two parallel storylines, focusing on Montgomery's trip to Los Angeles and the events that occur in Seattle, mainly putting an emphasis on the characters of Grey and Karev. Montgomery visits her close friend Dr. Naomi Bennett (Merrin Dungey), a reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist, whom she seeks advice from, in order to get pregnant as a single mother. The characters introduced in the two-episode arc include Naomi Bennett, Dr. Peter Wilder (Tim Daly), Dr. Cooper Freedman (Paul Adelstein), Dr. Violet Turner (Amy Brenneman), Dr. Sam Bennett (Taye Diggs) and Dell Parker (Chris Lowell), who would eventually become the main characters of the spin-off. KaDee Strickland's character, Dr. Charlotte King, who would be introduced in the spin-off first season premiere, was not featured in the backdoor pilot, due to her addition to the main cast occurring prior to the commencement of the first season. Also not present in the backdoor pilot was Audra McDonald, due to her character, Bennett, being portrayed by a different actress, Dungey. However, on June 29, 2007, the network announced that Dungey would be replaced, with no reason given for the change. The premiere episode followed the second part of the season debut of Dancing with the Stars, and provided a lead-in to fellow freshman series, Dirty Sexy Money. Pushing Daisies, a third new series for the evening, rounded out the lineup as a lead-in to Private Practice. The American Broadcasting Company officially picked up Private Pracitce for the upcoming television season on May 11, 2007. The series has aired five seasons, with a renewal in place for the sixth, which is expected to be the series' last.