March 27, 2025 • 17 mins
The Sussexes are making headlines again.
Regardless of if you think they warrant a mention in the news or not, Prince Harry has walks away from a charity close to his heart, while Meghan appears to be stepping into a new role as a lifestyle influencer.
Plus, as Grey's Anatomy turns 20 this week, we're looking back at how Shonda Rhimes changed the face of television forever with a show that was never meant to be this big.
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Hosts: Taylah Strano & Grace Rouvray
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Audio Producer: Lu Hill
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
You're listening to a Muma Mea podcast. Mumma Mea acknowledges
the traditional owners of land and waters that this podcast
is recorded on Hey, I'm Taylor Strano. This is Mumma
Mer's twice daily news podcast, The Quickie. The Sussexes are
making headlines again, Prince Harry's walking away from a passion project,
(00:32):
there's whispers of a new Diana documentary, and is Megan
Mirkle about to become the world's most famous influencer? Plus,
can you believe it's been two decades since we first
heard this?
Speaker 2 (00:43):
All Right, everybody, it's a beautiful night to saved Lives.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
It's such fun. Yep. Gray's Anatomy is turning twenty this week,
so let's turn our attention to the woman who changed
the face of television forever. But first, here's Grace Roubray
with the latest from the Quickie newsroom.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
For Friday, March twenty.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Eight, Prime Minister Anthony Albanezi is set to call a
federal election on Friday, with an expected polling date of
May three. He will visit the Governor General on Friday
morning before making the announcement. Alberanezy hopes to become the
first prime minister since John Howard to win back to
back elections, while Opposition leader Peter Dutton aims to break
a near century long trend of governments winning a second term.
(01:26):
The election, initially expected in April, was delayed due to
tropical Cyclone Alfred. The government used the extra time to
deliver a budget including tax cuts from July twenty twenty six.
Cost of living concerns are set to dominate the campaign,
with Labour highlighting its tax cuts, Medicare boost and easing inflation,
while the Coalition argues that living standards have worsened. To
(01:47):
win government, the coalition must gain nineteen seats, with Poles
suggesting a tight race and a possible hung parliament. Former
New South Wales police officer Christian White will face sentencing
for the manslaughter of ninety five year old Clare Noland,
who died after he tased her at a Couma aged
care home in May twenty twenty three. Noland, holding a knife,
(02:08):
was using a word walking frame ignored Staff's attempts to
disarm her when White fired his taser, causing her to
fall and suffer a fatal brain injury. Prosecutors are seeking
jail time, arguing police accountability is rare, while White's lawyers
claim it was a misjudgment. His case joins a shortlist
of Australian police officers prosecuted for deaths on duty. White
(02:31):
was dismissed from the force in December and is appealing
his termination opposition later. Peter Dutton has ruled out tax
cuts under a coalition government, instead promising cheaper electricity and petrol.
His plan includes boosting gas supply, cutting the fuel excise
by twenty five percent per leader, and fast tracking approvals
to lower power prices. Labour has seized on his admission
(02:53):
that the Liberals would repeal legislated tax cuts, framing the
election as a choice between lower taxes with Labour or
higher taxes under Dutton. Treasurer Jim Chalmers argues broad tax
relief is a better solution to cost of living pressures,
while Dutton claims his fuel cut save motorists fourteen dollars
a week. Australia is providing an additional eleven million dollars
(03:15):
in humanitarian aid for Gaza as Israeli bombardment continues. The
funds will support urgent needs like healthcare, food and water.
Since October twenty twenty three, Australia has committed nearly one
hundred and twenty five million dollars in aid to those
affected by Middle East conflict. Foreign Minister Penny Wong reaffirmed
calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages and sustained
(03:37):
humanitarian access. Australia is also directing fifteen million dollars in
aid to support refugees and Afghan women facing severe rights
restrictions under Taliban rule.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Thanks Grays.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Next the shock exit that's left Prince Harry devastated. The
Sussexes can't stay out of the headlines for more than
five minutes these days, as we continue to argue about
whether or not they should be there in the first place.
So what's on the dock at this week? Well, Prince
Harry has decided to step away from one of his
(04:11):
long standing charity commitments, a move that's raised eyebrows among
Royal watches. This comes as rumours grow about his involvement
in a potential new documentary focused on his mother, Princess Diana,
And meanwhile, Megan Markle appears to be leaning into a
new role that many have speculated about for years, that
of a lifestyle influencer.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
So let's get into it, starting with Harry's charity split.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
When he was just twenty one years old, Harry and
Prince Seeso of Lsutu founded Center Balai, a charity named
after the word for forget me not in the local
Sisoto language.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
The organization was created.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
To help vulnerable children affected by HIV and AIDS in
Southern Africa and was very much Harry's way of continuing
Princess Diana's legacy. But now nearly twenty years on, both
princes have resigned from the charity they created amid what
can only be described as a spectacular boardroom breakdown. In
a joint statement, the Princess said what's happened is unthinkable,
(05:09):
that they're both in shock and both need to resign.
The drama centers around a falling out between the board
of trustees and the charity's chairwoman, doctor Sophi Shandaka, who
was appointed in twenty twenty three. The relationship reportedly broke
down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation where all trustees,
including Harry's close friend Mark Dyer, step down in solidarity.
(05:32):
The doctor Shandaka has fired back with accusations of poor governance,
weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, and misogynire.
That's misogyny directed at black women, by the way. But
what makes us particularly painful for Harry is the charity's
deep connection to his mother. It was his way of
honoring Diana's work with AIDS patients, work that was groundbreaking
(05:54):
at a time when stigma around the disease was.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
At its peak.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Speaking of the People's Princess, there's been speculation about a
new Netflix project from Prince Harry, one that would focus
on his mother's life and legacy. Initial reports suggested he'd
be producing an host a doco to mark thirty years
since Jane's passing in twenty twenty seven, but representatives for
the Sarseixes have been clear there's no such project currently
(06:19):
in development, and while Harry has previously spoken about his mother,
including in last year's Hardeman Victors series, it seems this
particular project is it on the cards. Meanwhile, Meghan Markle
appears to be carving out a new path as an influencer.
The Duchess has been spotted sharing glimpses of the couple's
private life, including new photos of their red headed children,
(06:43):
Archie and Lillabet. This move comes as the Duchess of
Sussex unveils her new shop my page, where she curates
and shares affiliate links to some of her favorite fashion picks,
hence the influencer tags. Essentially, followers can scroll through to
shop Megan's recos and in return, she could be making
commission of certain products. The range extends from luxury gowns
(07:04):
and accessories to everyday fashion basics. Plus there's her as
ever product range. So on the same day as her
Netflix series With Love Megan launched, she also dropped eight
hosting adjacent products to coincide with the show. There's finally
somewhere to buy that jam that we've heard so much about,
And while it's a departure from her royal duties, it's
(07:25):
also kind of a return to her pre royal days
when she ran the popular lifestyle blog tick. So will
we see a paid Instagram add from the Duchess of
Sussex for various new products soon? Only time will tell.
Let's turn our attention to a television milestone that has
many of us feeling nostalgic. This time twenty years ago,
(07:48):
a hospital drama featuring a group of surgical interns debuted
on American television, and nobody could have predicted the cultural
phenomenon that would become Gray's Anatomy wasn't just another medical drama.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
It was a revolution in television, created.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
By a woman who would go on to dominate the industry.
Shonder Rhimes didn't just give us mcdreaming stem. She created
a show that tackled race, gender, sexuality, and moral dilemmas
in a way that we had never really seen before.
From that infamous bomb episode to shocking character death that
left us all traumatized, Gray's has delivered some of the
(08:24):
most memorable moments in TV history. Momay is Grace Rubrey
might just be the biggest Grays fan I know, like
I've sat in meetings with Grace as she's tried time
and time again to get Grace's Anatomy the podcast off
the ground in hopes to interrogate the importance of Shonda
and all of her Shondaland shows. Grace has actually written
a piece for the Mumma Mere website capturing the mood
(08:46):
twenties on from the show's debut, Grace take us Mack
to the beginning, Gray's was never meant to.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Be this big.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
No, what they were looking for was a replacement show
for Boston Legal at the time and an air after
Desperate Housewives, which if you can remember, was like the
biggest show at the time, and they said, oh, maybe
we'll get some audience that will stay around after Desperate
Housewives and they'll watch Grace anatomy. But the reaction was
bigger than ABC the network, bigger than Shonda was expecting,
(09:14):
and even bigger than the cast were expecting. In actors
on actors. When Catherine Heigel and Ellen Pompeo interviewed each
other last year, they both talked about, oh, do you
remember that when it came out and we all rocked
up to work the next day and we're like, oh
my god, what just happened.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Yeah, it's hard to overstate the impact that this show
has had, but also how the impact has been sustained.
Twenty years is an extremely long time for anyone to
do anything, let alone a television program to cut through
the way that it has, and I think a lot
of that is largely judas Shonda Rhymes and we'll talk
about her in a moment, but for you what is
it that's made the show manage to remain relevant for
(09:52):
two decades.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
I think its relevancy has changed. I think at the time,
it was premium drama and it was something we hadn't
seen before in terms of a medical drama. You know,
we had ER and this was an er. We were
using real medical storylines and following cases. But then the
way that they and this is Shondaism, which I know
will talk about, the way they blended the personal lives
(10:13):
and following so many of the characters, and also the
ambition of each of the interns as they wanted to
break into this industry, became at the medical field from
a place we hadn't seen before. And then she started
to kind of layer up on those elements in terms
of like cliffhanger storylines, the music, the incredible will they
Won't They? I mean we'd seen will they won't They
(10:34):
obviously through Friends, but then Derek and Meredith became like
one of the biggest will they won't theys of all time.
I do think it's relevancy has changed in terms of
we've seen Shonda step away from being the show runner
at the end of season thirteen, and the show has
morphed from premium drama to I would call it soap drama,
and both of those have a place. They're just very
(10:57):
different things. You know, it's not adolescents anymore. It's not
breaking bad, it's not that. It's a little bit more
switch your brain off and just enjoy the characters. You know, well,
the originals, which is obviously Doctor Webber played by James
Pickenst and Doctor Bailey, which is Shandra Wilson. So you've
got some of the familiar people. But I think the
show has changed over twenty years.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
There are so many standout moments in Grays. It's the
show that gave us my person, kick me, choose Me,
love Me. Too many deaths to count, like, I've actually
lost out of how many people have died on Grey's Anatomy,
and they even cover the pandemic. So there's quite a
few things that I think would make up people's top
ten list of most memorable key standout moments. But I
want to hear yours grace for you, what is like
(11:38):
the peak Gray's Anatomy greatest hits reel in your head.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
There's two different ways to look at this. There's the
cultural moments that I feel like a personal attachment to
I think this would be for so many people, which
is the relationship between Christina and Meredith the Twisted Sisters,
and You're my person. That you're my person came in
very early in season two, and they keep this you're
my person throughout so many seasons, even when they're both
(12:03):
in relationships. An Owen, which is Christina's partner, even shouts
at her at one point, be my person. And I
think that's such a beautiful reflection of friendship, of when
you do meet someone who is sort of everything to
you in a friendship capacity, at what point do you
let a romantic partner be that person? And I think
their friendship goals as well as showing how friendship changes
(12:24):
throughout the seasons and they go through ebbs and flows.
So I think for me, Christina and Meredith are just
one of the best Gray's Anatomy moments of all time.
Obviously pick Me, Choose Me, Love Me another cultural.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
One, so pick me, Choose Me, Love Me.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
Christina shouting somebody sedate me, which she finally has her breakdown.
But if we're going like the all time best storylines,
you can't go past the bomb in their body cavity
where Christina Richie comes in, the gunman in the hospital,
Double O seven. I think the Double oh seven moment
with George is it is a shock and there is
(13:02):
so many tiktoks out there of people watching it for
the first time, and a lot of the time it's
someone who watched the show when it aired and now
they're showing the child and they are just in absolute shock.
And there's some of my favorite moments. But I think
the thing that reeled so many people in is the
storyline of Denny de Quette, which pretty much is an
arc across the whole of season two and then takes
(13:23):
us into season three and beyond the complex nature of
Danny de Quette, how it all unfolded and the fallout
of it, as well as launching snow patrols chasing cars
is a cultural iconic moment that we must thank Shonda
Rhymes for your filation Slash.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Speaking of writing, obviously this show created by Shonda Rhymes.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
We've talked about her a bunch, We sort of danced.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Around it, but she is the centerpiece for why Gray's
Anatomy is so successful. You touched on the relationship between
Meredith and Christina. Obviously, that comes down to the way
that those characters were written, the way that their relationship
was written, and the storyline that have follows.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
That's just one of.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
The things that I think we can attribute to Shonda
Rhime's skill set. Though it's not just how she writes
female friendship, but female characters in general, and this extends
beyond Grey's Anatomy. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Absolutely, I think what she's done in terms of the
Shondaland universe and well production company, but let's call it
a universe, is You've got How to get Away with Murder,
which is obviously Viola Davis's show, as well as Scandal
Kerry Washington's show. And what is wonderful about these three
Obviously there's so many more in the Shondaland sphere with
Gray's Scandal and How to get Away with Murder. All
(14:43):
three of these women are the lead, all three of
them are ambitious career wise, and Ellen Pompeo actually touched
on this. She was on Call Her Daddy podcast this week,
and remember this was twenty years ago. It was the
first script she'd seen where there was a female at
the lead who wanted to be a surgeon, who was
career ambitious, and that's something that I think Shonder has
within herself and that she brings to her characters. And
(15:06):
we always talk about that. I think it's so often
a buzzword, like a strong female lead, but Shonda has
made this not a buzzword. It's just expected as part
of her universe. And we see that also when there's Bridgeton,
which is obviously about love stories. But then she went
and did the prequel in Queen Charlotte, and you got
to go further into Queen Charlotte and Lady Danbury, and
that was just exquisite television.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
I love that we are able to talk about the
rest of the shonderverse.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
For those uninitiated.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
It is literally everything that Shonder rhymes is touched and
most of it, I will say, is absolute gold. Bridgeton, Scandal,
How to Get Away with Murder just to name a few.
The female characters are incredible. What she's able to produce
on screen has been so delightful for so many of us,
even with the odd singing episode that we won't mention.
(15:51):
But it's not just on screen, it's offscreen as well.
She's actually revolutionized the television industry. I know, Grace had
something that you have thoughts and feelings about.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
I do have thoughts and feelings. And one thing that
I actually learned this week as well from the Call
of Daddy podcast is that Ellen said that when she
told Shonda that she was pregnant, that Shonda is the
person when she finds out someone who is pregnant, she's
ready with the confetti, She's ready with the celebration, but
she is also how do we protect you, how do
we keep you working, and how do we make sure
you have a job when you come back. So I
(16:20):
think just her view of the person as well as
the performer and helping women not feel scared to take
time off to have children, I think is one thing
that I learned this week that I just absolutely loved.
She also created shows that had the most diverse casting
that we have ever seen. If you look back at
Gray's Anatomy, the main cast is full of diverse actors,
and that's one of the first times we ever saw that.
(16:40):
As we talked about the creating strong, complex female leads
who are career driven but also not shrying away from
the fact that we've all dated bad men, and a
lot of them date some really terrible men, and that's relatable.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
That's quite relatable.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
She also revolutionized TV drama in terms of fast paced dialogue.
You can look at how the West Wing did that,
but then Shonda has her own tone as to how
she does that. And you've got these shocking plot twists
that are so implausible, but in the shond diverse they
start to feel a little bit plausible, like a bomb
in a body cavity. I think Christina says it at
(17:14):
the end of season eight at one point she's like,
why are we still here? And it's such a good point.
And then I think in terms of changing the business
of TV, Shonder Rhymes was in network land of television,
which is you're free to air kind of television. But
then she actually signed up one hundred million dollar deal
with Netflix and that all of her shows have gone there.
(17:35):
So just recently The Residence, which is her later show
that the premiered, obviously went on to Netflix. She's a businesswoman,
she's a career woman, but she supports women from a
personal level. And also, who could forget Shonder Rhyme's year
of Yes.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
Thanks for taking some time to feed your mind with
us today. The Quickie is produced by me tayl Estrano
and Grace Roofrey, with audio production by Lou Hill.
You're listening to a Muma Mea podcast. Mumma Mea acknowledges
the traditional owners of land and waters that this podcast
is recorded on Hey, I'm Taylor Strano. This is Mumma
Mer's twice daily news podcast, The Quickie. The Sussexes are
making headlines again, Prince Harry's walking away from a passion project,
(00:32):
there's whispers of a new Diana documentary, and is Megan
Mirkle about to become the world's most famous influencer? Plus,
can you believe it's been two decades since we first
heard this?
Speaker 2 (00:43):
All Right, everybody, it's a beautiful night to saved Lives.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
It's such fun. Yep. Gray's Anatomy is turning twenty this week,
so let's turn our attention to the woman who changed
the face of television forever. But first, here's Grace Roubray
with the latest from the Quickie newsroom.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
For Friday, March twenty.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Eight, Prime Minister Anthony Albanezi is set to call a
federal election on Friday, with an expected polling date of
May three. He will visit the Governor General on Friday
morning before making the announcement. Alberanezy hopes to become the
first prime minister since John Howard to win back to
back elections, while Opposition leader Peter Dutton aims to break
a near century long trend of governments winning a second term.
(01:26):
The election, initially expected in April, was delayed due to
tropical Cyclone Alfred. The government used the extra time to
deliver a budget including tax cuts from July twenty twenty six.
Cost of living concerns are set to dominate the campaign,
with Labour highlighting its tax cuts, Medicare boost and easing inflation,
while the Coalition argues that living standards have worsened. To
(01:47):
win government, the coalition must gain nineteen seats, with Poles
suggesting a tight race and a possible hung parliament. Former
New South Wales police officer Christian White will face sentencing
for the manslaughter of ninety five year old Clare Noland,
who died after he tased her at a Couma aged
care home in May twenty twenty three. Noland, holding a knife,
(02:08):
was using a word walking frame ignored Staff's attempts to
disarm her when White fired his taser, causing her to
fall and suffer a fatal brain injury. Prosecutors are seeking
jail time, arguing police accountability is rare, while White's lawyers
claim it was a misjudgment. His case joins a shortlist
of Australian police officers prosecuted for deaths on duty. White
(02:31):
was dismissed from the force in December and is appealing
his termination opposition later. Peter Dutton has ruled out tax
cuts under a coalition government, instead promising cheaper electricity and petrol.
His plan includes boosting gas supply, cutting the fuel excise
by twenty five percent per leader, and fast tracking approvals
to lower power prices. Labour has seized on his admission
(02:53):
that the Liberals would repeal legislated tax cuts, framing the
election as a choice between lower taxes with Labour or
higher taxes under Dutton. Treasurer Jim Chalmers argues broad tax
relief is a better solution to cost of living pressures,
while Dutton claims his fuel cut save motorists fourteen dollars
a week. Australia is providing an additional eleven million dollars
(03:15):
in humanitarian aid for Gaza as Israeli bombardment continues. The
funds will support urgent needs like healthcare, food and water.
Since October twenty twenty three, Australia has committed nearly one
hundred and twenty five million dollars in aid to those
affected by Middle East conflict. Foreign Minister Penny Wong reaffirmed
calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages and sustained
(03:37):
humanitarian access. Australia is also directing fifteen million dollars in
aid to support refugees and Afghan women facing severe rights
restrictions under Taliban rule.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Thanks Grays.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Next the shock exit that's left Prince Harry devastated. The
Sussexes can't stay out of the headlines for more than
five minutes these days, as we continue to argue about
whether or not they should be there in the first place.
So what's on the dock at this week? Well, Prince
Harry has decided to step away from one of his
(04:11):
long standing charity commitments, a move that's raised eyebrows among
Royal watches. This comes as rumours grow about his involvement
in a potential new documentary focused on his mother, Princess Diana,
And meanwhile, Megan Markle appears to be leaning into a
new role that many have speculated about for years, that
of a lifestyle influencer.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
So let's get into it, starting with Harry's charity split.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
When he was just twenty one years old, Harry and
Prince Seeso of Lsutu founded Center Balai, a charity named
after the word for forget me not in the local
Sisoto language.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
The organization was created.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
To help vulnerable children affected by HIV and AIDS in
Southern Africa and was very much Harry's way of continuing
Princess Diana's legacy. But now nearly twenty years on, both
princes have resigned from the charity they created amid what
can only be described as a spectacular boardroom breakdown. In
a joint statement, the Princess said what's happened is unthinkable,
(05:09):
that they're both in shock and both need to resign.
The drama centers around a falling out between the board
of trustees and the charity's chairwoman, doctor Sophi Shandaka, who
was appointed in twenty twenty three. The relationship reportedly broke
down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation where all trustees,
including Harry's close friend Mark Dyer, step down in solidarity.
(05:32):
The doctor Shandaka has fired back with accusations of poor governance,
weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, and misogynire.
That's misogyny directed at black women, by the way. But
what makes us particularly painful for Harry is the charity's
deep connection to his mother. It was his way of
honoring Diana's work with AIDS patients, work that was groundbreaking
(05:54):
at a time when stigma around the disease was.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
At its peak.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Speaking of the People's Princess, there's been speculation about a
new Netflix project from Prince Harry, one that would focus
on his mother's life and legacy. Initial reports suggested he'd
be producing an host a doco to mark thirty years
since Jane's passing in twenty twenty seven, but representatives for
the Sarseixes have been clear there's no such project currently
(06:19):
in development, and while Harry has previously spoken about his mother,
including in last year's Hardeman Victors series, it seems this
particular project is it on the cards. Meanwhile, Meghan Markle
appears to be carving out a new path as an influencer.
The Duchess has been spotted sharing glimpses of the couple's
private life, including new photos of their red headed children,
(06:43):
Archie and Lillabet. This move comes as the Duchess of
Sussex unveils her new shop my page, where she curates
and shares affiliate links to some of her favorite fashion picks,
hence the influencer tags. Essentially, followers can scroll through to
shop Megan's recos and in return, she could be making
commission of certain products. The range extends from luxury gowns
(07:04):
and accessories to everyday fashion basics. Plus there's her as
ever product range. So on the same day as her
Netflix series With Love Megan launched, she also dropped eight
hosting adjacent products to coincide with the show. There's finally
somewhere to buy that jam that we've heard so much about,
And while it's a departure from her royal duties, it's
(07:25):
also kind of a return to her pre royal days
when she ran the popular lifestyle blog tick. So will
we see a paid Instagram add from the Duchess of
Sussex for various new products soon? Only time will tell.
Let's turn our attention to a television milestone that has
many of us feeling nostalgic. This time twenty years ago,
(07:48):
a hospital drama featuring a group of surgical interns debuted
on American television, and nobody could have predicted the cultural
phenomenon that would become Gray's Anatomy wasn't just another medical drama.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
It was a revolution in television, created.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
By a woman who would go on to dominate the industry.
Shonder Rhimes didn't just give us mcdreaming stem. She created
a show that tackled race, gender, sexuality, and moral dilemmas
in a way that we had never really seen before.
From that infamous bomb episode to shocking character death that
left us all traumatized, Gray's has delivered some of the
(08:24):
most memorable moments in TV history. Momay is Grace Rubrey
might just be the biggest Grays fan I know, like
I've sat in meetings with Grace as she's tried time
and time again to get Grace's Anatomy the podcast off
the ground in hopes to interrogate the importance of Shonda
and all of her Shondaland shows. Grace has actually written
a piece for the Mumma Mere website capturing the mood
(08:46):
twenties on from the show's debut, Grace take us Mack
to the beginning, Gray's was never meant to.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Be this big.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
No, what they were looking for was a replacement show
for Boston Legal at the time and an air after
Desperate Housewives, which if you can remember, was like the
biggest show at the time, and they said, oh, maybe
we'll get some audience that will stay around after Desperate
Housewives and they'll watch Grace anatomy. But the reaction was
bigger than ABC the network, bigger than Shonda was expecting,
(09:14):
and even bigger than the cast were expecting. In actors
on actors. When Catherine Heigel and Ellen Pompeo interviewed each
other last year, they both talked about, oh, do you
remember that when it came out and we all rocked
up to work the next day and we're like, oh
my god, what just happened.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Yeah, it's hard to overstate the impact that this show
has had, but also how the impact has been sustained.
Twenty years is an extremely long time for anyone to
do anything, let alone a television program to cut through
the way that it has, and I think a lot
of that is largely judas Shonda Rhymes and we'll talk
about her in a moment, but for you what is
it that's made the show manage to remain relevant for
(09:52):
two decades.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
I think its relevancy has changed. I think at the time,
it was premium drama and it was something we hadn't
seen before in terms of a medical drama. You know,
we had ER and this was an er. We were
using real medical storylines and following cases. But then the
way that they and this is Shondaism, which I know
will talk about, the way they blended the personal lives
(10:13):
and following so many of the characters, and also the
ambition of each of the interns as they wanted to
break into this industry, became at the medical field from
a place we hadn't seen before. And then she started
to kind of layer up on those elements in terms
of like cliffhanger storylines, the music, the incredible will they
Won't They? I mean we'd seen will they won't They
(10:34):
obviously through Friends, but then Derek and Meredith became like
one of the biggest will they won't theys of all time.
I do think it's relevancy has changed in terms of
we've seen Shonda step away from being the show runner
at the end of season thirteen, and the show has
morphed from premium drama to I would call it soap drama,
and both of those have a place. They're just very
(10:57):
different things. You know, it's not adolescents anymore. It's not
breaking bad, it's not that. It's a little bit more
switch your brain off and just enjoy the characters. You know, well,
the originals, which is obviously Doctor Webber played by James
Pickenst and Doctor Bailey, which is Shandra Wilson. So you've
got some of the familiar people. But I think the
show has changed over twenty years.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
There are so many standout moments in Grays. It's the
show that gave us my person, kick me, choose Me,
love Me. Too many deaths to count, like, I've actually
lost out of how many people have died on Grey's Anatomy,
and they even cover the pandemic. So there's quite a
few things that I think would make up people's top
ten list of most memorable key standout moments. But I
want to hear yours grace for you, what is like
(11:38):
the peak Gray's Anatomy greatest hits reel in your head.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
There's two different ways to look at this. There's the
cultural moments that I feel like a personal attachment to
I think this would be for so many people, which
is the relationship between Christina and Meredith the Twisted Sisters,
and You're my person. That you're my person came in
very early in season two, and they keep this you're
my person throughout so many seasons, even when they're both
(12:03):
in relationships. An Owen, which is Christina's partner, even shouts
at her at one point, be my person. And I
think that's such a beautiful reflection of friendship, of when
you do meet someone who is sort of everything to
you in a friendship capacity, at what point do you
let a romantic partner be that person? And I think
their friendship goals as well as showing how friendship changes
(12:24):
throughout the seasons and they go through ebbs and flows.
So I think for me, Christina and Meredith are just
one of the best Gray's Anatomy moments of all time.
Obviously pick Me, Choose Me, Love Me another cultural.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
One, so pick me, Choose Me, Love Me.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
Christina shouting somebody sedate me, which she finally has her breakdown.
But if we're going like the all time best storylines,
you can't go past the bomb in their body cavity
where Christina Richie comes in, the gunman in the hospital,
Double O seven. I think the Double oh seven moment
with George is it is a shock and there is
(13:02):
so many tiktoks out there of people watching it for
the first time, and a lot of the time it's
someone who watched the show when it aired and now
they're showing the child and they are just in absolute shock.
And there's some of my favorite moments. But I think
the thing that reeled so many people in is the
storyline of Denny de Quette, which pretty much is an
arc across the whole of season two and then takes
(13:23):
us into season three and beyond the complex nature of
Danny de Quette, how it all unfolded and the fallout
of it, as well as launching snow patrols chasing cars
is a cultural iconic moment that we must thank Shonda
Rhymes for your filation Slash.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Speaking of writing, obviously this show created by Shonda Rhymes.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
We've talked about her a bunch, We sort of danced.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Around it, but she is the centerpiece for why Gray's
Anatomy is so successful. You touched on the relationship between
Meredith and Christina. Obviously, that comes down to the way
that those characters were written, the way that their relationship
was written, and the storyline that have follows.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
That's just one of.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
The things that I think we can attribute to Shonda
Rhime's skill set. Though it's not just how she writes
female friendship, but female characters in general, and this extends
beyond Grey's Anatomy. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Absolutely, I think what she's done in terms of the
Shondaland universe and well production company, but let's call it
a universe, is You've got How to get Away with Murder,
which is obviously Viola Davis's show, as well as Scandal
Kerry Washington's show. And what is wonderful about these three
Obviously there's so many more in the Shondaland sphere with
Gray's Scandal and How to get Away with Murder. All
(14:43):
three of these women are the lead, all three of
them are ambitious career wise, and Ellen Pompeo actually touched
on this. She was on Call Her Daddy podcast this week,
and remember this was twenty years ago. It was the
first script she'd seen where there was a female at
the lead who wanted to be a surgeon, who was
career ambitious, and that's something that I think Shonder has
within herself and that she brings to her characters. And
(15:06):
we always talk about that. I think it's so often
a buzzword, like a strong female lead, but Shonda has
made this not a buzzword. It's just expected as part
of her universe. And we see that also when there's Bridgeton,
which is obviously about love stories. But then she went
and did the prequel in Queen Charlotte, and you got
to go further into Queen Charlotte and Lady Danbury, and
that was just exquisite television.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
I love that we are able to talk about the
rest of the shonderverse.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
For those uninitiated.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
It is literally everything that Shonder rhymes is touched and
most of it, I will say, is absolute gold. Bridgeton, Scandal,
How to Get Away with Murder just to name a few.
The female characters are incredible. What she's able to produce
on screen has been so delightful for so many of us,
even with the odd singing episode that we won't mention.
(15:51):
But it's not just on screen, it's offscreen as well.
She's actually revolutionized the television industry. I know, Grace had
something that you have thoughts and feelings about.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
I do have thoughts and feelings. And one thing that
I actually learned this week as well from the Call
of Daddy podcast is that Ellen said that when she
told Shonda that she was pregnant, that Shonda is the
person when she finds out someone who is pregnant, she's
ready with the confetti, She's ready with the celebration, but
she is also how do we protect you, how do
we keep you working, and how do we make sure
you have a job when you come back. So I
(16:20):
think just her view of the person as well as
the performer and helping women not feel scared to take
time off to have children, I think is one thing
that I learned this week that I just absolutely loved.
She also created shows that had the most diverse casting
that we have ever seen. If you look back at
Gray's Anatomy, the main cast is full of diverse actors,
and that's one of the first times we ever saw that.
(16:40):
As we talked about the creating strong, complex female leads
who are career driven but also not shrying away from
the fact that we've all dated bad men, and a
lot of them date some really terrible men, and that's relatable.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
That's quite relatable.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
She also revolutionized TV drama in terms of fast paced dialogue.
You can look at how the West Wing did that,
but then Shonda has her own tone as to how
she does that. And you've got these shocking plot twists
that are so implausible, but in the shond diverse they
start to feel a little bit plausible, like a bomb
in a body cavity. I think Christina says it at
(17:14):
the end of season eight at one point she's like,
why are we still here? And it's such a good point.
And then I think in terms of changing the business
of TV, Shonder Rhymes was in network land of television,
which is you're free to air kind of television. But
then she actually signed up one hundred million dollar deal
with Netflix and that all of her shows have gone there.
(17:35):
So just recently The Residence, which is her later show
that the premiered, obviously went on to Netflix. She's a businesswoman,
she's a career woman, but she supports women from a
personal level. And also, who could forget Shonder Rhyme's year
of Yes.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
Thanks for taking some time to feed your mind with
us today. The Quickie is produced by me tayl Estrano
and Grace Roofrey, with audio production by Lou Hill.
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