PREMIERE SEASON 2010

So here goes... The new TV season brings not just new settings, but even new dimensions to characters that we might not have imagined. Here, I start rounding up the season premieres, and I had to start with Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives, two shows that I am most partial to.

Grey’s Anatomy S7

The official promotional poster for Grey's Anatomy S7

‘Let the healing begin’ is the tagline for Grey’s Anatomy S7. After ‘The season that changed everything’, this seems apt. With the mass murders in the S6 finale, the writers not only had great material for drama, but also to explore unknown dimensions of all the characters involved. And that has become evident from the first episode itself. I don’t think anyone does flashbacks better than creator Shonda Rhimes. Having started this season set a few months after the previous one ended, she takes the characters back to the days after the shootout in an almost chilling manner, with each of them reliving the horror, as they need to be deemed fit for surgery, by a psychiatrist, given the mental trauma each one of them went through. The surgery clearance makes a fantastic backdrop for the episode, as it shows us everyone’s story, doing complete justice to their experiences during the shootout, and to who they are as people. Being cleared for surgery is also representative of the first big step that everyone takes towards moving on. It’s what they all need to do, to pick up the pieces.

But we all know that as much as they all want to pick up the pieces and make the nightmare go away, it’s not going to be easy in any way. The most impactful of it all was Bailey’s story. From seeing her being reminded of the disaster by her co-passenger on the plane, to revisiting the shot of her being dragged out from her hiding place under the bed by the shooter was spine-chilling. Seeing the way the tragedy affected a level-headed person like her, making her irrational in her approach to her relationship with her boyfriend was heartbreaking, as she even wishes for him to have been there to be able to understand what all of them went through. Lexi dealt with it all in her own way. The flashbacks reveal the end of her relationship with Alex, also a result, in a way, of the horror that they went through. Now she’s back to her brunette look, but she’s taking her time with starting over. I have a feeling that she and Mark will work things out; because of the way he seemed to get her better than Alex did through the recovery period.

Clearance for surgery comes to everyone eventually, and Derek is on the top of the world with his yellow slip, ready to be a surgeon again, in a bigger way. He steps down from the position as Chief of Surgery at Seattle Grace-Mercy West, and Richard Webber gets reinstated as Chief. I was happy to see that happen, because Derek wasn’t chief material the way Webber is, and I believe that Webber’s new tenure will see him being more responsible. I look forward to seeing more of him as Chief.

Meredith has her own set of skeletons. Besides watching her husband getting shot, and living through the same nightmare as everyone else, she also had the miscarriage—something that she still hasn’t told Derek. Her inability to get clearance initially had a lot to do with suppressed feelings about that, and I think she’s going to take her time to deal with it. Derek and Meredith actually starting a family is something I don’t see happening for a while, as they both aren’t in a place where they’re mentally ready to handle being parents. And while Meredith was yet to get clearance, she walks in on Teddy Altman making out with Dr Perkins, the psychiatrist. That angle is something we’re all yet to understand, but it’s quite clear that Teddy is ready to move on, so when she’s telling Owen that she’s happy for him and Christina making a commitment, it’s actually believable.

And that brings me to the one most shocking turn of events in the premiere—Christina marrying Owen. Spoilers that did the rounds earlier revealed that detail, but I didn’t see it happening in the first episode itself. That, however, is explained perfectly in the flashbacks. The disaster seems to have affected Christina the most, as she loses control of herself, willing to let herself take Owen’s support, to deal with the literal nightmares that she has. As the episode drew to a close, I wondered if they would actually go through with the wedding, but they did. I don’t know if the marriage will work, or if it’ll just dawn on her later, that it was just a rebound from the disaster...we’ll just have to wait and watch. That said, I cannot wait to watch the rest of the season; the healing has begun, in the best premiere I’ve seen so far this season, and as the healing brings out new sides to everyone, there’s a lot to look forward to.

Desperate Housewives S7

The official promotional poster for Desperate Housewives S7

When the S6 of Desperate Housewives ended, everyone I know who watched the show, including me, made guesses about the switched babies. Earlier, I wrote here that for there to be greater repercussions from the switching of the babies, beyond the obvious emotional turmoil, the writers would have to choose the child wisely. Juanita Solis was not on my mind at all, given all of that, but I now realise that it makes perfect sense. Gaby didn’t have anything big lined up this season, so Juanita being the switched kid is what’s going to keep her busy. While on that, I loved the situational irony between her and Carlos, both harbouring secrets that they want to protect the other from. I was very happy with how they handled Bree telling Gaby that Andrew had caused her mother-in-law’s death. It wouldn’t make sense for Gaby to get upset about it, because she always hated her mother-in-law, so showing her to be more concerned about telling Carlos was just perfect. I wonder how long the secrets between the Solises will remain secrets, but according to previews, Gaby will soon find out that she is not Juanita’s mother. Lots of drama there!

I liked that they picked up with this season from where they left off at the end of S6. Paul Young’s return had our narrator Mary Alice give us a recap of their lives on the street, and it gave me a feeling of the show going back to its roots; after all the new and twisted neighbours, it’s like they’ve done a full-circle and come back to the Youngs. I loved the way Paul made his entry and how the news of his return spreads like wild fire, and before we know it, Susan comes back to Wisteria Lane when she finds out. While they’re all willing to accept him as their neighbour, I do feel the housewives should be a little wary of his return, because he certainly has something major up his sleeve. And while he’s buying his old house back, Felicia Tillman is getting the justice she deserves, in prison. I’m glad they brought her back, because Paul’s story would be incomplete without her. She’s got some tricks on her mind as well, and I can’t wait to find out more. I do hope they bring back Zach, because I think Paul had maximum unfinished business with his son!

When I heard that Susan would enter a new money-making venture, I assumed it had to do with something illegal, so when she was introduced to her landlady’s adult video making setup, I sure was surprised. It’s a little crazy that she needed to do it, so that Mike wouldn’t have to ‘go work at an oil rig in Alaska’, but let’s see where they’ll go with that. I’m willing to play along for now.

On the other hand, we’ve been introduced to a former wild side of Lynette, through the words of Renée Perry (Tom overhearing her speaking about Lynette having had a threesome was just priceless!). I don’t have any strong opinions on Renée yet, but what I can say is that I love Felicity Huffman’s chemistry with Vanessa Williams. I can’t wait for more Lynette-Renée scenes. It’ll be fun material for the season. I’m dying to know which house she will move into and how she’ll do up her place, given her expensive taste, and I’m looking forward to what her character adds to the show even more!

Lastly, I honestly didn’t think it was actually the end of Bree’s marriage to Orson. I thought that eventually they would reconcile, but seeing Kyle McLachlan’s name among ‘special guest stars’ in the credits convinced me that it was actually over. Bree now literally has to start over. The last time she was in a similar situation, when Orson went to prison, she worked on building her business, but this time, she doesn’t even have that. But what she does have is a desire to redecorate, and I’m really looking forward to seeing some sparks between her and her contractor Keith. Bree starting over, Gaby dealing with finding out about Juanita not being her biological child, Lynette raining a fifth child, and rediscovering herself with Renée around, and Susan dealing with her financial crisis... I have a feeling this season will be awesome!

Please leave your comments below. I would love to know what you guys thought of the premieres!

COMING SOON: Dexter, Private Practice, Glee and more