Shonda Rhimes explains why Arizona got the girl
Love it or hate it, Grey’s Anatomy changed television.
That may seem an overstatement, since Grey’s isn’t in the category of the dramas usually referred to as transformational — The Sopranos, Mad Men or Six Feet Under, for example. But in terms of pop culture, the influence of the show is obvious every time someone says, “Seriously?” or refers to an essential part of the body as the “va-jay-jay.”
Sure, Grey’s often is infuriating, but that’s just proof that we have an emotional investment in the characters and their stories. And for that, we have to thank Shonda Rhimes, who was chosen as one of TV Guide’s “Players” — the people who made the decade’s best TV.
Rhimes takes her place among J.J. Abrams (Alias, Lost, Fringe), Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip), Dick Wolf (Law & Order, ad infinitum) and others who may be more acceptable in critics’ circles. But Rhimes is the lone female among them and the one who has done more to bring strong, independent women and normal lesbians to network television than any other creator.
In her interview with TVGuide.com, Rhimes talked about finding a color-blind, gender-blind cast:
When I wrote the pilot to Grey's, I didn't put race to anybody; there was no ethnicity. I basically said we're just going to bring in great actors and whoever is right for the part will get the role … People would come in and we'd have a black woman, a blonde woman and an Asian woman all competing for the same role. The only tweaking I did was I asked Sandra Oh if she wanted her character to have a Korean last name, but the character remained exactly the same.
The diversity wasn’t planned, but was just a result of casting the right actors and letting the characters be.
A lot of other people who are older than me fought very hard so that I could get to write a television show and let people just be people. We don't have a black character on a show and just talk about it all the time that they're black, or they have these shoes because they're black. Characters just get to be characters.
And that’s probably why a main character turned out to be bisexual. But Callie’s coming out process was not always smooth (as is the case in real life) and Rhimes apparently was not quite prepared for the reaction.
I learned that we were in the awkward, strange, uncomfortable position of being the only network show with lesbian characters and when you're the only, everyone's staring at you and dissecting everything you do. Really we were just trying to find the most organic way for the characters to play out their relationships.
What about Callica vs. Calzona?
I didn't read or know about the feedback with Callie and Erica. What I was looking for with Arizona was a pediatric surgeon and then I noticed that there's really good chemistry [between Callie and Arizona]; they play really well together. There's a little spark there that feels interesting. Let's put them together romantically and see what happens.
To me, the difference in the relationships is that Erica came out at the same time Callie was discovering she was bisexual and defining herself. Arizona is a character who's known who she is since she was a teenager and is very comfortable with who she is. She's not struggling at all; she already knows her place, which I liked. I felt like there was something about being a strong, confident lesbian character that was interesting.
OK, I don’t quite buy that Rhimes didn’t read the Callica feedback, but I do appreciate that putting Callie with a confident, out lesbian allows the writers to more organically boost Callie’s security in her own sexual orientation. Of course, it helps that I love Arizona and Callie together.
Read the rest of Rhimes’ interview and let us know what you think. Do you agree that Shonda Rhimes and Grey’s Anatomy changed television? Who do you think should be on the list of the decade’s best TV creators?
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Comments
Hmmm...
I too am uncertain of what to make of Shonda and her statements on the whole, however I do feel that Grey's Anatomy has done a good job at being inclusive when it comes to race, gender and sexuality.
I personally love the characters of Callie and Arizona separately and as a couple.
I look forward to continuing to watch their relationship unfold.
Sara Ramirez and Jessica Capshaw are awesome! As Callie and Arizona, their talent has shone through and turned them into not only one of my favorite couples on TV but also 2 of my favorite characters on TV. The entire episode with Callie and her father and Arizona telling the story of how she got her name will forever be etched into my memory as one of the strongest episodes of a TV show that I have seen this year (as compared with other shows I watch, not necessarily of all shows that air).
If God had wanted me otherwise, He would have created me otherwise. ~Johann von Goethe
Arizona's name
I've never seen the epsiode where Arizona explains how she got her name. Do you know the name of that episode?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An optimist may see a light where there is none, but why must the pessimist always run to blow it out? -Descartes
@ Cerulean Skii (Arizona explains her name)
Here's a clip from the episode you're referring to (Season 6, Episode 5: "Invasion"):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M8ZLJwqhtc
Enjoy!
SHONDA RULES!!!
Calzona
Wait, what? She noticed that there was good chemistry between Arizona and Callie after she was introduced, and decided to wing it? Wasn't Arizona introduced with that purpose in mind?
I'm sorry, but we all know why Dr. Hahn was replaced with a younger, (allegedly) hotter version of herself. I still have not been able to get back into Gray's since she left.
Jessica Capshaw was only
Uhm. Yea.
It can't be about realism unless
Dr. Torres and Dr. Hahn came "Too close to home..."
(Fluffie Realism is the way to go. But don't co-opt Hello Kitty, it's been done.)
I totally love Calzona.
I totally love Calzona. Shonda Rhimes is a genius in my opinion. I really didn't see the chemistry between Callie and Erica to be honest, and I wasn't really bothered when she was cut. Of course, we all like the first person better. For example, we all liked orange gatorade better than blue just 'cause it came out first. Bad example?
Anyway, I prefer Calzona 100% more than Callica, definitely. Please don't slaughter me for saying that :P
Go here for my view on all things lesbian: http://allthingslesbeau.blogspot.com
I agree
I love Callie and Arizona far more than Callie and Erica.....they seem to fit together better, share a similar energy - - and I love Jessica Capshaw.
Same for me re: Callie/Arizona
With the onset of Callie and Erica I was just excited that there was a girl-girl pairing on network TV, period. BUT I didn't like Hahn's character (never warmed up to her) so I had mixed feelings -- I couldn't bring myself to like her even if she was getting busy with Callie. I can't (and won't) automatically like a character (or real life person) just because she's playing for our team. Arizona, on the other hand, is SO much more affable and I like that she's a full-out lesbian -- not questioning, figuring things out -- she knows what's what and that makes for a MUCH better coupling situation for/with Callie (imho). And what self-respecting hetero viewer wouldn't fall head over heels in love with Dr Robbins, too? *w*
I know that we get thrown scraps here and there when it comes to les/bi characters on network TV, but personally I'm tired of "settling" for those scraps. Thankfully (and to my utter surprise) we're getting more of a full meal with Callie & Arizona. I know, there are still so many dissatisfied customers who complain about the lack of intimacy between the women (which I think is more about Callie not being a touchy-feely kinda gal) but it's being played out in a well-paced fashion, at least for me.
I think Callie & Arizona have the healthiest relationship out of all the GA couples by far (though Meredith & Derek seemed to have settled down the last while... SO thankful for Ellen Pompeo's pregnancy = WAY less screen time... talk about five seasons of pull-your-hair-out annoyance!!)
And something I keep in mind is that we are used to being and seeing lesbians/bisexual women in real life -- the majority of people are not. So to speed things up, to really push it on the mostly non-les/bi TV viewers, I'm not sure how well received that would be. I could be wrong, but that's just how I see it.
And I LOVE Callie & Arizona *s* Don't fuck it up, Shonda et al. We're watching...
yes!
my thoughts exactly!Hahn/Arizona/Callie
Some thoughts
I've seen some of Shonda's tweets, and at times comes off like a jerk. Which maybe shouldn't be related, but it somehow makes me think that she's perhaps not being totally honest about not reading anything about the reaction people had to Callie & Erica.
And like someone else said, I don't buy the whole "Callie and Arizona had so much chemistry, I just thought that we'd make them a couple!" crap. If that's true, then they originally had a completely different story arch with the two characters for last season. Other stuff that I've read about Shonda and kinda how the stories are told makes it sound like they map out the entire season from beginning to end WAAAYYY in advance. Something's not right here.
Well Shonda Rhimes is
Unabated
I wish I had time to go back and make note of every interview Shonda Rhimes has done about Callie and Erica since Brooke Smith was let go from the show...
I suspect that if you took time to look at each one, they'd all have a different answer about why things played out the way they did. At this point, I just don't believe Shonda Rhimes anymore and I'm not sure why anyone does.
Also, it's worth noting that this is the first interview of Rhimes that I've seen where she calls Callie "bisexual"--in the past (much to my dismay), she's referred to Callie as a lesbian. Who knows if that means anything...could just be another case of Shonda Rhimes not being able to keep her story straight.
Thankfully, despite my misgivings about Rhimes, my love for Sara Ramirez continues unabated.
---
Justice consists not in being neutral between right and wrong, but in finding out the right and upholding it, wherever found, against the wrong. - Theodore Roosevelt
Word. Also: "And that’s
Word. Also:
"And that’s probably why a main character turned out to be a lesbian." Except she didn't, as the article itself points out further down. Please be consistent, dear AE!
Point taken
Totally agree!
Sara Ramirez & Jane Lynch
Sara Ramirez & Jane Lynch BEST PERFORMANCES OF 2009 (as rated by TV Guide):
Sara Ramirez as Callie Torres on "Grey's Anatomy":
http://www.tvguide.com/PhotoGallery/Best-Performances-Year-1012015/20.aspx
and
Jane Lynch as Coach Sue Sylvester on "Glee":
http://www.tvguide.com/PhotoGallery/Best-Performances-Year-1012015/15.aspx
The list that Rhimes is on is a VERY white, VERY male one. Then again, that's Hollywood for ya :P Btw, where's Whedon?
well....not many black women
well....not many black women are in the position shonda rhimes is in. for that reason alone (dispite my misgiving about the entire show...i haven't been a fan since isaiah washington left) i really want her to succeed. but still, i fear she is going down the road of ilene chaiken...and that is heartbreaking for many, many reasons
---------------------------------------------
~I am bisexual. You are confused.~
Shonda Rhimes explains why Arizona got the girl..
... because Arizona is cute, funny, and HOT. Let's face it, she is the shizz :)
"Open your closed mind and close your open mouth.
You're pushing more than you're pulling."
Shonda likes to toe the party line
I think the real reason is that Shonda just didn't like the Erica character. And she was put in a position where, because the storyline was a little more delicate because of all the attention the show got by making Callie gay, she couldn't just come out and say that she didn't like the chemistry, or the character. A lot of the Erica problem was the writing. She was just an unlikeable character(my opinion obviously), and she got backed into a corner of having to defend the decision to let Brooke go without coming right out and saying that it just wasn't working.
And it's pretty obvious that Shonda LOVES Jessica Capshaw. She comments about her quite a bit on twitter. Frankly, I'm glad, it means they're going to write for Arizona, who is an incredibly fun and multidimensional character, who just happens to be a lesbian. I love watching JCap, especially with Sara Ramirez, but also on her own. And that was where the difference between Arizona and Erica is so noticeable. Maybe Shonda learned her lesson from the Erica situation. Whatever it is, I'm grateful, because the CA pairing REALLY works in all the facets that CE didn't.
(:
I smiled when I saw the name 'Shonda Rhimes' on the front page.
Thanks very much for posting this, too.
I personally do prefer Callie/Arizona to Callie/Erica because I do think the chemistry is better. Plus, I like how they're comfortable in their sexuality, and it's not just a 'coming out' plotline, which is how most lesbian storylines on tv are. It's a bit more Brothers & Sisters.
Change tv...
Oh course she did. Say what you want about how the series (which rumors were was interfered with by the network) and Erica BUT this show did re-define diversity in TV. When was the last time anyone heard of a show that didn't put out casting notices so to type that it made it hard not to pre-cast it?
We can be angry about the outcome of the Callie/Erica situation but they didn't back track and make Callie's moment with Erica be merely a fling for sweeps and although the show hasn't shown a ton of affection enjoyed by the other couples there is no way to be sure if that wasn't the network.
Characters are characters and not colors or who they sleep with and Shonda Rhimes should be applauded for her impact on that process.
Callica/Calzona
I read this a long time ago, but originally Erica was intended to be a love interest for Mark. During Brooke's first couple of episodes all Erica did was go back and fourth with Mark. Problem is, they had no sexual chemistry. Brooke is a wonderful and talented lady. Unfortunately, she lacks the physical characteristics that compliment Eric Dane. I don't find her unattractive by any means, I just could not picture them together as a couple.
So instead of wasting a character, they decided to give the gay thing a shot. Problem is, by the time they got around to doing it Erica was hated. They also made the mistake of rushing into things and giving their audience too much credit. A majority of the straight individuals who watch the show did not want to see two gay characters. I also feel like people had a hard time adjusting to Callie's sexuality as it was never implied in previous episodes that she may like girls. And call me crazy, but I get that. It's the same way I feel when the writers of my favorite shows take a lesbian character and turn her into a straight girl. You are left with the "what the hell" reaction.
But the main reason Callica suffered was because they did not spend the appropriate amount of time building up their relationship like they should have. It was an after thought to them. I mean any idiot can tell the difference between how much time they spent on Callica verses how much time they are spending on Calzona just by watching the clips on YouTube.
I appreciate Grey's for allowing us to watch Sara Ramirez kiss a woman. What I don't appreciate is the lack of screen time for Callica and Calzona and how they go back and fourth on Callie's sexuality. First she was a lesbian, then she was undefined, now she is bisexual. Good Lord make up my mind.
All this article did was bring me closer to realization. I still believe that the minute the show starts to dying a slow and ugly death, Callie will take the train to straight-ville never to be heard from again. Callie and Mark will be together when the show officially ends. By all means, I wouldn't mind if Shonda proved me wrong. But I'm fairly confident she won't.
"Mother Chucker!" - Blair, Gossip Girl
CA.
How could Arizona NOT get the girl? Seriously. (hehe)
And I don't know if I'm alone in this or not, but I felt like I was forcing myself to like the Callie/Erica romance, because at least it was something, ya know? The friendship was fine, but I just did not see them together at all. There was zero romantic chemistry for me. The whole thing felt very forced. And to be honest I was never a huge fan of Erica at all, no matter who she was interacting with (Burke, Cristina, Mark...).
Jessica Capshaw was really only signed on for three episodes to begin with, but as someone above me said, Shonda liked the chemistry she and Sara had and the fact that she was "sparkle-y, funny, shiny and new", so she kept her :) Who wouldn't?
Callie's orientation
I know Shonda has stated Callie is a lesbian and bisexual more than once. I lean towards bisexual because Callie was married to George and she was crazy in love with him. She still kind of hates Izzie for having an affair with him and she was devastated by his death. Not to mention her former f-buddy status with bff Mark. Callie herself has said she still really isn't sure what she is. And I've read Sara Ramirez herself define her as bisexual in a few interviews and how that was important because bisexuals are so misunderstood and stereotyped on TV.
That doesn't mean their is some plan in the works to have her dump Arizona, whom I love, and date a man. Shonda and the actress both have stated that their relationship is pretty solid. But it wouldn't be out of left-field either given her pattern with men. I just think people should lighten up on the bisexual thing. There's a tendency on this site by some posters to come off bi-phobic whether they intend to or not.
Easy way out...
I want to state first that i do love Arizona and Callie together. That being said Erica's character was my favorite (and the first character on tv i felt i could relate to emotionally) and the way she was taken out had me frustrated for months.
To me Arizona is there because she's a convenient character. She's younger and "prettier" (I disagree on that, but a lot of people seem to think so), she's sweet and loves children and she's already out. It would be a lot harder to write the story of Erica and Callie because they would have to grow together to be strong and assertive about their orientation. Not to mention, it would require more work to show how likable Erica is (which i still don't get. Everything that people hate about her, I love. She's straightforward, ethical and a tiny bit antisocial. But come on, everyone can see she cares, especially with how she smiled so fondly at Callie). It's way easier to have Arizona there. She's there to hold Callie's hand when she's in doubt or doesn't know how to explain her sexuality (to her father for example). Personally, I think it's a shame. I would have loved to see them pull it off with Erica and even explore how to open Erica to the other characters.
On a side note, I hate how they constantly switch around Callie's orientation. In one interview she can be both referred as a lesbian and as bisexual.
agree agree agree.
I think the general opinion is now Calzona>Callica. I, like you, loved all the characteristics about Erica that everybody else hated. She wasn't a cookie-cutter type character. I think it's bull that Shonda said she didn't read the Callica feedback. I think the network hated the character and the audience didn't like the pairing so they traded her in for a newer and "prettier" model.
That said, Calzona has grown on me so much. I kind of hated them together at first, just because I was pretty bitter about the whole parking lot of no return thing. But now I'm kind of in love with Jessica Capshaw.
thank god i'm not alone!
I was starting to wonder if I was alone on my island (well alone with my gf, she has the same love for erica as I do).
Exactly! That's why she was so interesting! And come on, its obvious the fans had an influence on her character staying or not. Most people either didn't care or hated her and instead of trying to show that she can be a great character (or just kipping her for the minor viewers who loved her) they gave her the hack and brought Erica 2.0 and named her Arizona instead.
But like I said, I too like Arizona and Callie, i think they are great together, I just can't relate to them as much because both are mostly happy, cheerful people and erica was a little more somber. But, so far, one of the best couple I've seen ;)
Also agree.
I like Calzona...
...I never did like the abrupt departure of of Erica but I didn't like the pairing of Calllie and Erica either. I do, however, like Callie and Arizona...
http://twitter.com/LKG65
it didnt caught...
my attention with erica being paired to callie. I think the pair doesnt have the chemistry at all. With Callie and Arizona i must say that i found the show much better to watch and funnier. So i think Shonda is right with saying that both play well together, and when the two are together or just having a petty fights over something they look cute..
I'll go with Calzona, i like them both!
WARNING: Keyboard not detected. Press F1 to continue..
I like it.
I didn't really care for the Callie -Erica pairing. Everyone seemed to be all hyped up over it but; I just never saw it. I hated Capsahw on TLW - just because I was a flaming Tibetter. But; as Arizona she is perfect. I have no idea about what goes on behind the curtains of a tv show and the cast, Greys has had its Drama.
I love the way their playing these characters, they are movers and shakers in their jobs and the gay is down played. I like that a lot, like its no big deal. You get enough of their personnal lives but; it's not ramed down anyone's throat.
I have always been a big Grey's fan, and with Gay characters on the show I love it more. Even though Merridith is still my fav, but; Arizona is a very close second.
Each time Shonda gets asked
Each time Shonda gets asked a reason why the Callie/Erica relationship didn't continue, she gives another reason... She should make up her mind on what the reason was for stopping that storyline and tell the same thing every time.
Shonda could have handled that storyline much much better and let Erica/Brooke leave the show with dignity, instead of sending her off to the parking lot of no return without any explanation afterwards at all.
I still don't trust Shonda to handle Callie/Arizona better, so far she's doing a good job, but I still have doubt lingering she's not gonna mess this up again.
Callie and Arizona are cute, but I'm still mad at Shonda for the way she treated Brooke. Brooke Smith is an excellent actress and she didn't deserve to be fired like that.
It's normal that everyone likes Arizona better, they wrote her character more likeable than Erica's. If they had made Erica as perky as Arizona, everyone would have loved her too.
Arizona is so adorable that
Arizona is so adorable that I can't help but prefer her over Erica. :P Granted I never watched when Erica was there so I can't truthfully say who had better chemisty.
But Arizona and Callie are so cute. >-<
ok
i really think its the fact that arizona moreso than erica is such a free-spirit. i think that is something a lot of us are attracted to.
i do have to say that i loved erica's speech about finally seeing the leaves on the trees, how callie was the leaves. but i'm a huge jessica fan so i'm gonna vote for Arizona and Callie.